FILE – Commuters wait to drive through the Holland Tunnel into New York City during morning rush hour traffic in Jersey City, N.J.,, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. A study published Wednesday, May 22, 2024, says U.S. vehicles hit a record average age of 12.6 years in 2024 as people continue to hang on to their rides largely because new ones cost so much. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

DETROIT (AP) — Cars, trucks and SUVs in the U.S. keep getting older, hitting a record average age of 12.6 years in 2024 as people hang on to their vehicles largely because new ones cost so much.

S&P Global Mobility, which tracks state vehicle registration data nationwide, said Wednesday that the average vehicle age grew about two months from last year’s record.

But the growth in average age is starting to slow as new vehicle sales start to recover from pandemic-related shortages of parts, including computer chips. The average increased by three months in 2023.

Still, with an average U.S. new-vehicle selling price of just over $45,000 last month, many can’t afford to buy new — even though prices are down more than $2,000 from the peak in December of 2022, according to J.D. Power.

“It’s prohibitively high for a lot of households now,” said Todd Campau, aftermarket leader for S&P Global Mobility. “So I think consumers are being painted into the corner of having to keep the vehicle on the road longer.”

Other factors include people waiting to see if they want to buy an electric vehicle or go with a gas-electric hybrid or a gasoline vehicle. Many, he said, are worried about the charging network being built up so they can travel without worrying about running out of battery power. Also, he said, vehicles are made better these days and simply are lasting a long time.

New vehicle sales in the U.S. are starting to return to pre-pandemic levels, with prices and interest rates the big influencing factors rather than illness and supply-chain problems, Compau said. He said he expects sales to hit around 16 million this year, up from 15.6 million last year and 13.9 million in 2022.

As more new vehicles are sold and replace aging vehicles in the nation’s fleet of 286 million passenger vehicles, the average age should stop growing and stabilize, Compau said. And unlike immediately after the pandemic, more lower-cost vehicles are being sold, which likely will bring down the average price, he said.

People keeping vehicles longer is good news for the local auto repair shop. About 70% of vehicles on the road are 6 or more years old, he said, beyond manufacturer warranties.

Those who are able to keep their rides for multiple years usually get the oil changed regularly and follow manufacturer maintenance schedules, Campau noted.

FILE – Fans wait in line outside Graceland Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, in Memphis, Tenn. The granddaughter of Elvis Presley is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll’s former home as collateral was not repaid. A public auction for the estate had been scheduled for Thursday, May 23, 2024, but a Memphis judge blocked the sale after Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough sought a temporary restraining order and filed a lawsuit, court documents show. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge on Wednesday blocked the auction of Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley, by a company that claimed his estate failed to repay a loan that used the property as collateral.

Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins issued a temporary injunction against the proposed auction that had been scheduled for Thursday this week. Jenkins’ injunction essentially keeps in place a previous restraining order that he had issued after Presley’s granddaughter Riley Keough filed a lawsuit to fight off what she said was a fraudulent scheme.

A public notice for a foreclosure sale of the 13-acre estate in Memphis posted earlier in May said Promenade Trust, which controls the Graceland museum, owes $3.8 million after failing to repay a 2018 loan. Keough, an actor, inherited the trust and ownership of the home after the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, last year.

Naussany Investments and Private Lending said Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice. Keough, on behalf of the Promenade Trust, alleged in her lawsuit that Naussany presented fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023.

Neither Keough nor lawyers for Nassauny Investments were in court Wednesday.

“Lisa Maria Presley never borrowed money from Naussany Investments and never gave a deed of trust to Naussany Investments,” Keough’s lawyer wrote in a lawsuit.

Kimberly Philbrick, the notary whose name is listed on Nassauny’s documents, indicated that she never met Lisa Marie Presley nor notarized any documents for her, the court filing said.

Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 as a tribute to Elvis Presley, the singer and actor who died in August 1977 at age 42. It draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. A large Presley-themed entertainment complex across the street from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published May 22, 2024 8:25 A.M.

(Brighton Township, Pa) The Brighton Township Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding vandalism and graffiti damage to the boys restroom at Hardy Field that occurred between Saturday 5/18 to Sunday 5/19 is requested to contact them. They add that all information can be kept confidential.

Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published May 22, 2024 8:22 A.M.

