Top local news for Friday, July 1, 2022

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Here is a look at five big Butler County stories today to catch up on the news.


Huge weekend of events in Butler County: Find something to do

The summer is in full swing and there is plenty to do in and around Butler County as we enter the 4th of July holiday weekend. The Butler County calendar prints every week, on Sundays, inside the Journal-News.

These are some of the activities listed in the calendar for the weekend and next week:

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Taste of Belgium opens at Liberty Center

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

A popular area restaurant, known for its waffles, has opened a Butler County location.

The full-service bistro is now in service at Liberty Center and offers Belgian-inspired food including waffles and chicken, mussels, crepes, frites and more. It also offers beer and cocktails.

“We take traditional Belgian recipes and we twist them; we take American classics and we Belgianize them,” states Taste of Belgium’s Facebook page.

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Hamilton man found guilty of felonious assault in oil scalding of mom, baby

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

A man who has been to prison once for taking a life has been found guilty of burglary and felonious assault times two for throwing hot vegetable oil on a woman and her baby while they slept.

A jury found Michael Maloney, 42, guilty Friday afternoon in Butler County Common Pleas Court after three days of testimony. He was convicted of severely burning his cousin Jayla Witt and her 17-month-old son, Tobias.

Maloney bought a can of vegetable oil at Kroger on Erie Boulevard in Hamilton on the morning of Dec. 21, broke into his cousin’s house, cooked the oil in a pot and walked 18 steps to the bedroom where he poured it on the mother and child.

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Cooling assistance for Butler County residents available now

SELF’s yearly Summer Crisis Cooling Program begins today and can offer one-time cooling assistance for eligible senior citizens and folks who have a medical need for air conditioning.

“The 2022 Summer Crisis Program provides eligible households with a one-time benefit to assist with utility bills, central air conditioning repairs, and air conditioning units and/or fans,” the organization said in a statement.

SELF (Supports to Encourage Low-income Families) will be conducting appointments over the phone to verify eligibility.

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Tricky Butler County intersection to be improved; work expected to take 3 months

Credit: NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

A months-long construction project to upgrade the intersection of Hamilton Mason and Mauds Hughes roads is set to begin soon on the border between Liberty and West Chester townships.

Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens has been using the safer roundabout option to upgrade intersections for years but it won’t work here because of the nearby railroad overpass commonly referred to as a “mousehole.”

The $2 million project is set to get under way July 12 and last until Oct. 30. It entails putting a new traffic light at the narrow railroad underpass just east of the project, another at the intersection itself, adding left-turn lanes and realigning the intersection.

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AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...

New trial date set for woman charged in connection to fatal FOP lodge stabbing

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

HAMILTON — The defense for a woman charged in connection with a fatal stabbing at a teen girl’s quinceañera has filed several motions necessitating the continuation of her scheduled summer trial date.

Sara Elena Rodriguez-Remigio, 46, is charged with tampering with evidence and obstructing justice, both felonies, in the deadly stabbing at the FOP Lodge in Hamilton in early May. In May, she was arraigned in Butler County Common Pleas Court where Judge Keith Spaeth increased her bond to $155,000. She is also being kept on a holder for ICE.

Detectives say Rodriguez-Remigio hid the knife believed to be the murder weapon.

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