AAA: Gas Prices Down in PA; National Average Rising Again
Gas prices are two cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.186 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                $4.186
Average price during the week of April 18, 2022                                     $4.204
Average price during the week of April 26, 2021                                     $3.035

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

$4.100      Altoona
$4.232      Beaver
$4.199      Bradford
$4.199      Brookville
$4.173      Butler
$4.186      Clarion
$4.200      DuBois
$4.175      Erie
$4.179      Greensburg
$4.181      Indiana
$4.123      Jeannette
$4.194      Kittanning
$4.176      Latrobe
$4.195      Meadville
$4.226      Mercer
$4.191      New Castle
$4.178      New Kensington
$4.199      Oil City
$4.179      Pittsburgh
$4.199      Sharon
$4.203      Uniontown
$4.199      Warren
$4.182      Washington

Trend Analysis:

Despite several weeks of declining prices, the national average for a gallon of regular gas has risen four cents over the past week to $4.12. Concerns that less Russian oil will enter the global market combined with fears of a COVID-induced economic slowdown in China are causing oil prices to hover around $100 a barrel. As long as the price of oil stays elevated, pump prices could continue to trend upward. This week’s national average is still 12 cents less than a month ago but $1.24 more than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by nearly 1 million barrels to 232.3 million barrels last week. Gasoline demand increased slightly from 8.73 million barrels per day to 8.86 million barrels per day. Although supply and demand factors would have typically supported elevated pump prices, the fluctuating oil price continues to be the main factor influencing prices at the pump.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by $1.72 to settle at $102.07. Crude prices declined despite EIA reporting that total domestic oil inventories decreased by 8.1 million barrels to 413.7 million barrels.

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

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 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)

(New Beaver Borough, Lawrence County, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they were dispatched to M and M Lane in New Beaver Borough, Lawrence County on Saturday Morning, April 23, 2022, at 8:37 AM for of the report of a window being broken out of a vehicle.
Upon arriving and investigating it was learned that an unknown individual broke a side window out of a 2013 Ford Edge while it was parked at 124 M and M lane in the Borough. The window is valued at $500. No other information is available as State Police continue to investigate.

(File Photo)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced yesterday that 41-year-old Dana Penney of Aliquippa has pled guilty to committing firearm and drug trafficking crimes in 2017 and 2018 before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.
Sentencing will be scheduled to occur on a later date.
Penney pled guilty to three crimes: conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and Schedule I synthetic cannabinoid controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine; and brandishing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
The law provides for a sentence of at least seven years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $4,250,000.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General led the multi-agency investigation that also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Beaver County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pittsburgh Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Munhall Police Department, the Robinson Township Police Department, the McKees Rocks Police Department, the Stowe Township Police Department, the
Etna Police Department, and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
(OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The featured image above shows the main entrance sign at Rochester School District
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published April 25, 2022 8:48 P.M.

(Rochester Township, PA)  The Rochester School Board met Monday night for a meeting.  The board approved an agreement with UPMC Sports Medicine to provide athletic training services this July through 2025 at a total cost of $80,520.  Also approved was a 5 year affiliation agreement with Duquesne University to collaborate in planning, implementing and evaluating field experiences, student teacher, and internships as part of a program leading to instructional certificates.  The board approved a request by the Beaver County Wind Ensemble as well to use the auditorium for a benefit concert that will help Ukrainian Refugees on May 23rd.

The featured image above shows a lion painting in the New Brighton High School Gymnasium
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published April 25, 2022 8:22 P.M.

(New Brighton, PA) The New Brighton Area School Board met for a voting session Monday evening.  The board approved Tony Caltury as the new varsity football head coach.  Caltury made a brief speech showing appreciation to the district and former coach Joe Greco, who was in attendance.  Caltury closed his speech saying “We’re ready to go”.  Also on the agenda was the approval to appoint board members John Ludwig and Christeen Ceratti as voting delegates to the PSBA Delegate Assembly.  The board approved a reading of revisions to district policies as well including student discipline and controlled substances.  Dr. Joseph Guarino noted that these policy changes go along with how the district already handles these situations, and they are in place to keep district and community issues amongst students separate, unless they cause a direct effect on each other.

(Photo of the former WIC office on 7th Ave in Beaver Falls that is going to be renovated into the BHive. Photo taken by Frank Sparks, Beaver County Radio)

(Harrisburg, Pa.)  – With the Beaver Valley Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BHIVE) set to open this fall, Rep. Aaron Bernstine (Beaver/Lawrence/Butler) has secured a $734,025 state grant to renovate the building located on Seventh Avenue in Beaver Falls.

Bernstine advocated for the funding through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

“The BIHIVE is a very important addition to our community,” said Bernstine. “We need to put an emphasis on educating our students, revitalizing our communities, promoting sustainability, attracting investments, building wealth, encouraging entrepreneurships, and creating jobs. The facility will have working stations, offices for small businesses and businesses starting out and conference rooms.”

The project involves construction costs, construction contingency, architectural and building engineering fees, variable costs including hazardous material removal design and special inspections, project printing, permitting and legal fees.

The two-floor building is a planned innovation hub that is being coordinated by Geneva College, Penn State Beaver, Community College of Beaver County and Robert Morris University. These institutions for higher education have formed a quality of education partnership and the innovation hub will be used for students, businesses and entrepreneurs.

RACP is a Commonwealth grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects. These projects have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues or other measures of economic activity. RACP projects are funded by the state and cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
By NOMAAN MERCHANT, FARNOUSH AMIRI and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are laying the groundwork to make Hunter Biden and his business dealings a central target of their investigative and oversight efforts. The financial dealings of President Joe Biden’s eldest son will come under new scrutiny if Republicans win control of one or both houses of Congress this fall, as is increasingly expected. Republican committee members and staff have discussed analyzing specific messages found on Hunter Biden’s laptop and financial transactions. They have also discussed issuing congressional subpoenas to foreign entities involved in paying Hunter Biden. And one key lawmaker recently asked intelligence officials what they know about allegations Russia was behind the release of the laptop.

(Senate candidate JD Vance, left, greets former President Donald Trump at a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, Saturday, April 23, 2022, in Delaware, Ohio, to endorse Republican candidates ahead of the Ohio primary on May 3. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)
By JILL COLVIN, MARC LEVY and JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s late endorsements in hypercompetitive Republican Senate primaries in Ohio and Pennsylvania have unlocked a flood of support for his chosen candidates. But some Republicans believe Trump has betrayed his core supporters by backing author JD Vance in Ohio and TV’s Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania. Both candidates have been criticized as insufficiently committed to Trump and his “America First” agenda. A major conservative group aligned with a Vance rival called for a boycott of Trump’s Saturday night rally in Delaware, Ohio. The former president told those at the rally that Vance has the best chance to win in November.