Missing woman
Missing woman
BERLIN CENTER — Anyone with information about 55-year-old Virginia A. Kicula’s whereabouts is asked to call the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department dispatch center at (330) 740-2370. Kicula went missing around 10 a.m. last Wednesday from her Bedell Road home, said sheriff’s Detective Patrick Mondora. Kicula drove away while her husband was in the shower and the car was found a couple of miles away. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, pink top, blue jean jacket and white tennis shoes. The detective said Kicula has left home before, and the last time was about two years ago.
On trial in rape, assault
YOUNGSTOWN — Opening statements will be at 9:30 a.m. today in the trial of a homeless man charged with repeatedly raping a homeless 44-year-old woman after luring her to a North Side apartment complex, beating her with a metal rod and restraining her liberty March 24, 2006. Edward Washington, 46, is on trial before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on rape, felonious assault and kidnapping charges. The case is being prosecuted by Natasha K. Frenchko, assistant county prosecutor. John Jeffrey Limbian is the defense lawyer.
Commissioner event
NEWTON FALLS — Trumbull County Commissioner Dan Polivka will have a Coffee with your Commissioner event from 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday at the Brew Basket Cafe, 44 Broad St. The coffee klatch has been set up to bring government closer to county residents, Polivka said.
CIC exclusivity deal
YOUNGSTOWN — A downtown property redevelopment organization agreed to give a company a 90-day exclusivity deal on the former Kress Building, a downtown vacant structure. During that time, the Anderson Development Group, which recently moved from Michigan to Youngstown, will work on its plan to turn the building on West Federal Street, just east of the 7th District Court of Appeals, into a multipurpose facility. The Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp., which owns Kress, gave Anderson the exclusivity deal Tuesday. The deal allows Anderson to work toward obtaining the necessary funding for the project. The company wants to use the first floor of the 45,000-square-foot building as a banquet and multimedia facility, a boxing and mixed martial arts training center on the second floor, and possibly apartments elsewhere.
City house fires
YOUNGSTOWN — A garage fire was intentionally set at 2:45 a.m. Tuesday at 3515 South Ave. on the South Side and spread to the attic of the vacant house to which it was attached, the fire department said. Damage was set at $2,000. On Monday, at 7:30 p.m., firefighters were sent to 1718 Forest View Drive on the East Side for a kitchen fire. An occupant of the house said she was preparing to cook french fries and left the stove unattended. Damage was set at $4,000.