Today is Sunday, March 29, the 88th day of 2009. There are 277 days left in the year. On this date

Today is Sunday, March 29, the 88th day of 2009. There are 277 days left in the year. On this date in 1973, the last United States combat troops leave South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1638, Swedish colonists settle in present-day Delaware. In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, victorious forces led by Gen. Winfield Scott occupy the city of Veracruz. In 1867, Britain’s Parliament passes the British North America Act to create the Dominion of Canada. In 1882, the Knights of Columbus is chartered in Connecticut. In 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese begins. In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. (They are executed in June 1953.) In 1959, the Billy Wilder farce “Some Like It Hot,” starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, opens in New York. In 1962, Jack Paar hosts NBC’s “Tonight” show for the final time. In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. is convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre. (He serves three years under house arrest.)

March 29, 1984: A hearing on residency rules for Youngstown city employees produces more anger than agreement, and Councilman George McKelvey, D-3rd., shouts down Dennis Tyler, head of the police union, as Tyler listed reasons why people won’t live in the city.

New Castle Police Chief Vince Russo’s decision to impose tough conditions on the issuance of gun permits draws fire from city lawmakers, the business community and sportsmen.

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini of Youngstown, World Boxing Association lightweight champion, is honored by the Ohio Senate. “I love Ohio. This is my state,” Mancini tells applauding senators.

March 29, 1969: Two armed robbery indictments against a Garland Avenue man are dismissed after the man voluntarily takes and passes a lie detector test.

Public and parochial schools throughout Mahoning County, Youngstown State University and all county, state and federal offices will be closed in tribute on the day of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s funeral.

Two Youngstown area youths at Hillside Hospital in Warren are pioneers in the use of transistorized electrical equipment developed in the space program that allows them some hand movement. Tony Priley, 18, of Youngstown, and Tom Ward, 21, of Leavittsburg both suffered spinal cord injuries in accidents.

An art show sponsored by the Youngstown public schools is a popular exhibit at the Mahoning Valley Home and Garden Show at Idora Park. Christine Lebedz of South High won “best in show” among high school students and Sam Howard of Hillman won in the junior high division.

March 29, 1959: Boardman constable Joseph Centrello, 42, receives minor injuries after his police cruiser is demolished when it rolls over into a ditch in Western Reserve Road while Centrello was responding to an accident call.

An 18-year-old McKinley Heights football player, John Fontes, is shot by an assailant while sitting in a cafe in Canton. He is in critical condition at Mercy Hospital.

Architect P. Arthur D’Orazio is honored by the Catholic Properties Administration for his design of St. Joseph Church, Maximo, in the southern portion of the Youngstown Diocese.

Mahoning County Sheriff Paul J. Langley fires two deputies for laxity on duty stemming from the escape of four prisoners from the Mahoning County Jail. One deputy acknowledged he was taking a nap and the other said he hurried through his rounds so he could get a cup of coffee.

March 29, 1934: The House Rivers and Canals committee gives its approval to a Mahoning-Beaver waterway project. The next step is getting appropriations approved for the canal that would link the Mahoning Valley to the Ohio River.

Youngstown Water Commissioner Dan Paris is making final arrangements to sell 300 million gallons of water quarterly to the Republic Steel Corp., despite protests by the Ohio Water Service Co. Fifty cents must be slashed from the budget for food for every family on relief in Mahoning County, says Relief Director R.A. Noble. A single man will receive $1.25 per week; a family of four, $3.75.

The Excelsior Fire Clay Co. plant on Hephner Hollow Road in Lisbon, which had been closed for some time, reopens with 25 men on the payroll.