Culvert replacement to begin April 12

Culvert replacementto begin April 12
NEW WATERFORD -- Culvert replacement on state Route 46 just outside New Waterford will begin April 12.
A detour was to begin Monday, but the work has been delayed, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said.
Beginning April 12, traffic will be detoured from Route 46 onto state Route 558 west to state Route 7 north, then back to Route 46.
The road closure is expected to last one week.
The culvert replacement is part of a $586,728 project that began in November 2003 and is to be completed by July 31.
R.C. Construction Co. and Son Inc. of Cutler, Ohio, has the contract, which also includes culvert replacement in Belmont, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties.
Youngstown store owner shot in the mouth
YOUNGSTOWN -- Jihad S. Mahd, owner of the Big Apple Market on McGuffey Road, was shot in the mouth and his son was threatened with an aluminum baseball bat during a robbery at 9:40 p.m. Monday, reports show.
He was in stable condition today at St. Elizabeth Health Center.
The son told police that four young men with bandanas covering their faces entered the store demanding cash and cigarettes.
Mahd, 57, of Youngstown was shot after opening the register and backing away from it, police said. One of the suspects grabbed cash from the register and all four of them grabbed cigarettes before running out.
I-680 ramp to close
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Interstate 680 southbound ramp to Midlothian Boulevard eastbound will close periodically Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Ohio Department of Transportation work crews will close the ramp for about 20 minutes at a time.
Talk about mob
CORTLAND -- Atty. James B. Callen, executive director of Northeast Ohio Legal Services, will talk about the mob in the Mahoning Valley at 10 a.m. April 13, in the Viets Museum.
Continental breakfast will be served before the lecture. The cost is $5.
Avalon Inn tourfor travel companies
WARREN -- With the goal of bringing more group tours to the community, the Avalon Inn & amp; Resort today is hosting 45 group leaders from prominent travel companies.
The familiarization event, cosponsored by Buckeye Beeline Tours of Richfield, will offer Cleveland-area travel leaders the opportunity to tour the resort and learn more about what Trumbull County has to offer travelers.
Attendees will be taken on a guided tour of the resort, including the newly renovated indoor Junior Olympic-size swimming pool, as well as comprehensive renovation plans for the resort.
The Trumbull County Convention and Visitors Bureau will be conducting a presentation on area attractions as well as additional presentations by Ridgeview Farms and the Gerald E. Henn Basket Factory.
Trial set in drug case
YOUNGSTOWN -- Trial for five men and one woman indicted on marijuana manufacturing charges has been set for April 26 in federal district court in Cleveland.
All six were indicted two weeks ago after the discovery last month of a pot factory in a warehouse on Marshall Street downtown. Four of the six defendants were released on unsecured bonds last Tuesday.
The remaining defendants, Jeffrey Zimmerman, 48, of Breezewood Drive, Brookfield, and Michael L. Ciprian, 47, of Florist Avenue, Youngstown, made their initial appearance in Youngstown federal court last Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Both are free on bond.
Planetarium teachingat Youngstown State
YOUNGSTOWN -- Changing state standards in science education and how planetariums can help teachers meet these changes is the theme when planetarium specialists from across Ohio gather for their annual meeting Saturday at the Ward Beecher Planetarium at Youngstown State University.
A highlight of the meeting will be an informal "State Standards" roundtable discussion between planetarium professionals and county education officials on how planetariums can help with the new state astronomy/science standards.
The meeting, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., will include professional paper sessions and the sharing of new planetarium programs and production techniques.
Dale Smith at Bowling Green State University is president of the Ohio Planetarians group.
Local meeting hosts are Sharon Shanks, Richard Pirko and Warren Young of YSU.
Astro-Tec Manufacturing of Canal Fulton, a manufacturer of planetarium domes, is helping to underwrite the meeting.