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Homeowner catches, holds trespasser

WARREN – An 18-year old Newton Falls man was arrested on charges of aggravated trespassing Wednesday night after being caught and held by the owner of a home.

The homeowner, Patrick Stienstra, 33, 1094 East Ave. SE, was sleeping when he was awakened by a noise in his back yard. He pulled back the curtain to see Jacob Rapczak, 5115 Broadway Ave., Newton Falls, staring at him through the window, a report states.

Stienstra chased Rapczak in his back yard, and caught him as he tried to hop a fence. He held him until police arrived, officers said.

Police arrested Rapczak on charges of aggravated trespassing and took him to Trumbull County Jail.

Rapzcak is scheduled to be arraigned at 9:30 a.m. today in Warren Municipal Court.

Bloomfield road closed for 2 weeks

BLOOMFIELD – Countyline Donley Road between Bloomfield Geneva Road and Mahan Parker Road will be closed Monday to Aug. 14 for culvert replacement.

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office has recommended the following detour: southeast on Bloomfield Geneva Road, south on state Route 45, west on state Route 87, and north on state Route 534.

Petition signatures validated

NEWTON FALLS – Trumbull County Board of Elections certified 220 of the 286 signatures, almost twice the amount of signatures needed, on the petition that seeks to reinstate the forgiveness tax in the village Wednesday.

Board of Elections notified village clerk Kathleen King of the validation. It is now up to her to validate the petition by the Aug. 5 deadline to make it on the November ballot, according to Deputy Director Stephanie Penrose.

“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Werner Lange, petition circulator, said.

Under a forgiveness tax, residents who work outside Newton Falls and are charged an income tax would not have to pay 1 percent of that tax to Newton Falls. Without the tax, residents must pay the 1 percent, in addition to income tax they pay elsewhere.

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Olive Street bridge to be dedicated

McDONALD – The Olive Street bridge between McDonald and Niles will be dedicated at 1 p.m. Saturday on Olive Street.

The day’s activities include a foot race at 11:30 a.m., a parade and ribbon cutting 1 p.m., blessing of the bridge at 1:20 p.m., followed by comments by dignitaries and local officials from McDonald village, Girard and Niles cities, Weathersfield Township trustees, Ohio Department of Transportation, U.S. Air Force and Trumbull County Engineers. Fireworks will conclude the event at 1:45 p.m.

The theme for the event is ”Communities Coming Together.”

The bridge over the Mahoning River was closed six years ago. The just-completed $3.6 million project included bridge replacement, and pavement, guardrail and drainage repairs.

Southington project bids to be opened

SOUTHINGTON – The opening of bids for repairs of the 1907 Chalker school building was postponed until Aug. 21.

Trustee Chairman Sam Plott said Wednesday the general construction part of the project is being rebid.

MKC Associates of New Philadelphia prepared drawings of plans for the former school, which was acquired by the township when the local school district constructed a new complex. The township plans to use the century-old former school for office space and storage of township records.

Fire district places renewal levy on ballot

NEWTON FALLS – The Newton Falls Joint Fire District Board on Wednesday gave final approval to place a 1-mill, five-year fire renewal levy on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

Terry Coons, chairman of the fire district board, said the levy would generate $106,970 per year to be used for fire and emergency medical service equipment and vehicles and maintenance and upkeep expenses.

Coons said the levy has been renewed twice before by residents. He said with a renewal there is no increase in taxes. The fire district responds to calls in Newton Falls city and Newton township

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Niles to consider combining jobs

NILES – City Council will vote on two ordinances this evening designed to save the city money by combining positions.

The first is an ordinance eliminating the full-time director of the Wellness Center and turning it into a part-time position. Councilman Stephen Papalas said Wellness Director Scott MacMillan made the request to the city service director and will be retained in the newly created part-time role.

This was one of the 35 items on Mayor Ralph Infante’s plan for rescuing Niles from fiscal emergency. The savings from this will be a partial savings of $25,000 in 2015 and then $50,000 a year in salary and benefits going forward, according to the mayor’s plan.

The other ordinance is the combination of the bailiff and probation officer positions at Niles Municipal Court. One person retired and the city will combine the duties save about $50,000 this year and about $70,000 a year going forward, Papalas said.

Niles City Council will hold a special meeting today at 5 p.m. in Council Chambers in City Hall to discuss these ordinances.

Former boxing champ’s brother hurt poolside

CANFIELD – Mahoning County sheriff’s detectives said Tuesday they believe alcohol may have played a role in an accident that left the brother of one-time boxing champion Kelly Pavlik in the hospital.

Michael Pavlik apparently slipped and hit his head on a diving board at Kelly Pavlik’s pool, and should be released from the hospital today, according to Tribune Chronicle news partner WYTV 33 News.

Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies were sent to Pavlik’s home in Canfield about 10 p.m. Friday night after dispatchers received a call about a man who was unresponsive after being pulled out of the pool. A caller told dispatchers the accident happened during a party.

Hubbard treasurer takes Howland job

HOWLAND – The Howland Local Schools Board of Education hired a new treasurer at a special meeting on Monday.

Rhonda Baldwin-Amorganos, a Hubbard schools treasurer, was awarded the contract with a $80,000 annual salary, according to board president Barbara Wright. Baldwin will be replacing retiring treasurer Jack Pierson at the beginning of August.

Mission helps cut lawns, needs equipment

WARREN – Members and volunteers with the Warren Family Mission are working with the city’s health department mowing lawns at vacant and abandoned properties throughout the city.

The Rev. Chris Gilger, director of the mission, said Tuesday he has met with Bob Pinti, health director, and other city officials, on what properties need cut this week in the area by Harding High School. He said the mission is also cutting devil strips and curb areas.

Gilger said the mission is in need of donation of gas cards for gas for equipment as well as donation weed eaters and brush hog equipment. Those who can assist may call the mission at 330-394-5437.

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McDonald schools to meet on fencing, board seat

McDONALD – McDonald Board of Education will hold special meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday at the high school media center regarding the fencing around the football field and possibly to a name new board member.

The board is looking to fill openings on the board with the recent resignations of Joseph Krumpak Jr. and Eric Shehadi.

The district is also in the process of finding a new superintendent following the resignation this summer of Ken Halbert. Applications are being accepted through Friday.

Robins Project showing family fun downtown

WARREN – The Robins Project is hosting a weekend of family-friendly events downtown this weekend, beginning with the Summer Box Office Series at 7 p.m. Friday at the Warren Community Amphitheatre. The evening will feature Warren magician Eric Thompson, local band Hey Kid! and the movie Disney’s “Big Hero 6.”

Commons Fest will be 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday on Courthouse Square. This is the second year for the free festival featuring local nonprofits, civic organizations, artists, businesses and community members displaying what the city of Warren has to offer, and activities like crafts, cooking classes and a life-sized chess board. There will be live music and the Robins Theatre will be open for tours.

The event is a partnership between the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County and The Robins Project. Participants include the Trumbull Art Gallery, YWCA, Artistics, Sugar Love Cookies, Chess is Life, Trumbull County Historical Society, Sutliff Museum, Upton House, Peace of Hope Garden and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership.

Back-to-school shopping sees sales tax-free weekend

COLUMBUS – Ohio residents can buy school supplies, clothing items and school instructional material without paying sales tax Aug. 7 to 9.

The tax free weekend initiative is the first in Ohio. Eighteen other states have held a similar initiative. It is estimated the sales tax holiday weekend will save Ohio families approximately $78 million and stimulate economic activity, according to a news release from proponents.

State Sen. Kevin Bacon, R-Minerva Park, sponsored the initiative that a University of Cincinnati study estimated will increase retail sales volume by 4.8 percent in Ohio for the month of August.

The sales tax free weekend applies to school supplies such as pencils, pens, binders and lunch boxes priced $20 or less; clothing items such as denim, sweaters and jackets priced $75 or less; and school instructional material such as textbooks, maps and reference books priced $20 or less.

