NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
Neighborhood Watch
AUSTINTOWN -- A community-wide Neighborhood Watch meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 2432 S. Raccoon Road.
The meeting is sponsored by Austintown 20/20 Committee.
Residents will learn how to develop Neighborhood Watch committees, which have already been formed in the Wedgewood and Woodland Trace areas.
Other topics will include developing a phone tree, identifying neighborhood concerns, responding to an emergency and working with the police department to reduce crime. For more information, visit the organization's Web site at www.Austintown2020.org.
$60,000 damage in fire
POLAND -- Fire caused about $60,000 to a U.S. Route 224 building that housed an auto repair shop and an apartment.
Jim Stewart, assistant chief of the Western Reserve Joint Fire District, said fire crews responded about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to the building that includes Quimby's Repair Shop.
The occupants of the apartment above the shop, a woman and two children, were awakened by smoke alarms and got out of the building unharmed, the assistant chief said.
He said the cause remains under investigation. The blaze started in the repair shop and spread to the apartment. The apartment's occupants are staying with relatives, as the building is uninhabitable.
Besides Western Reserve Joint Fire District, firefighters from New Springfield and New Middletown departments also responded to the fire.
Shoplifting charges
AUSTINTOWN -- Ronald A. Wolfe, 41, 129 N. Evanston Ave., is charged with theft after a security officer said Wolfe stuffed eight strip steaks down his pants and tried to steal them from the Giant Eagle at 5220 Mahoning Ave., police said.
An off-duty police officer working security at the store apprehended Wolfe about 3 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
Road to Recovery
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The American Cancer Society is seeking Lawrence County area volunteers for its Road to Recovery program. This program pairs community volunteers with cancer patients to provide rides to and from cancer treatments. If you have a car, safe driving skills and can drive as little as one morning or afternoon a month, you can volunteer. To volunteer, call (888) 227-5445.
Preserving history
YOUNGSTOWN -- Nominations are being accepted for the second annual Historic Preservation Awards, sponsored by the Historic Preservation Committee of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society, to honor those who take an active role in preserving historic buildings, sites and districts.
Projects in Trumbull and Mahoning counties are eligible for recognition in appropriate categories. Completed nominations are due by March 31.
Award winners will be announced during Historic Preservation Week in May, and recognized by the historical society at its 131st annual meeting in June.
A brochure containing awards program criteria and an application is available at the historical society or by mail. Call (330) 743-2589 or visit www.mahnoninghistory.org.
Thinking Day for Scouts
AUSTINTOWN -- Girl Scout troops from Austintown and Canfield will set up displays and perform for Thinking Day in Fitch High School cafeteria and auditorium at 6 p.m. Friday.
Thinking Day is a worldwide Girl Scout celebration of friendship and peace. The girls will display customs, clothing, games and food from other countries. Girl Scouts will begin delivery of cookies Monday at 9 a.m. They will pick them up throughout the day at Carney-McNicholas Inc., Victoria Road.
Overpass to be painted
SALEM -- Ohio Department of Transportation will begin repainting and repairing the Dean B. Cranmer Overpass in Salem on Wednesday. The $547,775 job is expected to be completed Aug. 31. Traffic will be maintained on the overpass with flaggers. Apollon Painting Co. Inc. of Cleveland is the contractor.