Groundbreaking set

Groundbreaking set

POLAND

The Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber will have a groundbreaking ceremony at 2 p.m. Thursday for a 32-bed Shepherd of the Valley rehabilitation and skilled nursing unit, 301 W. Western Reserve Road.

The new unit will add 23,624 square feet to the facility and includes a 1,800-square-foot therapy room.

Shepherd of the Valley worked with Baker, Bednar, Snyder and Associates of Howland on the design of the building. Construction is expected to be completed in one year.

SOUP dinner

WARREN

Warren SOUP will have its next micro-finance dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

SOUP provides micro-funding for creative local projects that will have a positive impact in Warren. The event will take place at John F. Kennedy Catholic School located at 2550 Central Parkway SE.

Warren SOUP is organized by a committee of local residents with a passion for social change. SOUP is a public dinner of soup, salad and bread for $5.

For updates and information on upcoming Warren SOUP events, see www.facebook.com/warrensoup.

Ryan testifies

WASHINGTON

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, recently testified on behalf of the U.S. steel industry to protect the industry from unfair trade practices. Manufacturing employs 662,000 Ohioans and contributes $99.8 billion or nearly 18 percent of the state’s GDP.

Ryan testified at the International Trade Commission before officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of International Trade and Investment, U.S. Treasury, U.S. Department of State and the Office of Trade, Customs and Border Patrol.

Verizon strike

NEW YORK

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders cheered on striking Verizon workers Wednesday after 39,000 landline and cable employees walked off the job.

Sanders told workers at a picket line in Brooklyn they displayed courage by standing up to the telecommunications giant.

Sanders’ rival, Hillary Clinton, said in a statement earlier Wednesday she was “disappointed” that negotiations had broken down between Verizon and its unions.

The two striking unions, the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, say Verizon wants to freeze pensions, make layoffs easier and rely more on contract workers. The company has said that health care issues need to be addressed because medical costs have grown and that it wants “greater flexibility” to manage its workers.

Staff/wire reports