House fire rekindles, appears to be arson

House fire rekindles, appears to be arson

YOUNGSTOWN — A fire that apparently was deliberately set at 409 Broadview Ave. on Tuesday night rekindled Wednesday morning, the fire department said. Damage was set at $23,000, a total loss.

A police officer who saw the place on fire called it in at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday. All the residents were out when firefighters arrived. The fire started near an open porch that leads to the kitchen and worked its way up to the roof and to the rear of the house.

The fire appears to be an arson because crews found no apparent means of an ignition source.

Reports show a car was fire bombed at the location last month. One firefighter slipped on the icy road and fell, coming down hard on the back of his head, and another firefighter was hit by falling debris. Both remained on duty. The fire rekindled at 3 a.m. Wednesday.

Courthouse repairs set

LISBON — Columbiana County commissioners on Wednesday hired Brad’s Carpet of Calcutta to patch walls and paint parts of the courthouse hallways.

The work will be done at night and on weekends, Commissioner Penny Traina said. The cost is $12,745.

The work is to be completed by March 9. Renovations will be done in the basement and the first floor. The second and third floors previously underwent repairs.

The high ceiling on the first floor is lighted by fluorescent fixtures.

Commissioner Jim Hoppel said the board is considering replacing them with large, round, low-energy fixtures that produce 400 watts of light.

The work is being done in advance of the Ohio Supreme Court’s visit to the county later this year.

Hearings on dismissal

LISBON — Crestview School District Superintendent John Dilling said Wednesday the district’s lawyers will present evidence at closed hearings Feb. 16-20 at the Ohio Department of Education in Columbus in a case against former district teacher Shari Clark of Negley.

She is appealing her dismissal last year by the Crestview board over allegations she was involved in inappropriate behavior with female students.

Dilling said Clark had certain legal rights in a dismissal action because she had tenure.

“Additional information” has come to light in the case, the superintendent said. He did not elaborate further on that information.

Taxi driver robbed

WARREN — A driver for New Valley Taxi of Warren reported that a customer took cash from her at the end of a ride to a location near Tod Avenue Southwest at noon Tuesday.

The driver said she picked the man up on Burton Street Southeast in Warren, and she was giving him change for a $50 bill when he snatched the money out of her hands and ran off.

Accidental shooting

YOUNGSTOWN — Alvin Stinson, 23, of Alameda Avenue told police that when a shotgun fell, it discharged and shot off two toes on his right foot. Police interviewed him Monday night at St. Elizabeth Health Center. The hospital had no information on his condition Tuesday or Wednesday.

Stinson told police the shotgun belongs to a friend who asked him to hold onto it. The friend was picking up his daughter and didn’t want the firearm in the house, reports show. Police went to Stinson’s residence and collected the weapon.

YSU plans program for displaced workers

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University’s Career and Counseling Services will have “Job Search Strategies for the Displaced Worker” from 9 a.m. to noon Friday in the Ohio Room and Gallery of Kilcawley Center on campus.

The program is open to the public, but participants are asked to register so that parking can be provided on campus. To register, call (330) 941-3513.

This is an outreach effort designed to support the job searches of people in the region by providing training on how to become a better job seeker.