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At a glance

Patrol IDs man killed in Monday crash

BERLIN CENTER – The Ohio State Highway Patrol has identified the drivers involved in a fatal Monday morning crash on U.S. Route 224.

The patrol said Thomas Mcloy, 55, of Cambridge, was driving east on Route 224 in a 2009 Chevrolet pickup truck. Ryan Basora, 26, of Cuyahoga Falls, traveling the other way, lost control of his vehicle, crossed over the center line and struck Mcloy’s truck head on, troopers said.

Both men were taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, the patrol said.

The crash occurred about 7:30 a.m. near Western Reserve High School, and Route 224 westbound was closed for several hours while the vehicles were removed.

The crash is under investigation.

Forum on senior fraud set for today

AUSTINTOWN – Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene and the Mahoning County Senior Services Unit are hosting a forum about senior fraud from 2 to 4 p.m. today at the Austintown Senior Center.

The event – held in conjunction with National Consumer Protection Week – will offer free resources to seniors to help them protect their privacy, manage money and debt, and avoid identity fraud and other types of fraud or scams.

The center is at 112 Westchester Drive.

Police surround home after hostage report

YOUNGSTOWN – What was originally thought to be a possible hostage situation on the city’s South Side on Wednesday turned out not to be, but a man was arrested on an domestic violence charge.

Youngstown police surrounded 640 Maple Ave. after someone using a blocked cell phone number alerted police at about 12:30 p.m. that a woman and a child were being held against their will, WYTV 33 News reported.

Officers later found no one was being held against their will inside the home. A woman and 4-year-old child exited the home and spoke with police. Officers noted no one was injured or in danger.

Police did apprehend James Hendrix, 30, inside the house on an unrelated warrant in a 2010 domestic violence charge, 33 News reported.

Amish lose fight with county over outhouses

KENTON – Over the pleas of the local Amish community, a northwest Ohio health board decided to go ahead with plans to condemn two newly constructed Amish homes because they don’t have required septic systems for their outhouses.

More than 100 Amish turned out Tuesday night to ask the Kenton-Hardin County Board of Health to reconsider the condemnation order, which requires that the homes be brought into compliance or the families move out.

Last summer, the health board said it would start enforcing rules that any new home must have a proper well and septic system – something the simple-living, outhouse-using Amish have never had to do. Health inspectors have not forced existing Amish homes to change. Around 200 Amish families live in Hardin County.

At issue are rules that require concrete, watertight pits under outhouses and the waste hauled away. The Amish, who turn their backs on modern technology, want to continue digging their own pits and spreading the waste on the land.

Staff, wire reports

At a glance

Dog dies in blaze in Brookfield home

BROOKFIELD – A dog died in a fire at 1355 Collar Price Road about 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Fire departments from Brookfield, Vienna, Fowler and the Eagle Joint Fire Department showed up to the blaze, according to fire reports. The homeowner, listed on the state auditor’s website as Ed Brown, was not at the residence at the time.

According to Tribune Chronicle newspartner WYTV 33 News, a neighbor called 911 to report smoke was coming from the house and went inside to rescue several dogs, but one died in the fire. The homeowner came home just prior to firefighters’ arrival. No one was injured.

The cause of the fire and damage estimate both are to be determined, though the house was not a total loss.

Police investigate injuries to infant

BOARDMAN – Police are investigating possible abuse after a baby boy who wasn’t breathing was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital Boardman campus, given CPR, had a breathing tube inserted and was flown to the Akron campus, police said.

The father told police the 3-month-old was sleeping on a couch when a dog jumped on the couch. The father said he removed the dog, but the baby fell.

Xrays showed the baby had nine fractured ribs and multiple brain bleeds that looked like they had come from previous injuries, and not falling off the couch, reports state.

The baby’s mother was not home at the time, reports state.

Detectives are investigating. A message left for comment Tuesday was not returned.

Charges filed in bomb threat in Canfield

CANFIELD – Police said Tuesday that an 11-year-old girl was charged Friday in Mahoning County Juvenile Court with making false alarms in connection to a March 20 bomb threat at the middle school.

The department said it was able to find the girl with help from school administrators, and they noted the girl’s parents also cooperated with police.

The school was evacuated after a threat was phoned in and crews searched the building. Students were bussed to the high school during the search. A call to juvenile court to find out the girl’s status was not returned.

Police: Man shot woman who flashed headlights

AKRON – Police in northeast Ohio say a reputed gang member is accused of shooting a woman who flashed her car headlights at him as she passed him in the street.

