Elkrun Twp. fatality

Elkrun Twp. fatality
LISBON -- A Center Township man died after his sport utility vehicle struck a bridge wall in Elkrun Township. The Lisbon post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said Donald Burson, 59, of Steubenville Pike Road was driving west on old Route 154 near Low Road when the crash occurred around 8:10 p.m. Tuesday. The patrol said Burson was driving fast when the vehicle went off the right side of the road and struck the bridge wall. Burson was wearing a shoulder belt.
Crash still under probe
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Police are still investigating the cause of a crash that left a 3-year-old with critical injuries. Police said Carrie Gierlach, 23, of Oticon Drive, New Castle, was heading south on Rural Avenue and ended up in the opposite lane around 8:25 a.m. Tuesday. A car heading north driven by Richard Lasko, 42, of East Moody Avenue, crashed into the right rear end of Gierlach's car. Police said Gierlach's son, Devon Davis, was strapped in a car seat in the back and injured when the rear door hit him. The boy was taken by medical helicopter to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. He was in critical but stable condition this morning. Police said they are unsure why Gierlach ended up in the wrong lane.
Microburst confirmed
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The National Weather Service has confirmed that a microburst with winds estimated at 70 mph came through Lawrence County on Tuesday. The microburst was about three quarters of a mile wide and extended for about six miles from the Ohio border north of Hillsville through Mahoning and Union townships. Microbursts are strong winds near the ground that produce a swath of damage less than 2.5 miles wide. The hardest hit area in Tuesday's microburst was Mahoning Township with a large number of uprooted trees. Several trees fell on houses and one roof was partly destroyed, according to the National Weather Service. Telephone wires and electric lines were also down. About 800 homes were without power until about 8 p.m. Wednesday night, according to Penn Power officials.
Jailed in robbery
FARRELL, Pa. -- Naheem E. Langley, 30, of Hamilton Avenue, was in Mercer County Jail on $25,000 bond after his arrest in the robbery of a woman leaving a Division Street convenience store. Police said Langley is accused of snatching a wallet from the victim's hands around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday as she left McQuaid's. The victim fought but couldn't hold onto her wallet, police said. She was carrying a pop bottle and threw it at the man's car as he was driving away, breaking the driver's side window. Police later found the car parked in an alley behind Langley's home. He was arrested at the police station shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday and arraigned on charges of robbery and simple assault.
Jet ski stolen
SALEM -- Perry Township police are investigating the theft of a jet-ski watercraft. The jet ski was taken from a home on the 300 block of W. Pine Lake Road. The crime occurred sometime between 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
Silo fire evacuation over
HARTFORD -- State Route 7 reopened Wednesday morning and residents who had been evacuated were allowed to return home after a silo fire. The fire, in a silo on a Route 7 farm, was caused by spontaneous combustion, said assistant fire chief Mark Mennor.
Help Hotline training
YOUNGSTOWN -- Help Hotline Crisis Center is offering free training classes for people interested in volunteering for the 24-hour hot line. The classes meet from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. for six consecutive Saturdays, beginning Oct. 4. Volunteers are asked to make a six-month commitment. Call (330) 747-2696 for more information.
Neshannock Road closed
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Neshannock Road was closed today from U.S. Route 62 to Virginia Road as a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation crew replaced a cross pipe. The road was to reopen around 2 p.m.
Missed the ballot
LISBON -- Two candidates will not be on the November ballot. Meeting Thursday, the Columbiana County elections board declined to certify candidacy petitions filed by Howard Herold Jr., 29978 Canal St., who wanted to run for Hanoverton Village Council; and by Arnold Garren, who had filed to run for West Township trustee. Herold and Garren failed to collect the required number of valid signatures needed to have their names placed on the ballot, the elections board determined. Neither is an incumbent.