AAA: Pennsylvania Gas Prices Cross the Three-Dollar Mark
The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is nine cents higher this week at $3.051 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Today’s average in the region is more than 50 cents higher than at the beginning of the year.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                  $3.051
Average price during the week of March 1, 2021                                      $2.967
Average price during the week of March 10, 2020                                    $2.604

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

$3.085      Altoona
$3.041      Beaver
$3.069      Bradford
$3.033      Brookville
$3.069      Butler
$2.998      Clarion
$3.030      DuBois
$3.074      Erie
$3.012      Greensburg
$3.070      Indiana
$3.062      Jeannette
$3.049      Kittanning
$3.007      Latrobe
$3.076      Meadville
$3.058      Mercer
$2.974      New Castle
$3.057      New Kensington
$3.091      Oil City
$3.040      Pittsburgh
$3.078      Sharon
$3.063      Uniontown
$3.098      Warren
$3.030      Washington

Trend Analysis:
With a nickel increase on the week, the national gas price average has reached $2.77, which is a 31-cent jump in the last month. Every state average has climbed by double-digits since February, resulting in 1 in 10 gas stations with pump prices that are $3/gallon or more.

Pump prices are increasing as refinery utilization is at an all-time low and crude oil prices (WTI) surged by more than $2/bbl to $66/bbl on Friday, the highest price in nearly two years. The jump in crude followed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ and their allies’, collectively known as OPEC+, surprise decision to minimally increase production in April.

The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) report for the week ending February 26 shows refinery capacity at 56%, which is the lowest rate recorded by the agency. It is also 12 percentage points below last week and 18 percentage points lower than a year ago. EIA data also point to a decrease in gasoline stocks to 243.4 million barrels, which is 3.5% below levels at the end of February 2020.

With refinery utilization at a record low, gasoline supplies tightening, demand modestly increasing, and crude prices on the rise, prices are likely to remain this high. Today’s national average is nearly 40 cents more expensive compared to a year ago, which was right before state lockdowns and working/school from home started.

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

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 73 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.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)

The New Brighton Area School Board held their first meeting of the month tonight.  Like last month, a group of local citizens showed up to voice their opinions. While the group was smaller than last month, their voices were louder.  The main issue they voiced their opinions on was the push to fully reopen the school.  One citizen in attendance began to interrupt the discussion by shouting his opinions and used profanity toward Board President John Ludwig. Ludwig asked the man to leave and when he refused the police were called to remove him. Following public comments, the committee meeting began where they touched on a few different topics. They first announced that all New Brighton Area School District teachers should have their Covid-19 vaccination by Saturday, which will help in keeping the school open. They went on to approve the reading of revisions on a few district policies including extracurricular participation by home schooled students and school bus and vehicle drivers. They also approved the list of graduates for the 2020-2021 school year pending completion of academic and financial obligations. The acceptance of a high school teachers retirement was also on the agenda.  Audio from the meeting can be heard below.

Arguments leading up to police being called:

(Daugherty Twp.,Pa.) New Brighton Police were dispatched to Long Branch Saloon at 1:30 a.m.  Saturday for a fight between three individuals. New Brighton Area Police report that one person was injured.

(File Photo)

(Beaver, Pa.) The Beaver County Commissioners Office is closed this week, March 8- 12, 2021.

The Weekly Work Session Meeting scheduled for Wednesday is being moved to Thursday morning before the Public Meeting in case anyone has any questions regarding the resolutions. This meeting will be held virtually, and the live stream link can be found on the Board of Commissioners page of the county website. You can also find the live stream on the Beaver County Commissioners YouTube channel.

The Beaver County Salary Board Work Session Meeting is canceled this week. The regular Salary Board Meeting will be held next Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 10:00 AM.

(Slippery Rock Twp., Pa.) An Ellwood City woman was not injured when she was involved in a one vehicle accident on Ellwood Road in Slippery Rock Twp. last Thursday morning according to Pa. State Police in New Castle.

