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Death penalty for child rapists sought

WARREN — A July 2026 Pew Research poll found that 68% of U.S. adults consider the death penalty justified for those who commit murder, but Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins says it appears many Valley residents think Warren killer Danny Lee Hill and Warren rapist Felicia Beemer deserve the most severe punishment possible, including the death penalty. Hill and Beemer have been in the news recently, Hill because of an appeals court ruling denying him another chance to argue intellectual disability to erase his death sentence for killing 12-year-old Raymond Fife in 1985, and ...

Park upgrades unveiled

YOUNGSTOWN — The city is a little bit more beautiful, and public officials gathered on Wednesday to celebrate the efforts that made it that way. Dignitaries from across the Mahoning Valley met at Spring Commons Park, in front of the B&O Station, to cut the ribbon on a new outdoor ...

PUCO agrees to revisit SOBE issue

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio directed an administrative law judge to schedule a hearing on revisiting its vote to approve huge emergency rate increases for SOBE Thermal Systems LLC customers. The commission voted 5-0 Wednesday to grant requests for a rehearing on its June 24 approval of emergency rate hikes to SOBE customers by the city of Youngstown and the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel. With SOBE in serious financial peril, the PUCO approved steam heat rate increase for all 23 of the utility company’s customers, which make up a majority of the downtown ...

Operation targets violent crime in Northern Ohio

Staff report The Youngstown Police Department was among dozens of law enforcement agencies involved in a northern Ohio violent crime crackdown known as Operation Northern Shield, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. Hundreds of individuals were ...

Ohio Supreme Court dismisses Engler’s abortion ban lawsuit

The Ohio Supreme Court dismissed Trumbull County Domestic Relations/Juvenile Division Judge David L. Engler’s lawsuit seeking to stop abortions in the state. The court ruled 7-0 Wednesday in favor of the state, which filed to dismiss the case. The court dismissed the case without explanation. Engler, a pro-life Republican, said Wednesday: “I’m disappointed, but it’s not the end. A 15-year-old needs permission to get a tattoo, but not an abortion. There’s a constitutional right to be a parent and it needs to be enforced.” In a May 11 motion, Julie Pfeiffer, an assistant ...

Sheriff warns of more scams

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene this week issued a press release alerting the community of telephone scams, including ploys that drag his office into the fray. The release states: “In one recent instance, a Canfield resident reported having received a call “spoofing” the main number of the Sheriff’s Office. The victim said the suspect claimed to be a Sheriff’s employee who had a federal District Court warrant for their arrest.” The victim reported that they received a text message showing a realistic likeness of a court document, while the caller ...