TODAY'S VINDICATOR HEADLINES | THURSDAY

Local officials working to find a company for the idled General Motors Lordstown complex don’t know what Vice President Mike Pence is talking about when he said Workhorse Group Inc. and an affiliated entity have the money in place to buy the facility. James Dignan, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber president and CEO, said Wednesday he was “surprised” to read Pence’s statements at a Tuesday event in Lancaster, Ohio, that Workhorse “just this week secured the financing to move forward to keep jobs in that community [Lordstown], and we’re going to continue to look for ways to support that. And Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill said,: “I don’t know where [Workhorse] is at right now. I don’t know if it’s correct.” Attempts Tuesday and Wednesday to reach Workhorse were unsuccessfu, and Pence’s office also didn’t respond Wednesday.

Residents of Kinsman and the surrounding area filled the sanctuary of Kinsman United Methodist Church Wednesday seeking information about what they can do and what is being done for them in the aftermath of the devastating July 20 flood. The waters washed away part of the causeway that leads to homes on the east side of Kinsman Lake, leaving residents stranded, until ATVs were used to evacuate them. Now, they want to know when things will get back to normals. Officials say it likely won’t be anytime soon, but access will be provided from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Though he’s highly unlikely to make the September debate stage, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said his campaign has momentum and he has no plans to get out of the 2020 presidential race. “If I feel we’re growing and moving – and I think we are – we’ll keep going,” he said Wednesday, a day after he appeared at the second Democratic presidential debate in Detroit. “People don’t know me, and they’re getting to know me and they’re liking me.” Ryan said he was pleased with his Tuesday performance in which he sparred with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the Democratic frontrunners, on Medicare for All and providing health care to undocumented immigrants. “A lot of people said we broke out of the pack,” said Ryan of Howland, D-13th.

The daughters of the 60-year-old woman found dead, partially submerged in a Liberty Township pond in 2017 have filed a federal lawsuit against two township trustees and some members of the police department. The suit, filed Wednesday, alleges the investigation into Loraine Lynn’s death was inadequate, violated her due-process rights and marred any hope of justice for the family. The suit targets the township, police Chief Toby Meloro, police Capt. Steve Shimko, former police Chief Richard Tisone and trustees Arnie Clebone and Greg Cizmar. Lynn's body was found Aug. 2, 2017, on a small tractor partially submerged in her mother’s pond.

Canfield School District families who still have questions about a student drug-testing policy set to take effect for the coming 2019-2020 school year can ask them at a community forum set for 6 tonight in Canfield High School auditorium. Beginning this year, students who drive to school or participate in athletics or marching band or must take initial urine tests for alcohol, nicotine or other drugs, then submit to random tests each quarter. Canfield schools Superintendent Alex Geordan said he expects parents will want to know how samples will be collected and whether the process will be confidential.

Richard S. Wittkugle, former treasurer of the Hubbard's Eagle Joint Fire District, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a reduced charge of petty theft for misappropriating fire district funds. A Trumbull County grand jury indicted Wittkugle on charges of felony theft in office, grand theft and tampering with records. He could have received prison time, but a misdemeanor petty theft conviction can produce a sentence of only six months in the county jail and a $1,000 fine, Judge W. Wyatt McKay told Wittkugle. No sentencing date was available after the plea.

The Mahoning County Bar Association has set a disciplinary hearing for attorneys Drew Rauzan and Carol Clemente Wagner on Aug. 28-29. A complaint to the bar association by clients of the attorneys alleged the pair defrauded them of a $5,000 retainer fee without providing substantive legal work in return. The bar association ruled in favor of the attorneys’ clients in February and directed Rauzan and Clemente Wagner to repay the $5,000. Rauzan was Campbell police chief before he resigned amid an investigation into his use of law-enforcement databases to look up information on women who were not under investigation.

The 34th annual Greater Youngstown Italian Fest will take over Youngstown's Central Square this weekend, where it will again create the unique atmosphere of an authentic city street festival. The event features dozens of food vendors, boccie and morra, a beer and wine bar and nonstop Italian entertainment on two stages. And in the middle of it all will be Steve Fazzini, a crooner clad in a tuxedo who strolls the festival singing Sinatra, and also serves as emcee for some of the entertainment in the evening. He is joined by local singer Jaclyn Hodos as street serenaders. The festival opens Friday and runs through Sunday, although about 15 food vendors will be open for a soft opening at lunch today.