Truancy sweep

Truancy sweep
YOUNGSTOWN -- With the sunny weather Monday, city school officials suspected that some pupils skipped school to add a day to spring break. The school district ran a truancy sweep and caught 22 youths on the streets. The pupils were cited under the city's compulsory school attendance law, said Ted Terlesky, the school district's security chief.
The sweep is the fourth this school year.
Benefit for boy
GIRARD -- A benefit for a McDonald boy with Burkitts lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, begins at noon May 5 at the Slovenian Dome, North State Street. The event will include a $1,000 raffle prize, food and entertainment. A $10 donation is requested for Carson Williams, a son of Dan and Danielle Williams of McDonald.
Youth on bike is shot
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 15-year old boy was shot in the foot while he was riding his bike Monday afternoon on Greeley Lane.
Hassan Merriweather, 15, of Eliot Lane, was treated at St. Elizabeth's Health Center. Merriweather was riding his bike on Greeley Lane at 3:15 p.m. when a gray 2-door car slowed down behind him. The passenger of the car leaned out the window and began shooting at Merriweather. Merriweather said he did not know and could not describe the shooter or the car's driver.
Bomb threat probe
YOUNGSTOWN -- Police are investigating a bomb threat Monday afternoon at the Phar-Mor building, 20 Federal Plaza West. The threat was received at Exterra Credit Recovery Inc., on the fourth floor of the building, about 2 p.m. An unidentified male spoke to a collector on the phone and said he was going to "blow you ... out of that ... building." The building was not evacuated and police did not find a bomb.
Soliciting arrests
AUSTINTOWN -- Two Toledo women were arrested by an undercover police officer at a truck stop Friday night on charges that they offered to have sex with him for $350.
Debra Sutton and Shannon Maria Gillespie were charged with soliciting sex.
The undercover officer spoke to one of the women about buying sex on the CB radio after hearing her offer "good company."
He met them in the parking lot of the Rebel 38 Truck Stop on Seventy Six Drive, near state Route 46 and Interstate 80. Austintown police later found more than $3,000 the women had..
Police probe cases
LISBON -- Police and Columbiana County deputy sheriffs are investigating a link between two cases of breaking and entering and an apparent arson last week. Lisbon Chief John "Buck" Higgins said police, over the weekend at a West Pine Street home, found a number of items stolen Wednesday and early Thursday from the Lisbon Lions Club cottage at Willow Grove Park on Logtown Road, Buckeye Beverage at 127 North Beaver Street and the McKinley Boy Scout Camp at 37748 Furnace Road. Alcohol and food from Buckeye Beverage, BB guns taken from the Boy Scout camp, and cookware, dishes and silverware taken from the Lions Club cottage were recovered at the home, Higgins said. Three juveniles and four adults are being investigated, Higgins said.
Payroll error fixed
WARREN -- An oversight by a city payroll clerk has been corrected, and city employees who were not paid on time last week have been compensated. Sal DiLiello, the city's data processing manager, said Monday a clerk forgot to transmit payroll funds to direct-deposit accounts for 196 employees. The error was noticed Friday and it took about an hour for the city to restore computer payroll files from a backup system, DiLiello said.
Volunteer recognition
COLUMBIANA -- The project coordinator for the Licking County Youth Asset Building Initiative will be the featured speaker at Crestview Elementary School's volunteer recognition.
Kate Harkin, a graduate of Ohio State University, will address volunteers at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the school cafeteria.
The free program is sponsored by Crestview Rebels Embracing Wellness and Building Assets Together pilot program.