Breaking News

Ryan named to bipartisan AI commission

Tim Ryan, who represented the Mahoning Valley in the U.S. House for 20 years, was among 20 people named to the Commission on AI and the Future of the American Workforce. Created by the American Enterprise Institute and the Urban Institute, the commission plans to assess how artificial intelligence is reshaping jobs, skills, benefits and earnings. It also seeks to develop practical policy options to help workers, employers and governments adapt. The committee is co-chaired by Republican Paul Ryan, a former speaker of the U.S. House, and Democrat Gina Raimondo, a former U.S. secretary ...

$350K request for Sparkle makes agenda

YOUNGSTOWN — A $350,000 grant to help keep the Sparkle Market in Cornersburg and the $350,000 sale of the former Bottom Dollar grocery store building are on Youngstown City Council’s Wednesday agenda, but passage at the meeting is very uncertain. That’s because both ordinances were supposed to first be discussed at a Monday community planning and economic development (CPED) committee meeting that was canceled. The CPED committee last met July 13 with members expressing skepticism over the Sparkle economic stabilization grant. Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward and CPED ...

Area auto dealers hold steady in August sales report

Northern Ohio dealers in a 21-county area witnessed a 1.3-percentage point increase in August’s new car and truck sales compared to 2025 numbers, the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ reported last week. For the year, the region finds itself behind 3,000 units overall. Total new cars and truck sales last month totaled 19,209 compared to 18,957 in August 2025. “New vehicle sales in the region eked out a gain for August as the market continues to battle price inflation and high borrowing costs,” said Louis A. Vitantonio, association president. “The result has been ...

Woman accused of ramming into Days Inn Liberty hotel

LIBERTY — A Youngstown woman faces charges after she was accused of ramming a hotel with her vehicle early Friday. Zayanna Dowd, 22, pleaded not guilty later in the day to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing in front of Girard Municipal Court Judge Jeffery Adler. She also appeared ...

Agenda

• AUSTINTOWN TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the township administration building. • BOARDMAN TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the township government center. • GIRARD CITY COUNCIL will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the city municipal building. • LIBERTY TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at the township administration building.

Business briefs

THE FINALISTS: Four companies will take the stage when YBI’s annual Shark Tank fundraising event takes place Thursday, Oct. 29, at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center in Boardman. The competitors, announced earlier this month, are Daisy Makes — a family-owned company based in Kent that created the patented Original Popper System and other 3D-printed tools designed for bakers; Homello — a real estate app built by a Mahoning County real estate agent; Orhont Magnetics — a Youngstown firm that develops high-power electric propulsion systems for harsh, highly constrained environments; ...