Cranston Trial to Begin in 7 Days
Meadville – Jury selection for the trial of Shawn Cranston begins in one week, starting on next Tuesday, March 11th. Cranston is accused of the murder of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler, a member of the Spartansburg Amish population, in February of 2024. The prosecution of the 53-year-old is being handled by lawyers from the Attorney General’s Office because Crawford County lacks enough prosecutors to handle the case. Cranston has been in Crawford County Jail since his arrest on March 1st last year.

Bird Sanctuary Devastated by Avian Flu
Cranberry Township – Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture confirmed that 610 birds at an animal sanctuary in Butler County had contracted avian influenza. Seggond Chance Farm is a sanctuary for domestic birds that were rescued from abusive situations; it is home to chickens, turkeys, and ducks, as well as more exotic fowl like emus and ostriches. Authorities believe that the outbreak was caused by wild birds that passed by the sanctuary; unfortunately, all the infected animals had to be euthanized. The outbreak was the first time since the current H5N1 pandemic began in 2022 that Butler County experienced infections in domesticated animals; over 2 million birds have been killed by the pandemic since it began.