Poland-flooding input

Poland-flooding input

POLAND — Joseph Mazur, village council president, wants residents who experienced flooding during the last heavy rain to notify village hall.

Earlier this year, the Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer’s office installed plastic inserts in sanitary-sewer manholes in the village to try to prevent storm water from entering sewer lines.

Mazur wants residents to call (330) 757-2112 so village officials will know if those inserts have worked.

Man arrested in store

AUSTINTOWN — Police arrested a township man after he was found inside JCPenney after the store had closed.

Officers responded to an alarm at the Mahoning Avenue business about 4:20 a.m. Wednesday. Police found a glass door shattered.

Frank Sackela, 25, of Woodhurst Boulevard, was found lying on the floor of the store’s men’s department. According to a police report, he had several suits, jeans and women’s clothing rolled up under him.

Sackela was charged with breaking and entering and taken to Mahoning County Jail.

Air-show preparation

VIENNA — The Vienna Township Neighborhood Watch meeting set for 7 p.m. July 13 will focus on the “Thunder Over the Valley” Air Force Thunderbirds shows at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station and how they will affect Vienna residents.

Officials from the air base will talk about what roads will be closed and how traffic will be handled for the shows, which are expected to bring 35,000 guests to the air base each day, Aug. 8 and 9.

The meeting will be at the township hall, 848 Youngstown-Kingsville Road.

Rattlesnake concern

HUBBARD — A woman called police Tuesday morning after seeing a man in a driveway trying to catch a rattlesnake with a pillow case and broom, but she didn’t know his name or address.

The woman called police at 6:28 p.m. and gave them an address on Orchard Street. Police talked to a man at the residence who told them he had been “out west” and brought the snake home for his nephew of Sharpsville, Pa. Police were told the nephew has a Pennsylvania venomous-snake permit. The nephew and snake were not at the residence when police arrived.

Hubbard has an ordinance concerning the escape of an exotic or dangerous animal, which must be reported to authorities. Not doing so is a misdemeanor in the first degree.

Campbell house fires

CAMPBELL — Fires burned three vacant houses, the fire department reported.

Two fires were at 292 Whipple Ave. The first was at 8:18 p.m. Tuesday, and the second was called in at 4:47 a.m. The first fire was contained to the first floor, but the second fire destroyed the house, officials said.

Fire Chief Nick Hrelec said the department doesn’t know if the second fire was set or was just a reignition of the first fire.

The department responded at 9:30 p.m. to a fire at 83 Coitsville Road. That fire set the house at 81 Coitsville ablaze, too, the department said.

Damage estimates are $12,000 at Whipple Avenue, $29,000 at 83 Coitsville and $6,000 at 81 Coitsville.

On Monday, a fire that was set on the back porch of a vacant house on Hazeltine Street did minimal damage, the chief said.

Building acquisition

NEW CASTLE, Pa. – Lawrence County commissioners expect to finalize their purchase of the former Second Presbyterian Church soon.

Commission Chairman Steve Craig said Tuesday that the county has signed a sales agreement and put a deposit on the 25,000-square-foot church at 439 Countyline Street.

The church, which closed in April, is next to the county government building, and commissioners now pay $13,500 yearly to lease the basement to store voting machines and use the parking lot.

They plan to use the three-story building for office space, possibly a courtroom and a public meeting place. The purchase also will make 20 more parking spaces available.

Commissioners voted last month to buy the structure for $275,000 from Paul Lynch Investments and had stated they expected to complete the purchase despite a published report that another buyer was interested in the property.