99 years ago in 1923

A search of almost three months for Michigan’s original “Paper Bag Bandit” ended in Warren when state policeman Charles H. Burnham of Michigan, detective Henry Kiehl of Cleveland and Warren detectives William Younger and Ben Heldman captured Joe Parent, aged 30, who had been studying music in Warren for four weeks.

Parent, who also had gone under the name of Joe Spalding and N.J. Grenier, was wanted, police said, for robbing the Republic State Bank at Republic, Mich., lone-handed, of $10,200 on Sept. 19 and also for being a parole violator.

In addition, Parent was suspected to be connected with many of the “paper bag” robberies that had occurred in Cleveland. Youngstown police had put Parent through a rigid examination but could not identify him as a participant in any of the recent Youngstown bank robberies.

50 years ago in 1972

The annual Christmas dinner-dance of the Corydon Palmer Dental Society was staged in a gala holiday setting at Cherry’s Top O’ The Mall in Niles.

More than 180 couples, all dentists, physicians and their guests, from the tri-county area of Trumbull, Columbiana and Mahoning, gathered in the beautiful blue room at Cherry’s for the cocktail hour and delicious dinner, followed by an evening of dancing to the music of the Ralph Renalli Orchestra.

Throughout the dinner hour members and guests were serenaded by strolling minstrels, Ralph Renalli and Tony Smaldino.

25 years ago in 1997

In what federal prosecutors said was the first major step in ridding the Mahoning Valley of its historical organized crime influence, a federal grand jury indicted local mob boss Lenine “Lenny” Strollo, his top lieutenants and more than a dozen underlings for their alleged involvement in a long-running violence and gambling enterprise.

Prosecutors said members of the group were responsible for the June 1996 ambush slaying of rival mob boss Ernie Biondillo — the only mob murder at the time ever to be solved in the Mahoning Valley’s bloody Mafia history.

They said the gambling involved an illegal lottery, casino-style gambling and sports bookmaking. Each of the operations, prosecutors said, had the potential to bring in up to $2,000 per day.

10 years ago in 2012

Three classmates at Roosevelt Elementary School celebrated a unique birthday as all three turned 12 on 12-12-12.

For Jack Bucan, Adam Price and Ian Socha, the number 12 was a special number that also meant something special to others as the three boys decided that instead of getting gifts, they would ask people to donate gifts to Akron Children’s Hospital. A private party for the three boys was held at Towjo’s off Ohio Avenue in McDonald, where people dropped off new, unwrapped toys through the end of the week as part of the toy drive.

Socha said not only were the three born on the same day and year, but also in the same hospital, St. Elizabeth Health Center. Christina Price, Adam’s mother, said in a community with only 3,100 people, to have three boys all born on the same day at St. Elizabeth’s was “both a rare and neat occurrence.”

— Compiled from the archives of the Tribune Chronicle by Allie Vugrincic.