I-80 pavement project

I-80 pavement project

HUBBARD

The Ohio Department of Transportation’s Interstate 80 pavement-repair project in the township will now take place beginning at 7 a.m. today. The project will begin on I-80 eastbound between U.S. Route 62 and the Pennsylvania line. I-80 will be reduced to one lane through 1 p.m. today.

Arson-for-profit scheme

YOUNGSTOWN

A Warren man charged in federal court with an arson-for-profit scheme pleaded guilty to seven counts Monday just before jury selection in his trial was set to begin.

Sentencing will be July 25 before U.S. Judge James Gwin for Daryl Evans, who pleaded guilty to setting three fires at two Warren homes he was renting out in 2014 and 2015 to collect insurance money.

Two other defendants, one of them Evans’ brother, have already pleaded guilty in the case.

Ticketmaster service

YOUNGSTOWN

Ticketmaster has discontinued its telephone ticket ordering service. Therefore tickets for all current and future shows at the Covelli Centre, Packard Music Hall and The Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre cannot be purchased by telephone.

All tickets can still be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.

Tickets for shows at the Covelli Centre and Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre can be purchased at the Covelli box office, according to a news release from JAC Management, which operates the facilities.

Tickets for shows at Packard Music Hall in Warren can be purchased at the Packard box office, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren.

Safes found along trail

BRISTOL

The Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office discovered that two safes dumped along the Western Reserve Greenway hike and bike trail about a quarter mile south of state Route 88 were stolen from Savannah, Ga., about one month ago.

Neither of the safes had anything inside, and Joe Dragovich, chief deputy with the sheriff’s office, said he doesn’t know the specifics of where the safes were stolen.

The smaller safe was recovered Saturday, but the second one, weighing 400 to 600 pounds, was retrieved Tuesday.

They were about 20 feet off the bike trail and down an embankment.

A person walking on the bike trail discovered them Saturday afternoon and reported it.

Potential sex offenses

AUSTINTOWN

Police are investigating two potential sex offenses against young girls, both reported last week.

On April 17, a woman told police the father of her 13-year-old daughter may have been “making her sleep in his bed with him,” watching her shower or touching her inappropriately for the past eight to 10 years, according to a report. Most of the offenses allegedly occurred when the family lived in Boardman, she said.

The girl only recently opened up to a counselor about “what was bothering her for years,” according to the report. The family has obtained a protection order against the father through the county Common Pleas Court, the report states.

In another report made April 18, a man said someone sent his 9-year-old daughter “obscene” photos of male genitalia and urged the girl to send nude photos of herself through the “LIKE” app.

Police have begun investigating the girl’s app profile, to trace records back to the offender, the report states.

Report of naked female

WARREN

A woman flagged down police at 5:47 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Genessee Avenue, East Market and Oak Knoll Avenue Northeast to report a young naked female had run up to her in a frantic state and was being chased by a male.

The resident, who had also called 911, said the girl had come up to her, then ran through the yards toward Oak Knoll Avenue.

Moments later, an officer saw the girl “sprinting up to my back door. She got into the back seat and she told me that her dad was chasing her,” a police report says.

Moments later, the girl’s father walked up and explained he and his wife heard noises coming from their daughter’s bedroom. When they investigated, a male juvenile jumped out the bedroom window, followed by their daughter, and both were naked.

That’s when the father went looking for them. He said the family has a meeting scheduled with the juvenile prosecutor about obtaining a restraining order against the boy, according to the police report.

Confrontation, car chase

WARREN

A city woman told police Monday a man chased her and drove into the car she was driving early Sunday, causing significant damage.

The confrontation took place after a 34-year-old man she was with got into an argument with the man who drove into her car.

The woman said the two argued at a Parkman Road tavern earlier Sunday. After the argument, her friend kicked the other man’s dog at his house on Ferndale Avenue Southwest, she said.

Her friend ran to her vehicle after that and she drove away. But the other man followed them around the Palmyra Heights neighborhood in the southwestern area of the city, she said.

After she pulled into an unspecified driveway, the other man drove over the grass and into her car. She drove away. The other vehicle hit a fire hydrant. The vehicle she was driving, which sustained significant damage to the passenger side, belongs to the woman’s brother. No arrests were made.

Today is Denim Day

YOUNGSTOWN

Denim Day, an international campaign to prevent sexual violence through education and public awareness, will take place today. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Denim Day is a call to action for all people to come together by wearing denim as a visible sign of protest against sexual violence.

The day came about when the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the justices felt since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in protest of the ruling and in solidarity with the victim.

COMPASS Family & Community Services along with the Rape Crisis and Counseling Center and Sojourner House Domestic Violence Program have joined with several community partners to carry on this tradition in the Mahoning Valley.

Ryan introduces bill

WASHINGTON

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, introduced a bill to keep federal contracting jobs in the United States by adding a preference for civilian and defense contractors that promise to retain jobs in this country.

To be eligible for the preference, an applicant for a federal contract must submit a certification that confirms the contractor and its subcontractors will not relocate jobs from the U.S. to foreign countries during the period of performance of the contract, and that they will use products substantially manufactured in the U.S. and services provided here under the contract.

Firm awards grants

YOUNGSTOWN

More than $20,000 worth of grant funds were awarded to five education providers throughout the Mahoning Valley.

The GPD Group, an architectural, design and engineering firm with several offices in Ohio, awarded more than $467,000 grants to 86 entities throughout Northeast Ohio.

Recipients of the money are: Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley, Inc., Girard, $2,500; Struthers City School, two grants totalling $3,451; Lakeview Local Schools, three grants totaling $10,900; Homes for Kids of Ohio, Inc. Enhancing the Lives of Youth at the Royal Mall, Niles, $2,000; and Inspiring Minds Warren’s 2019 Inspiring Minds Summer Enrichment Program, $5,000.

School conference

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown City School District will celebrate both parents and teachers at its 13th Parent Title I Conference beginning at 6 p.m. Friday in the ballroom at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave.

The evening’s theme is “Moving Forward Together.” Mayor Jamael Tito Brown will address attendees, and CEO Krish Mohip will speak. Guy Burney, director of the city’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence, is the featured speaker.

The conference aligns with Goal III of Mohip’s strategic plan, “Improving Parent, Family and Community Engagement.”

“Parents and teachers can enjoy an evening out with dinner and a program. We’re bringing back the red carpet, too, where parents and teachers who attend can shine like the stars they are and pose for photographs,” said Linda Hoey, the school district’s chief of family engagement.

Lawmakers to speak

CANFIELD

State Sens. Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd, and Sean O’Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, will speak at 2 p.m. Friday at the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, 7320 N. Palmyra Road, to local school district superintendents, principals, treasurers and board of education members.

The two will discuss their education initiatives and answer questions.

‘Stand Up for Man Up’

BOARDMAN

The “Stand Up for Man Up” event to make a stand against prostate cancer is from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Cafe 422 Boardman, 8586 South Ave. It will include dinner and comedic performances. The cost is $30 per person. Registration deadline is Friday. For information and/or tickets, call 330-480-3405.

Campaign kickoff party

YOUNGSTOWN

A Bernie Sanders campaign kickoff party will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the B & O Station, 543 Mahoning Ave. Sanders, 77, is an independent senator from Vermont running as a Democrat for president.