Hermitage teachers union accepts 5-year contract

Hermitage teachers unionaccepts 5-year contract
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Members of the Hermitage Education Association have overwhelmingly ratified the terms of a new five-year contract.
A spokesman for the teachers union said the 150 members voted nearly unanimously Thursday to accept the contract, which will be retroactive to July 1. The school board approved the agreement Wednesday.
Terms of the pact will be released in a joint statement by the teachers and the school board next week, the spokesman said.
Crack sealing on highwaysreduces traffic to one lane
SALEM -- Crack sealing will begin Tuesday on four-lane highways in Columbiana, Jefferson and Belmont counties, including U.S. 62 north of Salem, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said.
Lyndco Inc. of Shadyside has the $235,000 contract to perform the maintenance.
Traffic will be maintained but reduced to one lane in each work location. The work is to be completed by Oct. 31.
State police promotion
HARRISBURG -- A state police corporal assigned to Troop D in Mercer County has been promoted to the rank of sergeant.
Kirt T. Snyder of West Middlesex has been reassigned to the department's Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards. Snyder has been a member of the force since 1987.
American Folkways event
CLINTONVILLE, Pa. -- The 14th annual American Folkways Festival will run Saturday through Monday.
The event features a wide variety of artisans and crafters as well as country western, bluegrass and dulcimer music on a 10-acre wooded setting.
There are also antique engines and antique farm equipment on display.
Grounds are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $4. Children 10 and under are admitted free.
To get there, take Exit 35 (old Exit 4) off Interstate 80 and take Route 308 south one block to Hovis Road and turn right.
Woman: Man wanted child
YOUNGSTOWN -- A woman told police that a man came to her door Thursday night and asked to buy one of her grandchildren.
The 59-year-old woman, who lives in the 40 block of West Warren Avenue, said the man came to her door about 10 p.m. and asked to purchase one of her three grandchildren, who range in age from 9 to 13 years old.
The woman told him to get off her property, but he kept asking her about buying one of the children. The woman told police that she finally shouted at him to leave, and he then got into a newer silver or gold four-door Ford Taurus and drove off.
The children told police that the same man had sat in his car watching them play outside about 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The woman and her grandchildren did not know the man. They described him as white, in his mid-20s, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 185 pounds. They said he had brown hair and blue eyes.
Corvette wins award
AUSTINTOWN -- A 1957 Corvette owned by township resident Chuck Paden won a Celebrity Pick award at the "Corvettes at Carlisle" car show held Aug. 27-29 in Carlisle, Pa.
About 2,500 Corvettes were featured in the event, and Celebrity Pick awards were given to Corvettes judged to be the best all-around.
Paden has owned the Corvette since 1999; it was the first time he had participated in the Carlisle event.
Casa de Cafe burglary
YOUNGSTOWN -- City police are investigating a burglary at Casa de Cafe in the 100 block of East Rayen Avenue.
Owners told police that someone broke in between noon Monday and 4 p.m. Thursday.
Missing were a latte coffee machine, a 60-inch television, coffee pumps, a cash register and the business' security system, which consisted of four cameras, a VCR and a monitor.
UltraViolet Loop ends run
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A bus route that ferried people to restaurants, bars and clubs on weekends around the Steel City will stop running after this weekend.
The UltraViolet Loop began in 2002 with money from private groups hoping to highlight the city's attractions. The Port Authority of Allegheny County, which supplied buses and drivers, had planned to continue the route, which operated on Friday and Saturday nights.
But the money provided by the groups, including the Heinz Endowments and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, to keep the route running for the past 18 months has run out, and the Port Authority can't afford the cost of about $20,000 a month, officials said.