Work day today

Work day today

YoungstoWN

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. is sponsoring a community work day from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. Volunteer workers will meet at the Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane, off Glenwood Avenue, to cut and paint boards to secure vacant housing.

Post office review

MINERAL RIDGE

The U.S. Postal Service is conducting a review for “discontinuance feasibility” of the already closed Mineral Ridge Post office, which was at 3821 state Route 46. A meeting for residents will be at the Church of Christ, 3911 Main St. from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The meeting is to explain the discontinuance feasibility process and address community concerns. Service at the post office was moved to the Niles Post office, 43 W. Park Ave., in late March 2011. The study is being conducted now because “a new lease could not be negotiated, declining office workload, which may indicate that maintaining this facility is not warranted,” the letter said.

Drug search

Salem

Columbiana County Drug Task Force, Salem City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration served a search warrant at 1:15 p.m. Thursday at 205 S. Howard St.

The search warrant was obtained from the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court on evidence of a methamphetamine clandestine laboratory located there. Three were arrested at the residence: Stephen Smith, 34, with an outstanding warrant for theft from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s office; Tyia Patchen, 24, with a warrant from the Boardman Police Department for theft; and Christopher Merighi, 33, also arrested for an outstanding warrant for theft from the Austintown Police Department. The Salem Police Department took all three into custody. Numerous chemicals were removed by the DEA Clandestine Laboratory Team.

Fire damages house

NORTH LIMA

Nearly 40 firefighters and four departments were used to contain a house fire Thursday afternoon in Beaver Township. Crews responded to the blaze in the 11000 block of Detwiler Road at 3:30 p.m, and contained it by 7 p.m. Firefighters said the family was not home at the time, and no crew members were injured while fighting the blaze. Capt. Larry Sauerwein said the two-story house sustained extensive damage. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Officer accused

CANFIELD

A Salem patrolman accused of drunken driving will be back in court for a pretrial March 20.

Gary A. Poage, 47, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield to a charge of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, court records show.

Canfield police cited Poage about 2:30 a.m. Sunday after an officer working with the Mahoning County OVI Task Force saw his car going left of center and weaving on Fairground Boulevard.

Police found a plastic cup containing brown liquid believed to be beer in the car as well as two empty beer bottles, reports state. Poage underwent field sobriety tests and took a portable breath test that registered his blood-alcohol content at 0.26, police said. The legal limit in Ohio is 0.08. Poage has been with Salem police since 1993 and was suspended without pay Tuesday pending the case outcome, The Salem News reported.

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