Interim superintendent

Interim superintendent
COLUMBIANA -- Bob Thomas, retired superintendent of the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, will serve as Columbiana School District's interim superintendent through the remainder of the school year. Thomas lives in Poland and has also worked in the Mahoning County Educational Service Center and been a teacher and administrator in other Youngstown area schools. Treasurer Lori Posey said Thomas will be paid $35 per hour on an as-needed basis. Posey said the board of education will conduct a superintendent search in the spring and hopes to name a new superintendent before the start of the 2004-05 school year. Superintendent Patricia Hura died of cancer Oct. 3. The board accepted her retirement resignation Oct. 1.
Fire destroys home
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Fire of undetermined origin destroyed the home of Kevin Bailey at 40 We The People Lane in Lackawannock Township. Hermitage Fire Marshal Robert Goeltz said Bailey wasn't home when the fire was discovered around 7 p.m. Tuesday. His mother went to visit him, spotted smoke coming from the garage and dialed 911 for help, Goeltz said. Fire crews reaching the scene found the house fully involved in flame, he said. Crews from Clark, Mercer East End and Shenango Township assisted Hermitage firefighters by providing water at the scene, Goeltz said. The loss is insured and the cause is considered accidental until an investigation is completed to identify the specific source of ignition, he said.
Bomb threat at school
TRANSFER, Pa. -- Police said a bomb threat caused the evacuation of the Reynolds Junior-Senior High School. A pupil found a note in a restroom shortly before noon written by someone saying they wanted to blow up the school, police said, adding that officials decided to evacuate the building as a precaution. Pupils were sent to the nearby elementary school, where they remained until dismissal time.
Accidental fire at bar
ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. -- A blaze that heavily damaged a bar appears to be accidental. Fire Chief Connie MacDonald said the fire started in a space between the drop ceiling and the roof of The Homestead, 1 Fountain Ave. There were portions of the roof that burned completely through, he said. The bar is owned by Dan Brown. MacDonald said the last patrons left the bar at 2:30 a.m. The fire was spotted by an off-duty firefighter going to his second job at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Holocaust program
SHARON, Pa. -- "Eyewitness to the Holocaust," the stories of a death-camp inhabitant and a German who served as a U.S. soldier in World War II, will be presented at 1 p.m. Saturday in First Presbyterian Church, 600 E. State St. The program by Violet Weinberger and Fritz Ottenheimer is sponsored by The College Club of Sharon. Weinberger is a native of Czechoslovakia and was interred at Auschwitz in Poland during the war. Ottenheimer is a German native who emigrated to the United States in 1939 and returned to Germany in 1945 as an American soldier. His memoirs were published under the title, "Escape and Return: Memories of Nazi Germany."
Three present workshops
YOUNGSTOWN -- Three local women were to present workshops today in Columbus at a caucus for the Women of Color Institute, sponsored by the Ohio Coalition on Sexual Assault and Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
Detective Sgt. Delphine Baldwin Casey, assigned to the Youngstown Police Department Crisis Intervention Unit, planned to speak about women of color in law enforcement. She said the workshop will highlight issues that women of color encounter from racism to sexism and how to overcome some of the barriers.
Melinda Gavins, executive director of Sojourner House, a shelter for battered people, was to present a workshop on grant writing, with emphasis on research and drafting. Participants will have the opportunity to review samples of grants.
Jennifer Miller, executive director of Associated Neighborhood Centers, would discuss what impact the HIV/AIDS epidemic has on women of color. Participants would discuss the myths and realities of HIV/AIDS.
Emergency HEAP
YOUNGSTOWN -- Low-income Mahoning County residents can call the Youngstown Area Community Action Council (YACAC) at (866) 223-1125 to receive help getting Emergency Home Energy Assistance (HEAP). Emergency HEAP provides help to low-income households that have had utility service terminated, face the threat of disconnection, or have less than a 10-day supply of bulk fuel. HEAP may also help in establishing new service. Churches, organizations or agencies needing HEAP applications may also call the YACAC office.