51-year-old Danielle Dull was traveling northbound on Ellwood Road when her vehicle traveled off the right side of the road and struck a Verizon power box and then a ditch head on and rolling over on its roof. Dull was not injured in the accident and is facing charges of violating laws pertaining to driving on roadways lined for traffic.

(The first women to host a show on Beaver County Radio Gert Trobe. Photo from 1949 Courtesy-of Terri Hufnagel)

Monday March 8, 2021 is International Women’s Day. While we appreciate what women do on a daily basis, Monday is a day to celebrate it.  Many normal gatherings and celebrations are not abler to occur because of the Pandemic but the International Women’s Day website says there are many other ways to celebrate the women in our lives and communities.

This year, the theme is #ChooseToChallenge. You can get more information on how to celebrate by going to the International Women’s Day 2021 website at  https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

One of the most celebrated woman in Beaver County Radio was Gert Trobe.

In 1948, WBVP was making history on many different fronts.  Aside from being the first radio station  in Beaver County, WBVP was on the cutting edge of another historical event, that of having a woman talk show host.  Gertude, or “Gert” Trobe was one of the first women, anywhere, to be involved with broadcasting when she began her show as part of the original staff that station owners Frank Smith, Tom Price and Charles Onderka had assembled together in Beaver Falls.   The following is an except from the book “Behind The Microphone – The History Of Radio in Beaver County”, which is was published in conjunction with the 70th Anniversary of WBVP in May 2018.

“Following the news, one of the most beloved announcers in the Beaver County Area, of all time, Gertrude Trobe, would take control of the airwaves. (Beaver County historian and local author) Ken Britten summed up the significance of Ms. Trobe’s contributions. ‘Shortly after going on the air, Mr (Frank) Smith hired Gertrude Trobe to become the first woman’s director thus making WBVP the first radio station in history to have a full time Woman’s Director in charge of special programming aimed directly at the female market. You must remember radio was only 28 years old when WBVP went on the air and was still in its infancy. The hiring of a Woman’s Director made news throughout the industry.

Mrs Trobe was already well established on the faculty of Geneva College where she taught English, Drama and Communications. After being hired at WBVP she would become one of the leaders in female broadcasting within the industry, winning and receiving many awards, honors and certificates. She would become one of the founding members of the New York based “American Women In Radio and Television”, become recognized for introducing many radio firsts and be listed in “Who’s Who”.

Initially beginning by broadcasting daily 15 minute programs, she would eventually do a daily 45 minute show called “You and Your Home” that ran for thirty years and two shorter programs entitled “Market Place” and the “Shoppers Guide”. She would also be fondly remembered for her annual “Christmas Tea Party” and her many travel cruises.’

The Cookie Teas hosted by Gert Trobe over at the Brodhead Hotel  on 7th Avenue in Beaver Falls were some of the  the biggest events staged by WBVP every year.  the Cookie Teas were held up in the Grand Ballroom around Christmas time.   The events were for ladies only, were free of charge to attend and usually featured a buffet and guest speaker and sometimes a singing group or two.  Women who wanted to attend had to call WBVP and make a reservation.  The Cookie Teas were so popular that they needed to be held twice in the same day to accommodate the crowd of 500 to 600 ladies that would attend each year, given the 250 person seating capacity of the Brodhead Hotel’s Grand Ballroom.  (WBVP Engineer) Jim Roush also added in a December, 2017 discussion, that once the Cookie Teas were advertised on WBVP,  the phones in the office would receive a deluge of calls and all of the available reservations would be gone in a day. Gert would get dress shops and other sponsors to donate supplies, prizes and other things that were needed to pull off the Cookie Teas each year.”

Gert and her husband, Max were fixtures in the local community.  Max Trobe was a popular dentist in Beaver Falls and was involved with and attended many radio station social events through the years.