Several Pennsylvania officials, particularly in the Scranton area where President Joe Biden hails from, are calling on the city to undo its 2021 renaming of a freeway spur in his honor.

State Rep. Jamie Walsh, R-Dallas, appeared to lead the charge with a scathing statement highlighting Biden’s recent pardon of a judge convicted in a "kids-for-cash" scandal wherein he received kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to for-profit prisons.

Wilkes-Barre Common Pleas Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr. were convicted in 2008. The former served time in prison, followed by COVID-induced house arrest until Biden’s pardon. 

Walsh said some of the children affected had been convicted of minor offenses like jaywalking. The Democratic-majority Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out 4,000 juvenile convictions as a result of the scandal. 

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"In light of the recent decision made by the Biden administration to commute former Judge Conahan’s sentence, I implore city officials and Mayor [Paige Gebhardt Cognetti] to remove President Joe Biden’s name from the expressway sign that leads to the heart of the ‘Electric City’s’ downtown area."

In 2021, the mayor and city council unanimously approved the rebranding of the three-quarter-mile Central Scranton Expressway spur off Interstate 81 and its continuance via then-Spruce Street through downtown as the "President Biden Expressway" and "Biden Avenue," respectively.

The President Biden Expressway initially serves as a short bypass of PA-307 into the city, and continues as "Biden Ave" toward northbound US-11, which, in-turn, meets the terminus of the colloquial "Route 9" -- the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension.

"The children affected by Conahan’s actions of nearly 15 years ago are now adults suffering in their own ‘mental’ prisons due to his deeds of self-fulfillment," Walsh said in a statement.

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"Crimes against children are everlasting, and there is no escape from the irreparable damage these predators caused by their actions."

Walsh argued that the issue is non-partisan but "right versus wrong" and that Biden no longer deserves the commemoration because his pardon "exonerates [Conahan’s] behavior" as a signal to future corrupt public officials.

State Rep-elect. Brenda Pugh, R-Luzerne, told WBRE that Conahan’s conduct is a "blight on Pennsylvania" and that Biden’s pardon is "nothing short of a travesty."

"[H]is clemency is a miscarriage of justice," Pugh said, adding the President Biden Expressway will therefore "forever be a scar reminding people of what happened here [in NEPA]."

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who was the GOP's 2022 gubernatorial nominee, told Fox News Digital it is embarrassing to see Biden's name while driving up I-81, especially given his choices of pardons.

"He's a failed president who couldn't help himself to pardon his corrupt criminal son from so many illegals schemes. His name is to be off the highway," Mastriano said.

Meanwhile, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak made his case directly to Cognetti, writing the mayor a letter saying that reverting "Biden Avenue to Spruce Street" would help restore confidence in city leadership and reaffirm a commitment to governing in the best reflection of city values.

"This [pardon] has brought significant negative attention to Scranton, tarnishing the city's reputation and reflecting poorly on Lackawanna County as a whole," Chermak wrote.

In a Friday interview, Cognetti said that Biden’s commutation of Conahan was a "grave error" that freshly opened "deep and horrific" wounds for Scrantonians and NEPA residents.

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She echoed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s remark earlier this week that Conahan’s sentence was too light in the first place.

"[The case] was just the stuff that you think a screenwriter couldn't make up -- how systemic and how deep that scandal went," Cognetti said.

She said she had contacted the White House with her concerns and that she was sad to learn Conahan’s commutation is irreversible.

Cognetti noted she is currently mayor in part because of other officials’ public corruption as well.

Predecessor Bill Courtright resigned in July 2019 amid a conviction for bribery, corruption and conspiracy. Courtright’s departure led to two brief interim mayors before Cognetti was elected that November as an independent and, in 2021, as a Democrat. 

Cognetti added that the calls to strip Biden’s name from roadways are not new and continue to be mostly grounded in partisanship.

"The president is from here, and there are few communities that can boast of being the hometown of a President of the United States. We will continue to celebrate and be very proud of having a hometown son of Scranton as president."

"The two issues are conflated, I think, for political reasons. And I'd like us to treat these things as what they are. We need to continue to address corruption in government," Cognetti added.

"That’s separate from the president's legacy of 50 years in office and being the most successful son of Scranton."

