Monday, July 28, 2003
Mercer County Habitat for Humanity will dedicate its sixth home in a ceremony at 259 Prospect St. in Sharon at 2 p.m. Aug. 3. Ramona Peagler and her two children are the new homeowners.
This project involved rehabilitating a home rather than building a new one. The program is open to the public. The local Habitat for Humanity group has built three homes in Greenville and two in Farrell.
Recipients must put in a minimum of 500 hours of "sweat equity" in the form of work on their house. They then buy the house at cost through no-interest loans.
Aid for steel workers
Steel workers displaced or otherwise negatively affected by foreign competition can get a 65 percent federal Health Coverage Tax Credit. State Rep. Rod Wilt of Greenville, R-17th, said as many as 21,000 Pennsylvanians and 42,000 of their dependents are eligible for the new tax credit.
It applies to displaced steel workers who are receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance (federal training funds channeled through the state to help them find a new vocation) and retired steel workers through the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp.
They must be paying for and receiving health-care insurance through a plan that has been deemed a provider of "qualified health coverage," Wilt said. For more information, contact the tax credit program at (866) 628-4282 or visit the Web site at www.irs.gov.
Entries for art show
The Valley Arts Guild has issued a call for entries for the 2003 Buhl Day Art Show to be held Sept. 1 at Buhl Park in Hermitage. Monetary prizes will be awarded in fine arts and photography in both professional and amateur categories.
Entry forms are available at the guild office at 10 Vine Ave., Sharon, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday each week. Entry forms must be returned by Aug. 22. For more information, call the guild at (724) 983-1834LaGrotta joins group
State Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-10th, has been named to the National Conference of State Legislatures' communications, technology and interstate commerce committee.
NCSL is a national, bipartisan organization that serves state lawmakers and their staffs in all 50 states by offering research, publications, consulting and other assistance.
The group's standing committees are composed of legislators and legislative staff and serve as the main organizational mechanism for providing assistance to NCSL members. There are 15 standing committees that deal with state and federal issues.
Back on board
Matthew Mangino, Lawrence County district attorney, was re-elected to the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Institute board of directors.
The institute, affiliated with the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association, was founded in 1983 for the purpose of providing educational materials and training seminars for district attorneys.
XCONTRIBUTORS: Harold Gwin, Vindicator Sharon Bureau, and Laure Cioffi, New Castle Bureau.