Woodworking business fire

Woodworking business fire
SHARON, Pa. -- A fire Thursday morning at a local business caused more than $200,000 in damage, firefighters said. Hatlen Woodworking, 118 Silver St., caught fire about 7:30 a.m. when sparks from a drill ignited nearby lacquer, firefighters said. Employees tried to put out the fire themselves but were not successful. One employee needed oxygen when firefighters arrived.
About one-third of Hatlen Woodworking, owned by Don Hatlen of Florida, was destroyed. Firefighters had to peel off the roof, which was made of rubber.
Hatlen Woodworking is above Blackie's Pool Hall, owned by Ralph Chomor. The pool hall suffered water damage to 10 billiards tables, firefighters said. The entire building, owned by Chomor, was insured.
Gambling-charge hearings
WARREN -- A Cortland man and woman will return to court next month to face a misdemeanor charge stemming from a December 2002 raid of a long-running barbut game.
Bill Graham and Karla D. Gates were each charged with operating a gambling house. Their preliminary hearings are set for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 23 before Judge Thomas Gysegem of municipal court.
Police and FBI agents raided the barbut game and confiscated about $6,000 in cash, dice, betting chips and gambling records dating to 1983. A sawed-off shotgun reportedly was found in a plastic bag, unloaded, under a mattress in the apartment's bedroom.
The apartment where the raid occurred was above the Greyhound bus station on East Market Street.
When police raided early on a Saturday in December 2002, they found 14 people surrounding a Vegas-style dice table, police said at the time.
3rd recent fire probe
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Pennsylvania state fire marshals have again been called to investigate a suspicious Greenville fire, the third such fire in the last week.
Firefighters responded to a blaze at a vacant house early today at 3739 Shenango St. The house had no working utilities, firefighters said. The fire started in the center of the house. There were no injuries reported.
No other information was immediately available.
State fire marshals were dispatched June 26 to a suspicious fire at 41 N. Race St., also a vacant house. They were again dispatched June 28, to a fire at Affordable Auto, 303 Main St. The auto shop has been closed since January.
2 injured in vehicle crash
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A New Castle-area man was in fair condition this morning after a crash on Pa. Route 65. Pennsylvania State Police said Harry Martin, 28, of Shenango Township was turning left onto Links Drive in the township at 3:28 p.m. Thursday when his car crashed into a pickup truck. The truck, driven by Edward A. Dietrich, 39, of New Castle, was going north on Pa. Route 65.
Martin was in fair condition. Dietrich's passenger, Daniel Bruno, 54, of New Castle, was injured, but his condition was not available this morning. Police said he was taken to Jameson Hospital. Dietrich and another passenger, Edward A. Dietrich Jr., 15, were not hurt, police said.
Fire prevention grant
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- The fire department has been awarded a $3,069 prevention and safety grant. The funds will buy 500 smoke detectors, smoke detector batteries, detector testing equipment and a computer. Firefighters plan to canvass Greenville's residential buildings and check for working smoke detectors. Residences without smoke detectors will have one installed by firefighters at no charge.
The computer will log where the smoke detectors are installed and allow firefighters to follow up a year later to install a fresh battery.
The grant is part of the 2003 Federal Fire Act Grant Program.
Car and money stolen
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Someone broke into a house on Finch Street early today and took about $1,200 and a car. Police said the resident woke up at 4:30 a.m. to let her dogs out and didn't notice anything unusual. But when she got up at 5:30 a.m., a screen on a window was cut and her back door was open. Her purse, with the money, and 1992 Toyota were missing, police said.
Sharon zoning variances
SHARON, Pa. -- The owners of two separate day-care operations on Baldwin Avenue requested variances Thursday from the city's board of zoning appeals. Kathy Papp, owner of Papp Daycare, 325 Baldwin, was granted a variance to operate her business in a residential R-1 zoned area.
Sherry Christner, who operates a day care in her home at 424 Baldwin, requested the same variance, but the request was tabled. The board will work with her to make the changes to her property necessary to be granted the variance. Her day care will remain open while she works toward compliance with zoning code.