Connellsville man sings with Idina Menzel, nails it

You may know Broadway star Idina Menzel from her work in musicals like Rent, Wicked, or the more recent If/Then, but it's more likely you know her as Elsa from Frozen.

She recently played a show in Pittsburgh, and during "Take Me or Leave Me" from Rent, she goes into the audience and chooses some lucky fans to continue the duet with her. And one such lucky fan just happened to be from Connellsville. The entire video is really cool and sweet, especially for Idina fans. I always love seeing stars interact with their fans this way. But Corey first comes in around the 9-minute mark.

I mean, I'm not gonna go so far as to say he straight-up upstaged Idina, but...this diva needs his stage!

Man arrested for masturbating in chip aisle at Sheetz

Guys, I'm so, so behind. Life got busy, and I'm working to catch up. Note to self: we need to talk about Facebook posts about real-estate and Brownsville, the local guy who sort of upstaged Idina Menzel in Pittsburgh, and Cait Cuneo/Violet Rose's new video. And pictures from the fair. And maybe pictures from Beatlemania tonight at Penn State. 7 p.m. I'll be there.

So I know this is old news, but guys, we need to talk about the masturbator in Uniontown's Sheetz.

I mean, it's pretty self-explanatory.

Initially, he was acting suspicious and employees thought he was trying to shoplift. Until they noticed he had his dick out. And he still had it out when the cops showed up.

“A lot of people anymore do have mental health problems and you have to ask yourself why you are out at two o’clock in the morning exposing yourself in a public place?” Siple said.

Look, I do believe that mental illness is a factor in Fayette County's numerous problems, only made worse by stigma against it and difficulty in finding affordable care. But I'm not convinced one masturbates in the chip aisle at Sheetz because of mental illness. Sounds to me it was more like a perv who was aware of what he was doing, especially considering he's since very unconvincingly argued he was "adjusting" himself. Oh, okay. Sure. Because, you know, the security video from the store that cops viewed completely corroborates that, too.

Siple did make some other observations on the county, though, for which he wins an award for Understatement of the Year.

“I think it’s horrible. Unfortunately, it’s sad and a lot of this has been going on lately. Fayette County has been in the news quite a bit and it hasn’t been for good reasons."

No shit.

I mean, I try to post about good things on this blog, but y'all got to give me something to work with!

Local veteran raising awareness for homeless veterans

Local veteran Brandon Rumbaugh will be living homeless this fall to raise awareness for homeless veterans.

From October 31 through November 29, the anniversary of his injury in Afghanistan, Rumbaugh will live homeless in Uniontown.

Rumbaugh was injured by an IED in Afghanistan, causing him to break his back and lose both of his legs.

Rumbaugh also served as guest speaker for a recent fundraiser event to raise awareness about the veteran suicide rate--22 veterans commit suicide each day, according to a 2012 study by the Department of Veteran Affairs. All event donations benefitted the Active Heroes retreat in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, a retreat which aims to prevent veteran suicide through managing stress that leads to suicide

The donations are to go toward the building of four family cabins at the retreat for veterans to use to spend quality time with their families free of charge.

 The event ultimately raised over $2,000.

Rumbaugh is also collecting donations for homeless veterans. Donate now!

Buffalo Bill's house is for sale!

One of my most unrealistic life goals is to own/live in Fallingwater--it's probably more unrealistic than my other goal of being the next J.K. Rowling. But I'm willing to settle for a more attainable dream home, like Buffalo Bill's house from The Silence of the Lambs. I have fond memories of skipping church with my cousins and driving by that house and going to the Perryopolis flea market instead.

It's for sale for $300,000, which sounds a bit much to me, so I'm guessing the price factors in the naked serial killers and human suits.

The home's Hollywood ties could make it more desirable, and realtors said they wouldn't be surprised if a buyer turned it into a horror-themed bed and breakfast.

Wait, what? Sign me up! I mean, sure, it's pretty much a given that my boyfriend would refuse to go with me, but call it Bates Motel and throw a pet cemetery out back and I'm in.

Shockingly, though, the house does not come with a creepy murder pit in the basement. Who would've guessed?

There is some neat insight into the filming of the movie, though:

“They were looking for a home in which you entered the front door and had a straight line through,” Barbara Lloyd told TribLIVE. “They wanted it to look like a spider web, with Buffalo Bill drawing Jodie Foster into the foyer, into the kitchen, then into the basement.”

Goodbye, horses, indeed.

Job Opportunities

Normally, when I see stuff on Facebook throughout the day, I just repost it to the blog's Facebook page and leave it at that. And then I remembered that not everyone has Facebook, and some people like me have it but try to avoid being tethered to their news feed. And on top of all that, Facebook has godawful algorithms that prevent posts from being shared to everyone who likes the page. So I figured it would probably be a good idea to make a better effort to cross-post content--especially since apparently, only 7 of my 170-ish Facebook fans saw these job listings. So here they are!

