Coroner elected director of state group

Coroner electeddirector of state group
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County Coroner David M. Kennedy has been elected director of the Ohio State Coroners Association for the 2005-07 term. Kennedy recently participated in the 60th annual OSCA education conference in Columbus, along with 84 coroners from across the state. Topics at the conference included Ohio's Homeland Security plan, basic gunshot wounds, shotgun wounds, sharp force injuries and mass disaster identification issues.
'Reduce and replace'
VIENNA -- Voters in the Mathews Local School District contributed to a 90 percent success rate statewide for "reduce and replace" mill levy questions on the May ballot, Superintendent Lee Seiple said. Voters approved a 7.9-mill renewal levy, down from 8.7 mills last year, for operations, Seiple said. The reduction was made possible by an increase in assessed value in the school district. "We've seen some growth in the district even if it's not quite as much as we want," Seiple said. "We were trying to be fair to the people of the school district." An additional levy for school improvements should be considered in the future, but that is "about two years away," Seiple said.
Home-buyers workshop
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Area Urban League is hosting a workshop for first-time home buyers at 10 a.m. next Saturday at L.A. Simian Hall, 1507 Hillman St. Those who attend can find out how they can qualify for a home loan and down payment assistance. For more information, call (330) 744-4111 or (330) 743-1384.
Wrongful death suit
WARREN -- A woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Girard. Alicia Rees, the administrator of the estate of James Rees, Churchill Road, Girard, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Mayor James Melfi could not be reached to comment. The suit, which is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, has been assigned to Judge Andrew Logan. According to the suit, James Rees died Jan. 31 when he drove his Jeep on a part of the frozen Girard Lake. The ice broke and the jeep sunk to the bottom of the lake, causing Rees' death, the suit states. The suit further states that the city of Girard permitted people to drive on the ice-covered lake for recreational activity. The city failed to take any action to stop people from driving on the lake, the suit states.
Grant-seeking workshop
YOUNGSTOWN -- There will be a Grant Center orientation program at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County at 6:30 p.m. June 1 in the Main Library meeting room. The program, "Grant-Seeking Basics: An Orientation to the Funding Research Process," is free and open to representatives of nonprofit organizations. The Grant Center is a cooperating collection from the Foundation Center of New York City. Sources include books, periodicals and directories. The center also contains files on local foundations and annual reports. No information is available for individuals seeking funds or grant writing. Reservations can be placed by calling the Main Library at (330) 744-8636 and pressing "2" at the prompt for "reference information."
Counties get vehiclesfor emergency response
COLUMBIANA -- The Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association presented vehicles equipped with improved communication and response capabilities to 11 counties across Ohio, including Columbiana County. The vehicle will improve the ability of police, fire and other first responders to communicate during large-scale emergencies.
The vehicles are compatible with all radio frequencies, cellular and land phones, weather-monitoring equipment and Internet access. Officials can tape and store video feeds from TV cameras on the roof. The vehicles were paid for with federal Homeland Security funding.
Painting equipment taken from Austintown
AUSTINTOWN -- A representative of a Bedford company reported a trailer and equipment, valued at $5,850, were stolen from a Hendricks Road business between Thursday night and Friday morning.
The man from Mr. T. Painting, Bedford, told police that a trailer, along with a water tank, pressure washer and hose, was in the lot on the north side of Robbins Co., Hendricks Road, when it was taken.