Protesters on hand for governor’s appearance at airport

A crowd of about 700 protesters who object to a Republican plan to make sweeping changes to the state’s collective-bargaining laws lined state Route 193 outside the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna today to protest an appearance by Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich is to speak at noon today at a Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber event at an airport hangar.

The event was to be at a Howland restaurant. But Kasich, a Republican, requested it be relocated to an airport hangar to help those attending the event avoid protesters.

The Kasich luncheon sold all 480 tickets available 24 hours after the event was announced.