(AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The moon is about to get walloped by a big piece of space junk. The leftover rocket will slam into the far side of the moon Friday. Experts think it is from a China launch from 2014, but China is dubious. No matter whose it is, the object will carve out a crater on the moon that could fit several semitractor-trailers. It may take weeks, even months, to confirm the impact through satellite images. SpaceX originally took the rap for this lunar litter, but the asteroid hunter who discovered the collision course in January later concluded it was from China.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Today is Ash Wednesday, kicking off the Lenten season.
This year, churches are planning to return to a more normal celebration, instead of the previous years, which were changed by COVID-19.
For those concerned about COVID-19, small cloth patches with ash crosses will be made available.
As parishioners receive their ashes, Pope Francis is also asking everyone to fast and pray for peace in Ukraine.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photos by Mark Peterson, additional photos by Frank Sparks & Matt Drzik)

On a relatively windy day in Beaver County, the air in Midland was that of the winds of change–as a new business opened its doors for those looking to get some ink on their skin.

The new establishment, #1 Ink Tattoo Parlor, had their grand opening at 752 Midland Avenue to kick off the month of March in 2022; a grand opening that Beaver County Radio attended with the Personality Prize Wheel and world-famous Prize Caddy. Matt Drzik and Frank Sparks welcomed Midland’s newest small business and its owner, Stephen Daley–who with the opening now owns two parlors in Beaver County (the other being Crazy Dayz Tattoo in Aliquippa).

Attendants to the grand opening got their fill with sandwiches, sweets, and slices (courtesy of Vocelli Pizza in Rochester & Hopewell)…and they also got their chance to win an autographed Jake Guentzel jersey!

Check out these photos from the grand opening of #1 Ink Tattoo, which is open from 12:00 to 9:00 PM at 752 Midland Avenue (located next to Navage Insurance and across from Family Dollar).

The featured image above shows a portion of the Letter of Intent submitted to the New Brighton School Board. Photos submitted by Kevin Bolland.  
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published March 1, 2022 3:08 P.M.

(New Brighton, PA) A group of parents and concerned citizens issued at notice of intent for a law enforcement investigation at the New Brighton School Board meeting Monday night.  Jay Deluca presented the 11 page notice along with 75 signatures. The group states that they reached this decision after the board continuously ignored their requests to stop violating the rights of students and parents over the last two years.  The stated unconstitutional and illegal actions that were in the letter include a violation of Oath of Office, as well as a violation of Supreme Court of PA ruling.  The letter states that as elected public servants, the board had no jurisdiction or authority to create or enforce restrictive, abusive, unlawful mandates in a free America.  Additionally, the letter states that due to the PA Supreme Court ruling against Governor Tom Wolf, the state nor the board has the authority to prescribe such requirements.  The notifying party says they will submit their request to law enforcement officials if the following items are not changed within 72 hours.  These items include the cease of vaccine clinics on school property, the discontinuing of testing asymptomatic students, a removal of the Covid-19 portion of the district website, in addition to a written apology to Anthony Ellis permitting him to once again be able to enter district property. The full list can be found below. Attendees of the meeting also reported that vaccine clinic flyers were placed on at least one persons vehicle during the meeting.  New Brighton has recently changed their mask policy to optional.

(AP Photo)
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices soared and investors shifted more money into ultra-safe U.S. government bonds as Russia stepped up its war on Ukraine. The price of oil surged back above $100 a barrel after Russia, a major energy producer, faced further isolation and economic damage because of its invasion of Ukraine. The rush into bonds pushed the yield on the 10-year Treasury back down to 1.77%, where it was in early February. Stock prices were mixed in the early going on Wall Street. The S&P 500 was bobbing between small gains and losses in the first few minutes of trading. European markets were lower.

(AP Photo)
By ZEKE MILLER and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address at a precipitous moment for the nation. Biden is aiming to navigate the country out of a pandemic, reboot his stalled domestic agenda and confront Russia’s aggression. The speech Tuesday night had initially been conceived by the White House as an opportunity to highlight the improving coronavirus outlook and rebrand Biden’s domestic policy priorities as a way to lower costs for families grappling with soaring inflation. But the speech has taken on new significance with last week’s Russian invasion of Ukraine and nuclear saber-rattling by Vladimir Putin.

(File Photo)
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Gas prices are three cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.705 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                $3.705
Average price during the week of February 22, 2022                              $3.739
Average price during the week of March 1, 2021                                     $2.967

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

$3.754      Altoona
$3.681      Beaver
$3.755      Bradford
$3.739      Brookville
$3.708      Butler
$3.754      Clarion
$3.742      DuBois
$3.735      Erie
$3.597      Greensburg
$3.698      Indiana
$3.654      Jeannette
$3.614      Kittanning
$3.652      Latrobe
$3.755      Meadville
$3.768      Mercer
$3.660      New Castle
$3.694      New Kensington
$3.759      Oil City
$3.686      Pittsburgh
$3.677      Sharon
$3.707      Uniontown
$3.759      Warren
$3.660      Washington

Trend Analysis:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused uneasiness in the oil market, with crude spiking briefly to over $100 per barrel before settling back into the mid-$90s. The increase in the global price of oil has led to higher pump prices in the U.S. The national average for a gallon of gas has risen to $3.61, eight cents more than a week ago, 26 cents more than a month ago and 90 cents more than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 600,000 barrels to 246.5 million barrels last week. Meanwhile, gasoline demand rose slightly from 8.57 million barrels per day to 8.66 million barrels per day. The increase in gas demand and a reduction in total supply are contributing to rising pump prices, but increasing oil prices are playing the lead role in pushing gas prices higher. Pump prices will likely continue to rise as crude prices continue to climb.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by $1.22 to settle at $91.59. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, the oil markets may respond by continuing to increase the price of crude oil to reflect more risk of disruption to tight global oil supplies this week. Additionally, EIA reported that total domestic crude stocks increased by 4.5 million barrels to 416 million barrels. The current stock level is approximately 10 percent lower than mid-February 2021, contributing to pressure on domestic crude prices.

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.

(AP Photo)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — People are out to party as New Orleans’ first full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020 dawns Tuesday, with a day of back-to-back parades through the city. Masks against COVID-19 are required only in indoor public spaces. Parades were canceled last year because officials realized that tightly packed crowds in 2020 had created a superspreader event. As it has for years, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club will open the day with a parade that started as a mockery of white festivities, with Black riders wearing blackface and grass skirts. Next come the elaborate floats of Rex, the self-styled king of Carnival, followed by lots of homemade floats on long flatbed trailers.