Hunter Biden and is wife Melissa, arrive with President Biden on Air Force One, Friday, March 29, 2024, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. President Biden is returning from New York after a fundraiser. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge has refused to toss out a tax case against Hunter Biden, moving the case closer to the possible spectacle of a trial as his father campaigns for another term as president. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi on Monday denied eight motions to dismiss the charges accusing President Joe Biden’s son of a four-year scheme to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes while living an extravagant lifestyle. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to the nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. His attorneys contended the prosecution is politically motivated, among other arguments seeking to have the case dismissed.

Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

The owner and manager of a cargo ship that rammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge before it collapsed are seeking to limit their legal liability for the deadly disaster. The two Singapore-based companies filed what’s known as a “limitation of liability” petition Monday. The filing is a routine but important procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the Dali, the vessel that lost power before it slammed into the bridge last Tuesday. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. is the ship’s manager. Their joint filing seeks to cap the companies’ liability at under $44 million.

FILE – The Google building is seen in New York, Feb. 26, 2024. Google has agreed to purge billions of records containing personal information collected from more than 136 million people in the U.S. surfing the internet through its Chrome web browser as part of settlement in a lawsuit accusing it of illegal surveillance. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has agreed to purge billions of records containing personal information collected from more than 136 million people in the U.S. surfing the internet through its Chrome web browser. The move comes as part of a settlement in a lawsuit accusing the search giant of illegal surveillance. Although Google isn’t paying consumers any money in the case, estimates made in court records pegged the value of the privacy controls at $4.75 billion to $7.8 billion. The details of the settlement emerged in a court filing Monday, more than three months after Google and the attorneys handling the class-action case disclosed they had resolved June 2020 lawsuit targeting Chrome’s privacy controls.

FILE – Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Waterford Township, Mich., Feb. 17, 2024. Trump is holding events Tuesday, April 2, in Grand Rapids, Mich. and Green Bay, Wis., as he pressures President Joe Biden on immigration. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump will continue to hammer President Joe Biden over his border policies during a trip to two pivotal midwestern states that could determine the outcome of the 2024 election. Trump on Tuesday will deliver a speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on what his campaign called “Biden’s Border Bloodbath.” Trump has been leaning into inflammatory rhetoric about the record surge of migrants at the southern border since he became his party’s presumptive nominee. That includes portraying migrants as “poisoning the blood of the country” and questioning whether some should even be considered people.

Norfolk Southern locomotives are moved through the Conway Terminal in Conway, Pa., Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Major freight railroads will have to maintain two-person crews in most circumstances under a new federal rule. The Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Administration released the details of the rule the agency has been working on for the past two years Tuesday morning. The rule comes amid an intense focus on railroad safety following the fiery February 2023 derailment in eastern Ohio. Rail unions have long opposed one-person crews because of a combination of safety and job concerns. Unions and regulators say the second crew member plays a crucial safety role in helping operate the train and serving as a first responder if there is a problem.Railroads have sought the discretion to operate trains with only one person and move conductors to ground-based jobs.

Gas prices are two cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.735 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                         $3.735
Average price during the week of March 25, 2024                                            $3.752
Average price during the week of April 3, 2023                                                $3.683

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

$3.722      Altoona
$3.763      Beaver
$3.734      Bradford
$3.695      Brookville
$3.752      Butler
$3.478      Clarion
$3.736      DuBois
$3.759      Erie
$3.773      Greensburg
$3.791      Indiana
$3.793      Jeannette
$3.727      Kittanning
$3.744      Latrobe
$3.764      Meadville
$3.799      Mercer
$3.659      New Castle
$3.693      New Kensington
$3.799      Oil City
$3.746      Pittsburgh
$3.737      Sharon
$3.694      Uniontown
$3.796      Warren
$3.754      Washington

Trend Analysis:

