Wolf closes schools, nonessential businesses indefinitely
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, MARK SCOLFORO and CLAUDIA LAUER undefined
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf says all schools and nonessential businesses will remain closed indefinitely as Pennsylvania reports nearly 700 new cases of the coronavirus. Wolf also added four more counties to a separate stay-at-home order and extended its duration by more than three weeks, through at least April 30.  More than 10 million people, or 80% of the state’s population, have now been instructed to remain in their homes. The Democratic governor says he knows the extended shutdown of businesses, schools and big swaths of daily life “isn’t easy to hear,” but is necessary to save lives and keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.

Pittsburgh – PennDOT District 11 is announcing guide rail repair work on westbound I-376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) in Potter Township, Beaver County will occur Tuesday, March 31 weather permitting.

 single-lane restriction will occur on westbound I-376 between the Monaca/Shippingport (Exit 39) and the Beaver/Midland (Exit 38) interchanges from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Crews from Penn Line Services, Inc. will conduct guide rail repair work.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Trump defends extending virus guidelines as spread continues
By ZEKE MILLER and JILL COLVIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has told the nation’s governors that modeling on the coronavirus projected substantially more deaths if the nation did not incorporate social distancing. Dr. Deborah Birx, the coronavirus task force coordinator, was also on the call Monday. She told governors it’s “several weeks away from the peak of the curve for the United States.” Earlier Monday, Trump defended his decision to reverse course and extend restrictive social distancing guidelines through the end of April. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, says the U.S. could see between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths from the pandemic.

Hay fever or virus? For allergy sufferers, a season of worry
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
HAMBURG, Pa. (AP) — For millions of seasonal allergy sufferers, the annual onset of watery eyes and scratchy throats is bumping up against the global spread of a new virus. Forecasters are predicting a brutal spring allergy season for vast swaths of the United States at the same time that COVID-19 cases are rising dramatically. That’s causing angst for people who suffer from hay fever and are now asking themselves whether their symptoms are related to their allergies or the new coronavirus.

Florida officials seek arrest for pastor that violated rules
By TAMARA LUSH and CHRIS O’MEARA Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff is seeking an arrest warrant for the pastor of a megachurch after officials say he held two Sunday services with hundreds of people and violated a safer-at-home order in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news conference Monday that he’s negotiating with the attorney of Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne to turn himself in to authorities. Chronister says he told church leaders of the danger they are putting themselves and their congregation in by not maintaining appropriate social distancing. The county and governor’s orders require gatherings be fewer than 10 people to limit the spread of COVID-19. A live stream of Sunday’s three-and-a-half-hour church service showed scores of congregants.

The Latest: Cardinal close to Pope tests positive for virus
By The Associated Press
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VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ vicar for Rome has tested positive for the coronavirus in the first case of a cardinal close to the pope known to be infected.
Cardinal Angelo De Donatis had been in touch with Francis in recent weeks — apparently not in person, however — over the cardinal’s initial decision to close all Rome churches in line with an Italian government shutdown decree.
De Donatis reversed himself after Francis intervened, and allowed diocesan churches to remain open for individuals to pray.
The pope is technically bishop of Rome, but he delegates the day-to-day running of the diocese to his vicar, De Donatis, 66. The Rome church said De Donatis was in good condition at Rome’s Gemelli hospital and was receiving antiviral treatment.
The Holy See has said six people have tested positive for the virus in the Vatican, none of them the pope or his closest advisers.

New York governor begs for help amid `staggering’ death toll
By JOCELYN NOVECK, LARRY NEUMEISTER and MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s governor has put out an urgent plea for medical volunteers as coronavirus deaths in New York City mount and hospitals buckle in what authorities say could be a preview of what other cities across the U.S. could soon face. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says, “Please come help us in New York now. We need relief.” He made the plea Monday as the number of dead in New York State climbed past 1,200, with most of those victims dying in New York City.

After falling by 13 cents last week, the average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is another 13 cents cheaper this week at $2.229 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. As pump prices continue to plummet across the country, prices in Western Pennsylvania are ending March a whopping 44 cents cheaper than at the beginning of the month.

On the week, 12 Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states saw gas prices push cheaper by at least a dime. These states saw the largest pump price decrease of 13 cents: Maine ($1.93), West Virginia ($1.96), New Hampshire ($2.04), Connecticut ($2.16) and Pennsylvania ($2.22).

Gasoline stocks decreased by 1.2 million barrels. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) measures total inventory for the region at 60 million barrels. However, regional refinery utilization bumped up 1% to 58%. Gas prices should continue to decrease across the region in the week ahead, with more states seeing their average fall below $2/gallon.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                 $2.229
Average price during the week of March 23, 2020                                    $2.358
Average price during the week of April 1, 2019                                        $2.809

The Average price for a gallon of gas in Beaver County is  $2.32.

On the National Front
At $2.01, the national gas price average is 11-cents cheaper on the week, 43-cents less expensive on the month and 68-cents less than a year ago. This week, AAA expects that the national gas average will drop below $2/gallon for the first time in four years, with the potential of falling even further in the weeks ahead.

Crude oil continues to price low as U.S. gasoline demand decreases to numbers typically seen during the winter driving season. In fact, there is an atypical amount of winter-blend gasoline supply still available, which has caused the Environmental Protection Agency to extend the sale of winter blend past the May 1 deadline to May 20. The agency said they will continue to monitor and, if necessary, extend the waiver again.

One of the key differences between summer- and winter-blend gasolines is how easily the fuel evaporates at a given temperature. The more volatile a gasoline, the easier it evaporates. Summer-blend gasoline has a lower volatility to prevent excessive evaporation when outside temperatures rise. It also has a higher cost of production, which is one of the reasons gas prices typically increase in the spring and summer months. Delaying the switch-over to summer-blend gasoline should prove to be another contributing factor to sustained lower gas prices.

While this delay and lower demand are major players in the precipitous drop in gas prices, the cost of crude oil continues to steal the show (crude accounts for more than 50 cents of every dollar spent at the pump). West Texas Intermediate continues to hover in the $20/barrel range, at times dipping into the teens. Prices continue to decline as the public health, financial, and economic impacts from COVID-19 continue to mount. Until these impacts subside and Russia and Saudi Arabia end their crude price war, the cost of a barrel of oil is likely to remain at lows not seen in nearly two decades.

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

(Potter, Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police are reporting an accident that  occurred on Interstate 376 West in Potter Twp. at 9:30 a.m. Monday March 30, 2020.

According to the State Police Press Release the driver Robert Crell of Burgettsown was injured in the accident. Crell was traveling West bound on Interstate 376 at the 39.5 mile marker when the right front tire of his Mack truck blew out. The truck veered to the right causing Crell to lose control  striking a guard rail before traveling down a hillside and rolling over  as the trailer detached from the cab. Crell was conscious and alert prior to being transported by EMT’s to Heritage Valley, Beaver.

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) There are 693 additional positive cases of the COVID-19 Corona Virus in Pennsylvania according to the Pa. Heath Department. In addition to the new cases 11 more deaths have been reported in the state bringing the total to 49. The numbers are also on the rise in Beaver County. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano gives you the details by pressing the play button below: