METRO DIGEST || Ground wire stolen

Ground wire stolen

WARREN

Ohio Edison says the thief or thieves who took 70 feet of braided, steel ground wire from a substation on Mahoning Avenue are putting themselves at great risk and raising costs for all electricity users.

“Any time ground wire is involved, there’s a safety issue,” said Mark Durbin, Ohio Edison spokesman. “It could cause injury or potentially kill them,” Durbin said, noting that people have been killed in similar incidents.

Ohio Edison reported Thursday morning the wire had been taken from a substation near Maryland Street Northwest. The thief or thieves also cut the fence around the substation, apparently to get in, police said. Ground wire is generally at the topmost part of a telephone pole or runs from a pole down to the ground, Durbin said.

Firefighter injured

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown firefighter Joseph Wrenn was admitted to St. Elizabeth Health Center for exhaustion suffered while fighting a fire at 16 South Lakeview Avenue on the West Side Friday afternoon. The only occupant of the home, a man, got out on his own, but firefighters rescued a dog and a cat, said Battalion Chief Tim McGarry.

The fire got into a number of voids, which made the fire difficult to knock down, so eight trucks were used altogether, McGarry said. It took about 40 minutes to put out the fire, which was reported at 4:55 p.m. and started in a rear storage area, McGarry said.

Trash collection

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown residential garbage collection will not be affected by the Easter holiday. Ohio Valley Waste will follow the normal pickup schedule.

Emerald ash borer

REYNOLDSBURG

Ohio Department of Agriculture officials have confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer in Columbiana and Guernsey counties. Residents are being urged to use caution when transporting firewood to help protect against the artificial spread of this and other insect pests. Officials recommend Ohioans continue to exercise caution when moving ash and other woody materials. Residents are encouraged to buy and burn local firewood.

A federal quarantine for Ohio, enforced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, remains in effect. This quarantine makes it illegal to transport ash trees, parts of ash trees and all hardwood firewood out of Ohio.

Man assaulted

WARREN

A 64-year-old Burton Street Southeast man told police a female he has known for about a year hit him in the head with a frying pan while holding a knife Thursday morning. The man said the female asked him for change for a $10 bill, so he went to his bedroom to get it. As he was putting on his pants, the female hit him with the pan several times in the head, removed his wallet from his pants and fled. The man suffered at least two cuts to his head and went to the hospital for treatment.