Police say they connected 21-year-old William Dawson to the Jan. 24 shooting in Akron through ballistic evidence from the scene.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports that 59-year-old Wylene Edwards was shot in the back after she flashed her headlights to alert two men who were standing in the middle of a street.

Lordstown board to hold interviews

LORDSTOWN – The Lordstown Board of Public Affairs has scheduled a special meeting for 3:30 p.m. today at the village administration building on personnel. There will be an executive session to conduct interviews for the laborer / machine operator position.

Staff, wire reports

At a glance

Youth forum offered following tragedies

WARREN – The Current Young Adult Fellowship will present How You Perceive Everything (or HYPE), an open forum and discussion night for youths and young adults in Warren.

The event will be held at 6 p.m. March 30 at Agape Assembly Church, 426 Nevada Ave. S.W.

Todd Johnson at Agape Assembly Church said Current seeks to provide a place for young people ages 13 and older to sound off on their needs and concerns. He said this is especially needed in light of the recent tragedies that claimed the lives of six teenagers, as well as the numerous instances of violence, truancy and domestic issues over the past year.

The evening will feature free food and prize giveaways.

Cleanup planned by Warren association

WARREN – The Warren Central City Neighborhood Association is holding a cleanup at 10 a.m. today.

The group will meet at the Unity Garden at the corner of Washington and Mercer N.E.

Those attending are asked to bring gloves, bags and rakes. Refreshments will be provided.

Kellie Pickler will perform at Stambaugh

Former ”American Idol” contestant and current ”Dancing with the Stars” competitor Kellie Pickler will perform May 29 at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown.

Pickler, who finished sixth during Idol’s fifth season, went on to have success as a country artist with such songs as ”Red High Heels,” ”I Wonder” and ”Best Days of Your Life.” She released her third album, ”100 Proof,” in 2012 and has performed on six USO tours.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $45 and $35 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Stambaugh box office, online at stambaughauditorium.com and by calling 330-259-0555.

Lawyer in teen’s hanging wants probe

COLUMBUS – Almost seven years after a black teenager died in a hanging at an Ohio church camp, a lawyer for his family asked Friday for the criminal investigation to be reopened after another camper invoked the Fifth Amendment at a deposition in the wrongful death suit brought by the dead boy’s mother.

In an email to Logan County Sheriff Andrew J. Smith, attorney Cliff Arnebeck said the witness’ request for protection against self-incrimination is enough to raise new questions about the death of James McCoy III.

McCoy was found hanging from a tree in a remote area of Camp Cotubic, a Christian camp near Bellefontaine where the youth group from his Columbus-area church, Church of the Messiah of Westerville, was on retreat in April 2006. It was his 18th birthday.

A 2007 lawsuit filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court by McCoy’s mother, Tonya Amoako-Okyere, alleges the boy was the victim of an asphyxiation prank that was little better than a lynching. The suit claims McCoy died as a result of his friends, who were white, playing a version of a choking game on him as a birthday prank.

Arnebeck told Smith in Friday’s email that the witness repeatedly took the Fifth during a March 13 deposition when questioned on the camp, the hanging, the handling of McCoy’s belongings after his death.

Pond search continues for missing woman

WILMINGTON – The search continues for a southwestern Ohio mother of two who was last seen running toward a retention pond Sunday.

Wilmington police say bad weather over the last few days hampered their search of the pond for 32-year-old Casey Pitzer.

Better weather conditions on Friday allowed searchers to add a third pump in an attempt to drain the pond.

The search for Pitzer began early Sunday after she began walking alone toward her home in Sabina following a night with friends at a bar.

The Wilmington News Journal has reported that shortly after getting a ride with two men, Pitzer got out and ran across four lanes of traffic on state Route 73.

Staff, wire reports

At a glance

Female student claims abuse by Brother Baker

ALTOONA, Pa. – A former John F. Kennedy baseball coach accused of molesting team members in the 1980s and 1990s is now accused of molesting at least one girl.

Attorney Richard Serbin said on Wednesday that his client was abused by Brother Stephen Baker at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown, Pa., starting when she was 15 years old. She is the first female out of about 80 people who have claimed abuse by Baker.

Baker, 62, fatally stabbed himself in the heart Jan. 26 at St. Bernadine’s monastery in Hollidaysburg, Pa., after revelations of accusations against him became public. No charges ever were filed against him, but 11 former Kennedy students received five-figure settlements late last year on allegations of abuse.

