EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a brief synopsis of the top 10 stories from The Vindicator as chosen by the newspaper staff.

Compiled by

Metro Editor Marly Reichert

It was a year of disasters, scandals, political surprises and honors in the Mahoning Valley, and The Vindicator was there to cover it all.

Although this list just scratches the surface of all the news that happened in 2025, these are the stories that our newsroom staff thought were the biggest of the year.

NUMBER 10

10 A chemical spill in July 2024 at Material Sciences Corp. in Canfield spilled over into 2025 and cleanup efforts are continuing.

A July 11, 2024, liquid chemical release at the MSC steel processing facility west of Canfield High School developed into a growing concern as the investigation and cleanup expanded. Testing of areas of school property began in February after testing in areas adjacent to the school complex showed the presence of hazardous chemicals, resulting in a decision to see if the chemicals are also on school property.

A Dec. 12, 2024, report by August Mack, the cleanup company hired by MSC, states MSC started to operate the plant at 460 W. Main St. as a metal galvanizing and metal coil coating facility in 2013, but the plant was built in the 1950s and was operated by other companies during earlier decades.

In July 2024, MSC carried out a regularly scheduled cleaning of its equipment at the plant, which “appeared to dislodge dark, brown process water … cyanide and metals,” the report states. The fluids, estimated at 50 gallons, got into a “previously abandoned drainage pipe” and then into a ditch that runs from the rear corner of the building north along the Mill Creek MetroParks Bikeway, it states.

A pedestrian on the bikeway noticed the fluid and called 911, leading to a response by the Cardinal Joint Fire District, Mahoning County HazMat team and the Ohio EPA

Brad Kinkade, who lives south of the leak area, brought the severity of the leak to the public’s attention at a Canfield City Council meeting on Oct. 2, 2024.

August Mack has been providing updates on the status of the cleanup to city officials, as well as Canfield Local School District officials, and has posted information on its website.

In November 2025, a section of the Mill Creek MetroParks Bikeway in Canfield was closed temporarily as MSC installed two additional groundwater monitoring wells to sample soil and groundwater in the area.

One of the new groundwater monitoring wells was installed along the edge of a pathway that leads from the Canfield High parking lot to the bikeway. The other monitoring well was installed along the edge of the bikeway close to the back of the MSC factory and close to a factory next to MSC called CC Metal Design.

NUMBER 9

As part of Enbridge Gas Ohio’s settlement of the Realty Tower explosion investigation by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the gas utility company is giving $750,000 to the court-appointed receiver for the troubled SOBE Thermal Energy Systems LLC, which provides heat and hot water for much of downtown Youngstown.

Reg Martin, SOBE’s court-appointed receiver, will use the $750,000 to lease or purchase a much-needed backup boiler, according to a “notice of first report of receiver” filed Dec. 10 with the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court by Kenneth R. Goldberg, Martin’s court-appointed attorney.

A rented 800-horsepower steam plant that provided utility services for SOBE’s 28 customers in downtown was repossessed Sept. 30 by court order because SOBE owes $383,214 in back payments to the steam plant’s owner, Wabash Power Equipment Co. of Wheeling, Illinois.

Martin was able to rent a smaller, 650-horsepower steam plant a few days after the old one was repossessed, but it took until Oct. 9 for it to operate, leaving customers without steam heat and hot water for 10 days.

Martin was appointed SOBE receiver Sept. 26 at the request of the PUCO as the company was about to go out of business. Martin has said SOBE is “insolvent” with no assets besides its building and a few pieces of equipment while owing about $4 million to creditors.

A Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge granted a $424,458 default judgment Nov. 26 against SOBE and in favor of Alcon Mechanical Piping Inc. of Niles for nonpayment of a bill.

NUMBER 8

The year began with Girard Army veteran Ken David receiving the Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest award for valor — from then President Joe Biden. He was the only living recipient to receive the honor, which came more than 50 years after David saved the life of his comrades in Vietnam.

In May of 2020, David was awarded the U.S. Army’s second highest commendation of valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. It was then that an effort was renewed to have him awarded the Medal of Honor.

