Bridge closing

Bridge closing

YOUNGSTOWN

The Division Street Bridge over the Mahoning River will close Monday in preparation for its demolition and replacement over the next nine months.

The 1939-vintage steel truss bridge is “functionally obsolete” because its 22-foot-wide roadway is too narrow for the area’s truck traffic, said Randy Partika, Mahoning County bridge engineer. The new bridge will have a concrete slab deck with a 30-foot-wide roadway supported by steel beams.

The county commissioners awarded the $1,588,000 bridge demolition and replacement project last month to Marucci & Gaffney Excavating Co. of Youngstown.

Weapons charges

YOUNGSTOWN

A man was arrested on weapons charges after a call for a fight on a West Side street about 4:40 p.m. Monday.

Officers were called for a fight with weapons in the 2600 block of Tyrell Avenue, and as they were heading down that street, they saw two men walking. One of the men threw an object in the snow that looked like a gun.

The officers waited for backup, then ordered the two men to the ground at gunpoint. In the snow, officers found an 8 mm semiautomatic handgun. Arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm was 24-year-old Dontrail Burkes of Youngstown. He was taken to the Mahoning County jail.

Fire investigated

YOUNGSTOWN

The cause of a fire at a home at 3040 McGuffey Road about 5:35 p.m. Monday is under investigation.

Firefighters who arrived found a heavy fire on the second floor and all the occupants of the East Side home outside, reports said.

Reports said the fire started in a bedroom. Damage is listed at $8,000. One firefighter was slightly injured.

Work on turnpike

YOUNGSTOWN

Motorists on the Ohio Turnpike between Youngstown and Newton Falls might have experienced some delays Tuesday as the turnpike underwent maintenance. The Ohio State Highway Patrol enforced “rolling roadblocks,” during which patrolmen slowed down traffic for 15 to 20 minutes at a time while maintenance crews worked on various projects. The OSHP’s Hiram Post said work might continue today.

Block-watch meeting

YOUNGSTOWN

The Powerstown Neighbors Block Watch will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Faith Community Church, 1919 Midlothian Blvd. Councilman John R. Swierz, D-7th, will discuss neighborhood issues.