Filling 2 vacancies on port authority
Filling 2 vacancieson port authority
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County commissioners were expected to appoint Bob Romine and William E. Kelly Jr. today to fill two vacancies on the Western Reserve Port Authority.
Romine is vice president and general manager of WYTV, and Kelly is vice president and marketing manager of Clear Channel Communications. The appointments are effective immediately.
The port authority oversees operation of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna Township. Commissioners in both Mahoning and Trumbull counties appoint board members.
Schools to be closed
YOUNGSTOWN -- All schools in the city district will be closed Friday and Monday.
All schools will have parent-teacher conferences from 4-9 p.m. today.
Two workshops will be offered during conferences at Hayes Middle School, 1616 Ford Ave. They are "High School Requirements" at 5 p.m. and "College Preparation" at 6 p.m. Reach Hayes at (330) 744-7602.
Also during conferences, Chaney High School, 724 S. Hazelwood Ave., will have a Family Health and Safety Expo, from 5-8 p.m., with more than 25 community agencies to provide information and health screenings. Pizza sales will benefit the Chaney band. Reach Chaney at (330) 744-8822.
Bond set for custodian
YOUNGSTOWN -- Bond was set Wednesday in municipal court at $1,000 for Thomas Ruby, 49, of McDonald, a custodian at The Rayen School accused of stealing and pawning a violin that belongs to the Youngstown Board of Education.
Ruby will be back in court March 19 for a pretrial hearing. He was removed from his job pending the outcome of an internal investigation and the criminal case, officials said.
Vice squad seizes drugs
YOUNGSTOWN -- Ten suspected Ecstasy pills were among the drugs members of the vice squad seized Wednesday afternoon during a raid at 551 W. Princeton Ave.
The resident, Clarence Rakes, 24, was arrested on charges of drug-abuse Ecstasy, drug-abuse marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia (two scales). Ecstasy is a hallucinogenic drug.
Jennifer Zarlengo, 23, of Pine Hollow Drive was arrested on a charge of trafficking in cocaine.
The drugs and scales were turned over to agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
Title offices to close
COLUMBUS -- All county title offices in Ohio will be closed from the end of operations Friday until Tuesday morning.
The shutdown is to facilitate an Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles computer upgrade Saturday on the state's automated title processing system. The system issues titles for vehicles and watercraft.
The offices will be closed Monday because of Presidents Day.
Fire at vacant house
YOUNGSTOWN -- A vacant three-story house at 2954 W. Federal St. was destroyed by fire about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, the fire department said.
Records show the 77-year-old structure is owned by the city and was valued at $5,200.
The cause of the fire, which began on an exterior stairway, is listed as suspicious.
Driver faces charges
CANFIELD -- The car David A. Cole of Youngstown was driving Tuesday on Western Reserve Road was pulled over by a Mahoning County deputy sheriff because its license plates had expired.
The deputy, when he checked Cole's record, discovered that the 43-year-old West Dewey Avenue man had two suspensions on his driver's license. Cole was arrested on charges of driving under suspension and having expired plates.
The car was towed with a court hold on it.
Leetonia man cited
YOUNGSTOWN -- Daniel Morelli, 40, of Elm Street, Leetonia, attracted attention by driving in circles Wednesday night at Bob O's Towing on Logan Avenue, police said.
A check revealed that Morelli was driving under suspension and had fictitious plates on his Ford. The plates belong on a Buick.
Morelli told police he was at the tow yard waiting for a friend who had to pick up a car.
He received a citation for driving under suspension, and his car was kept at Bob O's with a court hold on it.
Break-in reported
YOUNGSTOWN -- A break-in at Steel Town Studio, 8 N. Phelps St. downtown, was discovered Wednesday by the owner. The front door had been forced open, police said.
Missing is a TV, VCR and three bottles of wine, reports show.