METRO DIGEST || Youngstown ward reduction petitions

Ward reduction

YOUNGSTOWN

Supporters of a charter amendment that would base the number of wards in the city on population, reducing the number from seven to five, will be at the B&O Station Farmers Market, 530 Mahoning Ave., from 5 to 8 p.m. today.

Community activist Phil Kidd said about 1,200 signatures are needed for the proposed amendment to be certified for the Nov. 4 ballot. Kidd said about half of the needed signatures have been collected, and the deadline is mid-next week. “We’re really making a strong push this week,” he said. “We’re hoping people who are interested will come out.”

Garden walk planned

ASHTABULA

Beatitude House will host the first “Ashtabula Garden Walk” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday in the Lakeside neighborhood of Ashtabula. The event will feature a self-guided walking tour of residential gardens on and near the lake, a question-and-answer session with master gardeners, refreshments and a door prize.

Tickets still are available for the walk and can be purchased by calling Beatitude House Development Staff at 330-744-3147. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for students, and 10 and under are free.

Beatitude House, sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown, is committed to providing for disadvantaged women and children. By creating homes, providing educational opportunities and fostering healthy families, it provides them with the opportunity to transform their lives.

Credit card arrests

CORTLAND

Three men are being held in Trumbull County jail in a credit card scam.

According to 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner, the three men made multiple trips through checkout lines with different credit cards at the Walmart on Elm Road Tuesday night. They were stopped and searched, then arrested. Charged with identity fraud, a third-degree felony, and criminal stimulation were Fazly Azzam, 22, of White Plains, N.Y.; Shaha Jalal, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Kamal Parves, 23, of Brooklyn, N.Y., according to Trumbull County jail officials. Police found multiple credit cards in their wallets and car. Federal agents are Bazetta Township Police Department in tracking down the cards’ owners.

Debris fire at mill

WARREN

Firefighters from Howland, Warren and Weathersfield townships and Lordstown village responded to the former RG Steel mill about 9 a.m. Wednesday to put out a fire that ignited a pile of debris in the area of the former 56-inch mill. The departments were on the scene three to four hours; there were no injuries. Howland Fire Chief James Pantalone said the building mainly is I-beams and posts, but a torch being used to demolish the building caught debris that contained oil on fire. The owners of the mill, which is in Howland and Warren townships, have demolished many of the mill’s buildings and plan to continue the work through 2016.

Carjacking reported

WARREN

A 24-year-old city man reported being carjacked, robbed of $130 and assaulted by two masked men just after midnight Wednesday on Larchmont Avenue in Howland. The victim said two men on foot got into his car at Dietz Road, then forced him to drive along North River Road into Warren Township. Somewhere between North Leavitt Road and Mahoning Avenue gunshots were fired by the men as they fled from the car. The victim, who has a concealed-carry license, fired at the men, said Warren Township Police Chief Don Bishop. It is not known whether they were hit. The victim was not hit by gunfire but went to the hospital for treatment of his head injury, Bishop said. The victim said he doesn’t know what was used to hit him.

Vermiculture class

WarRen

Garfield Community Garden will have its free “Improving Your Soil with Vermiculture [worm composting]” class from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday at Garfield Community Garden, Woodland Street Northeast.

Genevieve Germaniuk, an Ohio State University Extension Service master gardener, will share her experience with worm composting. The community garden “Worm Factory” will be on display, and adults and children will see how easy it is to make their own worm “factories.” Also, the garden will dedicate its new sign and community-seating area. The class is part of a summer series of educational events at the garden funded through a Wean Foundation Neighborhood SUCCESS grant.

Photography contest

POLAND

Sunday is the deadline for submitting entries to the annual photography competition sponsored by The Friends of Poland Forest.

Photos must be taken within Poland Municipal Forest and must focus on nature. Contest rules and entry forms are available in The Cafe at Wittenauer’s, Poland Village Hall, in the kiosks at the forest’s entrances and at various Poland businesses. The entry fee is $10 per person for up to two entries.

Matted prints will be accepted through Sunday at The Cafe at Wittenauer’s, 122 S. Main St., and will be displayed in The Gallery at Wittenauer’s Sept. 5-21. Awards will be presented at 2 p.m. Sept. 7.

The contest is for amateurs in three age divisions: children 12 and under, teenagers 13 to 19, and adults 20 and older. Awards will be given to the top photo in each division, plus one Best in Show. Winners in each age group will receive a $25 gift certificate from YM Camera or The Photo Place.

For information, email photocontest@wittenauers.com.

Child-support amnesty

WARREN

In observance of Child Support Awareness Month, Trumbull County Child Support Enforcement Agency will offer amnesty programs this month for parents who are behind in making child-support payments.

People who have had their driver’s license suspended through CSEA may request reinstatement in return for a payment in the amount of one monthly obligation plus an additional $1 payment on their arrearage.

Amnesty also is offered for contempt warrants for people deemed eligible who have failed to appear for a child-support-related hearing or have failed to report to jail to serve a child-support-related contempt sentence.

CSEA will withdraw its warrant if the person makes a payment in the amount of one monthly obligation plus an additional $1 payment on their arrearage. For information, call 330-675-2732.