He also has been inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.

David, 75, was drafted into the Army in 1969 and arrived in South Vietnam in January 1970. He served in Delta Company of the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry. The unit came under attack just before 5 a.m. May 7 from the North Vietnamese Army atop a mountain in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam near the Laotian border. Six American soldiers were killed in the attack.

Fourteen U.S. soldiers — all wounded — made it out alive when the 90-minute barrage ended. Among them was David, who is credited with saving the lives of 13 of his comrades.

David, the group’s radio / telephone operator, laid down suppressive fire to draw attention away from wounded American soldiers. The first rescue helicopter arrived about an hour into the fight. When it began to draw enemy fire while trying to land, David drew the attention back to himself by screaming and waving at NVA soldiers, according to military records.

David was wounded during the fight. He said shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade hit him in the back, and both of his eardrums had been blown out. He was hospitalized for five months.

David spent the past year speaking at area schools, nursing homes and military events, and received numerous awards and proclamations from local and state officials.

NUMBER 7

The diverging diamond project at state routes 46 and 82 in Howland was completed in October, which was more than six months ahead of its scheduled completion in summer 2026.

The early completion was good news for motorists who endured detours, ramp closures and traffic headaches since the project began in September 2023.

Howland was in ODOT’s plan for a new diverging diamond location since appearing on its 2015, 2016 and 2017 Highway Safety Improvement Program Urban Non-Freeway priority lists. Per the state’s safety study, “159 crashes occurred at the Route 46 and Route 82 ramp intersections between 2012 and 2016.” ODOT officials said the project was one of the biggest — at $20.4 million — to be launched in 2023 in the Mahoning Valley.

Its completion made it the third diverging diamond in the state — with the other two in Columbus and Toledo.

No major problems with the new traffic pattern have been reported so far, which could be because of clear signage and directional arrows as motorists exit Route 82 onto Route 46 in both directions.

NUMBER 6

One man was killed and about a dozen people were injured in an explosion Nov. 22 at Phoenix House, a senior-living high-rise at 850 N. Meridian Road in Austintown.

Investigators said natural gas was likely the cause of the blast that killed Steven Smith and displaced more than 100 residents just days before Thanksgiving. At a news conference Nov. 24, Austintown fire Chief David Schertzer said investigators had not yet determined the source of the gas or what may have ignited it.

The blast, which occurred about 12:45 p.m. Nov. 22, tore away portions of the building’s outer walls and emergency responders could be seen working their way through that area later in the evening, apparently in search of potentially injured or trapped residents. Much of the damage appeared to be on the middle floors of the complex.

That night, Austintown trustees met in emergency session and committed up to $10,000 to support emergency housing for affected residents. By 11 p.m., all of the affected residents of the building were placed in beds in local facilities. Township officials credited the Western Reserve Transit Authority and the Austintown Local Schools transportation department for ensuring those in need were efficiently transported to a safe location.

The residents all have been placed in other housing or are staying with family members until the apartment complex is deemed safe for habitation, which officials said could take up to a year.

NUMBER 5

A 4-year-old child injured in a house explosion in Liberty on June 7 died of his injuries Aug. 26. His father, Justin Braun, 34, died at the scene of the explosion that occurred around 9:30 p.m. at a home at the corner of East Montrose Street and Northlawn Drive. A third victim survived, but was critically injured.

Liberty fire Chief Doug Theobald said after the explosion that a shift lieutenant was conducting a public service call at Walmart when he heard the explosion and immediately contacted people at the fire station to report a structure fire. He said the lieutenant, who was first on the scene, determined it was an explosion, and there were injuries.

Theobald said an initial rescue attempt was called off by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because of live ammunition and fireworks.

Residents in other parts of Liberty, as well as Girard, Hubbard and Youngstown, said they heard the explosion and felt their homes shaking, reports state. Theobald said fire officials in other communities reported hearing two loud booms and homes shaking.

An initial investigation revealed that illegal fireworks were being made inside the house or garage, which led to the blast.

The home was demolished in October, according to Liberty trustee Arnie Clebone.

