Playground damaged

Playground damaged

YOUNGSTOWN — Outdoor playground equipment was on fire at Sheridan Elementary School and tires on the ground were burning, too, when firefighters arrived at the Hudson Avenue site around 7 p.m. Friday.

The South Side fire is being investigated by the arson bureau. Damage was set at $1,000.

Police: Victim shot self

YOUNGSTOWN — After first telling police he was the victim of a drive-by shooting, a 16-year-old South Side boy admitted he accidentally shot himself in his right foot while playing with a gun at a friend’s house, reports show.

The East Chalmers Avenue boy was already at St. Elizabeth Health Center at 11 p.m. Sunday when police were sent to a house on East Pasadena Avenue to check out gunfire. A woman at the house said her son and another witness had been in the basement when the 16-year-old shot himself.

The mother and son told police they had no idea there was a gun in the house or where it went after the shooting. The weapon was not found.

The other witness took the boy to the hospital but left before police arrived.

Charged with assault

SHARON, Pa. — A city man was charged with assault after he stunned another man with a stun gun, police said.

Jerry Teague, 38, of New Castle Avenue, was released on a summons to court.

He is accused of using a stun gun on a 61-year-old man who was trying to help a woman leave Teague’s residence around 10 a.m. Saturday, police said. The victim was hit in the arm, and complained of severe pain and overall weakness afterward, police said.

Red Cross faces shortage

The Northern Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross says it is facing low blood supply levels.

As of Monday, officials said there was an emergency shortage of blood types O Negative and O Positive, and an urgent need for blood types A Negative and B Negative.

Officials said anyone who donates blood or platelets now through Sept. 1 will be automatically entered to win free gas for a year, an estimated $3,000 value, and five additional winners will each receive $500 gas cards.

Blood donors must be at least 17, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health and present a photo ID or Red Cross donor card upon donation.

For more information or to register to donate blood, call toll free (800) 448-3543 or visit RedCrossDonor.org.

Robbery suspect arraigned

SHARON, Pa. — A man was jailed in Mercer County after failing to post $50,000 bond on aggravated assault and robbery charges.

Quentin L. Campbell, 20, formerly of Farrell but now of Antioch, Ill., was arraigned Sunday before District Justice Lawrence Silvas in the robbery of a 62-year-old Sharon woman, city police said.

The woman was robbed at 4:48 a.m. Saturday in the 900 block of State Street in the parking lot of a pharmacy, police said. Two men approached her, one with a gun, and after a brief struggle, they stole her purse, police said. She was uninjured.

After police responded, they began a search and spotted the two suspects two blocks from the robbery scene. The suspects began running when they saw the cruiser.

An off-duty police officer at home heard the chase on his radio and went outside with his gun. He caught one of the men, identified as Campbell, in the 500 block of Baldwin Avenue, police said.

The woman’s purse was recovered.

Neal orientation Aug. 19

VIENNA — Neal Middle School pupil orientation will be Aug. 19 in the cafeteria. There will be two sessions: 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

A parent or guardian should accompany all new pupils to one of the sessions. Schedules and locker numbers will be handed out, and tours of the building will be offered.

Submit to events calendar

WARREN — The Trumbull County Tourism Bureau is seeking submissions for its 2009 calendar of events.

All local organizations and groups can submit information. A PDF file of the form can be downloaded from the Tourism Bureau’s Web site by visiting ExploreTrumbullCounty.com and clicking on the Calendar of Events page. Forms can also be picked up from the Tourism Office at 321 Mahoning Ave. NW or obtained via mail by calling (330) 675-3081. E-mailed requests can be sent to info@exploretrumbullcounty.com.

The brochure will be mailed with each visitors’ guide requested. It will also be distributed at state-operated travel information centers and taken to travel industry shows. An electronic version will be on the bureau’s Web site.

Completed forms should be sent to: 2009 Calendar of Events, Trumbull County Tourism Bureau, 321 Mahoning Avenue NW, Warren 44483. Deadline is close of business Oct. 31.

Kindergarten screening

NILES — Screening and registration for kindergartners who have not yet registered for fall classes will be Aug. 22.

Parents or guardians should take children to Bonham Elementary at 120 E. Margaret St. for the eye, ear and speech tests required for entry into kindergarten.

The registration will be Aug. 22 from 8 to 11 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the elementary.

For information, call the administration building at (330) 652-2509.

Police probe house fires

YOUNGSTOWN — The cause of a heavy fire that firefighters saw in the attic windows and roof line at 37 E. Boston Ave. on the South Side at 4:40 a.m. Monday is under investigation.

The fire also damaged the house next door at 41 E. Boston Ave.

It wasn’t immediately clear to fire crews whether either house was occupied. No injuries were reported.

Damage to the house at 37 East Boston was set at $17,000, a total loss. Damage to the house next door was set at $5,000 from radiant heat that started a fire in the attic.

16-year-old boy charged

BOARDMAN — A 16-year-old South Avenue boy was charged with making threats of domestic violence, accused of waving a butcher knife at his mother.

Police were called to the South Avenue home about 10:30 p.m. Friday. The boy acknowledged doing what his mother said he’d done with the knife, saying it was wrong and that he shouldn’t have done it but that he wasn’t really going to use it.

The boy was arrested on the misdemeanor charge and taken to the juvenile justice center.