An animal abuse trial got underway yesterday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. The New Castle News reports 38 year old Tesha Berry of Washington Township faces more than 150 charges for reported animal cruelty, abuse and neglect, and endangering the welfare of four children. State Police in March of 2021 filed charges against Berry, who is accused of having kept 30 pit bulls, mice, gerbils and snakes with four children in her mobile home in deplorable conditions.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is announcing the next steps that will be taken that he says will hold Norfolk Southern accountable after the East Palestine train derailment. During a press conference on Tuesday, Yost announced that the state has sued Norfolk Southern and is seeking damages, civil penalties and a “declarative judgement that Norfolk Southern is responsible”. The lawsuit claims there were multiple violations of state and federal law. Yost added that “a big point of this lawsuit is to make sure that those long-term effects are not only not forgotten but they are addressed”.
State Police in Mercer County report a two vehicle accident in Pine Township. Police said 69 year old Lawrence Weigel of Kennerdell, was traveling west on George Junior Road when he failed to stop at the intersection of Cranberry Road and struck a vehicle operated by 47 year old Cynthia Rice of Clarks Mills. Weigel suffered a minor injury. Rice was not hurt.
Sandcastle Water Park in West Homestead is being recognized as one of the best water parks in America. The distinction comes in rankings published by U.S. News & World Report. In highlighting Sandcastle, U.S. News took special note of the park’s 16 waterslides, wave pool and lazy river. Sandcastle opens for the season on May 27th.
U.S. Steel is closing down their three oldest coke-making batteries at the Clairton Plant as they work toward reducing emissions. Company officials say batteries one, two, and three should be permanently shut down by the end of the month. The closures mean one-hundred-30 jobs are being eliminated at the Mon Valley Works but the company is avoiding layoffs through retirements and reassignments. Employees have been preparing for the shut-down for more than a year.
A Grove City man was taken to the hospital following a motorcycle accident in Mercer County. State Police report 43 year old Shane Clokey was on Scrubgrass Road in Wolf Creek Township, when he lost control of his motorcycle and fell off. Clokey was taken to the Allegheny Health Network in Grove City for treatment.
There is a sobriety checkpoint coming in Mercer County this weekend. Mercer Pennsylvania State Police said in a press release that a sobriety checkpoint will occur somewhere in Mercer county this weekend. Friday is St. Patrick’s Day. The focus of the checkpoint will be impaired driving.PSP will release its findings from the checkpoint upon completion.
Authorities report a 7-month old girl who died earlier this year in Allegheny County died of a fentanyl overdose. Those findings were announced yesterday as police have begun an investigation into the death of young Zhuri Bogle. Bogle was found unresponsive in her grandmother’s home on the morning of January 14th and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The state Insurance Department is reporting the recovery of millions of dollars for Pennsylvania consumers last year. Acting Insurance Commissioner Mike Humphreys says the department recovered more than 18 million dollars for almost 75-thousand consumers in 2022. Humphreys says this included the recovery of funds which were stolen, payments improperly processed and restitution as a result of company errors or unethical conduct. Humphreys says predatory practices will not be tolerated, and we will continue our work to ensure that consumers get the coverage they deserve, at the prices they have agreed to pay.