Rescued from jumping

Rescued from jumping
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 45-year-old Boardman man who threatened to jump from the Mahoning Avenue bridge late Sunday afternoon was rescued by police after he asked for a cigarette.
When the Salinas Trail man asked for a cigarette, a medic from an ambulance company handed a pack of cigarettes to a detective, who, in turn, walked slowly toward the man and handed him the pack. As the man began fishing a cigarette out of the pack, police moved in and pulled the man to safety. He was take to Forum Health Northside Medical Center.
During the episode, police closed the bridge and a section of Interstate 680 that passes under the bridge.
Mahoning Co. road work
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two county roads will be closed this week so workers can replace culverts, Mahoning County Engineer Richard A. Marsico has announced.
Fairview Road between Wilcox and Turner roads in Austintown will be closed Tuesday. Traffic will be detoured along Turner Road, Mahoning Avenue and Wilcox Road.
Springfield Road between Calla and Middletown roads will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. Detours will run on Middletown, Beard and Calla roads.
Powwow scheduled
COITSVILLE -- Red Hawk American Indian Cultural Society will host a "Dance for Mother Earth" Powwow Aug. 17-18 at Willow Ranch, South Hubbard Road.
The event will feature dancing, drumming, singing and storytelling from several Indian nations. There also will be native arts and crafts, food, raffles, pony rides and other entertainment.
Among the artists featured will be Wanda Kover of West Farmington and JoAnn Turner of Warren, recipients of an Ohio Arts Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant.
Kover and Turner practice the art of Native American beadwork. Their work also is on display at the Trail of Dreams Native American Gallery in Champion.
Gates open both days at 10 a.m. Festivities will continue until dusk Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and senior citizens; and free for children 5 and younger.
Prepaying pike tolls
BEREA -- The Ohio Turnpike Commission launched today a prepaid toll program called Ready Toll for frequent turnpike users as an alternative to cash toll payments.
Participants will prepay tolls using a VISA or Mastercard account and carry a Ready Toll card, which looks like a credit card.
Participants will take a ticket as usual upon entering the turnpike and hand their tickets and Ready Toll cards to the toll collector as they exit, and their tolls will automatically be deducted from their accounts.
A statement of tolls will be issued to Ready Toll card holders about every 90 days, the turnpike commission said. More information and an application can be found at www.ohioturnpike.org.
County receives grant
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given Mahoning County a $29,621 grant to fund a plan to reduce damage from floods or tornadoes before they occur.
Walter M. Duzzny, director of the county's disaster services and emergency management agency, said FEMA is shifting its focus from paying off on claims after disasters to prevention. Locally, officials will consider plans such as reducing flooding in developed areas or better building codes.
After the report is complete by Nov. 1, 2003, the county can obtain grants for drainage and other preventive projects, Duzzny said.
3 fail to pay dinner bill
NILES -- Three men skipped out on a bill at Red Lobster on Youngstown-Warren Road Saturday night.
Police said the men ordered $106 worth of food and alcohol. After eating, two left the restaurant and the waitress became suspicious. The third man tried to leave after his credit card was declined. The waitress caught him outside and told him he would need to go back in to speak with the manager. He then grabbed the waitress, pushed her against a wall and ran off.
Vandalism in Canfield
CANFIELD -- Police are investigating damage and the theft of several plants and flowers from a South Broad Street residence.
According to reports, someone cut or dug up 38 rose bushes and six rhododendrons, as well as dumped dirt and plants into a pond at the home sometime between 5 p.m. Saturday and 12:15 a.m. Sunday.
Damage was estimated at more than $450.
The 51-year-old homeowner told police this is the third time in the past few months someone has destroyed her landscaping.