Woman hit in head by 50-pound branch

FOMBELL — A 19-year-old woman was injured after she was struck in the head by a falling 50-pound branch.

The accident occurred around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday when the about 3-foot-long branch fell about 30 feet and landed on the woman.

The unidentified woman was an employee of Marshall Tree Experts, a landscaping service contracted to cut down a tree on Chapel Drive in Marion Township, Beaver County. That’s about 30 miles north northwest of Pittsburgh

Police Chief Rudy Harkins says another worker in a hydraulic lift bucket was tying ropes to logs and lowering them to the ground when one fell.

Officials say the woman was flown to a hospital for treatment of her injuries, which Harkins called serious.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was expected to investigate.

Ex-lawmaker to be released from prison

HARRISBURG — A former high-ranking state lawmaker who was convicted of corruption will be released from state prison this week.

Mike Veon, a former Beaver County Democrat, will be released from a state prison in Somerset County on Thursday after nearly five years, according to a state corrections spokeswoman.

Veon, 58, was convicted in 2010 and sentenced by a Dauphin County judge to six to 14 years for directing a program that rewarded legislative staffers who campaigned for Democrats with $1.4 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses. The conviction was part of the state attorney’s general probe into corruption in the Legislature.

Worker’s death being investigated

STATE COLLEGE — Federal workplace safety officials are investigating the death of a construction worker on Penn State’s main campus.

Jerod Chapman, 29, died when he was struck by the crane on Friday.

The Uniontown man worked for Maccabee Industrial of Belle Vernon, and was working to break down the crane so it could be moved when another worker reportedly did something that prompted the crane to hit Chapman.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Maccabee; Maxim Crane Works, another subcontractor; and P.J. Dick, the contractor in charge of the construction project.

A P.J. Dick spokesman says the contractor has suspended work at the site.