Intruder scares woman

Intruder scares woman
YOUNGSTOWN -- Police said a 19-year-old woman got a rude surprise when she came home to her Hilton Avenue residence after dark. The woman said she entered her house around 12:05 a.m. Saturday and found a young man crouched just inside the door and holding a gun. The woman said she ran from the house to a relative's home nearby. Police found the door to the home ajar and the victim's keys still in the lock. The gunman was gone, and the house had been ransacked but it wasn't immediately known if anything was taken, police said.
Warren teen found dead
LIBERTY -- Authorities are investigating the death of a Warren teen whose body was found beneath the Tibbetts Wick Road overpass on state Route 11. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Saturday that Jessica R. Cogar, 16, was found around 8:35 p.m. Friday lying on the road. Police closed off a section of Route 11 and rerouted traffic Friday as they investigated the death. There is no evidence indicating homicide or accidental death, police said, adding that a joint investigation is being done with the Trumbull County coroner's office.
Restaurant reopens
LIBERTY -- Cancun Mexican Restaurant, closed by the Trumbull County Board of Health on Wednesday, has reopened for business. A woman identifying herself as Lindsay Marroquin, manager, said Saturday the restaurant was allowed to reopen Friday night and is running a regular schedule. The restaurant has corrected problems cited by the health board in closing the restaurant, Marroquin said. Trumbull County health officials said a lack of running water in employee hand sinks in the kitchen and employee bathrooms and improper handling of raw and cooked foods were the reason the restaurant was shut down. A health department spokesman couldn't be reached to comment Saturday, though Dr. James Enyeart, county health commissioner, had said the restaurant could reopen after his department's complaints had been addressed.
Stream project grants
MERCER, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has awarded two state grants to support stream improvement projects in Mercer County. Sen. Bob Robbins of Greenville, R-50th, said Stream Restoration Inc. will get $80,000 for the design and implementation of an aerobic wetland treatment system on Fox Run. The city of Hermitage will get $35,000 for a Baker Run stream project designed to help protect homes threatened by periodic flooding. The money comes through the state's Growing Greener program.
Christmas in the Park
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The annual Christmas in the Park sponsored by the Mahoningtown Business Association and the City of New Castle is planned for Nov. 21 at Darlington Park on Liberty Street. The event will feature train rides from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children 6 and younger ride free, and all others pay $5. There will be free refreshments. The St. Vincent de Paul choirs will sing from 3 to 3:30 p.m., the Church of Genesis Music Department will perform from 3:30 to 4 p.m. and New Castle High School Jazz Ensemble will perform at 4 p.m. Santa Claus will arrive by firetruck at 4:30 p.m.
Free holiday dinner
YOUNGSTOWN -- Give the Children a Chance, the family life program of Temple Emmanuel Seventh Day Adventist Church and others will sponsor a free Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is the fifth year for the dinner, according to Kathryn Hawks Haney, founder and chief executive officer of Give the Children a Chance. Last year, 450 meals were served at the Give the Children a Chance headquarters in downtown Youngstown. This year, Haney said, the event will be held at Temple Emmanuel Seventh Day Adventist Church, 108 W. Indianola Ave., which can accommodate twice as many diners.