(File Photo)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News Correspondent 

(Hopewell  Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) Hopewell Township Police Department and The City of Aliquippa Fire Department  were dispatched to the scene of a one vehicle accident at 2430 west Wade Street at 11:05 p.m. Monday night, May 9. 2022. Hopewell Township Police reported that the unnamed male driver went over the hill. He refused medical treatment. Officers detected  an odor of alcohol emanating  from the driver’s breath and person, according to  Chief Don Sedlacek. Officers placed the driver under arrest for suspicion of DUI.

(File Photo)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) The city of Pittsburgh and the firefighters’ union have agreed firefighters no longer must live within the city limits, reaching a negotiated end to an ongoing legal battle.
The union says the city has had challenges getting enough applicants to fill firefighter jobs.
The firefighters had won arbitration on this issue months back which the city was going to fight in court. The union describes this as a negotiated settlement and says the city will withdraw its appeal to Common Pleas Court.

(Photo provided with release)

Keystone State News Connection

May 10, 2022

Available files: mp3 wav jpg

Emily Scott

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has officially launched “Little Scandinavia,” a unit in a state prison to focus on rehabilitation and reintegration.

The new unit at SCI Chester comes after a multiyear partnership with the Norwegian Correctional Service and the Swedish Prison and Probation Service. Little Scandinavia residents have access to a communal kitchen, green space, and redesigned cells, furniture and common areas.

Kenneth Eason, superintendent of SCI Chester, said it is about creating a more humane prison environment.

“You’re going to see a change in culture, the rippling effect, and not just within the walls,” Eason contended. “I’m speaking wellness in the men, living healthier, things introduced to them that they truly need to be successful, to move on beyond these walls and do well, and not come back.”

In 2019, state prison employees traveled to Norway, Sweden and Denmark to gain experience working under the Scandinavian model for several weeks. Little Scandinavia residents will receive specialized programming to prepare them for reentry. The unit has 64 cells.

The partnership also includes a research collaboration between Drexel University and the University of Oslo to evaluate the effectiveness of the model.

Jordan Hyatt, associate professor of criminology and justice studies at Drexel, said it is about understanding how the development of Little Scandinavia affects life at SCI Chester.

“What does it mean for the men who are living on this unit? How does it change the way they see their community, themselves and being in prison?” Hyatt outlined. “In the long term, we hope to understand what this means for community reintegration. When people leave Little Scandinavia, where do they go, both from a staff perspective and for the men incarcerated?”

Data will be collected on prison climate, staff, disciplinary actions and the well-being of the people serving their sentences there. Acting Corrections Department Secretary George Little said he hopes to see a similar program implemented at one of the women’s prisons as well.

Gas prices are four cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.39 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                $4.39
Average price during the week of May 2, 2022                                        $4.35
Average price during the week of May 10, 2021                                      $3.09

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

$4.472      Altoona
$4.339      Beaver
$4.393      Bradford
$4.399      Brookville
$4.423      Butler
$4.398      Clarion
$4.387      DuBois
$4.380      Erie
$4.385      Greensburg
$4.410      Indiana
$4.389      Jeannette
$4.411      Kittanning
$4.395      Latrobe
$4.395      Meadville
$4.413      Mercer
$4.298      New Castle
$4.385      New Kensington
$4.399      Oil City
$4.390      Pittsburgh
$4.399      Sharon
$4.384      Uniontown
$4.399      Warren
$4.366      Washington

Trend Analysis:

Drivers are paying considerably more at the pump as the cost of gasoline moves steadily higher. In the past two weeks, the national average for a gallon of gasoline has risen 20 cents to $4.32, a penny less than the record high set on March 11 and $1.36 more than a year ago. The increase is primarily due to the high cost of crude oil, which was hovering near $100 a barrel last week and is now closing in on $110. With the cost of oil accounting for more than half of the pump price, more expensive oil means more expensive gasoline. Gas prices also trend higher this time of year as refineries make the switch to summer-blend gasoline which is more expensive to make.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by $1.51 to settle at $109.77. Crude prices rose last week after the European Union announced a proposal to ban Russian oil imports within six months, while refined product imports would be prohibited by the end of 2022. The price increases occurred despite continuing COVID lockdowns in China weighing down crude demand and EIA reporting that total domestic crude inventories increased by 1.3 million barrels to 415.7 million barrels. Current crude inventories are still14 percent lower than the storage level at the end of April 2021.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 2.2 million barrels to 228.6 million barrels last week. Gasoline demand increased slightly from 8.74 million barrels per day to 8.86 million barrels per day.