Cause of Saturday fire still under investigation

WARREN – A house fire at 828 Front St. SW that destroyed the second floor of the home just before midnight Saturday is under investigation, fire Chief Ken Nussle said.

The point of origin or cause of the fire has not been determined, Nussle said. He estimated $14,000 of damage was caused.

It took city firefighters about 30 minutes to put the blaze out and no other departments responded, Nussle said.

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Police investigate shooting in Sharon

SHARON, Pa.- Sharon police were investigating a Sunday evening double shooting they said left one person dead and another seriously injured.

Tribune Chronicle news partner WYTV-33 reported a male was dead at the scene and a female was in the operating room of an area hospital following the 6 p.m. shooting on E. State Street near Stambaugh Avenue.

No other information was available.

Fire board to meet on levy Wednesday

NEWTON FALLS -The Newton Falls Joint Fire District Board will hold a special meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday at the fire station, 19 N. Canal St., for the final reading of a resolution placing a 0.5-mill fire renewal levy on the November election ballot.

2 killed in seperate motorcycle accidents

COLUMBUS – Two motorcyclists have been killed in separate weekend accidents in Ohio.

Columbus police say a 46-year-old man was killed early Sunday when a motorist attempting to make a turn put his Pontiac Grand Prix into his path. Police say Hector Walker’s motorcycle hit the car and Walker was thrown onto the asphalt.

Police say he was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:03 a.m. The accident remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, the Ohio State Highway Patrol says a man was killed Saturday evening in Preble County, in western Ohio.

Troopers say the motorcyclist went off the road at a curve and hit a guardrail. He was dead at the scene near West Alexandria.

His name or other identifying information weren’t released immediately.

New Smokey Bear to come to state fair

COLUMBUS – A new animatronic Smokey Bear with arms and a head and mouth that move will greet visitors at this year’s Ohio State Fair.

The fire prevention icon has greeted visitors by name at the fair since 1959.

Local News

At a glance

Roads reopen following projects

Following the completion of road projects, Custer Orangeville Road between state Route 305 and Drake State Line Road in Hartford and Pritchard Ohltown Road in Newton Township are open.

OVI checks planned in Mahoning

CANFIELD – The Mahoning County OVI Task Force will have two checkpoints to look for impaired drivers today and Sunday. The task force has not revealed the locations of the checkpoints.

Weathersfield receives grants

WEATHERSFIELD – The township has been awarded grants for new police equipment and for scrap tire collection.

The Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority is giving $500 to buy new ballistic vests for the police department. The Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District is providing $2,400 for a curbside scrap tire collection Aug. 3 to 7. The limit is four tires per household.

Supervisors’ charges are dismissed

CLEVELAND – A county judge has dismissed misdemeanor charges against five white Cleveland police supervisors for failing to control a chase that ended with two black people being killed in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire. The decision allows prosecutors to try the case in the black suburb where the 2012 chase ended and where defense attorneys say prosecutors stand a better chance of winning.

It’s uncertain when or if a trial in East Cleveland can proceed because an appeal by defense attorneys to keep the case out of that city hasn’t been decided.

The supervisors were originally indicted on dereliction of duty charges in county court in May 2014. Prosecutors announced that identical charges would be filed in East Cleveland after a patrol officer’s acquittal on manslaughter charges May 23.

Staff, wire reports

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Man pleads innocent on charges from standoff

WARREN – A man charged with inducing a panic after a four-hour police standoff at his 1037 Southern Blvd. NW home Monday pleaded not guilty Thursday in Warren Municipal Court to three charges.

Timothy Miller, 48, was released from the Trumbull County Jail after posting a $7,500 bond shortly after his arraignment. According to court records, police removed all weapons from his home before he was released.

Miller is charged with felony inducing a panic, discharging a firearm in the city limits and using weapons while intoxicated. Police said Miller fired his gun into the floor of his home and threatened officers while refusing to surrender.

He was eventually hit by bean bags fired by the Mahoning County Crisis Response Team. He was booked into the jail after he was treated overnight at Trumbull Memorial Hospital.

Miller is scheduled to appear before municipal Judge Terry F. Ivanchak on Aug. 17 for a preliminary hearing. According to court records, Miller is being represented by a public defender.

Not guilty pleas entered on child porn charges

WARREN – A man charged with 10 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday in Warren Municipal Court.

Cory Williams, 21, 1974 Bonnie Brae Ave. NE, was arrested on the charges Wednesday after police raided his home for electronic devices they suspect were used to illegally download and share child pornography.

Williams is being held at the Trumbull County Jail. His bond was set by Municipal Judge Terry F. Ivanchak at $75,000.

The raid was a collaboration between the Warren Police Department, the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office, the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI and BCI’s Crimes Against Children division.

Bank robber gets away with less than demanded

LIBERTY – PNC Bank, 4499 Belmont Ave., was robbed Thursday afternoon of $150, according to a Trumbull County 911 Center call log.

Township police were called to the bank at 2 p.m. after a man who said he had a gun handed a teller a note demanding $10,000, the log states. The gun was not seen. The teller handed over far less than the robber demanded.

The robber was described as a black male, about 5 foot 2 inches, wearing a gray hat and black clothing. The man dropped the note, leaving it on the floor of the bank and ran away on foot down Churchill Road, the report states.

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Investigation pending on Weathersfield fire

WEATHERSFIELD – Arson is suspected in a Tuesday night house fire at 2958 Clearfield Ave.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office said Wednesday the investigation is ongoing and they had not yet identified the origin of the blaze.

About 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, a neighbor reported smoke coming from a house. Firefighters found a blaze on the first floor of the house, Weathersfield fire Capt. Tom Lambert said.

Lambert said they called in McDonald Fire Department for mutual aid and fire units were on site for about three hours, though the actual fire was put out in about 30 minutes.

The owner of the home was in the process of moving, so no one was living at the residence, Lambert said. The house was not a total loss. The flames were contained to the first floor but an estimate of the damage was not yet available.

37 indicted in for large-scale drug ring

YOUNGSTOWN – Authorities say 37 people have been indicted in northeast Ohio for their involvement in a drug trafficking organization.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday that the 37 are charged in a 261-count indictment returned by a grand jury in Mahoning County. The indictment came after an investigation by a multi-agency drug task force.

The drug ring’s alleged 32-year-old leader and 12 other higher-ups in the organization have been charged with racketeering, trafficking in heroin, trafficking in cocaine and money laundering.

Other charges in the indictment include possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, felonious assault, receiving stolen property, improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle and possession of marijuana.

The statement says some of the 37 suspects have been arrested.

Warren woman gets additional prison time

WARREN – A city woman already sentenced to serve 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon earlier this month was sentenced this week for trafficking cocaine.

Lakeisha Bell, 20, will serve six months concurrent to her 16-year sentence, Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge W. Wyatt McKay ruled.

Bell pleading guilty two weeks ago to accidentally shooting and killing her friend McKayla Hopkins, 18, at Bell’s birthday party in 2013 in Perkins Park.

Cortland to seek additional fire levy

CORTLAND – City Council on Monday gave final reading to place an additional 1.5-mill continuing fire levy on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The levy would generate $198,360 for salaries, equipment, maintenance and day-to-day operations in the fire department. The levy would cost the owner of a property valuated $100,000 an additional $150 a year.

Officials said it is the same levy proposed for the May primary but that never appeared before voters because the Trumbull County Board of Elections ruled it contained incorrect ballot language. The wording has been fixed.

Finance Director Fran Moyers said it has been 10 years since the city has had to ask for a fire levy. The last one, a 6.7-mill replacement levy, was approved in 2005.

Staff, wire reports

Local News

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Man charged in robbery wanted in Geauga County

BROOKFIELD – A man being held in the Trumbull County Jail on accusations that robbed a dollar store at knifepoint is also wanted by the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of robbing an ice cream store.

