Stocks seek comeback…Consumer prices up…U.K. trade deal
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are trying for another comeback on Wall Street, as a tumultuous week of big swings comes to a close. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% in morning trading, but only after an earlier gain of 0.8% vanished completely. Momentum has been lightning-quick to shift on Wall Street recently, and a similar morning gain for the S&P 500 on Thursday gave way to a 1.8% loss for its fourth drop in five days. The Nasdaq composite, which includes many of the superstar tech stocks that have been the focus of the market’s recent selling, was down 0.1%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer prices rose 0.4% in August as used car prices surged by the largest amount in 51 years. The Labor Department reports that the August increase in the consumer price index reflected some moderation following big gains of 0.6% in both June and July as the pace of energy price gains slowed. However, there were still areas which showed bigger price increases, led by a 5.4% jump in used car prices, the biggest monthly gain since March 1969. New car prices were unchanged in August but analysts predicted prices there likely to rise in coming months, reflecting supply shortages.

LONDON (A) — The U.K. has secured its first major post-Brexit trade deal after signing an agreement with Japan just as discussions with the European Union appeared to be on the verge of collapse. The agreement was reached only in principle and details are thin. The government said the pact will increase commerce with Japan by around $19 billion. Skeptics say no amount of trade deals can mitigate for the losses that may accrue if Britain does not reach a trade agreement with the EU when the current pacts expire at the end of the year.

BERLIN (AP) — Europe’s flight safety authority says the first flight tests for the Boeing 737 Max, which has been grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes, have now been completed. The test flights conducted over the past week by the European Aviation Safety Agency took place in Vancouver, Canada, because of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus and are now complete. The agency says it will now be analyzing the data from the tests.

DETROIT (AP) — For the second time this month, Hyundai is telling some SUV owners to park outdoors because an electrical short in a computer can cause vehicles to catch fire. The Korean automaker is recalling about 180,000 Tucson SUVs in the U.S. from 2019 through 2021 to fix the problem. The company says corrosion can cause a short circuit in defective anti-lock brake circuit boards that can start a fire. Hyundai says it knows of a dozen engine fires from the problem but no injuries.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AWARDS $25M GRANT TO BUTLER COUNTY GATEWAY 228 PROJECT

 (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) joined the Butler County Board of Commissioners to announce that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded Butler County a $25M grant through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grant program.  Butler County applied for the grant to support the construction of the Three Degree Road and Freedom Road segments of Route 228, a $62M initiative, known as Gateway 228.  The project is a 26.4-mile, 13-segment corridor that links Butler, Beaver and Armstrong counties.

“This $25 million grant will make sure that the Gateway 228 project is built to completion.  Then it will serve our entire community by connecting people to jobs and making all drivers safer.  This is a big win for Western Pennsylvania,” said Lamb.

“I am so proud of Butler County,” said Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche.  “It took a great deal of determination, collaboration, negotiation, and, frankly, pure guts to put this proposal together and to win a second BUILD grant award in order to continue to advance the Route 228 corridor.”

“We’re talking about two decades of work on Route 228, mainly in the last five years,” said Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel.  “The awarding of the grant is due to the aptitude of our team and the bipartisan efforts with federal and state legislators.  I’m proud to work with and be part of that team.”

“The Gateway 228 project is a testament to the people at all levels of government,” said Butler County Commissioner Kimberly Geyer.  “They provided a unified voice to represent the people they serve.”

The BUILD Transportation Discretionary Grant program provides the opportunity for federal investment in road, rail, transit and port projects.  The eligibility requirements of BUILD allow project sponsors at the state and local levels to obtain funding for multi-modal, multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to support through traditional DOT programs.

Trump, Biden commemorating 9/11 at memorial events
By JILL COLVIN, ALEXANDRA JAFFE and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — One spent time quietly consoling families. The other proclaimed America’s might. President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden were marking the 19th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks at memorials Friday, where their differences in style couldn’t have been more sharply on display. Trump and Biden were both traveling to rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the hijacked Flight 93 crashed in a field, killing everyone onboard. But the two would not cross paths. While Trump spoke at the site’s annual morning memorial ceremony, Biden will visit later, after attending the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s annual commemoration at Ground Zero in New York, along with Vice President Mike Pence.

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) September 11, 2001 started off as a calm peaceful Tuesday morning that took a turn for the worse when 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group Al Qaeda high jacked four airplanes and carried out the worse terrorist attack in the history of the United States.

It all started at 8:45 a.m. when an American Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York. At 9:03 a.m. a second plane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon at 9:45 and finally a fourth plane that was bound for California crashed into a field in Shanksville Pa. after it was taken over by passengers who learned through cell phone calls what had occurred in New York and Washington.

Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection.

One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett, Jr., told his wife over the phone that “I know we’re all going to die. There’s three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey.” Another passenger Todd Beamer was heard saying “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll” over an open line.

Forty passengers and crew members died when they fought back against the hijackers of their airplane. It crashed into a reclaimed coal mine field in Shanksville Pa. killing everyone on board.

At the request of the Families of Flight 93, and in order to adhere to public health guidelines, the National Park Service reports on its website, that this year’s observance will be held privately. The event will be live-streamed.

