Lightning ruled out in fire

Lightning ruled out in fire

CANFIELD — Fire officials have ruled out lightning as the cause of a Raccoon Road fire that temporarily stopped traffic.

The Canfield Fire Department responded to the fire at 5997 S. Raccoon at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday. Although it was originally believed to be a lightning strike, the cause of the fire is being re-examined by the department, Capt. Bill Jones said.

Jones said three family members safely evacuated the home and no injuries were reported, but he estimated damage to the home to be around $25,000.

Officials closed off South Raccoon Road at the property for an hour while fighting the flames. Jones said the department had extinguished the fire by around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday.

Resurfacing of Route 62

ALLIANCE — Ohio Department of Transportation’s District 11 has announced it will begin work Monday to resurface about five miles of U.S. Route 62 in Columbiana County.

Route 62 will be resurfaced from the Stark County line, which is also the Alliance city limits, to the junction of state Route 165.

Traffic will be maintained with flaggers.

ODOT’s contractor for this $1.5 million project is Central-Allied Enterprises Inc., of Canton. The completion date is Aug. 30.

CSEA offers 2nd chance

WARREN — Encouraged by the positive results last year, the Trumbull County Child Support Enforcement Agency will again offer parents the opportunity in August to have the sanctions lifted that CSEA has imposed for nonpayment of child support.

Diane Shamrock, CSEA administrator, said 77 parents are under warrants for their arrest, and 2,100 have had their driver’s licenses suspended because of nonpayment.

The CSEA can lift those sanctions for any individual who contacts the agency and makes arrangements to begin paying, officials say. Last year, the program resulted in $13,894 in payments from 51 parents. In 82 percent of the cases, the parents are still paying regularly, Shamrock noted.

For more information, call the agency at (330) 675-2732.

Crash kills man, hurts wife

MERCER, Pa. — A man was killed and his wife injured during a two-car accident at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate 79 in Springfield Township. Pennsylvania State Police in Mercer reported Nathan Kilmer, 33, of 107 Walnut St., West Sunbury, Pa., was dead at the scene. His wife, Melissa Kilmer, 28, was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. She was in fair condition there Wednesday.

Three children in the car, Dylan Schlager, 10, Mrs. Kilmer’s son; and Tresta Kilmer, 8, and Rylee Kilmer, 6, the couple’s two children, were not injured.

Police said the crash occurred as Kilmer was driving south on the interstate. Another car driven by Daniel Braun, 18, of Pittsburgh was also southbound. Kilmer swerved into Braun’s car and then lost control, police said. Kilmer’s car struck an embankment along the median and overturned.

Braun and a passenger, Alexa Pappas, 17, of Jefferson, Pa., were not injured.

Brick shatters window

YOUNGSTOWN — Shattered glass from a brick thrown through a 44-year-old South Side woman’s upstairs bedroom window cut her right arm and upper right leg around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. An ambulance crew arrived and treated the wounds.

The woman told police that the two suspects are the adult sons of a man who raped her. She said they keep following her around and she fears for her life. She fears that when the man is sentenced the sons will try to hurt her or her family. The case was assigned to the detective division.

Business, home thefts

YOUNGSTOWN — A variety of items that can be sold for their scrap value were reported stolen from a business Tuesday night in the 3800 block of McGuffey Road on the East Side. The property owner said copper wires, three vehicle engines, a transmission, eight milk cans and miscellaneous metal scrap were taken.

The estimated loss is about $13,000, reports show. The nature of the business wasn’t immediately clear.

Across town, on the West Side, a representative for a realty company discovered at 9 p.m. Tuesday that a vacant house in the 300 block of South Schenley Avenue had been broken into and copper pipes and wires were missing.

Possible drug charges

GIRARD — Two city residents may face charges after police found marijuana growing at their East Second Street home.

According to police reports, officers went to 37 E. Second St. looking for a man who had a warrant and had run from police. Reports say the address has been the subject of numerous complaints and police activity in the past.

Officers searching the house for the man found three marijuana plants, each a foot tall, growing among other plants at the house. A baby sitter, the only adult in the house at the time of the search, was told the 21-year-old man and 35-year-old woman renting the house would face charges.