Breaking News

Ticket

Gray Areas: Take II turns 30 and Strollo directs premiere

Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment: • It all started when Dr. Robert Walton was at a meeting at the old Ground Round on Elm Road NE and a friend talked the reluctant dentist into sticking around to hear a woman sing karaoke. Walton doesn’t like karaoke, but decided to stay. He was impressed by what he heard from Ellie Kovell. “We had both been in musical endeavors, and we didn’t like it, and we just started working together,” Walton said. The duo, known as Take II, will celebrate its 30th anniversary together with a performance from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday ...

Ticket stubs

Sunday is Be My Neighbor Day at Eastwood Mall Eastwood Mall will host Be My Neighbor Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Presented by PBS Western Reserve and PNC, the family friendly event will include an appearance by Daniel Tiger from the children’s show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” Attendees can participate in a variety of activities that encourage neighborly connections, and community organizations will be on hand to provide valuable information to families. Festivities take place at center court in the mall, 5555 Youngstown-Warren Road, Niles. Admission is free. ...

Youngstown State to host political philosopher

Political philosopher Philip Pettit will speak at Youngstown State University on Oct. 2 as the Dr. Thomas and Albert J. Shipka Speaker for fall 2025. His lecture, “Democracy: The What, the Why and the How” will explore core questions: Is democracy just an electoral system, or a way for people to influence government? Does it matter because it forms a common will, or because it holds leaders accountable? And should power come from one authority or a network of checks and balances? Pettit is the L.S. Rockefeller Professor of Human Values at Princeton University and a distinguished ...

Ohio, Pa. writers part of reading

Author Michael Dittman and poet Shei Sanchez will be featured at the next Lit Youngstown First Wednesday Reader Series event. Dittman’s most recent novel is “ Who Holds the Devil,” and his other books include “Jack Kerouac: A Biography,” “Masterpieces of the Beat Generation” and “Small Brutal Incidents.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the College of Wooster and his master’s degree in English at Slippery Rock University. He teaches at Butler County (Pa.) Community College and is a freelance writer and editor. Sanchez writes from Southeast Ohio. Her ...

Mahoning Valley arts and entertainment

Art ARTS & EDUCATION AT THE HOYT, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle, Pa.: “Jim Soppelsa: Abstract Variations” and “Dan Droz: Hidden in Plain Sight,” both through Nov. 6. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. hoytartcenter.org and 724-652-2882. ASHTABULA ARTS CENTER, 2928 W. 13th St., Ashtabula: “Greg Zbach: Surrealectric II — Intricate Digital Dreamscapes for the 21st Century,” through Sept. 29. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. ...

Copeland’s blues can be topical and comical

Shemekia Copeland has a distinctive voice. The Washington Post called her, “the greatest blues singer of her generation,” and the Chicago Tribune called her, “the greatest blues vocalist working today. There’s no mistaking the majesty of her instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery.” That voice will be on display Oct. 4 when Copeland headlines the 7 17 Credit Union Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival at Warren Community Amphitheatre. But she also has a distinctive voice in the subject matter of her songs. Copeland sings about topics ranging from a woman’s right to choose ...