The Flight 93 Memorial grounds in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, will remain closed until the end of the event. 

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are planning to attend the observance.

So on this somber day Let’s Remember those who lost their lives on one of the most horrible days in the history of the United States of America September 11, 2001.

Line Painting an

d Seal Coating Operations Continue Next Week in District 11

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is advising motorists that line painting and seal coating operations on various roadways in Beaver, Lawrence and Allegheny counties will occur Monday through Friday, September 14-18, weather permitting.

Work to repaint lines and seal coat the road will occur from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the following locations:

Beaver County

• Route 51 in various municipalities from Monaca Borough to Allegheny County

Allegheny County

• I-79 in various municipalities between PA Route 60 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Southern Beltway
• I-376 (Parkway West) from I-79 interchange to the Fort Pitt Tunnel
• Route 51 in various municipalities
• Route 50 in various municipalities
• Route 88 in various municipalities
• Route 121/Route 3052 (Greentree Road) in various municipalities

Lawrence County

• Route 224 in various municipalities
• Route 422 in various municipalities

PennDOT advises motorists to exercise caution and patience, and suggests allowing at least 250 feet (13 car lengths) behind line painting equipment to avoid damage.  Motorists should avoid passing the paint vehicles unless directed by a paint crew member or flag person to do so.  Passing too quickly can cause damage to fresh paint lines and may result in paint on the motorist’s vehicle.  Line painting vehicles normally pull over every two and one-half miles or when safety permits.  Recent technological advancements on the mix of formulas have produced fast dry paints that are dry to the touch within 2 to 3 minutes.  It is crucial to stay off these lines during the curing period.

Motorists who accidentally get paint on their vehicles should immediately wash the paint off with a high-pressure water stream and detergent.  Dried paint can be removed with de-natured alcohol and a soft cloth.  Generally, PennDOT is not responsible for paint on vehicles.

Roadway line painting is an important part of PennDOT’s highway safety initiatives. Paint lines provide direction, delineation, and guidance to motorists.

Glass beads applied on top of wet paint during the painting process provide retro reflectivity.  These small, spherical beads reflect light during dark hours and periods of low visibility.  As the glass beads become worn or wet, the reflectivity becomes greatly diminished resulting in reduced visibility during dark and wet hours.

Lines need repainting each year because of normal wear, tear, and weather. Winter maintenance activities such as plowing, spreading anti-skid materials, and studded tires are very abrasive to paint lines and can cause fading.  Normal weathering caused by snow, rain, and ice also contribute to line reflectivity reduction.

Motorists should use caution and be aware of changing traffic patterns when driving through the area.

Visit 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling.

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Clean-water advocates are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for approving plans they say will fail to meet required reductions in pollution flowing to Chesapeake Bay.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S District Court for the District of Columbia by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and partners. It said the agency has failed to require that Pennsylvania and New York develop plans sufficient to meet pollution-reduction goals under the 2010 Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint. Pennsylvania has more than 25,000 miles of polluted streams, mostly from agriculture.

Harry Campbell, director of science, policy and advocacy in the Pennsylvania office of the foundation, said a favorable ruling would help get the resources needed to meet pollution-reduction goals.

“It would result in increased investments to help those 33,000-plus farms in the bay watershed of Pennsylvania alone implement practices to achieve this goal,” he said.

The attorneys general of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will be filing a similar, separate federal lawsuit against the EPA.

The blueprint requires Chesapeake Bay watershed states to have plans in place to meet pollution-reduction goals by 2025, but Campbell said Pennsylvania’s plan falls far short.

“Pennsylvania has submitted a plan that only achieves about 75% of the nitrogen reductions that are necessary to meet water-quality standards,” he said, “and also identified a $324 million funding shortfall annually to implement that plan.”

He said the New York plan also falls short of nitrogen-reduction targets and fails to identify funding sources to meet the goals.

Campbell noted that a 2015 federal appeals court ruling affirmed the EPA’s authority and responsibilities under the blueprint, as well as the requirement that state plans include “reasonable assurance” they will succeed.

“It validates the partnership that is a federal-state cooperative and the science behind that approach,” he said. “along with the plans that are predicated and built to achieve the goals and objectives under the blueprint.”

He said the Clean Water Act requires the EPA to ensure that states develop and implement plans to meet their clean-water commitments.

The complaint is online at cbf.org.

(New Brighton, Pa.) Devin Carter, 31, a resident of Brightwood Manor was arrested by New Brighton Police  in connection with an  early morning  home invasion/robbery  in the borough in the early morning hours of Wednesday September 9, 2020.

‘Avengers’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ star Diana Rigg dies at 82
By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — British actress Diana Rigg, who became a 1960s style icon as secret agent Emma Peel in TV series “The Avengers,” has died. She was 82. Her agent said she died Thursday morning at home with her family. Daughter Rachael Stirling said she succumbed to cancer that was diagnosed in March. Rigg starred in “The Avengers” alongside Patrick McNee’s bowler-hatted John Steed. The pair were an impeccably dressed duo who fought villains and traded quips in a show whose mix of adventure and humor was enduringly influential. Rigg also starred in spy thriller “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” as the only woman ever to marry James Bond.