Fire destroys East Side home in Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN - A cause is still being sought for a blaze that destroyed a 1314 Quinn Ave. home on the East Side on Thursday evening.
Crews were called out about 9:35 p.m. and found a heavy fire inside. Bystanders said a person was inside but a search found no one, reports state.
The back doors of the home were locked but the front door was forced open, reports state. The owner of the home said it had been unoccupied for a year and he was fixing it up so he could rent it out, reports state.
Damage was listed at $10,000. One city firefighter was treated for a slight injury after a fall, reports state.
Youngstown police to add two officers
YOUNGSTOWN - The police department will add two new officers Monday and promote a third to lieutenant.
Detective Sgt. Brian Welsh, who has served on the force since October 1994, will be promoted.
Being added to the ranks are Kenneth Bielik and Travis Kis. They were both hired from grant funds the city received to hire veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Kis previously served as a police officer for the Geneva Police Department, while Bielik has never served as a police officer, said staff inspector Lt. Brian Butler.
A ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m. Monday in city council chambers.
Home repair grants will be discussed at meeting
Meetings on 2012 Community Housing Improvement Grants will be held next week in Girard and Niles.
Niles will hold a public meeting on the CHIP grants at 6 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at the safety service complex on State Street. Girard will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the multigenerational center, 433 Trumbull Ave.
The grants can be used to fund home repairs and private rehabilitation improvements to single-family housing units. Guidelines, eligibility requirements and applications will be explained.
Cities seek participants for Halloween parades
Warren and Niles are seeking participants for their Halloween parades.
The Niles parade is being planned for 1 p.m. Oct. 28 downtown. To participate, call Todd or Becky Thomas at 330-974-6722.
Warren's Halloween parade is noon Oct. 28, also downtown. Registration forms are available at the mayor's office, 391 Mahoning Ave. N.W. and are due by Thursday. Participants are required to decorate their entry in either a Halloween or patriotic theme.
OVI blitz to take place in Mahoning County
The Mahoning County OVI Task Force will running another blitz this weekend, with officers from participating departments on the lookout for drunken drivers from one end of the county to the other.
The effort is called a ''corridor enforcement blitz,'' where one stretch of road that stretches through several jurisdictions will be targeted for extra patrols. The roadway has not yet been announced.
The task force also was awarded a $152,936 federal grant from Oct. 1 through next Sept. 30 to help pay for equipment and labor costs for patrols and educational programs.
Tribune Chronicle