Power outage caused by raccoon not uncommon

Power outage caused byraccoon not uncommon
BOARDMAN -- A wayward raccoon caused about 6,100 township and southern Youngstown residents to lose power early Thursday.
Ohio Edison spokesman Paul Harkey said the raccoon came into contact with a 138,000-voltage transformer in the substation at Southern Boulevard and U.S. Route 224. The outage was reported about 5:30 a.m., and power was restored shortly after 7 a.m.
The high voltage level electrocuted the animal.
Incidents of animals' getting into substations and causing power outages are common in the spring, Harkey said.
Early-morning fire still under investigation
CAMPBELL -- A fire early Thursday at a vacant building at 161 Sixth St. remains under investigation, said firefighter Frank Phillips.
The brick building, vacant for about five years, had served as both a store and a church, he said.
No loss estimate from the 4 a.m. fire was immediately available.
Man pleads innocent
NEWTON FALLS -- A 20-year-old Newton Falls man pleaded innocent to public indecency charges at his arraignment Thursday in Newton Falls Municipal Court, Police Chief Bob Carlson said.
Police charged Caleb Webb with two counts of public indecency Monday.
He was arrested behind the Newton Falls annex building, 419 North Center.
The incidents were reported May 5 and Tuesday, just before Webb's arrest
St. Charles School hostsart exhibit this weekend
BOARDMAN -- St. Charles School will host its First Museum of Art on Saturday and Sunday featuring an entry by each sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grader.
The event will open with a wine and cheese reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Fifth-grader Dominic DeLaurentis will provide piano accompaniment.
The gallery will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Fifth-grader Jack Monda will play violin from 10 a.m. to noon. Three local artists will judge the work and award first, second and third prizes to each grade level for two-dimensional entries.
Three-dimensional entries will be judged separately.
Those attending can cast a vote for the People's Choice recipient.
Winning entries will become part of a collection displayed throughout St. Charles church and school.
Weathersfield acceptingenrollment applications
MINERAL RIDGE -- The Weathersfield Local School District will accept applications for open enrollment until June 1.
Pupils from areas contiguous to the district, including Austintown, Girard, Howland, Lordstown, McDonald, Niles and Warren, can apply.
Parents applying for open enrollment for their children for the 2005-06 school year can visit any of the district's school buildings or the administration offices at the middle school, 3750 State Route 46, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday to complete an application.
Enrollment is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis according to available openings in each grade.
Applicants will be notified by June 30.
Austintown police crackdown on safety belt laws
AUSTINTOWN -- Township police will increase enforcement of Ohio's safety belt laws May 23 to June 5.
The effort is part of the nationwide "Click It or Ticket" campaign.
The goal is to boost Ohio's safety belt use rate and reduce fatalities.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for ages 3 to 33.
Police suspect arson
YOUNGSTOWN -- Arson is suspected in a Thursday morning house fire at 49 Broadway St. that also caused heat exposure damage to a duplex next door at 43-45 Broadway, said fire Lt. Kevin Johnson.
Residents of the house moved out the day before, and the duplex has been vacant since a fire there two years ago, he said.
Damage for both structures was estimated at $32,000, Johnson said.