Road reopening delayed

Road reopening delayed
HOWLAND -- Howland-Wilson Road's reopening at state Route 82 has been delayed until early next week. The intersection was originally set to open by the end of this week. Because of an unforeseen issue with the signal controller, more time is required to ensure the signal functions properly and safely, the Ohio Department of Transportation said.
Council to air meetings
SHARON, Pa. -- Watching the action at Sharon City Council meetings won't require attendance. City council meetings will be broadcast live over the city Web site, cityofsharon.com. The site has been newly updated by 13 pupils from the Mercer County Career Center. Brian Patt of the career center said the pupils are meeting with city officials March 30 to discuss what other content city officials want on the Internet. It will contain city council agendas and ordinances, he said. All e-mail addresses and telephone numbers for officials and employees are already listed on the site. Mayor Bob Lucas also announced that the city building now has wireless Internet connection thanks to the pupils. There has been no cost to the city for the services.
Open enrollment
MINERAL RIDGE -- The Weathersfield School District will accept applications for open enrollment from April 3 through May 1. Applications for open enrollment can be picked put at any district school building during normal business hours, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. The applications must be returned to the district superintendent's office by 3:30 p.m. May 1. Enrollment is accepted according to available openings in each grade. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance or denial to by June 30. Open enrollment in the district is for any school system in Ohio.
Honoring students' lives
HIRAM -- The Hiram College campus community is planning a celebration of the lives of first-year students Grace Chamberlain of Kirtland and Andrew Hopkins of Warren, who died as a result of a March 2 auto accident. The celebration will be at noon Tuesday at Hiram Christian Church, located on the southwest corner of state Routes 700 and 82/305.
Standards improve
AUSTINTOWN -- Schools Superintendent Doug Heuer commended teachers at a recent board meeting, saying they have worked hard to meet tougher standards on the same amount of money the district had when it passed two levies up for renewal in May. He said teachers have improved elementary reading 27 percent, middle school reading 12 percent, elementary math 32 percent, and middle school math 25 percent, and that high-school graduation rate has risen 12 percent. He said the number of buildings rated effective or excellent has improved by 50 percent.
Candidates to speak
POLAND -- The Democrats of the 17th and 6th Districts, a local political group, is inviting those running in the May 2 primary to speak at its next meeting, 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Poland Community Baseball Association on Sheridan Road. Each candidate will get three minutes to speak with three minutes for questions from group members. The organization will not endorse candidates in the primary.
Temporary closing
BEAVER, Pa. -- A 10.7-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Cranberry and Beaver Valley interchanges north of Pittsburgh will be closed from midnight today to 4 a.m. Sunday for demolition work that's part of an overhead bridge replacement project. Detours will be set up. The closure will allow crews to remove steel beams from a bridge at Milepost 37.5 that carries Hardt Road over Interstate 76 in Richland Township, Allegheny County. A single-lane pattern for eastbound and westbound traffic will be in effect from 4 p.m. today to 11 a.m. Sunday. Hardt Road was closed at its turnpike crossing March 1. The new pre-stressed concrete beam bridge is expected to be open in November.
Illegal immigrants held
MERCER, Pa. -- Fifteen illegal immigrants ranging from age 16 to 50 were picked up during a traffic stop on Interstate 80. Pennsylvania State Police said U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement were contacted and took all of them into custody after they were stopped at 1 p.m. March 10. Three of them were from Guatemala, one from El Salvador and the rest from Mexico, state police said.