Panel OKs zone change

Panel OKs zone change
BOARDMAN -- The township zoning commission, amid objections from several township residents, unanimously agreed to recommend approval of a zone change request from agricultural to residential on the Orvets Sod Farm property on Western Reserve Road.
Only a unanimous decision by trustees to reject the recommendation can now stop the zone change from going forward. MOS Development is looking to build several hundred homes and recreation areas.
Overpass cleanup
YOUNGSTOWN -- Andrews Avenue businesses are organizing a cleanup of the business district starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
Volunteers will meet for doughnuts and coffee at 752 Andrews near the McGuffey Road overpass and are asked to bring rakes, shovels, trimmers and other items needed to improve the look of the overpass area. There will be pizza and pop available after the work is finished at 1 p.m.
Panel to discuss rezoning
AUSTINTOWN -- The township zoning commission is set to meet at 7 today to discuss a proposal to rezone 42 acres for industrial use.
The property, which is zoned for agricultural and residential use, is along Ohltown Road southwest of the Interstate 80 overpass and is set to be used for truck storage by Sebastiani Trucking Inc. of Ohltown Road. Township Zoning Inspector Michael Kurilla Jr. said the township has not received any indication that there are construction plans for the property.
The zoning commission is expected to make a recommendation to the township trustees on the proposal. The trustees have the final say on zoning changes. The meeting will be at the township hall on Ohltown Road.
Board gets new broker
HUBBARD -- The board of education has hired a new insurance broker. "We went from Boardman Financial to Victor H. Buck Insurance Agency," on West Liberty in Hubbard, said Mary Smith, assistant treasurer. "Our insurance expires on Sept. 1, so we hired a new broker." New insurance rates have not been determined. The broker is authorized to get new quotes, Smith said. Deborah Hooks of Liberty was hired as a guidance counselor for Roosevelt Elementary. She was brought in from the Youngstown school district.
"She will be making a little over $39,361 because of a few extended days," Smith said.
2 charged in trailer theft
CANFIELD -- Police say they have arrested two men who tried to steal a flat-bed trailer from a Deer Spring Run driveway early today.
Robert McCliman Jr., 37, of Kingston Lane, Youngstown, and Robert Cooper, 44, of Inverness, Fla., are each charged with theft.
Canfield police said they spotted a pickup truck towing a flat-bed trailer and speeding at about 1:15 a.m. on North Broad Street.
Reports state that McCliman told police he was "stupid" and that a weed whacker found in the back of the trailer also had been stolen from a Canfield home.
Ex-teachers sue for jobs
LISBON -- Three former Salem teachers are asking for their jobs back with full back pay after the board of education did not renew their contracts because of a tight budget. Teresa Dolan and Jennifer Milliken-Dees, both of Salem, and Jeffrey C. Wills of Warren filed separate lawsuits in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court this week. The suits contend that school officials did not follow state law to end their contracts.
Red Cross ballgame
NILES -- The Red Cross chapters in Trumbull, Mercer and Mahoning counties are sponsoring a night with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Friday.
The game with the New Jersey Cardinals will be at Eastwood Field, behind Eastwood Mall. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the game starts at 7 p.m.
Half the ticket price is a direct contribution to the American Red Cross and is tax deductible. Reserved seats are $6 and box seats are $8.
Tickets for Trumbull County residents can be purchased by calling Jackie Wolf at (330) 392-2551 or fax (330) 399-4669. In Mercer County, call Rebecca Payne at (724) 981-3205 or fax (330) 981-3207, and Mahoning County residents may call Victoria Manick at (330) 726-6063 or fax (330) 726-6448.