Local

   » Although it rained on the parade, the weather didn't dampen the spirit of the 24th annual Buhl Day in the Shenango Valley on Monday.

   » Mercer County officials haggled behind closed doors Tuesday with administrators and board members of Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission. The two sides were trying to hammer out a contract that would meet state regulations, but the commission's chief executive officer, Dana Frankenburg, called the proposal costly and restrictive.

   » Negotiators at the strikebound Wheatland Tube plant met in a marathon bargaining session Tuesday.

   » Sharon-based Daffin's Candies recently bought Costello's Candies, which has stores in Grove City and Girard, Ohio. The buyout was a family affair, according to a story Wednesday.

   » Kathleen Ann Robinson, 33, formerly of 322 Pearson Road, Sandy Creek Township, will spend at least 15 years in prison after admitting Wednesday she killed Robert A. Erickson Jr., 42, in March 2002. He was the father of her two children.

   » All charges have been dropped against a Fairview Township woman accused of forcing her two teenage daughters to fast for 10 days, according to a story Thursday. Christine M. Sauer, 40, of 109 Balut Road, Lot 1, was accused last year of forcing her daughters, then 16 and 17, to consume only green beans and water because she wanted to "rid their soul of demons," according to a police affidavit.

   » Hundreds of motorcyclists were on hand Wednesday for a "Freedom to Choose Bike Nite" sponsored by Quaker Steak & Lube in Sharon and the Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education. They were celebrating the opportunity to choose whether to wear a helmet while riding in Pennsylvania.

   » A deal of sorts was struck Thursday between Wheatland Tube Co. and United Steelworkers Local 1660 which could pave the way for the end of a strike that has dragged on for more than four months. Union members will be given a chance to vote on the package Sept. 14.

   » A former Wheatland man wanted by Florida authorities in their investigation of a fatal shooting is still in Mercer County Jail as Florida officials prepare the paperwork for extradition proceedings. Charles R. Sarchet, 48, is fighting extradition, according to a story Friday.

   » Susan A. Mendonca, 18, of 150 Todd Ave., Hermitage, was charged with homicide by vehicle and other offenses for causing the death of Brandee M. Simpson, 19, of 612 N. Water Ave., Sharon, in a traffic crash July 25. The story ran Friday.

   » Mercer County farmers are eligible for low-interest loans from the Farm Service Agency to help them recover from the disastrously wet summer, according to a story Saturday.

   » Bill Murray, 52, of Sharon, a cartoonist and satirist, has become the seventh African-American to land a contract with an international newspaper syndicate, according to a story Saturday.

   » Northern Mercer County United Way and Trumbull County United Way kicked off their 2003 campaigns on Thursday. The stories ran Saturday.

   » Sookoo Singh, 84, of Hermitage became Mercer County's newest U.S. citizen. The native of Trinidad was the only person to become a naturalized citizen Friday in a ceremony in Mercer County Courthouse.

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Sports

   » F.H. Buhl Club celebrated its 100-year heritage with a banquet at The Corinthian, downtown, which was attended by more than 200 guests, patrons and friends of the Shenango Valley landmark. Photos of the fete were published Monday.

   » Sharon High products Mike Schneider and Dan Tomko began the 2003 campaign with impressive performances. Schneider is a redshirt-freshman quarterback at Duke University, while Tomko is a true freshman linebacker at Gannon University. Volleyball players Cristy Gustas and Lauren Oman of Duquesne University and Ithaca College, respectively, also were lauded in Thursday's College Notebook column.

   » Jeff Solyan, sponsored by Quaker Steak & Lube and Advanced Auto Body, fared well in the IHRA World Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, as he advanced to the semifinals. He and his crew also were lauded, as reported and pictured in Thursday's edition.

   » Sharpsville golfers, Farrell volleyball spikers and Wilmington tennis netters each remained undefeated on the young 2003 season. Their efforts, as well as those of other county contingents, were documented in print and pictures in the daily fall sports roundup published in The Herald.

   » Hubbard and Greenville football teams improved to 3-0 and 2-0, respectively, with wins over Struthers and Marietta, while Slippery Rock stormed backyard rival Grove City in a key Mercer County Athletic Conference interclassification contest. Sharpsville and Mercer also notched their first wins. Stories and photographs were published in Saturday's Herald.