Motorcycle veteran plates

Motorcycle veteran plates
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Ohio Senate passed a bill, sponsored by state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, that allows Ohio veterans to obtain special license plates for their motorcycles. The special veteran plates have been available for other vehicles, but not motorcycles, said Dann, D-32nd. The plates would bear an inscription or symbol representing veterans of the armed forces and would display the word "veteran." The bill goes to the Ohio House for consideration.
Christmas money stolen
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- City police have issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of stealing a woman's Christmas money. Police said Mark Antwon Pryor, 22, of Chestnut Street is charged with robbery. The woman told police she was counting her Christmas money when Pryor stopped by for a visit. The 28-year-old Reynolds Street woman said he stayed for about five minutes, then grabbed her money and pushed her to the ground. There was about $1,000, police said. The woman told police the suspect had a handgun in his waistband.
Lawsuit against hospital
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Canfield woman has filed a lawsuit against Salem Community Hospital, where she once worked as a pharmacist. The suit, filed in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, says Natalie Boulos of Muirfield Drive was subjected to daily sexual jokes, inquiries, comments and innuendo while she worked at the hospital as a pharmacist from September 2002 to May 2003. Boulos also says the hospital created a hostile working environment for her after she reported what she believed were violations of state and federal regulations. She is seeking unspecified damages from the hospital and Tod Brunie of Sebring, who was one of her supervisors. A hospital spokeswoman said she was unaware of the suit and could not comment on it because it is pending litigation.
Busy bridge closed
SALEM -- Icy conditions forced the temporary closure of a busy bridge after an accident caused by the slippery road surface. Police closed the West State Street overpass, which crosses high over railroad tracks, about 10 p.m. Thursday. The bridge remained closed for about a half-hour until street crews could spread salt on it. The closing was prompted by an accident in which the driver lost control of his vehicle on the bridge. The driver was not injured in the crash.
Electricity restored
LISBON -- Electricity is restored to all but about 65 homes and businesses in Columbiana County after the wind storm that lashed the area Thursday. The Columbiana County courthouse was among the nearly 1,200 Ohio Edison customers whose power was interrupted by the event. Power to the courthouse was restored by about 5 p.m. Thursday, an Edison spokeswoman said. Those still without power probably will have it by 3 p.m. today, she said.
School remained open
YOUNGSTOWN -- Chaney High School students stayed in school Thursday despite interruptions to electricity. Harry Evans, chief of maintenance and operations, said power was partially lost from about 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Because of the problem, the boiler was not operating, but Evans said the school remained warm throughout the day because it had been heated at night and until the 10:30 a.m. disruption. He said students were not sent home because many parents are not at home during the day and the district would have been required to call each parent.
Other disruptions affected the district warehouse and Harding, Taft and Adams schools.
Portable player stolen
SALEM -- A man reported that a portable compact disc player was stolen from his unlocked vehicle while it was parked along the 800 block of East State Street. The crime was reported about 7:17 p.m. Thursday, police said.
Internet auction scheme
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A 19-year-old man avoided prison time but will spend six months under house arrest for an Internet auction scheme that bilked more than three dozen people out of $24,000.
Keith Condon of Pittsburgh was also sentenced Thursday to five years on probation and must repay the money to his 37 victims as part of his August plea to federal wire fraud charges.
Condon's attorney, federal public defender Thomas Livingston, did not return a phone call to comment Thursday.
Federal prosecutors said Condon put bogus items up for sale on auction Web sites and simply took people's money.