(File Photo)
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Gas prices are two cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $5.007 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average $5.00
Average price during the week of June 13, 2022 $5.02
Average price during the week of June 21, 2021 $3.24

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

$4.968 Altoona
$5.037 Beaver
$4.996 Bradford
$5.016 Brookville
$5.033 Butler
$5.028 Clarion
$5.003 DuBois
$4.984 Erie
$5.002 Greensburg
$5.006 Indiana
$4.984 Jeannette
$5.022 Kittanning
$4.989 Latrobe
$4.990 Meadville
$5.045 Mercer
$4.997 New Castle
$5.004 New Kensington
$5.012 Oil City
$5.006 Pittsburgh
$4.999 Sharon
$5.029 Uniontown
$4.999 Warren
$5.002 Washington

Trend Analysis:

The national average for a gallon of gas fell below $5 this week. The primary cause is the tumbling cost of oil, which fell from $122 to around $110 per barrel due to fears of a global recession and its associated economic slowdown. As a result, the national average for a gallon of gas is $4.96, a nickel less than a week ago, 37 cents more than a month ago, and $1.89 more than a year ago.

The recent high prices may have led to a small drop in domestic gasoline demand as fewer drivers fueled up last week. This dip, coupled with less costly oil, has taken some steam out of surging pump prices. And this is happening right before drivers gas up for what AAA forecasts will be a busy July 4th travel weekend.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks fell by 700,000 barrels to 217.5 million barrels last week. Meanwhile, gasoline demand declined slightly from 9.2 million barrels per day to 9.09 million barrels per day which has helped to limit pump price increases. However, as crude oil prices remain volatile, the price per gallon for gasoline will likely remain elevated.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by $8.03 to settle at $109.56. Crude prices dropped last week amid broad market concern regarding the potential for economic growth to slow after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.75 percent. Additionally, crude prices decreased after the EIA reported that total domestic stocks increased by 1.9 million barrels to 418.7 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 of Rep. Bernstine during an appearance on Beaver County Radio)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Beaver/Lawrence) has introduced an amendment to Senate Bill 1283 that would require Penn State University to provide information about the Joe Paterno statue.

A statue was erected at the university located in State College honoring Paterno who was Penn State’s head football coach for more than four decades. On July 22, 2012, six months after Paterno’s death, the university announced the statue was removed from its pedestal outside Beaver Stadium and stored in an unnamed secure location. University officials cited that it had become a “source of division and obstacle to healing” after the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.

“The statue symbolized Coach Paterno’s many outstanding contributions to Penn State on and off the gridiron,” said Bernstine. “His legacy should remain alive for people to view and reflect. Removing the statue does not serve the victims of Sandusky’s horrible crimes. The university is sending a mixed message by treating Paterno as a hero at the campus library where a plaque is displayed due to the millions of dollars he donated, but a villain at the stadium where he coached the Nittany Lions to two national collegiate championships and five undefeated seasons.

The amendment would require Penn State to submit a report to the House and Senate Education committees about the location of the statue, and the method of storage and protection of the statue. This report would be required in order for the university to receive its annual appropriation from the state. In addition, this information would be required to be posted on the university’s website, notwithstanding any current law.

Recently, Bernstine crafted a letter to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi asking for the university to disclose the location and condition of the Joe Paterno statue.

Senate Bill 1283 would provide funding for state-related universities (Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln) for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

(File Photo)

Story by Frank Sparks, Beaver County Radio
(Beaver Falls, Pa.) The Cornerstone of Beaver County (TCBC) – a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Beaver County – will once again serve as a cooling center this summer for those experiencing homelessness or housing-related crisis.
TCBC Executive Director Marie Timpano said in a release that “Every day, we see people and families who are experiencing housing-related crisis whether they have become homeless, received an eviction notice, or can’t afford to pay their utility bills. These situations can lead to many complications and risks, even around seemingly simple things like summertime heat,” Timpano continued, “We’re grateful to be working with our cooling center partners to protect our community’s most vulnerable from the scorcher of a summer we’re expecting.”
The Cornerstone located at 600 6th Street, Beaver Falls is open as a cooling center from 9 AM to 4PM Monday thru Friday and is one of three cooling centers open locally the other two are:

• TRAILS Ministries
  Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
  1217 7th Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010
• Rochester Free Methodist Church
  Call ahead to 724.774.5304
  480 Jefferson Street, Rochester, PA 15074

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing drilling operations on Route 18 in Potter Township, Beaver County, will begin Wednesday, June 22 weather permitting.

