2021 was no doubt an eventful year in Butler, but what did our readers and listeners find most interesting?
Here’s a countdown of our Top 5 most viewed stories on our website.
#5: The untimely death of Dr. Henry Sinapoli: The former superintendent of the AC Valley School District and active community member was riding his bicycle on North Washington Street when he was hit by a vehicle early in the morning on Sept. 7th. Sinapoli later died due to the injuries he suffered in the crash. The woman driver is now facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
#4: Vaccine Rollout at Butler Health System: Our fourth story was the initial vaccine rollout at the Butler Health System. Dr. Kathy Selvaggi, chief community health officer of Butler Health System, was one of the first in the area to receive a vaccination. After initial shots were administered at the hospital, it moved to the former Sears location, and now is at the Crossroads Campus.
#3: Jessie, the missing Clydesdale: A family in Sarver woke up on April 27th to find that their 2,200 pound Clydesdale horse named Jessie was missing. The family reached out to police and social media platforms to see if they could find any information about their missing horse. They reached the conclusion that the horse was stolen and it hasn’t been found since. The family is offering a $10,000 reward.
#2: Officer stabbed in Downtown Butler incident: 27-year-old City of Butler Police Officer Mike Sulerud responded to reports of a man on West Jefferson Street going in-and-out of traffic with a knife. When Sulerud arrived, he approached the man and was stabbed multiple times. Sulerud fired a fatal shot in self-defense. He was then flown to a Pittsburgh hospital where he would eventually be released in early September.
#1: Main Street fire causes significant damage: A Saturday morning fire broke out in the back of Sir Speedy Printing on Main Street and quickly spread to nearby buildings. The flames required a large response from a number of crews. The fire significantly damaged three buildings, including Sir Speedy and Reclamation Brewing which did not reopen in those locations. Miller’s Shoes returned to operations in late 2021.
