Road widening begins

Road widening begins
BOARDMAN -- Work was to begin today on widening a two-mile stretch of Western Reserve Road, between Tippecanoe and Hitchcock roads. A.P. O'Horo Construction of Youngstown is the general contractor for the $3.26 million project.
Lanes will be widened from 9 feet to 12 feet, with 3-foot-wide shoulders on each side of the road. Turning lanes and new traffic signals will be added at Hitchcock and Tippecanoe roads. A bridge, just west of the Ohio Turnpike overpass on Western Reserve, will be closed for 90 days, beginning today, for replacement.
Once the bridge reopens, the road will be open to local traffic throughout the construction. The project is scheduled for completion by summer 2004.
Early release denied
YOUNGSTOWN -- A judge has denied early release for a Salem-area man serving 30 months in prison for defrauding Ponderosa Park patrons.
Jeffrey Best, 32, was sentenced in June after pleading guilty to theft, misuse of credit cards and passing bad checks. He filed a motion Aug. 21 asking Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to grant him early release. Judge Krichbaum denied the request Monday, meaning Best will have to serve his entire sentence.
Ponderosa Park is a campground and entertainment resort in Goshen Township. Best accepted money and credit-card payments from park patrons for concert tickets but used the payments to pay for other park expenses. The patrons got neither their tickets nor a refund.
9/11 observance
POLAND -- A brief public observance of the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be at 9:58 a.m. Thursday at the village fire station, 111 S. Main St.
Residents are invited to leave flowers, candles or other personal mementos at any fire station, and these items will be displayed at the base of each station's flagpole.
Block party rescheduled
YOUNGSTOWN -- The North Side Citizens' Coalition has rescheduled a block party, which was rained out last month, to celebrate the group's 25th anniversary.
The party will be from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday on Park Avenue between Fifth Avenue and Elm Street. Traffic will be blocked in that area during the party.
The event is a fund-raiser for the group. Proceeds from food, beer and wine sales, an auction and a raffle will go to the coalition.
The coalition was founded in 1978 and successfully opposed a proposed high rise building on Fifth Avenue. The group has since taken on neighborhood revitalization efforts.
World Day of Prayer
LIBERTY -- The Unity Church's 10th annual World Day of Prayer coincides this year with the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Locally, United Church Center, 1226 Naylor Lloyd Road, will have a 24-hour prayer vigil starting with a service at 7 p.m. Wednesday. People can contact the church to schedule a one-hour shift.
The theme of the service to all faiths and denominations is, "Let Go and Let God."
For more information, visit www.worlddayofprayer.org.
Bone testing at fair
YOUNGSTOWN -- About 1,000 people were tested free for osteoporosis at Youngstown State University's bone-screening project at the Canfield Fair, according to Dr. Joan Boyd, professor of health professions and the director of the screening project.
Since 1997, YSU students and staff and other partners at the fair have tested and alerted more than 6,000 patients for weak bones (osteopenia) and osteoporosis treatment intervention.
The procedures generally range from $40 to $75 in a physician's office, and help many who may not have health insurance to get tested, Boyd said.
Restaurant robbed
YOUNGSTOWN -- A clerk at the Subway on Mahoning Avenue told police he was robbed at gunpoint Monday morning and the thief took a surveillance tape from the store's VCR before leaving.