Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed three of Governor Josh Shapiro’s cabinet nominations: Department of Education Secretary Khalid Mumin, Insurance Department Commissioner Michael Humphreys, and Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook.

Secretary Khalid Mumin

Secretary Mumin joins the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) with over 25 years of experience in education – previously serving as a teacher, dean of students, principal, and central administrator. He most recently served as the Superintendent of Schools at Lower Merion School District. He also served as Superintendent of Reading School District, where he was named the 2021 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. His experience promoting student achievement, equity, and access to educational programming for all students and commitment to fiscal responsibility has earned him national recognition as a “School Board Savvy Superintendent.”

Under Dr. Mumin’s leadership, PDE has awarded more than $8 million in competitive Safe Schools Targeted grants to 166 schools to improve school safety, awarded $6.7 million in grant funding to 100 schools to enable more high school students to enroll in dual credit programs, and invested more than $4.1 million in funding for 21 libraries in 15 counties for public library construction and rehabilitation projects. Secretary Mumin also launched a new CTE program to prepare students for careers in education, convened a working group of college and university presidents to develop meaningful reforms to Pennsylvania’s higher education system, and participated in a roundtable discussion with Governor Shapiro and Allentown students about Black Mental Health.

Commissioner Michael Humphreys

Commissioner Humphreys previously served as Acting Insurance Commissioner under Governor Tom Wolf and brings 15 years of insurance experience to his role, previously serving as Chief of Staff for the Insurance Department for more than three years and as Assistant Commissioner for Insurance at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.

Under his leadership in the Shapiro Administration, Commissioner Humphreys has led the Department’s efforts to strengthen enforcement and compliance of mental health parity laws in Pennsylvania to make mental health parity a true reality in the Commonwealth. Commissioner Humphreys has overseen the Department’s efforts to increase and strengthen its review processes of mental health and substance use disorder coverage in 2024 health plans, launched a new round of market conduct examinations targeting insurer compliance with parity laws, and is working to carry out Governor Shapiro’s priority of improved response times for professional licensing and pushing the department to work efficiently and effectively for Pennsylvania’s licensed insurance producers – including already reducing the processing time by half for most producer licensing applications.

Commissioner Thomas Cook

Commissioner Cook becomes Pennsylvania’s first Senate-confirmed state fire commissioner and brings more than 36 years of experience in emergency services. Before serving in the Shapiro Administration, Commissioner Cook was the Deputy Fire Commissioner under Governor Tom Wolf. Commissioner Cook previously served as administrator of the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and assistant fire chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire.

In this role, Commissioner Cook leads the development and operation of Pennsylvania’s emergency service training program and supports the Commonwealth’s 2,400 fire departments and personnel. Under his leadership, Cook has modernized training opportunities to improve access to the State Fire Academy, expanded recruitment and retention outreach from the Office of State Fire Commissioner, and made fire prevention/community risk reduction a priority for the office going forward.

Gas prices are a penny lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.642 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                          $3.642
Average price during the week of June 19, 2023                                               $3.655
Average price during the week of June 27, 2022                                               $4.979

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

$3.694      Altoona
$3.731      Beaver
$3.699      Bradford
$3.521      Brookville
$3.669      Butler
$3.654      Clarion
$3.430      DuBois
$3.666      Erie
$3.667      Greensburg
$3.695      Indiana
$3.636      Jeannette
$3.696      Kittanning
$3.676      Latrobe
$3.668      Meadville
$3.709      Mercer
$3.491      New Castle
$3.685      New Kensington
$3.696      Oil City
$3.695      Pittsburgh
$3.503      Sharon
$3.566      Uniontown
$3.699      Warren
$3.609      Washington

Trend Analysis:

As Independence Day holiday approaches, drivers are finding prices significantly lower than last year as low oil costs are keeping gas prices relatively stable.  The national average for a gallon of gas remained steady since last week at $3.57. That’s $1.32 less than a year ago and the same as one month ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand increased slightly from 9.19 barrels per day to 9.3 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 500,000 barrels to 221.4 million barrels.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by $.35 to settle at $69.16. Oil prices declined due to market concerns about the U.S. Federal Reserve resuming interest rate increases, which could tip the economy into a recession. Additionally, the EIA reported that total domestic commercial crude inventories decreased by 3.8 million barrels to 463.3 million barrels last week.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at gasprices.aaa.com

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

On a rainy and cloudy night in New Brighton, the vision for the upcoming school year became a little clearer.

