METRO DIGEST || Website to help American manufacturing

Website to help US manufacturing

YOUNGSTOWN

U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, and Don Manzullo, a Republican from Illinois, have launched a new website to keep citizens informed of the activities of the House Manufacturing Caucus, which they co-chair.

The website — www.housemanufacturingcaucus.com — will chronicle the caucus’s efforts to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and help employers put Americans back to work. It includes links to government agencies and organizations important to manufacturing and news releases from the caucus.

Manzullo and Ryan co-founded the caucus in 2003. More than 70 members of Congress already have joined the House Manufacturing Caucus.

SB 5 petition drive at middle school

AUSTINTOWN

Union members in Mahoning County will have a drive-through petition-signing event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the former Austintown Middle School building, 5800 Mahoning Ave., to get an initiative on the November ballot repealing Senate Bill 5. The controversial bill, which was approved recently by state lawmakers, restricts collective-bargaining rights for public employees.

We Are Ohio, the group spearheading the petition initiative, says it has collected more than 214,000 signatures. To get on the November ballot, the initiative needs 231,149 valid signatures from registered voters.

Electric savings

new middletown

A new FirstEnergy program could save village residents $150 as part of a 36-month offer.

Village officials have mailed out information about First-Energy Solutions’s new electric- aggregation program. Residents will have 21 days to opt out of the program if they choose not to participate.

As part of the program, FirstEnergy Solutions will donate $40,000 to the village. For questions about the program, call FirstEnergy Solutions at 1-866-636-3749 after the mailer arrives.

Howland outage

HOWLAND

About 2,300 Ohio Edison customers in Howland Township lost power at 7:37 p.m. Friday, but the problem was expected to be corrected by late Friday, said Robyn Patton, Trumbull County spokesperson for Ohio Edison.

Patton said the outage occurred after a tree fell over power lines near the East Market Street substation in Howland. By about 8:10 p.m., power had been restored to about 900 of the affected customers, Patton said.

Most of the affected customers were near the outage, which was just east of Howland High School.

Curfew violation

girard

Police stopped a 16-year-old Youngstown male who was walking on North Highland between East Broadway and East Kline streets around 2 p.m. Wednesday for a daytime-curfew violation. The daytime curfew applies to anyone younger than 18 who is out during school hours unaccompanied by an adult and without an excuse from school.

The teen told police he was in the city to visit his girlfriend because it was his birthday. Police found a knife on the teen, who was charged with juvenile offenses of carrying a concealed weapon. He is on probation through Youngstown juvenile court system.

Superintendent delay

NILES

The board of education has delayed its decision on naming a new superintendent of schools till at least the end of this month. Members had indicated earlier that they had anticipated completing their selection next week.

Marlene Rhodes, board president, said a decision will be made “some time after the May 29 commencement.” The board announced earlier this month that the choice has been narrowed to three candidates: Mark Robinson, superintendent of Ashland schools; Tony Meinerding, former Holgate superintendent; and Thomas Gay, chief executive officer of Quality Schools Group, Michigan.

Longtime Superintendent Rocco Adduci is retiring, effective July 31.

Sinkhole repairs

LEETONIA

Gary E. Phillips, Leetonia Village administrator, said the village will be repairing a sinkhole on State Street (state Route 344), at Hazel Street. Work will begin at 7 a.m. Monday. One lane of traffic will be open, Phillips said. The work will not affect drinking water.

AwwwMazing Place closing Sunday

NILES

The AwwwMazing Place gallery boutique, an outreach to benefit the children cancer survivors and their families of Mahoning and Trumbull counties, is closing at 5 p.m. Sunday. All merchandise, including works of art and display units, are at least 20 percent off, said, Brenda Rider, founder of AwwwMazing Place and the ROCcK Choir. “We are hoping to raise the money needed for the choir’s upcoming tour,” she said. The store is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For special arrangement, call Kim at 330-519-5099.