Park to honor memory of civil-rights leader

Park to honor memory of civil-rights leader

YOUNGSTOWN

A new park on the city’s South Side is enhancing a main corridor while honoring the memory of a local civil-rights leader.

Clarence Robinson Park will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Monday.

The new green space is in the 1700 block of Oak Hill Avenue at West Chalmers Avenue on the site of the former Clarence Robinson Community Center.

Robinson was a local black attorney who also served on the city’s Park and Recreation Commission during the 1940s. After the center’s demolition this year, landscaping at the site was completed earlier this month.

The Mahoning County Land Bank soon will transfer ownership of the site to the Oak Hill Collaborative, and the Community Corrections Association will maintain the park.

Viewing fall colors

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources invites Ohioans to view fall’s brilliant colors as the state reaches the height of leaf peeping season.

This coming weekend, Ohioans can expect to see more color and change to near peak conditions in the northern portions of Ohio, with changing conditions being seen around the central part of the state.

People interested in staying up to date on where the most brilliant fall foliage will appear in the state should check out fallcolor.ohiodnr.gov.

City to test water

YOUNGSTOWN

The city’s water department is scheduled to conduct tests today in an attempt to determine what is causing discolored water to pour from taps in some homes in a South Side neighborhood.

Water Commissioner Gene Leeson told 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner, there is a trace amount of iron in the water coming into homes along Thalia Avenue. Leeson said it is about the same amount of iron that is found in well water and is safe for drinking.

Residents have been experiencing the discolored water for months, and despite attempts by the city to resolve the issue, the water is still dirty. Flushing a nearby hydrant only remedies the problem temporarily.

Flu-shot clinics

BOARDMAN

Three flu-shot clinics will be conducted next week by the Mahoning County District Board of Health. They will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday at the Boardman Township Administration Building, 8299 Market St.; 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at Mauthe Park, 156 Smithfield St., Struthers; and 9 to 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Berlin Township Building, 15801 Akron-Canfield Road, Berlin Center.

No appointment is necessary, but participants should bring their driver’s licenses and Medicare, Medicaid or other insurance cards to enable insurance billing.

The charge is $40 or $55, depending on the vaccine to be given, but flu shots are free with most insurances.

Man faces charge in woman’s stabbing

YOUNGSTOWN

Marvin Jones, 60, is in the Mahoning County jail on a charge of felonious assault after reports accused him of stabbing a woman early Thursday at his home in the first block of East Judson Avenue.

Police were called to the South Side house about 12:25 a.m. and found a woman bleeding from a stab wound to the stomach. Reports said the woman told police she was arguing with Jones, and the pair stopped. The woman was playing a game on her phone when they started arguing again and she was stabbed, reports said.

Jones told police he was attacked and stabbed the victim in self-defense, reports said. The victim in the case had been arrested in June for stabbing a man at the same home. The charge was later reduced. It is not clear if Jones was the same person who was stabbed in June.

Habitat run/walk

POLAND

Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley’s 17th annual Home 5K Run & 2-Mile Walk will take place Saturday at Holy Family Church, 2729 Center Road.

The event begins with a kids race, free for children 10 and younger, at 8:45 a.m. in the church parking lot. All kids get a medal.

The 5K and 2-mile walk starts at 9 a.m., beginning and ending at the Holy Name Family Center. All participants receive a T-shirt and goodie bag. The pre-race-day registration cost is $15 per person. The race-day cost is $20. Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers and the top three runners older than 40 in various age groups.

For information, visit www.habitatmahoning.org or call 330-743-7244, ext. 303.

Gift-giving project

YOUNGSTOWN

The YWCA of Youngstown invites individuals and organizations to participate in its Wish Upon A Star holiday gift-giving project by donating new toys, books, games and clothing for homeless and low-income children served through YWCA programs.

Donors may purchase gifts for one child or more, and monetary donations will be accepted. Gifts will be distributed in early December. Last year, 135 children received gifts through the Wish Upon A Star project.

To participate, contact Elise Skolnick at eskolnick@ywcaofyoungstown.org or by calling 330-746-6361, ext. 109, by Oct. 28. Wrapped gifts are to be delivered to the YWCA, 25 W. Rayen Ave., Youngstown, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 12 or 13.

Route 88 reopens

MECCA

State Route 88 over the Mosquito Creek Lake causeway reopened Thursday after having been closed since Monday for bridge repairs, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced.