Firefighters probe blaze at Foodway

Firefighters probe blaze at Foodway

YOUNGSTOWN

Firefighters are investigating a 1:19 a.m. Friday blaze at the Foodway Supermarket, 2047 Jacobs Road, where they noticed the odor of an accelerant, two beer bottles, one with a wick, and two disposable cigarette lighters.

The owner said someone broke into the store two years ago and that he was involved in an argument with a man three days before the fire. Damage was estimated at $7,500 to the building and $2,500 to its contents. A security camera was in operation.

Austintown man facing charges

NORTH Jackson

Police arrested an Austintown man they say is responsible for several burglary attempts in Jackson Township.

Gregory A. Burns, 38, was charged Wednesday by township police with two counts of burglary and three counts of attempted burglary, said Police Chief Kenneth Frost.

Frost said two residents called police Monday after seeing a man matching Burns’ description peering in the windows of their homes. They told police once he noticed someone was home, he would flee to a waiting vehicle.

Another witness provided police with a license-plate number of that vehicle, leading to Burns’ arrest, Frost said.

Burns is scheduled for a pretrial hearing at 1 p.m. Monday in Mahoning County Area Court in Austintown.

Students, teachers to be honored

youngstown

The Family Empowerment Student Achievement Institute will host the fourth annual Youngstown Community Academic Achievement Olympiad at 4 p.m. Sunday in Beeghly Center at Youngstown State University.

The organization is partnering with the city schools for the program. The purpose of the annual event is to showcase some of the city schools’ academic achievers, most- inspiring educators and schools that achieve at the Excellent, Effective or Continuous Improvement level on state report cards.

Students will receive awards for academic performance. The program also will award trophies to Youngstown Early College, Rayen Early College Middle School and Kirkmere and Paul C. Bunn elementary schools.

Two educators will be awarded Most Inspiring Teachers honors by two senior students who will be receiving gold medallions.

30 apply to lead Mathews schools

VIENNA

Thirty candidates have applied for the position of superintendent of Mathews Schools. Current Superintendent Lee Seiple will retire July 31.

Ken Wallace, president of the Mathews school board, said the board expects to decide the number of candidates to be interviewed by the end of the week.

“We hope to have a new superintendent hired in June,” Wallace said.

Seiple, 67, has been Mathews superintendent since 1999. He had been under contract to the district till 2014, but announced his resignation for retirement purposes in March.

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