Police seek cause of death

Police seek cause of death
BUTLER, Pa. -- State police are investigating the death of a 33-year-old New Castle man whose body was found Sunday evening in a rural area of Worth Township. Police found the body of Torrance D. Hawkins along Currie Road at 7 p.m. Sunday and said the manner and cause of Hawkins' death are undetermined and an autopsy was scheduled.
Wash Fido and the Ford
YOUNGSTOWN -- Animal Charity will have a dog and car wash from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday at its offices at 3722 South Ave. A dog bath will cost $10, and the cost of a car wash will start at $5 and increase based on the type of vehicle. All proceeds benefit Animal Charity, a nonprofit organization that offers spaying and neutering and pet wellness services.
High ozone levels
AUSTINTOWN -- The Eastgate Regional Council of Governments says ozone levels are expected to be high today in the Mahoning Valley, irritating eyes and lungs, especially among those with respiratory conditions, and damaging crops. Eastgate is asking Valley residents to avoid filling their cars or using gas-powered lawn mowers until after 7 p.m., as well as to carpool, to help combat ozone creation. Changes in the weather are expected to alleviate the problem by Thursday.
Board to weigh contract
SALEM -- The school board is to meet in special session Wednesday to weigh whether to accept a new one-year contract with teachers. Educators and district officials are considering a deal that would largely adopt the contract teachers already are working under, school board President Marguerite Miller said today.
There would be no pay raise, Miller added.
Unions representing teaching and nonteaching staffs agreed to one-year contracts last year because the district's fiscal situation is so grim. That same arrangement appears to be continuing this year as the district tries to trim expenses.
To save money, the school board has adopted a retirement incentive program and has not renewed contracts for about a dozen teachers. Closing one of the district's schools also has been discussed.
Council doesn't decide
SALEM -- No decisions were made at a special meeting regarding how to address the city's financial problems, including whether to respond with layoffs. Council met in executive session for about 45 minutes Monday to discuss what they said were "personnel" matters. Members left the meeting without taking any official action. It's unclear whether moves may be made at council's next regular meeting, scheduled a week from today, Mary Lou Popa, D-1st, said this morning. Last week, Mayor Larry De Jane said employee layoffs are on the table as the city tries to deal with sagging economic fortunes, partly the result of the nation's poor fiscal health in recent years.
Trustees meeting
NEW SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield Township trustees will hold their regular meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the administration building, 3475 E. South Range Road.
Bartender due in court
NEW SPRINGFIELD -- Bartender Margaret A. Messner, 55, of Springfield Township was due in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court today for arraignment on six counts of drug trafficking. Messner was arrested early Saturday at Smitty's Bar, 14156 Youngstown-Pittsburgh Road. Members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, Springfield police and the Ohio Department of Public Safety Investigations Unit seized cash and drugs. She was secretly indicted last week by a county grand jury.
Doctor charged with fraud
CLEVELAND -- A Youngstown podiatrist is accused of defrauding Medicare by submitting claims for services he never provided.
Dr. Walter M. Malkin, 74, of E. Arms Drive, Hubbard, with offices on Gypsy Lane in Youngstown, is accused of submitting claims for surgical procedures on patients for whom he had provided only routine nail care, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice.
Dr. Malkin was charged after an FBI investigation. He is alleged to have filed fraudulent claims from January 1998 through September 2002 and as a result, a press release states, received payments to which he was not entitled totaling about $67,500.