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Today: High gas prices, Pa. arrests made for NYC protest explosives, collaborative teaching models, and a cherry blossom update. |
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Price Gouging? |
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AP Photo/Matt Rourke
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NEED TO KNOW: Two state lawmakers — Democratic Reps. Joe Ciresi (Montgomery) and Jim Haddock (Lackawanna) — are asking state agencies to investigate if higher gas prices seen in Pennsylvania since the start of President Trump's war with Iran have broken any price gouging laws, WPXI reports. "As soon as the first bomb struck in Iran, gas stations across our state hiked up their prices, not even batting an eye to the fact that the gas in their tanks were already bought and paid for," they wrote in a joint statement.
GOOD TO KNOW: Gas prices in the country increased by 51 cents a gallon to $3.48 after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. The last time the national average saw that kind of jump was the start of the war in Ukraine in March of 2022, AAA reports. In Pennsylvania, the average price of a gallon of regular gas is even higher: $3.59 on Monday, but far from the peak of $5.07 in June 2022. For context, average gas prices in the state were $3.26 a year ago. The International Energy Agency says Iran has threatened oil tankers in the region, which has led some producers to reduce or pause the flow of supplies.
IN THE KNOW: Gas price jumps are also a consequence of a slow transition to cleaner alternatives, Inside Climate News reports. Countries with more renewable energy options have less exposure to price spikes, an energy and climate policy professor said. "The biggest lesson: Oil—much like coal and gas—is a commodity," said Gernot Wagner, an economist at Columbia Business School. "Its price will always fluctuate based on geopolitical whims. Solar, batteries, heat pumps, induction stoves are technologies. They can only get better and cheaper over time."
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Harrisburg mayor says city council filed contempt motion hours before meeting, via PennLive
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David Byerman, former CEO of Chester County, discusses ouster, via Daily Local
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Former Gladwyne man sentenced to 9+ years in prison for bilking investors, via Main Line Media News
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Ex-Allegheny Co. health official, a Sikh, claims he was forced to shave beard, via TribLIVE
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Pa. lawmaker proposes AI road safety systems in school zones, via WHTM
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PROTEST ARRESTS: Two Bucks County men, one a Neshaminy School District student and one a 2024 graduate of Council Rock High School North, were held without bail Monday on charges related to bringing two explosive devices to an anti-Islam protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's house, the AP reports. As Ibrahim Kayumi was arrested, he said ISIS was the reason for his conduct, according to the complaint read in court Monday.
EDUCATION AID: PA Needs Teachers' new research suggests several collaborative teaching models to reverse rising teacher attrition, Chalkbeat reports. One solution would be shifting away from a single teacher in a classroom. For younger kids, a proposed bill would require preschool for eligible children, the Capital-Star reports. Related: Gov. Josh Shapiro asked lawmakers for more money for student teacher stipends.
ICE CONTRACT: A Gettysburg defense support company was awarded a $113 million contract for the build-out and operation of a 1,500-immigrant processing center (paywall) near Hagerstown, the Baltimore Banner reports. KVC LLC received the contract last week, and has options to expand it up to $642 million over three years. Washington County residents have shared concerns about the facility's possible impacts on roads, hospitals, and sewer lines.
POLICE DEATH: A Pennsylvania State Police trooper was shot and killed Sunday night by a suspect he had pulled over in a traffic stop, the AP reports. Tim O'Connor received a call for an erratic driver near Honey Brook and stopped the car at an intersection in West Caln Township. He was killed as he approached, and the shooter, who has not been identified, fatally shot himself. |
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In Other News
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TRAIN DERAILMENT: There were no injuries after two locomotives and 17 empty railcars derailed near historic Horseshoe Curve in Altoona Saturday morning, and Norfolk Southern said there was no impact to the community. The Blair County 911 center said staff learned of the derailment through their own sources, not the railroad.
GRIEF SUPPORT: A Philadelphia program provides free grief support services to people handling drug-related deaths, WHYY reports. A group wants to expand the program throughout Pennsylvania using funding from opioid settlements.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? The Smithsonian is fixing the USS Philadelphia for America's 250th birthday, PhillyVoice reports. The country's oldest surviving warship wasn't built in Philadelphia, but there are several explanations for its name.
CHERRY BLOOM: This winter's cold temperatures haven't damaged the cherry trees in Fairmount Park, but they might delay the bloom. Peak bloom is expected around April 4 (about a week after Washington, D.C.), with earlier varieties budding in late March.
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Post It
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Witch hazel in bloom in Willow Street, via Carol S. Have a Pennsylvania photo you want to share? Send it to us by email or tag us on Instagram.
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📚 Test Your Knowledge
Test your skills on Pennsylvania's most iconic Black authors, artists, and Black-owned bookshops in our seven question quiz. Start it here »
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Scrambler
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