METRO DIGEST || Trail hours extended

Trail hours extended

BOARDMAN

Mill Creek MetroParks Board of Commissioners has extended the hours of East Golf Hike & Bike Trail to match those of the MetroParks Bikeway. Both facilities will be open year-round to the public from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The 1.5-mile East Golf Hike & Bike Trail runs from U.S. Route 224 to Shields Road and provides an asphalt surface for joggers, walkers, bikers, skaters and, in the winter, cross-country skiers.

Parking lots are located at each end of the trail and a pedestrian bridge across Mill Creek connects the trail with golf-course amenities and additional parking. Restrooms, a drinking fountain and an information kiosk are on the trail.

The MetroParks Bikeway runs from Western Reserve Road in Canfield to the Mahoning/Trumbull County line in Austintown.

For information, visit www.millcreekmetroparks.com.

Charged with OVI

POLAND

A Boardman man is scheduled to appear in Struthers Municipal Court today on charges of driving while impaired with children in the vehicle.

Neil Kolm, 36, of White House Lane, is charged with operating a vehicle while impaired, OVI with a blood-alcohol concentration between 0.08 and 0.17, and two counts of child endangering. Township police arrested him early Sunday, according to a police report, after a traffic stop on U.S. Route 224 at Diana Drive.

The report lists two children, age 14 and 9, as victims. Kolm was released on a summons.

Probing semi wreck

SOUTHINGTON

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a tractor-trailer accident on U.S. Route 422 that caused a minor injury and spilled two steel coils.

The tractor-trailer driven by Aaron J. Welch, 36, of Jeromesville, Ohio, was eastbound on Route 422 in the right lane when it drove off the right side of the roadway, striking a ditch at 7:19 a.m. Tuesday.

The truck overturned, coming to rest on its roof. The coils landed in the roadway but did not cause any injuries. The Ohio Department of Transportation closed both lanes of traffic while the wreckage was cleared. Welch suffered a minor injury but refused treatment at the scene. He was cited for failure to control. He was wearing a seat belt, a patrol news release says.

Trustees to meet

LIBERTY

The township trustees will have a special meeting at 2 p.m. today at the administration building, 1315 Church Hill-Hubbard Road, to discuss the Ohio Department of Transportation winter-salt program, grass abatements and other business.

7th Ward coalition

YOUNGSTOWN

The 7th Ward Citizens Coalition will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Faith Covenant Community Church, 1919 E. Midlothian Blvd.

Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge Shirley Christian will attend the meeting to present information on the new veterans treatment court specifically created to assist veterans charged with certain felonies.

It is set to launch next month. Organizations and agencies related to veterans affairs, veterans or anyone interested in learning more are encouraged to attend.

The 7WCC is a nonprofit neighborhood corporation of volunteers that works to promote continual improvement in the quality of life in Youngstown’s 7th Ward and the city.

Attempted break-in

WARREN

A man, 67, reported an attempted break-in at his house on Adelaide Avenue Southeast at 9:35 p.m. Monday.

The victim was fixing his window from an earlier incident when he heard someone kicking in the front door. He opened the door and saw a man and woman he knew on the front steps. He pushed the male off of the porch, and the male pulled a knife out of his pocket and threatened the victim.

The man and woman then walked south toward Youngstown Road. But before leaving, the man picked up a rock and smashed the windshield of the victim’s truck, the victim said.

Medical-pot bill

COLUMBUS

State senators could amend legislation to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio as early as today, with an eye toward potential final passage before their summer recess.

Sen. Bill Coley, R-West Chester, chairman of the committee considering House Bill 523, told reporters Tuesday a substitute bill was expected during a morning hearing.

“There’s a number of items that we’ve been discussing,” he said. He declined to offer many specifics, though he reiterated concerns about potential money laundering that could result from cash-only marijuana transactions.

$2.6B budget signed

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich has signed into law a $2.6 billion capital budget, paving the way for road and bridge construction, school renovations and a variety of local building projects.

The spending plan, which will stretch over a fiscal biennium that ends in mid-2018 and which was approved on lopsided votes in the Ohio House and Senate, includes $650 million for school repairs, renovations and maintenance; $428 million for public colleges and universities; $500 million for roads, bridges, waste and sewer systems and other infrastructure; $323 million for improvements at state parks, forests and dams; nearly $151 million for upgrades at state prisons and related institutions; and $160 million for community projects.

The funds involved are borrowed, via long-term bonds that are covered in future biennial budgets.

Kasich signed the bill and several others behind closed doors Tuesday, without comment.

20th Thiel president

GREENVILLE, PA.

Susan Traverso has been named the 20th president of Thiel College.

Traverso has served as provost and senior vice president at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa., since 2007. She takes office in August as Thiel’s first female president.

“The board of trustees is elated to appoint Dr. Susan Traverso as the college’s next president,” said Trustee Chairman Barry Stamm. “Dr. Traverso has the creative and hard-working spirit that will inspire confidence and continue the college’s momentum as we celebrate our sesquicentennial anniversary.”

Traverso is a senior member of Elizabethtown’s leadership team and a professor of history.