Detectives in Brookfield said Jorge Israel Reyes Avila, 30, 1051 Perkinswood Boulevard SE, admitted his involvement in other robberies, and said he had been working in Geauga County.

According to a sheriff’s report, Frozen Dee Light, 16508 Main Market Road, Parkman, was robbed at knifepoint around 2 p.m. July 14. Avila was charged Friday with aggravated robbery in connection to the 2 p.m. Thursday robbery of Dollar General, Warren Sharon Road. Police in neither jurisdiction revealed how much money the stores lost.

Avila is being held in the Trumbull County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond and pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Trumbull County Eastern District Court; he is scheduled to appear Wednesday before Judge Robert M. Platt Jr. A hold has been placed on Avila and he will be transferred to Geauga County on a warrant for aggravated robbery through Chardon Municipal Court once he is released.

Hubbard man sentenced to one year in prison

WARREN – A 55-year-old Hubbard man was sentenced in Tuesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to one year in prison after police said he attacked and held his ex-girlfriend hostage for two days.

Amato Zaccone, 89 Jacobs Road in Hubbard, originally pleaded not guilty to charges of felonious assault and domestic violence after the Dec. 16 attack. In May, he pleaded guilty to domestic violence.

Assistant Prosecutor Gabe Wildman said the witness became uncooperative, so the plea bargain was reached and Judge Andrew D. Logan handed down the one-year sentence.

Police said Zaccone held the woman hostage for two days while she was beaten and threatened with a knife.

Gunman grabs $20 from hospital guard

WARREN – A security guard at Trumbull Memorial Hospital reported he a gunman took $20 from him in the parking lot of the hospital, a police report states.

The 34-year-old victim said he could not reveal anymore details because of confidentiality rules at the hospital and an internal investigation into the holdup.

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Man charged with assault, abduction in beating

WARREN TOWNSHIP – Christopher Moore, 41, was arrested on charges of felonious assault, abduction and resisting arrest in connection with holding a woman against her will at his home, police said. He was arraigned Monday in Warren Municipal Court.

Moore and a woman known to him had been together all day Saturday when she decided she wanted to leave his home at 325 Tangborn, police said. He would not let her go.

When she insisted, Moore beat her, breaking numerous bones in her face, the police report states. She drove herself to the hospital to be treated.

When police went to pick up Moore, he at first ran from officers, the report states.

Makeshift cannon explosion causes injuries

LOWELLVILLE – Authorities say a pipe-bomb-style explosion injured several people and damaged homes and vehicles Saturday night.

Investigators said three people were hurt, though the extent of those injuries wasn’t clear. One man needed stitches for a leg wound.

The fire chief said the blast endangered an area that spanned about half a block, with shrapnel shattering windows and damaging some homes and vehicles.

The blast remains under investigation by local police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Austintown stadium named for dealership

AUSTINTOWN – The Austintown Fitch High School Falcon Stadium was renamed Monday as Greenwood Chevrolet Austintown Falcon Stadium.

The automobile dealership agreed to pay the Austintown Local School District $330,000 over 10 years for the naming rights.

“It’s great to have a sponsorship to our stadium,” Superintendent Vincent Colaluca said. “Greenwood has always given to the district. This is just a big step up for the district and the community.”

According to Colaluca, the deal allows the district to proceed with several planned stadium renovations while keeping money in the general fund to be used inside the classroom.

Greg Greenwood, dealership owner, said in a prepared statement, “It’s a privilege to partner with Austintown Local Schools. It’s our way of making a commitment to the community we serve and a decision we make from the heart.”

Larry Jaeger, president of Hunter Sports Marketing, a company that specializes in naming rights valuation and that helped broker the Austintown deal, said, “Schools and business are finding out that working together on mutually beneficial partnerships has an exponential effect on not only the school, but also gives the company deep roots into the community.”

Farmington officials

to discuss property

FARMINGTON – Farmington Township trustees will hold a special meeting 6 p.m. today at the fire hall to make a decision regarding the disposition of township property on Old State Road.

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Missing woman found at Salem hospital

LISBON – A woman who went missing in Columbiana County earlier in the evening was located Sunday night in the emergency room of an area hospital.

Firefighters were called around 7:30 p.m. to assist KLG Ambulance personnel in the search for a woman with leg injuries. The woman, whose name and age were not available, had been lost in a wooded area in Lisbon somewhere behind the Twin Oaks Mobile Village on State Route 45 and Brookfield Avenue.

Crews from several fire departments and police agencies participated in the search. The woman was found at Salem Regional Medical Center just before sundown.

No other information was available Sunday night.

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Mill Creek MetroParks closes roads for triathlon

YOUNGSTOWN – The following roads in Mill Creek Park will be closed to traffic from about 6 to 10:30 a.m. today for the YMCA Triathlon”

Price Road, West Glacier Drive, West Drive, Bears Den Drive, New Cross Drive, Cross Drive, West Cohasset Drive, High Drive, Chestnut Hill Drive, East Park Drive and Valley Drive.

Samantha L. Villella, community engagement director of the parks, said motorists should always use caution when driving on MetroParks roads since many of the roads are also used by pedestrians and bicyclists. And pedestrians and bicyclists need to be aware of motor vehicles, she said.

Police report 3 shot during Cleveland vigil

CLEVELAND – Police say three men were shot during a Cleveland vigil for a man gunned down in an attack earlier in the week.

The shootings happened late Friday night at the Rainbow Terrace housing complex on the east side of Cleveland where 26-year-old Terrance Finklea was shot dead Wednesday night.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports a 25-year-old man was shot in the leg, a 28-year-old man was shot in the thigh and a 35-year-old man was shot in the arms.

All three were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. Police say victims and witnesses couldn’t describe the shooter or say where the shots came from.

More than 100 people had gathered for the vigil for Finklea.

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Suspect arrested in knifepoint hold-up

BROOKFIELD – Police made an arrest Friday in connection to the knifepoint robbery Thursday of a Dollar General Store.

Jorge Israel Reyes Avila, 30, 1051 Perkinswood Boulevard SE, was interviewed and then arrested around 10 a.m. Friday on an aggravated robbery charge, according to Brookfield police Chief Dan Faustino.

The Warren City Police Department assisted in the apprehension of Avila, according to Faustino.

Avila is being held in the Trumbull County Jail, awaiting a Tuesday arraignment in the Trumbull County Eastern District Court.

The Dollar General store on Warren Sharon Road was robbed around 2 p.m. Thursday while customers were in the store, police said. The robber got away with an unspecified amount of money. No one was injured.

Warren man jailed after gunshots fired

WARREN – An 18-year-old city man is being held in the Trumbull County Jail on accusations that he fired a semi-automatic handgun at a man outside his Iddings Avenue SE home Sunday night.

William Ivie Casby Jones, 720 Vine Ave. NE, is scheduled to appear Monday before Municipal Judge Terry F. Ivanchak for a pretrial. Earlier this week, he pleaded not guilty to charges of carrying a concealed weapon, aggravated menacing and discharging a firearm. He is being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond.

According to a police report, Jones took a beer from the Iddings Avenue SE home and the resident confronted him, telling him to leave. The man left and then came back and shot his gun twice. An emergency dispatcher on the phone with the resident heard the gunshots, the report states.

Trumbull Correctional inmates donate veggies

WARREN – Trumbull Correctional Institution donated 150 pounds of vegetables this week to three Warren agencies.

As a community service project, inmates started a community garden inside the compound, where they spend 10 hours a day tending to the garden. The entire project was funded by offenders and the plans were donated by Links and WordMasters.

“The main goal is to provide healthy vegetables to those in need while providing offenders with meaningful activities to make a difference in the community,” Warden Christopher LaRose said.

