YOUNGSTOWN Task force leader lights up over bulb money

The funding will pay for between 400 and 600 emergency porch beacons.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A city task force expects to distribute hundreds of emergency porch-light bulbs to elderly residents soon.
The Ohio Attorney General's Office is providing $5,000 for the lights to the Mayor's Task Force on Crime and Violence Prevention. The bulbs cost between $8 and $12 each, meaning the group can buy between 400 and 600 bulbs.
The donation was more than the Rev. Alfred Coward, task force chairman, expected.
"I almost dropped the phone," he said. "It looks like my office will be filled with bulbs until we decide how to distribute them."
The task-force executive committee will meet later this month to figure out how to distribute the bulbs. The task force wants to ensure that the bulbs go to people who need and can't afford them.
The 60-watt bulbs are normal when the switch is flipped once. Flick the switch a couple of times, however, and the bulbs will start to blink.
The bulbs can alert neighbors to problems and help police, fire and rescue crews locate the house. The bulbs are supposed to last 2,000 hours and can be seen 125 feet away even in daylight.
The Rev. Mr. Coward is still waiting to hear if Humility of Mary Health Partners can secure a grant for more flashing bulbs. The South Side Weed and Seed neighborhood improvement program already has bought and distributed about 200 bulbs.