Police identify woman who was killed in crash

Police identify womanwho was killed in crash
HANOVERTON -- Teresa Balasz of 5357 Woodsdale Road is the 43-year-old village woman killed early Tuesday when her vehicle slid off a slick road and smashed into a tree.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol's Lisbon post released Balasz's name today. Her identity was withheld Tuesday, pending notification of her family.
Balasz was fatally injured about 12:05 a.m. Tuesday on Whinnery Road near Lakeview Road in Hanover Township, the patrol said.
An accident report noted without elaborating that the vehicle was traveling at an unsafe speed when the crash occurred.
Balasz was taken from the scene to Salem Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the patrol said.
Fire damages house
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A family was displaced from its home after an electric clothes dryer caught fire. Firefighters said they were called to 221 N. Crawford Avenue at 4:58 p.m. Tuesday.
The fire was contained in the basement, but there was smoke and water damage in the rest of the house.
Fire officials said homeowner Lori Haines was not home, but her 12-year-old son and a baby sitter noticed the smoke and called for help. No one was hurt, they said.
The American Red Cross was called to help Haines and her son find temporary housing, firefighters said.
Meeting is canceled
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Inclement weather resulted in the cancellation of a meeting Tuesday between Sharon and Farrell city councils to discuss the possibility of a municipal consolidation.
James DeCapua, executive director of the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, is serving as facilitator for the session and said it has been rescheduled for 5:45 p.m. Feb. 3 at COG office on Highland Road.
Trailer blaze probed
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Police and firefighters were still investigating the cause of an early morning blaze that destroyed a trailer off of U.S. Route 422 in Mahoning Township.
Fire Chief Poncho Exposito said they were called to the home at 4:20 a.m. A man was inside the trailer and got out safely, Exposito said. The fire chief would not identify the man and said authorities were still trying to determine who owned the trailer.
Pennsylvania State Police said they were questioning the man this morning, but would not release any details.
Firefighters from Union and Neshannock townships assisted with the blaze. It was out by 7:40 a.m.
Family's home burns
SHEAKLEYVILLE, Pa. -- An overheated chimney is the suspected cause of a fire that did between $5,000 and $10,000 damage to an Amish family's home in Perry Township.
Township fire officials said Melvin D. Yoder and his wife and children were at their 23 Mornewick Road home when the fire broke out in a utility room next to the chimney around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday. They were able to get out safely and call for help.
Flames were contained in the utility room.
Eight fire departments responded to the alarm.
Power outage
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The cause of a brief power outage that left about 3,000 people without electricity in Lawrence County was still being investigated Tuesday afternoon.
Penn Power spokesman Bart Spagnola said a transmission line that feeds substations in Neshannock Township and portions of New Castle, including the north hill, east side and Cascade Street, went down at 10:25 a.m. Tuesday. They were able to restore electricity by 10:47 a.m.
The outage affected the Lawrence County Courthouse. County commissioners had to move their regular meeting to the first floor lunch area because there are no outside windows in their meeting room. County workers also had to free one man trapped on the elevator during the outage.