Warren Family Mission, Tod’s Crossing and Free Indeed were the recipients of the first vegetables. Donations are expected to continue.

State Patrol fills commander post

WARREN – The Warren District of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is getting a new, recently promoted commander to fill a vacancy that has not been filled since the Warren District separated from the Cleveland District.

Joshua M. Swindell was promoted to captain and will be transferring from his position at the Cleveland District Headquarters.

Swindell will preside over the posts in Southington, Chardon, Ashtabula, Ravenna, Hiram, Canfield and Lisbon.

In 1993, Swindell began his career with the post as a dispatcher in Dayton and has received numerous awards for his duties. He has served also in Sandusky, Marion, Bowling Green, Medina and Bucyrus.

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Man carrying knife robs Brookfield store

BROOKFIELD – A man robbed a dollar store on Warren Sharon Road at knifepoint Thursday afternoon, according to Brookfield police Chief Dan Faustino.

There were customers in the Dollar General just after 2 p.m. when a tattooed man wearing a black hoodie and a green cloth over his face came in and demanded money, Faustino said.

The man, who has not been identified, got away with an unspecified amount of money in a light blue or gray car, Faustino said. He is described as possibly Hispanic, with darker skin, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 170 to 190 pounds.

A news release from the Brookfield Police Department states the man was holding a large knife when he demanded money from the store manager, and then grabbed an unknown amount of money from the drawer.

Brookfield boil advisory issued Tuesday lifted

BROOKFIELD – A boil advisory issued Tuesday for Trumbull County water customers on Valley View Drive between Lee Road and Northview Drive was lifted on Thursday.

Residents no longer need to boil tap water before using it for drinking.

Road reopens in Bristol

BRISTOL – Messick South Road in Bristol, which closed in late April for bridge work, is now open.

Township Supervisor Greg Maraczi told township trustees in early April that the bridge would be replaced.

Brookfield trustees to meet on soccer league project

BROOKFIELD – Brookfield Township trustees will hold special meeting 8:30 a.m. Saturday at township hall to discuss the soccer league and to pass a resolution requesting an advance on property taxes.

Trustee Gary Lees said the local soccer league wants to put in a shed / concession stand at the township soccer field.

Niles police seek spray-paint vandal

NILES – Police are looking for a vandal who spray-painted the Niles City Schools Administration Building, a school vehicle, the Niles Light Department substation and some homes overnight Sunday and July 5.

Police Thursday posted surveillance images from the North Rhodes Avenue area of what appears to be a young male in a baseball cap with a backpack. The posts on the department’s Facebook page states there is a cash reward for information leading to the vandal’s arrest.

People with information are asked to call the department at 330-652-9944, Ext. 211.

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Maplewood runner goes missing on run

Multiple agencies searched northeastern Trumbull County and southwestern Ashtabula County Thursday for a 15-year-old Maplewood High School runner who fell out of a group run in Colebrook.

Adam Burgard was discovered about 10 hours later, around 7:30 p.m., just off of Bunker Road in Orwell, the next township west of Colebrook in southern Ashtabula County.

Police have released very few details. It is unclear how Burgard became separated from the group in Colebrook, if he was injured or how he was found.

Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Warren and Ashtabula and deputies with the Trumbull and Ashtabula county sheriff’s offices were among the agencies that began searching for Burgard after his running mates last saw him between 8 and 9 a.m. According to a missing persons alert put out by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Burgard was running in a school cross country track event.

Warren man sent to jail after entering house

WARREN – A young city man was sentenced to serve seven months in jail Wednesday after police in February caught him leaving through the front door of a woman’s house who called 911 from a closet to report an intruder.

Ramzi Barnes, 18, 2405 Wick St., was stopped leaving a Peace Avenue NW home with an XBox and jewelry, according to a police report.

Barnes changed his plea from not guilty to guilty in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court in May where Judge W. Wyatt McKay ordered Barnes to also serve two years on an assault charge originating in November. The two sentences run concurrently.

Hubbard road closed for bridge repairs

HUBBARD – Elmwood Drive between state Route 304 and Hubbard Masury Road in the city is closed for bridge repairs until further notice.

The recommended detour is west on state Route 304, north on U.S. Route 62 and east on Hubbard Masury Road.

Tribune Chronicle

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Boil advisory issued in Brookfield

BROOKFIELD – A boil advisory has been issued for all Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer’s Office water customers on Valley View Drive between Lee Road and Northview Drive.

The boil advisory means to bring tap water used for drinking and ingestion to a rolling boil for three to five minutes before cooling for use. The advisory is in effect until further notice.

Bloomfield trustees to meet on fire renewal levy

BLOOMFIELD – Township trustees have scheduled a special meeting for 5 p.m. today at the township hall to give the final reading to place a 1.3-mill, five-year fire renewal tax levy on the November general election ballot.

Officials said the levy was first passed in 1986 and has been renewed each year since. Trustee Roger Petereson said with a renewal there will be no increase in taxes.

Fiscal Officer Anna Musson said the levy generates about $11,000 annually.

Trustees took the first motion on the levy to get it certified by the auditor’s office at Monday’s meeting.

Emergency culvert work closes road in Farmington

FARMINGTON – Ensign Road between Painesville Warren and Bradford Corners East roads will be closed today for an emergency culvert replacement.

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office is recommending the following detour: southeast on Painesvile Warren Road, south on Phalanx Mills Herner Road, west on Geauga Portage Easterly Road and north on Ensign Road.

Southington officials OK county fixing culvert

SOUTHINGTON – Township trustees at a special meeting Monday approved the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office to repair and replace a large culvert on County Line Turnpike Road for $1,790.

Trustees Chairman Sam Plott said heavy rain caused erosion damage to the culvert, which became more work than the township could handle.

He said the county workers will install 100 feet of 24-inch piping to address the problem.

Baby mauled, seriously hurt by dogs fighting in home

CHARDON – Police say a 7-month-old baby was critically injured when she got caught in the middle of a dog fight in northeast Ohio.

The baby girl was being treated at a Cleveland hospital after the incident Monday night in Chardon. She was in serious condition Tuesday night.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports the child was sitting on the living room floor when a fight broke out between two medium-sized dogs.

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Brown calls for more rail tank safety

YOUNGSTOWN – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, here on Monday outlined legislation to tighten safety standards on railcars carrying hazardous materials.

The Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2015 calls for older tank cars to be phased out, creates a tax credit for companies to do so and gives aid to communities to prepare for accidents. It would be paid for by per shipment fees of $175 on older tank cars and piggyback on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new, stricter regulations for handling dangerous substances.

Meeting with Brown was Youngstown fire Chief John O’Neill and Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency Director Dennis O’Hara.

Mecca trustees put levy on November ballot

MECCA – Trustees on Monday agreed to place a 1.5-mill, 5-year replacement fire and emergency services levy on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Fiscal Officer Jennifer Mancini said the replacement levy will generate $67,000 per year. She said the 0.75-mill levy being replaced brought in $12,000, based on when it was first passed in 1980.

Mancini said the owner of a $100,000 home will pay $52.50 per year as compared to $9.53 with the previous levy.

Officials said the additional funds are needed by the fire department for equipment and services.

Girard officials reviewing levy option

GIRARD – Girard city council members are considering placing a recreation levy on the ballot to help with expenses for city parks.

Councilman Joseph Shelby, D-at large, said at Monday’s meeting that nothing is final, but it is in the discussion phase as an option for the parks.

Auditor Sam Zirafi said a 0.5-mill recreational issue would generate $54,400 annually; a 1-mill levy, $108,896; and a 1.5-mill levy, $163,343. He said the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $35 a year for a 1-mill levy.

Councilman Steve Brooks, D-1st Ward, said residents would support a road levy before supporting a levy for park improvements.

Bloomfield-Mespo BOE has new board member

BLOOMFIELD – Ryan Senton, a 1987 graduate of the Bloomfield-Mespo School District, is the district’s newest board of education member.

