(File Photo)
Gas prices are 14 cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.591 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                $4.591
Average price during the week of July 18, 2022                                      $4.737
Average price during the week of July 26, 2021                                      $3.304

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

$4.492      Altoona
$4.709      Beaver
$4.659      Bradford
$4.470      Brookville
$4.555      Butler
$4.640      Clarion
$4.522      DuBois
$4.533      Erie
$4.657      Greensburg
$4.561      Indiana
$4.550      Jeannette
$4.594      Kittanning
$4.680      Latrobe
$4.507      Meadville
$4.599      Mercer
$4.512      New Castle
$4.585      New Kensington
$4.540      Oil City
$4.657      Pittsburgh
$4.566      Sharon
$4.696      Uniontown
$4.665      Warren
$4.648      Washington

Trend Analysis:

Modest demand for gas and lower oil prices resulted in pump prices falling again, down 17 cents since last week to $4.35. Today’s average is 63 cents less than a month ago and $1.20 more than a year ago. The steady decline is due to low domestic demand for gasoline and oil prices that remain in the mid-$90s per barrel. The price of gas has now fallen every day since hitting a record $5.01 on June 14.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand rose from 8.06 million barrels per day to 8.52 million barrels per day last week. However, that rate is 800,000 barrels per day lower than last year and is in line with demand during July 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions curbed demand. Additionally, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 3.5 million barrels to 228.4 million barrels, signaling that low demand led to growth in inventory last week.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by $1.65 to settle at $94.70. Crude prices declined last week as the market continues to worry that weak demand, which is typically strong throughout the summer, could continue to push prices lower. A strengthening dollar also helped to push crude prices lower last week.

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

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 71 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.

(File Photo)

(North Sewickley Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Gibsonia are reporting that they were called to the scene of a one vehicle accident on the PA Turnpike East bound at mile marker 17.7 in North Sewickley Twp at 7:31 PM on July 17, 2022.
Upon arriving on the scene and investigating it was learned that 19-year-old Sophia Stark of Canonsburg was traveling eastbound in a 2011 Honda Pilot when she lost control of her vehicle while negotiating a right curve in the roadway. Her vehicle struck the jersey barrier and then traveled back across the roadway and traveled up an embankment and rolled over several times before coming to a final rest on the berm of the roadway.
Stark suffered suspected minor injuries but was not transported to the hospital.

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(Mark Moran/The Citizens’ Voice via AP)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) The Mega Millions jackpot has climbed to $810 million, with the cash option having grown to $470.1 million for tonight’s drawing. The Jackpot hasn’t been claimed since April 15 of this year.
If someone wins the jackpot tonight it will be the 4th largest lottery prize of all time, and the third largest Mega Millions prize.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot of all time was in October 2018, when a winning ticket worth $1.5 billion was sold in South Carolina.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 303 million.

(File Photo of the Federal Courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pa.)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.)  A resident of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on July 21,2022, to charges of receipt and attempted receipt of material depicting the sexual exploitation of minor United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today. Joey Leroy Barton, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge William S. Stickman, IV.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on March 28, 2019 and April 11, 2019, Barton received and attempted to receive digital images depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor while engaged in an online conversation with a minor over Facebook messenger.
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for July 21, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 80 years in prison, a fine of $80,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the defendant remains detained.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the Roseville(Minnesota) Police Department, and the North Strabane Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Barton.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.justice.gov/psc.

(File Photo of Baden Police Cruiser)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio
(Baden, Pa.) Baden Police Chief Dave Christner reported on Monday morning that a female driver that was at Punk’s Ice Cream put her car in drive instead of reverse causing  no immediate damage to the ice cream stand. The accident occurred at 7:50 PM on Sunday night.

Chief Christner did not identify the driver of the vehicle and said the car involved was towed from the scene.

Punk’s has posted on their Facebook Page that “We will be closed until further notice !! Sorry for any inconvenience.”

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Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio

(Ambridge, Pa.) Last Wednesday, July 20, 2022,  Ambridge Borough police and firefighters were called to a vacant building at 307 Merchant Street after a resident heard a crackling noise. Upon arrival, it was determined that the roof of the building had collapsed. Assistant Fire Chief Dave Gorecki, who is a code enforcement officer cited the owner  of  Sims Contracting, accordion got Borough Manager Mario Leone.

(File Photo)