METRO DIGEST || Benefit for animals

Benefit for animals

WARREN

Three animal shelters are planning a spaghetti dinner from noon to 6 p.m. May 6 at Packard Park Shelter House, 1071 Mahoning Ave. NW. Cats are People Too, TNR of Warren and Friends for Paws will host the event, which also will feature a 50-50 drawing, a basket auction and vendors. There also will be rescue groups with adoptable animals.

Poland arson

POLAND

Township police are investigating an arson case that damaged a local business’ trailer.

Reports state that something was tossed into a SET Inc. trailer on Center Road and ignited at about 8 p.m. Friday. Police said the fire was small and was extinguished by the time officers arrived on scene.

Place flags for vets

YOUNGSTOWN

Volunteers are needed for the George Wydell Jones Memorial team to place flags on veterans’ grave sites at Oak Hill Cemetery for Memorial Day. If you are interested, contact Steffon Wydell Jones at 330-774-8214. Jones, a Civil War historian and re-enactor, also will host a tour of Tod Cemetery, 2200 Belmont Ave., at 2 p.m. Saturday and talk about veterans buried there.

Environment conference

EAST LIVERPOOL

Kent State University East Liverpool will have the seventh annual Environmental Justice Conference from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Slak Shak, Main Building, 400 E. Fourth St. The free event will feature these speakers: Helene Moncman from the American Cancer Society, at 10:30 a.m., about cancer research that is beginning in Columbiana County; Dr. S. Tom Bond, at 1:30 p.m., on Marcellus Shale fracking and its effects on the environment; and emeritus Prof. Francis Graham, at about 2:30 p.m., on bringing energy-saving ideas from the 1970s into the 21st century. Tree saplings will be given as long as they last. Lunch and a continental breakfast are provided.

American cleanup

The Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, is sponsoring the Great American Cleanup for Earth Day, which is Sunday.

In the Mahoning Valley, there will be a cleanup from 10:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Mosquito Creek Lake in Trumbull County. Volunteers will meet at Lakeview Recreation Area for litter pickup, trail maintenance and general cleaning. For information, call the lake office at 330-637-1961. At Shenango River Lake, Keep America Beautiful Litter Pickup will start at 8 a.m. Saturday with volunteers meeting at the ranger station at the campgrounds, 492 West Lake Road, Transfer, Pa. Earth Day will be celebrated Sunday with volunteers meeting at 9 a.m. in the Bayview off-road vehicle area. Work will include litter pickup, reposting the riding boundaries, and clearing downed and hazardous trees. Call Eric Schreckengost at 724-646-1124 for information and registration.

Discrimination complaints

YOUNGSTOWN

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s mobile-outreach center will visit the Youngstown unit of the NAACP from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday to accept complaints of employment discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 and older), disability or retaliation. The EEOC considers retaliation the firing of a worker who complained about job discrimination, gave evidence in a job-discrimination matter or filed a charge of job discrimination with the commission.

To schedule an appointment, call 330-782-9777 or email naacpyoungstown@yahoo.com. Walk-ins also are accepted. The local unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is in Suite 721 in the former PNC Bank Building at Wick Avenue and Commerce Street in downtown Youngstown.