Woman Charged with Homicide in Death of Infant
New Castle – 20-year-old Aleisia Owens of New Castle has been charged for the June 2023 death of her boyfriend’s one-year-old daughter by acetone poisoning. On June 24th of last year, baby Iris Alfera was unresponsive when her father called 9-1-1 and she was transported to a hospital and later airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh where she died of acetone poisoning on June 29th. Owens was arrested Thursday after a months-long investigation by New Castle Police and the Pennsylvania Attorney General allegedly revealed that she had meticulously researched products that could cause death or serious harm to children for four months leading up to the death.
It’s alleged that Owens fed the girl products like water beads and button batteries that contain acetone to poison the baby as well as other inedible objects such as screws. Owens has been charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault of a child, attempted homicide, and many other crimes. The trial will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney Generals Alicia Werner and Kara Rice after the Lawrence County DA referred to the Attorney General.

Crawford County Whole Home Repair Grants
Meadville – Crawford County Planning has announced that more than 30 grants as high as $24,000 are anticipated for this year’s Whole Home Repair program. Whole Home Repair grants help homeowners protect and restore their primary residences by providing money to pay for everything from home inspections to improvements in the efficiency or safety of your structures. The application period starts on Monday, January 15th, for more information visit The Whole Home Repair Grant website.