Jurors in Lawrence County on Monday found a man guilty of the murder of his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son. Investigators say that Keith Burley abducted Mark Mason Jr and his little brother in July of 2019 after having gotten into an argument with the boys’ mother. A witness told authorities he saw Burley stab the child to death. Burley, who had finished serving a sentence on a murder conviction just months before the killing of the 8-year-old, represented himself at trial. He will be sentenced at a later date.
A Sharpsville woman has been charged in connection with an overdose from earlier this year. 48 year old Melody Taylor has been charged by State Police in Mercer County with drug delivery resulting in death, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communication facility. A 37 year old Transfer man died of a drug overdose back on February 3rd, of this year. An investigation by authorities led to the charges against Taylor. A preliminary hearing is pending.
The driver of a Jeep involved in a crash in Oakland Township Butler County has died from her injuries. Investigators say the August 16th crash happened when a Jeep traveling on Oneida Valley Road crossed the center line, hit an embankment and then overturned into the roadway. A tractor-trailer then crashed into the overturned jeep, resulting in three of the four people inside the Jeep to be ejected onto the road. The driver, 20-year-old Sara Brown, passed away from her injuries on Saturday.
An Arizona man is facing charges after a loaded gun fell out of his bag at Pittsburgh International Airport. TSA officers say the man unzipped his laptop bag at a security checkpoint and the gun, loaded with five bullets, fell onto the floor. The man is facing a weapons charge. This is the 27th gun found by TSA officers this year at Pittsburgh International Airport.
State DHS officials say they’re dropping plans to decrease daycare bills for low-income parents because of political opposition. Instead, the Department of Human Services is moving to keep in place a rule that allows facilities to charge parents to make up for the difference between the state’s subsidy and parents who pay the full fees. DHS had submitted a provision that got rid of the so-called “balanced billing” practice, but the agency reportedly backed down after pressure from the industry and other advocacy organizations, including the United Way. DHS officials say they still intend to submit a new version to the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission in November.
State officials say an increase in Pennsylvania casino revenue in July has largely been fueled by online gambling. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported this week that revenue from casino and online casino-operated gaming jumped almost nine percent in July compared to the same month last year. Total revenue generated from all forms of gaming, along with fantasy contests, during July was 467-million-dollars. Revenue from online slots increased 32-percent and online table games betting went up by about 26-percent.
The Shapiro administration will add four-million dollars in funding for workforce development projects around the state. A notice from the governor’s office says the funds will boost training and employment in the agriculture, information technology, robotics, health care and transportation fields. Officials say the money will also be used to try to transfer businesses that had been sent overseas back to Pennsylvania.
Gas prices are a penny cheaper in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.861 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. In New Castle drivers are paying 3.67 a gallon while in Sharon the average price is at 3.60. The national average for a gallon of gas dropped four cents since last week, despite growing gas demand. However, the price of oil has declined and is staying around $80 per barrel, contributing to lower pump prices. The national average is eight cents more than a month ago but four cents lower than a year ago.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania are travelling to Florida ahead of tropical storm Idalia. Over a dozen people, including some from Western PA, are going to be helping those impacted by the storm over the next few weeks.