CHARGED IN RETAIL THEFT

Charged in retail theft
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A Niles woman is accused of stealing more than $500 worth of baby formula and diapers, then lying to authorities about her identity. Lori Lynn Jackson, 30, of High Avenue, was arrested Saturday by Neshannock Township Police at Giant Eagle on Wilmington Road. Police said she left the store with 41 cans of baby formula and four packages of diapers totaling $545.55. Police said she first gave police her sister's name, Social Security number and birth date. She was later positively identified through her fingerprints. She was charged with retail theft, receiving stolen property and giving false reports to law enforcement. She was arraigned and released after posting $5,000 bond.
Girl assaulted at school
AUSTINTOWN -- A 16-year-old girl was treated at a hospital after being assaulted at Fitch High School by another girl, police report. The girl and her parents came to the Austintown police station to report the assault, which happened Tuesday at 1:42 p.m. in a hallway, the report said. The victim was grabbed around the neck and knocked to the floor; she hit her head, the report said. Her mother took her to St. Elizabeth Health Center, the report said.
School is up for sale
BROOKFIELD -- The Brookfield Board of Education will accept sealed bids for the purchase of Stevenson Elementary School, 1144 Broadway Ave. S.E., through May 12. Sealed bids for the property can be mailed to Superintendent Michael Notar at Brookfield Local School District, 7003 Grove St., Brookfield 44403. The property consists of 2.6 acres, has all public utilities, paved parking, two floors and a basement. There are 11 classrooms, four conference rooms, three restrooms, an office, a gymnasium and a stage.
Thieves strip house
YOUNGSTOWN -- An 89-year-old vacant house at 1207 Charlotte Ave. was stripped of at least 45 feet of copper waterline, four cast-iron heating registers, ceiling tile, two front windows, two 6-foot porch pillars, a hot water tank and a water meter, police said. Aluminum siding was also taken from an unattached garage. Back porch wrought iron railing was damaged. Police said entry was gained by prying open the front door. The break-in was reported Monday.
Bomb threat arrest
CANFIELD -- An arrest has been made in a bomb threat that closed down the Giant Eagle at the Colonial Plaza on U.S. Route 224 on April 9, city police report. The store was closed from 9:30 a.m. until almost 11:30 a.m. while a search was conducted. The suspect, Samantha N. Noling of Austintown, is charged with inducing panic, a fourth-degree felony because of the amount of money the store lost during that time, said Detective Mark Meshula. The store estimates it lost about $16,500, police report. Police said Noling, who was arrested Wednesday, was an employee of the store at the time. Meshula said she told police she made the threat as a joke, but police responded within a minute to the 911 call and she was afraid to admit what she did. If convicted, Noling faces a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to 18 months in prison.
Health care program
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning Valley Chapter of Single-Payer Action Network, a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to getting health care for all Ohioans, will host Dr. Johnathon Ross during a program at 6 p.m. Friday in the community room of the Chevrolet Centre, 299 E. Front St. His topic will be "The Healthcare for All Ohioans Act." Ross is associate chairman of internal medicine and medical director of the Outpatient Internal Medicine Clinic at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Toledo. He is an advocate for SPAN Ohio's petition initiative to place the Health Care for All Ohioans Act on the ballot and a founder of SPAN Ohio.
Open burning ban lifted
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County commissioners lifted the countywide ban on open burning Wednesday. The ban went into effect April 18 on the recommendation of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials who were concerned about brush fires. County officials say they were contacted Wednesday by the state and local fire chiefs who now say there has been enough rainfall to lift the ban.