(Center Township, Pa) Center Township Police are looking to identify the three females caught on surveillance cameras at the Kohl’s store in Center. The three individuals are said to have entered Kohls on May 5th and walked out with approximately $1500.00 in merchandise. They were viewed getting into an older model white SUV possibly a Ford. Anyone with information is told to contact the non-emergency number at 724-775-0880 and ask to speak with a Center Township Police Officer. Photos of the individuals can viewed on the Center Township Police Department Facebook page.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published May 22, 2024 8:20 A.M.

(Hopewell Township, Pa) Hopewell’s newly named football Head coach John Rosa will be resigning. ROsa is headed to Winchester Thurston High School in Pittsburgh, PA to be their athletic director, but he hasn’t officially resigned yet. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Beltz told Beaver County Radio that Rosa and the coaching staff are conducting spring workouts that will continue through the summer months.

The question residents are asking is “Who will be the next football coach? Athletic Director and former trainer Donnie Short is retiring at the end of the current school year.

Wednesday, May 22 –McDonald’s is giving away FREE 6-piece Chicken McNuggets when ordered on the McDonald’s app. The offer is valid for one day only at participating restaurants across the US – no purchase necessary.

This is just the first of many deals McDonald’s has in store for fans this summer season – more special offers are planned on top of McDonald’s everyday affordable prices. Fans can stay in the loop on exclusive local deals simply by downloading the MyMcDonald’s Rewards app.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) voted to pass the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023. Among other disaster recovery measures, the bill includes a provision to exempt Norfolk Southern Railroad’s payments to residents impacted by the East Palestine train derailment from federal taxes, something Congressman Deluzio has been pushing for since January.

The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 came to the House Floor for a vote after Congressman Deluzio signed on to an effort to discharge the bill, bypassing committee and bringing it directly to the floor for a vote. The bill passed on a bipartisan basis and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Following the bill’s Congressman Deluzio released the following statement:

“The East Palestine derailment was a disaster for a lot of families in Beaver County, and it is ridiculous that folks hurt by this train derailment in their backyard would have to pay taxes on Norfolk Southern’s payments to them.

“I knew we had to make this right, and tonight, we passed a bill to do just that.

“Now, these payments will be exempted from federal taxes—just like we do for natural disasters. It’s the right thing to do, and I was glad to see colleagues in both parties support this measure.

“Let’s keep going to hold big railroads accountable and make freight rail safer. It’s time to pass my bill, the Railway Safety Act.”

Monaca, PA – Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) is proud to release 364 names of full-time and part-time students who achieved either President’s List or Dean’s List honors for the spring 2024 semester. 

To be named to the President’s List, students must have completed at least 12 hours of credit-bearing  courses in which performance grades are awarded and have received a 3.75 grade-point average or  above for the semester. Dean’s List honorees must have completed at least 12 hours of credit-bearing  courses in which performance grades are awarded and have received a 3.25 to 3.74 grade-point average  for the semester. 

The following full-time students were named to the President’s List: 

