Pennsylvania
Shell agrees to pay $10 million for air pollution at massive new Pennsylvania petrochemical plant
Shell has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve allegations that it polluted the air around its massive new petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania, the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday.
Shell acknowledged that the plant, located along the Ohio River about 30 miles (48 kilometers) outside of Pittsburgh, violated air emissions limits, officials said. The multibillion-dollar facility opened in November, only to be shut down months later after the company said it identified a problem with a system that’s designed to burn off unwanted gases.
Shell said it has made repairs and planned to restart the plant on Wednesday.
Under an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Shell Chemicals Appalachia LLC — a subsidiary of British oil and gas giant Shell plc — will pay a civil penalty of about $5 million, a portion of which will go toward environmental projects in Beaver County. The company will funnel a total of $6.2 million to the community, according to state officials.
Pennsylvania is “taking steps to hold Shell accountable and protect Pennsylvanians’ constitutional right to clean air and water while encouraging innovation and economic development in the commonwealth,” Rich Negrín, the state’s acting environmental secretary, said in a written statement.
The plant uses ethane from a vast shale gas reservoir underneath Pennsylvania and surrounding states to make polyethylene, a plastic used in everything from consumer and food packaging to tires. At full capacity, the plant is expected to produce 3.5 billion pounds (1.6 billion kilograms) of polyethylene annually. Shell had projected to spend $6 billion on the refinery, which took years to build.
Environmental advocacy groups had fought the plant and predicted that it would generate more plastic pollution, as well as compounds that form smog and planet-warming greenhouse gases. The Clean Air Council filed suit against Shell earlier this month.
Environmentalists likened the penalty announced Wednesday to a parking ticket that would have little impact on Shell’s bottom line.
“The overwhelming and toxic pollution residents have been exposed to has already harmed this community — there is no price tag that will allow for this to be acceptable,” said Andie Grey, who lives 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the Shell plant and is part of the Eyes on Shell watchdog group.
Grey said “there is ample evidence Shell has no desire to protect this community.”
Shell has said it is using the best available technologies to try to minimize air pollution.
“We’ve learned from previous issues and remain committed to protecting people and the environment, as well as being a responsible neighbor,” Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith said Wednesday.
The plant exceeded rolling 12-month emission limits for volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and other hazardous pollutants, according to state regulators. The state said Shell also violated limits on visible emissions from its flares, allowed foul odors to be released by its wastewater treatment plant and committed other violations.
Shell warned it would continue to exceed air emissions limits through the fall as the plant ramps up production. It will be required to pay additional civil penalties for any future violations.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan had cast the problems as expected “technical niggles.”
The plant’s startup phase has “been slower than we would have hoped for,” Sawan said on a conference call with analysts earlier this month. “But the team is dong a great job battling with some of the obvious technical niggles that startups typically have.”
PHILADELPHIA — Three Pennsylvania Lottery tickets sold in Philadelphia recently have been named winners in separate contests, according to officials.
In the Saturday drawing for the Treasure Hunt game, five tickets won.
One of the tickets that matched all five numbers drawn, 2-6-10-25-26, was sold at 7-Eleven, 3301 Tyson Ave. in Philadelphia. The other was sold at Omgn Inc., 2100 East Allegheny Ave., also in Philadelphia.
Those ticket and three others split the jackpot prize of $139,917.50 to win $27,983.50.
The other winning tickets were sold in Bucks, Butler, and Lebanon counties.
More than 45,800 other Treasure Hunt tickets won prizes in the drawing. Players should check every ticket, every time.
Additionally, a West Philadelphia Wawa sold a winning lottery ticket.
Lottery officials Monday announced the winning Raffle ticket numbers drawn for the third, four $50,000 prizes in the 4s Galore Drawings as part of the New Year’s Millionaire Raffle.
The Wawa at 3744 Spruce St. sold a ticket between Dec. 3 and Dec. 16 that was selected in the drawing.
Other winning tickets were sold in Cumberland, Bradford, and Westmoreland counties.
The Raffle features four bonus drawings held every other week, each awarding four $50,000 prizes, leading up to the Millionaire Raffle drawing on Jan. 4, 2025.
To learn if your ticket won a $50,000 4s Galore Drawings prize, scan it using the ticket checker on the PA Lottery Official App or at a lottery retailer.
Pennsylvania
HS FOOTBALL: LFC and WVC players selected as finalists for Pennsylvania Player of Year Award; Call receives invites to showcase games
Several athletes from the Lackawanna Football Conference and District 2 are among the 55 finalists for the Pennsylvania Player of the Year award selected by the Maxwell Football Club.
Abington Heights wide receiver Shawn Theodore, Honesdale running back Mason Avery, Riverside tight end Richie Kostoff, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris and Wyoming Area running back Lidge Kellum were listed among the 55 players who are Mini Max Award winners according to a release Monday night by the Maxwell Football account on X.
