Route 11 resurfacing

Route 11 resurfacing
WEST POINT -- Resurfacing work is to begin Wednesday on a section of state Route 11 in Madison Township.
Crews will resurface all four lanes of the highway between its state Route 7 exit and its state Route 45 exit. Traffic will be maintained. The work is expected to take about five weeks to complete.
The contractor for the $573,237 undertaking is Superior Paving & amp; Materials of North Canton.
Theft of diapers
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Nurses at Jameson Hospital gave Allen Harris six baby diapers Sunday afternoon.
Police said Harris, 29, of South Ray Street, went back to the hospital at 7:25 p.m. and took four packs of diapers from a supply closet. He was identified on the videotape by police, who charged him with theft.
Route 965 resurfacing
MERCER, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is resurfacing Pa. Route 965 (Jackson Center-Polk Road) from U.S. Route 62 to the Venango County line.
The job will take about three weeks, and lane restrictions will be in effect.
School board OKs budget
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- The Wilmington Area School District board approved a 2003-04 budget of $14,358,940 Monday.
In other business, the board hired Mary Anne Grubic as special-education coordinator at a salary of $61,660 for 10 months a year.
Police in budget squeeze
HOOKSTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A township is operating without its police force while supervisors find the best way to balance money and safety.
Hanover Township in Beaver County is being patrolled by state police while supervisors review the local police budget, which costs between $90,000 to $100,000 a year for two part-time officers, township Supervisor Lorraine Warner said.
Public safety director James English, who was appointed last week, halted patrols and notified the two officers Friday.
"We didn't want to raise taxes, and we didn't want to shut down our police department," Warner said. "Under the circumstances, we were short of everything, so we decided that we would keep the department open for the time and reassess where we stood as far as money and safety."
A decision on the department should be made next month, Warner said.
Safety record improves
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A small drop in violent crime helped make Pittsburgh the 10th-safest metropolitan area of its size, according to preliminary statistics released by the FBI and city police.
The total number of serious crimes decreased from 19,881 in 2001 to 19,737 in 2002, less than 1 percent, said Pittsburgh police Assistant Chief William Mullen.
Homicide fell 14.5 percent that period, from 55 to 47, and arsons fell 34.1 percent, from 173 to 114, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program.
Nationwide, violent crime decreased 1.4 percent. Pittsburgh ranked among the 10 safest metropolitan areas with populations from 250,000 to 499,999.
Arrested in assault
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Police arrested a South Mercer Avenue man who they said broke into a Baker Avenue residence and assaulted a man early today.
David W. McFarland, 37, was arrested at the house around 5:30 a.m. on charges of burglary, simple assault, aggravated assault, harassment and a violation of a court protection-from-abuse order.
Police said a woman living in the Baker Avenue house had secured the court order against McFarland.
Police said McFarland was able to get into the house through a second-floor window and attacked a 43-year-old man. McFarland was held for arraignment today.