Out in third round

Out in third round

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.

Boardman Center sixth-grader Santino Slipkovich will not be heading to the final rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, his father, William, said Wednesday.

Santino, 12, The Vindicator’s sponsored bee contestant, incorrectly spelled the word “predecessor” during the third round of the bee Wednesday afternoon.

“He admitted he was a little more nervous today,” William said.

“We will still enjoy our time here, and it was a great experience for all of us.”

Interim superintendent

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown School District has selected former district superintendent Stan Watson to be interim superintendent after outgoing district head Vince Colaluca’s departure, according to a news release.

Watson is a former district employee of more than 30 years, 10 of which was spent as assistant superintendent and two as superintendent.

“As a past superintendent in the district and a resident in our community, Mr. Watson’s experience will serve us well while we begin our search for the next leader of the Austintown schools,” said board President Don Sherwood.

That search begins Saturday, the day after Colaluca is set to retire, as the district announced last week.

Treasurer to resign

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown school officials announced Treasurer Ryan Ghizzoni will resign July 1, according to a release from the district.

Ghizzoni intends to join Forecast 5 Analytics, a financial forecasting software company. That company recently acquired Public Finance Resources, of which Ghizzoni is a partner, according to the release.

“While I am looking forward to this new opportunity, I remain committed to being a supporter and resident of Austintown,” Ghizzoni said in the release.

The school board accepted Ghizzoni’s resignation at a special meeting Wednesday, the same day it chose Watson to temporarily lead the district.

Niles man faces charges

NILES

Bond was set at $1.5 million for Joshua B. Vigorito, 32, of Ann Avenue during his arraignment Wednesday in Niles Municipal Court on single charges of rape and kidnapping. No plea was entered. Police charged Vigorito with the offense after being contacted at 6 a.m. Wednesday regarding the allegations by a 25-year-old woman.

Tree falls on car

WARREN

A tree fell on a car as it was traveling down Comstock Street Northwest at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, causing $2,000 in damage to the car. The Warren Fire Department removed the tree from the car, and the driver was able to drive the car from the scene. The tree had come from the front yard at 474 Comstock. There was no mention of an injury to the driver.

Masked man gets away

YOUNGSTOWN

Reports said a man with a gun wearing a Spider-Man mask got away with an undetermined amount of cash from a register just before 7 p.m. Monday from the Burger King on Hillman Way. The man ran out into the parking lot and drove away in a waiting car, reports said.

Strawberry Festival

NORTH LIMA

The Inn at Glenellen, 9661 Market St., a Briarfield assisted-living community, will host its 20th annual Strawberry Festival from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday.

This year Ed and Diane Reese, Briarfield’s CEO and president, respectively, will dedicate a memorial fountain in memory of former dietary manager Deborah E. Spragling.

Spragling died in 2017 and had worked at Glenellen since it opened in 1999. She also was a co-founder of the Strawberry Festival. The festival will feature live music and refreshments. Residents and their families are welcome to enjoy food and assorted strawberry desserts in the outside tent or in the indoor dining area.

New staff members

CAMPBELL

The board of education recently hired two new staff members.

The board hired Lisa Young as a professional development data coach/assistant principal at Campbell Elementary School with an annual salary of $83,674.

Young previously taught kindergarten at Youngstown Community School and Struthers Elementary School before working as an instructional supervisor at the Mahoning County Educational Service Center.

Doug Eisenbraun was hired to teach at the Northeast Ohio IMPACT Academy with an annual salary of $46,700. He was formerly a STEM teacher at Austintown Middle School.

Gunshot wound to foot

WARREN

A 33-year-old city man suffered a gunshot wound to his foot in front of the Ohio Inn, 1321 N. Park Ave., at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday.

When police arrived, they found bullet shell casings in the street in front of the bar and grill and a window on the side of the building to have been hit by a gunshot.

Police found the victim near the intersection of Atlantic Street and Paige Avenue Northeast in his car. An ambulance took him to the hospital.

Spring jazz concert

BOARDMAN

Boardman High School’s spring jazz concert will be at 7 p.m. Friday in the high-school cafeteria, 7777 Glenwood Ave.

Seniors in the program are: Randi Baghurst, Andy Beichner, Daniella Girardi, Shawn Korpi, Joe McKinney, Jeff Policy, Miles Spearman, Danny Turillo and Noah Veauthier. Admission at the door is $3 for adults and $2 for students. Senior citizens 65 and older are admitted free.

Board to meet

YOUNGSTOWN

Western Reserve Transit Authority Board will have its board meeting at 3 p.m. today at 604 Mahoning Ave.

Event canceled

BOARDMAN

Boardman Community Day scheduled for Saturday is canceled due to inclement weather and will be rescheduled.

Annual Research Day

WARREN

The 13th annual Western Reserve Health Education Resident Research Day is from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. today at Trumbull Regional Medical Center’s resident classroom, 1350 E. Market St.

The resident classroom is on the ground floor.

Medical residents will present the results of their research. The day is a culmination of the scholarly work that has been done throughout the academic year.