Israel and Hezbollah agree to end fighting

June 20, 2026

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group agreed Friday to halt the heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to unravel an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end their war, officials said. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately confirmed the truce. It came after a heavy exchange of fire killed 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah and Israel went to war shortly after the outbreak of the wider conflict, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and ...

Media attorney slams Trump at Youngstown event

June 19, 2026

YOUNGSTOWN — President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday Sunday with an Ultimate Fighting Championship cage fight event that included boxing on the White House’s South Lawn. Even without the $60 million spectacle, however, Trump and others in his administration are continuing to ...

COMMUNITY NEWS: Give your input to Mahoning Valley Historical Society

June 19, 2026

SOCIETY HOSTS FORUM: The Mahoning Valley Historical Society will host a forum at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the main branch of the Public Library Youngstown-Mahoning County on Wick Avenue. The public is invited to weigh in on future programming and exhibit goals as plans continue for the Arms Family Museum and Tyler History Center. Refreshments will be provided. TEACH TRUTH DAY: Local educators, students, parents and community members are invited to attend the sixth annual Teach Truth Day of Action 11 a.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church, 436 E. Second St., Salem. The event will ...

Cafaro’s company gets $1.7M no-bid contract for Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

June 19, 2026

A $1.7 million no-bid contract awarded to a company owned by J.J. Cafaro to install a water-purification system for the iconic Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the source of controversy, but the businessman said he isn’t surprised. Cafaro, a close friend of and political donor to ...

PUCO poised to act on large SOBE rate hike

June 19, 2026

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio will consider Wednesday a staff-recommended emergency rate hike of 145% for most SOBE Thermal Energy Systems LLC’s downtown Youngstown customers during the six months when steam heat is most used and 75% during the rest of the year. A report filed ...

Ex-dean, professor receive Heritage Award from YSU

June 19, 2026

YOUNGSTOWN — Ask Ronald Shaklee what it feels like to receive a prestigious award, and he will be quick to defer the credit beyond himself. “You work for excellence,” Shaklee, Youngstown State University emeritus professor of geography, said. Shaklee, who joined the university in ...