Police seek 2 men who robbed Speedway

Police seek 2 men who robbed Speedway

BOARDMAN — Police are looking for two men who robbed the Speedway gas station on Midlothian Boulevard.

According to reports, the two men entered the store just after 10 p.m. Sunday wearing black, hooded sweat shirts, black pants and with their faces hidden by white wraps with the eyes cut out. One man waited by the door while another demanded money and “Black and Mild” cigars. The men escaped with about $300 in cash and 55 cigars.

Employees did not see any weapons, but the men kept their hands in their pockets as if they were armed.

Community meeting

NILES — The Niles school board will have a community meeting at 6 p.m. May 21 at Lincoln Elementary School, 960 Frederick St., to gain public input on the site feasibility studies conducted on all city school buildings. This meeting will be conducted by the school district’s construction manager from Hammond Construction and the district’s architect, Balog, Steins, Hendricks and Manchester.

Online school plans information session

YOUNGSTOWN — Ohio Connections Academy, an online charter school, will have an information session on the 2009-10 school year for parents and prospective students at 6:30 p.m. today at Country Inn and Suites, 5570 Interstate Blvd. The public school offers an individualized learning approach in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Teachers develop a personalized learning plan for each student and work directly with students via the phone and Internet. An adult learning coach assists the student in the home with day-to-day activities.

The school loans each family a computer, reimburses them for an Internet connection and provides all curriculum materials.

The school opened in fall 2003 and serves more than 1,600 Ohio students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Woman pleads innocent

NILES — Kelli N. Dawson, 20, of Mason Street, pleaded innocent Monday in Niles Municipal Court to a misdemeanor assault charge after her arrest in the Eastwood Mall. Police said they were called to Payless Shoe Store in the mall at 5:40 p.m. Saturday for a reputed shoplifting and assault.

A store employee observed a female walking out of the store without paying for merchandise. The employee followed the woman and attempted to detain her, but Dawson, walking with the suspect, punched the employee in the side of the head, police said.

Mall security officers witnessed the assault. Niles police officers arrested Dawson and charged her with assault, but the woman who had stolen the merchandise was gone when officers arrived. Dawson was released after posting $1,000 bond and will return to court at 8:30 a.m. June 10.

House fire was arson

YOUNGSTOWN — A fire that destroyed a vacant house on East Chalmers Avenue was intentionally set, firefighters say. The fire at 227 E. Chalmers was reported at 11:24 a.m. Sunday. The house was worth about $5,000, firefighters say.

Rest area reopened

HUBBARD — Ohio Department of Transportation said Monday the rest area on Interstate 80 near here has been reopened. The rest area had been closed for a few days to make repairs to a well pump, an ODOT official said.