METRO DIGEST || Little Free Library

Little Free Library

YOUNGSTOWN

Park Vista of Youngstown dedicated its Little Free Library on Wednesday. The community literacy project of The Rotary Club of Youngstown, The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, and the Etruscan Press, houses free books in a free-standing, weather-proof container for community members to enjoy.

Based on the “take a book, leave a book” principle, the goal is to promote literacy and the love of reading though free book sharing. The Little Free Library is behind Park Vista’s south building, 1216 Fifth Ave., said Brian Kolenich, Park Vista executive director.

Tax petition

WARREN

Werner Lange, a Newton Falls resident who circulated petitions seeking to repeal an income-tax increase for village residents who work outside of the village, has filed a complaint in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

The complaint says the Trumbull County Board of Elections erred in removing his referendum from November’s ballot. The board ruled the initiative was invalid because the village clerk did not submit a certified copy of the referendum to the board.

But Lange contends he has given the court evidence from an elections-board hearing that shows the referendum petition should have been certified and placed on the ballot. He asks the court to overturn the board’s decision in time for village residents to vote before Jan. 1, when municipal tax collection begins for 2015.

Child rape conviction

WARREN

Brian McGhee, 44, of Dogwood Drive Southeast in the Westwood Lake Mobile Home Park in Weathersfield Township, was convicted Wednesday of 10 counts of rape. He could get a life prison sentence for raping a teenage girl on a nearly daily basis for more than four years. A jury found him guilty of six counts of rape that carry a possible life prison sentence and four counts of rape that each carry a possible prison term of 11 years. He also was convicted of three counts of gross sexual imposition that could add another 15 years. Judge Ronald Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court presided over the trial.

Traficant film

YOUNGSTOWN

Eric Murphy, working on a documentary about former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., who died Sept. 27, is seeking to raise $17,500 through a Kickstarter campaign to finish the film. Murphy has until Nov. 23 to raise the money. As of Wednesday, he has raised $5,980. Those wanting to contribute can do so by going online to: www.kickstarter.com/projects/traficant/traficant-documentary-finishing-funds-campaign.

Suspect sought

BOARDMAN

Township police issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in a case of passing a bad check for more than $7,000. According to a report, police received a package Monday from Huntington National Bank containing evidence about the case. Huntington reported that on Aug. 26, a business check for $7,520 was deposited through an ATM at 3960 South Ave. Two days later, $6,500 was withdrawn from the account at the bank’s main branch on Federal Street, downtown Youngstown. The bank’s security-fraud investigator was notified in September the check was bad. Police have photos of the suspect making both the deposit and the withdrawal, and have confirmed the suspect’s identity. They are not yet releasing the suspect’s name.

Bowls of Steel cook-off

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Inner City Garden is having a “Bowls of Steel” chili cook-off from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Phoenix House, 850 N. Meridian Road. The winner gets $50. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for military veterans and children under 12. There will also be an auction and a 50/50 raffle. A dollar of each ticket sold will go to the Dorothy Day House.

Those interested in entering the cookoff or donating a gift basket should call Steve Kergan at Phoenix House, 330-406-6603.

Cemetery tours

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s History to Go program for October will be guided walking tours of Oak Hill Cemetery, 344 Oak Hill Ave. on the city’s South Side. The free event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Tour guides will lead visitors to several locations in the cemetery, providing history and historic images. Oak Hill Cemetery began with the founding of the Mahoning Cemetery Association in 1852, and for more than a century reflected the affluence and cultural diversity of the Mahoning Valley brought by the booming iron and steel industries.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be canceled.

Thief loses loot

WARREN

A young thief who took off from the Circle K store, 606 North Park Ave., with 10 DVDs from the store ended up losing more than he gained Tuesday night — even though he got away.

A clerk thought the man looked suspicious when he took the DVDs off the shelf and placed them by an ATM machine. She asked him if she could hold them by the register for him, but he refused.

She watched as he stuffed the items down his pants and run out of the store at 10:33 p.m.

A co-worker, however, was outside and grabbed the suspect by the sweatshirt, pulling it off of him. He pushed the worker and ran, then got on a bicycle and rode off.

The suspect left behind his sweatshirt and 14 $25 Foot Locker gift cards that fell out of the sweatshirt, police said. The DVDs were valued at $100. The gift cards did not come from the store.

Harding fight

WARREN

A 17-year-old female student at Warren G. Harding High School was charged with assault and taken to the Trumbull County Juvenile Justice Center at 3 p.m. Tuesday after getting into a fight at the high school that led to minor injuries to a school administrator who broke up the fight.

School guard smacked

WARREN

A school crossing guard at the Jefferson Pre-K to Grade 8 building on Tod Avenue Southwest reported being assaulted by a woman Monday afternoon who had parked her car in the crosswalk while students were leaving the building.

The crossing guard said she asked the woman to move her car, but the woman said she would “be only a few minutes” and walked away.

The woman returned to her car with a child and said to the crossing guard, “Go ahead and take down my plate number,” then struck the crossing guard in the face, causing the crossing guard to strike back in self-defense. The crossing guard had a scratch on her forehead but no other injuries.

Route 7 car fire

NORTH LIMA

William Gisler III was cited by Ohio State Highway Patrol for failure to control after his car struck a telephone pole along state Route 7 and caught fire at about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Gisler suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention.

Gun, jewelry stolen

YOUNGSTOWN

An Ash Street man reported a burglary at 7:13 p.m. Wednesday at his residence. The victim said he left his home around 5:30 p.m. and returned just after 7 p.m. to find his door kicked in. He noticed a handgun, a 40-inch TV and some jewelry missing. He told police a neighbor across the street would likely have recorded video evidence of the crime.

Drug charges

YOUNGSTOWN

Police arrested Adam D’Apolito, 32, of Canfield at about 7 p.m. Wednesday on charges of possessing drugs and drug paraphernalia. Police stopped D’Apolito’s vehicle on McCollum Road Wednesday night, and said he tried to hide something as they came to talk to him. Police conducted a search of the vehicle and found a crack pipe and a plastic bag with 46 grams of heroin. D’Apolito is due in Youngstown Municipal Court at 9 a.m. Friday.