METRO DIGEST || Benefit will help grieving Austintown family

Registration forms

austintown

Austintown schools open-enrollment registration forms will be available at the schools or online at www.austintown.k12.uh.us beginning Monday. No applications will be mailed.

Call 330-797-3900, ext. 1501, with questions.

Benefit at Fitch

austintown

Fitch High School will help raise money for a township family whose son died last weekend. Jesse Sellars, 18, was a junior at the school.

Students and staff can pay a few dollars to wear sweatpants to school Friday. Proceeds will go toward the cost of funeral arrangements.

Citizenship classes

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The English Center, in collaboration with city schools’ Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) program, will offer free U.S. citizenship preparation classes.

The classes will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays from March 1 through May 10 at Choffin Career and Technical Center, Room A-110, 200 E. Wood St.

The classes are designed to help potential citizens prepare for the new citizenship test. Classes will cover American history and government and review the naturalization application.

Call the English Center at 330-743-5767 for more information or to register.

Passenger injured

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A man who jumped out of a moving car was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center with a severe head injury, police reported.

Joseph W. Forney-Gibbs, 22, of Bright Avenue was in a car driven by his wife, police said. There were other people in the car as well.

At 12:07 a.m. Thursday, the car was at state Route 616 and Robinson Road when Forney-Gibbs, in response to a fight he was having with his wife, opened the door and jumped out, police said.

His wife stopped the car long enough to let a friend get out and check on him, then drove away, police said.

The friend discovered Forney-Gibbs had a severe head injury and called police and an ambulance, police said.

The hospital said Thursday he is in critical condition.

Drug-abuse charge

liberty

Police charged Keisha R. Robinson, 31, of 44 N. Dunlap Ave., Youngstown, with drug abuse after conducting a traffic stop about 8:10 p.m. Monday on Belmont Avenue near the Liberty Plaza.

She was a passenger in a car driven by Carlow Williams, 37, of 253 Crandall Ave., Youngstown, who was charged with having no driver’s license, expired registration and no proof of insurance. Police said they found a small bag of marijuana on Robinson.

Shining Star award

COLUMBIANA

Dr. Leonard S. Pritchard will be honored as the 2011 recipient of the Shining Star award during the Hearts and Stars Ball sponsored by The Charitable Foundation for Salem Community Hospital.

Dr. Pritchard will receive the award during the sold-out gala event Saturday at the Links Banquet Center at Firestone Farms in Columbiana.

The Shining Star award recognizes retired health-care professionals who have practiced at Salem Community Hospital for the majority of their careers.

Dr. Pritchard, who practiced in Columbiana for 35 years, delivered 2,000 babies. He also served on city council for eight years.

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