Baker was at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown from 1992 to 2000. He also taught in Michigan in the mid-1980s. He had been living at the monastery under strict supervision since 2000, when Franciscan officials say they first learned Baker was accused of sexually abusing students.

Campbell man killed in Ellsworth wreck

ELLSWORTH – The Mahoning County Coroner’s Office identified a 42-year-old Campbell man as the victim in a fatal accident about 8:30 a.m. Monday on U.S. Route 224.

The coroner’s office needed to use dental records to identify Raul Cisneros Aguirre, who was badly burned in the accident near Knauf Road after colliding with a vehicle driven by Jeffrey Huss of Sugar Creek.

Troopers with the Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said an SUV that Aguirre was driving slid left of center after hitting some slush and hit the pickup truck head-on before bursting into flames.

Huss was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center to be treated for his injuries.

Trimmer knocked out when tree limb shears

NEWTON FALLS – A man knocked unconscious while trimming a tree at 5632 Liberty Ave. was flown by helicopter to Akron City Hospital just before noon Wednesday, police said. The trimmer’s identity and condition had not yet been released.

Resident Lori Noble said she was watching from inside her house as a crew from Barrackman Tree Service in Southington cut down trees. The worker was harnessed in a tree, cutting a limb.

“He cut it, and when they lifted it up (with a crane), it split,” Noble said. “There must have been a dead spot in it.” The limb sheared and struck the worker in the head and side, knocking him unconscious for a short time, she said.

The worker was lowered to the ground in the company’s bucket truck and taken in a squad car to the Newton Falls Community Center, where a helicopter was waiting.

Students moved because of threat

CANFIELD – Students at Canfield Middle School were moved to the high school Wednesday morning because of a bomb threat.

A police spokesman said a threat was phoned into the school at 8:20 a.m. and the students were moved after that.

After the school was swept and nothing was found, students were returned to classes to finish out the school day.

Three teenagers hurt in crash on Route 11

AUSTINTOWN – Three teenage girls were injured after their vehicle rolled over Wednesday evening, Tribune Chronicle news partner WYTV 33 News reported.

The vehicle was traveling in the southbound lane of state Route 11 at the Mahoning Avenue bridge just after 8 p.m.

Two 18-year-olds and a 17-year-old were inside the Jeep Liberty, and a hydraulic cutting tool was used to cut the roof off to get them out of the vehicle. Police said their injuries were minor, and the crash was caused by slippery road conditions.

Governor to speak at chamber meeting

BOARDMAN – Ohio Gov. John Kasich will speak today at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber’s annual meeting at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center in Boardman. Kasich, a Republican, is expected to give his remarks at about 1 p.m.

Three people will be honored at the meeting: Sam Covelli, owner / operator of Covelli Enterprises, with the William G. Lyden Jr. Spirit of the Valley Award; David N. Hughes, owner of Specialty Fab in North Lima, with the Donald Cagigas Spirit of the Chamber Award; and Youngstown Mayor Charles Sammarone with the Chairman’s Political Achievement Award.

Reservations stopped being accepted Wednesday. A limited number of walk-in tickets will be available. It costs $30 for chamber members and $40 for nonmembers.

At a glance

Mom pleads not guilty at arraignment in death

YOUNGSTOWN – The mother of a 14-year-old boy who police say was murdered by her boyfriend entered not guilty pleas at her arraignment Tuesday on the charges of three counts of manslaughter, three counts of endangering children and one count of obstructing justice.

Bail was set in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court at $200,000 for 32-year-old Shain Widdersheim of Creed Street in Struthers. Her boyfriend, 43-year-old Zaryl Bush, also of Creed Street, is charged with murder and other charges in the death of her son, Teddy Foltz, on Jan. 27 after six days in the hospital with severe head trauma.

Police say Widdersheim hindered their investigation of Foltz’s death. Bush is in the Mahoning County Jail on $1 million bond and has a bond hearing set for Thursday.

Two hurt by shrapnel at Boardman store

BOARDMAN – Two teenagers were struck with shrapnel from a bullet Saturday at a Boardman sporting good’s store after a federal Bureau of Prisons employee dropped a box of ammunition that set off an explosion and sent bullet fragments into the air, WYTV 33 News reported.

Donovan D. Edwards, 42, of Austintown and an employee at the minimum-security Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown that houses federal inmates, was passing a box of .45-caliber ammunition to his daughter at Dick’s Sporting Goods when he dropped the box, officials said.

