Sex offender sentenced

Sex offender sentenced
LISBON -- A Salem man who pleaded guilty in April to sex-related crimes involving a 7-year-old girl will serve three years in state prison.
Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge David Tobin on Thursday sentenced Robert Maines, 27, of E. Sixth Street, to three years for each of two counts of gross sexual imposition. Judge Tobin ordered that time on one sentence also count on the other. Maines could have gotten up to a five years for each offense. The sentence was part of the plea agreement. Maines originally had been charged with rape and gross sexual imposition. But prosecutors agreed to reduce the rape charge to gross sexual imposition in return for his guilty plea.
Authorities say Maines had sexual contact at his home with the girl, whom he knew, on various occasions between 1994 and 1998.
Open enrollment
COLUMBIANA -- Crestview Schools will receive about $300,000 from the state in the 2002-03 school year for 62 open enrollment pupils. Treasurer Charlene Mercure said the district will receive $4,949 for each open enrollment student coming into the district. Open enrollment allows students from anywhere to attend Crestview schools. The board is to approve the open enrollment list at the July meeting, she said. The 2002-03 school year is the first for which Crestview has open enrollment.
Psychological testing
LISBON -- Judge David Tobin of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court has ordered a psychological evaluation of Michaelene Duffy, 43 of St. Jacob-Logtown Road, Lisbon. Duffy is charged with attempted murder in the April 10 shooting of her former landlord.
Her attorney, Fred Naragon of Salem, requested the evaluation after Duffy pleaded innocent by reason of insanity June 10.
Thomas Rice, 55 of state Route 7 was critically injured in the shooting at his home, but has since been released from the hospital. Police said Rice was shot seven times. Duffy remains in the Columbiana County Jail with bond set at $500,000.
A Columbiana County grand jury has also indicted Duffy on charges of theft, taking the identity of another, and forgery. Authorities said Duffy tried to use the identity of Rice's wife, Juanita, and forged both her name and that of Rice at banks and to secure credit cards.
Sewer system repairs
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- City council agreed to hire Graziani Construction of New Castle to complete the Mercer Street sanitary sewer replacement. Graziani will be paid $406,540. Work is expected to start in about two weeks, said John DiMuccio, city administrator. The project is needed to correct overflows of the sewer system.
Board holds tax line
NEW CASTLE -- The Neshannock Area School District Board of Directors has adopted a 2002-03 school-year budget of $12,827,710.00, a 5.6 percent increase from last year's budget. The budget includes no tax increase but will reduce the district's fund balance, sort of a savings account, to $750,000, officials said Thursday.
Route 208 repaving
MERCER, Pa. --Pa. Route 208 in Mercer County between U.S. Route 19 and the Lawrence County line is being repaved and delays are possible. Sharon Paving and Construction of Sharpsville has the $315,000 contract. Work should be completed by early July, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Flooding problems
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- An early morning thunderstorm dumped a lot of rain on the borough, causing street and basement flooding. Stewart Avenue, Race Street and Mercer Street were all under water after the 5:30 a.m. storm but were open to traffic within two hours. Borough firefighters were still pumping out flooded basements in the area at 9 a.m. Meanwhile, sections of Farrell were without power around 7 a.m. but it wasn't immediately clear if the outage was storm-related. City officials said a power line on Broadway was down, cutting service along Broadway Avenue and Roemer Boulevard.