Turnpike contract

Turnpike contract

BEREA

Toll collectors and maintenance workers at the Ohio Turnpike began 2011 with a new, three-year labor contract that freezes their pay and benefits.

The (Toledo) Blade reports Saturday that under the December agreement between the Teamsters Local 436 and the Ohio Turnpike Commission, the union’s 636 members will receive no raises and no other major changes to their working conditions.

Turnpike Executive Director L. George Distel tells the newspaper the union’s previous contract had granted raises in each of three years.

Group for the jobless

canfield

A new support group for unemployed people is being formed and will meet at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 12 at The Ursuline Center, 4280 Shields Road.

The group, which will meet weekly, also will provide information on resources and various assistance programs available in the Mahoning Valley. Call 330-799-4941, or go to www.theursulines.org for more information.

House fire kills Pa. woman, 88

MERCER, PA,

The Pennsylvania State Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of a fire that left an 88-year-old woman dead.

Jefferson Township firefighters received a call at 7:10 p.m. Friday and arrived to find a 100-year-old farmhouse on Charleston Road engulfed in flames, said Fire Chief Jeff Lockard.

Three hours later, after the blaze was extinguished and a backhoe was used to shift through debris, firefighters located the body of Rose Minick on the first floor of the residence, he said.

The Mercer County coroner’s office is investigating the cause of death. Ten fire departments responded to the call, Lockard said.

Making bookmarks

hubbard

Members of Hubbard Friends of the Library make bookmarks from used greeting cards. Donate holiday and all-occasion cards at the circulation desk at Hubbard Public Library, 436 W. Liberty St. Bookmarks are available for free to all library patrons. This is an ongoing project, and cards are needed year-round.

Howland tree pickup

HOWLAND

Howland Township will pick up Christmas trees curbside for recycling today through Jan. 14. Township residents are urged to remove ornaments and trimmings. Township residents may also drop off trees from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Jan. 14 at the Public Works Department, 3600 North River Road. Call 330-856-4037 for information.

7 residents injured in fire in duplex

BROOKFIELD

Seven people were taken to Sharon Regional Health System after a fire broke out Saturday morning in a three-story duplex on Syme Street.

Firefighters were called to Syme Street around 5:50 a.m. People were on the roof of the building, and at least one still was inside the house, but all made it to safety, said a Trumbull County dispatcher.

The dispatcher said those taken to the hospital were treated for minor injuries.