METRO DIGEST || Dad must hire lawyer

Mahone to be sworn in

YOUNGSTOWN — Andrea Mahone, elected to her first term on the Youngstown Board of Education in November, will be sworn in at 1 p.m. Jan. 3 at Everlife Worship Center, 474 Early Road by Mayor Jay Williams. The ceremony is set to follow the church’s morning-worship service.

Trapp is presiding judge

WARREN — Judge Mary Jane Trapp will serve as presiding judge and administrative judge of the 11th District Court of Appeals for 2010. The presiding judge presides over all court sessions and represents the court at the executive sessions of the Ohio Courts of Appeals Judges Association. The administrative judge has the responsibility and control over the administration, docket, and calendar of the court.

Judge Trapp, of Russell Township, Geauga County, was elected in 2006 to her first term and served as the court’s administrative judge during 2008. She is serving as the court’s presiding and administrative judge for 2009. The 11th District Court of Appeals, which is based here, reviews decisions from common pleas and municipal courts in Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage and Trumbull counties.

Dad must hire lawyer

STRUTHERS — A New Springfield man accused of injuring his infant son is to return to court for a preliminary hearing Dec. 30.

David Bowdish, 26, of Struthers Road, appeared Wednesday before Judge James Lanzo on a child-endangering charge filed against him by Springfield Township police.

The judge set Bowdish’s bond at $50,000, allowing him to post 10 percent, or $5,000. Bowdish, dressed in a Mahoning County Jail jumpsuit, said that he works at KFC, earning $9 per hour. Judge Lanzo told him he would need to hire an attorney.

Police were called after Bowdish’s 9-week-old son, Kaleb, was transported to the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing. The baby was flown from Akron Children’s Hospital in Boardman to the Akron facility. Doctors told police that the infant’s injuries weren’t consistent with Bowdish’s explanation that he had been bouncing the child on his knee. The doctors believe the baby was shaken.

Bowdish remains in jail, and the baby is in fair condition.

2 firefighters injured

WARREN — Two firefighters received minor injuries while fighting a fire at 393 Roselawn Avenue N.E. Lt. Chuck Eggelston received an injury to his left hand, and firefighter Brian Garman received an injury to his right shoulder. Neither firefighter required medical treatment, a dispatcher said. The occupants of the home were away when the blaze started around 6 p.m. Tuesday. Cause of the fire remains under investigation. The most severe damage was done to the attic and second-story bedroom, bathroom and hallway, though the first floor suffered water and smoke damage.

Public indecency

BOARDMAN — A 71-year-old man was charged with public indecency after someone witnessed him masturbating in his vehicle. Thomas H. Fleisher of East Philadelphia Avenue, Youngstown, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of Giant Eagle, Boardman-Canfield Road. A 22-year-old Canfield man reported seeing Fleisher masturbating in his car while it was parked in the fire lane. Court records show that Fleisher was convicted in 2004 of public indecency after pleading no contest in Mahoning County Area Court. The judge ordered Fleisher to pay $165 in fines and costs, serve a year probation and get counseling at a facility for sex-related issues.

Ohio to lose 2 seats

CLEVELAND (OHNO) — New population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate Ohio will lose two congressional seats after 2010, becoming the only state to suffer such a steep loss in national representation. With its population stagnant, Ohio faces the loss of influence and prestige in national affairs and the loss of jobs and tax revenues at home.

“It’s a big deal politically,” resulting in less clout in Congress, fewer electoral votes and less influence choosing presidents, said John Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. The U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday that Ohio’s population has grown by 1.7 percent since 2000. But America grew by a robust 9 percent.