The Tri-County Report for September 3rd, 2010...


A New Castle woman suffered major injuries in a two car accident that took place yesterday. It happened at the intersection of Route 208 and Old Mercer Road. That is in Wilmington Township. State police say 43 year old Kerry Voland turned in front of an oncoming vehicle driven by 32 year old David Kroha of Harrisville. Voland was taked to Jameson Hospital for treatment. Police say Kroha was not hurt.


A slight uptick in Lawrence County's unemployment rate. The Department of Labor and Industry says the county's rate increased one-tenth-of-a-percent in the month of July. That puts the rate at nine-point-nine percent. It is still pretty close to the unemployment rate logged for July of last year, when it registered at nine-point-seven percent. Mercer County is at eleven-point-nine percent. Butler County's rate was eight percent.


An accident involving a tractor trailer on Interstate 79 causes all sorts of traffic problems yesterday. Authorities say it happened in the southbound lanes not far from the Zelienople exit. Police say the driver of the truck told them someone in a dark sport utility vehicle cut him off and resulted in him losing control of the tractor trailer. Traffic was backed up for several hours.


State police in Beaver County say a raid at a house in Freedom has resulted in the arrest of three people. Two of the suspects were identified as 21 year old Charles Power the Second and 21 year old Samantha Jo Glaab. Both lived at the Sixth Avenue where the raid took place. Police arrested the third individual, 20 year old Shane Emerick, after discovering he was wanted on a warrant.


A federal lawsuit involving the construction of the Butler County Jail has ended in a settlement. The county solicitor says the agreement was reached after twelve hours of mediation. The county and the prison's former bonding contractor were suing each other for millions of dollars. County commissioners will vote on the settlement at an upcoming meeting.


Authorities in Mercer County say they have busted up a theft ring after arresting three Ohio residents. Police claim the men were stealing video game systems and games from various Wal-Mart stores. They were then selling them for cash. 42 year old Thomas Hamilton of Ashtabula, 34 year old Alex Pitt of Jefferson and 25 year old Christopher Patton are all being held in the Mercer County Jail.


Police in Butler County say a Slippery Rock man suffered minor injuries after he fell asleep while driving. State police say the 23 year old man was traveling south on state Route 8 near Slippery Rock when he dozed off and his vehicle went off the road and struck a guard rail. The accident took place Wednesday afternoon.


All eyes on the state Harness Racing Commission...that is because of today's special hearing concerning the license extension request filed by Centaur Incorporated. Centaur needs the extension so it can auction the proposed race track in Mahoning Township to another developer. Several officials from the Lawrence County area plan to attend that hearing.


State police in Lawrence County are looking for information after somebody damaged a religious monument. The monument is located near the intersection of Vine and Main in Enon Valley. Police say the vandal dumped red paint on the stone monument, which is worth nearly eight-thousand dollars. Anyone with information on that incident should contact state police.


A group of residents from both Beaver Falls and Aliquippa are asking teens from both communities to end a violent rivalry. Shon Owens is the coordinator of the Aliquippa Council of Men and Fathers. He says many people are concerned tensions could lead to off-field problems when the two schools meet on the football field next week. Representatives from the Council of Men and Fathers plan to attend the game. The district attorney's office says there has been a noticable drop in the crime rate since that organization became involved.


The post office in Beaver has been renamed the Robert P. Linn Post Office Building. A special ceremony was held this week to mark the event. Robert Linn is a former mayor of Beaver, a post he held for nearly sixty years. Linn died in 2004 at the age of 95. At the time of his death he was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-serving mayor in the United States. About 150 people turned out for the dedication ceremony.