Katrina Adams Jade Adkins 

Damon Astorino Calahan Bedard Julia Bennett Hunter Bock 

Vanessa Borgen Aaron Bruder Kira Burd 

Meagan Burke Carol Buzard 

Amelia Callaghan Eva Campbell Logan Cantwell India Carlisle 

Saige Chambers LeAndra Clark Jada Cleckley 

Adam Cline 

Kira Coffman 

Jason Commentucci Amanda Cramer Kaden Cvitkovic Kail Davidson 

Gabrielle Davis 

Sydney Davis 

Gabriella DePace Brandi Dornetto Josef Druzak 

Erica Gazdik 

Jayden Geer 

Olivia Geiger 

Farrah Glomb 

Anna Goberish 

Abbie Graves 

Gabrielle Gretch 

Olivia Guido 

McKala Harris 

Peyton Hastings 

Connor Haynes 

Peyton Heidish 

Monjeana Henderson Brook Henry 

Jack Hickman 

Trinity Hill 

Olivia Hogue 

Faith Holcomb 

Mandy Hopkins 

Sarah Hottenfeller Jacy Hudock 

Lauren Huey 

Spencer Hunter 

Dalton Janicki 

Preston Jasek  

Mayank Jathan 

Trevor Keenan 

Sydney Klaas 

Michael Krumpe Joseph Lamb 

Grace Lane 

Tanner Leavens Troy Leininger 

Devin Lewis 

Katherine Livengood Michael Longo 

Madeline Luke 

Abbigail Lyon 

Sarah Lyons 

Brynn MacQueen Mackenzie Maga Austyne Mann 

Maya Marshall

Landyn McClean Colin McKissic 

Carmen Mercado Gracie Miller 

Jalen Mills 

Garrett Milnes Gage Nagy 

Payne Nairn 

Alexander Neel Genavieve Pansera Lucas Peretik 

Gabriella Petrof 

Remington Pond Lily Pruszenski Kody Pulaski 

William Rebello Landon Reckerd Cody Record 

Joshua Rexroad Michela Ricci 

Cristian Rodriguez Madelyn Ronk Zachary Ryan 

Emily Sedgwick 

Errett Sedlacek Jillian Sedlacek Jonathan Selavko Aaron Shanor 

Mackenzie Snyder Maura Sosack Philip Spann 

Carmen Spara Ashley Stoltz 

Caleb Terrick 

Blake Thewes 

John Tilson 

Alexis Tolejko 

Hannah Triscila 

Teariney Trosky 

Emma Weismantle Samantha Whiteman Selena Wilson 

Alexandra Wise 

Isabella Woodrow Paige Young 

Sarah Zeiber 

The following full-time students were named to the Dean’s List: 

Jenson Baker 

Avery Baldwin 

Jenna Bechtold Emily Beres 

Abigail Blumling Ella Brubaker 

Emma Burkard Sean Cady 

Brianna Cahill Chase Campbell Anna Carlgren Hannah Carothers Sarah Causey 

Travis Cerce 

Alexander Clark Ethan Colvin 

Ashton Costanza Meredith Cote Gianna Dale 

Connor Denes Sarah Dettinger Isabella Dibe 

Jake Dokmanovich 

Kyle Donovan 

Domonic Dorsey Erin Dugan 

Priscilla Eberlein Serenity Eubanks Ashley Evans 

Lahela Fisher 

Meghan Franciscus Camden Glass Nick Greiner 

Amanda Grimm Jaxon Guido 

Kaydance Hagan Sydney Hale 

Lillie Hans 

Jocelyn Herda 

Jeniene Hill-Lyles Xianyi Jiao 

Mara Kachur 

Zakary Klaas 

Olivia Kullen 

Mia Leonberg 

Jordan Mcclain 

Jacob Mersing 

Zane Metzgar 

Jacob Mima 

J’Daniel Mosquera Glenn Ohmer Truxel Jarett Pence 

Rhea Pieprzyk 

Abigail Pokorski Garrett Reynolds Nathan Ritchey Tyler Roman 

Kyle Schad 

Evan Scheib 

Hayden Schulte Mayley Servick 

Ana Shipman 

Deniro Simpson Charlie Sinclair Zoe Slavinsky 

Bradley Solyan 

Zoe Staley 

Julia Stoyer 

Isabella Viscuso 

Kennedy Vogel 

Nicholas Waschak Ella Watterson 

Aubrey Westfall Stefania Wiley 

Reilly Wilfong 

Colin Willoughby Abigail Winterhalter Lauren Winters Matthew Wolfe 

Meah Yonlisky 

Christopher Zarilla 

The following part-time students were named to the President’s List: 

Grace Abbott Maya Abt 

Meara Adams-Moots Mohammed Aziz 

Scout Barber 

Logan Bickerstaff 

Trent Bonfield Joslyn Brandt

Lauren Brilhart Lilly Burgess 

Danica Burns Jay Busch 

Victoria Cain 

Domenick Cerilli Brice Conrad 

Brianna Dobbins Autumn Donahue Hannah DoVidio Dylan Falvo 

Isabella Finnegan Adison Fox 

Bryce Froble 

Joel Garcia Crego Anthony Gerace Alyssa Gibbons Delphine Giles Haleigh Grabski Matthew Gregory 

Elaina Guy 

Mya Hazelwood Aurea Hickenboth Harrison Hill 

Shana Hormel 

Alec Jerome 

Brendan Jones 

Ava Katkich 

Noah Kurschinske Wanda Lay 

Flora Lieb 

Riley Long 

Zoe Mangus 

Maxwell Martin Aidan McConnell Catherine McCurdy Bryce Millerschoen Sara Miloszewski Sherry Modro 

Mynor Morales 

Kaitlyn Murdock Madison Murtha Payton Nunes 

Patrick O’Leary Abigail Olszanski Kaylee Orgovan Kaitlyn Oslick 

Courtney Parish Luke Paskey 

Jayda Pawelkoski Vanessa Perry Julia Pratt 

Arielle Prieto 

Breanna Reynolds Rylee Ringhoff Reese Riordan Stefano Rosati Ethan Rosenfelder Isabella Ruminer Madison Schiebel 

