Koliser trial jury selection

Koliser trial jury selection
YOUNGSTOWN -- Lawyers were expected to finish selecting a jury today for the capital murder case against Martin L. Koliser Jr., who is accused of gunning down a Youngstown policeman last spring.
Testimony will begin Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court where Koliser, 30, of Boardman, will be on trial for aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder.
Police say he shot a man in the chest during a dispute outside a Mahoning Avenue bar in late April. Also, police say, Koliser shot Patrolman Michael T. Hartzell two hours later as the officer sat in his cruiser on West Federal Street.
Koliser could face the death penalty if he is convicted of Hartzell's murder.
Lawyers have seated 12 jurors and two alternates to hear the case, which will be in the courtroom of Judge R. Scott Krichbaum. Lawyers were selecting two more alternates today.
Law enforcement grant
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County has been awarded a $428,899 law enforcement grant from the U.S. Office of Criminal Justice Services.
It will fund the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, which is made up of law enforcement officers from Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull counties, as well as state and federal agents. The agencies take a cooperative approach to investigating crimes involving drugs, firearms, gangs, violent crime and terrorist activities.
Multiple gunshot wounds
YOUNGSTOWN -- Rasheid O. Brown, 30, no address given, was in critical condition today at St. Elizabeth Health Center with multiple gunshot wounds. He was dropped off at the hospital about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
The shooting took place at Glenwood and Sherwood avenues, near Big A's Drive-Thru. A witness told police he heard three to four gunshots coming from the vicinity of the convenience store and saw a shootout that involved two vehicles.
Gibson Road ceremony
CANFIELD -- A ceremony to mark the end of construction on Gibson Road was to be at 1 p.m. today.
Township trustees are set to rescind a resolution on Monday from March 2000 that triggered three years of court battles involving residents, departments and trustees. That resolution authorized trustees to widen Gibson Road as part of a Mahoning County project to install sewer lines and waterlines along the road.
A group of township residents later unsuccessfully sued the township to stop the project.
The road was repaved and widened this summer at a cost of $359,000, with the state's paying $230,000 through an Issue 2 grant. A waterline was installed by a private developer at no cost to the township. A sewer line, however, was never installed.
Atty. Mark Finamore, who represents the township, said he hopes that will end the legal fight over the road.
100th anniversary
YOUNGSTOWN -- Tabernacle Baptist Church will celebrate its 100th anniversary at a banquet Friday at Stambaugh Auditorium.
A reception is at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7:30. Tickets are $50 per person.
The preacher is the Rev. Dr. Richard LaMont Smith, pastor of Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Detroit. He also will deliver the message at the 11 a.m. service Sunday.
Call (330) 747-9624.
Radio station fund drive
Catholic radio station WLOA (1470-AM), "The Station of the Cross," is conducting its fall fund drive. Anyone calling in a pledge to (866) 972-3469 by 6 p.m. Friday will be entered into a drawing for an all-expenses paid cruise to the Bahamas. The drawing will be held at 8 p.m. that evening, when the drive ends.
The Jan. 25-29 cruise for two has the theme "Modern Day Saints With Us." Spiritual Director Michael Volino of the Diocese of Rochester, N.Y., will celebrate daily Mass and lead prayer sessions, give talks on the saints and supervise other activities. This prize includes the cruise and airfare to Florida and is valued at $1,500.
The drive is being done in association with the Eternal Word Television Network's radio division and the Catholic Radio Association from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Jerry Usher of Catholic Answers will lead the drive from Birmingham, Ala., and will interview some of EWTN's top show hosts, including the Rev. Mitch Pacwa, Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Ray Guarendi.