United Way still seeks donations to meet goal

United Way still seeksdonations to meet goal
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Lawrence County United Way is $12,000 short of its $720,000 goal, said United Way Director Gayle Young. The United Way yearly fund drive normally ends Dec. 31.
Young said she is continuing to contact local companies and individuals looking for donations.
"We are not closing out until we get it. We are too close to stop now," she said.
Young said there were some companies that downsized or didn't give donations to the United Way this year, causing the group to not meet its goal.
"I think some of it has to do with money going to New York, but for a lot of our donors it's economics and the uncertainty of the economy," Young said.
Anyone wanting to donate to the United Way of Lawrence County should contact the office at (724) 658-8528.
Summer internships
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart of Bradford Woods, R-4th, is now accepting applications from college students in the Fourth Congressional District for summer internships. The district includes all of Lawrence and Beaver counties and parts of Butler and Allegheny counties.
Internships provide a unique learning experience for college students who have completed at least one year of school, she said. They will gain first-hand experience and knowledge of the political process and the operations of a congressional office.
Limited positions are available, and interested students are selected based upon their academic qualifications and work experience.
Interested students should contact Hart's Cranberry office at (724) 779-1330 for an application, or apply online at www.house.gov/hart.
Pizzeria burglary
ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. -- Police said Saturday that a burglar escaped with an undisclosed amount of money from Marco's Pizza late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Gandhi to speak
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Arun Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Orr Auditorium at Westminster College. Gandhi continues his grandfather's tradition of nonviolent resistance and peacemaking.
Growing up in apartheid South Africa as a person of Indian heritage, Gandhi was faced with racial confrontations from both blacks and whites. As a 12-year-old boy, he turned to bodybuilding to avenge his beatings from other youths, but his parents decided a visit to his grandfather in India was a better idea. That is where he learned the philosophy of nonviolence that helped shape the rest of his life.
He founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Memphis, Tenn., where he now lives, in 1991.
The event is free and open to the public.
Traffic safety blitz
GIRARD -- Police here will conduct a traffic safety blitz Monday through Feb. 28. Officers will focus on U.S. Route 422.
They will be looking for speeders and seat belt violators in an effort to raise awareness of safety issues, including proper use of child restraint seats. Hours of the blitz will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.