Fire destroys house

Fire destroys house

WARREN

Firefighters put out a fire at a house at 1925 Brier St. SE early Monday, but the house was destroyed and fell into the basement, Warren Fire Chief Ken Nussle said.

The gas company is checking to see whether the 4:43 a.m. blaze may have been related to natural gas, Nussle said. When firefighters first arrived, the house was no longer on its foundation.

People lived in the home, but they were not home at the time.

The home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, but firefighters tried to get inside and were turned back, Nussle said.

The home is deemed a complete loss with damage set at $22,000. The cause is under investigation.

Man arraigned

NILES

A 52-year-old Warren Township man was arraigned Monday morning in Niles Municipal Court on charges of felony importuning and misdemeanor assault, menacing and trespassing, accused of grabbing a juvenile female at a restaurant in the Eastwood Mall complex last week and holding her in a bear hug while making sexual comments to her.

Melvin V. White, of Bane Street, is in the Trumbull County jail in lieu of $7,500 on the charges.

White let go of the girl after a male friend of the girl’s intervened, Niles police said.

White is also accused of threatening the male.

The trespassing charge was filed because White is banned from mall property, police said.

White was convicted of committing public indecency in Niles in June, and police say he has been known to panhandle for food in the city.

Murder trial rescheduled

WARREN

A murder trial planned for Dec. 8 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court for TaShawn Walker, 27, of Baytown, Texas, has been rescheduled for March 9.

Walker and his attorney, Lynn Maro, were in court Monday and approved a waiver of the court’s requirement to hold his trial within a constitutionally required amount of time.

Walker is accused of killing Richard Rollison IV, 24, of Niles, by shooting him seven times in the parking lot of the Sunoco gas station on West Market Street on Oct. 26, 2013.

That killing was exactly one week after Walker’s brother, Taemarr Walker, 24, of Warren, was killed in a confrontation with a Warren police officer.

Yoga in the Gardens

YOUNGSTOWN

Mill Creek MetroParks will offer Yoga in the Gardens from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and from 5:30 to 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Dec. 4, 9, 11, 16 and 18 at Fellows Riverside Gardens, 123 McKinley Ave.

Marina Perdos will lead the morning classes, and Karres Cvetkovich will lead the evening classes. All levels are welcome. Participants should bring a mat and small blanket. The cost is $10 per class. Registration is not required.

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