Swift firings for Minneapolis officers in death of black man
By AMY FORLITI and JEFF BAENEN Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Firings came swiftly for four Minneapolis police officers after bystander video captured the death of a black man in custody. The video showed the man pleading that he could not breathe as a white officer knelt on his neck and kept his knee there for several minutes after the man stopped moving. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the firings were the “right call.” Monday’s death of George Floyd is under investigation by the FBI and state law enforcement authorities in a process likely to take months. The case drew immediate comparisons to that of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in 2014 in New York after being placed in a police chokehold.

Kail Supports Temporary Budget to Fund Education and Critical Services

HARRISBURG – Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) issued the following statement after voting in favor of a temporary budget that would fund education and critical services while allowing for flexibility for the rest of the 2020-21 fiscal year:

“This budget would fully fund education from K-12, as well as higher education, for 12 months so our children can go back to school safely without any further interruption in their learning next school year.

“Just as important as our kids getting the education they need is the absence of any new taxes. With so many people out of work without support from the unemployment compensation system, there’s no way we could ask Pennsylvanians to pay more. We have to respect that they’re in a financial crisis because of the pandemic.

“COVID-19 has caused unknown financial losses at the state level, too. By creating a five-month budget and then a seven-month budget in the fall, we should have a better picture of the state’s financial situation.

“Later in the year, we should know what kind of support we’re going to receive from the federal government. Plus, since tax collection dates were changed to July and August, it’s impossible to have a sense of incoming revenue now. Creating a two-part budget allows us to move forward now and pivot later as needed.”

 

Wife of victim says UConn student was looking for neighbor
By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press
WILLINGTON, Conn. (AP) — A victim’s wife says a college student suspected in two slayings in Connecticut said he had gone to the neighborhood of the first victim because he was looking for a young woman he knew. Cindy DeMers says her husband, Ted DeMers, was killed with a machete after giving Peter Manfredonia a ride to his motorcycle. She says Manfredonia, who was walking in front of their house wearing a motorcycle helmet, had told them that the bike had broken down while he was riding to the house of their neighbor, whom he mentioned by name.

Video shows officer kneeling on neck of black man who died
By AMY FORLITI and JEFF BAENEN Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A handcuffed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis was seen on a bystander’s video pleading that he could not breathe as a white officer knelt on his neck. The officer kept his kept his knee on the man for several minutes after the man stopped moving. The death Monday night was under investigation by the FBI and state law enforcement authorities. It drew comparisons to the case of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in 2014 in New York after being placed in a police chokehold. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey apologized to the black community Tuesday in a Facebook post.

NY Stock Exchange reopens as US closes in on 100,000 dead
By MATT OTT, TED SHAFFREY and LISA MARIE PANE Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Stock Exchange’s trading floor has reopened for the first time since mid-March _ a largely symbolic move but an important one as the world strives to kick-start the economy. And stocks are rallying on Wall Street on rising hopes for an economic recovery. Still, Dr. Mike Ryan of the World Health Organization is warning that the coronavirus continues to rage around the globe. The virus has infected a confirmed 5.5 million people around the world, killing over 346,000, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The official death toll in the U.S. is closing in on 100,000, or more Americans than were killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.

AAA: Gas Prices on the Rise in Pennsylvania as Demand Increases Nationwide
The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is eight cents higher this week at $2.342 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

As gas prices increase across the country, five Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states carry averages of $2/gallon or more: Pennsylvania ($2.22), New York ($2.18), Washington, D.C., ($2.13), New Jersey ($2.02) and Maryland ($2.01). At $1.75, Virginia has the lowest state average in the region.  On the week, the region saw prices increase between two and eight cents.

Regional gasoline stocks have increased for two weeks with levels inching closer to the 72-million-barrel mark. This build is supported by a small increase in regional refinery utilization, which has mostly hovered near the 50% mark over the last four weeks. Gas prices are likely to continue increasing in the weeks ahead.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                  $2.342
Average price during the week of May 18, 2020                                         $2.265
Average price during the week of May 28, 2019                                         $3.030

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

$2.341      Altoona
$2.334      Beaver
$2.337      Bradford
$2.345      Brookville
$2.337      Butler
$2.322      Clarion
$2.316      Du Bois
$2.334      Erie
$2.340      Greensburg
$2.356      Indiana
$2.354      Jeannette
$2.345      Kittanning
$2.387      Latrobe
$2.345      Meadville
$2.359      Mercer
$2.272      New Castle
$2.338      New Kensington
$2.359      Oil City
$2.332      Pittsburgh
$2.359      Sharon
$2.348      Uniontown
$2.359      Warren
$2.347      Washington

On the National Front
After dropping to a low of $1.76 in April, the national gas price average is pennies away from hitting the $2/gallon mark. Today’s average is $1.96, which is eight cents higher than a week ago, 19 cents more than last month, but still a significant 87 cents cheaper than the end of May 2019.

The more expensive pump prices can be attributed to fluctuations in crude and demand. In the past week, crude oil hit its highest price point – nearly $34 per barrel – since the Administration declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency and many states started implementing stay-at-home restrictions. While demand has been increasing since the end of April, it is down 28% compared to the first three weeks of May last year.

One factor that AAA is monitoring and which could cause a sudden spike in gas prices is the Atlantic hurricane season, which is June 1 through November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the 2020 season will be above-normal, potentially resulting in 13-19 named storms. An average Atlantic hurricane season typically produces 12 named storms, including 3 major hurricanes.

At the end of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by 67 cents to settle at $33.25 per barrel. Although tension between Hong Kong and China lowered prices on Friday, crude prices generally increased last week amid growing market optimism that domestic crude demand continues to rebound as more states ease stay-at-home restrictions and demand for gasoline has grown.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 78 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.