METROSFlbdigest

Pasta fundraiser for Sojourn to the Past

YOUNGSTOWN

Sojourn to the Past will host a pasta dinner fundraiser from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Richard Brown United Methodist Church, 1205 Elm Street.

Sojourn to the Past is a seven-day trip to Civil Rights sites in the South. Eleven Youngstown high-school students will leave March 31, traveling to Atlanta and Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala.

The students will meet icons of the Movement and will develop an action plan to implement when they return to Youngstown. The annual activity has been part of Youngstown City Schools for several years.

Tickets for the dinner are $8 for adults and $5 for children younger than 12.

Route 164 reduced to 1 lane for slide repair

COLUMBIANA

State Route 164, south of Gavers, will be reduced to one lane for a slide repair project March 6, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced today.

Two-way traffic will be maintained in one, 11-foot lane with temporary traffic signals.

ODOT’s contractor for this $194,000 project is Marucci & Gaffney Excavating Co. from Youngstown and the completion date is June 15.

Bridge work to close portion of Vienna road

VIENNA

Niles-Vienna Road, between Scoville North Road and Smith-Stewart Road, will be closed March 6 through June 16 for the replacement of Vienna bridge No. 17, the Trumbull County Engineer announced Thursday.

The recommended detour route is north on Scoville North Road, east on state Route 82 and southwest on Niles-Vienna Road.

Poland school board makes donations public

POLAND

The board of education announced a series of donations made to the district — the first time in a meeting that the board has publicly done so.

Among the donations announced Monday evening is $1,000 from the Parent Teacher Organization to the McKinley staff account.

Janet Muntean, the school board treasurer, said she made the decision to announce each donation the district receives. This allows for the board members to acknowledge and congratulate the gifts given by different individuals, businesses and organizations.

Nonprofit law firm offers free tax help

YOUNGSTOWN

Free tax preparation is available to people eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, Community Legal Aid has announced.

IRS-certified volunteer programs help clients file electronically, saving them preparation fees and often getting them faster refunds, CLA said.

For more information, call 330-747-5989 in Mahoning County, 330-399-8846 in Trumbull County or 330-332-5512 in Columbiana County.

CLA is a nonprofit law firm serving low-income Northeast Ohio residents.

Citizenship course to begin March 7

YOUNGSTOWN

Each year, Youngstown City Schools Adult Basic and Literacy Education offers a free 10-week citizenship course.

This year’s course begins March 7 and runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For information, contact the English Center at 330-743-5767.

Follow-up meeting to entrepreneur project

YOUNGSTOWN

Robert Burke, director of the Youngstown Parks & Recreation Department, and Julius T. Oliver, 1st Ward Councilman, will have a follow-up meeting regarding the Warren and Hillman Entrepreneur Project at 10 a.m. today in the community room of the Covelli Centre, 229 E. Front St. Attendees should use the lower parking lots next to the movie screen.

For information, call 330-207-9826.

Tod cemetery cleanup

YOUNGSTOWN

Tod Homestead Cemetery’s annual cleanup will occur March 15. All decorations on the graves, including solar and artificial lights in vases, will be removed.

Robotics competition

YOUNGSTOWN

Two dozen teams of students from 14 middle and high schools from throughout the region will compete at Youngstown State University’s Beeghly Center on March 8 in the 20th annual Northeast Ohio Robotics Education Program. The event starts with the opening ceremony at 9 a.m., followed by the competition and an awards ceremony at 12:30 p.m.

Schools represented will be Canfield Village Middle, Chaney STEM, Glenwood Junior High, LaBrae Middle, Niles Middle, Poland Middle, Struthers Middle, Valley Christian, Boardman High, LaBrae High, Lake Shore Compact, Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, Mathews High and Valley STEM + ME2 Academy.

YSU concerto winners to perform solos

YOUNGSTOWN

Two winners of the Dana School of Music Young Artists Concerto Competition will perform solos at a concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown.

Youngstown State University students Michael Nichols, pianist, and Francesca Molinaro, soprano, will perform with the Dana Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Stephen L. Gage.

Tickets are available for adults for $6 and for students and senior citizens for $5. Those with a YSU ID will be admitted free. Tickets may be purchased by calling 330-259-0555, visiting www.stambaughauditorium.com and at the door. For information, call 330-941-2307.