The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

Related Photos

  • David E. Dale/Herald

    Bridge bill signed
July 1, 2009

Rendell signs bill for naming Wallace bridge in Sharpsville

SHARPSVILLE — Sharpsville’s Sgt. David W. Wallace III, who was killed in January in Afghanistan, will soon have a bridge named in his honor after Gov. Ed Rendell signed the piece of legislation Monday.

The bridge will also include Wallace’s high school nickname, “Walleye,” which his mother Carol Wallace said followed him into the military.

“I have a picture of when my son came home from Iraq, from his first deployment, and on his helmet was ‘Walleye,’ ” she said. “So I knew home went with him.”

The nickname stayed with Wallace through three deployments, Mrs. Wallace said, and it meant something to him.

She said with a laugh that he’d picked up other nicknames while serving with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. “I just learned they called him Garfield when he was in Afghanistan,” she said.

But he took ‘Walleye’ with him. “So I know that Sharpsville was always in his heart.”

Now Wallace will always be a part of Sharpsville. There will be a dedication ceremony later this year and signs will be created for the Sgt. David W. Wallace III “Walleye” Memorial Bridge, which is on Walnut Street and crosses the Shenango River.

No memorial is what a parent wants for their child, Mrs. Wallace said.

But having it as part of Sharpsville will bring honor to both her son and the area’s other fallen heroes.

“It’s not just about David. It’s about all the fallen heroes,” she said.

A member of the Blue Devil football and wrestling teams, 25-year-old Wallace was the first Mercer County native to be killed in action in Afghanistan since the U.S. invaded to oust the Taliban.

Wallace was killed by an improvised explosive device at 10 a.m. Jan. 26 while on duty in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.

The bill was introduced by state Rep. Mark Longietti, Hermitage, D-7th District, and supported by Sharpsville Mayor Kenneth P. Robertson and state Sen. Robert D. Robbins, Salem Township, R-50th District.

Text Only
Local News
  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012

  • Levey officially drops TIF request

    Levey & Co. has officially ended its request for a tax incremental financing plan to build a retail development anchored by a Kohl’s department store.

    May 23, 2012

  • Grant will pay to fix 12-15 homes



    The City of Farrell will be able to fix up about a dozen homes in the city thanks to a $300,000 HOME grant from the state.

    May 23, 2012

  • Hard budget choices yet to come


     
    Hermitage School Board has been fortunate in many ways during the economic downturn that has been so hard on many other schools.

    May 23, 2012