Senton on Monday was appointed by the board to fill the unexpired term of former board member Linda Viney, who resigned last month. The term expires at the end of 2015.

Cleveland woman mauled to death by dog

SHAKER HEIGHTS – Police say a Cleveland woman who was mauled to death by a pit bull had been visiting relatives at a home where the dog was kept.

Seventy-one-year-old Annie Williams was attacked Sunday afternoon in Shaker Heights and died at a hospital. Shaker Heights police Cmdr. John Cole says she was bit numerous times.

No one has been arrested. Cole said no one living in the home has claimed ownership of the dog.

The attack occurred on the driveway of the property of Williams’ relatives. Neighbors tried to pull the dog off her.

Staff, wire reports

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Girard street closed for fireworks Thursday

GIRARD – East Liberty Street between state Route 422 and Marshall Road at the Girard Bridge will be closed 8 p.m. to midnight Thursday for the Mt. Carmel Festival fireworks.

The recommended detour is south on Route 422, west on Interstate 80, northwest on Salt Springs Road and northeast on West Liberty Street.

Mosquito spraying today, Tuesday

HOWLAND – Mosquito spraying here will be 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. today and Tuesday. Rain dates will be the following evenings.

Residents are encouraged to close their windows, keep pets indoors and not leave food outside during the spraying.

Kinsman man killed in Johnston crash

JOHNSTON – An 86-year-old Kinsman man was killed in an automobile accident at the intersection of state Route 193 and Bradley Brownlee Road about 10 a.m. Sunday.

Kathern Phillips, 63, of Cortland, was driving a 2009 Dodge minivan west on Bradley Brownlee Road when, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, she failed to yield at a stop sign and struck a 2009 Honda SUV that was driven by George Ogilbee.

Ogilbee’s vehicle rolled over and landed on the side of the road, according to the patrol. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he died of his injuries. Phillips was not hurt.

Ohio man charged in fatal crash to get 3rd competency exam

COLUMBUS – A central Ohio man accused of causing a crash that led to the deaths of two pedestrians will receive a third psychological evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial.

Terrance Trent is accused of recklessly driving his truck into a school bus that then hit the two pedestrians on Dec. 12. The 62-year-old Trent has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide charges.

One psychologist concluded Trent is incompetent to stand trial and suffers from “disorganized and delusional thinking” and possibly dementia. A second evaluation deemed him competent for trial.

The Franklin County judge previously assigned to the case recently retired. The judge who replaced him approved funding for another evaluation.

March held to focus attention on women missing in Ohio city

CHILLICOTHE – A march to focus attention on two women missing since last year from a small southern city drew dozens of people.

The march Saturday in Chillicothe was aimed at sparking new leads in the disappearances of Wanda Lemons and Charlotte Trego. They are among six women who have vanished from the community in the past year. The other four were found dead.

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Elevator out at main library branch of Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN – The elevator in the Main Library of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County, 305 Wick Ave., is out of order and expected to be unavailable until early this week while repairs are made, library officials announced.

The library will remain open and stairways are available. However, library patrons who need an elevator may want to use nearby branch libraries, telephone reference or the library’s website, www.LibraryVisit.org, for their library services.

Center in SW Ohio to help veterans return to civilian life

CINCINNATI – A center to help veterans successfully transition back into civilian life has been established at a Cincinnati social services site to assist veterans in a tristate area that includes portions of southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.

The new veterans section of the CityLink Center in Cincinnati is being formally launched Saturday.

The veterans center was created by the Tristate Veterans Community Alliance in collaboration with Major League Baseball’s Welcome Back Veterans initiative and the Cincinnati Reds. It offers various resources including financial planning and job readiness preparation. The center also refers veterans and their families to other assistance services in the community.

The CityLink Center is an integrated social services site started by a group of social service agencies and supported by faith-based groups, corporations, foundations and individuals.

Amid rainy summer, Ohio urges precautions against mosquitoes

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Health says rainy summer weather is contributing to an increase in mosquitoes, and officials urge residents to take precautions to prevent mosquito-related illness.

Wet weather means more standing water, where mosquitoes breed. Health officials say mosquito pools from Franklin, Licking, Richland and Summit counties have tested positive for West Nile virus.

The virus can be transmitted when an infected mosquito bites someone. The state had 11 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in 2014 but has none reported so far this year.

Health officials say residents can help to protect themselves by using mosquito repellents, repairing damaged window screens to keep out insects, and wearing long, loose, light-colored clothing. They also recommend emptying standing water from birdbaths, pool covers, flower pots and other containers.

Homicide investigators say man’s body found in Columbus park

COLUMBUS – Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 23-year-old man whose body was found in a park in Columbus.

Columbus police did not immediately release the cause of death for Dominique DeShawn Thomas. They say Thomas’ body was found in plain sight between a sidewalk and a tree in Franklin Park early Saturday.

Police say someone passing by the site reported the body just before 6:30 a.m.

Sgt. David Sicilian of the homicide squad told The Columbus Dispatch that Thomas was killed at the spot where his body was found. He said the man likely was killed between 6 and 6:30 am.

Police were probing evidence collected at the scene and planned to canvas the neighborhood.

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Warren man reports drive-by shooting

WARREN – A 30-year old Warren man was shot at while retrieving items from a car Thursday evening, according to a police report.

TaShawn Fambro of Warren told police he was retrieving items from the passenger seat of a friend’s car parked on the curb outside 2091 Milton St. SE when a man drove by in a black SUV and fired shots at him.

Fambro told police he remembered eight shots being fired and they shattered the rear window of his friend’s white Buick. Only one 9 mm casing was recovered by police, according to the police report.

No arrests had been made by Friday.

Niles man arrested after police chase

NILES – A 26-year old Niles man was arrested after a police chase around 9 p.m. Thursday night, a police report states.

Jeffrey Foster faces charges of resisting arrest, driving under suspension and failure to comply with police order, according to the report.

The chase began after a Howland officer attempted to pull over a Chevrolet Trailblazer, which didn’t stop. The Trailblazer eventually pulled over, and the driver jumped out of the vehicle and ran.

Officers arrested Foster in the parking lot of Burlington Coat Factory, the report states.

Foster was found to have two active warrants – one charging domestic violence and the other charging obstructing official business – and a suspended driver’s license, the report states. Police were later informed the vehicle was reported stolen by Foster’s girlfriend, but she opted to not press charges.

Foster told police he had suffered back injuries during the chase and was transported by Howland fire to St. Joseph Warren Hospital, the report states.

Warren woman pleads in friend’s fatal shooting

WARREN – A Warren woman pleaded guilty Friday to accidentally shooting and killing her friend in 2013 in Perkins Park. In a plea deal, Lakeisha Bell, 20, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon, and will serve 16 years in prison.

Bell previously pleaded not guilty in the death of her best friend, McKayla Hopkins, 18, at Bell’s birthday party. Police originally called the shooting accidental; the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office intended to try to prove it was intentional.

Bell was set to go on trial Monday on charges of murder with a firearm specification, involuntary manslaughter with a firearm specification, having weapons under disability, carrying concealed weapons and tampering with evidence.

But after failing a polygraph test, Bell asked a judge to allow her to take a previously offered plea bargain that included a 14-year sentence. Assistant prosecutor Chris Becker said that deal was off the table.

Tribune Chronicle

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Bloomfield-Mespo board to meet on filling vacancy

BLOOMFIELD -The Bloomfield-Mespo Board of Education will hold a special meeting 7:15 p.m. Monday at Bloomfield High School to interview and consider an applicant to fill the remainder of a board member’s term on the board.

Last month, the board accepted the resignation of Linda Viney, who had served for 16 years. Board President Justin Sly said Viney submitted her resignation in late June.

The person appointed by the board would fill the remainder of Viney’s term through December. The seat will be open in the November general election for a new four-year term beginning in January.

