Charged in rapes of young girl
Charged in rapesof young girl
LISBON -- An East Palestine man faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of sexually assaulting a girl.
James Ruscoe, 29, of West Clark Street, is charged with rape, a first-degree felony. He was secretly indicted recently by a Columbiana County grand jury.
Authorities say Ruscoe used or threatened to use force to compel a girl he knew to submit to rapes beginning in 1999 and continuing until 2001. The girl was 7 when the first assault occurred, authorities say.
He was in the county jail Wednesday with bail set at $150,000.
Church youths tapepastor to the wall
NORTH LIMA -- The youths of Calvary United Methodist Church stuck it to their pastor -- literally.
Members of the church youth group made a deal with the Rev. Bill Zeyer last month when they began collecting cans of soup for the area's needy: If they collected 250 cans of soup by the end of April, they wanted to duct-tape the Rev. Mr. Zeyer to a church wall. The pastor agreed.
After exceeding their goal by 50 cans, the youths used 10 rolls of duct tape to secure Mr. Zeyer to a concrete block wall Sunday.
In addition to collecting the soup as part of their mission project, members of the group will serve a supper at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley in Youngstown later this month. They also provided pizza and ice cream sundaes for the congregation.
Our Daily Bread bakery, Columbiana, provided the pizza shells; Crouse Mills True Value Hardware Center, North Lima, donated the duct tape.
Project delayed
COLUMBIANA -- Problems with the location of pipes will delay installation of air conditioning at Crestview Middle School.
Superintendent John Dilling said some changes and additions will be needed in bid specifications, delaying the project until late summer. School officials had hoped to install the air-conditioning system soon after school dismisses for the summer recess.
He said officials discovered during a prebid meeting Wednesday that there is not enough room to install air-conditioning pipes in the same area as the pipes for the heating system.
Engineers have estimated the work at $300,000. Funding will come from the Ohio School Facilities Commission, Dilling said.
Bar fire investigated
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Firefighters are looking into the cause of a blaze at Johnny Dogg's Bar on Croton Avenue. The bar is about a block away from a section of Croton Avenue that has had a string of fires at vacant houses in the last month.
Fire Chief James Donston said the blaze started in the basement at 9:43 p.m. Thursday, but they are still unsure what caused the fire. The Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal was expected to investigate sometime today.
Donston said Johnny Dogg's was closed for business when the blaze started. The building is owned by Janice Smith of Arizona and the bar is operated by John Marmo of New Castle, he said. Donston said Marmo was at his other business, The Bomb Shelter, a bar in downtown New Castle, when the fire started.
Civil rights panel
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Ohio Civil Rights Commission will have its May 23 meeting at 10:30 a.m. in the Ohio Room of Youngstown State University's Kilcawley Center. The commission periodically moves its meeting from Columbus to sites around the state.
The commission will hear testimony on cases and rule on case recommendations.
The commission investigates discrimination in employment, public accommodation, housing credit and higher education on the bases of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, ancestry or family status.
Kids Cafes planned
YOUNGSTOWN -- Second Harvest Foodbank of the Mahoning Valley received a $15,000 grant from the Raymond John Wean Foundation to open Kids Cafes in Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
Kids Cafe is a national community-based effort to feed hungry children, strengthen families and keep children safe.
Second Harvest is a nonprofit organization that provides food to 200 member agencies feeding hungry people in Columbiana, Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
Second Harvest hopes to open the first Kids Cafe in the Masury-Brookfield area of Trumbull County by midsummer, said Rebecca Martinez, the food bank's director of development.