Local News
District Judge Silvis ending 14-year stint
PINE TOWNSHIP — District Judge Lawrence “Larry” T. Silvis will pound his gavel for the last time Oct. 14, after 14 years as the Grove City area magistrate.
He is the third of Mercer County’s five magistrates in a week to announce plans to retire this year. Also leaving their posts are James McMahon, Sharon, and William L. Fagley, Greenville.
Silvis, 60, of Sandy Lake Township, took the bench Jan. 3, 1994. His current term was to expire the first Monday of 2012.
“Most people don’t understand the position,” Silvis said. “Ten percent is handling cases and 90 percent is administrative. If you don’t accomplish that, you don’t meet the needs of the people you’re representing. The person coming in has to think of that.”
Silvis spent a lifetime in law enforcement, including 11 years as a state policeman, eight years as director of public safety at Allegheny College in Meadville, a year as a criminal civil investigator with Allegheny Power Systems in Greensburg, and five years as director of public safety at the Behrend College of Penn State in Erie.
Silvis also is a former adjunct faculty member at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Mercyhurst College in Erie.
“Larry has brought a lot of experience to the bench, which has helped him very much in working with adults, juveniles and students,” said Mercer County President Judge Francis J. Fornelli.
“He’s extremely hard-working and has an uncommon amount of good sense. He has a lot of skills, and his work ethic and character has made him an outstanding district justice,” Fornelli said.
By far, Scott Dunn’s preliminary hearing – which took three days – was Silvis’ hardest, he said. “It was one of the few cases that the evidence was 90 percent circumstantial.”
Dunn eventually pleaded guilty to killing his 22-year-old wife, Brandon “Brandi” Montgomery Dunn in January 2006, then covering up the crime by burning her body in her parents’ Grove City home.
William S. Williams, state police trooper with the Mercer barracks, praised Silvis’ ethic.
“He’s always been fair and balanced in how he’s treated citizens. In the courtroom, he’s always been professional,” Williams said. “I’ll miss him as someone I look up to.”
Silvis’ staff talked about his work with some of the area’s troubled youths.
“He follows them, calling them up to see how they’re doing. If their grades are going bad, he’ll call them in and talk to them,” said Sue Tomson, senior procedures clerk.
“I’ve seen him handle them better than most ministers.”
“He gives everyone a chance,” said Debbie Engstrom, senior procedures clerk. “He tries so hard to build people up.”
Silvis’ office averages 5,000 cases annually. Only 300 of those are the most serious cases, with half being drunken driving-related. The rest are primarily minor crimes, drug violations and assaults.
The area is “fairly safe,” Silvis said. “I’ve tried to establish criminally what we’re going to tolerate. This year is the worst I can recall with about eight sexual assaults on children.”
As for the future?
“I have no plans other than to spend time with my grandson,” Silvis said. The 1-year-old Philip lives in Butler County with his dad Brian Silvis, a veterinarian.
Silvis likes to hunt, fish, read classic books over and over and do carpentry on homes he fixes up and resells.
He is also an avid genealogist, tracing his family roots back to the Mayflower and the Queen Elizabeth.
However, “My plans are sort of blank for once in my life,” he said. “I’m going to relax then chart the course of where I go from here. Although I’m retiring, I’m not really retiring.”
Silvis and his wife, Janet, have lived in Lakeview School District since 1972. She retired as a bookkeeper last year.
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Hood surfer back home, recovering
Natalie Huff, the 17-year-old girl critically hurt in a hood-surfing accident, made it home Friday for the first time since she was run over by a friend’s car last month.
David Huff, Natalie’s father, said she was in excellent spirits.
“She just wants to come home,” he said. “She wants out of the hospital. She’s doing really well.”
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Kelly: Jobs are the key to restoring economy
When businesses are healthy, they hire people, and everyone wins, according to Congressional candidate Mike Kelly
The Republican challenger announced his “Pathways to Prosperity” job plan Friday in time for Labor Day weekend at JFS Wealth Advisors in Hermitage. He also made stops in Butler, Crawford, and Erie counties.
Kelly, who faces U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, Erie, D-3rd District in November, said he’s been up and down the county and hears about two concerns: jobs and the economy.
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Couple restoring a local landmark
The gardens were renowned and the house was a resting stop for future presidents.
Now, Dan Briceland and his wife Kristin are restoring the structure at 379 state Route 7 in Brookfield to its original glory.
Built in 1816 by Navy Capt. James Christy, the dilapidated house went up for sale this spring. The Bricelands, who have always wanted to restore an historic house, put in a bid and won.
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Cleanup planned for 2nd city neighborhood
The Irvine Avenue cleanup in Sharon was so successful that similar efforts are being planned for another part of the city.
The Sharon Beautification Commission is organizing a cleanup for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 2 for Meek Street and several surroundings streets, Sharon City Manager Tom Lavorini told council Thursday.
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Lock up vehicles, police urge
Residents should be alert for suspicious activity and keep their cars and homes locked in the wake of a recent rash of thefts from cars — some of which were left unlocked, Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Chief Riley Smoot said.
The most recent thefts were reported Wednesday in the Dogwood Lane, Oak Hill Drive and Kiwanis Road area of West Middlesex.
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Blue Streak thrills again
“It was great. What else can I say?” Dave Hahner said Thursday, just moments after taking his second ride on the Blue Streak.
That’s right. For the first time since 2006, Conneaut Lake Park’s historic roller coaster is back up and running. Once again ready, as Jack Moyers, chairman of the board of trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, put it, “to bring thrills and chills to children of all ages.”
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3 Ohio men in county jail accused of Walmart theft ring
Three Ohio men are in Mercer County Jail for allegedly running a theft ring that stole video games and systems from Walmart stores and then sold them for cash.
Thomas “Tommy” Hamilton, 42, of Ashtabula; Alex Plitt, 34, of Jefferson; and Christopher Patton, 25, address unknown, were caught Aug. 25 after hitting up Walmart stores in Ohio and Pennsylvania for at least several months, Hempfield Township patrolman Daniel McCloskey said Wednesday.
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Blue Streak may be winner
The trustees of Conneaut Lake Park have invited the media and members of American Coaster Enthusiasts to the park today, where they are expected to announce that they will be awarded $50,000 in the Pepsi Refresh contest to help refurbish the Blue Streak roller coaster.
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Funding dries up
For two decades, Farrell Mayor Olive McKeithan has been an advocate for the city and its minority community. Now, one of the programs that’s near and dear to her heart is facing a funding crunch that could cause the Minority Health/ERASE Anti-Drug Coalition to cease operations at the end of the year.
Mrs. McKeithan helped start Minority Health 16 years ago when she worked for Sharon Regional Health System. It began as a way for the hospital to educate and serve the local African-American community, and since 1994 it has offered programs geared toward improving the health of blacks in the area.
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Briefly - Sept. 1, 2010
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Hood surfer back home, recovering
