Pa. man sentenced in vehicular homicide

Pa. man sentencedin vehicular homicide
LISBON -- A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to serve two years behind bars for a March 5, 2001, traffic accident that killed an East Palestine woman.
Steven Harpold, 37, of New Brighton, was given the sentence Thursday by Judge David Tobin of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.
Harpold pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony, in January. Terms of the plea deal were unavailable.
In addition to the jail sentence, Judge Tobin also permanently revoked Harpold's driver's license.
Authorities said Harpold operated his vehicle in a manner that caused the death of Louella Baker, 66, in a crash that occurred on state Route 170 near Negley.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Lisbon Post said Harpold's vehicle failed to make a curve and went left of center, colliding with the car in which Baker was a passenger.
Facade improvements
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- City council approved six applications for the city's commercial facade improvement program.
The city will give building owners $10,000 in grants and loans to improve the outside of buildings. The owners must also pay for at least $10,000 in improvements to qualify. Those approved Thursday night were: Women's Halfway House, 312 Highland Ave.; Keystone Specialty, 1029-1031 South Mill St.; Central Heating and Plumbing, 925-927 Moravia St.; American Legion Post 343, 134 N. Jefferson St.; commercial rental space at 815 Moravia St.; and St. John UHC, 1211 Moravia St.
All designs must be approved by the city before any money is given to the property owners. The improvements are all part of an ongoing effort to revitalize downtown.
911 differences
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County and Ellwood City officials are apparently trying to work out their differences over 911 service.
County Commissioner Roger DeCarbo said a tentative meeting between Ellwood City borough council and county commissioners is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at borough council chambers to discuss Ellwood City's noncompliance with using 911 dispatching for its police and fire.
The county received a letter from the state 911 director threatening to terminate state funding for Lawrence County's 911 center if Ellwood City doesn't comply.
The state is concerned that Ellwood City's police and fire dispatchers are not trained under state guidelines for emergency dispatching services. The county's 911 center dispatchers are trained under those guidelines.
'Millionaire' contestant
YOUNGSTOWN -- Howland High School graduate and law student Jonathan Tsilimos walked away from "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?" $64,000 richer. His appearance on ABC's prime-time game show was shown Thursday night.
Tsilimos, 24, graduates in May from Boston College law school. He earned a degree in English at Tufts University, also in Boston.
Tsilimos took as his guest his mother, Amelia, of Warren.
Tsilimos used all three of his lifelines before he reached the $125,000 question and decided not to gamble. The question: Name the city that became famous for turning on its lights as astronaut John Glenn passed over in an orbit in 1962. Tsilimos was leaning toward Toulouse, France, before he threw in the towel. The answer was Perth, Australia.
Road work suspended
HARRISBURG -- Officials of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said all maintenance and construction projects on the turnpike will be suspended during the Easter holiday weekend, which began today.
Work was suspended at 3 p.m. Thursday and will begin again at 6 a.m. Tuesday. The temporary halt of construction work will provide at least four available lanes on the turnpike for the weekend.
During the weekend, maintenance crews will focus on responding to customer assistance calls and roadway emergencies.
Cop shoots pit bull
YOUNGSTOWN -- A city police sergeant shot and wounded a pit bull after the animal bit someone on the North Side, police reports show. The dog fled.
The officer was called to Indiana Avenue about 5 p.m. by the city dog warden, who said the dog was too dangerous to run loose. The officer shot the dog in the rear with a shotgun. Police followed a blood trail that ended near Elm Street and Illinois Avenue.