METRO DIGEST || Health insurance for low-income kids

UW campaign targets coverage for children

YOUNGSTOWN

The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley is working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the Connecting Kids to Coverage campaign, which seeks to enroll uninsured low-income children in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties in health coverage.

More than 167,900 children in Ohio are eligible for health coverage through Medicaid but remain uninsured.

As part of the effort, United Way is building public awareness with billboards directing people to call 211 for more information on Medicaid. Also, printed posters and palm cards that mirror the billboards are available for distribution.

People interested in receiving printed materials and making them available may call the United Way office at 330-746-8494.

Lake Newport event sets sail on Saturday

YOUNGSTOWN

Wetlands Alive, a kayak program, is set for noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at Lake Newport in Mill Creek Park. Reservations are necessary and positions are limited. Call 330-702-3000. Fee is $12 per person ($15 for nonresidents of Mahoning County). The second person in a tandem kayak pays half the price.

N. Lima Road closing

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning County commissioners voted to close North Lima Road between state Route 170 and Spitler Road in Poland Wednesday to enable removal of a large dead tree, which county Engineer Patrick Ginnetti said is a safety hazard along the road.

Expo closes Catalina for eight hours today

YOUNGSTOWN

An Informational Community Collaboration Expo sponsored by the Sword of the Lord Ministries and Community Initiative to Reduce Violence will close Catalina Avenue between Belmont Avenue and Wirt Street from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today

Let’s Move forces downtown road closings

YOUNGSTOWN

East Federal Street will be closed between Market, Wick, and Walnut streets, and Champion Street will be closed between East Federal and Boardman streets from 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Mondayfor the Let’s Move event, sponsored by the Finer Things Academy on Saturday and VexFest 9 on Sunday.

Route 644 to be closed until next Wednesday

KENSINGTON

State Route 644 traffic east of Kensington in Columbiana County will be closed to traffic until Wednesday for a bridge replacement project. It was originally scheduled to be closed only on Monday.

Beginning at the intersection of state Route 644, state Route 9, and U.S. Route 30 in Kensington, traffic will be detoured east on U.S. 30 to state Route 164 south to state Route 518 west back to state Route 644, and reverse.

State Route 644 will only be closed for seven calendar days. However, traffic may be restricted with flaggers during the remaining construction, while ODOT’s contractor, Marucci and Gaffney Excavating Co. of Youngstown, replaces an existing concrete slab bridge with a box culvert.

Stein-hoist contest set at Boardman pub

BOARDMAN

The Magic Tree Pub and Eatery will have a stein-hoist competition every Wednesday starting Aug. 14 to raise money for Making Kids Count. The competition runs through Sept. 21, when the pub’s octoBREWfest begins.

The competition begins at 7 p.m. Some of the proceeds will also go toward octoBREWfest.

In a stein-hoist competition, competitors must hoist a stein of beer and whoever holds it the longest wins. There will be a grand prize of a 3-foot authentic Samuel Adams stein filled with $500.