State and local leaders looking to prevent future tragedies following 12-year-old's drowning death
The drowning death of a 12-year-old Washington County boy who was swimming with friends in the Monongahela River earlier this month has prompted local and state leaders to take action to prevent any future tragedies.
The Donora mayor and a county commissioner believe the accidental drowning death of Rontae Lester was preventable.
Local and state leaders have channeled their grief for the loss of Lester into a lifesaving mission to spread awareness about the dangers of swimming in the river and to implement safety measures so this tragedy doesn't happen to another family.
"No family should have to go through this," said Donora Mayor Donnie Pavelko. "I just can't fathom it. It's heart-wrenching."
News of Lester's death has sent shockwaves through the small community of Donora.
"With the help of everybody, we may be able to solve this problem for good," Pavelko said.
Just days after Lester's death, a conversation among local and state leaders on how to make the area safer and prevent future tragedies began. Topics included providing water safety education in schools that would teach students about the hidden dangers, like river currents.
"People don't realize that these lakes and creeks that we have are dangerous, and just because it's not an ocean or a river doesn't mean we don't need water safety," said Washington County Commissioner Electra Janis.
Another important area that's lacking, Commissioner Janis says, is signage. There are no warning signs in the area where Lester and his friends were swimming.
She believes those would make kids hopefully think twice before getting in the water.
"It's an inviting area. It doesn't look dangerous. It looks fun. I expect those to be up in a matter of days," Janis said.
Leaders are also exploring ways to keep kids away from the river altogether by providing other fun activities and opportunities when the weather is hot, like a splash pad.
"There's state funding available, the county wants to participate as well. It's just a matter of finding a location that's conducive so the parents to be able to walk there. What I really love about the splash pad is that they're safe and you cannot drown."
Commissioner Janis encourages community members to reach out to her office with any ideas to improve safety at the river's access point.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
Fetterman issues 'DO' and 'DO NOT' list, doubling down on anti-violence message after calling out LA 'anarchy'
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who recently called out the "anarchy and true chaos" that has occurred in Los Angeles, doubled down on his anti-violence message in a post on Wednesday that featured "DO" and "DO NOT" list. "WIN THE ARGUMENT," Fetterman's post on X reads, before the list, which indicates that people should not "loot," light "s[---] on fire," or "assault law enforcement," but that they should "protest peacefully," "organize to win elections," and "call out destructive behavior like this." The tweet featured a photo of burning vehicles. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-PA., agreed with his Keystone State colleague. "Well said, John," the Republican noted in a post on X. Earlier this week, Fetterman declared in a tweet, "I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement." Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona agreed with Fetterman. "I didn't have agreeing with Senator Fetterman on my bingo card today but he's not wrong," Gosar noted.
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
As queer doulas gain popularity, Pennsylvania couple credits theirs for making difference in daughter's birth
Queer doulas are gaining recognition for providing inclusive care to LGBTQ+ individuals and couples during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. For one Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, couple, their doula made a huge difference in the birth of their daughter. "Family is everything to us," Mary said. Mary and Marissa welcomed their youngest daughter with the help of doula Elizabeth Weinstein. "I identify as queer," Weinstein said, "and so I really love being able to support other queer families in the community." Doula Elizabeth Weinstein with the youngest child of Montgomery County couple Mary and Marissa CBS Philadelphia The Montgomery County couple said it was important to have a doula with an LGBTQ+ perspective and sensitivity. "When you're in those high moments of already stress and anxiety, it's to be able to be surrounded by people who you know, understand, don't question it, without a doubt supportive, is crucial," Mary said. Mary carried their last two babies. Marissa had their first daughter. "I think it's such an intimate experience that I needed to know that we were with somebody who wasn't going to call me dad," Marissa said. Marissa (left) and Elizabeth Weinstein (right) CBS Philadelphia It was also an emotional journey for Tristian Reese, a transgender man who gave birth eight years ago. He now provides fertility support for trans people and highlights the advantages of working with a doula. A doula is a non-medical professional who gives physical, emotional and informational support to parents during and shortly after childbirth. "There are lots of studies that show that the amount of stress you experience during labor and delivery impacts how long the labor process goes for," Reese said. "It can even impact your postpartum experiences." With a growing number of people who identify as LGBTQ+ having babies, doulas who specialize in LGBTQ+ pregnancies, like Ari Eisen and Weinstein, are becoming more popular. "I am a queer, full-spectrum doula," Eisen said. "That identity is important because it makes it known to queer families, or gay families, or trans families, that they will have somebody in the room who understands, knows and respects them." Mary and Marissa say the delivery of their 4-week-old was a great experience, mainly because of Weinstein, with whom they felt an immediate bond. Montgomery County couple Mary and Marissa during the births of their children CBS Philadelphia "The second that we met Elizabeth, we were like, 'Yep, yep, this is the baby's middle name because it was just so serendipitous to me,'" Mary said. Making Weinstein more than just their doula, but also part of the family. "A big, gay, happy family," Marissa said.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Supreme Court declines to hear GOP request to review Pa. provisional ballot ruling
