Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: Frazier High School’s football and girls volleyball teams were the last of the area’s fall sports teams to close their seasons. The Commodores football team not only qualified for the WPIAL playoffs but also won a postseason game for the first time since 2015 with a 27-12 road upset of California before falling to Bishop Canevin in the Class A quarterfinals on Friday. They finished with a 7-5 record after winning a combined four games over the four previous seasons before first-year coach Tony Battaglini took over the program this year. The Lady Commodores girls volleyball team, under longtime coach Mandy Hartman, reached the WPIAL Class A semifinals before losing to eventual champion Eden Christian, then upended District 9 champion Elk County Catholic on its home floor after a three-hour trip in the first round of the PIAA tournament to reach the state quarterfinals for only the second time in program history. Frazier advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in 2024. The Lady Commodores lost to District 10 champion Maplewood on Saturday to finish with a 15-6 record. They claimed their 18th section championship in 21 years under Hartman this season.
Cheers: Fourth Street Barbecue in the Mon Valley moved a step closer to being sold, possibly saving the jobs of more than 200 workers, many of them immigrants. Mark Welch, court-appointed receiver for the frozen food business, said this week that he received an asset purchase agreement. “If I can get this agreement done and through the court, it looks like we got a sale,” he said. Welch was appointed by a federal judge at the request of attorneys representing Huntingdon National Bank, which filed suit against Fourth Street Barbecue for millions of unpaid loans. To secure the loans, the owners of Fourth Street put the business up as collateral. Fourth Street Barbecue initially revealed plans to close at the end of October, which would put 252 employees out of work. However, that notice was extended through November. Founded in 2014, the company, also known as Fourth Street Foods, manufactures frozen food products for branded and private label retainers throughout the United States. The company has operations in Fallowfield Township and Speers, but uses Charleroi mailing addresses.
Cheers: The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has come up with a new way to connect those battling addiction with available services. The sheriff’s office has created a metal challenge coin to issue to those who are in need of addiction and recovery services. The powdered metal coins are engraved with the sheriff’s office logo on one side and the phone numbers of Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on the other. It also bears the phrase, “United in recovery. You are not alone.” The sheriff’s office purchased 10,000 coins using a portion of opioid funding received by Washington County since September 2024 as part of the nationwide settlement with several drug manufacturers largely blamed for the opioid epidemic. The department is distributing the coins in two waves. “Challenge coins are all the rage. People call our office asking if they can get one,” said sheriff’s office Deputy Elizabeth Davidson. Davidson heard about a Pennsylvania police department that gave challenge coins to people who inquired about mental health or addiction and recovery services. She encourages any groups who are interested in obtaining the coins for distribution to contact the sheriff’s office at 724-228-6840.