At Monday night’s school board meeting, the budget for the 2023-24 school year was officially approved. The new $27,907,797.30 budget will feature a real estate millage rate of 73.9627 within the district. Per Capita taxes under School Code 679 and Act 511 were each set at $5.00, as was the Occupational Privilege tax.

The budget was approved despite a continued lack of an announced budget from Harrisburg; a lack of communication not lost on Superintendent Dr. Joseph Guarino. “We have a legal requirement to pass our budget by June 30,” he stated. “We’re meeting our requirement, and of course we’re still waiting on them.”

Also approved by the board at Monday night’s meeting were a trio of contracts with KeySolution Educational Staffing for school psychologist, behavioral therapy, and speech pathology services. These contracts will run through Summer of 2024.

Scott Sullivan was officially hired as School Police Officer for the New Brighton School District, with a three-year contract carrying an annual salary of $65,000.

Several teachers were hired for the 2023-24 school year, including Michelle Keith (special education), Abbey Uebelacker (special education), Lindsay Aley (foreign language), Kaylin Clingensmith (art), Megan Alicandro (English), and Robert Wahl (science). Wahl’s hiring is pending emergency certification from the PDE, which must be sought after by the school district and maintained before the start of the 2025-26 school year.

The board will not meet in July; their next meeting is scheduled for August 14 at 7:30 PM in the Little Theater.

Photo from Beaver Area Heritage Foundation Website

(Beaver, PA) The American Association for State and Local History is bestowing a 2023 Award of Excellence to the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation and Museum for its provocative 2022-2023 museum exhibit and video documentary, “Saint or Sinner? The Complicated Legacy of Senator Matthew Stanley Quay.” The award will be presented on Sept. 8 at the AASLH annual conference in Boise, ID.

It is the second major award the Heritage Museum has received this year for its visually rich examination of the life and practices of Quay, the 19th and early 20th century Pennsylvania State Treasurer, United States Senator and Republican National Committee Chairman from Beaver. In April, in a ceremony in Hershey, the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations bestowed a 2023 Special Achievement Award.

Due to popular demand, the museum will keep the free Saint/Sinner display open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of November.

“The Award of Excellence is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation of state and local history,” said Bethany Hawkins, AASLH chief of operations. “This year, AASLH is proud to confer 51 national awards honoring people, projects, and exhibits which represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history.”

Added Rusty Baker, executive director of the Pennsylvania Federation, “The annual awards are meant to inspire the museum field and impress visitors to museums. The Beaver Museum is one of Pennsylvania’s star performers, and we are proud to recognize its great work along with other museums and historical organizations throughout the Commonwealth.”

More than 1,500 guests viewed the Saint/Sinner display in 2022 and overwhelmingly cast their votes that Quay was more of a sinner than saint in his life’s work. The documentary, produced in association with Pacer Studios, captures the highlights of Quay’s personality and practices through the perspective of his biographer, 100-year-old Dr. James A. Kehl, who unfortunately died midway through the project. The 35-minute, highly entertaining video is posted on the Heritage Foundation’s new YouTube page. https://youtu.be/SjenXmcjdcY

All-new in the museum this year is an interactive video touch-screen presentation featuring 17 expanded clips of Kehl’s best sound bites, including some not shown in the documentary.

“We are grateful that our small community museum has been recognized not only throughout Pennsylvania but also the nation,” said Edwards McLaughlin, chair of the museum’s board of trustees. “It’s exciting to be recognized for our team’s work and thrilling to be counted among all of the great organizations that will receive awards this year.”

(Harrisburg, PA) The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is highlighting #SaveInPA opportunities to help millions of consumers manage summer energy usage and utility bills – including shopping with competitive suppliers, which could result in substantial savings on the energy portion of their monthly electric bills, as well as identifying ways to increase energy efficiency and conserve energy, especially during high-usage times.

The PUC’s electric shopping website, PAPowerSwitch.com, currently reflects offers from competitive suppliers in many parts of Pennsylvania well below the electric generation price available from many utilities. Because energy costs typically make up more than half a total utility bill, lower energy prices can have a noticeable impact on the size of monthly bills.