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)

(Darlington Twp, Beaver County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they were called to the scene of two vehicle accident with injuries at the intersection of Rt. 51 and Cannelton Road in Darlington Twp. around 2:50 PM on Sunday, May 8, 2022.
Upon arriving on the scene and investigating it was learned that 49-year-old Amy Trotter of East Liverpool, Ohio was operating a 2021 Ford Bronco northbound on Rt. 51 when she failed to stop for a red light.
Trotter’s vehicle struck a 2005 Cadillac CTS being driven by 23-year-old Trey Dillan of Darlington Township that was turning right from Cannelton Road onto Rt. 51.
Dillan suffered suspected serious injuries and was transported to Heritage Valley Beaver. Trotter suffered suspected minor injuries and refused transport to the hospital.
Trotter was charged with a traffic signal violation and Dillan was cited for operating a vehicle without official certificate of insurance. There is no word on Dillan’s condition.

(Photo Courtesy of Pa. Media Services)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Governor Tom Wolf joined the Fraternal Order of Police for a service in memorial of Pennsylvania’s fallen heroes who have served and given the ultimate sacrifice yesterday.
This 27th annual observance was held at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg with members of law enforcement, families, and local elected officials in attendance. The service included a Color Guard presented by the Capitol Police, F.O.P. Lodge #85, Rifle Salute by the
City of Philadelphia Police, and Amazing Grace performed by the Greater Pittsburgh Police Emerald Society Pipe and Drums.
Roll call for presentation of Ultimate Sacrifice Medals included two Beaver County Officers in Chief Robert W. Sealock from the Aliquippa City Police and Interim Police Chief Mark J. Romutis from Ambridge Borough Police

(U.S. Marshals Service, Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)

By KIM CHANDLER and MIKE BALSAMO Associated Press
Authorities say a former Alabama jail official has died and the murder suspect she is accused of helping escape from custody has been apprehended in Indiana after more than a week on the run. The two fugitives were caught Monday in Evansville, Indiana, after U.S. Marshals pursued their vehicle and then crashed into it. Officials say Casey White surrendered and Vicky White shot herself, and was taken to a hospital. The two are not related. Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said White died from her injuries. The arrests ended a nationwide manhunt that began April 29.

The featured image above shows the entrance sign to the New Brighton Area School District
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published May 9, 2022 8:36 P.M.

(New Brighton, PA)The New Brighton Area School Board met Monday evening for a committee meeting.  Motions to be voted on include a five year affiliation agreement with Slippery Rock University to provide student teachers and interns to the district effective July 1st through June 30th of 2027.  Also on the agenda was the renewal of a contract with Medic Rescue for the 2022-2023 school year at a cost of $3,400.  The board also discussed the Act 39 Energy Savings Project, which will create more efficient and cleaner HVAC and water related utilities. The district will have a Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement with Constellation Energy Solutions, LLC and the project is estimated to cost around 6.2 million dollars, with about 4.5 million being payed with district stimulus funds. Superintendent Dr. Joseph Gaurino relayed that work for the project will not take place until Summer 2023.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
By AAMER MADHANI and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says 20 internet companies have agreed to provide discounted service to people with low incomes. The program announced Monday at a Rose Garden event at the White House could effectively make tens of millions of households eligible for free service. The $1 trillion infrastructure package passed by Congress last year included funding that provided $30 monthly subsidies on internet service for millions of lower-income households — $75 in tribal areas. Some 48 million households will be eligible for $30 monthly plans for service at least 100 megabits per second. Biden says high-speed internet access is a necessity, not a luxury.