NUMBER 4

Six people were killed June 29 in a plane crash in Howland shortly after takeoff from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

A three-page National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report into the crash stated that witnesses on the ground heard a “noticeable pitch change in the engine sound.”

The report states that witnesses were 1 to 2 miles northwest of the crash location and reported hearing a change in the engine sound and said the plane “never appeared above the tree line and that the engine was roaring.” The report states the plane reached an altitude of “only about 100 feet.”

Moments later, “they heard the sound of trees breaking, followed by a loud explosion, and observed smoke rising from the area where the airplane had gone down,” the report states.

Among the parts of the plane retained for further examination were both engines on the 1984 twin-engine Cessna 441 Conquest and both propellers, which were examined at each manufacturer’s facility with oversight from the NTSB.

The plane departed for a flight to Bozeman, Montana, at 6:52 a.m. with Joe Maxin, 63, of Canfield, as pilot and Timothy Blake, 50, of Hubbard, as co-pilot. The four passengers were Veronica Weller, 68; James (Jim) Weller, 67; John Weller, 36; and Maria Weller, 34, all of Hubbard.

James Weller was president and CEO of Liberty Steel Industries Inc. Veronica was his wife and John was their son. Maria was John’s wife and the couple’s daughter-in-law.

The plane “impacted trees in a heavily wooded area which separated a major portion of the left wing,” the report states. A large amount of the plane came to rest upside down. And the cockpit, cabin, right wing and separated section of the left wing were “heavily damaged by the postcrash fire,” the report states.

Maxin was lead flight instructor at the Youngstown Flight School, which was created in early 2024 at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna. He also was a former member of the board of directors of the Western Reserve Port Authority and was serving the port authority as director of compliance, reviewing contracts and assisting with grants and other things.

No final report on the crash has been released.

In early December, the estate belonging to Maria Weller filed a civil complaint against the plane’s pilot and the company where he worked.

According to the document filed in the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, Julianna Margala, the estate administrator and sister of Maria Weller, filed the complaint against Meander Air LLC and Nicholas Maxin, administrator for the estate of Joseph Maxin, the plane’s pilot.

The lawsuit is pending in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

NUMBER 3

A bipartisan effort to oust Mahoning County Clerk of Courts Michael P. Ciccone from office through legal action accuses him of repeatedly abusing the authority of his office, using “discriminatory and degrading language,” and failing to “perform core statutory duties.”

The drive to gather the needed signatures on petitions to remove Ciccone, a Republican in his first year of elected office, will begin in January, county Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson and Tom McCabe, chairman of the county Republican Party’s executive committee, said at a Dec. 19 news conference in the office of attorney David Betras.

Betras, chairman of the county board of elections and a former county Democratic chairman, and Tallie Orengia, an attorney in his law office, wrote the complaint that will be filed once the required 13,029 valid signatures are collected and certified by the board of elections.

Ciccone, who hasn’t responded to repeated requests for comment by The Vindicator, wrote in an Oct. 19 statement that he wouldn’t resign and remained “committed to leading the clerk’s office with professionalism, transparency and integrity.”

Issues with Ciccone came to the forefront after he fired Jennifer J. Ciccone on Oct. 17 as his chief deputy and chief of staff after a falling out between the two controversial figures.

After her firing, Jennifer J. Ciccone posted on Facebook several incriminating text messages between her and her ex-boss in which he used a racial epithet a number of times, slurs about elected officials and numerous other embarrassing messages and photos.

In addition to inappropriate language, the complaint contends Ciccone “has repeatedly abused the authority of his office, failed to perform core statutory duties and administered the clerk’s office in a manner that undermined fiscal integrity, employee safety and public confidence in the judicial system.”

The complaint contends Ciccone’s conduct included “coercive supervision and loyalty-based personnel decisions (that) exposed Mahoning County to substantial liability, including, but not limited to claims for hostile work environment, discrimination, retaliation, negligent supervision, and violations of state and federal employment laws.”

The complaint lists counts of malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, neglect of duty and negligence in office.

