METRO DIGEST || Turnpike fatality

Leavittsburg man killed on Pa. turnpike

BEAVER, Pa

Pennsylvania State Police in Lawrence County said the driver of a car was killed around 11:37 p.m. Friday after he drove the wrong way on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and collided with two tour buses. Fredrick Westfall of Leavittsburg was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said he was driving westbound in the eastbound lane and was struck head-on by one of the buses, destroying his Chevrolet Lumina.

He was not wearing a seat belt, police said. After hitting the bus, the car hit the concrete median barrier before it hit the second bus, hit the wall again, and came to a rest in the eastbound E-Z Pass lane.

The driver of the first bus had moderate injuries to his foot. The second bus driver, a woman, was not injured.

A total of 96 passengers were on the two buses. Three of the passengers were treated for minor injuries at Ellwood City Hospital.

Warren Relay for Life falls short of goal

WARREN

Friday evening’s thunderstorms put a damper on the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, which raised more than $365,000, but fell short of its goal of $416,000.

“We had to shut down everything for two hours and put people in tents [in Courthouse Square],” said Phil O’Hara, relay co-chairman. “That would have been our prime time for fund raising.

Last year, the relay raised $380,000.

Nearly 10,000 volunteers participated in the 24-hour relay, which ended at 6 p.m. Saturday. O’Hara said he hopes volunteers will be able to raise an additional $20,000 within the next few weeks.

Child, 3, sets fires in Shenango Twp.

SHENANGO

Police in Lawrence County say a 3-year-old boy is responsible for setting fires at two homes Friday morning that caused an estimated $10,000 in loss. Firefighters from Shenango Township were called to a garage fire on state Route 388 and discovered a fire in the house and on a porch swing at a nearby home. Witnesses said the boy was with a dog. Police said the child grabbed the torch while his parents were sleeping and started the fires. No charges will be filed.

Harry Meshel gives jazz statues to YSU

Harry Meshel, a member of the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees, former president of the Ohio State Senate and a long-time fan of jazz, has donated sculptures of three legendary musicians to the Jazz Studies program in the Dana School of Music.

The sculptures by artist Ed Dwight depict Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis and will be on display at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown.

“This gift is symbolic of two of Sen. Meshel’s great passions in life – YSU and jazz,” YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson said. “On behalf of the entire university, I want o thank Sen. Meshel for his continued generosity and his nfailing support of YSU and its students.”

Meshel, a 1949 graduate of Youngstown College, said the donation is his way to pay tribute to the many talented faculty and students who have been associated with YSU’s jazz program.