House fire extinguished

House fire extinguished
SALEM -- Perry Township firefighters were assisted by several other fire departments in battling a blaze at a home at 1983 state Route 9.
The fire was reported about 12:28 a.m. Thursday, said Perry Fire Chief Al Hofmann, who wasn't sure of the name of the home's occupant. A loss estimate was unavailable this morning.
Cause of the fire in the two-story wooden-frame home appears to have been an electrical malfunction, Hofmann said.
A Damascus firefighter was treated at Salem Community Hospital after being overcome by smoke while fighting the fire. Assisting Perry were firefighters from Damascus, Winona, Hanoverton and Beloit.
Sewer plant loan
ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. -- A $970,500 low-interest sewage treatment plant loan has been secured for Ellwood City, announced state Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-10th. The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority loan will help pay for a new 3,300,000-gallon-per-day sewage treatment plant, along with a related pump station and 5,300 feet of main sewer line.
The plant will be designed to specifically improve waste collection, conveyance and a treatment system to eliminate the potential health hazard of untreated water being discharged into nearby creeks and streams. The project's design phase will begin this fall and the plant is slated for completion in three years.
The current system serves about 4,000 households.
Paving contract
SHARON, Pa. -- The city will pave portions of 24 streets and alleys under a $918,607 contract awarded to Sharon Paving and Construction Co. of Sharpsville.
The project includes $17,124 to repave the municipal tennis courts on Wengler Avenue, covered by a state grant. The city will tap $203,293 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds and has borrowed the remaining $698,190 to finance the paving.
Valley Arts Guild grant
SHARON, Pa. -- The Valley Arts Guild has been awarded a $1,504 state "PA Partners in Arts" grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The money will be used to support educational programs offered by the guild.
Church lawn damaged
SALEM -- Someone drove a vehicle onto the lawn of a church and purposely spun the tires to damage the turf, Perry Township police said.
The vandalism occurred sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1610 State Blvd., police said.
From model to evangelist
WEST MIDDLESEX, Pa. -- Former New Castle resident Shiela Jones will bring her Holiness Unto God Ministry to the Radisson Hotel. The program will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Admission is $5 and includes breakfast and workshop materials. Jones is a former fashion model who is now an evangelist.
Personnel moves
COITSVILLE -- Township trustees removed Gene Hvizdak from the board of appeals and appointed him to the zoning board.
Trustees appointed Mary Jarrett to replace Hvizdak on the board of appeals, and appointed Gordon Davis to the audit committee. Trustees also approved the hiring of a new auxiliary police officer, Jeff Saluga, during a special meeting Thursday.
Attempted-murder charge
YOUNGSTOWN -- Police charged Ralph Muldrow, 18, of Shehy Street late Thursday with one count of attempted murder and one count of felonious assault in the wounding of two people outside a house in the 800 block of Cameron Avenue at 11:10 p.m. Tuesday.
Muldrow got into an argument with Edward Watson, 20, of Cameron, then went to a car, got a handgun and began shooting, police said. Watson was shot once in the lower back, and Paul Jackson, 37, also of Cameron Avenue, was grazed in the forearm. Muldrow was scheduled for a video arraignment today.
Arson ruled in house fire
YOUNGSTOWN -- The fire department ruled arson was the cause of a fire that heavily damaged an unoccupied 11/2-story frame house at 50 Poplar Ave. The fire reported at 5:54 a.m. today caused an estimated $25,000 in damage to the structure, fire officials said. The house is owned by John Cox of Youngstown.