Man dies, wife is hurt in motorcycle accident

Man dies, wife is hurtin motorcycle accident
ROGERS -- An Aliquippa, Pa., man died and his wife was treated at an area hospital after a motorcycle crash on state Route 7 in Middleton Township. The Lisbon Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported Lester G. Caler, 47, died Sunday, apparently of a heart attack, at East Liverpool City Hospital, where his wife, Lorie, age unknown, was treated. The patrol said Caler was riding his motorcycle at a slow speed with his wife as a passenger about 2 p.m. Sunday on Route 7 just north of Rogers. He slumped over, and the motorcycle went off the right side of the road and into a ditch, the patrol said.
Possible homicideon Alameda Avenue
YOUNGSTOWN -- Workers found a black jacket and what appear to be bones in the basement of 249 Alameda Ave. early Sunday. The wallet of a man missing for 31/2 years was found at the house last week. Workers told police they found the bones when they saw an indentation in the basement and began digging. The wallet was found in an upstairs bedroom. The case was turned over to homicide detectives.
Dam demolition
BRADDOCK, Pa. (AP) -- The center section of a Monongahela River dam was blown up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will eventually haul the concrete chunks downriver to rebuild a fish habitat on the river bottom. Two years ago, a new $107 million precast concrete dam was floated on barges to Braddock, about five miles upriver of Pittsburgh. The new dam was sunk into place by filling it with water. Saturday's demolition was accomplished by drilling into the old dam and dropping explosive charges through PVC pipe. Seven of the 144 jellied explosive charges failed to explode on schedule at 4:03 p.m. and were detonated a short time later. Starting today, river traffic delays could occur once a day -- likely in the early afternoon -- as demolition work and debris removal continues for two more months.
Event raises cash for AHA
HOWLAND -- A pasta cook-off and wine-tasting benefit event at Blessed Sacrament Church raised $2,700 for the American Heart Association's 2004 Heart Walk. Nearly 400 people attended the event, which featured pasta dishes by nine Trumbull County restaurants as well as amateur pasta makers. A variety of homemade wines was offered in a tasting competition. Participating restaurants included Abruzzi's Caf & eacute; 422, Alberini's, DiViesti's, G's Golden Gate, Leo's Ristorante, McMenamy's, Raptis, Station Square, and Vernon's Caf & eacute;. AHA's 2004 Heart Walk is Sept. 18 at the Youngstown State University track. For more information, call (330) 965-9230.
Borough fires police chief
RANKIN, Pa. (AP) -- A suburban Pittsburgh police chief was fired less than a week after he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing more than $5,800 that had been seized by federal agents during a raid two years ago. Rankin Police Chief Darryll L. Briston, 40, said he'll fight to get his job back. "I don't plan to leave the department," Briston said. He said the borough council's vote to fire him Saturday was a breach of contract because he went on paid sick leave Friday. Briston was arrested March 22 and charged with deprivation of civil rights and theft from an organization receiving federal funds. The indictment accuses Briston of stealing $5,855 seized from a borough residence during an April 2002 raid by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The money was being held at the Rankin police station as evidence after it was taken from the safe of a woman accused by federal agents of having harbored a man wanted on gun and drug charges.
Convicted of murder
ERIE, Pa. (AP) -- A man accused of shooting and killing another man after chasing the victim for a dozen miles was convicted of third-degree murder. Authorities said Michael Guzzardo, 22, of Millcreek Township repeatedly shot Matthew R. Irish, 19, after Guzzardo and a friend chased a vehicle Irish was in from Guzzardo's well-to-do neighborhood last April 26. Defense attorney Leonard Ambrose argued that the shooting was self-defense, saying Irish's friend confronted Guzzardo with a rifle after both vehicles stopped in a parking lot and Guzzardo began fighting with Irish. Erie County prosecutors sought a first-degree murder conviction and life sentence, saying the length of the chase and the fact that Guzzardo was armed when it began showed that the killing was premeditated. Ambrose said the third-degree verdict, reached Saturday in less than two hours, appeared to be a compromise. Third-degree murder is a malicious killing without premeditation. Judge Ernest DiSantis Jr. let Guzzardo remain free on $20,000 bond until his May 5 sentencing over the objections of prosecutors and the victim's family.