Strike in second day at Universal Rundle

Strike in second dayat Universal Rundle
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Employees of Universal Rundle Corporation, a Crane Plumbing Company, are going into the second day of a strike. The previous contract expired at midnight Tuesday. About 200 production and maintenance employees at the division's plants in Ottuma, Iowa, New Castle, Pa., and Union Point, Ga. are represented by Glass Molders, Pottery, Plastic & amp; Allied Workers International Union at Crane Plumbing's Bathing Systems Division. Company and union representatives could not be reached to comment this morning. A release by the company said the dispute is over pay and benefits but did not give any details. The company release noted that about half the striking workers in the Georgia plant have reported to work and crossed the picket line.
Emergency squad gets $90,211 grant
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- New Middletown Volunteer Fire & amp; Emergency Squad has received a $90,211 grant from the 2002 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
The award will be used by the village fire and emergency squad to enhance fire operations and firefighter safety.
The grant program is designed as an opportunity for Congress to work with Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Fire Administration to enhance basic fire service delivery across the country.
More than 5,000 departments will receive $360 million to support fire protection, EMS delivery, vehicle purchase and prevention programs this year.
More than 19,000 fire departments applied for grant awards this year. The New Middletown request was put through a national peer review process involving more than 300 fire service leaders.
Robber takes $20
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A man with a knife took $20 from another man walking on Lincoln Avenue. Police did not have a description of the suspect, but said he approached the victim around 6:16 p.m. Tuesday and had a black-handled knife.
Accused of theft
HERMITAGE, Pa.-- Police said an employee of the Giant Eagle store in Hermitage Towne Plaza has been accused of stealing $40,000 from the store over two years.
Deborah D. Clark, 31, of Grove Street, Greenville, surrendered to authorities Wednesday morning after learning a warrant had been issued for her arrest. She was arraigned before District Justice Henry Russo on a charge of theft by deception and freed on her own recognizance.
Police said Clark is accused of ringing up false refunds and then pocketing the cash from her register. Store investigators discovered the thefts and called in police Sept. 20, police said.
Exhaust fan causes firein attic area of home
FARRELL, Pa. -- Firefighters said a malfunction in a kitchen exhaust fan caused a fire that routed a Lincoln Avenue family from their home around 6:15 a.m. today.
Fire Chief Joseph Santell said Lorenzo Scott, Gabrielle Thomas and their 17-month-old daughter, Zoe, were home at the time but got out of the house safely. Thomas was feeding the baby and noticed the lights flickering.
She alerted Scott, who found the fire in the attic, Santell said. The flames were confined to the area around the fan, he said. Scott and Thomas are buying the house at 218 Lincoln Ave. under a land contract agreement, Santell said. Scott and Thomas had no insurance, he said.
Firearm indictment
CLEVELAND -- A federal grand jury has indicted Willie G. Wilks, 30, of West Heights Avenue, Youngstown, and charged him with violating federal firearms laws. Wilks is accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Department Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Youngstown police. It is being prosecuted as part of "Project Safe Neighborhoods," a crime control program.