Speaking of job opportunities, if anyone's looking to hire a writer/editor, I'm your girl.

First up, Haunted Hillside in Mount Pleasant is already taking applications for this fall. See their website for more information.

Second, we're getting a Five Guys in Uniontown! Oh, and they're hiring, too. In fact, they're having a job fair of sorts next Wednesday, August 26, fom 8:30-11:00 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.

Woman burns stepson in "fire challenge" because she's terrible

This news is a few days old now, at least in one sense--the incident actually happened a year and a half ago and just came to light. And honestly, I kind of don't know where to start. I'm nearly speechless, but I do have a few very, very strong opinions, mostly about the kind of woman this is and what she deserves as a consequence.

You've probably heard by now, but a woman burned her stepson in a "fire challenge," although exactly what the hell kind of challenge this even is is a mystery. Personally, I think it's not so much a challenge as it is a woman finding any sadistic way she can to abuse a child, but hey.

Connie Kirby is charged with pouring rubbing alcohol on the back of the then-13-year-old boy and lighting it, causing burns to 16 percent of his body, police said in a criminal complaint. 

"Connie said, 'Tre, do you want to play a game?' And I said, 'No.' Then she was like, 'Come on, you little punk,'" Tre Kirby said. "She grabbed 100 percent alcohol. She put it on my butt and then lit it. I caught on fire."

Yeah, there's zero reason to do that other than to be an abusive piece of shit. Nothing about that is a game. Nothing about that is funny, unless you're a psychopath.

His sister extinguished the flames with a pitcher of Kool-Aid, making her the only person to actually do anything helpful or good in this situation.

The boy's dad wasn't home at the time and is being charged for failing to take the boy to a hospital, though he did want to--but Stepmommy Dearest here said, nope, she "knew how to do nursing." Which is probably code for, "Shit, no, the hospital's gonna ask questions about what the hell happened and then I'm fucked."

As for her nursing skills? Neosporin and medication. Now, I'm no nurse, but I'm pretty sure that's not adequate burn treatment. But again, that might not matter to someone who's probably more concerned about covering her own ass than she is helping a burned kid.

The boy's mom had partial custody at the time--which I'm guessing is about to change if it hasn't already--and found out recently, about a year and a half later, when she saw his scars.

Burkes said she will be taking her son to talk to a counselor about the incident. Burkes said Tre Kirby now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

"My dad didn't stand up for me," Tre Kirby said. "Sometimes when I think about it, it makes me sad. I'll be sad for a whole day. When I go to sleep, I'll have nightmares and stuff like that."

Absolutely good on her for getting her son counseling--this kid was the victim of a horribly abusive act, and I'm sure counseling can only help him. And I really, really feel for him. I've been in much, much less serious situations in which I was hurt by feeling like a loved one wasn't standing up for me or wasn't on my side, so to speak, and it hurts. I can't imagine how horribly amplified it must be here and how much worse that hurt must be.

All my love and good vibes to you, Tre. Seriously. I wish you nothing but the best.

But let's let Mama Bear get the final word here, shall we?

"I think it's sick, and I think they deserve to throw the book at you," Candra Burkes said.

PREACH, MAMA.

Fayette County Fair LIVEBLOG

It's the last night of the fair. I was able to connect to their WiFi. Let's liveblog!

Newest updates are at the top. 

8:57:  Well, my phone died and we're out for the night. But it was a good time. We didn't stay for Cassadee Pope's entire set, but we liked what we heard. Ended with sundaes and milkshakes. Should've kept count of the girls wearing short shorts with cowboy boots. Shout out to the poor donkey with a sign on it encouraging fair goers to vote Republican, and shout out to the poor cows across from a burger stand. I think demo derby fumes did something to my brain. Goodnight!

8:12: Wandered over to hear Cassadee Pope from "The Voice." She sounds great!

8:05: My cop car won!

7:43: Cars with Confederate flags--5

7:40: I appreciate the fact that there's a police car in this round. 

7:38: Wish I would've thought to count camo and cowboy hats earlier. 

7:31: How/why do people wear flip-flops here?

7:17: Cars with Confederate flags--4

7:15: Cars with Confederate flags--3

6:41: Guys...lawnmower demo derby is THE BEST. 

6:35: Cars flying Confederate flags--2

6:26: Just forgot I was in public and burped out loud, then remembered it doesn't matter. 

6:25: This is going to kill my phone battery and data usage, and these metal bleachers are gonna kill my back. 

6:20: Dear sir with the nice hat and polo shirt tucked into your jeans, I think you're in the wrong place. 

