Collections for 911 are below estimates
Collections for 911are below estimates
LISBON -- Collections to finance Columbiana County's 911 emergency phone system are well below initial estimates, says Commissioner Gary Williams.
Williams released figures Thursday that showed total collections were $90,951 for April through September. The county is collecting 50 cents a month per land line to finance the 911 equipment.
The county had estimated that SBC, the area's largest phone provider, would alone generate $94,019 for the period. But SBC collections were $79,011.
Williams said he was going to check the records to see if the collection figure was correct. Williams believes that collections will reach the original projection when billing and other problems are resolved.
Burglar surprised
GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Pennsylvania State Police said a Blacktown Road woman surprised a burglar in her house when she came home. The 60-year-old victim said she came back to her Pine Township home around 12:10 p.m. Monday and discovered a man inside going through her possessions.
She confronted him and he walked out of the house, headed west along Blacktown Road. The assailant was described as a white man in his late 30s, about 5 feet 11 inches tall with a husky build and dark, medium-length hair. Police said a white woman driving an older red station wagon might also be involved.
Bridge closes
MERCER, Pa. -- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has closed the Scrubgrass Road Bridge at Hartwick and Foster roads in Findley Township. The state agency said the bridge is no longer safe and must be replaced. It's owned by Mercer County. Replacement is expected to take up to two months. Red arrow detours have been posted around the site. PennDOT ordered the bridge closed as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Former manager charged
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Police have charged a former manager of the Tic Toc Food Mart at 4195 E. State St. with theft by deception. Todd N. Davis, 22, of First Street, Sharpsville, was arrested Thursday and arraigned before District Justice Henry Russo, who released him on his own recognizance. Police said he is accused of registering fraudulent refunds totaling $3,100 at the store between July and October this year.
HEAP programsbeing offered
YOUNGSTOWN -- The emergency and regular Home Energy Assistance Program is again being offered to low-income households by the Mahoning Youngstown Communty Action Partnership. Applicants for emergency assistance should call the toll-free 24-hour number, (866) 223-1125, beginning Monday.
Emergency HEAP is for those whose utilities have been terminated and those who face the threat of disconnection or have less than a 10-day supply of bulk fuel. Applications for regular HEAP, for those not facing disconnection, may be picked up in the MYCAP office at 101 Federal Plaza East from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Driver is killed
LAKE MILTON -- Cherrone Spurlock, 19, of Boardman died Thursday morning after an accident on Interstate 76, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Canfield post, said.
Spurlock, traveling west through a construction site and passing other vehicles around 8:20 a.m., drove off the right side of the road and hit a concrete divider when swerving back, the patrol said. Spurlock was ejected when the car flipped over and came to rest on its roof.
WRTA ridership
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ridership at Western Reserve Transit Authority was up 11 percent in September compared with the same month last year: 133,000 riders this September compared with 117,000 in September 2003, reported Jim Ferraro, executive director, during a regular meeting of the board of trustees Thursday afternoon. Ridership has been steadily increasing over the past year and a half, Ferraro noted.
To better accommodate riders, WRTA will take possession of seven new buses, complete with wheelchair lifts, early next year, Ferraro added. The buses should be on the road by early February.
Fire department awarded
HOWLAND -- The Howland Fire Department was one of 973 fire departments in America, Italy and Iceland to be presented with the 2003 Life Safety Achievement Award by the Residential Fire Safety Institute of Stanton, Iowa. The award recognizes the departments' fire prevention activities.