The board is also scheduled Monday to act on supplemental employment contracts.

Warren woman claims puppy ad was a scam

WARREN – A woman who said she paid $500 Friday for two Husky puppies on Craigslist reported that she was being harassed for more money in what she suspects is a scam.

Shaina Burton of Warren said that after she made contact with the seller, the seller said it would cost $500 to ship the puppies from Georgia to Ohio. The day after she paid the $500, Burton said, the sellers told her the puppies were stuck in Kentucky because of bad weather and it would take another $1,300 to get them to her. Burton said the people threatened her with criminal prosecution if she refused.

Burton said a check of weather conditions showed no problems, and that a friend contacting the same number in the ad was sent different photos and a different contact name. A reporter’s call to the number went unreturned Wednesday.

No charges have yet been filed.

Yankee Lake mud race seeks obstacle runners

BROOKFIELD – Spots are available to participate in the first Mud Monster 5K, a mud and obstacle run to benefit the United Way of Trumbull County and the United Way of Mercer County, July 18 at Yankee Lake Mudding Pit, 1800 state Route 7.

Pre-registration is $45 a person. Day of registration is $55 person. The cost for children participating in the one-mile kids run with obstacles is $15 per child.

Register at United Way’s website, www.unitedwaytrumbull.org. The first 200 to register will receive a race T-shirt and a finisher’s medal.

The kids run begins at 8:15 a.m. and the Mud Monster, for ages 14 and above, begins at 9 a.m. Participants will be released in waves of 20 every 20 to 25 minutes. Awards will be given to the three men and women in several age categories.

Newton Township road closed for culvert work

NEWTON TOWNSHIP – Pritchard Ohltown Road between South Canal Street and West River Road in the township will be closed for culvert replacement Monday to July 24.

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office recommends the following detour: north on West River Road, northwest on state Route 534, and south on South Canal Street.

House speaker disagrees with Trump’s comments on immigrants

WASHINGTON – Republican House Speaker John Boehner says he disagrees with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s inflammatory comments on immigration.

Trump’s fellow candidates have already criticized the business mogul for saying Mexican immigrants are criminals and rapists.

Boehner told reporters Thursday that he, too, disagrees with Trump.

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Pavlik case continued on assault charge

NILES – Former boxing champion Kelly Pavlik, 33, of Canfield, appeared Wednesday in Niles Municipal Court for a second time on charges of assault and disorderly conduct. The case was continued until 8:30 a.m. Aug. 19.

According to the charges, Pavlik was involved in a fight April 18 in the parking lot of Pine Tree Place Plaza after the Foo Fighters concert.

Rock through window throws glass on woman

WARREN – A rock was thrown through the window of an attorney’s office at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on East Market Street, scattering shattered glass on an employee.

The employee of attorney Randy P. Safos, 585 E. Market St., told police she was sitting at her desk when three people who appeared to be juveniles threw the rock. The woman was unable to describe the juveniles but said they ran north on Smith Place NE. No arrests have been made.

The woman said she wasn’t injured.

Police said the window was worth $350.

Niles Fire Department gets money for truck

The Niles Fire Department was awarded $400,000 from the federal government to buy a vehicle, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced Wednesday.

The money comes through the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grants program, which helps fire departments and other first responders pay for training and equipment. The money received by Niles can be used on pumpers, aerials, brush trucks, tankers / tenders, rescue vehicles and ambulances, according to Brown’s office.

Paris Township Fire Department in Portage County received $137,142 from the same program.

Dems’ redistricting endorsement up in air

COLUMBUS – Backers seeking voter approval this fall for a historic redistricting compromise in Ohio are facing the possibility that they’ll reach Election Day without the support of one of the state’s major political parties.

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper told The Associated Press that the party wants assurances the issue achieves its intended consequences before issuing an endorsement. A screening committee is studying data modeling from different companies to determine how the new rules would affect future legislative elections.

Staff, wire reports

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Court says Trumbull inmate can make claim

CINCINNATI – A federal appeals court says a condemned killer who beat a 65-year-old Warren man to death almost three decades ago can continue arguing he shouldn’t be executed because he is mentally disabled.

The ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati came in the case of Andre Williams, sentenced to death for the 1988 beating death of George Melnick of Warren in an attack that severely injured Melnick’s wife, Katherine Melnick.

The appeals court said Tuesday that lower courts failed to properly apply federal law governing claims of mental disability in capital punishment cases.

The federal court said a lower court ruled improperly when it refused to recognize evidence of the 48-year-old Williams’ disabilities dating to when he was a teenager.

Grant helps TNP boost health and nutrition

WARREN – Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership received a $10,000 grant from Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation to support its Garden Resources of Warren, or GROW, program.

The GROW Program is designed to increase access to healthy foods, enhance social capital and promote a sense of community and wellbeing among residents of Warren and surrounding neighborhoods.

Money will be used to develop a SNAP Benefits Incentive Program for the Warren Farmers Market, expand urban agricultural infrastructure and offer additional healthy eating workshops.

TNP has managed the GROW Program since 2011, and supports or partners with a variety of urban agriculture and land use projects throughout Warren. The organization also manages a farmers market on Courthouse Square and other local food efforts.

“Large swaths of Warren’s neighborhoods are located in food deserts, which means a disproportionate number of our families lack access to fresh local produce,” said Lisa Ramsey, TNP assistant director.

Fish kill plagues Lake Newport

YOUNGSTOWN – A health official in Youngstown is advising against eating fish from three lakes in Mill Creek MetroPark since a sewer overflow caused a large fish kill in the largest lake.

A sanitary sewer overflow from the city’s system during recent heavy rains depleted the dissolved oxygen in the water, which is essential to fish survival. It led to a large fish kill in Lake Newport.

City Health Commissioner Erin Bishop on Monday urged anglers not to eat any live fish they catch in Newport, Cohasset or Glacier lakes, or in Mill Creek downstream, at least until the dead fish are removed. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are investigating the fish kill.

Patrol arrested 690 for OVI over weekend

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State Highway Patrol made 690 arrests for impaired driving and 391 for drug related charges over Fourth of July weekend across the state. Seven people lost their lives in six crashes over the four-day period, from Thursday through Sunday.

None of the fatalities were in Trumbull or Mahoning counties.

Statewide, the patrol responded to 643 crashes, 55,000 traffic contacts; 6,054 citations for seat belt violations and 2,675 citations for aggressive driving.

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Warren man pleads to rape charges

WARREN – A city man who turned himself in to police, saying he raped a young female relative, pleaded guilty Monday at his arraignment in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Jesse Young, 39, of 515 Maryland St. NE, walked into the police department in May with the girl, 7, and first told police he had touched her inappropriately between 2008 and 2013, according to the police report. Detective Nick Carney said Young confessed to more egregious crimes while being interviewed.

He was charged with three counts of rape in Warren Municipal Court and his bond was set at $1 million. A grand jury indicted Young on the three rape charges Wednesday and Common Pleas Court Judge Peter J. Kontos kept Young’s bond at $1 million during Monday’s arraignment. Young has been in the Trumbull County Jail since May 4.

A jury trial had been scheduled for July 27.

Two people injured in large group attack

WARREN – A man and woman reported they were attacked by a large group of young people at 9:40 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Belmont Street NE and Vine Avenue NE.

Police said they were dispatched to the area and found approximately 20 people, some of whom held baseball bats. A 27-year-old Belmont Street NE man and a 28-year-old woman from East 10th Street told police they were walking home from the store when some young men and women they didn’t know rushed them.

The man said numerous men tripped him and then began kicking him and beating him with a baseball bat. He was treated at Trumbull Memorial Hospital for swelling and a “head and neck injury.”

The woman told police she was punched in the face by a young woman, but did not seek medical treatment.

No arrests were made although police said they interviewed a large group of people outside of the 700 block of Vine Avenue NE.