With the summer cooling season underway, now is a prime opportunity for consumers to review their monthly bills, assess energy usage and rates, and evaluate their options to manage energy costs and reduce the potential impact of higher summer usage.

 #SaveInPA – Where Can I Save, and How Much?

According to a recent sampling of supplier offers posted on the PUC’s electric shopping website – PAPowerSwitch.com – there are substantial #SaveInPA benefits for consumer energy costs, depending on their utility service territory, potentially benefitting more than 4 million Pennsylvania households which currently do not use competitive energy suppliers.

The Commission noted that the greatest potential savings – ranging from 20% to 40% – are currently available in the service territories for PPL, PECO, and Duquesne Light (subject to changes in market prices).  Collectively, those utilities serve many of the state’s largest communities, including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, along with many of their suburbs, as well as Allentown, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Scranton.

The top service territories where short-term (three-month, fixed-rate, with no added fees) and long-term (12-month or longer, fixed-rate, with no added fees) supplier offers are substantially below the utility generation rate:

• PPL – Supplier prices are as much as 22% lower for long-term contracts and 38% lower for short-term contracts.

• Duquesne Light – Supplier prices are as much as 21% lower for long-term contracts and 37% lower for short-term contracts.

• PECO – Supplier prices are as much as 26% lower for long-term contracts and 40% lower for short-term contracts.

In each of these areas, potential savings are large enough to make a very noticeable impact in monthly electric bills – with estimated savings ranging from $18 to $32 per month for the average customer.

Elsewhere across the state, prices vary between suppliers and region, but average savings are still considerable:

• The average short‐term savings is 28%.
• The average long‐term savings is 18%.

The largest savings are typically available in the areas where current utility generation prices are the highest, but not all offers are available in all service territories.

What is Electric Shopping?

In most areas of Pennsylvania, residents can choose who supplies their electricity, based on price or other factors. For consumers who do not shop for energy supply, the Commonwealth’s electric utilities obtain power on their behalf. This is known as the “Price to Compare” (PTC) and can be used as a baseline to compare with offers from competitive suppliers.

Utilities reset their PTCs two to four times per year, using a procurement process overseen by the PUC. The electric utility in effect “shops” for those customers, and energy costs are passed along to all non-shopping customers. By law, utilities cannot make a profit on electric generation, as generation costs are simply passed through to utility customers.

It is important to note that these energy generation prices are separate from the closely regulated rates that utilities charge for their distribution services – the delivery of electricity to homes.

How Can I Shop?

Consumers can use the PUC’s PAPowerSwitch.com energy shopping website to explore and compare other offers from competitive energy suppliers which may provide savings compared to their utility’s default service rate.

The website provides consumers with valuable information on how to shop for electric supply services – enabling consumers to quickly compare offers from competitive suppliers against the default service rate from their local utility and learn more on switching to a competitive supplier, switching to a different competitive supplier, or returning to default service, should they choose.

Another alternative for default service customers not participating in the competitive electricity market may be their utility’s voluntary Standard Offer Program (Standard Offer) – providing those customers with the option of receiving service from a competitive supplier at a fixed price that is 7% below the utility’s current PTC. The Standard Offer price is fixed for one year and can be canceled by the customer at any time with no early cancellation or termination fees.

Note: Standard Offer may not be always available in all utility service territories.  Consumers should contact their utility or visit their utility’s website for more information or to enroll in a Standard Offer program.

What Should I Look For?

It is important for every utility customer to understand what they are paying for electric generation supply, either through default service from their electric utility or a contract with a competitive energy generation supplier.

Key questions to ask include:

• How do competitive suppliers’ rates compare with the utility’s Price to Compare?
• Is the supplier contract for a fixed or variable rate – and if the rate is variable, what are the conditions of changes in the price for electricity?
• Does the contract provide for additional fees – such as an enrollment fee or early contract termination fees?
• When will the contract expire – and what are the options for consumers as the contract end date approaches?

Consumers are advised not to sign a contract without knowing the length of the contract, the price, whether it is fixed or variable and if there are any fees. Information on fixed and variable electric rates is available on the PUC’s PAPowerSwitch website.

Consumers who have questions or disputes with an electric generation supplier or their utility may contact the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services at 1-800-692-7380.  More information on understanding a contract with an electric generation supplier and electric switching can be found on PAPowerSwitch.com.