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
By BRIAN MELLEY and ANDREW DALTON Associated Press
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Civil trial jurors have found that Bill Cosby sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975. The Los Angeles County jury delivered the verdict Tuesday in favor of Judy Huth, who is now 64, and awarded her $500,000. The jury’s decision is a major legal defeat for the 84-year-old Cosby. It comes nearly a year after his Pennsylvania criminal conviction for sexual assault was thrown out and he was freed from prison. Cosby did not attend the Los Angeles trial. He has repeatedly denied Huth’s allegations that he forced her to perform a sex act at the mansion.

(Feature photo of the the house that caught fire in New Brighton Tuesday afternoon taken by Frank Sparks)

Story by Frank Sparks, Beaver County Radio, with contributions Curtis Walsh and Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio Staff.
(New Brighton, Pa.) Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh is reporting that a fire broke out in the 500 block of 7th Avenue in New Brighton yesterday afternoon. Witnesses at the scene told Walsh that they saw the fire start in the rear of the house and saw at least one person run out of the residence. Numerous emergency responders from around the county responded to fight the blaze. Flames could be seen escaping the top floor of the house and heavy smoke filled the area. Beaver County 9-1-1 reported that New Brighton firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 3:30 p.m. according Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano who spoke with New Brighton Fire Chief Eric Book who told her that crews remained on the scene of the the fire until 7:15 PM.
Chief bock told Giordano that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
You can see a video of the fire and photos by clicking on the link below of the story that was reported yesterday as the fire was happening.

Crews Battle House Fire in New Brighton

 

The featured image above shows firefighters on the roof of the house.
Story by Curtis Walsh- Beaver Couny Radio. June 21, 2022 5 P.M.

(New Brighton, PA) A fire broke out on the 500 block of 7th Avenue in New Brighton Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses say they saw the fire start in the rear of the house and saw at least one person run out of the residence. Numerous emergency responder crews from around the county responded to fight the blaze. Flames could be seen escaping the top floor of the house and heavy smoke filled the area. We have not learned of any injuries at this time. Crews had the fire out around 5 PM. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
Photo and video can be viewed below:

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

At a special ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the Beaver Falls city building, Beaver Falls Car Cruise Chairman Tom Gargaro–along with several members of the Beaver Falls Police Department–joined in thanking Eddy Crow and his mother, Sue Crow, for their charitable donations to the Car Cruise and the City of Beaver Falls.

“On behalf of the cruise,” Gargaro stated, “we wanted to thank you and your gracious mother for making such a beautiful quilt…and you for offering it up for the raffle.”

The elder Crow made a quilt that was donated as a raffle prize during the June 11 festivities in Beaver Falls, and in addition the daily host of Teleforum on Beaver County Radio presented the Beaver Falls Police Department with a check of two hundred and twenty five dollars to assist the K-9 Division.

“It means a lot because I have personal connections with law enforcement,” Crow said at the ceremony. “[I have] personal connections with K-9 law enforcement, I got cousins that are still doing it, and it’s something that needs to be done.”

Quilting has become a regular hobby of Eddy’s mom, and she decided to help out the Car Cruise Committee in benefiting the city of Beaver Falls. “Like my mom said,” Crow added, “it’s me sitting here, something good comes out of it…why would you not do something good with it?”

Eddy Crow is the host of Teleforum weekdays from 9:00 AM until Noon on Beaver County Radio.

(File Photo)
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — State House Republicans are blocking a proposal to prevent those ages 18 to 21 from possessing assault-style rifles. They voted in a legislative committee on Tuesday to completely change the bill into a constitutional amendment to allow anyone to carry concealed guns. It’s the second week in a row that Republicans in the Judiciary Committee have used their majority to defeat Democratic proposals to address the country’s gun violence plague. The bill would have prevented those under age 21 from purchasing, possessing or transporting the types of weapons that have often been used to kill and wound people in mass shootings.