METRO DIGEST || Final tour for WRTA holiday bus

WRTA holiday bus

YOUNGSTOWN

Western Reserve Transit Authority’s holiday bus will make its final run during Youngstown’s First Night celebration New Year’s Eve.

The bus will carry passengers between events for free from 4 p.m. Sunday until just after midnight.

The festively decorated bus featured Santa Claus as a passenger until Christmas and traveled every daytime route in the WRTA system at least once.

Crash closes SR 7

HUBBARD

A 7:09 p.m. crash involving two pickup trucks on state Route 7 closed the roadway temporarily Friday night between U.S. Route 62 and state Route 82, but it reopened at about 8:30 p.m.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the injuries were nonlife-threatening.

Fire departments in Brookfield, Vienna and Hubbard townships responded, as well as Brookfield and Hubbard township police departments, the Trumbull County 911 center reports.

Forensics to ID bones

WARREN

The Trumbull County Coroner’s Office has asked Mercyhurst University (Erie , Pa.) Department of Applied Forensic Sciences to analyze bones found in Bristol Township.

Investigators with the county sheriff’s office recovered a skull and other items from a township area near the Western Reserve Greenway hike and bike trail south of Hyde Oakfield Road Monday and Tuesday.

They had been alerted to the skull by squirrel hunters who discovered it Christmas Day.

Investigators delivered the remains to the coroner’s office, but coroner Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk asked students in forensic and biological anthropology to identify the remains and conduct other studies in an attempt to determine how long the person has been dead and the cause of death, the coroner’s office said.

Swearing-in event

YOUNGSTOWN

A swearing-in will take place at 1 p.m. today in New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman St., for these newly elected leaders: Jamael Tito Brown, the city’s 51st mayor; Sarah Brown-Clark, incumbent municipal clerk of courts; DeMaine Kitchen, city council president. The city’s new judge, Carla J. Baldwin, will administer the oaths. Doors open at noon for the free event.

Free ice skating

YOUNGSTOWN

Free ice skating at Mill Creek MetroParks’ Wick Recreation Area opened Friday. Bring skates; no rentals are available. The rink will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. daily, with hockey hours from 3 to 5 p.m. The rink has no refrigeration, so is dependent on weather.

Niles judge swear-in

WARREN

The swearing-in for Municipal Court Judge Chris Shaker will be at 11 a.m. today at McKinley Memorial, 40 N. Main St.