Gerberry eyes Senate

Gerberry eyes Senate

It didn’t take state Rep. Ronald Gerberry much time to make a final decision about seeking a seat in the Ohio Senate.

Gerberry, of Austintown, D-59th, told The Vindicator on Thursday that he was definitely going to be a candidate for the Ohio Senate 33rd District seat being vacated sometime next month by U.S. Rep.-elect John Boccieri, who won a congressional race Tuesday.

Gerberry had said a day earlier that he would make a decision in about five days.

Gerberry said he’s long coveted a seat in the state Senate, and after a discussion with his wife, he decided to seek the position.

Political insiders say Gerberry is the front-runner for the seat. The Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus will appoint Boccieri’s successor.

The only other announced candidate to date is Steve Okey, an Alliance councilman at-large.

School searched

NEW MIDDLETOWN — Students and teachers at Springfield High School were in for a surprise Thursday as the school was locked down for a state-mandated drill and search.

Principal Anthony DeFelice said the school is required each year by House Bill 422 to plan a safety-and-security drill.

“In practice, we contact the local law enforcement officials, and they usually come in with K-9s and conduct a search,” he said.

DeFelice said nothing illegal was found in the school.

Planned outages

COLUMBIANA — The city will cut power to part of the city starting at 7 a.m. Sunday that could last up to six hours for some customers.

The outage is needed to complete work in the city’s South Substation switching gear, in order to tap into a high-voltage line and to bring its new 12,000-volt transformer and circuits on line.

The area affected will include Salem Street and all streets south of Salem Street. City officials said the outage will also affect several streets north of Salem Street, including Old North Street, Kingwood Drive, Oak Court, Orchard Court, and the Lantern Court Apartments.

Vacant-property survey seeks volunteers

WARREN — About 40 volunteers are needed for the second annual Neighborhood Vacant Properties Survey to be conducted at 9 a.m. Saturday in the southwest quadrant of the city. Survey volunteers should meet at GBG Eatery, 1958 Palmyra Road, for a brief training session.

Warren will receive nearly $1.8 million from the Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Act, said Sasha Parker, community organizer with the group Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People, 2051 Niles Road, Warren. The survey will help identify the neighborhoods where the money should be spent, she said. About 20 volunteers canvassed the northwest quadrant of the city during the first survey. More are needed in the southwest, where there are more vacant properties, she said.

Parker estimates there are about 3,000 vacant properties in Warren. For more information, call (330) 980-2390.