Annual inspection of buses, ambulances

Annual inspectionof buses, ambulances
CANFIELD -- The Ohio State Highway Patrol will conduct its annual inspection of church buses and privately owned ambulances in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties beginning April 3 at the Canfield Fairgrounds.
Call the patrol's Canfield post at (330) 533-6866 for appointment times.
Trustees award contractfor government building
HOWLAND -- Trustees awarded the contract for the construction of the new government building. During Wednesday's regular meeting, trustees said D.J. Porter Co. Inc. of Youngstown was named the general contractor. John Emanuel, township administrator, said D.J. Porter had the "lowest and best bid" of the 13 companies that bid on the project.
The company bid $807,275 for the construction of the 11,400-square-foot building and a parking lot. Emanuel said the parking lot will be lit and have 100 parking spaces; the building, which will have a pitched roof, will house the township's government offices. Officials hope the building will be done by November. It will be across High Street N.E. from the current township building.
Zoning suggestion form
MINERAL RIDGE -- The Weathersfield Township Zoning Commission has approved a new form that any resident or property owner can use to suggest changes in zoning law.
The form must also be approved by the trustees. Sherri Craver, assistant zoning inspector, said today that if trustees approve the form, suggested zoning changes would take effect only if approved by the commission and trustees. The form is designed to provide a uniform procedure for changes in zoning regulations.
Fear of dog
YOUNGSTOWN -- A report of a man afraid to come down from the roof of a car because of a dog sent police to the 900 block of Wick Avenue on Wednesday evening. The dog ran up to the cruiser, barking and growling, which prevented officers from getting out of their car. The dog's owner showed up and said the animal is an English bulldog, and that he has a license for it. No citations were issued because the dog was primarily on its own property, police said.
Mural project begins
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city's design review commission has approved putting up the first of several downtown murals. Artist Jack Carlton, coordinator of the Downtown Murals Project, was given permission Wednesday to put up "Snap the Whip" by Winslow Homer on a 14-by-25-foot piece of vinyl. The mural will appear on a building at Federal and Chestnut streets, across from Powers Auditorium. Carlton eventually hopes to put up about 10 murals in all.
The commission also approved the design concept for the new federal courthouse at Commerce Street and Wick Avenue. Construction begins April 2.
Lawsuit filed
YOUNGSTOWN -- A third lawsuit has been filed against Physicians Dialysis Center of Youngstown by a patient who got sick there last summer. Joanne Hight of Stocker Avenue and her husband, Ernest Sr., are seeking unspecified damages in the suit, filed Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Two other suits were filed there last week.
Twenty patients became ill after receiving dialysis treatments at the center on Belmont Avenue in August. The center closed for a month and made major repairs to its water system. Also named as defendants in the suit are Renal Care Group of Knoxville, Tenn., Northeast Ohio Kidney Group of Youngstown, Dayton Water Systems of Dayton and the United States Filter Corp. of Los Angeles.
Utility increase
SHARON, Pa. -- The Mercer County Housing Authority approved a resolution Wednesday that calls for a 33 percent utility increase effective July 1. The authority also agreed to increase security deposits for elderly tenants from $25 to $50 for new tenants, effective immediately.