Youngstown native comes home bearing gifts — for cops

YOUNGSTOWN

Jon Howell has moved from the city, but his heart remains in Youngstown.

Howell, a 1980 South High School graduate who now lives in Bloomington, Ill., returned to his hometown Tuesday bearing gifts for members of the police department.

Howell, along with his wife, Adrienne, mother Janet and aunt Gail Manigault-Waters, provided officers in the roll call room with coffee, cake, cookies and prizes. He said he wanted to thank the department for the work it does protecting the city.

“Without them doing what they do, we wouldn’t be able to keep the city safe,” Howell said. “We believe in Youngstown.”

Howell provided a similar event for other city workers around Labor Day but was not able to include the police department then, so he decided to do it Tuesday, since he is home for the holidays.

Read more about the gesture in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.