Tax break for company

Tax break for company
WARREN -- Trumbull County commissioners were expected to approve a tax break today on $1.4 million worth of new equipment and inventory Champion Molded Plastics Inc. installed at its Hubbard Township factory more than four years ago.
The company received a 10-year, 60 percent abatement on a $4.2 million expansion in 1997. But the company actually invested $5.6 million, officials say.
The company had been paying full taxes on the $1.4 million difference, and had not asked to amend the tax agreement until now, officials say.
The agreement will not result in the company getting any money back. However, taxes on the $1.4 million will be reduced by 60 percent for the remainder of the agreement.
Pupil faces charge
WARREN -- A 14-year-old Turner Middle School pupil was arrested on a charge of aggravated menacing after threatening to shoot a teacher, police reports state. The arrest was made around 10 a.m. Tuesday, reports state. The pupil, who was suspended from school, is scheduled to appear in Trumbull County juvenile court later this week, officials said.
Sentenced for theft
WARREN -- A former cashier for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers has pleaded guilty to taking $490. Ron Yale McCullough, 24, of Park Avenue, Warren, entered guilty pleas Tuesday to charges of theft and possession of a prescription drug before Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Judge Logan sentenced McCullough to 10 months in prison. Chuck Morrow, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, said the theft took place in July 2002.
Bacteria experiment
GIRARD -- A field study to determine whether bacteria can be used to help clean the Mahoning River will begin Saturday. It will be conducted by the Mahoning River Environmental Dredging Project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments. Waste Science Inc. of Rockville, Md., will release contamination-specific bacteria into a controlled 50-foot-by-50-foot area of the river, above the Girard-Liberty Street dam in Girard, to see if the bacteria can clean up the sediments. The study will take six months. Most of the contaminated sediments in the river are petroleum-based, a federal study has determined.
Cops probe crash
SOUTHINGTON -- The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a tractor-trailer and pickup truck crash that took place around 6:12 a.m. today. A spokesman with the patrol said the crash happened at U.S. Route 422 and state Route 305. At least one person was sent to a local hospital, but no other details were available at press time.
Dog attacks woman
NILES -- A Summit Street woman was knocked down and her fox terrier was bitten by an attacking dog while walking in their neighborhood.
The 59-year-old woman told police she was walking her dog when another large dog that looked like a pit bull attacked them around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on Summit Street.
Reports said employees of the city's street department were driving past, saw the attack and stopped to rescue the woman and her dog. Police were able to contact the dog's owner, who accepted responsibility and agreed to pay all veterinarian bills.
Police reports do not indicate the extent of injuries to the fox terrier, or if the woman was injured at all.
Forgery charge
YOUNGSTOWN -- Richard Infante, 33, of Wade Street, Niles, was arrested at 3 a.m. today on a warrant issued in October 1999 charging him with forgery. Infante is accused of writing himself an American Ladle & amp; Furnace business check for $1,600 in September 1999.
Domestic violence month
YOUNGSTOWN -- To raise awareness for October, domestic violence month, the Youngstown Police Department Crisis Intervention Unit will hold an open house at 11 a.m. Oct. 8 at its offices in the Wick Building, 34 W. Federal St., Suite 900. A selection of handbooks will be available that deal with immigrant women, women of color, same-sex relationships, guidelines for battered men and domestic violence in military relationships, said Detective Sgt. Delphine Baldwin Casey. She said the CIU recognizes that in many different cultures, domestic abuse, rape, stalking and violent crimes against women and children are under-reported. The goal is to have the CIU represent as many diverse backgrounds as possible, she said. Refreshments will be served at the open house.