A GOP challenge to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling on provisional ballots is dead after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The high court's rejection June 6 means county boards of elections must count provisional ballots cast by voters who find out their mail-in ballots have been rejected under the state Supreme Court's decision in October. The case at issue, Faith Genser et al vs. the Butler County Board of Elections, stemmed from a lawsuit filed after the 2024 primary election by two Butler County voters. They claimed they were disenfranchised when the board refused to count provisional ballots the voters cast on Election Day, after learning their mail ballots were disqualified for missing dates. Pa. politics: Erie County Democrats have slimmest voter registration edge in decades The board of elections reasoned the Pennsylvania Election Code says provisional ballots from voters whose mail-in ballots are 'timely received' can't be counted, even if the voters' mail-in ballots are rejected. In its 4-3 decision, the state Supreme Court found the Elections Code requires county elections officials to count provisional ballots if no other ballot is attributable to the voter, and as long as there are no other issues that would disqualify their provisional ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court did not explain its decision not to hear the appeal. Attorneys for the RNC and Republican Party of Pennsylvania did not respond to an email requesting comment. 'Republicans don't think every rightful vote should count. We disagree, and now, the Supreme Court has sided with us. Pennsylvanians deserve to have their say in every election ― full stop,' Democratic National Committee Chairperson Ken Martin said in a statement. The case is one of many involving 'paperwork errors' on vote-by-mail-ballots, since absentee voting without an excuse became an option in 2019 with the passage of Act 77. 'Every election, thousands of Pennsylvania mail ballots are voided due to common technical mistakes made by voters,' Rich Ting, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said. 'Thanks to Faith Genser and Frank Matis fighting for their right to vote, all Pennsylvania voters who make those mistakes are guaranteed the right to vote by provisional ballot as a failsafe.' The ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Public Interest Law Center with pro-bono counsel from Dechert LLP represented Genser and Matis in their lawsuit. 'The Supreme Court's determination not to hear this case means that Pennsylvanians who make a technical mistake with their mail-in ballots will have a way to fix the mistake instead of losing the opportunity to vote,' Ben Geffen, senior attorney at the Public Interest Law Center, said. In its petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, the GOP argued the state Supreme Court usurped the Pennsylvania Legislature's authority to set the 'times, places and manner' for congressional elections, leaning on a premise known as the 'independent state legislature theory.' That theory asserts that the U.S. Constitution reserves the authority to set the times, places and manner of elections exclusively for state legislatures. In opposition, the DNC and Pennsylvania Democratic Party asserted that the U.S. Supreme Court lacks jurisdiction, because the case falls outside the limited circumstances in which it can review the judgment of a state's highest court. Such appeals are allowed only when a federal law is in question, a state law is claimed to conflict with federal law or 'where any title, right, privilege, or immunity is specially set up or claimed under the Constitution.' The June 6 decision is the second time the U.S. Supreme Court has passed on reviewing the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision. In November it refused to place a stay on enforcement of the ruling days before the presidential election. The Pennsylvania General Assembly has taken steps to pass amendments to clarify the vote-by-mail law in recent weeks. House Bill 1396, sponsored by Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, would give election workers up to a week before Election Day to prepare to count mail-in ballots, a process that has been a bottleneck for election results in parts of the state, and has provided fodder for election deniers. The measure would remedy other ambiguities in Act 77, such as making clear that county election officials must notify voters if their mail ballots are rejected. It passed the House with a 102-101 vote along party lines May 13. Peter Hall has been a journalist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 20 years, most recently covering criminal justice and legal affairs for The Morning Call in Allentown. Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, the nation's largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Supreme Court won't hear GOP challenge to PA provisional ballot ruling
