HARRISBURG – Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) issued the following statement after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court picked the Carter plan for congressional districts:
“This is not about where lines are drawn or where they could have been drawn. The court has now confirmed once and for all they do not abide by the state and federal Constitutions.
“Only the map submitted by House and Senate Republicans followed all constitutional guidelines, went through a deliberative legislative process and was endorsed by a judicial body.
“The process for creating district lines is clearly defined, and even if the governor refused to follow the process, it does not allow the courts to just pick and choose when or when not to follow the law.
“Sadly, candidates and voters must now submit to a unilateral court that sees itself above every person in our Commonwealth.”

By MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s highest court is breaking a partisan deadlock over a new map of congressional districts by selecting boundaries that broadly adhere to the current outlines of the state’s districts. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision picked a 17-district map that had been proposed by a group of Democratic-aligned voters who sued last year in an effort to get the court involved. It’s unlikely to create a big shift in the makeup of the congressional delegation, as the state loses a seat because of sluggish population growth. By one analysis, the map has eight Republican-leaning districts, six Democratic-leaning districts and three closely divided districts.

(File Photo)
Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News Correspondent
(Center Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) PA State Police reported just after 11:30 AM Wednesday morning that I-376 east bound (Beaver Valley Expressway) is reopened. A spokesperson said the road was closed due to clean up from a tractor trailer rollover that occurred Tuesday morning.   The spokesperson said the road reopened completely around 11 AM.

There has been no further information released about the accident. It’s not known at this time if anyone was injured in the accident or what caused the accident.

GOP candidate for governor ups campaign cash in late filing
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Republican state lawmaker who is running for governor of Pennsylvania filed an updated campaign finance statement showing that he has almost twice as much campaign cash as he initially reported. Tuesday’s filing by state Sen. Doug Mastriano was three weeks after the deadline in state law. Mastriano is now reporting that he had slightly over $1 million in his campaign account heading into 2022, instead of the $550,000 he initially reported. The updated statement puts Mastriano among the biggest-raising candidates in a double-digits-deep Republican primary field competing for the nomination to challenge the presumed Democratic nominee, two-term state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

Lawsuit seeks halt to court picking congressional map
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would overstep its authority by selecting a new set of congressional district maps. The plaintiffs asked Monday for a restraining order to prevent the state justices from changing the election calendar. The lawsuit was filed by two Republicans running for Congress, a member of the election board in rural Susquehanna County and two others. They’re suing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and two high-ranking state elections officials, arguing that the stalemate over passing new maps should require all 17 races to be run as “at-large” statewide contests this year.

(Pittsburgh, Pa.)  The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions to forego potentially life-saving cancer screening tests such as mammography. In order to provide easy access to screening to as many people as possible, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Cancer Institute is offering monthly screening events, free and open to the public, at locations throughout western Pennsylvania.

Registration is now open for the next screening, scheduled for Saturday, March 26 at AHN Cancer Institute-Beaver, located at 81 Wagner Road, Monaca (Center Township.) Registration is open until March 17, or until the session is filled, and can be made by calling 412-359-6665.

Screenings will be available for cervical cancer (ages 21-65), colorectal cancers (age 45-75), head and neck cancers (age 18+), lung cancer (ages 50-80 with a history of smoking), prostate cancer (ages 45+) and skin cancer (ages 18+). The event is open to AHN and non-AHN patients, and health insurance is not required.

Mammography for breast cancer screening and low dose CT for lung screening will be available at AHN’s Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion, 12311 Perry Highway, Wexford.

“The five screening clinics we offered in 2021 were quickly booked to capacity and very well received. As physicians we were thrilled to see this response, as we are very concerned about the possibility of an increased number of cancer diagnosis due to missed screenings,” said David Bartlett, MD, Chair, AHN Cancer Institute. “Our goal for 2022 is to reach even more people, and to try to ensure easy access to screening in all the communities of our region.”

Upcoming events are planned for AHN Cancer Institute locations in New Castle, Hempfield, Grove City and Allegheny General Hospital, the East Side Health + Wellness Pavilion in Erie, and West Penn and Jefferson hospitals. More details will be announced at a later date.

The American Cancer Society urges all people to follow recommendations for regular cancer screenings and to take steps to prevent cancer, including not smoking, exercising, staying at a healthy weight, following a healthy diet and limiting alcohol consumption.

AHN is taking numerous steps to help patients stay safe in its facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic including around-the-clock disinfecting and screening, spaced appointments, distancing in waiting areas and use of personal protective equipment. All patients attending the AGH event will be screened for COVID-19 on the day before the event and on arrival at either facility.