A bullet was discharged and shrapnel struck his daughter, Briana C. Edwards, 18, a senior at Austintown High School, in the leg and an employee, Courtney P. Miller, 19, in the right eye.

Neither injury was serious, reports state. The shrapnel caused a red mark on Briana Edward’s leg and Miller told police she felt a piece of shrapnel strike her eye but there was no visible mark, reports state. Both refused medical attention, reports state.

All parties, including the store manager, employees and Edwards, agreed there was no malicious intent and told police there was security footage of the accident if police wanted to view it, according to 33 News.

Cortland man accused of touching students

MIDDLEFIELD – A former Cardinal School District math teacher has been charged after accusations that he inappropriately touched several female students.

Samuel Paskey, 44, of Cortland, faces three misdemeanor counts of sexual imposition. He is to be arraigned today.

School officials said he was placed on administrative leave Feb. 26 after the allegations surfaced, according to WYTV 33 News. He resigned effective March 13 after working out a separation agreement with the school board, 33 News reported.

The incidents allegedly occurred at various school events and functions on school grounds in the Middlefield area, officials said.

Paskey ran for mayor of Cortland in 2011, losing to current Mayor Curt Moll, who was re-elected.

Fire crews battle Champion house fire

CHAMPION – Fire crews from several communities battled a house fire at a North Park Avenue Extension home Tuesday afternoon that caused fire damage to the basement and smoke and heat damage throughout.

Champion fire Capt. Chuck Joseph said crews were called out at 4:45 p.m. to a basement fire at 6921 North Park Ave. Ext. Three adults living in the home were outside the house before fire crews from Champion, Bazetta, Bristol, Farmington and Cortland arrived.

One adult was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and another was transported to St. Joseph Health Center for treatment of smoke inhalation, he said.

Heavy smoke was noticed coming from the garage of the one-story wood frame home. Joseph said cause of the fire is under investigation, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office is inspecting today.

Tribune Chronicle

At a glance

Two die, one hurt in Poland accident

POLAND – Two people were killed and one suffered life-threatening injuries here about noon Sunday in a single-vehicle accident.

According to the Canfield post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe was traveling westbound on New Castle Road, went left of center, struck a mailbox and then a tree.

As of late Sunday, investigators had not released the names of the victims, pending notification of their relatives.

Both of the front seat occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. A third victim was sent to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown for treatment.

None of the occupants of the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt, according to the patrol.

The crash is under investigation.

Tornado siren tests scheduled Wednesday

VIENNA – The Trumbull County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is reminding all residents that the 2013 statewide tornado siren test will take place at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday.

Any failures or problems should be reported to the Trumbull County EMA office.

All Trumbull County weather radios will be tested at the same time.

U.S. 422 closing at night for bridge work

WARREN Today through Friday U.S. Route 422 (Parkman Road) approximately one mile east of state Route 5 / 82 will be closed nightly for bridge beam placement.

These closures will occur daily between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. The detour is state Route 5 to state Route 45.

Tickets are available for Community Star event

WARREN – Tickets are available for the 2013 Community Star banquet.

Open to the public, the March 19 event will be held at W.D. Packard Music Hall, Mahoning Avenue N.W.

Now in its 12th year, the program celebrates the volunteers who have had a significant influence on Trumbull County, be it through tireless hours of service, random acts of kindness or a single moment of courage.

The nine Community Stars also will be recognized in a special section published in the newspaper the following day.

Tickets are $20 and the deadline to purchase them is 5 p.m. March 14. To purchase a ticket, call Sue Shafer at 330-841-1696; stop by the Tribune at 240 Franklin St. S.E., Warren, OH 44483, or mail in the ad that is running in the newspaper.

Warren trustees to meet about seismic permits

WARREN TOWNSHIP – Township trustees will hold a special meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the township administration building to discuss seismic permits.

Trustees also will hold an executive session to discuss police, fire and road personnel.

Human skeleton found in Columbus suburb

COLUMBUS – Police in central Ohio are working to identify a skeleton found behind a suburban Columbus warehouse.

The Columbus Dispatch reported authorities say that a couple walking their dog in Grandview Heights around 10 a.m. Saturday found the intact but decaying human remains under a clump of trees.

Police said identification was present with the clothing but it is expected to take until today for the coroner’s office to examine the body and potentially match dental records. A police spokesman said if the identification is correct, the body is that of a man who’s been listed in a missing persons database since the middle of last year.

Staff, wire reports

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