Managing Energy Usage

Additionally, consumers are encouraged to learn more about energy savings tips for managing energy costs.  Energy usage is a key factor in the size of summer energy bills, and there are many ways that consumers can control that usage. Energy saving tips include:

• Pay attention to the thermostat – Every degree you raise or lower the temperature could impact energy costs by up to 3%. Also, consider a programmable thermostat to automatically raise temperatures while you are away from home.

• Have your air conditioner serviced – Regular air conditioner maintenance along with clean air filters help ensure efficient operation of your cooling system.

• Insulate and seal leaks around your home – Adding insulation, installing storm windows and doors, and sealing cracks and air leaks can help you stay cooler and use less energy.

• Install or repair ceiling fans in high-trafficked rooms – Use ceiling fans to circulate the air, keeping the room cooler.

• Protect windows to reduce heat buildup – Smart landscaping and exterior window coverings are just two ways that you can better protect windows and reduce the impact of heat buildup in your home.

PAPowerSwitch.com has interactive sections with more easy consumer tips for saving energy.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

For recent news releases and video of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our website at www.puc.pa.gov. Follow the PUC on Twitter – @PA_PUC for all things utility.  “Like” Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Facebook for easy access to information on utility issues.

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro announced the Commonwealth will receive more than $1.16 billion in federal funding to expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas to make sure every Pennsylvanian has access to affordable, high-speed internet. The funding is coming to Pennsylvania through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and is part of President Biden’s “Internet for All” initiative.

The BEAD funding will be used to extend broadband infrastructure to areas of the Commonwealth that currently lack access to reliable, high-speed internet. Thanks to this significant investment, the Shapiro Administration will now have the resources it needs to connect Pennsylvanians to the internet and ensure they can go to school, start and grow businesses, and access telemedicine no matter where they live.

Since day one, Governor Shapiro has said extending and expanding access to broadband across the Commonwealth and making connections more reliable and affordable for Pennsylvanians is a top priority of his Administration.

“By expanding access to affordable, high-speed internet to every Pennsylvanian, we can create real opportunities for our students, our businesses, and our communities to learn, grow, and thrive,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Thanks to this historic investment from the federal government, my Administration has the resources to work with our community partners across the Commonwealth to bring reliable internet at high speeds and for affordable prices to every corner and every community in the Commonwealth.”

The $1.16 billion in BEAD funding to the Commonwealth will be administered by the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (Authority), an independent, bipartisan agency created by law in December 2021.

“We’re thrilled the Commonwealth is receiving this historic allocation — we’ve worked hard over the last year to ensure Pennsylvania received the funding it needs to finally address the connectivity issues impacting our communities,” said Brandon Carson, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority. “Everyone in the Commonwealth should have access to affordable, high-speed internet and the Authority is committed to making that a reality.

In preparation for this announcement, the Authority worked with Penn State Extension to identify more than 50,000 locations in Pennsylvania that lack access to high-speed internet but weren’t included in the federal government’s initial survey. So far, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has upheld more than 28,000 of those challenges, making those locations eligible for federal BEAD funding and helping ensure Pennsylvania received its share of the BEAD funding.

The Authority is now working to complete a five-year action plan for Pennsylvania’s BEAD allocation, which must be submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) by August 12, 2023. Pennsylvania will receive the BEAD funding in 2024 following the NTIA’s approval of the plan. The Authority plans to award subgrants to approved, eligible applicants before the end of 2024.

This past Friday, the Authority encouraged Pennsylvanians to participate in community engagement events that are being held around the Commonwealth throughout the summer. Feedback will be collected from these events, as well as an online survey, and used to help shape broadband programs, including the five-year BEAD action plan.

To date, Pennsylvania has received more than $1.5 billion in federal funding allocations for its broadband efforts. In addition to the BEAD funding, Pennsylvania also received $279 million in funding through the Capital Projects Fund and $6.6 million in federal planning funds in 2022.

Visit the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority’s website to learn more about its work to close the digital divide in the Commonwealth.

Story By Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published June 26, 2023 2:43 P.M.

(Center Township, Pa) A person was flown to the hospital after a scooter collided with a car outside of the Cinemark in Center.  The injured person was flown to UPMC Presbyterian. Their condition is currently unknown. The accident took place Sunday afternoon.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published June 26, 2023 2:36 P.M.   

