METRO DIGEST || Volunteers sought for planning committee

Volunteers sought for planning project

AUSTINTOWN

The Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities is seeking volunteers to join a committee to develop a plan to transition away from being a direct adult service provider by the year 2024. U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations say the board will generally be barred from providing both case management and direct services to adult clients by that year because regulators view the dual role as a conflict of interest.

People interested should send an email by Sept. 2 to Paul Iden at piden@mahoningcountyoh.gov, containing their names, addresses, phone numbers, the groups they represent, and their reasons for wanting to serve on the panel, or send the same information by regular mail to him at 4791 Woodridge Drive, Austintown 44515.

City woman arraigned on drug-abuse charge

BOARDMAN

A Youngstown woman was arraigned Thursday night in Mahoning County Area Court on a drug-abuse charge after a traffic stop Wednesday night.

Police reportedly saw a car almost cause an accident on West Midlothian Boulevard at Hudson Avenue and stopped the car Wednesday night on Hillman Street.

Police spoke to the driver, Jasmine Riddle, 35, of Mumford Drive, who was driving with her niece in the passenger seat. Officers reportedly saw Riddle trying to hide an object from the officer, prompting a search.

After the search, police found two needles, two plastic bags with suspected narcotic residue, a cut straw and a razor blade in a tin container. Riddle also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and drug-abuse instruments. The niece was taken to her father.

Rabies vaccine baits scheduled for region

WASHINGTON

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is releasing the schedule for its 2016 distribution of oral rabies vaccine baits by aircraft and vehicle in local areas between Aug. 22 and early September, weather permitting.

They include a North Lima project that will cover parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and distribute 1,071,600 baits by airplane and helicopter, and 3,240 baits by vehicle.

The city of Youngstown will be baited via helicopter, as will the remainder of Mahoning County.

For information on the raccoon oral rabies vaccine program, visit the USDA APHIS website – https://www.aphis.usda.gov – or call 1-866-487-3297.