Valley athletes set for Special Olympics

Valley athletes setfor Special Olympics
A total of 67 athletes and 22 coaches will represent Mahoning and Columbiana counties in the 2005 Ohio Special Olympics State Summer Games from June 24-26 in Columbus.
Mahoning County MRDD will send a team of 26 athletes and nine coaches, led by head coach David Grossman, while the county's public schools team will have 13 athletes and four coaches, including head coach Helen Kawecki.
A team of 28 athletes and nine coaches, under the direction of head coach Tom Moyer, will represent Columbiana County.
More than 2,600 athletes, 1,000 coaches and 3,000 volunteers will participate in and coordinate the event, which begins with opening ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. June 24 in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
All events are free and open to the public.
4 vehicles broken into
YOUNGSTOWN -- Four vehicles parked at Carrington South Rehabilitation Center on East Midlothian Boulevard were broken into sometime between 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 4:40 a.m. Friday, police said.
Items taken from the vehicles included a CD player, radar detector, cases of soda, camcorder, toolbox, compact air compressor and canvas folding chair, reports show.
BB holes discovered
YOUNGSTOWN -- A maintenance supervisor for the Mahoning Plaza at 3327 Mahoning Ave. on the West Side told police that he discovered numerous BB holes in large windows at seven stores.
Reports show total damage at $5,000. The damage was reported Thursday.
Indian jewelry stolen
AUSTINTOWN -- Police are investigating the theft of several thousand dollars in jewelry from the mobile home of a Nevada couple while they were eating at an Interstate Boulevard restaurant.
The couple returned to the vehicle the evening of June 12 and didn't discover the items missing until they had reached another state. They returned to the township to file the report.
Among the items missing was $35,000 in Indian jewelry. The pieces, created by the late artist Jack Singer, bear the signature or initials of the artist, police said.
Man arrested in assault
AUSTINTOWN -- An Edinburgh Drive man faces charges of assaulting a police officer and DUI.
Patrick J. McNamara, 35, was arrested early Friday at South Beverly and Mahoning avenues on a DUI charge.
He yelled obscenities at police as he was placed into the cruiser, according to reports.
When an officer tried to get McNamara out of the cruiser, the man shouted an obscenity about the officer's mother and then kicked him in the shin.
Public hearing set
BOARDMAN -- Trustees will conduct a public hearing at 6 p.m. June 27 in the township government center, Market Street, on a request to change the zoning on nearly 6 acres along South Avenue.
The property owner, Suzanne Melia, wants to rezone the property, near the Presidential Drive intersection, from residential to commercial.
Both Mahoning County Planning Commission and the township zoning commission have recommended rejection of the request.
A unanimous vote of trustees would be required for trustees to go against the recommendations of the county and township commissions.
Crime watch meeting
NORTH LIMA -- The Beaver Township Police Department will hold a crime watch meeting at 7 p.m. June 28 at Shepherd of the Valley.
Police will discuss safety topics such as crime statistics, summer safety and travel safety.
Refreshments will be served. The meeting is open to the public.
Field Day demonstration
NEW SPRINGFIELD -- The Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association will have its annual Field Day demonstration of emergency communications abilities from 2 p.m. June 25 until noon June 26 at 12712 Unity Road.
Field Day is the climax of Amateur Radio Week, sponsored by the Amateur Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio.
Ham radio operators will demonstrate how they send messages during a crisis and help provide communications services during emergencies worldwide.
"We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather's radio anymore," said Jerry Viele, Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association president.