Grill burns house

Grill burns house
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Residents preparing to cook on their gas grill accidentally caught their house on fire. Fire Chief James Donston said Benjamin Dottle III of 215 N. Walnut St. put his gas grill up against his home and the outside wall caught fire at 8:07 p.m. Sunday. Dottle and his wife and son were not hurt. The Dottles are staying with family members. The one-story house had water damage throughout, he said.
Counterfeit money
SALEM -- Police are investigating reports of counterfeit bills' turning up at a city business and a bank. Two fake $20 bills were given to a Benton Road business. A Salem bank reported receiving three fifties and a twenty. The reports were made Friday and Saturday.
Attack by stranger
SALEM -- A man told Perry Township police he was cut on the wrist by a stranger he encountered in a wooded area. The man said he was dumping grass clippings on adjoining property in the 300 block of West 14th Street when he was confronted and cut with a knife or some other type of sharp object. The man, who did not go to the hospital, was unable to say why he was attacked. The episode occurred around 4:45 p.m. Friday. The attacker was described as a man, about 25 years old and about 6 feet tall.
Girl Scout celebration
LISBON -- Girl Scouts of Lake to River Council will kick off the membership year with a celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Columbiana County Girl Scout office, 129 South Market St. Featured will be games for all ages, a D.J. and karaoke, a classic car show and a bake sale. New groups are formed throughout the year. Girl Scouts of Lake to River Council serves girls 5 to 17 in Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.
Man gets citations
YOUNGSTOWN -- Orland A. Carabbia, 37, of Knollwood Avenue, Poland, was issued citations at 2 a.m. today on the South Side charging him with possession of drug paraphernalia (crack pipe), fictitious license plates and failure to signal a turn. Police said they spotted Carabbia turn onto Hillman Street without signaling and pulled over his car. He didn't have his driver's license, registration or proof of insurance, police said. A crack pipe was found in his jacket pocket and the license plates belong on another car, reports show. Carabbia was told to be in municipal court today for arraignment.
Fire extinguisher course
YOUNGSTOWN -- The National Safety Council, Northern Ohio Chapter, will conduct a fire extinguisher course from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday in its office at 25 E. Boardman St., using a new computer that simulates five kinds of fires. The computer is one of the few such devices in the world. The class meets OSHA training requirements. The cost is $30 for council members, $40 for nonmembers, with a 50 percent discount for multiple attendees from the same organization. Call by Wednesday to register.
Armed robbery sentence
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Justin Kirkwood, 23, of Hoover Road, Shenango Township, was sentenced to four to eight years in a state prison for the Aug. 14, 2002, armed robbery of Family Craft Center on Wilmington Road. Matt Mangino, Lawrence County district attorney, said that on July 18, Kirkwood was convicted of robbery and theft by unlawful taking. According to Mangino, Kirkwood will be required to provide a DNA sample before his release. Mangino also said Kirkwood was denied bond pending appeal.
Rail crossing closing
HILLSVILLE, Pa. -- The Norfolk Southern railroad crossing on Church Hill Road in Mahoning Township will be closed through Friday. Rail workers will be replacing tracks.
Air station funding
VIENNA -- The 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station will receive $1 million to upgrade its aerial mosquito-spraying equipment upon the signature of President Bush on the 2004 Defense Department Appropriations Bill. A joint conference committee of the U.S. House and Senate approved the defense bill this weekend, which included the $1 million in funding for the air station. The station has six sets of spray equipment, each worth about $1 million. The funds will allow four of them to be upgraded to disperse an even finer spray. The station hosts the only fixed-wing mosquito-spraying unit in the Department of Defense. The spraying system hasn't been updated since 1986.