The complaint accuses Ciccone of mismanaging the title office, overhiring and overpaying personnel, engaging in favoritism, improperly waiving filing fees, failing to properly supervise employees and “failing to perform essential statutory duties.”

NUMBER 2

U.S. District Court Judge Benita Y. Pearson has banned the plaintiffs and defendants in three federal Ursuline High School lawsuits from making any further commentary on blogs or elsewhere pending the completion of the lawsuits, which allege Ursuline officials failed to protect students.

Citing the “substantial probability” that further commentary outside of court on the lawsuits filed by the Chandra Law Firm against Ursuline High School and other defendants in recent months could prejudice the defendant’s rights to a fair trial, Pearson ordered Dec. 18 that the plaintiffs in the lawsuits and their counsel are “prohibited for the duration of these cases, from directly or indirectly making public statements, appearances or publications of any kind in any medium regarding these lawsuits or disparaging the character or credibility of any defendants therein.”

The order also prohibits the defendants and their counsel from doing anything of that nature. Both the plaintiff and defense attorneys were also ordered to “remove all blogs or other posts relating to (the lawsuits) from their firm’s website

The Chandra Law Firm filed three federal lawsuits naming Ursuline High School and others associated with the school as defendants since September and one lawsuit in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

The first lawsuit alleged hazing of an Ursuline football player by other Ursuline football players, while the second lawsuit alleged sexual harassment of a female Ursuline student by an Ursuline football player. The third lawsuit alleged misconduct against an openly gay Ursuline freshman boy. The fourth lawsuit alleged that warnings to school officials about a planned physical attack on a female Ursuline student during the lunch period were not enough to prevent the attack.

The initial lawsuit alleging hazing led to the cancellation of Ursuline’s football season and the unpaid suspension of head football coach Dan Reardon. All of the lawsuits are still pending, but it has been reported a settlement is in the works for the first one.

NUMBER 1

Derrick McDowell, an independent candidate who ran on a platform of change and accountability, won the Youngstown mayoral race over two-term incumbent Democrat Jamael Tito Brown on Nov. 4.

McDowell, running for elected office for the first time, beat Brown 55.2% to 44.8%. He is the owner of the Youngstown Flea.

McDowell is the first independent to be elected mayor since Jay Williams in 2005.

McDowell ran on a campaign of reclaiming the city’s identity, empowering residents and “investing in restoring all 33 of our neighborhoods to ensure that our community’s curb appeal is our most tangible form of visible evidence pointing to real change.”

Brown won the Democratic primary in May to get on the Nov. 4 ballot, beating 3rd Ward Councilwoman Samantha Turner by 64 votes.

On Friday, McDowell made his final three department head selections: retaining the parks and recreation director, promoting a city employee to run buildings and grounds, and naming a new downtown events and special projects director.

McDowell retained Clemate Franklin as the parks and recreation director. He selected Mike Drummond as the new buildings and grounds commissioner to replace Kevin Flinn, who held the job since February 2018.

Drummond has spent the past 11 years working as the city’s traffic engineer and signal superintendent. In that job, he supervises the operations of traffic maintenance, signals and signage.

McDowell named David Labra as the next downtown events and special projects director. Labra is a founding member of the Labra Brothers band and has spent the last 10 years working in the music business.

Labra will replace Melanie Clarke-Penella, hired by Brown in May 2022. Before that appointment, the job was vacant since January 2020.

McDowell on Nov. 25 named Jonathan Huff, civil service administrator, as chief of staff; retained Kyle Miasek as finance director; and promoted Adam Buente to law director from deputy law director.

The mayor-elect on Dec. 12 promoted Detective Sgt. Sharon Cole to police chief and Capt. Courtney Kelly to fire chief.

McDowell announced Dec. 22 that DeMaine Kitchen would be his community planning and economic development department director and that he was retaining Harry L. Johnson III as water commissioner, Michael Durkin as code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent and Charles Shasho as deputy director of public works. Shasho’s appointment is on an interim basis.

McDowell will be sworn in at 1 p.m. Thursday during a ceremony at East High School’s main auditorium, 474 Bennington Ave.