(New Sewickley Township, PA) At 2:52 p.m. Saturday, June  24, 2023, a call came in   to 9-1-1 from 414 Klein Road, New Sewickley Township, and the caller stated his “aunt was down on the ground , and it was his cousin Ben”.  The caller reported his mother and grandmother were in the home and he heard 15 gunshots. According to the report the caller said he opened the door and “saw his aunt on the ground groaning.”

(Beaver, Pa) The Beaver County Office of Planning and Redevelopment announced today that the County has selected Verizon to deploy high-speed fiber-optic broadband service to hundreds of Beaver County residents throughout the County by the end of 2026.

The partnership is the latest step in a multi-year effort to bring broadband access to unserved and underserved residents through the Connect Beaver County Broadband Program.

“Today’s announcement is great news for Beaver County communities, businesses and families,” said Commissioner Tony Amadio. “Connecting our residents provides an economic development boost to the county and improves people’s lives. More connections mean greater opportunities and more freedom for all.”

Beaver County Office of Planning and Development has set aside $11.9 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for this phase of the Connect Beaver County Program. Verizon will more than match the County’s investment by contributing another $12.3 million.

Verizon, one of the world’s leading providers of technology and communications services, will provide broadband service to an estimated 1,846 households in 24 Beaver County municipalities along 369 miles of fiber-optic cable where broadband is currently unavailable or unreliable. The new state-of-the-art fiber-optic network will enable minimum speeds of 300 Mbps download/300 Mbps upload and maximum speeds of 1 Gig download/1 Gig upload.

“We’re grateful to partner with Verizon as Beaver County takes this major step forward in strengthening its internet connectivity,” said Commissioner Chairman Daniel Camp. “Our goal with our ARPA funds has always been to make investments that will have a lasting impact for generations. Verizon presented the most compelling proposal for moving the County in that direction though we were fortunate to receive many viable bids for this important project.”

“We are proud to partner with Beaver County to boost community broadband access in new ways in this community. This project Is just one of many ways Verizon is expanding our network to deliver reliable and fast internet to residents and businesses throughout the County,” said Bill Carnahan of Verizon State Government Affairs.

A competitive open request for proposals was launched in September 2022 to local and national internet service providers (ISPs). Bids were received through November 2022, and a thorough, internal evaluation, interview, and negotiation process followed.

The successful ISP was expected to deploy a network that meets the requirements set forth in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).

“I’m proud of the hard work and careful consideration our team at the Office of Planning and Redevelopment has achieved to get the county to this point,” said Commissioner Jack Manning. “We believe these investments will be transformational in keeping Beaver County competitive in the digital age. We look forward to the results this new infrastructure will bring and appreciate the stakeholder support that helped to make this a fully connected future in Beaver County possible.”

Municipalities with locations slated to receive service include: Big Beaver Borough, Brighton Township, Center Township, Chippewa Township, Darlington Township, Daugherty Township, Eastvale Borough, Frankfort Springs Borough, Franklin Township, Greene Township, Hanover Township, Hopewell Township, Independence
Township, Industry Borough, Marion Township, Midland Borough, New Sewickley Township, North Sewickley Township, Ohioville Borough, Patterson Township, Potter Township, Raccoon Township, Shippingport Borough, South Beaver Township.

A 2021 Data Collection and Feasibility Study identified 24 total municipalities that lacked complete access to high-speed or reliable internet under the federal minimum as defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Several municipalities with little to no access were previously identified as Early Action Projects with progress already underway with other providers.

“We’re grateful for Verizon’s partnership with the Connect Beaver County Broadband Program,” said Lance Grable Director of the Beaver County Office of Planning and Redevelopment. “Broadband infrastructure and access to high-speed internet is absolutely critical for modern education, business, public safety, health and so much more. This is a big step in addressing those needs for so many in our County and for closing that digital divide.”

To learn more about the Connect Beaver County Broadband Program, view progress, and join the mailing list, visit connectbeavercounty.com.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The gunman convicted in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history had psychotic, delusional and paranoid symptoms that made him unable to “read the world appropriately” or make proper decisions, his lawyer said Monday, launching an effort to persuade jurors to spare his life.

