Vacant-house fire

Vacant-house fire

YOUNGSTOWN

Reports say a fire that destroyed a vacant 2974 Northwood Avenue home about 1:40 a.m. Friday was intentionally set.

Firefighters called to the home found dense flames inside when they arrived, and because the home appeared to be taken care of, they thought someone could have lived there. No one was found inside, and a records check revealed it had been vacant for at least three years, reports said.

The fire appeared to have started in a corner dining room, reports said. Damage is listed at $10,000. No one was injured.

Architect chosen for Canfield library

YOUNGSTOWN

Ronald Cornell Faniro of Youngstown has been chosen as the architect who will design the new Canfield Branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. Trustees of the library selected him Thursday. The new Canfield library will be built on the site of the existing library at 43 W. Main St. Faniro designed the library’s Newport Branch and the newly opened Tri-Lakes Library in North Jackson.

Veterans outreach

CLEVELAND

The Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Bob Gillingham Ford will honor returning combat veterans with an outreach and education event, coupled with the Bob Gillingham Ford Classic Car Show, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the Parma VA Outpatient Clinic, 8787 Brookpark Road.

The program includes information on VA health care, enrollment and benefits, community resources, education, music by DJ Frank Lamanna, free food and activities for children.

Representatives from several local colleges and universities will conduct a college fair, and veterans representatives from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will provide employment information.

The education event and car show are free. Veterans from all eras are invited.

Man fails to appear for arraignment

YOUNGSTOWN

A man police say was begging for money and told people he was a veteran failed to show for an arraignment Friday.

Thomas Jozwiak Jr., 49, was spotted by police holding a sign at Belmont and Parmalee avenues about 9 a.m. Thursday saying, “U.S. soldier needs help.” Reports said he was holding the sign Wednesday, the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and he was warned about using his status as a veteran to beg for money to drink. Reports said he admitted using the money he got from begging to buy alcohol, and he appeared drunk.

Police let him off with a warning Thursday, but 20 minutes later, he was spotted carrying the sign again and was cited on the charge of begging and given a court date of Friday morning. When he failed to show up in Youngstown Municipal Court, a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Man pleads not guilty

canfield

The Springfield Township man who escaped from a police cruiser in Beaver Township pleaded not guilty in Canfield Court on Friday to charges including vandalism, operating a vehicle while impaired and theft. Eric Stanislaw, 44, is in Mahoning County jail on a $2,500 bond.

Stanislaw was stopped at 1:02 a.m. Thursday on South Avenue for driving left of center. He was found to be operating a vehicle while impaired. He was being taken to the jail when he escaped from the back seat of the cruiser while handcuffed. A police dog and deputies searched the Youngstown area for him, and at 10:45 a.m., Stanislaw turned himself in to the county jail.

Bond set in theft case

canfield

A $13,750 bond was set for Todd Roepke, 39, of North Lima for multiple theft charges, and he remains in Mahoning County jail.

Roepke is accused of stealing batteries from tractor-trailers at a trucking business. A preliminary hearing for Roepke will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Mahoning County Area Court here.

Career program

liberty

Pleasant Valley Evangelical Church, 2055 Pleasant Valley Road, will sponsor a Community Career Connection program from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday that will continue for six weeks. A mini job fair will culminate the program in the seventh week.

The cost is $20 for a workbook.

To register, call Theresa Strock at 330-539-6137 or Vern Williams at 330-824-2079.

Chaplain to speak

boardman

Mark Mills, chaplain at SouthernCare, will speak and lead a discussion on “When Prayer Changes” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 24 at Antone’s Banquet Centre, 8578 Market St.

Reservations are due by Monday at 330-797-8940.

The focus will be on how prayer changes from one of healing to acceptance and end-of-life preparation.

Science center exhibit

YOUNGSTOWN

OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, 11 W. Federal St., will be closed from Monday to next Saturday to prepare for Silly Science Sunday on Sept. 22 and to install a new visiting exhibition.

Installation of The Bone Zone Carnival of Healthy Choices begins Tuesday. Call the center at 330-744-5914 if you would like to schedule a time to preview the exhibit before it opens on Silly Science Sunday.