Ribbon-cutting

Ribbon-cutting

YOUNGSTOWN

ValleyCare Health System of Ohio will have a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m. July 8 for its $20 million investment at Northside Medical Center on Gypsy Lane.

The project at Northside added a 30,000-square-foot tower that expanded the emergency department and created a new main entrance for the hospital, and modernized more than 28,000 square feet of the hospital.

The expansion includes a new emergency room with 21 new private exam and trauma rooms; a new tower that includes a main lobby with registration, pre-admission testing, outpatient lab services, waiting area, gift shop and information center; and enhanced surgical services with 21 private same-day surgery patient bays, endoscopy suites, a bronchoscopy room, and waiting area.

Cause of fire probed

youngstown

Firefighters are looking for the cause of a Monday morning blaze at a 405 Willis Ave. home.

Crews were called to the home about 4:50 a.m. and found the occupants outside. They found fire damage but no fire on a porch wall, reports said.

A teenager in the home told firefighters she was sleeping and smelled smoke, and she and five other people inside got out. One of those people used a garden hose to douse a small fire on the porch, reports said.

Reports said there was a grill on the porch, and charcoal inside that appeared to have been on fire but the occupants of the home denied using it. There also was a strong smell of a flammable liquid inside and outside the home, reports said.

Damage is listed at $800. There were no injuries.

Driving course

YOUNGSTOWN

AAA East Central is offering defensive-driving courses designed to meet the information needs and interests of drivers over 55, in the Youngstown-Niles area this summer and fall.

The classroom driver improvement courses are taught by AAA-certified instructors. The two-day seminars are scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Drivers who attend both days of the course and who successfully complete the driver improvement program might be eligible to receive insurance-premium discounts.

Enrollment is underway for the following sessions: June 24 to 27 and July 15 to 17, Park Vista-Youngstown; Aug. 11 to 13 and Aug. 18to 20, Shepherd of the Valley-Poland; and Sept. 23 to 25 and Oct. 28-30, AAA Trumbull County-Niles.

To register, call Shepherd of the Valley 330-726-7110; AAA Trumbull County, 330-652-6466 and Park Vista at 330-746-2944.

Block Watch auction

STRUTHERS

The 1st Ward Block Watch will host an auction Thursday in the gymnasium of Highland Avenue School, 14 Highland Ave. All proceeds will go toward helping and beautifying the city, and in particular its downtown.

The auction begins at 5 p.m., and is expected to last about three or four hours. Concessions will be available. For information, contact Melanie Rauschenbach, block watch president, at 330-506-7690.

Drug drop-off box

NEw Middletown

New Middletown police have been awarded a permanent Drug Drop Off box from the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. The stand-alone box is in the lobby of the municipal building, 10711 Main St., and any citizen can drop unwanted, expired or unused drugs securely from Monday through Friday during business hours.

The police will continue to participate in biannual drug drop-off days. The drop-off box will allow those who miss the drop-off days to have a secure location to dispose of drugs.

Clothing giveaway

FOWLER

Fowler United Methodist Church, 3426 Youngstown-Kingsville Road, will have a free clothing giveaway from 9 a.m. to noon today.

NAACP Youth Council

Youngstown

The Youngstown NAACP Youth Council will have two meetings in June.

The first will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown, 2105 Oak Hill Ave.; the time and program have been modified for the youths at the club to participate.

The second Youth Council meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. June 28 at the Youngstown main library, 305 Wick Ave.

Youths with dramatic readings/recitations, musical, or dance talent to are urged to attend the meeting; a showcase, similar to ACT-SO — the NAACP youth showcase — is being planned for Black History Month in 2015. Youths are invited share their interests like visual art, science projects, construction of various models, and other interests.

Two July meeting dates will also be set during this meeting.

For information, contact L.K. Williams, youth council acting adviser, by calling 330-788-1005.

Farmers market

WARREN

The Warren Farmers Market on Courthouse Square is open from 3 to 6 p.m. today. The market accepts credit/debit cards and SNAP/EBT benefits. There is free parking for the event at the Franklin Street Deck.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offers nutrition assistance to eligible, low-income individuals and families. People can use their SNAP/EBT (electronic benefits transfer) for purchases at the market.

Warren Farmers Market Manager Sheila Calko said applications to participate in the market came from producer/vendors from Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. For information, call Calko at 330-881-7698.