Beaver trustees

Beaver trustees
NORTH LIMA -- Beaver Township trustees will meet in special session at 7:30 a.m. Saturday to discuss the 2001 and 2002 budgets and personnel issues. The meeting will be in the township meeting room in the South Range Plaza.
Assault on officers
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- A woman attempting to flag down passing cars on Pa. Route 208 was later arrested, accused of kicking and punching police officers. Linda Marie Ragozzino, 44, of RD 3, New Wilmington, was in Lawrence County Jail this morning on $5,000 bond. She is accused of aggravated assault on a police officer, simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassment. Pennsylvania State Police said they received complaints that Ragozzino had pulled her car off the road at several spots and was trying to flag down passing cars for an unknown reason. When officers arrived at about 5 p.m. Tuesday on Route 208, Ragozzino was uncooperative and combative, state police said. New Wilmington Police and state police officers were punched and kicked several times, according to state police. She was arraigned before District Justice J.V. Lamb.
Grant for the arts
SHARON, Pa. -- Noting that the local arts enrich the entire community, state Sen. Bob Robbins of Greenville, R-50th, and state Representative Mike Gruitza of Hermitage, D-7th, announced the approval Monday of a $1,600 state grant to support the local arts in the Mercer County area.
Robbins said the grant was recently approved by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a 19-member board made of 15 private citizens and four state legislators and will be awarded to the Valley Arts Guild.
The legislators said the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts funds programs initiated by nonprofit arts groups, institutions, and in some cases, artists.
Sewage system grants
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Department of Environmental Protection awarded grants to two Lawrence County communities. Hickory and North Beaver townships will receive Sewage Facilities Enforcement grants to cover half of the cost for each municipality of regulating public and individual sewage systems, said state Rep. Chris Sainato of New Castle, D-9th. Hickory Township will receive $1,435, and North Beaver Township will get $2,320.
Forum on drugs
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A community forum to discuss the illegal use of prescription drugs is set for 6:30 p.m. today at the New Castle Public Library. The forum will focus on various ways drug abusers illegally obtain prescription drugs and the health problems, and even death, that can result. Kathy Laudermilch of the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Pamela Bennett of Purdue Pharma, manufacturers of OxyContin, and District Attorney Matt Mangino will speak.
Hillsville road to close
HILLSVILLE, Pa. -- Mahoning Township supervisors will close East River Road, from Jacobson Road to state Route 551 on Friday. The road department will replace drainage pipe from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
False police report
SHARON, Pa. -- A city woman has been charged with falsely accusing two Farrell men of forcing her to have sexual contact with them.
City police said Nicole Harris, 18, Mesabi Street, told them the men forced her to perform oral sex on them and to walk down the street naked as a female juvenile watched Friday morning.
Police said Harris, who was treated at Sharon Regional Health System's emergency room, had bruises to corroborate her story. Police said they issued warrants for the two men on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
Police questioned the men Tuesday night. Afterward, Harris said that her story had been fabricated, police said. She is charged with filing false reports and was to be arraigned today before District Justice James McMahon.