After an early spring surge, the national average for a gallon of gas has remained steady over the past week at $3.53. Gas prices are settling into a pattern like last year when the usual seasonal increases were slow and steady. Today’s national average is 20 cents more than a month ago and three cents more than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand dipped slightly from 8.81 to 8.72 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 1.3 million barrels to 232.1 million barrels. Lower demand would typically contribute to pushing pump prices lower or slowing increases, but rising oil prices have kept them elevated instead.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by 27 cents to settle at $81.35. Oil prices fell after the EIA reported that total domestic commercial crude stocks increased by 3.2 million barrels to 448.2 million barrels last week. The current stock level is still 25.5 million barrels lower than at the end of March 2023.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at gasprices.aaa.com.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful are inviting 10^th -12^th grade students to help keep Pennsylvania clean and beautiful through the Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program.

The program, now in its third year, builds community stewards and civic leaders by empowering young Pennsylvanians to become ambassadors in their community for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Applicants should be passionate about the environment and committed to restoring and protecting Pennsylvania’s ecological landscape through volunteerism and leadership.

Ambassadors will train and network with industry leaders, state agencies, local media and the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful network to prepare them to be be dfference-makers in their communities by builiding their leadership and problem-solving skills.

“Pennsylvania needs leaders. Like many other crises that require long-term change, we’re looking to the youngest of us to help lead environmental sustainability into the future,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “I’m heartened to see the attention and diligence of the next generation of Pennsylvania’s environmental caretakers”

“It has been enlightening to work with students from diverse backgrounds and cultures through our Young Ambassador program. They each bring their own experiences and aspirations that have helped shape the program. We know the students of today hold the key to a sustainable future and we’re excited to work with and guide this new group of Young Ambassadors to implement change in their communities and the Commonwealth. We’re grateful to continue to partner with PennDOT to provide even more opportuntites for students to develop necessary skills for them to succeed,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Chosen candidates will commit to serve as an Ambassador from September 2024 through May 2025 and represent and uphold the mission and values of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Other responsibilities include:

• attending 6 mandatory virtual education sessions;
• conducting a community assessment and creating a summary presentation;
• organizing and participating in at least one community cleanup event through pick up Pennsylvania and conducting one community education event or activity.

There will also be non-mandatory education sessions from a variety of topics.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide education and training to program participants on such topics related to the impact of litter on roadways, litter prevention, waste management and recycling, civic engagement and related public policy, volunteer management, and social media marketing. The program will provide networking opportunities to not only build a sense of community within the program but also to promote professional development of the individual students. In addition, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has partnered with Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania funded by the NiSource Charitable Foundation to provide Job Shadow Days to select Ambassadors.

The Young Ambassadors program was recommended in the commonwealth’s Litter Action Plan announced by the Governor’s Office in November 2021 and is funded by PennDOT.

Applications are being accepted April 1 through June 10. Students will be chosen through a competitive application process. Students interested in applying should visit keeppabeautiful.org and choose Programs, Education then Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania or contact Kylie McCutcheon at 724-836-4121 x114 or kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing waterline installation work on Beaver Grade Road (Route 3077) in Moon Township, Allegheny County was set to begin overnight.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on Beaver Grade Road between Carnot Road and Tiger Trail weeknights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. through late April. Crews from the Moon Township Municipal Authority will conduct waterline installation work.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published April 2, 2024 10:37 A.M.

(Hopewell Township, Pa) Due to maintenance work going on, the Hopewell Township dog park is closed. The closure will remain until the work is complete, according to a road department spokesman. Work includes the removal of tree stumps.

Photo obtained from connectbeavercounty.com

(Beaver County, Pennsylvania) The Connect Beaver County Broadband Program announced that its two Early Action Projects (EAP) are complete, and new broadband service is now available to more than 250 Beaver County homes previously without reliable service.

Municipalities with locations in the new service areas include Hanover Township, now receiving connection through Armstrong, and Darlington Township, South Beaver Township, and Big Beaver Borough, now receiving connection through Kinetic by Windstream.