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State Legislature to consider 90-day pause on gas tax

At the behest of Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, the GOP-controlled state Legislature will have a special session next week to vote on a 90-day suspension of the Ohio gas tax. Ramaswamy unveiled his proposal about six-and-a-half hours after Amy Acton, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, called for an emergency gas tax holiday in Ohio with diesel fuel prices hitting record highs and the cost for unleaded gas continuing to increase. On Wednesday, Ramaswamy and Republican leaders in the General Assembly, including Senate President Rob McColley, who is ...

Poland trustees agree to sell new cruiser to help offset deficit

POLAND TOWNSHIP — Trustees at a special meeting Tuesday gave their approval to sell a 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe, originally purchased for the police department, to the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency as a way to ease the township’s financial strain. “With the current financial situation, the board decided to accept the deal the county presented to purchase the vehicle from us for full price,” Poland trustee Eric Ungaro said. “So we are thankful EMA approached us.” He said the price tag of the Tahoe was approximately $55,000. It had not yet been outfitted with the ...

Sheriff’s office gets $130K in state, federal traffic grants

YOUNGSTOWN — More than $130,000 in state and federal traffic safety grants will support Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office deputies on additional enforcement details over the next year. A news release from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office states that the Ohio Department of Public Safety awarded the office $46,200 through the Safe Communities program and $86,459 in federal traffic safety grants, for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The funding also will allow sheriff’s deputies to supplement enforcement in communities where local police departments lack the staffing to ...

Hotel theft suspect back in court

LIBERTY — A Youngstown man accused of stealing cash from a local hotel returned to court on Wednesday. Keyshawn Blalock, 27, made initial appearances on felony charges of burglary and receiving stolen property before Girard Municipal Court Judge Jeffery Adler Tuesday. The court website was not updated to show what happened at his preliminary hearing Wednesday. According to a police report, officers were called to the Days Inn on East Liberty Street Sept. 17 for reports of a man in a black hoodie, black pants, black mask and white shoes who jumped over the counter and stole cash ...

Another resident alleges theft by contractor

BOARDMAN — A local contractor is in hot water for a familiar offense. A Boardman woman told police she paid a contractor $5,000 toward a $20,000 home-improvement project more than a year ago, but the work remains unfinished and the contractor has stopped responding to her. The complaint comes as police in several Mahoning Valley communities are investigating separate allegations involving Boardman contractor John P. Bartos III, who was arrested Friday on four outstanding warrants. Bartos has not been identified as the contractor in Tuesday’s Boardman complaint and the names of ...

Woman pleads guilty in child sex abuse case

YOUNGSTOWN — A Youngstown woman faces a likely prison stint after pleading guilty Monday to sex offenses involving a 3-year-old child. A news release from the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office states that Tekia Huggins, 34, pleaded guilty in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to charges including gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony; pandering sexually oriented matter, a second-degree felony; and attempted use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, a fourth-degree felony. Her plea averted a trial scheduled to begin this week in a case where her alleged co-defendant is ...