METRO DIGEST || Second prize won by Youngstown's Lots of Green

Second prize won

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.’s Lots of Green program won second place honors in the Keep America Beautiful’s national contest in the community beautification/community greening category.

Youngstown Litter Control and Recycling nominated the local nonprofit organization because of its contributions to the improvement of quality of life in the city.

The Lots of Green program has taken about 115 vacant parcels in the city and used them to create gardens, a community orchard and to transfer ownership to adjacent residents.

The announcement was made Wednesday with YNDC to be honored at the Keep America Beautiful national conference Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 in New Orleans.

YNDC is a neighborhood development organization that works to improve the city through various programs.

Harvest event

youngstown

Participation by Valley safety agencies will highlight a neighborhood harvest event from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday sponsored by ICU Blockwatch and St. Dominic Church at the church parking lot, 77 E. Lucius Ave.

The no-costume activity will feature food, music, games and sweets of candy, cotton candy and snow cones. Children younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Providing displays of equipment will be Youngstown Police and Fire departments, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Rural Metro, canine units, Mahoning County Dive Team, emergency response “Tank the Bear,” Fedex Freight semi and motorcycles.

Fugitive arrested

YOUNGSTOWN

FBI agents in Houston arrested fugitive Anthony J. White, 29, of Youngstown in that city Tuesday. White had been featured as fugitive of the week in The Vindicator on two previous occasions. He was wanted on a murder warrant. White is charged with murder in the shooting death of 29-year-old Teresa Stillwagon earlier this month.

No plea entered

BOARDMAN

A man accused of driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs did not enter a plea Tuesday in Mahoning County Area Court here.

Joseph Micco, 51, of Brookfield, was arrested at Market Street and Forest Hill Road about 1:30 a.m. Saturday when police noticed his car did not have headlights activated, reports state. Police said Micco’s blood-alcohol content was 0.066 and a search of his car revealed evidence of cocaine use, which is why he was arrested for operating a vehicle impaired.

Micco is charged with felony OVI, possession of crack cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and open-container violation. Micco has five OVI convictions on his record dating back to 1995, police said. His bond totaled $13,000 for the charges, and he will be back in court next Tuesday.

Charged in shooting

new castle, pa.

Two people are charged in a shooting that left a 14-year-old boy with a head injury.

Patrick Thomas Donofrio Sr., 57, of Scotland Lane and a 17-year-old male are charged in the shooting June 30, 2010, at a hunting cabin on Spring Valley Lane in Hickory Township.

The victim, now 16, survived after several months of recuperating at local hospitals and rehabilitation centers, state police in New Castle said.

Police said Donofrio furnished the firearms that were recovered at the scene. The boy was shot with a .32-caliber pistol.

Donofrio is charged with allowing a minor to have a firearm, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of children.

The juvenile suspect is the person who shot the boy, police said. He will be charged as an adult in the near future with aggravated assault, police said.

Special meeting

Youngstown

Mahoning County Board of Elections will have a special meeting at 8 a.m. Friday in the board room of the new board office, 345 Oak Hill Ave.

Man robbed

WARREN

A 24-year-old city man was robbed of cash by two men as he was walking near Dana Street and Buena Vista Avenue northeast at 5:10 p.m. Tuesday.

The victim said two men in their early twenties approached him, one holding a knife. The second man pulled out a handgun and struck the victim on the head, causing a laceration.

While the victim was on the ground, one of the suspects took cash out of the victim’s pocket. Both fled on foot. The victim refused medical treatment.

Home dedication

STRUTHERS

Mahoning County Habitat for Humanity will dedicate a new home Friday at 6:30 p.m. at 28 Wetmore Ave. The home, being built for Marina Crespo and her family, is also on display at an open house today from 3 to 7 p.m. Tours and refreshments will be available at both events.

The home the product of a building project called “The House of Abraham” which is designed to demonstrate that religious, ethnic and racial differences are less important than the common humanity that unites people, said Monica Craven, director of Mahoning County Habitat for Humanity. The Crespo home was sponsored and built by area Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Baha’i faith communities, Craven said.

Crespo has completed many more than the 250 hours of required “sweat equity,” has met Habitat’s income and credit guidelines, and helped build several homes other than hers. She will buy this home from Habitat next month at the appraised value, with no profit to Habitat, with a zero percent interest loan and a mortgage calculated to be affordable.

Firefighter assault

hermitage, pa.

A city volunteer firefighter assaulted another firefighter at the Hermitage Fire Department Station 1 on Highland Road, city police said.

The assault happened at 8:11 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Dale McCloskey, 54, of Elm Avenue in Sharon, Pa., was charged with aggravated and simple assault.

McCloskey struck the 26-year-old male victim in the back of the head with a piece of plastic pipe, police said. The victim, whom police did not name, was treated at Sharon Regional Health System.

McCloskey was arraigned Wednesday morning in front of District Judge Ronald E. Antos. He was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond with stipulations that he have no contact with the victim or any fire department property.