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Commissioners offer sympathies on death of colleague Carol Rimedio-Righetti’s spouse

YOUNGSTOWN — One of the Mahoning Valley’s longest-serving leaders is in mourning today, and her colleagues have made it clear that she will not grieve alone. Frank Righetti, 88, the husband of Mahoning County Commissioner and former Youngstown City Councilwoman Carol Rimedio-Righetti, died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. Fellow Commissioners Geno DiFabio and Anthony Traficanti announced the news at Thursday’s regular meeting, and asked for a moment of silence. At the end of a short meeting, both commissioners offered condolences to their colleague and spoke kindly ...

Infant mortality summit gets grant

The Ohio Commission on Minority Health awarded a $15,000 grant to the Youngstown City Health District to support its Minority Health Infant Mortality Summit. The event is Sept. 18 at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in downtown. The conference will bring together healthcare professionals, community organizations, expectant parents, caregivers and families to address maternal and infant health, and the disparities that impact the community. The event will have sessions focusing on maternal health before and after pregnancy, safe sleep, domestic violence, the impact of tobacco and ...

Poland Village Council gets events updates

POLAND — Mary Tursky and Kurt Hildebrand, co-chairs of the America250 Committee, gave an update at this week’s Village Council meeting on the Poland Historical Society soiree set for Oct. 10. “We already sold 60 of the planned 300 tickets for the event,” Hildebrand said. “Of course, we can size that number up or down as needed.” Tursky said Edison Lighting will handle lighting of the grounds, a string quartet will play and set the atmosphere and the band Guys Without Ties will perform as guests “dance under the stars.” “Inside Village Hall, we will have a mini ...

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 ...