Shell cracker plant to create 6,000 jobsMONACA — Shell Chemical Appalachia says it is building a petrochemical plant that will create up to 6,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs once it begins production.The company has been buying various rights and property, including a former zinc smelting site in Beaver County where the plant will be built.The plant will process ethane gas from Marcellus and Utica shale wells to create polyethylene, a plastic used in food packaging and auto parts.Shell says construction will begin in the next 18 months, with the goal of bringing the plant online early in the 2020s.

PSU asks to appeal insurance rulingPHILADELPHIA — Penn State wants permission to appeal a judge’s ruling denying it insurance coverage for certain child sexual abuse claims related to Jerry Sandusky, the school’s former assistant football coach.University lawyers filed a motion last week seeking an immediate appeal of the ruling that concerned coverage for claims from the mid-1990s.Penn State’s lawyers say the decision contradicted general insurance interpretation principles.Sandusky was convicted in 2012 of abusing 10 boys and is in prison.