Taxpayers will not be responsible for the demolition costs for that historic mansion that was torn down in Bridgewater earlier this week. The property of the Dunlap Mansion had been in disrepair for more than a decade. The borough’s solicitor – Joseph Spratt – said before the mansion was demolished Monday morning that taxpayers won’t be held accountable for any of the costs associated with the demolition. The Dunlap Mansion had been in Bridgewater since 1850 and is believed to have been a part of the Underground Railroad.

Demolition crews did more than tear down an old, abandoned building in Bridgewater today. They destroyed the old Dunlap Mansion, a national historic landmark that was once a safe house for slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad. The Borough of Bridgewater had a court order to demolish the mansion after giving the owner a year to sell the place or fix it up. The building had a rich history.  A tunnel remains where slaves entered the building.

Authorities have released surveillance video of a robbery at a convenience store in Ambridge in the hope that someone will recognize something about the suspects.
Ambridge police said two people walked into the CoGo’s convenience store on Duss Avenue around 11 p.m. Jan. 8. Authorities believe the person wearing a full mask is a man, who had a large knife that he used to threaten employees, demanding cash.
Police believe the second person is a female who had her face covered with some type of pink material. Authorities said she went to the back of the store to let in a third person. Officials say the man left in the front of the store threatened three employees, demanded that they get on the floor with their hands behind their backs and then took everything out of the cash register. Authorities say what wasn’t captured on surveillance video was the two other thieves in the back forcing a fourth employee to open a safe. Police say all three robbers fled on foot through the back door.
Ambridge police released the video in the hope that someone knows something and will come forward with information that leads to an arrest. Officers are checking other surveillance cameras in the area to see if they picked up anything as well.

Officials are reminding people to lock their vehicle doors, even if they are only going to be away for a few moments. Police say cars at three daycares in the Cranberry Township area were recently burglarized while the drivers were dropping off their children. Investigators believe the incidents are related.

The Monaca borough police chief is stepping down to take a position with the Beaver County 9-1-1 Center. Chief Bill Petures has announced he is retiring after spending nearly four decades in the Monaca police department. In two weeks, Petures will leave the department and will serve as Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management at the 9-1-1 center. Sergeant David Piuri will lead the department until a new chief is named.