Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published March 26, 2024 10:00 A.M.
Photo Obtained from Crop & Kettle Facebook Page

(New Brighton, Pa) A local non-profit has received a grant. Crop & Kettle in New Brighton recently received a $5,000 grant award from United Way of Beaver County as part of their “ALICE” program! Crop & Kettle provides workforce training specializing in the food service industry.  The Alice Program funds programs that assist those that are asset limited, income restrained, employed, and in poverty.
Original Facebook post:     

Photo Left to right:  Justin Fortunato, Producing Artistic Director, Cameron, and Chris Shovlin, Chief Executive Officer. Photo obtained from Lincoln park Performing Arts Center Facebook Page.
Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published March 26, 2024 9:56 A.M.

(Midland, Pa) A local theater student has been selected to attend a theater festival in Europe. LPPACS student Cameron Patterson, who is on the Jeter Backyard Theater Team was selected to participate in the Junior Theatre Festival in Europe. He, along with his team will perform in the UK this May. They will also participate in acting and dance workshops, see a new works showcase, get to meet theatre professionals, among other things.
Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center presented him with a $1,000 Sponsorship to assist with his trip expenses. The original Facebook post with additional details and how to help Cameron with his trip is here:

Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published March 26, 2024 9:26 A.M.

(Center Township, Pa) The Center Township Police Department says there is no reason for concern over a man who was spotted on a ring doorbell camera. On March 18th, 2024 at approximately 9:30pm, an individual was observed on a Ring Door Bell camera in the area of Sebastian Estates. The formerly unknown male was observed peeking towards and reaching for the front door knob. No attempt of forced entry was made. Center Township Police now say the man was a family member of a neighboring house and was not of the area.

Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with a support Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

BALTIMORE (AP) — A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people.

Two people were pulled from the waters under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, one in serious condition, according to Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace.

The cargo ship appears to have crashed into one of the bridge’s supports during the middle of night when traffic would be expected to be lighter, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.

“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”

The fire chief said authorities “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but said that number could change. It was not clear if the two rescued were included in the seven.

Sonar has indicated that there are vehicles in the water, where the temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck.

He called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people were affected.

Cartwright added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed. The FBI was also on the scene.

Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship called the “Dali” — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while two pilots were in control. It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.

From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.

A vessel called Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder. The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing Petty Officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.

In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.

Gas prices are four cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.752 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                         $3.752
Average price during the week of March 18, 2024                                            $3.715
Average price during the week of March 27, 2023                                            $3.684

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

$3.721      Altoona
$3.736      Beaver
$3.704      Bradford
$3.756      Brookville
$3.756      Butler
$3.680      Clarion
$3.771      DuBois
$3.759      Erie
$3.784      Greensburg
$3.783      Indiana
$3.781      Jeannette
$3.730      Kittanning
$3.740      Latrobe
$3.795      Meadville
$3.792      Mercer
$3.631      New Castle
$3.735      New Kensington
$3.794      Oil City
$3.746      Pittsburgh
$3.769      Sharon
$3.777      Uniontown
$3.793      Warren
$3.756      Washington

Trend Analysis:

The national average for a gallon of gas rose seven cents over the past week to $3.53. While domestic gas demand has been lackluster, rising oil prices helped push pump prices higher. The Midwest may see a bit of a price reprieve, as the large BP Whiting refinery in Indiana is back up and running after being down since February 1^st. Today’s national average is 27 cents more than a month ago and nine cents more than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand decreased slightly from 9.04 to 8.81 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks dropped by 3.3 million barrels to 230.8 million barrels. Lower demand would typically contribute to pushing pump prices lower or slowing increases but rising oil prices have pushed them higher instead.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by $1.79 to settle at $81.68. Oil prices fell after the US Federal Reserve announced it was leaving interest rates unchanged, but it expects three rate cuts by the end of 2024. Additionally, the EIA reported that total domestic commercial crude stocks decreased by 2 million barrels to 445 million barrels last week.