Thiel student housing

Thiel student housing
GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College has broken ground for a $3 million student housing project that should be ready for occupancy Aug. 1. It will be the first new housing on campus in more than 30 years.
Two new housing units and a common support building will be erected on the west end of campus, where two fraternity houses once stood. The support building will house the Thiel Center for American Language and Global Culture for use by international students and the Thiel Center for Excellence in Greek Life for use by Greek organizations on campus. The housing units will feature 10 four-bedroom apartments. The college plans to build at least four more similar structures over the next five years.
Salem brush fire
SALEM -- Firefighters worked several hours to extinguish a brush fire on property on which a new Wal-Mart store is expected to be built later this year.
The fire was reported about 10:30 a.m. Thursday on the land south of state Route 14 and east of Cunningham Road. Cause of the blaze is undetermined. The fire was confined to brush and trees in an abandoned orchard. Green Township and Damascus fire departments each provided firetrucks at the scene.
Parolee and handgun
SHARON, Pa. -- Police said state probation and parole agents found a handgun in the car of a state parolee during a random search of his property Thursday.
The agents found a .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol in the car of Jamal D. Strickland, 28, of Cedar Avenue, police said. Strickland had been convicted of a felony and, under Pennsylvania law, is barred from owning or using a firearm. He was arraigned before District Justice James McMahon on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm and taken to Mercer County Jail on $5,000 bond and a parole detainer, police said.
Beaver college takeover
BEAVER, Pa. (AP) -- Beaver County commissioners will assume financial control of Beaver County Community College on July 1. The state board of education unanimously approved Thursday the takeover from the 11 school districts that had been funding the college.
President Joe Forrester said the districts had been burdened and the college was facing "serious financial issues."
"One of the alternatives was to switch sponsorship to the county, and the commissioners have accepted that challenge," he said.
The takeover will set a uniform tuition rate for county residents. Students from the four school districts that didn't support the college pay a higher rate per credit.
Youngstown power out
YOUNGSTOWN -- A malfunctioning voltage regulator in a substation on Belmont Avenue just south of Rayen Avenue knocked out power Thursday to 897 customers in and near downtown, including city hall and the WRTA bus garage.
By rerouting power, Ohio Edison was able to restore power to 750 customers within 30 minutes after the outage began at 2:26 p.m., and the remainder as of 3:17 p.m., said Paul Harkey, Ohio Edison Youngstown area manager. Traffic lights downtown and on part of Mahoning Avenue were out of service during the outage. City hall stayed open during the outage.
Honoring Burdman
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County commissioners have passed a resolution honoring Burdman Group Inc. for earning another three-year accreditation from the Commission to Accredit Rehabilitation Facilities.
The accreditation is for the employment services the agency provides to people with disabilities in both Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Failure to report death
NILES -- A Pratt Street woman accused of not reporting a death, will return to court next week.
Yvonne Hafiz, 44, is charged with tampering with evidence, a felony; and failing to report a death and obstructing official business, both misdemeanors.
She is accused of not reporting the death of Robert Abbey of Austintown, who died Saturday in the Pratt Street apartment she shared with William F. Stadler, 43.
Stadler was arrested Saturday.
Police arrested Hafiz on Wednesday evening. She is accused of removing items from the apartment.
Police say she and Stadler tried to persuade another man to help them move Abbey's body. The man reported it to police.