Petrolia gets Pa. grant

Petrolia gets Pa. grant
PETROLIA, Pa. -- The water system in Petrolia, Butler County, Pa., will be updated thanks to a grant from the state, Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-10th, has announced. The $500,000 grant was approved by the Department of Community and Economic Development as part of its Small Communities Block Grant Program. The grant is part of the department's ongoing efforts to stimulate economic development in Pennsylvania.
Motorcyclist killed
YOUNGSTOWN -- Kenneth Duecaster, 41, of Vermont Avenue died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Health Center after his motorcycle crashed in the 3100 block of Dearborn Street.
Police who arrived at the scene at 5:55 p.m. found the motorcycle in the street, dented and scratched and its handlebars broken. The cause of the crash was not immediately available.
Little damage from fire
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A porch fire at a vacant West Sheridan Street house did not cause any major damage, said Fire Chief James Donston. Firefighters were able to extinguish it before it moved to other parts of the home at 2:05 a.m. Friday, he said. The home is owned by Kirk Alfonso of New Brighton and was vacant because it was being remodeled, Donston said.
3 cars hit man
IMPERIAL, Pa. (AP) -- A McKees Rocks man is dead after being hit by three cars while standing along an Allegheny County road, state police said.
Roy Vernon, 31, was standing on the southbound side of state Route 60 when he was hit Friday night by a vehicle driven by Vincent Rossi, 34, of Bridgeville, police said. Rossi told police he did not see Vernon standing there.
Vernon was then hit by another vehicle driven by Gerald Yocabet, 67, of Brownsville, and then a vehicle driven by Kimberly Frambes, 20, of Bethel Park also hit Vernon and dragged him approximately 30 feet, police said.
Police said the cars driven by Rossi and Yocabet sustained minor damage, and Frambes' vehicle had no damage.
None of the drivers was charged.
Giving back to city
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) -- The Altoona Curve plans to thank the city for giving them a place to play ball.
Curve general manager Jeff Parker is scheduled to present a $10,000 check Wednesday at a city council meeting. Plans for using the money have yet to be finalized, but one possibility being considered is to install permanent planters on some city streets.
The idea for the donation came several months ago when Curve majority owner Bob Lozinak told Altoona mayor Tom Martin he wanted to help spruce up the city.
The Curve is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Commission security
TARENTUM, Pa. (AP) -- The state Game Commission is using $79,000 from a fund that usually pays for conservation and stocking to buy security equipment for its headquarters in Harrisburg, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The Valley News-Dispatch said $67,000 will be spent on an identification card system to control access to the building, and $10,000 will pay for reinforced walls and bulletproof glass and $1,925 will secure the work station for the commission's receptionist. Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said the ID system is needed because the headquarters has an armory and warehouse for its game wardens.
Won't pay for paving
WINDBER, Pa. (AP) -- Residents of a neighborhood in one Cambria County borough were happy to see some alleys being paved -- so long as they did not have to pay for it.
About 36 residents of Third Street in Scalp Level borough plan to fight the $130 bills to pave the muddy lanes with blacktop.
"We don't own the alley, so why should we pay?" resident Michael Nolan told the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. Another resident said the bills would be a burden to the senior citizens who live there.
The residents are being asked to foot the bill because the borough does not bring in a lot of money, said council President Noretta Haydu.
The borough's paving costs are about $15,000 a year. The borough has about 1,100 residents