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lawrence county

August 9, 2017

Troopers, BC3 Police Investigate After Private Cadaver Dogs’ Alert on Campus

Butler, PA- An investigation by state police at Butler and Butler County Community College campus police continued Tuesday morning in a wooded portion of BC3’s main campus in Butler Township, where private cadaver dogs last weekend reportedly alerted handlers when approaching a mound of construction debris. Investigators processed the scene, according to Scott Richardson, BC3’s director of campus police and security. There did not appear to be recent activity near the construction debris, Richardson said Monday. He described the area as being dense with excessive vegetation overgrowth and having no adjacent walking trails. Although on college property, the site that…

July 26, 2017

Ride to Benefit Special Needs Children

The God Chasers Motorcycle Club is hosting their annual ride to benefit children with special needs on July 29, starting at 12p.m. Every penny of the funds raised goes to the Lawrence County Special Olympics. Event organizer Reverend Mike Wimer is a father of a highly functioning 28 year old daughter with down syndrome, and he has been hosting the motorcycle rides for nearly 15 years. “My daughter Morgan has been in the Special Olympics since she was about 10 years old, and watching the event really touched me and my wife’s heart, so I decided I wanted to support…

July 24, 2017

Bernstine Announces $460,000 to Improve Drinking Water in Wampum

HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) announced today that $460,000 in state funding from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVEST) will allow Wampum Borough in Lawrence County to move forward with its plans to improve municipal drinking water. “The quality of water in Wampum has been an issue for many years,” Bernstine said. “I was happy to work with the local elected officials, as well as the state, to expedite the process of this grant. Nobody should go without quality water. This issue is finally on its way to being resolved.” The loan, which includes a 1 percent interest rate…

June 26, 2017

VIDEO: Live Stream from Hira Educational Meeting

The controversial sale of the former Youth Development Center in New Castle has led local government officials and many community members to publicly express their concerns. Shenango Township residents Shirley Sallmen and Barbara Thompson called for a public meeting regarding the sale. The meeting was hosted Friday evening by Jubilee Ministries International at the Kingdom Broadcasting Ministries with nearly 250 locals in attendance. Several elected officials were present at the meeting, including State Rep. Aaron Bernstine, who publicly presented the known and unknown facts regarding the company. “I want to be clear that this region is accepting of people from…

June 26, 2017

Senator Vogel Continues Push for Telemedicine Initiatives in Pennsylvania

Technology can help overcome the barriers to quality patient care created by distance and reduce the costs of those services, according to Senator Elder Vogel (R-Beaver), the author of legislation aimed at promoting telemedicine in Pennsylvania. Senate Bill 780 specifically defines telemedicine as “the delivery of health care services provided through telecommunications technology to a patient by a healthcare practitioner who is at a different location.” It also establishes guidelines regarding who can provide telemedicine services, and provides clarity regarding insurance company reimbursement for those services. “Telemedicine is transforming healthcare and it is something our state should embrace and encourage,” Senator…

June 14, 2017

Bernstine, Solomon Bill Would Prepare PA Students to Enter Workforce

HARRISBURG – In a bipartisan effort to prepare Pennsylvania’s youth for the 21st century workforce, state Reps. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) and Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia) introduced legislation which would allow high school students to obtain real-world work experience while still in school. House Bill 1522 would establish a pilot grant program which would encourage schools and local businesses to collaborate to provide work-based learning opportunities for high school students. “As we work to prepare students for the 21st century workforce, this legislation would allow job creators to help transform our education system. When I came to Harrisburg, I wanted to develop…

June 13, 2017

Missing Woman’s Body Found in Neshannock Township

According to several sources, a body found in Neshannock Township has been identified as a missing Butler County woman. After being reported missing since Thursday of last week, the body of 26-year-old Melissa “Missy” Barto was found along Old Pulaski Road by a farmer, around 7 p.m. Monday night. The body of the young mother had been burnt, and state police officer Lt. Eric Hermick described the scene as “horrific.” Prior to discovering the body, state police arrested Barto’s 21-year-old boyfriend, Ishemer D. Ramsey, on Sunday with charges of committing homicide after pulling him over in Connoquenessing Township. When police pulled…

June 9, 2017

The New Castle Playhouse Presents Fool for Love

The New Castle Playhouse presents Sam Shepard’s adult play, Fool for Love. Opening night is tonight at 7:30 and complimentary wine and cheese will be served to opening night ticket holders. More information on the official flyer below:

June 8, 2017

New Castle Man Accused of Housing Missing 13-Year-Old

According to the criminal complaint, Travis Wade Betker of New Castle will be facing a felony charge of interfering with custody of children, and misdemeanor charges of corruption of minors, obstructing administration of law or other governmental function, and disorderly conduct, following an incident that happened on May 1, 2017. Betker allowed a 13 year-old female to stay at his residence after he had knowledge that she was reported to the police as a missing person. On April 30 around 7:45a.m., officers took a report of a missing/runaway teen who had left the residence during the night. The reporting parent…

June 7, 2017

Youth Development Center in Shenango Sold to Islamic Consulting Firm

After laying abandoned for several years, the 145-acre state-owned property housing the former Youth Development Center in Shenango Township has been sold to a Newark, New Jersey based Islamic consulting firm called HIRA. Out of three total bids on the property, HIRA was the highest and now the public is curious to know what the potential business plans on doing with the space. HIRA’s official website – which contains many grammatical errors throughout – does not provide much information about the firm other than their main goal is to “offer services to the Islamic Schools who are not getting the…