Sunday, July 7, 2002
Pa. agriculture officialto present check at fair
MERCER, Pa. -- Sam Hayes, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, will visit the 38th annual Mercer County Grange Fair at 9 a.m. Monday.
Hayes will present a check for matching funds for fairgrounds bleachers, according to Ginny Richardson, fair secretary and county treasurer.
Opening ceremonies will be at 7 p.m. today, and the fair runs through Saturday.
The fairgrounds are on Pa. Route 58, one mile east of Mercer.
Aquaculture course
VILLA MARIA, Pa. -- "An Introduction to Aquaculture" will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Villa Maria Community Center.
Kathleen McElroy, a Humility of Mary service volunteer at Villa Maria Farm and EverGreen, will explain aquaculture aspects, including conservation, fisheries and the environment. She holds a master's degree in aquaculture from Mississippi State University.
Call (724) 964-8920, Ext. 3350.
Rocket suspected in fire
POLAND -- Firefighters say a bottle rocket may have sparked a fire that caused $100,000 damage Friday night to the home at 3166 Hummingbird Hill Drive.
The rocket lodged in a gutter under a shingle, setting a bird's nest on fire. Flames spread to the attic.
No one was home at the time.
Western Reserve Joint Fire District firefighters arrived about 7:45 to find flames coming out of the roof. The fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes.
Explosion injuries send people to hospitals
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) -- At least a half-dozen people were treated at hospitals around Pittsburgh for July Fourth injuries.
Among them were a 15-year-old Butler County boy, who remained hospitalized Saturday night with head and facial injuries.
A Fayette County man was in serious condition with facial fractures. Both patients' injuries were caused by M-80 explosives, police said.
A Cranberry Township man suffered burns to his face, chest, arms and legs Thursday night when an aerosol can thrown into a bonfire exploded.
2 jailed after blast
GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Two men were in Westmoreland County Jail with bond set at $100,000 each, accused of planting an explosive device that blew out windows and ripped siding off a home.
The occupant told police the two men planted the explosive Friday because he had accused one of them of stealing from him.
The man's 9-month-old daughter was asleep in a crib in the living room, where window glass was blown out.
An explosive equivalent to a half-stick of dynamite was placed near a door, police said.
The two are charged with arson, recklessly endangering another person, criminal mischief and criminal conspiracy.