METRO DIGEST || Free Easter meal

Route 7 upgrade

BOARDMAN

The Ohio Department of Transportation is planning improvements on the mile of state Route 7 (Market Street) between Karago Avenue and DeBartolo Place. Construction will begin in spring 2013 and the project proposes the installation of a new storm-sewer drainage system including re-grading of existing drainage ditches, installation of new drainage structures and installation of pavement markings. The estimated construction cost is $775,000. Questions about the project should be submitted by April 26 to ODOT.

Free Easter meal

WARREN

Warren Family Mission will host a free community Easter meal from noon to 5 p.m. Friday at 361 Elm Road NE.

Meet the chief

EAST PALESTINE

East Palestine Village, Crime Watch & Patrolmen’s Association will host a gathering to meet the new police chief, Pete Monteleone, and his family on Saturday in East Palestine Park Community Center, 31 Park Drive.

Invited guests are welcome from 6 to 7 p.m., and the general public from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

Mathews repairs

VIENNA

Mathews school board approved purchase orders of more than $12,000 for repairs to the high-school gymnasium at its Tuesday meeting.

Moisture seepage has damaged the gym floor. Superintendent Lewis Lowery said a wall will be removed to locate the water source. He said he expects repairs to be completed in several months.

Mother indicted in death of her son

AKRON

A mother and her boyfriend’s brother have been indicted by a Summit County grand jury for murder, multiple counts of involuntary manslaughter and other offenses in the Feb. 26 death of the woman’s 17-month-old son.

The indictment, following an autopsy ruling late last month that the death of Patrick Nicholas Lerch was caused by methamphetamine poisoning, was announced Tuesday morning by the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office.

The child’s death was ruled a homicide.

Heather Lerch, 20, was charged with 10 felonies in a 16-count indictment, and Ronald Legg, 22, was charged with six felonies.

Shelter urged to use lethal injection on dogs

LANCASTER

Several animal-welfare advocates asked the Fairfield County commissioners Tuesday to stop using carbon monoxide to euthanize dogs at the county dog shelter and use lethal injection instead.

Ideally, they said, they would like the county dog shelter to become a no-kill shelter.

That likely will not happen, the commissioners said.

However, Commissioners Steve Davis, Judy Shupe and Mike Kiger said they plan to review the euthanasia method and other practices at the dog shelter. They said they will address the questions and concerns raised today.

The commissioners said they already planned to review practices at the dog shelter as a new state law takes effect next month that removes specific reference to pit bulls from Ohio’s vicious-dog law.

Staff and wire reports

Pit bulls are commonly euthanized at the Fairfield County shelter.

The new law defines a vicious dog as one that has seriously hurt or killed a person or killed another dog. It no longer automatically labels pit bulls as vicious, as the current law does.