Years ago

May 20, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Today is Thursday, May 20, the 140th day of 2010. There are 225 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1902: The United States ends a three-year military presence in Cuba as the Republic of Cuba is established under its first elected president, Tomas Estrada Palma.

1959: Nearly 5,000 Japanese-Americans have their citizenship restored after renouncing it during World War II.

1961: A white mob attacks a busload of Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the federal government to send in U.S. marshals to restore order.

1969: U.S. and South Vietnamese forces capture Ap Bia Mountain, referred to as “Hamburger Hill” by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.

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1985: There is a growing movement among Trumbull County hospitals — Warren General, Hillside, Trumbull Memorial and St. Joseph — to use marketing and advertising to attract patients in an increasingly competitive market for medical services.

A 17-year-old East Side youth is being held for questioning and another is being sought in an arson fire that caused $5,500 damage to North Junior High School.

1970: The Ohio Department of Health sets a deadline of July 1, 1975, to put into operation the facilities needed to clean up the murky Mahoning River and nearby streams.

James P. Griffin, former director of District 26, USW, and Sam Camens, a District 26 staff man, say during an arbitration hearing in Pittsburgh that steelworkers are falling behind in economic status.

1960: National Distillers & Chemical Corp., a one-third partner in Mallory-Sharon Metals Corp. of Niles, is taking control of Mallory-Sharon and will merge its operations under the name of Reactive Metals Inc.

The House Appropriations Committee approves $1.1 billion for planning and construction of water projects, including funds for the West Branch and Shenango reservoirs.

1935: Alec Strak, 14, is killed and his companion Joe Pavis, 15, is injured after they are struck by a hit skip driver on Belmont Avenue Ext. in Trumbull County while they were pushing a bicycle along the side of the road.

The PWA has $1.3 million ready for Youngstown slum clearance and rehousing, and only a few “greedy owners” asking unreasonable prices are standing in the way, PWA officials in Washington announce.