PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison in a police car set on fire outside Philadelphia’s City Hall during 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that 27-year-old Khalif Miller told a federal judge Monday he was sorry for his actions, which prosecutors described as throwing papers into a burning cruiser. U.S. District Chief Judge Juan R. Sánchez imposed a 61-month term on obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and firearms counts. Trial is scheduled later this month for a co-defendant. Another defendant was sentenced last month to 46 months and two other defendants were sentenced to shorter terms.

Screens display “Blackhawks Pride Night” outside United Center before an NHL hockey game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Sunday, March 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

After six NHL players recently opted out of wearing rainbow-colored jerseys on their teams’ Pride nights for the first time, the league’s commissioner says it is weighing the future of the events. Some NHL fans and LGBTQ+ supporters say it’s a sign that a political climate that has led to restrictions on LGTBQ+ people and transgender sports participation both in the U.S. and internationally is now threatening events that are meant to be fun and affirming. One advocate says that because the NHL has been such a leader in how to do Pride nights well, it’s conspicuous to see players roll back their support.

FILE – A repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 aircraft, named Cosmic Girl, carrying Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket, takes off from Spaceport Cornwall at Cornwall Airport, Newquay, England, on Jan. 9, 2023. Virgin Orbit said Thursday March 16, 2023 it is pausing all operations amid reports that the company is furloughing almost all its staff as part of a bid to seek a funding lifeline. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a failed mission and increasing difficulty in raising funding for future operations. The company laid off most of its staff on Friday and in and told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in a filing Monday that it was looking to sell its assets. Virgin Orbit said in a statement that it has secured $31.6 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Branson’s Virgin Investments Ltd.

FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the East Palestine Fire Department as he visits the area in the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. Trump’s lawyers in Georgia are criticizing the Fulton County investigation into potential illegal election meddling after the foreperson of the special grand jury seated to help the probe went public this week. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyer says the former president is “strong and ready to go” ahead of his historic New York arraignment. An extraordinary moment in U.S. history will unfold in a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday when Trump surrenders to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments. Trump will be escorted Tuesday from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service, though it’s unclear whether the nation’s 45th president will have his mug shot taken. The Republican ex-president’s lawyers say he will be fingerprinted, learn the charges against him and plead not guilty. A defiant Trump denies any wrongdoing. Trump will return home to Florida for a rally Tuesday evening.

FILE – President Joe Biden speaks about climate change and clean energy at Brayton Power Station, July 20, 2022, in Somerset, Mass. The Biden administration is making $450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects across the country at the site of current or former coal mines. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is making $450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects at the site of current or former coal mines. The money is part of President Joe Biden’s efforts to combat climate change. Up to five projects nationwide will be funded through the 2021 infrastructure law, at least two set aside for solar farms. The White House said Tuesday it’ll allow developers of clean energy projects to take advantage of billions of dollars in new bonuses. The bonuses are being offered in addition to investment and production tax credits available through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

Harrisburg, PA – Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt reminded Pennsylvanians today that the deadline to register to vote in the May 16 municipal primary is four weeks away. Ensuring that our elections are conducted freely and fairly, and that every eligible voter can make their voice heard, are top priorities of the Shapiro Administration.

 

“I urge every eligible Pennsylvanian who is not yet registered to vote to register online before the May 1 deadline,” Schmidt said. “It takes only a few minutes to register, and then you can exercise your fundamental right to vote and let your voice be heard in the upcoming primary election.”

 

To be eligible to vote in the May 16 primary, an individual must be:

 

• A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the primary.
• A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which the individual plans to register and vote for at least 30 days before the primary.
• At least 18 years of age on or before the date of the primary.

 

Pennsylvanians who are already registered to vote can check their registration status online and update their voter record with any name, address, or party affiliation changes.

 

Because Pennsylvania has a closed primary, only voters registered as Democrats and Republicans can vote for their party’s nominees to run in the Nov. 7, 2023, municipal primary election. Eligible voters will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for their parties’ nominees for judicial and local government positions. The department’s candidate database lists all candidates running for office.

