Crime, BASA sale, aid for Ukraine made headlines
Butler County was the scene of fires, crashes, crime and punishment in the past year. When tragedy struck, our community went above and beyond to support each other. Rescues were made, schools opened and money was raised for friends and neighbors.
Here are our top news stories in 2022:
January was bookended by serious structure fires. Butler County crews responded to one that destroyed Hovis Truck Services in Emlenton, Venango County, on Jan. 9. A roof fire then damaged the XPER USA manufacturing facility in Middlesex Township on Jan. 26.
The month came to a close with shots fired at the Clearview Mall.
According to police, Carlos Gonzalez Carril shot and injured two people in the Rural King parking lot the evening of Jan. 18. Damian Blystone was injured during the altercation, and later accused of instigating the shooting.
Both were charged, and Carril was sentenced in November to 10 to 20 months in Butler County Prison followed by 72 months of probation.
As war raged in Ukraine, Butler residents did all they could to support the cause. The owners of Lyndora Hotel held two fundraisers in March, raising nearly $56,000 to send overseas.
Students in South Butler starting calling their district by a new name in March, as Knoch School District officially was adopted.
In April, an SUV plunged into the Oneida Valley Reservoir, resulting in charges against the alleged driver. Police, firefighters and members of Butler County Water Rescue Team 300 spent about six hours investigating and searching the area for the driver, who did not inform investigators he was out of the water.
Crashes at Slippery Rock’s Branchton Road and Route 8 intersection claimed the lives of three more people in 2022: the first on April 5 and the second and third in September. The deaths and subsequent crashes led to conversations between municipal leaders, but the speed limit in the area was ultimately not reduced.
“PennDOT still has mitigation out there,” said Paul Dickey, supervisor chairman, at a meeting in November. “As far as I am concerned, I think we’re not going to pursue anything else.”
On the night of May 13, local mother Pam Surano’s three children and their friend were involved in a fiery two-vehicle crash on Evans City Road in Forward Township. Rescued by local track coaches who happened upon the scene, the children are now on the road to recovery. The coaches and Surano’s family remain in touch.
Two schools closed their doors forever in June. The 84-year-old Evans City Elementary/Middle School, formerly Evans City High School, had an alumni walk-through in May. The Ehrman Crest Elementary and Middle School opened in August to accommodate students.
Butler Middle School closed in June as well, with local officials discussing plans to sell the building. The school was transferred to the nonprofit Pittsburgh Gateways at a cost of $1 at a meeting on Sept. 12. Its students were moved to the Butler Intermediate School for the 2022-23 school year.
A man was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head June 11 along Kelly Road in Muddy Creek Township. Weeks later, police said Nicole Schwartz, of Ellwood City, and her boyfriend, Daniel C. Lloyd, 20, of Pitcairn, had been charged with homicide in connection to the incident. Lloyd was sought by police and found in Michigan in September. Both cases are pending in common pleas court.
On July 1, a man visiting Moraine State Park with his family drowned in Lake Arthur. His body was recovered by county rescue crews in 16 feet of water after a 90-minute search.
Flash flooding damaged Slippery Rock borough roads and homes the night of Aug. 5. Rescues were made by first responders and civilians, drawing the community closer as a whole.
Jeff Campbell, the borough council president, declared a state of emergency around 10 p.m. Aug. 5 after heavy rain, which had started around 6 p.m., had begun washing away roads, flooding basements and creating at least one sinkhole in the area.
Crews worked together to clean up a diesel fuel spill in Breakneck Creek in Adams Township on Aug. 9. The spill was able to be contained with little impact to residents.
In September, Paul L. Lenzi testified in his defense against felony charges of attempted homicide and aggravated assault. Butler City police filed the charges after he allegedly stabbed a 40-year-old Butler man in 2021. Lenzi was sentenced to four-and-a-half to 15 years in prison for the incident.
The Butler City Council at its Oct. 13 meeting voted unanimously to approve selling the Butler Area Sewer Authority to Pennsylvania American Water Company for $231.5 million. The Butler Township commissioners passed a resolution to support the sale less than a week later.
Pennsylvania American issued a statement when the authority board approved the sale last week, which said overall feedback received from residents, local business owners and other organizations living and operating businesses within Butler city and Butler Township limits has been positive and supportive of the sale.
The sale moved to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for approval. Supervisors in Center Township continued through December to request more information about the sale of BASA in their collective opposition to the transaction.
Following the September disappearance of Tod DiMinno, 54, of Harmony, his body was found in the Allegheny River Oct. 8. Diving crews also found more than 140 other vehicles in the Pittsburgh waters.
The Butler County commissioners approved $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the of repair sewer systems at the AC Valley Industrial Park. The project is estimated to cost a total $5.5 million and be completed by March 2024.
Community support was abundant for 13-year-old Paige Lauten, who was hit by a vehicle Nov. 29 on Route 228 near Mars Area Middle School. Shortly after Christmas the teen’s family posted to Facebook saying Paige was moved from the ICU in Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and making the next step in her recovery journey.
Butler County native Darlene Harbison went missing from her home Sept. 11 in Frazer Township, Allegheny County. She was found dead Dec. 5 in Armstrong County after several exhaustive searches organized by her relatives that expanded into Buffalo Township and drew dozens of people in October and November.
Butler County commissioners opened bids in late-December for the Marion Township sewer project and plan to award contracts in January so work can begin in early spring. The goal of the project is to replace an antiquated sewer system that serves some residents with a new system that will serve 111 residential and business customers in the Boyers area of the township.
The project, which was estimated to cost $4.9 million, is being funded with 2020 Community Development Block Grant funds, a competitive CDBG grant and supplemental CDBG funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020.
On Christmas Day, a fire destroyed the Thompson’s Country Market building in West Sunbury. One tenant of the structure suffered minor injuries. Having lost everything, the community began collecting clothing items for the families who lived inside.