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When recently asked about Biden granting Conahan a pardon, Shapiro said that presidents have the "unique and absolute" power to do so, but should wield it "incredibly carefully."

"I study every single case that comes across my desk where there's a request for a pardon or clemency or worse, or a reduction in sentence. And I take it very seriously," said Shapiro, who previously served as attorney general.

"I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania. This was not only a black eye on the community because of the scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways," he said.

FIRST ON FOX: Airlines could be barred from offering employee "bounties" or incentives tied to extra airline amenity fees and ban "discriminatory" pricing under a new bill introduced Tuesday by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

Hawley's bill, called the End Airline Extortion Act, would ban airlines from providing incentives, bonuses or other payments to employees, contractors or representatives for charging passengers additional fees for services such as baggage, seat selection or other optional amenities as a condition of boarding a flight.

"Airline companies treat their customers like cattle," Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. "It's offensive."

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The legislation also seeks to eliminate "discrimination" in fare pricing or ancillary fees based on protected characteristics, including disability status and familial status, as well as other traits covered under existing federal aviation anti-discrimination laws. Airlines would still be permitted to offer free or reduced fares for minor children.

"They charge flyers different prices for the same flights, and sometimes different prices for bags and carry-ons," Hawley said. "Now they're paying their employees bounties to harass customers trying to get on the plane. It's wrong. And frankly, it needs to be illegal."

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The bill comes as Hawley grilled airline executives last week, arguing their service has been a "disaster" for the American people.

During a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, senior executives from American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines were questioned about their companies increasing fees on customers. 

"I mean, you guys do appreciate that flying on your airlines is a disaster, don't you?" the senator said. "I'm slightly amazed by the general attitude of all of you here. Flying on your airlines is horrible. It's a terrible experience. I mean, I say this as a father of three young children, but I can't tell you … nobody enjoys flying in your airlines. It's a disaster."

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After the hearing, the chair of the subcommittee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters that outrage at the airlines is bipartisan.

"The fury and frustration on both sides of the aisle was pretty dramatic," he said.

Fox News Digital's Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is back for a second spin and the most expensive F1 race to date will look a little different this year, with some cheaper tickets and more for fans to enjoy.

The record-high prices last year might have scared away some fans from attending, but the Las Vegas Grand Prix and hotels around the track have made some adjustments this year, hoping to bring out an even larger crowd.

"Our price point has been lowered this year, which we're really happy about. We are at a $3,500 price point for the three-day ticket to the clubhouse," said Hilton Grand Vacations Vice President of Sports Marketing Aaron Stewart.

Ticket sales for the F1 Clubhouse at the Elara by Hilton Grand Vacations are up nine times compared to the same time last year. They say making a couple tweaks to their F1 experience was the key.

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"You're going to be able to see three nights of private concerts…when you pair in the top-shelf premium open bars and catered buffet options, it's really a pretty good deal. So, we've already seen a really good response in the ticket sales this year," said Stewart.

A couple turns away from the Elara, Resorts World Las Vegas is also preparing for the race differently this year. 

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"I think last year was… call it a test year. I think we were all trying to figure out what is that customer journey going to look like? What is that customer behavior going to look like?" said Resorts World Las Vegas Chief Marketing Officer Ronn Nicolli Jr. 

Even though Resorts World is just off the track, they want to make sure everyone’s in on the action. 

"We want locals to be here. We're easy and accessible to get to…I think last year did scare a lot of people away. I think some of the pricing made locals feel a certain way. I think this year was about recovery, getting people excited about F1, getting the community to really embrace this time of year in this race," said Nicolli Jr.

F1 Las Vegas remains the most expensive race in 2023 and 2024. The average ticket price to attend is above $1,600, which is three times the season average, according to F1Destinations.com. 

But this year, the LVGP is offering more ticket options, so people can make and stick to their budgets.

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"The addition of other ticketing experiences includes a general admission ticket, a single day ticket, so you can really customize what you want to do. And so, there's kind of every different budget and price point is represented based on the experience you want to have," said F1 LVGP Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Lori Nelson-Kraft.

The cheapest tickets this year start at $99 for the first practice on Thursday, and $600 for the entire weekend.

 Drivers will take to the track for their first practice Thursday night, with the second practice on Friday, and the big race on Saturday at 10 pm. PST.