Bus vandalism leads to Southern Local closing

Bus vandalism leads to Southern Local closing

SALINEVILLE — Vandals who slashed school bus tires caused classes to be canceled Tuesday at Southern Local School District, said Columbiana County Sheriff Raymond Stone. The school called the sheriff’s department around 6 a.m. to report that the tires had been slashed and the buses fired at with a 12-gauge shotgun.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many buses were damaged.

Youngstown man found dead in Pittsburgh club

YOUNGSTOWN — The body of a 31-year-old city man was found by Pittsburgh police inside a rented room at Club Pittsburgh over the weekend. How Cleophus Pettway, no address given, died is pending the results of toxicology tests. He was found at 1:54 p.m. Sunday. An initial investigation by Pittsburgh homicide detectives revealed that Pettway checked into the club on Penn Avenue around 3 a.m. Sunday. When he failed to check out, a club employee went to the room and found Pettway dead, according to a police press release. An autopsy was done by the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office. The Club Pittsburgh Web site describes it as a three-floor, 24-hour private men’s gym and social club.

Court of appeals upholds ruling against chief’s suit

WARREN — The 11th District Court of Appeals has affirmed the decision of Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, who said Bruce Simeone, Niles police chief, didn’t have legal standing to ask the court to increase his pay.

Simeone filed the suit after Niles City Council approved two ordinances in 2007 that reduced the chief’s pay: one eliminating longevity pay and the other decreasing a wage differential between the ranks of chief and captain.

Simeone filed the suit as a taxpayer complaint, saying he brought the suit for himself as a taxpayer of Niles and for all other city taxpayers.

The suit says council’s actions reduced his pay by $31,957 over three years from 2006 through 2008, ending in a salary of $80,863 in 2008 instead of the $89,204 he should have received.

The appellate court, however, ruled that Simeone failed to show how the public would be adversely affected by the chief’s being paid less.

Prayer breakfast planned

YOUNGSTOWN — A prayer breakfast buffet is planned from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Solid Rock Interdenominational Church, 3507 Canfield Road. The Rev. Gwen Alexander, pastor, will speak on “Standing on the Promises of God.” Donation is $10. Tickets will be available at the door. For more information, call (330) 718-8801 or (330) 792-1437.

Civil service meeting time

YOUNGSTOWN — Regular meetings of the city’s civil service commission will be at 4 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month in the commission office on the seventh floor of city hall, 26 S. Phelps St.