Angela Sgro 

Madelyn Sheffel 

Kelly Sledzianowski Dylan Slovick 

Taylor Smith 

Jenna Stiteler 

Cliff Stobart 

Charity Tellish 

Jaimie Tharp 

Brandon Turcola 

Veronica Van Dam Nicholas Vanhorenbeck Danyel Walker 

Paige Warzynski 

Mckenna Wass 

Sarah Windsheimer Connor Young 

The following part-time students were named to the Dean’s List: 

Sophia Adams 

Jacob Albanese 

Anna Allison 

Nathan Anderson 

Ava Bell 

Isabella Bertucci 

Sean Brigode 

Keeley Brown 

Brock Budacki 

Josilyn Burkett 

Roman Carlucci 

Kianna Copeland 

Andrew Crofoot-Franco Kennedy Cron 

Ronnie Davies 

Brianna Essey 

Luke Fagan 

Aiden Froedtert 

Brendan Gianantonio Ryder Goe 

Julie Golnik 

Jeslyn Gouldsbarry Evan Green 

Dakota Gural 

Alexa Hapach 

Rylea Heitzenrater Aubrey Hess 

Brady Hess 

Benjamin Hipple Stephanie Houk Alaina Huey 

Alexandria Huselton Cassandra Kirkland Jenna Kosanovich Cameron Kraus Ashlyn Krizan 

Chloe Lin 

Aidan Lindner 

Mario Marcellus Theresa Master 

Kayleigh McCabe Clara McFarland Megan Mortimer 

Nicholas Moulinie Ella Murphy 

Breana Nalesnik Dante Nalli 

Morgan Negley Zachary Nemec Hailey Ochman Kandace Olenik 

Gracie Patterson Anthony Persuitte Rylee Peters 

Qualin Pitts 

Alexa Presutti Michael Pudina Rose Pyles 

Fiona Quinn 

Brayden Reeves 

Dominic Renzo 

Arielle Reynolds 

Pressley Roush 

Sarah Rowland 

Miah Sabo 

Avery Sassic 

Jesse Scarfo 

Jason Shiring 

Roman Solomich 

Jeffrey Stewart 

Carynn Suter 

Mariah Taylor 

Elissa Toy 

DaiShauna Washington Sara Willey 

Jerome Willig-Friedrich Carter Wilson 

Kaelin Wooley 

Tamara Wright 

Isaiah Zahn

FILE – This photo provided by the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa shows the screen of a Unitronics device that was hacked in Aliquippa, Pa., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday, May 20, 2024, as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation’s drinking water from electronic threats. (Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cyberattacks against water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and more severe, the Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it issued an enforcement alert urging water systems to take immediate actions to protect the nation’s drinking water.

About 70% of utilities inspected by federal officials over the last year violated standards meant to prevent breaches or other intrusions, the agency said. Officials urged even small water systems to improve protections against hacks. Recent cyberattacks by groups affiliated with Russia and Iran have targeted smaller communities.

Some water systems are falling short in basic ways, the alert said, including failure to change default passwords or cut off system access to former employees. Because water utilities often rely on computer software to operate treatment plants and distribution systems, protecting information technology and process controls is crucial, the EPA said. Possible impacts of cyberattacks include interruptions to water treatment and storage; damage to pumps and valves; and alteration of chemical levels to hazardous amounts, the agency said.

“In many cases, systems are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is to have completed a risk assessment of their vulnerabilities that includes cybersecurity and to make sure that plan is available and informing the way they do business,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe.

Attempts by private groups or individuals to get into a water provider’s network and take down or deface websites aren’t new. More recently, however, attackers haven’t just gone after websites, they’ve targeted utilities’ operations instead.

Recent attacks are not just by private entities. Some recent hacks of water utilities are linked to geopolitical rivals, and could lead to the disruption of the supply of safe water to homes and businesses.

McCabe named China, Russia and Iran as the countries that are “actively seeking the capability to disable U.S. critical infrastructure, including water and wastewater.”

Late last year, an Iranian-linked group called “Cyber Av3ngers” targeted multiple organizations including a small Pennsylvania town’s water provider, forcing it to switch from a remote pump to manual operations. They were going after an Israeli-made device used by the utility in the wake of Israel’s war against Hamas.

