Man Rescued from Fire
Sharon – A man was hospitalized after being pulled out of a housefire in Sharon Wednesday at around noon. The identity of the man was not released and his injuries were likewise not made public, but firefighters did provide a few details about the incident. Fire Chief Bob Fiscus related that the fire was in a single-story home on Charle’s Street and two other men had made it out of the building before emergency services arrived; a rapid search by the department recovered the trapped man.  Firemen from Sharon, as well as Hermitage, Patagonia, and Farrel, had the blaze under control within 15 minutes.

Woman attacked by Bear
Butler – Bear attacks are rare in Pennsylvania, but a Butler County woman discovered that they aren’t impossible. 55-year-old Lee Ann Galante suffered injuries to her arm, head, and face when she was attacked by a black bear in her backyard, just outside of Butler on Tuesday night; the mama bear was protecting her cubs from perceived aggression. Game Commissioners were able to track the bear and had to euthanize her when she tried to attack them and her three cubs have been relocated. This is the first bear attack in Pennsylvania since a bear attacked two children in Luzern County in May 2023.

Fair Board Co-Chairs Wanted
Meadville – The Crawford County Fair is looking for some new Department Co-Chairs for the 2024 season. The fair board posted announcements to social media searching for (quote) ‘creative minds and passionate hearts’ (end quote) to become co-chairpersons for many of their art-related fair departments, including photography and arts and crafts among others; they are also looking for part-time clerical assistants to work a paid position. Interested parties should email ccfair@co.crawford.pa.us for more details and applications.

Student Walk Out at Charter School
Midland – In Beaver County, students at Lincoln Park Performing Arts School are planning a mass walkout for today. Students are protesting what they call the school’s failure to adequately address bullying that has led to four suicides in the last two years. The charter school’s CEO claims that the school’s faculty is not aware of any connection between bullying and the student’s rate of suicide and that they have strong anti-bullying policies they enforce when any situation arises. A Change.org petition alleges that the school has actually fostered an environment rife with bullying by students and staff alike and begs for systematic changes.

Attorney General Puts Facebook on Notice
Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Michelle Henry has written a letter to the parent company of Facebook, Meta, to demand they take stronger action against account takeovers. Account takeovers involve hackers taking over a user’s social media account, often stealing their personal information, and then using their accounts for purposes like scamming other users. According to the Attorney General’s research, account takeovers on Meta platforms have increased by more than 250% in the last year; she demands to know what steps the corporation is taking to prevent these from happening.