Robert Bowers had a psychotic condition going back to childhood, as well as serious brain defects and a history of suicide attempts, defense lawyer Michael Burt said on the opening day of the penalty phase of Bowers’ federal trial. Bowers was convicted this month in the 2018 killings of 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The defense argues that Bowers was unable to form the requisite level of intent to allow the jury to impose a death sentence. Medical tests found Bowers’ brain to be “structurally deficient,” with symptoms of epilepsy and schizophrenia, Burt said.

Prosecutor Troy Rivetti, in his opening statement Monday, said the government was prepared to rebut any mental-health defense.

Bowers clearly formed the intent to kill everyone he could find in Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, Rivetti said. He called the magnitude of Bowers’ crimes staggering,

“He came to kill,” the prosecutor said. “The defendant entered the Tree of Life synagogue, a sacred place to gather and pray, and he murdered 11 innocent worshippers.”

Bowers, flipping through papers, gave little indication that he was paying attention to the lawyers’ statements. He has shown little reaction throughout the trial.

The sentencing portion of Bowers’ trial comes as the death penalty has become a more prominent topic in the 2024 presidential race. The federal death penalty wasn’t a high-profile issue until former President Donald Trump’s administration resumed executions in 2020 after a 17-year hiatus. With 13 inmates put to death in his last months in office, Trump oversaw more federal executions than any president in more than 120 years.

President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would work to end capital punishment at the federal level and in states that still use it, and Attorney General Merrick Garland has paused executions to review policies and procedures. But federal prosecutors continue to work to uphold already-issued death sentences and to pursue the death penalty for crimes that are eligible, as in Bowers’ case.

Bowers, 50, a truck driver from suburban Baldwin, killed 11 members of three congregations — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life — who had gathered for Sabbath services in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. He also wounded two worshippers and five police officers.

The jury convicted Bowers on June 16, after five hours of deliberations, on all 63 counts he faced. The same jurors now must decide whether Bowers is eligible for the death penalty.

Prosecutors first have to show proof of intent and at least one aggravating factor that made the killings more heinous.

Rivetti told the jury Monday that many of Bowers’ victims were frail and elderly. He displayed a photo of a cane left on a pew by Bernice Simon, who was shot and killed as she attempted to tend to her mortally wounded husband, both in their 80s.

Brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal both had intellectual disabilities, couldn’t read and “sometimes needed help tying their shoes,” Rivetti said. “And this defendant shot and killed them in their synagogue.”

The prosecutor also argued there was evidence of intent at every step of the attack.

Bowers raged against Jews online, fixating on a Jewish refugee-aid organization that he accused of bringing in “invaders.” He then drove half an hour from his apartment to the synagogue, his car loaded with weapons and ammunition, and made “decision after decision” to pull the trigger, Rivetti said.

From the beginning, the punishment that Bowers will receive — a death sentence or life in prison without parole — has been the only question in the case. His own attorneys admitted he carried out the attack and offered only a token defense at trial, and have long signaled their focus would be on saving his life.

Before the trial, Bowers’ attorneys offered a guilty plea in return for a life sentence, which prosecutors rejected. Most of the victims’ relatives support seeking the death penalty.

The guilty verdict followed three weeks of wrenching survivor testimony and often graphic evidence, including victims’ 911 calls and photographs of the carnage. Bowers’ lead defense attorney, Judy Clarke, called no witnesses. She suggested Bowers was driven not by religious hatred but a deluded belief that by killing Jews, he was saving children from the genocide he believed was being perpetrated by immigrants aided by Jews.

The sentencing phase of the trial was expected to last four to five weeks.

Assuming it finds Bowers is eligible for the death sentence, the jury will then hear victim impact statements demonstrating the trauma suffered by survivors and the victims’ loved ones, as well as mitigating factors that might prompt a more lenient sentence, which may include pleas from his relatives.

To put him on death row, jurors will have to agree unanimously that the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating ones.

Clarke has represented other killers in high-profile capital cases, including Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is appealing his death sentence, and 1996 Olympics bomber Eric Rudolph and the late Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, who both received life sentences.

“Mitigating evidence — that’s her specialty,” University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris said of Clarke. “You’ll hear anything that’s possible” to spare Bowers’ life.

Local Jewish leaders expect to hear a sympathetic portrait of the killer and are worried it will be traumatic.

“So we’re going to be learning what kind of horrible human being he really is,” New Light Congregation co-president Stephen Cohen said after the verdict.