6:10: Mullet count--1

6:00: Overheard--"You're gonna need new shoes by the end of the night." Unclear if this is due to poor fair terrain or already deteriorating shoes. 

5:45: Best tee shirt slogan of the night is "Whoever said diamonds are a girl's best friend never had goats." Which I can't comment on because I've never had goats, but I can say I do love goats. 

5:35: Humans wearing cowboy boots--3. Humans wearing Confederate flag apparel--3. Not the same humans. Also smaller numbers than I expected, but the night is young. 

5:30: Mom has given me the rest of her smoothie. Consolation prize. 

5:27: I thought getting here an hour early for the demolition derby was a bit much, but Mom was right--the stands are already packed. 

5:25: Mom bumped my smoothie after I set it down an spilled a solid half of it 😭

5:20: Got haluski and smoothies!

5:16: Great news! The commercial building has a stand to suit all your Confederate flag needs. Just in case you still think flying that flag is appropriate. Bonus "Don't tread on me" accessories to match. 

5:12: Overheard at the fair: "We're not playing the fish game. We don't need to take home an animal."

5:10: Gettin' harassed at the midway. 

5:07: We're in!

Geibel grad now playing for Pittsburgh Passion

One of my '07 classmates, Remy Olinzock, is playing for the Pittsburgh Passion, which is pretty cool!

From a blog post about her:

Having competed in indoor women’s football in Cleveland and Toledo, Olinzock was not only one of the club’s fan favorites, but exemplified strong leadership. Earning All-Conference honors at her position, she was a beacon of optimism on a team that tried valiantly to place victories in the wins column.

The whole post is worth a read, as it talks more about her background and football, which means there's a bunch of football words I don't understand, but it definitely sounds like Remy's contributed to some big successes of teams she's played on in the past. And I'm sure that'll continue with the Passion.

It's always great to see anyone from the area accomplish something like this, but it's even better when it's a former classmate.

Good luck to Remy and the Pittsburgh Passion!

Ah, Fair Season!

Oh, Fayette County. I came to visit both days this weekend, and I legitimately had a good time.

First, I went to Ohiopyle and hiked a trail to Cucumber Falls, where I followed my boyfriend across all sorts of rocks. And while I intended to hit the fair afterward for the annual Clarks performance, I was too worn out, so we went to dinner at Maywood Grill instead. And it was pretty good. I had the penne with vodka sauce, boyfriend had the shepherd's pie, and we coincidentally ran into my newly engaged brother and his fiancée. By the way, if they plan a Fayette County wedding, you can bet I'll be there blogging along the way. Anyway, I highly recommend the buckeye cake. The restaurant in general is a nice little place to grab some food up in the mountains, especially if you're trying to avoid Ohiopyle crowds. It's worth wandering out of the park area, for sure. And keep in mind I've never had a bad meal in the mountains.

I did make it to the fair Sunday, though. I'd love to do a liveblog, but my phone's data plan for the month and bad service in the arena aren't interested. If I end up back there, though, I shall try again!

It was packed Sunday night, for some reason. My mom and I ended up parked almost all the way down at the end of the field by the woods, and we took the shuttle up to the entrance, which actually made for a pretty hilarious ride. It was a good, lively crowd, and there were jokes about the shuttle being the best ride at the fair. If you use the shuttle service, though, guys, please tip your drivers!

My Maywood Grill leftovers weren't enough of a dinner for me, so of course I ate some fair food. I recommend Marilyn's Kitchen's gnocchi, Connellsville band's cheese fries, and basically anyone's lemonade. And of course, basically anyone's haluski, especially if it's made by a church or volunteer fire department.

I was there with my mom to enjoy the annual Hubcaps show, which was great as always. Tribute/cover bands aren't everyone's thing and I totally get that, but if you're up for it, they put on a really good show, and the band's truly packed with talent. I think that might get overlooked because they are a cover band, but I'll praise anyone who can do "I Will Always Love You" justice the way they can. Seriously. I don't take Whitney Houston covers lightly.

Scandals of fairs past are rearing their heads--the livestock barns now have signs up advising owners that animals should be secured for fireworks. And it seems like we can't get through a fair anymore without something tarnishing it, whether that be dirty diapers smeared on car windows or dead horses. This year, we're going strong just a few days in, and we've upgraded to hurting humans!

A fair employee--and I hope now former fair employee--is in the county jail after running over a man with a truck on Saturday.

David Lee Weaver, 55, of Cape Coral, Fl., is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a vehicle, driving under the influence, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person after allegedly striking Ryan Anthony Graft, causeing severe head injuries and fractures.

I just hope it wasn't a shuttle driver.

Can we make it through the rest of the week without any trouble, guys? I have my heart set on a demo derby and haluski.

And remember, you can't take weapons to the fair, but you can win them there!