Don Hanni Jr. responding after surgery

YOUNGSTOWN — Atty. Don L. Hanni Jr. is responsive after undergoing emergency surgery to correct a blockage to the back of his brain, his son, Mark, said.

Hanni, 82, is talking a bit and is able to raise both of his arms after Sunday’s surgery at The Cleveland Clinic, his son said.

Hanni was in the intensive care unit Monday in critical condition and will probably be moved from there today or Wednesday, his son said.

“He’s doing better than expected,” Mark Hanni said. “I expect a significant recovery, if not a full recovery.”

Hanni suffered a stroke late Friday.

A well-known local defense attorney and a former Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman, the elder Hanni is known for his colorful language and stories.

Those at The Cleveland Clinic are getting a taste of it.

“He told a nurse, ‘I don’t get strokes, I give them,’” Mark Hanni said. “When I had him sign forms giving me power of attorney, he said, ‘Don’t pull the plug.’ He knows what’s happening.”