A New Castle family is calling for answers in the case of a young girl who passed away earlier this summer. Yesterday, a community group held a gathering to unveil a billboard that is demanding justice for 18-month-old Iris Alfera. Authorities began looking into the cause of a brain bleed that led to the child’s death in June, with the investigation still ongoing. Family members say Iris was on court-ordered visitation when she became unresponsive and later died.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect in a Friday afternoon stabbing in Mercer County. Sharon police say the assault happened at a location on Baldwin Avenue and left the 52-year-old male victim with severe life-threatening injuries. Charges against suspect Deshaun Emery include attempted homicide and aggravated assault.
An Ellwood City man was flown to the hospital following a one vehicle accident in Butler County. State Police report 23 year old Jedidiah Miller was traveling west on route 422 when he lost control of vehicle and impacted a guardrail. Miller was life-flighted from the scene to a local hospital. No other details were released.
Two men and four juveniles are in custody and facing charges after officers said they found drugs, guns, and cash during a raid in New Castle. Agents using the Lawrence Critical Incident Response Team raided an apartment on East Washington Street on Wednesday. The district attorney’s office said agents found more than 230 grams of suspected fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, two assault-style rifles and a handgun, and more than two-thousand dollars in cash. The six suspects are charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
A 134-million-dollar expansion of Pennsylvania’s property tax and rent rebate program for low-income seniors and disabled resident is now state law. Administration officials say Governor Josh Shapiro signed the measure yesterday that enables an additional 150-thousand Pennsylvanians to qualify for annual tax rebates of up to a thousand dollars. The bill also ensures that people who qualified for the program in past years will continue to qualify, despite boosts from Social Security that kicked in this year.
Senate Republicans say they will continue to negotiate the remaining 25-percent of the state budget in good faith and “hope their counterparts will do the same.” Senate President Pro Tem Kim Ward’s statement came late last week as t he body was called back into session so that the governor could sign the new budget. The action came after weeks of delay that prevented the state from paying its bills. House Bill 6-11 will complete 75-percent of the budget to provide the necessary funding to schools, counties and state organizations. The remaining 25-percent requires legislation to authorize expenditures.
– Police report a woman who was told that she would need to put her dog in a crate before flying out of Pittsburgh International on Friday instead abandoned the animal in a stroller near the short-term parking area. The dog was found to have a microchip but authorities were unable to contact the owner as they were on a flight bound to what was described as a resort destination. Charges are expected to be filed against the dog’s owner.
State Police in Butler County report a two vehicle accident in Summit Township. According to police 66 year old Kenneth Ace of Chicora was southbound on Chicora Road when he turned into the path of a vehicle operated by 69 year old Tom Sawyer of Prospect. Sawyer and a passenger in the Ace vehicle were taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Police in Mercer County have charged two teens following a shooting Tuesday in Sharon. WFMJ-TV reports 17 year old was arrested on Friday and charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit robbery, and possession of firearms by a minor. The other teen, a 14-year-old identified as Demarco Stokes, is not yet in custody but faces a slate of similar charges including aggravated assault. The District Attorney says both will be tried as adults. The shooting took place on Ravine Place. No injuries were reported.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general is calling for stronger federal action on plastic pollution. State A-G Michelle Henry is joining attorneys generals from 13 other states in sending a letter to the EPA asking for stricter standards and to reduce society’s reliance on plastic materials. She says microplastics, which are fragments that remain when plastic doesn’t fully degrade, have been found in all Pennsylvania’s waterways where testing has been done.