Friday, February 27, 2004
Reservists to be deployed
VIENNA -- Twenty-eight Air Force reservists, 18 from the 910th Airlift Wing and 10 from Maxwell Air Force Base, are scheduled to leave Sunday afternoon from the Youngstown Air Reserve Station for a 90-day tour in Kyrgyzstan.
Full-time defendersin Lawrence County
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The Lawrence County public defender's office is going full time. The Lawrence County Salary Board approved making Harry O. Falls full time. Falls is the chief public defender, which has traditionally been a part-time job. His salary will be $48,000 per year. There will also be the equivalent of three full-time attorneys on staff in the office. Previously there was one full-time attorney and three part-time attorneys. One attorney is full time already, another will be promoted to full time, and two attorneys will share a full-time position. The newly promoted full-time attorney will be paid $41,500 annually. Falls said by making these positions full time, his office will be able to take on mental health and murder cases. Those cases are now handled by private attorneys who have separate contracts with the county.
Armed robber hitsmarket in New Castle
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A masked gunman took cash and 30 packs of cigarettes from the Country Fair Market on Croton Avenue. Police said the man was wearing a bandanna over his face and a sweatshirt hood over his head when he walked in and demanded the money at 10:32 p.m. Wednesday.
Uniforms for teachers
NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. (AP) -- Two middle school teachers want colleagues to join them in adopting a school uniform for teachers, saying it will save money, boost morale and perhaps even inspire pupils to follow suit. "We're not here to have a fashion show," said Maria Descours of the West Shore School District in Cumberland County. "We're here to learn." Descours and fellow teacher Kathy Watts have been modeling the idea. Their mix of "casual Friday"-type clothing includes pants or a skirt in navy or khaki topped by a white turtleneck or blue oxford cloth shirt. They don't expect to pass clones of themselves in the teachers lounge. "We have so many different combinations, that's not a problem," Descours said. "In spring and fall, we wear golf shirts, any color we want." The women plan to bring a proposal for a voluntary uniform policy to the school board this year. They hope that pupils will also join them, because they believe pupils who wear school uniforms perform better in school. Those who adopt a uniform could buy a year's worth of clothing for $150 or $200, she said. "I've had students come up to me and say that if they could do it, they would," Watts said.
Drug charges filedagainst New Castle man
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A Sciota Street man faces drug charges after police found suspected marijuana and crack on him during a traffic stop. William Ware, 23, was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession or distribution of a small amount of marijuana. Police stopped Ware's vehicle on Croton Avenue near the North Street Bridge at 10 a.m. Thursday. They found a small bag of marijuana and a pill bottle with suspected crack cocaine, they said. Both tested positive in a field test during the traffic stop, police said. Ware was still in Lawrence County Jail this morning. His bail information was not available.
New federal judge
ERIE, Pa. (AP) -- Western Pennsylvania's newest federal judge will be sworn in on April 5. Thomas Agresti was named to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seat in October. Agresti will be based in Erie but will also travel to Pittsburgh to hear cases.
The other U.S. Bankruptcy Judge based in Erie, Warren Bentz, will continue hearing cases once Agresti takes office. Agresti was an Erie bankruptcy lawyer for more than 20 years. Bankruptcy judges serve 14-year renewable terms and are paid $142,324 a year. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals selected Agresti for the post. The appeals court wanted a sixth western Pennsylvania bankruptcy judge because of the steadily increasing number of bankruptcies in the 25-county court district.
The district had 16,924 bankruptcies last year, up from 6,316 in 1995.