Trump campaign loses another round in Pennsylvania’s courts
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign has lost another round in lawsuits over Pennsylvania’s election. The state Supreme Court refused Tuesday to hear its appeal over nearly 2,000 mail-in ballots in Bucks County in which voters failed to handwrite their name, address or date on the outside ballot-return envelope, or enclosed their ballot in an inner unmarked secrecy envelope that became unsealed. The Trump campaign maintains the ballots should be thrown out. The court has refused previous such Republican requests in other counties. Buck County’s lawyers contended that Trump’s campaign shouldn’t be allowed to appeal. The number of ballots in question are far too few to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win in Pennsylvania.

(File Photo)

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) The Pennsylvania Lottery announced that a $3 million scratch-off ticket was recently sold in Hopewell Twp.

The Pa Lottery reported that Caivano’s Discount Tobacco Outlet in the Hopewell Shopping Center sold the $3 million-winning ticket. The ticket is the $3 Million Extravaganza Scratch-Off,  Caivano’s will receiving a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

$3 Million Extravaganza is a $30 game that offers top prizes of $3 million.

As a reminder, Scratch-Off prizes expire one year from the game’s end-sale date posted at palottery.com. Winners should immediately sign the back of their ticket and call the Lottery at 1-800-692-748

Farm Show cancels butter sculpture, citing COVID-19 concerns
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — There won’t be a butter sculpture at next month’s annual Pennsylvania Farm Show, which had previously been converted to an all-virtual format because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers said Tuesday that COVID-19 makes the event too risky for the sculptors, the Farm Show staff and those involved in recording and broadcasting the event. State officials announced in August that the Farm Show won’t be an in-person event, a disappointment for the hundreds of thousands who usually attend the weeklong fair. The Jan. 9-15 event will be virtual, with the theme of “cultivating tomorrow.” The Farm Show claims — in normal times — to be the country’s largest agricultural exposition under a single roof.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Tax credits totalling  $400,00 from the state’s Neighborhood Assistance program  have been awarded to the Aliquippa Economic Development Corp, State Representative Rob Matzie announced last night.  The funding will be used to  remove blight in the West end of Franklin Avenue, and rehab a house there, part of the business district will be revitalized , residents will receive food, rent, and job training assistance, too. The program  is part of the public-private partnership  with the commonwealth and BNY Mellon, Rep. Matzie said.

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano 

(Hopewell, Pa.) Hopewell School Board, at last night’s work session, voted to  extend the suspension of winter athletic programs until Monday, December 14, which is its regular meeting.. They are awaiting a decision from the PIAA  and WPIAL and will meet with the high school principal and athletic director whether athletes can practice.

US productivity increased at 4.6% rate in third quarter
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. productivity increased at a solid 4.6% pace in the July-September quarter, slightly below the initial estimate, while labor costs fell at a slower pace. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that the third quarter increase in productivity was below the first estimate a month ago of a 4.9% increase. Productivity had surged at a 10.6% rate in the second quarter. Labor costs fell at a 6.6% rate in the third quarter , a smaller drop than the 8.9% decline estimated a month ago.

(New Brighton, pa.) New Brighton citizens have been reporting that they have seen a bear throughout neighborhoods in New Brighton in social media over the last few weeks. On Monday night a large black bear was spotted in the 1300 block of Sixth Avenue. The game commission was called to the scene, but the animal was not found.

If you do spot the bear do not approach it. Call local authorities who will notify the game commission.

Beaver County Radio’s Program Director Frank Sparks, a New Brighton resident, has spotted a black bear in his Oak Hill neighborhood on occasion lately. Sparks said that usually we see bears this time of year. I think they are just hungry and looking for something to eat before hunkering down for the winter. Sparks said that last week when he was leaving for work around 5 a.m. he spotted a black bear canvasing the neighbors garbage for some grub. He said “I don’t usually call the authorities cause they aren’t bothering anyone.”

AAA: PA Gas Prices Steady; Oil Rallies to Nine-Month High
The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania held steady this week at $2.555 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                  $2.555
Average price during the week of November 30, 2020                              $2.557
Average price during the week of December 9, 2019                                $2.854

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

$2.647      Altoona
$2.588      Beaver
$2.656      Bradford
$2.583      Brookville
$2.524      Butler
$2.612      Clarion
$2.506      DuBois
$2.626      Erie
$2.442      Greensburg
$2.659      Indiana
$2.418      Jeannette
$2.615      Kittanning
$2.501      Latrobe
$2.647      Meadville
$2.647      Mercer
$2.297      New Castle
$2.621      New Kensington
$2.659      Oil City
$2.541      Pittsburgh
$2.317      Sharon
$2.597      Uniontown
$2.659      Warren
$2.393      Washington

Trend Analysis:
Pump prices nationwide increased on the week despite U.S. gasoline demand falling below 8 million b/d, the lowest weekly reading since June and the lowest demand reading for the week of Thanksgiving since 1997. At $2.16, the national gas price average is more expensive on the week (+4 cents) and the month (+5 cents), but cheaper (-42 cents) compared to last year at this time.

Gains in crude oil prices (due to market optimism surrounding Coronavirus vaccines) and the OPEC decision to increase oil production next year has led to at a number of states seeing pump price jumps of 3 to 12 cents this week. Last week, crude oil prices (West Texas Intermediate) reached a high of $46/barrel, a price point not seen since early March.

If this trend ends or oil prices decrease, motorists may end up seeing cheaper gas as the holidays approach. Last December the national gas price average was $2.57. One week into the month this year, the average is $2.15.

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

Chuck Yeager, 1st to break sound barrier, dies at 97
By The Associated Press undefined
World War II flying ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died at 97. His wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account that Yeager died Monday. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” The retired Air Force brigadier general became the fastest human in 1947 when he piloted the experimental X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph. It was the first time anyone had flown faster than the speed of sound. Yeager became a fighter pilot in World War II and shot down 13 German planes. He was shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans.

Trump campaign appeals another ballot case in Pennsylvania
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign continues to press lawsuits over Pennsylvania’s election. It has appealed another case to the state Supreme Court, this time over fewer than 2,000 ballots. The appeal was filed Friday and is one of at least four pending cases in which Trump or Republicans are trying to throw out certain ballots or trying to upend the entire election. That includes President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania over Trump in the Nov. 3 election. The Trump campaign maintains the nearly 2,000 ballots in suburban Philadelphia’s Bucks County should be thrown out under state law. The state Supreme Court has typically refused to do so in separate cases.