 

Regardless of party affiliation, all registered voters can vote on any local ballot questions that may be on the primary ballot, and all registered voters in the following districts can vote in special elections for state representative also to be held on May 16:

 

• 108^th Legislative District in Montour and Northumberland counties and
• 163^rd Legislative District in Delaware County.

In addition to registering online, eligible Pennsylvanians can register by mail or in person at the following locations:

 

• their county voter registration office,

• county assistance offices,
• Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program offices,
• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation photo and drivers’ license centers,
• Armed Forces recruitment centers,
• county clerk of orphans’ courts or marriage license offices,

• area agencies on aging,
• county mental health and intellectual disabilities offices,
• student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education,
• offices of special education in high schools, and
• Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated complementary paratransit providers.

 

Registered voters can also request a no-excuse mail-in or absentee ballot online. Mail-in or absentee ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county elections board by 5 p.m. May 9. Voted mail ballots must be received by county election offices by 8 p.m. on May 16. Postmarks do not count.

 

The department’s website, vote.pa.gov, is available in English and Spanish and offers printable voter registration applications, a polling place locator, and county boards of elections contact information. It also includes tips for first-time voters and members of the military. In addition, voters going to the polls can familiarize themselves with the voting system they will use on Election Day.

Gas prices are stable in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.683 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline rose seven cents over the past week to hit $3.50. Robust demand for gasoline and rising oil prices are the driving factors for the recent uptick in pump prices. Today’s national average is 11 cents more than a month ago but 69 cents less than a year ago.

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in Beaver County is $3.73

 

(Keystone State News Connection)
Danielle Smith

April is Earth Month, a time to raise environmental awareness worldwide.

In Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan group called Science Moms wants families to know about new rebates and tax credits through landmark federal clean-energy laws.

Joellen Russell, professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona and co-founder of Science Moms, said making the switch to clean energy is more affordable. But many people are still unaware of the tools at their disposal, or the reasons for making the switch. She stated they are educating parents on the risks of dirty energy and the everyday actions they can take to keep their little ones safe.

“And we’re trying to talk to our fellow moms about the opportunity here with the federal Clean Energy laws,” Russell explained. “To do everything from get a heat pump for your house to, for less money, switching out those nasty belching school buses for clean electric buses, and get federal dollars to help make that switch.”

Russell noted school districts purchasing new electric buses can get big rebates and save money immediately because they are not pumping a bunch of new diesel. It also produces cleaner air. In the meantime, the Philadelphia public school district purchased its first five electric school buses in 2022 and are planning on expanding its fleet in 2023 to reduce its carbon footprint.

Russell pointed out burning fossil fuels not only adds heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which then makes it warmer, but it is also harmful to Pennsylvanians’ health. She stressed it is time for families to take action in their communities by switching from carbon polluting to non-carbon polluting, sharing information, and speaking up about best practices for clean energy.

“Do EV, do hybrid, if you’re in the market for a car, used or not used,” Russell urged. “This is just much better, and it will save money on your gas. Plus, there are new incentives for electric vehicles here. If your community is thinking about putting in more charging stations, there’s money through the federal clean-energy laws.”

Russell encouraged parents to engage with local schools and let them know electric school buses will cut toxic fumes emitted from diesel buses. She also suggested starting conversations about cleaner energy with family and friends, in person and on social media.

(AP) NASA has named the four astronauts who will fly around the moon late next year. The first moon crew in 50 years includes the first woman and the first African American assigned to a lunar mission. NASA introduced the three Americans and one Canadian on Monday during a ceremony in Houston. The four are NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen. They will not land or even go into lunar orbit. Rather, they will fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth. The 10-day mission will be a prelude to a lunar landing a year later.

FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is flying from Florida toward New York for his historic booking and arraignment. As his arrival nears, the nation’s largest city is bolstering security and warning potential agitators that it is “not a playground for your misplaced anger.” Trump’s journey from his Mar-a-Lago club tto the airport in Florida took him past supporters waving banners and cheering the former president as they slammed the case against him — stemming from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign —as politically motivated. The scene is quite different in New York, where Trump built a national profile in business and entertainment but became deeply unpopular as he moved into politics.