Ravenna man turns self in over truck injury

WARREN – A 46-year-old Ravenna man turned himself Monday to face accusations that he hit a Sam’s Club employee with a truck during a robbery.

John Kucek, 5975 Knapp Road, Ravenna, is scheduled for arraignment 9:30 a.m. today in Warren Municipal Court on a charge of aggravated robbery.

Police said a Masury man was hit by a truck just after midnight Thursday while attempting to stop a thief from taking items from behind the Sam’s Club store on Niles Cortland Road SE.

The driver hit the man with the 2002 gray GMC truck, knocking him to the ground and injuring him, the report states.

Kucek is being held in Trumbull County Jail.

Bloomfield proceeds with fire renewal levy

BLOOMFIELD – Bloomfield Township trustees at a special meeting Monday agreed to place a 1.3-mill, five-year renewal fire / emergency medical service levy on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

Trustee John Beran said the levy generates $11,800 annually for fire and EMS services of the fire department.

He said there will be no increase in taxes for residents. He said the owner of a $100,000 home would continue to pay $17.38 per year for the levy.

Woman sentenced to institution in slaying

PAINESVILLE – A judge has ordered a northeast Ohio woman committed to a psychiatric institution for the stabbing death of her 86-year-old mother last September.

Fifty-six-year-old Dawn Pierce of Mentor was found not guilty by reason of insanity by a judge last month in Lake County. Prosecutors said she stabbed Lillian Pierce dozens of times before killing her cat. Her attorney has said Pierce has suffered from mental illness for years. Prosecutors agreed.

Staff, wire reports

Vietnam helicopter to stop in Hubbard

HUBBARD – A Vietnam War-era Huey helicopter will visit Hubbard High School’s track field on Hall Avenue from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday for a public showing.

The helicopter is flying from Peru, Ind., to Connecticut for an airshow celebrating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The helicopter is part of the organization American Huey 369 who are fundraising to build a museum to the Huey helicopter in Peru, Ind.

Hubbard resident, Bill Flowers, who was a crew chief / gunner in the Vietnam War, will be aboard the helicopter and orchestrated the local landing.

“It’s an interesting piece of history and it’ll be nice to bring it to the people of Trumbull County,” Flowers said.

The visit is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3767 in Hubbard and Trumbull County Disabled American Veterans Post 11.

Husted to speak today at local GOP event

BAZETTA – Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted will be the special guest when the Trumbull County Republican Party hosts its summer picnic at 5 p.m. today at Maffitts Meadows, 2970 Hoagland Blackstub Road.

Husted served in both the Ohio House, where he was speaker for two terms, and Ohio Senate prior to being elected Secretary of State in 2010. He oversees of elections in Ohio, one of the nation’s most hotly-contested swing states.

There is $10 donation to attend. Children younger than 18 are free. Reservations are being accepted by contacting Trumbull County Republican Party Secretary Martha Yoder at 440-477-1498 or mcyodertcgop@gmail.com.

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Road projects planned in Hubbard and Warren twps.

Bridge replacement work beginning today in Hubbard and Warren townships will close roads through October.

Chestnut Ridge Road between Hubbard Masury Road and State Line Road in Hubbard Township will be closed through Oct. 30.

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office is recommending that motorists travel north on Hubbard Masury Road, southeast on Sharon Bedford Road and south on State Line Road.

Palmyra Road between Hewitt Gifford Road and Kibler Toot Road in Warren Township will be closed through Oct. 31. The recommended detour is west on Hewitt Gifford Road, north on Leavitt Road and east on Risher Road.

Both projects are being done by A. P. O’Horo Co.

Cortland to discuss plans for splash pad

CORTLAND – Cortland Parks Board has scheduled a work session for 6 p.m. today at the city administration building to discuss plans for the addition of a splash pad.

Man’s body discovered in Youngstown parking lot

YOUNGSTOWN – City police are investigating the death of a man whose body was discovered in a parking lot around 3:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

Tribune Chronicle news partner WYTV Channel 33 reported that the body of a black male, possibly in his 50s, was found in the rear parking lot of a Community Corrections Association building in the 1700 block of Market Street.

There were no signs of foul play, but the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office planned to do an autopsy to determine the cause of death, officials said.

The man’s identity was not released on Sunday.

City awaiting decision on Jeep Wrangler production

TOLEDO – City leaders in Toledo still are waiting to find out if Jeep Wrangler production will stay in its longtime home.

The CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had said last year that he expected a decision by the end of June.

The automaker is considering moving the Wrangler assembly line out of Toledo so it can be made with a partial aluminum body. CEO Sergio Marchionne has said the challenges of keeping the Wrangler in Toledo include the cost of reconfiguring their current plant.

City officials tell The Blade newspaper that they don’t know when an announcement will be made.

Staff, wire reports

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Bomb squad finds box empty in McDonald

McDONALD – A suspicious package left near Woodland Park, the site of the Firefighters Fourth of July Festival, brought out the Youngstown Bomb Squad Saturday evening only to discover the box empty.

A passer-by called the box into the police about 8:30 p.m. The bomb squad and the McDonald Fire Department, who were hosting the festival, responded.

After checking the box with an X-ray device, it was found to be empty and crews left by 10:30 p.m.

That allowed the festival to conclude with fireworks at 11 p.m. as scheduled.

Kayakers rescued when parents found

NEWTON FALLS – Two young kayakers were reunited with their parents after nearby residents heard them calling for help about 4 p.m. from the Mahoning River near East River Road, according to the Trumbull County 911 dispatchers.

The kayakers reportedly were calling for their parents, from whom they were separated. Rescuers did not see any other family members in the area. Crews including Mahoning County and Lake Milton Fire Department were called in for a possible water rescue.

Within 15 minutes, the kayakers’ parents were located and the search was called off, a dispatch supervisor said.

Police: Two children injured in shooting

CLEVELAND – Cleveland police are investigating a morning shooting that left two children in critical condition.

Police say the shooting occurred around 8 a.m. Saturday in a house on Cleveland’s west side. Police spokesman Ali Pillow tells reporters a 9-year-old girl and her 2-year-old brother were each shot in the torso. They were taken to a hospital in a private vehicle and were listed in critical condition.

Pillow says police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, but it appears the shots came from within the house.

Group to appeal drilling lawsuit

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS – A community activist group near Cleveland that opposes oil and gas wells in residential neighborhoods said it plans to appeal a judge’s decision to dismiss its lawsuit against the state.

Mothers Against Drilling in Our Neighborhood, which is based in Broadview Heights, claimed the city’s Community Bill of Rights approved by voters in 2012 supersedes a state law permitting drilling.

But Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCormick dismissed the lawsuit this week.

Staff, wire reports

, citing a February Ohio Supreme Court case that said municipalities’ home rule does not overrule state law regulating oil and gas drilling. The court had given the Ohio Department of Natural Resources exclusive authorization to permit, locate and regulate wells in 2004.

In 2007, Bass Energy Co., of Fairlawn, signed a lease with a Broadview Heights church allowing them to drill oil and gas wells on 100 acres of their property. The company drilled three wells on the site.

The community bill of rights passed in 2012 intended to prevent more wells from coming to town, but a judge overturned the ban in March after Bass and another drilling company sued the city.

Mothers group Director Tish O’Dell’s suit argued both federal and state constitutions allowed citizens to govern themselves locally and protect their communities.

“Based on his decision it doesn’t look like he read a word of our brief,” O’Dell told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “We’re not giving up. We’re not going away.”

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Lordstown man requesting new trial

YOUNGSTOWN A Lordstown man facing seven years in prison has asked for a new trial, claiming 3-D crime scene animation proves him innocent of pointing a gun at law enforcement officials who came to his home last October, according to Tribune Chronicle news partner WYTV Channel 33.

