FORD CITY — The Lenape Heights Golf Course is breaking ground Friday on a 20-suite hotel with a restaurant.

Colby Owen, Lenape Heights' sales and marketing director, said Monday the golf course's parent company, the Herkules Group of Germany, believes the hotel and restaurant will be a big boost to the local and regional economy.

Owen said the hotel should take between 12 and 18 months to complete.

An 18-hole public course, Lenape Heights opened in 1967.

BUTLER TWP — A longtime Butler principal will retire in December.The Butler School Board Monday night accepted the resignation of Dale Markle, who currently is at Emily Brittain Elementary.He will retire with 34.5 years of service to the district. His resignation is effective Dec. 18.

ERIE — A Commonwealth Court judge has upheld a lower court decision saying Erie County government officials cannot distribute half of the slot machine revenue the county receives any way they want.Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio says officials will decide by late Friday whether to appeal Monday afternoon's ruling.The county's gambling revenue from Presque Isle Downs & Casino is split into two pots of roughly $5.5 million to $6 million each, known as restricted and unrestricted funds. The county can spend the unrestricted revenue any way it wants, but a county judge a year ago sided with Summit Township and said the restricted funds must go only to the township, where the casino is located, or to four neighboring townships.