Austintown trustees look to zoning laws to better regulate Queen of Hearts game

AUSTINTOWN — Township officials are looking at strengthening zoning laws as a way to regulate Queen of Hearts drawings and its affect on public safety.

“We have been in talks with our zoning inspector [Darren Crivelli] and I know he’s working on some things for us in regard to mass gatherings,” said Trustee Jim Davis. “I know there was some concern by the residents in those neighborhoods and around that area, so we’re going to be looking at ways to address that before something like that happens again.”

Davis spoke about the game at tonight’s trustees’ meeting. As the Queen of Hearts jackpot grew at Barry Dyngles, 1601 S. Raccoon Road, public safety became a larger concern, with more off-duty officers hired by the pub and Raccoon Road being shut down for a time before and after drawings.

Davis congratulated Molly Blair of Warren, the winner of the $1.8 million jackpot, and the pub on the raffle game that brought attention back to the Raccoon Road business corridor.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com