The Mini Max Awards are a prestigious honor for high school football players across the Tri-State Region that includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. This year is the first year District 2 players were included among the nominees.
Awards are presented at the annual Mini Max Dinner in Philadelphia on Feb. 2 at the Drexelbrook Convention Center in Drexel Hill. The award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement and sportsmanship in high school football.
In addition to the Mini Max Awards, the Maxwell Football Club also chooses the Player of the Year for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The event culminates with the Jim Henry Award, which goes to one of the three State Players of the Year.
Call receives invites
Valley View freshman lineman Brody Call received invites to three postseason games.
Call, a 6-0, 230-pound standout for the Cougars, is invited to the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 26-29, the All-American Bowl on Jan. 17-20 in Miami, Florida, and the Polynesian Bowl Combine and Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 21-22.
Call started every game for the Cougars and helped lead the team to the District 2 Class 4A championship and an 11-2 record.
Cesare ceremony
The 33rd Fiore Cesare Award and Scholarship ceremony is Friday at 2 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Scranton.
Mid Valley running back and defensive back Jakob Lesher, Delaware Valley quarterback and punter Logan Olsommer, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris, Riverside quarterback Chase Taddonio and Western Wayne running back and defensive back Josh Vinton are the five finalists named by the Roy Davis Scranton Chapter of PIAA Football Officials.
Pennsylvania
Ticket sold in Pennsylvania worth $1M as Mega Millions swells to $1.15B for post-Christmas draw
Billionaire dreams continue through Christmas after no ticket purchased in the $1 billion Christmas Eve 2024 Mega Millions draw hit the jackpot.
The jackpot rolled again — this time to $1.15 billion — after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024.
Léelo en español aquí.
Don’t throw away your tickets just yet as one sold in Pennsylvania is worth $1 million, according to Mega Millions.
What were the winning Mega Millions numbers drawn on Christmas Eve?
The Mega Millions draw for Dec. 24, 2024, went like this: The white balls drawn were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, plus the gold Mega Ball 3.
Ticket sold in Pennsylvania strikes $1 million prize
In total, fours tickets sold matched all five white balls, but missed the gold Mega Ball, the lottery said. Those tickets sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming and Pennsylvania are worth $1 million a piece.
NBC10 has reached out to Pennsylvania Lottery to find out where the Keystone State winner was sold. However, the state lottery offices are closed for Christmas, so the winning store won’t be revealed until Thursday at the earliest, a spokesperson said.
Nearly 4.3 million tickets sold around the country in Tuesday’s draw matched at least the gold Mega Ball and are worth $2 or more.
Once again, the winning numbers in the Dec. 24, 2024, draw were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, with a Mega Ball of 3.
If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, please call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700 to speak to a counselor. Help is also available via an online peer support forum at www.gamtalk.org, and additional resources can be found at NCPG website.
When is the next Mega Millions draw?
Get out $2, jump into office pools and gift tickets to family as the next Mega Millions draw on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, is worth at least $1.15 billion for the annuity and $516.1 million lump sum cash value, Mega Millions said.
That massive jackpot is the fifth largest in the game’s history, Mega Millions said.
“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a Christmas news release. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or any other way people choose to celebrate the season – than by helping fulfill the dreams that come with a prize like this and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game.”
What are the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot?
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, plus the Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
When did someone last hit the Mega Millions jackpot?
It’s been since Sept. 10, 2024, since a ticket sold in Texas hit all five numbers and the Mega Ball to win an $810 million jackpot.
Good luck!
Burger King is giving away free chicken sandwiches and bacon cheeseburgers
New Coach, Same Outcome for Red Wings
3 California beaches closed as collapsed pier debris washes ashore
From undercover FBI agent to the Dallas Cowboys, Larry Wansley tells his remarkable story
Should Miami Heat Feel Pressure To Make Decision On Jimmy Butler?
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Trump has Christmas message to 'Radical Left Lunatics,' tells inmates Biden granted clemency to 'GO TO HELL!'
2024: Top 10 defining moments in the European Parliament
Popeye, Tintin and more will enter the public domain in the new year
Trump picks Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera for Panama ambassador
Five journalists killed in Israeli strike near Gaza hospital
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24924653/236780_Google_AntiTrust_Trial_Custom_Art_CVirginia__0003_1.png "Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps")
Technology5 days agoGoogle’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
News6 days agoNovo Nordisk shares tumble as weight-loss drug trial data disappoints
-
Politics6 days agoIllegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times
-
Entertainment7 days ago'It's a little holiday gift': Inside the Weeknd's free Santa Monica show for his biggest fans
-
Lifestyle7 days agoThink you can't dance? Get up and try these tips in our comic. We dare you!
-
Technology1 week agoFox News AI Newsletter: OpenAI responds to Elon Musk's lawsuit
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25672934/Metaphor_Key_Art_Horizontal.png "There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does")
Technology2 days agoThere’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does
-
News3 days agoFrance’s new premier selects Eric Lombard as finance minister