Watkins Arraigned for Murder
Sharon – On Tuesday, DaShawn Watkins was officially arraigned on charges of criminal homicide, murder in the first degree, abuse of a corpse, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence for the death of 14-year-old Paulie Likens in late June. The 29-year-old is accused of picking the transexual teen up on a hook-up app named Grindr and then killing her after a sexual encounter, dismembering her remains, and throwing the evidence into the Shenango River Lake between June 22nd and 25th. Watkins pleaded not guilty to all charges; a trial date has not yet been set.

SAFER Grants Go to Local Fire Stations
Millcreek Township/Meadville – The Millcreek Township Fire Department in Erie County and the City of Meadville Fire Department in Crawford County were both awarded SAFER grants by the United States Department of Homeland Security this week. SAFER stands for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response and is provided to municipal fire departments to assist them with hiring and training firefighters, an expensive and lengthy process. Millcreek Fire was awarded over $5.4 million to recruit and train 15 full-time positions, while Meadville received more than $1 million to recruit and train full and part-time fire and EMS.