Traficant trial response

Traficant trial response
CLEVELAND -- U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. of Poland, D-17th, received a fair trial by a legally drawn jury and his claims that jurors should have come from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties is wrong, the government said Wednesday. The jury selection plan approved by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is constitutional, the government said in its response to the congressman's request for a new trial. U.S. District Judge Lesley Brooks Wells will consider arguments presented by the government and lawyers for Traficant. The congressman, convicted of all 10 racketeering and tax counts he faced, will be sentenced June 27.
Road closings
SOUTHINGTON -- Phalanx Mills Herner Road in Southington Township will be closed Monday and Tuesday while a culvert is replaced 1,000 feet northwest of state Route 534, according to the Trumbull County Engineer's Office. Ridge Road in Johnston Township will be closed at County Road 159 and Dunbar Lane on Wednesday and Thursday while a culvert is replaced.
McDonald schools
McDONALD -- The board of education will meet in special session at 7:30 p.m. Monday for a work session on negotiations and to take action on the resignation of a high school teacher. The work session is to discuss negotiations with the district's 52 teachers, whose three-year contract expires Aug. 31.
Citizens action league
HOWLAND -- The newly formed Trumbull County Citizens Action League will have its first meeting at 6 p.m. June 12 in the Howland Public Library at 9095 E. Market St.
The political watchdog group will formulate plans and select committees. It also seeks information on issues of public corruption, ethics violations and other matters of general interest to the public.
Call Bob Carr at (330) 856-9213.
'Mega Millions' winner
GARRETTSVILLE -- Thelma Hoffman, a resident of this Portage County community, won $175,000 in the May 21 "Mega Millions" Ohio lottery drawing. She matched all five white balls to claim the second-highest prize a player can win in the game, lottery officials said.
Hoffman bought the winning ticket at Graham's Country Store in Parkman. She chose her winning numbers: 4-28-39-41-44. The Mega Ball was 9. After taxes, Hoffman will get a check for $121,625.
Power outages reported
SHARON, Pa. -- About 70 of some 1,000 Pennsylvania Power Co. customers were still without electricity as of 6:30 a.m. after a late-night thunderstorm knocked out service across Mercer County. The storm rolled through about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and lightning strikes hit poles, and downed trees cut power from the Shenango Valley as far north as Greenville. The county's 911 center reported that a shed in Farrell and a house in Hermitage were hit by lightning, causing minimal damage. Most service was restored in about an hour.
Police seek safe thief
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Police are still searching for whoever stole a safe from the Moose Club at 175 Main St. Police said the safe was rolled out of the building through a loading dock door and placed in the bed of a Ford Ranger pickup truck that had been stolen from the Greenville Water Authority building on Clinton Street. Both thefts occurred early Sunday. The truck was found in a field off Kidds Mill Road with the safe still in the bed. It had been forced open and an undisclosed amount of money was taken, police said.
Disputed lawn mower
AUSTINTOWN -- Police are investigating a report that a Mahoning Avenue business sold a $6,200 lawn mower it was supposed to repair. A New Road man told police he bought the lawn mower for $3,000 from Valley Power Equipment. The lawn mower's original owner, a Viall Road man, told police Tuesday he hasn't seen the lawn mower since he dropped it off for repairs at the business in 1999. He said the business has since closed.
Building dedication
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown Community School will formally dedicate its new $4 million building at 9 a.m. Friday.
The South Side charter school opened in 1998 with 40 kindergartners in the Millcreek Children's Center preschool on Essex Street.
The school has 192 pupils through third grade, and the new building has 10 classrooms, a gym, cafeteria, music room and library.