PA Fines Shell $15 Million for Air Pollution

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has fined Shell $15 million for air-quality violations at its Monaca plastics plant in Beaver County.

Regulators say the ethane cracker exceeded permitted limits on visible emissions more than two dozen times between 2023 and August 2026, and also topped its caps on benzene, a carcinogen, and smog-forming nitrogen oxides.

Half the penalty will seed a new Beaver County Environment and Community Fund, with the rest split between the DEP and host Potter Township.

It’s the second major fine for the plant, built with a record $1.65 billion state tax credit, after a $10 million penalty in 2023. Shell agreed to upgrade its flare and wastewater systems.

‘Good Samaritans’ Praised after Dillsburg Crash

Bystanders are being credited with saving lives after a seven-vehicle crash in Dillsburg on Saturday left 14 people injured.

A tractor-trailer hauling frozen food overturned across Route 15 just before 2 p.m., striking six passenger vehicles and shutting the highway in both directions for nearly nine hours.

Passersby stopped to help before first responders arrived, including a couple headed to Harrisburg’s Kipona Festival who cut seat belts to free two children and other trapped victims from the wreckage.

Two of the injured, including a teenager, were flown in critical but stable condition to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, but no deaths were reported. The cause remains under investigation.

Flight 93 Memorial Restoring Its Tower of Voices

As the nation marks 25 years since the 9/11 attacks, crews at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville are retrofitting its 93-foot Tower of Voices.

The concrete tower holds 40 aluminum wind chimes, one for each passenger and crew member who died when the hijacked plane crashed into a Somerset County field on September 11, 2001.

But the chimes only “sing” in winds of 12 to 15 mph, often leaving visitors without experiencing the intended effect, so crews spent the summer testing new sail designs that need far less wind to sound.

Superintendent Stephen Clark said the tower will be operational for visitors by Friday’s anniversary, though the full retrofit won’t wrap until October.

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➤ Statewide: The FirstEnergy Foundation awarded $1.2 million to 37 Pennsylvania food banks and pantries, expected to provide more than 3.6 million meals across the utility’s service territory. (More)

➤ Pittsburgh: A family says their 2-month-old was exposed to measles during a routine check-in at UPMC Children’s Hospital and is now in quarantine amid the state’s ongoing outbreak. (More)

➤ Shippensburg: New York State Police rescued several horses from a livestock hauler after discovering they were being trucked from Shippensburg through New York to a Canadian slaughterhouse. The driver was arrested. (More)

➤ Lancaster: City officials are weighing traffic changes for nine downtown streets, including possible two-way conversions, and presented their findings to the public. (More)

➤ Philadelphia: The city’s parking authority voided more than 23,000 tickets after discovering a street sign was missing, wiping out the citations issued there. (More)

➤ Millcreek Township: The all-volunteer Belle Valley Fire Department issued an open letter urging supervisors to intervene in its escalating fight with Millcreek’s paid fire department over station and equipment access. (More)

➤ Hershey’s Nate Miller and Mechanicsburg’s Katie Costello made history on the first-ever U.S. Field Hockey Para World Cup Team, competing last month in Belgium. (More)

➤ Steelers coach Mike McCarthy has scrapped the team’s longstanding tradition of season-long captains, opting for a rotating approach ahead of Sunday’s opener against Atlanta. (More)

➤ The Phillies opened a three-game home series against the Houston Astros yesterday, looking to keep pace atop the NL East race. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB |  Soccer

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➤ Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate fell below 4% for the first time in years heading into Labor Day, outperforming the national rate. (More)

➤ Neon Markets opened a new Chester’s Chicken location in Harrisburg as part of a property redevelopment, with Mayor Wanda Williams on hand for the opening. (More)

➤ HeyTea, the Chinese “new-style” tea chain known for cheese teas and fruit-topped drinks, opened its first Philadelphia store in Chinatown, drawing hours-long lines at 10th and Arch. (More)

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A Drone Expert Is Making Flying Cars Real

In 2016, after years working on military drones, Doron Merdinger began sketching a flying car. He saw how quickly the tech had advanced and believed people would soon fly from driveways. So he built Doroni.

Perfect timing. The urban air mobility market is worth $4.8B today. By 2040, Morgan Stanley puts it at $1 trillion. By 2050, $9 trillion. And with 600+ reservations for Doroni’s aircraft and commercial deliveries targeted for 2028, the demand for this innovation is undeniable. 

When FOX Business saw the showroom model get unveiled in March, they called it “the ‘flying car’ set to revolutionize personal air travel.” 

They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker $DRNI, preparing for potential growth. Invest in Doroni at $3.30/share today.

➤ A new book by Philadelphia author Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz chronicles the 1851 Christiana Resistance in Lancaster County, a fugitive-slave standoff some historians call the Civil War’s first battle. (More)

➤ Discalced Carmelite sisters in Fairfield are building a $100 million monastery using centuries-old stonemasonry and timber framing, designed to last 1,000 years. (More)

➤ Hersheypark permanently closed Tidal Force, its 32-year-old water ride, after the summer season ended Sept. 7, with no announced plans yet for the Boardwalk space. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ How much money do you need to retire? The answer is simpler than you think. (Listen Now)

➤ Lindsay Clancy’s attorney is taking his fight straight to President Trump after a hung jury. (Hear Details)

➤ Novartis just hit a major trial failure that could upend one of the drug industry’s biggest cholesterol races. (Full Story)

When do you decorate for fall?

1. I already have
2. Later in September
3. Not until October
4. I don’t decorate seasonally
5. Other (reply to tell us!)

Yesterday’s Results:

Are you making a fantasy football team this year?

1. Definitely not: 93%
2. Yes, I always do: 4%
3. I’m thinking about it: 2%
4. Yes, my first one ever: 1%

The Pocono Mountains became known as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World” thanks to what kitschy bathroom feature a resort owner invented there in 1963?

Show me the answer