Oven fire in Salem

Oven fire in Salem
SALEM -- A pot of grease left in an oven ignited a fire at the home of Tina Shamp, 1004 E. Fourth St. Firefighters were called to the three-story house at 1:42 p.m. Sunday. The fire was limited mostly to the oven and surrounding area. Loss is estimated at $1,500. No injuries were reported.
Assaulted with hammer
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Authorities are investigating an assault on two people at a Mud Bridge Road home in Little Beaver Township. Police said a 33-year-old East Palestine man and a 20-year-old Enon Valley woman were hit with a hammer Friday. Police did not say what time the attack occurred. Authorities say the suspect, a 29-year-old man who knows both victims, has not been arrested and no charges have been filed. Police said the male victim had a head wound and the woman suffered head and shoulder injuries. Both were treated at the Medical Center in Beaver, Pa.
Leetonia schools
LEETONIA -- Leetonia Board of Education will meet in special session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Orchard Hill Elementary. The board will meet in executive session to interview superintendent candidates. Treasurer Larry Syverson said the district has received 17 applications for the position. He said no school district personnel applied. Most candidates are from the Mahoning Valley and one applied from out of state, he said. Schools Superintendent Lynn King died Sept. 28 of complications after heart surgery.
Holiday wreaths
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Help others during the holiday by buying a holiday wreath from the American Red Cross of Lawrence County. The wreaths are one-sided, 24-inch, blue-berried juniper and incense cedar on a noble fir background. They are decorated with Ponderosa cones and a red velvet bow. The cost is $20. The last day to order is Dec. 17. To order a wreath, call the American Red Cross at (724) 652-7724.
Survival program
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Jennings Environmental Center will have a program on outdoor survival at 2 p.m. Sunday, focusing on preparedness and the psychology of survival, as well as some basic wilderness techniques. The center is at 2951 Prospect Road. Call (724) 794-6011.
Beaver Twp. zoning
NORTH LIMA -- Beaver Township Zoning Board of Appeals will consider two issues when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the township administration office, 11999 South Ave. Ext. A Market Street business owner would like to replace a sign face with one that does not conform with the zoning regulations, and another property owner is requesting a variance for the replatting of two Middletown Road lots.
Assault, drug charges
DARLINGTON, Pa. -- Mark Allen Blakely, 45, of Darlington Road, faces charges of simple assault, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Pennsylvania State Police said Blakely was arrested at 1:30 a.m. today after being accused of punching a woman in the nose. Police said they found marijuana and a pipe on Blakely after his arrest. He was arraigned and sent to the Beaver County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bond.
Defoliated mountain
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Residents who live on Mount Washington, the scenic overlook above Pittsburgh, say city efforts to create a better view has left a huge swath of dead and dying plants and trees. A defoliant applied in July to the bushes and trees on the hillside was "highly destructive of all plant life," said Therese Moss, the chairwoman of a Mount Washington neighborhood group's open space committee. Residents said there were also deer, red-tailed hawks and other animal life living on the steep slopes.
and they have since moved on. Guy Costa, the city public works director, said residents asked the department to do something about the encroaching foliage that was blocking the view of the city. But residents said they asked only that nonnative and intrusive species be removed. "Instead of having trees sticking up into the view, you now have brown and gray dead sticks," she said.