Earlier this year, a Russian-linked “hacktivist” tried to disrupt operations at several Texas utilities.

A cyber group linked to China and known as Volt Typhoon has compromised information technology of multiple critical infrastructure systems, including drinking water, in the United States and its territories, U.S. officials said. Cybersecurity experts believe the China-aligned group is positioning itself for potential cyberattacks in the event of armed conflict or rising geopolitical tensions.

“By working behind the scenes with these hacktivist groups, now these (nation states) have plausible deniability and they can let these groups carry out destructive attacks. And that to me is a game-changer,” said Dawn Cappelli, a cybersecurity expert with the industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos Inc.

The world’s cyberpowers are believed to have been infiltrating rivals’ critical infrastructure for years planting malware that could be triggered to disrupt basic services.

The enforcement alert is meant to emphasize the seriousness of cyberthreats and inform utilities the EPA will continue its inspections and pursue civil or criminal penalties if they find serious problems.

“We want to make sure that we get the word out to people that ‘Hey, we are finding a lot of problems here,’” McCabe said.

EPA did not say how many cyber incidents have occurred in recent years, and the number of attacks known to be successful so far is few. The agency has issued nearly 100 enforcement actions since 2020 regarding risk assessments and emergency response, but said that’s a small snapshot of the threats water systems face.

Preventing attacks against water providers is part of the Biden administration’s broader effort to combat threats against critical infrastructure. In February, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to protect U.S. ports. Health care systems have been attacked. The White House has pushed electric utilities to increase their defenses, too. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan have asked states to come up with a plan to combat cyberattacks on drinking water systems.

“Drinking water and wastewater systems are an attractive target for cyberattacks because they are a lifeline critical infrastructure sector but often lack the resources and technical capacity to adopt rigorous cybersecurity practices,” Regan and Sullivan wrote in a March 18 letter to all 50 U.S. governors.

Some of the fixes are straightforward, McCabe said. Water providers, for example, shouldn’t use default passwords. They need to develop a risk assessment plan that addresses cybersecurity and set up backup systems. The EPA says they will train water utilities that need help for free. Larger utilities usually have more resources and the expertise to defend against attacks.

“In an ideal world … we would like everybody to have a baseline level of cybersecurity and be able to confirm that they have that,” said Alan Roberson, executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. “But that’s a long ways away.”

Some barriers are foundational. The water sector is highly fragmented. There are roughly 50,000 community water providers, most of which serve small towns. Modest staffing and anemic budgets in many places make it hard enough to maintain the basics — providing clean water and keeping up with the latest regulations.

“Certainly, cybersecurity is part of that, but that’s never been their primary expertise. So, now you’re asking a water utility to develop this whole new sort of department” to handle cyberthreats, said Amy Hardberger, a water expert at Texas Tech University.

The EPA has faced setbacks. States periodically review the performance of water providers. In March 2023, the EPA instructed states to add cybersecurity evaluations to those reviews. If they found problems, the state was supposed to force improvements.

But Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa, joined by the American Water Works Association and another water industry group, challenged the instructions in court on the grounds that EPA didn’t have the authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act. After a court setback, the EPA withdrew its requirements but urged states to take voluntary actions anyway.

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires certain water providers to develop plans for some threats and certify they’ve done so. But its power is limited.

“There’s just no authority for (cybersecurity) in the law,” Roberson said.

Kevin Morley, manager of federal relations with the American Water Works Association, said some water utilities have components that are connected to the internet — a common, but significant vulnerability. Overhauling those systems can be a significant and costly job. And without substantial federal funding, water systems struggle to find resources.

The industry group has published guidance for utilities and advocates for establishing a new organization of cybersecurity and water experts that would develop new policies and enforce them, in partnership with the EPA.

“Let’s bring everybody along in a reasonable manner,” Morley said, adding that small and large utilities have different needs and resources.

___

Phillis reported from St. Louis.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including its full-service center in Harrisburg, will be closed Saturday, May 25, 2024, through Monday, May 27, 2024, in observance of Memorial Day.

Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services, including all forms, publications, and driver training manuals, online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website.

Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; REAL ID pre-verification; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.

A complete listing of PennDOT driver and photo license center closings in 2024 is available online. If you are planning to visit one of PennDOT’s On-Line Messenger Service Centers, please call ahead for hours of operation during holidays.