TODAY'S VINDICATOR HEADLINES | FRIDAY

Teddy Foltz’ confessed killer claims he was railroaded into pleading to the 14-year-old’s torture and murder in 2013.

“I was informed by my attorney to take the deal because we weren’t going to trial,” Zaryl G. Bush told The Vindicator. “‘Take the plea deal or you’ll never see your kids again.’” he said he was told. Bush is in year six of a 33-year to life sentence, and his new attorney is hoping 7th District Court of Appeals judges remand Bush’s conviction and felony-life sentence back to the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for a new trial. Bush claims he can produce favorable evidence that investigators failed to seek and defense attorneys failed to present to his trial court, involving a former Struthers cop who lost his job after he was found to have falsified a criminal report and withheld a witness in another case years earlier.

Local and federal law- enforcement officials Thursday announced that self-proclaimed white nationalist and collector of World War II-era weaponry James P. Reardon Jr. is facing a federal charge of transmitting threatening communications via interstate commerce for threatening a mass shooting at the Jewish Community Center in Youngstown. New Middletown Chief Vincent D’Egidio said looked to be a future headline. During Thursday’s press conference at the Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse in Cleveland, D’Egidio said he was thankful for the person who reported Reardon’s online conduct. Reardon remains in federal custody at the Mahoning County jail, segregated from the general jail population. He’s set for arraignment Sept. 6. Also set for arraignment today in that court is Justin Olsen, 18, of Boardman, accused threatening gun violence against federal officers online. He was arrested earlier this month and also remains in federal custody at the county jail.

Raymond Briya – a key witness in the corruption cases against ex-Youngstown Mayor Charles Sammarone, former city Finance Director David Bozanich and developer Dominic Marchionda – was charged in a bill of information with five felonies related to the probe. Briya, 72, a former MS Consultants Inc. chief financial officer, was charged Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court with two counts of attempted bribery as well as one count each of tampering with records, grand theft and obstructing justice. All are felonies. The attempted bribery counts accuse Briya of giving more than $100,000 in cash, meals, gifts and golf benefits to Bozanich over a decade, and of giving at least $9,000 in cash to Sammarone “with purpose to corrupt” them in their official positions with Youngstown.

Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday if Lordstown Motors Corp. can purchase the idled General Motors complex, the state will provide a strong incentive package to help the company.

DeWine said Thursday that Lordstown Motors is “a viable company. I think it can work, but they’ve got to raise the money from the private sector.”The company needs about $300 million to $500 million to buy, retrofit and operate the Lordstown facility to produce electronic vehicles. “We made it very clear that we’re going to be very, very open and very generous,” DeWine said. “We’re going to do everything we can to facilitate this." T

After nearly four decades, Alfreda “Frieda” Anderson Martin is stepping away from the landmark jazz bar downtown Youngstown that bears her name. But she’s leaving it in good hands. Martin has sold Frieda’s to Howard Howell, leader of Howard and the Point Five Band, which has played at the bar hundreds of times – almost every weekend for years. The deal was final on Aug. 10.

Judge Peter Kontos of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court approved a preliminary injunction Thursday ordering the Niles-based natural-gas provider One Source Energy to “immediately” stop offering new service to customers. It currently serves about 118 customers in the Southington area. The order came after the Ohio Attorney General’s office filed a request Aug. 22 for a temporary restraining order and “further order” asking for such action. It also followed a hearing Thursday morning before Judge Kontos. The attorney general’s filing says One Source continues to operate despite never having PUCO authorization to do so and continues to solicit new customers “in direct violation of a Commission directive.”

Boardman Township is holding tightly to its reputation as a retail hub despite residents’ concerns more development contributes to flooding issues. After the devastating May 28 rainfall, some affected residents advocated for a moratorium on new township development. But, if anything, plans for development have ramped up – even though sales tax goes to Mahoning County, not the township. A 157,000-square-foot Meijer store, a 7.64-acre plot of land north of Rulli Bros. on South Avenue was recently purchased by RCJR Holdings Ltd.,

Sheetz will take the place of the former fire station at the corner of Southern Boulevard and Route 224, and Mission BBQ is being built across the street from Chik-Fil-A on Route 224.

Trustees have assured residents the effect on flooding will be neutral, because incoming businesses will be required to include stormwater retention.