AAA: Gas Prices Soar in Western PA; Crude Prices Fluctuate Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Gas prices are 11 cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.739 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                $3.739
Average price during the week of February 16, 2022                              $3.629
Average price during the week of February 22, 2021                              $2.940

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$3.755      Altoona
$3.685      Beaver
$3.755      Bradford
$3.727      Brookville
$3.694      Butler
$3.738      Clarion
$3.670      DuBois
$3.738      Erie
$3.606      Greensburg
$3.698      Indiana
$3.686      Jeannette
$3.609      Kittanning
$3.640      Latrobe
$3.754      Meadville
$3.769      Mercer
$3.563      New Castle
$3.681      New Kensington
$3.759      Oil City
$3.675      Pittsburgh
$3.664      Sharon
$3.698      Uniontown
$3.757      Warren
$3.635      Washington

Trend Analysis:

The potential invasion of Ukraine by Russia is having a rippling effect on the oil market, which in turn will impact the price of gasoline in the U.S. The national average for a gallon of gas has risen to $3.53, four cents more than a week ago, 21 cents more than a month ago and 90 cents more than a year ago.

A Russian attack would be met by severe financial sanctions led by the United States and its allies. Russia could retaliate by withholding oil from the world market, which is already dealing with tight supplies as countries loosen COVID restrictions. Russia is one of the leading oil producers globally, behind only the United States and Saudi Arabia.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 1.3 million barrels to 247.1 million barrels last week. On the other hand, gasoline demand fell from 9.13 million barrels per day to 8.57 million barrels per day. Typically, a decrease in gas demand during the winter would put downward pressure on pump prices, but elevated crude prices continue to push pump prices higher.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

(File Photo)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) As Americans are paying the most expensive gasoline prices since 2014, AAA East Central is reminding motorists about ways to improve fuel efficiency. Adopting responsible driving practices can contribute to significant savings at the pump and ease the financial strain of higher gas prices.

“The easiest and most effective way to increase the fuel economy of any car is to modify driving habits,” says Jim Garrity, director of public affairs, AAA East Central. “One of the simplest ways to keep your fuel costs lower is to slow down, as speeding drastically decreases how efficiently your vehicle burns fuel.”

To improve vehicle gas mileage, AAA recommends the following tips.

The Daily Drive

• Slow down and drive the speed limit. On the highway, aerodynamic drag causes fuel economy to drop off significantly as speeds increase above 50 mph.
• Reduce trips and lighten your load. Limit the amount of cargo in your vehicle when possible. Combine errands, and possibly aim to get all of your errands done on one day of the week. Also, consider using the more fuel efficient vehicle in your household more often.
• Avoid “jackrabbit” starts and hard acceleration. These actions greatly increase fuel consumption. Accelerate smoothly with light to moderate throttle. This allows the automatic transmission to upshift into higher gears sooner, reducing engine rpm and saving fuel.
• Avoid extended idling to warm up the engine. Even in winter, idling, and warming up an engine are unnecessary and wastes fuel.
• Look ahead. When approaching a red light or stop sign, take your foot off the gas early and allow your car to coast down to a slower speed until it is time to brake.
• Use cruise control to help maintain a constant speed and save fuel. However, never use cruise control on wet roads because a loss of vehicle control could result.
• Take advantage of fuel savings programs. AAA members have access to savings when filling up at Shell gas stations. More information is available at AAA.com/Shell.

Ownership, Maintenance, and Repairs

• Keep tires properly inflated. Underinflation reduces fuel economy, but more importantly, tires low on air affect handling and braking, wear more rapidly and can overheat and blowout.
• Maintain the vehicle according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Regular maintenance will ensure optimum fuel economy, performance and longevity.
• Make all necessary repairs. Take the vehicle to a trusted repair facility as soon as possible if the “Check Engine” light comes on.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

(File Photo of Center Twp. Municipal Complex sign)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News Correspondent

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Former Center Township tax collector Jeanne  Bowser was  sentenced  in Federal District Court  on  her conviction of wire fraud and filing false tax returns. She will spend 12 months and one day  in prison followed by 3 years  of supervised release  on the charges.  U.S. District judge Robert Colville imposed the sentence on Bowser. She was Center Township’s and the Central Valley School tax collector  from 12/2011 until 8/2019. She embezzled approximately $1,028,183.81 , writing checks to herself out of a bank account  used for  deposits and by stealing cash payments, in addition to embezzlement,  she filed false tax returns for a period of six years. U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung  prosecuted the case on behalf of the government , she commended the FBI and IRS  for the successful prosecution of Bowser.