Austintown trustee addresses recent ‘serious hoaxes’ at schools

AUSTINTOWN - A portion of the Austintown Township Trustees meeting Monday was spent addressing recent “serious hoaxes” involving the school district. Bruce Shepas, Austintown Township Trustee, said that Austintown officials are not taking any of them lightly. “We’ve had three serious hoaxes that were school-related, while putting the...

Ohio counties respond to salt mine closure

WARREN, Ohio — It’s been more than a week since the Morton Salt mine in Fairport Harbor discovered enough water in the mine to force its closure and the layoff of workers. Multiple counties around the state have orders of salt from that mine and are watching closely in case they can no longer count on their delivery.

Township officials, residents consider traffic solution

CRANBERRY TWP — Supervisor Anthony Bertolino, who has lived in the township for more than 35 years, has seen the township experience substantial growth in that time. “For the last 25 years — maybe longer — the number one issue is traffic,” he said at the fifth Cranberry Conversations on Tuesday, Nov. 10, addressing dozens of residents in the crowd. “We're aware of the problem. We know that it's there.”

Eastern Gateway building set for demolition in downtown Youngstown

After the community college permanently closed in 2025, the Eastern Gateway building is being demolished to make way for a new county government center. Demolition of the former Eastern Gateway building is scheduled to begin Nov. 15 starting with internal deconstruction, according to the Economic Action Group. Mahoning County and...

Veterans gift card giveaway to provide support during holiday season

The food card giveaway is happening on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Rulli Brothers on South Avenue. The event will last until all cards are handed out.

Portion of Boyers Road To Close For Road Work

Motorists should be aware of a railroad repair project in northern Butler County set to get underway soon. PennDOT officials say crews with the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad will be doing maintenance at the Boyers Road railroad crossing in Mercer Township. A weather dependent closure will be in place...

Mars Area hopes to reach an agreement with PennDOT for land acquisition

PennDOT and Mars Area School District have mostly cooperated throughout the Route 228 Corridor Improvement Project, but one disagreement remains, according to Michael Hnath, district solicitor. Both groups separately issued appraisals that do not agree on the estimated compensation PennDOT owes the district for land acquisition, he said. “(PennDOT) did...

Boardman Township swears-in new fire chief

Youngstown to hold information session on Flock cameras

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Youngstown residents can learn more about the city’s Flock camera program next Tuesday. The city will hold a public information session Nov. 17 at the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center on Otis Street. It runs from 6-7 p.m. A release from the city states that...

DEP Seeking Answers For Unplugged Wells

After years of no response the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is still seeking a response for abandoned oil and gas wells in Slippery Rock. In October of last year, the DEP issued an order to S.R. Star O&G LLC to plug 11 abandoned oil and gas wells. By December of 2025 the DEP completed another inspection that found the owner had still failed to plug at least one well.

Youngstown Council to consider 14% yearly sewer rate hikes

YOUNGSTOWN - The price tag for a multi-million-dollar agreement made years ago between the U.S. EPA and the City of Youngstown will likely show up in residents’ mailboxes beginning next year. Youngstown City Council is meeting in special session next Tuesday morning to consider an ordinance that would increase...

Natural gas users in Mercer County expecting bigger bills

HARRISBURG - Bigger bills will be on the way for more than 214,000 homes and businesses that heat with natural gas in Mercer County and other parts of northwestern Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has authorized National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation to implement new delivery rates. The $10.4 million...

Trustees respond to threat made against school

AUSTINTOWN - A portion of the Austintown Township Trustees meeting Monday was spent addressi…

Two water bill increases proposed for customers in Trumbull Co.

Two hikes on water bills could be hitting some Trumbull County customers' bills. County officials are proposing increases for maintenance and to keep up with bulk water costs in the near future. After unsuccessfully securing outside funding, county commissioners will now consider passing the buck off to customers to keep...

Family's Honor Flight surprise brings 89-year-old Navy veteran to tears

LANCASTER − A U.S. Navy veteran James Hanley has collected a lifetime of memories. But the surprise that awaited him during his September Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., brought him to tears. That's because his family in Virginia surprised him with a visit when he arrived in Washington. "It was wonderful," Hanley, 89, said. I'll never forget it. It was a tearjerker. My family met me. They came up from Virginia and met me at the Iwo Jima (monument). It was a surprise because I didn't know they were doing that. Oh my gosh. I teared up." Hanley and his fellow veterans got see a lot of the sites in Washington, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Naval memorial, the World War II memorial, the Korean War memorial, the Vietnam Wall and much more. Hanley served from 1955 to 1990. He joined upon his high school graduation in Youngstown. "I wanted to make something out of myself," Hanley said. "I didn't have any goal in my mind at the time and I thought the Navy would train me. And I knew it was draft time and I didn't want to be drafted. So I

Carol Righetti reflects on time as Mahoning County commissioner

After decades of serving Mahoning County, Carol Righetti is set to leave the county commissioners at the end of the year.

Warren City Council calls on St. Joe’s CEO to keep labor and delivery unit open

Warren city council passed an emergency resolution requesting Mercy Health to suspend their plan to shut down the labor and delivery unit at St Joe's hospital. "You're jeopardizing the well being of the most vulnerable citizens in the county," Greg Greathouse, Warren 3rd Ward councilman said. "It's never too late to change your mind and realize you've made the wrong decision. come and talk to us," he said.

Drivers call for safety improvements at Beaver County intersection after another crash

Another crash at the intersection of Route 51 and Route 168 in South Beaver is renewing calls from neighbors and drivers to have a red light installed at the intersection.

Ohio Lands 260 New Opportunity Zones, 14 Carved Into Mahoning Valley

Ohio has 260 newly designated federal Opportunity Zones, and 14 of them sit squarely in the Mahoning Valley — seven in Mahoning County, two in Columbiana County and five in Trumbull County. The designations, part of a nationwide federal push to steer private investment into targeted communities, won't formally kick in until 2027, but local officials and developers are already eyeing what the new map could mean for downtown blocks and vacant lots across the region.

Youngstown Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting Show scheduled for Nov. 28

Youngstown CityScape announced that the city’s Annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting show has been scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28. The full event will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the parade starting at 6 p.m. and tree lighting following at 7:30 p.m. Local high school marching...