US adds modest 559,000 jobs, a sign of more hiring struggles
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 559,000 jobs in May, an improvement from April’s sluggish gain but still evidence that many companies are struggling to find enough workers as the economy rapidly recovers from the pandemic recession. Last month’s job gain was above April’s revised total of 278,000. The unemployment rate fell to 5.8% from 6.1%. The speed of the rebound from the pandemic recession has caught employers off guard and touched off a scramble to hire. The reopening of the economy, fueled by substantial federal aid and rising vaccinations, has released pent-up demand among consumers to eat out, travel, shop, attend public events and visit with friends and relatives.

(Monaca, PA ) Waterline work on Pennsylvania Avenue  in Monaca Borough, will begin Monday, June 7, 2021 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th Street and 15th Street daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. through early August as crews from Stefanik’s Next Generation Contracting Co., Inc. conduct waterline installation work. Additionally, night work may occur from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weeknights. Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone.

Please use caution when travelling through the area. Work zone safety is everyone’s responsibility.

(Perry Twp., Lawrence County, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they were called to the scene of a vehicle fire on Route 488 in Perry Twp. Lawrence County last Sunday afternoon at 5:17 PM.

Troopers said that upon arriving on the scene on Route 488 in the area of Bauder Mill Road they learned that a 2005 Honda Civic being driven by John Kirkland of Beaver Falls caught on fire as he was driving down the road. New Castle and Wurtenburg Fire Departments respond and extinguished the fire.
Penn Dot was also notified due to the fire causing damage to road. Kirkland’s vehicle was a total loss.

(Monaca, Pa.) The Pa State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement announced Administrative citations that were issued for the month of May 2021 on Thursday, June 3, 2021. Locally in Beaver County one facility was cited by officers. Whiskey Rhythm on Pennsylvania Ave in Monaca was cited for not requiring customers to wear face masks while entering, exiting, or otherwise traveling throughout the facility. They were also cited with allowing patrons to consume alcohol and/or food while not seated at tables or booths and they sold, furnished or gave alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises after hours.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Former Aliquippa Police Chief Don Couch was suspended from his job in 2018, and  2020 council voted to reinstate him and  demote him to sergeant. Instead, he filed a lawsuit against the city last year  and the lawsuit has been settled. Details were not released at Wednesday night’s meeting. C

Keystone State News Connection

Contract PHL Airport Workers Seek Higher Wages, Healthcare

Michayla Savitt

PHILADELPHIA — Anticipating a busy summer, airport workers in Pennsylvania continue their fight for better wages and health insurance, and demand what they say would be a fair contract from American Airlines and other carriers.

Philadelphia International Airport contract workers and supporters rallied this week in support of a prevailing wage bill being debated by the city council, which would change a city agreement with air carriers, to boost hourly wages to just over $15, create a paid-leave standard, and provide an hourly wage supplement for healthcare.

Michelle Richards, an airport wheelchair attendant and member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, supports the proposal, especially after working on the front lines throughout the pandemic.

“We’re not going to stop until we get what we deserve, because we are the ones out here doing the jobs, and they are the ones behind the scenes,” Richards asserted. “We are the faces of the airport, that does the job every single day.”

American Airlines has pushed back on the bill, telling City Council member Kenyatta Johnson in a letter it cannot accommodate a pay increase, since revenues have been down. The proposal is backed by several city council members and is still under review.

SEIU noted workers who would be affected by this bill are predominantly Black, and as front-line staff, they remain at greater risk of getting sick.

Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of Power Interfaith, voiced frustration at the rally with the airline’s opposition to the proposal.

“How can American Airlines’ CEO claim to support Black Lives Matter, but can’t support the Black lives that work every single day to make this airport and this airline run?” Royster asked.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, Memorial Day weekend marked the highest travel numbers for U.S. airlines this year.

There won’t be a sighting of Parrot Heads at Star Lake in July after all. The Jimmy Buffett concert that was scheduled to be at the Pavilion at Star Lake on July 15 has been canceled.

Rescheduled performances created a conflict with a show in Nashville on July 16 and thus the Pittsburgh date has been canceled.
Fans who purchased tickets to the show will be issued refunds.

The first show scheduled for this summer at Star Lake will be when Chicago performs on July 21.

Police say inmate who admitted to 6 killings spoke of others
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — New information has surfaced about Pa State Police’s conversations with convicted Serial Killer Edward Surratt who is serving multiple life sentences in a Florida jail.
Surratt had admitted to the killings of three Beaver County residents in the late 1970’s along with 3 others in the state and Pennsylvania State Trooper Max DeLuca says Surratt also discussed five to seven other slayings here in the state. Trooper DeLuca said yesterday that police in those areas have been alerted. He obtained those details in March from Surratt, who is serving life at a state prison in Raiford, Florida. DeLuca says Surratt implicated himself in the deaths of six people in four Pennsylvania slayings during 1977 and 1978. He’s not expected to be prosecuted for the six Pennsylvania killings. DeLuca says Surratt wouldn’t disclose how many people he killed in Pennsylvania.

US jobless claims drop to 385,000, another pandemic low
By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for a fifth straight week to a new pandemic low, the latest evidence that the U.S. job market is regaining its health as the economy further reopens. Jobless claims dropped to 385,000, down 20,000 from the week before. The number of applications for unemployment aid, which generally reflects the pace of layoffs, has fallen steadily all year. The decline reflects a swift rebound in economic growth and the job market’s steady recovery from the coronavirus recession. More Americans are venturing out to shop, travel, dine out and congregate at entertainment venues. All that renewed spending has led companies to seek new workers.