METRO DIGEST || City school year will begin Sept. 5

City school year will begin Sept. 5

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown City Schools’ 2017-18 first day of school for students is Sept. 5, later than other years for the district. For at least the last several years, the district’s first day was in August.

The new start date affords more time for educator professional development earlier in the school year and before state testing, school district officials said.

The change means educators will have five days of professional development immediately before the start of the school year, as well as development days throughout the school year. The full 2017-18 school calendar is available on the district’s website, www.ycsd.org.

ODOT to pave 344

LEETONIA

The Ohio Department of Transportation will be paving state Route 344 through the village. Motorists should try to avoid the area during the project time or be prepared for traffic slowdowns and delays in travel times. ODOT will start grinding the road surface on or near Wednesday. Grinding will take approximately a week to complete. The total project time could take up to four weeks.

Stolen car reported

AUSTINTOWN

A township man told police he looked out his front window to see someone driving his car up the street early Thursday.

The car was parked in the driveway of his Pine Shadow Court home, and the victim told police he had left the car unlocked with the keys in it. Officers were unable to find the vehicle and it has been reported as a stolen car.

Officers find cash, suspected drugs

YOUNGSTOWN

Officers serving search warrants Wednesday investigating drug activity found pills, suspected heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine as well as more than $4,200 in one house and more than $5,000 in cash overall.

At a 328 Chicago Ave. home on the South Side about 4:50 p.m., members of the vice squad and the Community Police Unit found more than $3,000 in a safe plus an additional $1,236 as well as 23 pills and a bag of suspected heroin and a bag of crack cocaine.

Isaac Ford, 37, who reports said listed the home as his address, was arrested on drug charges and taken to the Mahoning County jail.

About 6:05 p.m. at a 437 E. Myrtle Ave. home, also on the South Side, police found a bag of fentanyl, a bag of suspected crack cocaine, 68 painkillers and a scale in a dog house in the yard as well as $1,173 cash on LaMarcus Smith, 34, who lists the home as his address.

Smith, as well as Gregory Smith, 25, who also lists the home has his address, were both arrested on drug charges and taken to jail. All three are expected to be arraigned in municipal court today.

Boy’s wrist is broken in attack at bus stop

WARREN

A boy, 11, suffered a broken wrist when attacked by another boy at his bus stop at 8 a.m. Wednesday on Comstock Avenue at North Park Avenue.

The victim said the suspect is a boy he knew who didn’t normally ride the bus.

The suspect walked up to the victim and pretended he was going to punch the victim. The victim didn’t react, and the suspect then punched him in the face and picked up the victim and slammed him to the sidewalk.

A fight began, and adults broke it up.

The boys rode the bus to school, and the victim told school officials, and his grandfather took him to the hospital for treatment of his broken wrist.

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