George Rafidi’s defense attorney, Mark Allenbaugh, says Faro Scan, a 3-D crime scene recreation program primarily used for demonstrative purposes, proves his client did not point a gun at agents as they said he did.

Rafidi was convicted in April, but his sentencing has been delayed.

Agents testified at Rafidi’s trial that he threw open his door and pointed a gun at them when they arrived at his house. However, Allenbaugh argues it couldn’t have happened that way, insisting the animation proves it.

Allenbaugh claims the animation is critical evidence that he was given after the trial concluded.

Nearly third of beaches under E. coli advisory

DAYTON – Nearly one-third of Ohio’s beaches are under health advisories after tests yielded high levels of E. coli bacteria that could sicken swimmers.

Brian Miller, of the state Division of Parks and Recreation, tells The Dayton Daily News officials want people to be aware of the advisories as they head to beaches for the holiday weekend.

Three out of every 10 public beaches are under advisories this week. Miller says he can’t recall a June where he’s seen this many spikes in E. coli bacteria. He says heavy rains, stressed sewage systems and geese have all been to blame for the issue.

Staff, wire reports

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Warren roads to close for block parties

WARREN – Several roads in Warren will be closed Saturday for July 4 weekend block parties.

Safety Service Director Enzo Cantalamessa said the following streets will be closed: First Street SW at Wood Avenue and Sprint Street, from 2 to 9 p.m.; Wilson Avenue NW at Rex Blvd and Kinsman Street NW, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and Burton Street SE at Duke Avenue SE to Niles Road SE, from noon to 10 p.m.

Repeat DUI offender sentenced to 2 years

WARREN – A 46-year-old city man was sentenced to two years behind bars Thursday after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated with a prior conviction for the same crime.

Billy Culver, 2059 Park Ave., was pulled over by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper in September. He pleaded guilty in May in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Judge Ronald J. Rice said new laws governing intoxicated driving call for strict minimum sentences for repeat offenders. Culver was also ordered to turn over the 1994 Ford he was driving at the time he was arrested and to pay $1,350.

In 2002, Culver was charged in Warren Municipal Court and indicted in the county Common Pleas Court for felony operating a vehicle while intoxicated; it had been his fourth offense.

“I made a great error,” Culver said before he was sentenced.

Police seek robber in restaurant hold-up

NILES – Niles and Warren police were looking for a man with a knife Thursday night after a Niles business was robbed.

Witnesses told police a black male wearing a red hat and red jacket walked into Chef Peng restaurant, 157 N. Main St., about 9:25 p.m., held a knife, and took money from a cash register. He jumped into a vehicle, which was last seen heading toward Warren, police said.

Warren police joined in the search for the vehicle. The license plates apparently didn’t match the car they were on, according to a police scanner.

Trying to stop thief, man hit by truck

WARREN – A Masury man was hit by a truck just after midnight Thursday while attempting to stop a thief from taking items from behind the Sam’s Club store on Niles Cortland Road SE.

According to the police report, the 27-year-old employee noticed a man loading a truck with the items and stood in front of the truck while calling for help from other employees.

The driver hit the man with the 2002 gray GMC truck, knocking him to the ground and injuring him, the report states. The extent of the man’s injuries are not described in the report.

The vehicle was towed, and a $50 metal stand is listed as stolen.

The report indicates no arrests have been made. Messages to police and the victim were unreturned.

Tribune Chronicle

Local News

At a glance

Niles man charged

in cash store robbery

NILES – A 35 year-old Niles man pleaded not guilty on charges related to a robbery at Instant Cash for Gold, 6261 Youngstown Warren Road.

Daniel Campbell, 829 W. Park Ave., is set for a preliminary hearing 9:30 a.m. July 8 in Niles Municipal Court. He remains in Trumbull County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bond, according to court records.

A man walked into the business, hit the 51-year-old woman working there with pepper spray, and robbed the store, according to a police report.

Police used surveillance footage to identify Campbell as the suspect, and picked him up. Officers said when they made the arrest, the recovered $765 that was stolen from the business, according to the police report.

Campbell was arraigned Monday.

Digital message boards coming to highways

CANFIELD – Digital message boards will be posted on highways across the state rotating between two messages: updating the year-to-date number of traffic deaths; and a safety message, such as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

The boards were announced Wednesday at the Canfield barracks of the Ohio State Highway Patrol in joint news conference with the patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Ohio has 19 percent more traffic deaths so far in 2015 that at this time a year ago, which sparked the initiative.

“We hope that by coupling the Patrol’s enforcement with the highly visible ODOT signs, we can impact driver behavior and save some lives,” patrol Col. Paul Pride said.

The boards will display the messages 24 hours a day on weekends and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Road in Burghill

to close for race

BURGHILL – Mayburn Corners-Barclay Road, between state Routes 5 and 7, will be closed from 8:45 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday for the Burghill Vernon Fire Department Firefighter Firecracker 5K Race.

Traffic-control assistance will be provided by the Burghill Vernon Fire Department, Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office and Kinsman Police Department.

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office is recommending the following detour: south on state Route 5 and east on state Route 88.

Tribune Chronicle

Local News

At a glance

Warren woman found

dead of possible overdose

WARREN – A Warren woman was found dead in her apartment Monday evening of a possible drug overdose, police said.

Nickole Velte, 32, 3625 Rio Terra St. NW, was found lying unresponsive on the floor of her apartment, the police report states. A relative reported not hearing from Velte since Saturday.

A spoon and two syringes were found in Velte’s kitchen, police and emergency medical technicians reported. Police said they had responded to the home previously on an overdose call. The Trumbull County coroner is investigating.

Liberty to dedicate

sidewalks to schools

LIBERTY – Liberty Township will hold a ribbon-cutting 1 p.m. today at Shady Road and state Route 304 for a newly constructed $3 million sidewalk.

Officials said the sidewalk was funded through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School Program.

Northern Trumbull roads open following projects

Two northern Trumbull County roads have re-opened as improvement projects have been completed.

The Trumbull County Engineer’s Office has announced that Burnett East Road in Kinsman opened Monday and Custer Orangeville Road in Hartford opened Tuesday.

Deadline approaches

for special election

CANFIELD – Voters who hope to cast a vote in the special election set for August in Canfield must register by Monday.

Secretary of State Jon Husted said absentee voting begins Tuesday for the Aug. 4 special election.

Residents of Canfield city in Mahoning County will see a 0.5 percent additional income tax on the ballot. It is the only local issue that will appear in the special election, and one of 12 issues on ballots statewide.

Voter registration forms are available at MyOhioVote.com or from the Mahoning County board of elections. Changes of address also can be updated online at MyOhioVote.com, Husted said. Voters will have until noon, Aug. 1, to request an absentee ballot by mail.

New KSU Trumbull dean

takes post today

CHAMPION – Kent State University at Trumbull’s new dean and chief administrative officer Lance Grahn takes office today.

The history professor at University of Central Arkansas was chosen to replace retiring interim dean Wanda Thomas during the university’s national search.

Grahn served as the provost and dean of faculty / vice president for academic affairs from 2008 to 2012 at the University of Central Arkansas. He also worked at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and at Marquette University.

Free gospel concert

plays Friday

WARREN – Free tickets are available for the Gold City gospel quartet concert 7:30 p.m. Friday at Warren First Assembly of God, 2640 Parkman Road NW. Gold City, a 2013 Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame inductee, earned No. 1 hits in each of the last four decades.

Tickets are available at co-sponsor the Tribune Chronicle, 240 Franklin St. SE, Warren, by calling Sue Shafer at 330-841-1696, or by mailing in the coupon which runs in the newspaper. A freewill offering will be accepted. The church is handicapped-accessible.

Before and after the concert, Tribune Chronicle humor columnist Burton W. Cole will sign copies of his faith-based humor books, including his latest, “Bash and the Chocolate Milk Cows,” published by B&H Kids.