KEYSTONE CLIPS Fine for incomplete report is senseless, officials say

Sharon officials aren't happy with the state Department of Environmental Protection's levying a $24,000 fine against the city for filing an incomplete quarterly report on activity in the municipal sanitary sewer system.
Fining the city for a lack of paperwork is ridiculous, some councilmen said. One lawmaker, Bob Lucas, said the state agency is basically fining the citizens it works for and summed up his feelings this way: "That's bad government at its best."
Below-average precipitation
Things dried up a bit in the Shenango Valley after a damp winter and early spring. The Shenango Valley Division of Aqua Pennsylvania Inc. said total precipitation for April reached 2.78 inches, well below the average of 3.76 inches for that month.
That dropped the total precipitation for the first four months of the year slightly below the average of 11.14 inches for that period. Shenango Valley totaled 11.03 inches during that period this year.
Grant for recycling
State Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, D-10th, said Lawrence County will get a $7,484 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection for its recycling record. DEP will award the money under its Recycling Performance Grant Program.
The program provides incentives to help Pennsylvania communities increase their recycling rates and exceed the statewide goal of recycling 35 percent of all municipal waste. The grants are awarded based on total tons of waste recycled in each county for 2002. Lawrence County recycled about 790 tons.
XCONTRIBUTORS: Harold Gwin, Vindicator Sharon Bureau, and Laure Cioffi, New Castle Bureau.