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(Harrisburg, Pa.) The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is cracking down on people who owe tolls. The Turnpike Commission and State Police conducted a joint toll enforcement initiative in April, resulting in more than 200 traffic stops. Enforcement teams recorded a single day with 23 stops, collecting more than $48,000 in unpaid tolls from those drivers. The initiative also presented the opportunity to collect over $130,000 in additional past-due balances. More than 90% of drivers who were pulled over took action to pay outstanding balances or comply with regulations.

The collaboration was aimed to hold toll evaders accountable and enforce compliance on Pennsylvania roadways, the turnpike commission said.

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 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Pat Ryan (NY-18),three co-chairs of the Monopoly Busters Caucus, are introducing the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act, legislation to break up dominant meatpacking monopolies, rein in foreign-controlled corporate giants, and end unfair pricing practices that raise costs for American families and box out local farmers and ranchers.

“Meatpacking monopolies are crushing hard-working small farmers, ranchers, and business owners—and are jacking up food prices for all of us,” said Congressman Deluzio. “In the richest country in the history of the world that likes our meat, we can’t let it become a luxury good. Let’s pass this bill to break up these monopolies and bring some relief to everyone they’re squeezing right now.”

“Massive corporations are driving up prices, making it unaffordable for working people to put food on the table,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “It is a failure of our government to have allowed these corporate interests to swallow up the market, raising costs and putting hundreds of thousands of family farms out of business in the process. This bill is a critical step to level the playing field — to give independent ranchers and farmers a fair shot while ultimately lowering grocery bills for American families.”

“Every time we walk into the grocery store, Hudson Valley families are getting squeezed by high prices because a few greedy corporations are raking in record-breaking profits. That’s unacceptable. Instead of taking on the monopolies driving up costs, like the four meatpacking companies that dominate the market, our fundamentally broken system rewards their greed while punishing our family-run grocers, farms, and restaurants,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “As the President’s wars and tariffs hurt our small businesses, we should be focused on lowering costs, strengthening our supply chains, and putting working families ahead of corporate special interests. This bill would break up the monopolies jacking up costs and give our local grocers and farms some extra support. I’ll keep fighting to crack down on price gouging, take on greedy monopolies, and make sure every family can afford to put food on the table.”

Meatpacking is a heavily consolidated industry in the United States. For example, 85 percent of the U.S. beef market is controlled by just four companies: Cargill, JBS, Tyson, and the National Beef Packing Company. This corporate consolidation allows these giants to unfairly extract value and take home maximum profits at the expense of farmers and consumers, all while stifling competition.

The Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act imposes structural reforms to restore competition to the industry. Specifically, it:

1. Makes it unlawful for a major meatpacking conglomerate to control more than one major type of meat, i.e., pork, chicken, beef;
2. Imposes hard caps on the concentration of beef markets at both the regional and national levels and authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to order divestiture from the market if those caps are exceeded;
3. Prohibits foreign leverage over the domestic meat market, empowering FTC to protect competition and national security;
4. Directs the FTC to enforce against discriminatory pricing practices in retail and wholesale meat markets that hit independent and neighborhood grocers the hardest;
5. Authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financial assistance, loan guarantees, and technical assistance to farmers’ cooperatives and small business concerns to acquire meatpacking facilities divested under the Act; and
6. Creates enforceable penalties for corporations that fail to properly divest, enforceable under the FTC Act.

This legislation builds upon a field hearing hosted by the Monopoly Busters Caucus earlier this year in which an independent rancher testified to the harmful effects of consolidation in the meatpacking industry.

North Dakota has some of the highest quality beef in the nation, and my fellow ranchers deserve a larger share of the profit for their hard work,” said Travis Anderson, North Dakota cattle rancher and member of Dakota Resource Council and the National Family Farm Coalition. “Breaking up the dominant meat processing companies while addressing horizontal integration would make the overall industry more fair and competitive, while also providing consumers with more affordable and abundant choices at the grocery store.”

“The Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act takes on a root cause of the factory farm system that has devastated rural communities, workers, public health, and family farmers – the market power of a handful of giant meatpackers,” said Patty Lovera, policy advisor for the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. “It’s time to break up the massive companies that have consolidated livestock production and rigged the market against independent producers.”

“Today, we will lose 63 farmers, and at the same time, Americans struggle to feed their families, and that’s no accident,” said Joe Maxwell, president of Farm Action Fund. “It’s the predictable result of decades of unchecked consolidation that has allowed a handful of corporations to control our food system. As a fourth-generation family farmer, I have witnessed this takeover firsthand. The Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act begins restoring the freedom to farm, the freedom to compete, and the freedom for families to afford the food they need. We applaud Representatives Jayapal, Deluzio, Ryan, and the other sponsors for confronting concentrated corporate power and standing with America’s farmers, workers, and consumers.”

