Neshannock Creek cleanup is set

Neshannock Creekcleanup is set
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Lawrence County Chapter of PA Clean Ways will have its first cleanup Saturday along the Neshannock Creek. Volunteers and chapter members should meet at 8 a.m. on Neshannock Avenue near the Lawrence County Housing Authority office. The cleanup will start near the Papermill Bridge and continue past the El Rio Beach area. After the cleanup, a beautification project is planned in which volunteers will plant trees. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Marjorie Snider at (724) 654-6119 or visit the group's Web site at www.pacleanways.org/lawrence.html for more information.
Police find stolen carat Hillsville Quarries
HILLSVILLE, Pa. -- A car stolen in 1999 was found abandoned in the Hillsville Quarries off Hoffmaster Road, Mahoning Township, Lawrence County. Pennsylvania State Police said they found the 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity, which had been destroyed by fire, at about noon March 29, but didn't publicize the find until Tuesday. The car is owned by a Salem, Ohio, man and was reported missing on Jan. 4, 1999, from Struthers.
Grants boostedwatershed projects
MERCER, Pa. -- State Sen. Robert Robbins of Greenville, R-50th, said three state grants helped improve and protect watersheds in recent Mercer County projects. The money came from the state Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection program and was awarded to the Mercer County Conservation District. A $24,950 grant was used for best management practices to help a farm run environmentally and efficiently at the county's Munnell Run Farm Education Center. A $24,500 grant was used for streambank fencing and barnyard runoff control on Munnell Run. A $2,514 grant was used for restoration work in Booth Run.
Woman pleads innocentin death of her son
YOUNGSTOWN -- Janell Thomas, 18, of North Garland Avenue, pleaded innocent Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to involuntary manslaughter. She is charged with the death of her 11-month-old son, Leroy Huff Jr., in October. Thomas was being held in the county jail on a $1 million bond awaiting her trial, which is set for May 8 before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum. Thomas maintains that the boy fell off a bed and hit his head, but the coroner has said it appears the boy was struck on the head.
Two are indicted
CLEVELAND -- In cases with Mahoning County connections, a federal grand jury indicted an Austintown man Tuesday on a charge of being a felon in possession of explosives and a Springfield, Mass., man on a charge of illegal re-entry into this country after deportation. Kenneth W. Collins III, 37, of North Meridian Road, Austintown, was charged with having 125 explosive devices after his conviction for aggravated trafficking in drugs and possession of criminal tools, the U.S. attorney said. The case was investigated by Austintown police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Domingo Perez-Perez, 38, was found in the United States last Nov. 19 after being deported in 1998 after a 1992 narcotics possession conviction, the indictment said. That case was investigated by the Mahoning County Drug Task Force and the INS.
Local robotics teamsto compete in Canada
GIRARD -- Robotics teams of Girard and Warren G. Harding high schools will compete Friday and Saturday at the Hershey Center in Toronto, Canada. The activities of both teams can be followed on Girard team's Web site at http://ghs.girard.k12.oh.us/robotics. The site is maintained by Girard team members under the direction of senior Matt Stevens.
Drop off scrap tires
LIBERTY -- Township residents will be able to get rid of their scrap tires during April because of a Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District grant. Up to eight car and light truck tires can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 20 and 27, at the township road department, 1099 Gypsy Lane, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, April 22, through Friday, April 26. Curbside collection will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, April 22-23. Residents must call the road department, (330) 746-7044, to request the collection.
Book sale in Niles
NILES -- The McKinley Memorial Library will conduct a book sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 13 and from 1 to 5 p.m. April 14. Items will be displayed in the library's auditorium.