“For decades, four meatpacking giants have used their monopoly power to drive up grocery bills and squeeze out the farmers and ranchers who feed America,” said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Rep. Jayapal’s bill takes direct aim at the root of the problem by breaking up the big four meatpackers and restoring real competition. Americans deserve food markets that reward hard work, not corporate gatekeepers. Congress should seize this opportunity to stand with families, farmers, and independent businesses instead of monopoly power.”

The Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act is also sponsored by Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesus G. “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Henry C. (“Hank”) Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), Emily Randall (WA-06), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

It is endorsed by American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment (CFFE), Consumer Federation of America, Demand Progress, Farm Action Fund, Food & Water Watch, Groundwork Action, Montana Cattlemen’s Association (MCA), National Family Farm Coalition (NFCC), Open Markets Institute (OMI), and Small Business Majority.

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(Hopewell, Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported the arrest of 33-year-old Jonathan McClain from Ravenna, Ohio for drug possession. Troopers reported that on June 6, 2026 at 1:30 AM they initiated a traffic stop of a Jeep McClain was driving on Interstate 376 in Hopewell. Subsequently the operator MCCLAIN was arrested for drug possession. No further information was released about the incident.

This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP)

By SAVANNAH PETERS Associated Press352 words

(File Photo by Frank Sparks)

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is announcing inspection work on the bridge that carries Route 18 (Seventh Avenue) over the Beaver River in New Brighton Borough and the City of Beaver Falls, Beaver County, will occur Monday, July 20 weather permitting.

Single-lane restrictions will occur on the Route 18 bridge in the northbound direction between Fourth Avenue in New Brighton Borough and Third Street in Beaver Falls from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday.

Crews from Michael Baker International will conduct the inspection activities.

Please use caution if traveling through the area. Work zone safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Travelers can check conditions on major roads by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.

Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict11.

(File Photo of the Beaver Falls Library that will be receiving $500,000 to perform extensive repairs and renovations.)

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) State Rep. Roman Kozak (R-14) and Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. (R-47) announced $6 million in state funding has been awarded for critical improvement projects in the 14th Legislative District. This funding, provided through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), is aimed at fostering growth and development in the region.

“I’m grateful to see these important local projects receive state support,” Kozak said. “This funding represents a meaningful investment in our community’s future, strengthening our institutions, supporting economic growth and preserving valued spaces. I appreciate the commitment to advancing projects that will benefit residents, bolster opportunity and contribute to long-term stability and success across our region.”

“I am pleased to have worked alongside Rep. Kozak to help get state funding for these crucial community projects,” Vogel said. “It’s projects like these that make it possible for our area to remain successful and sustainable for future generations.”

The funding will be distributed as follows:

• Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls: $500,000 to perform extensive repairs and renovations.
• Geneva College: $1.5 million to update Geneva’s Old Main.
• Mitsubishi Electric Power Products: $4 million to construct a new advanced switchgear factory.

The RACP is a Commonwealth grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the design, acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects.

A Taco Bell fast food restaurant is shown Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Taylor, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations across five U.S. states as a source of the widespread outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. A record number of cyclospora cases have been reported in more than 30 states, and experts have said not every recent U.S. illness might be caused by a single source.

A Food and Drug Administration investigation identified a single supplier of the lettuce. The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company, but a federal official who was briefed on the investigation and not authorized to discuss it told The Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California.

Taylor Farms, which has been tied to foodborne outbreaks in the past, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“FDA is working with the supplier of iceberg lettuce to determine if potentially contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce remains on the market,” including in other states, the CDC said. “Taco Bell has committed to stop using any lettuce from the supplier identified by FDA’s traceback investigation.”

In a statement, federal health officials stressed that other “brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels” could be identified as the investigation continues.

CDC, FDA and public health officials in several states have been investigating a multistate outbreak of cyclospora infections.

More than 30 states have reported infections this year, and current data from them shows the number of infections surpassing the record U.S. mark of about 4,700 set in 2019. The illness is not usually life threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics.

On Tuesday, ahead of the federal government’s confirmation, Taco Bell issued a statement saying it had “voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and follow the guidance of public health authorities.”

Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer.

The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.

The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cases are never linked to a specific food or other source and, for years, few U.S. cyclospora outbreaks were reported. But the number started rising about a decade ago, with a particularly notable spike in 2018 and 2019.

Experts say it’s likely that cyclospora cases historically were underreported, in part because some common tests used to check for food poisoning have not been geared to detect cyclospora. They attribute the increasing trend in cases to climate change and better detection.

Taylor Farms also was tied to a 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to salad mix and a 2024 E. coli outbreak tied to onions served at McDonald’s.