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Head of scheme that stole millions to be sentenced

SALEM — Shreyas Baldevbhai Chaudhary, 25, who is from the Republic of India, will be sentenced at 10 a.m. Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland for his role in a three-person scheme that stole millions of dollars from older adults across the United States, including a 77-year-old Salem man. Prosecutors are recommending that he get about eight to 10 years in prison. They say he was the person who directed the scheme. One of his co-conspirators, Trusha Chaudhary, who is not related to Shreyas Baldevbhai Chaudhary, will be sentenced for her role in the scheme at 3 p.m. today. ...

Opioid funds to support veterans court docket

YOUNGSTOWN — A special court docket for military veterans will continue with the aid of opioid settlement funds. Mahoning County commissioners last week allocated $100,000 in opioid settlement dollars to the Veterans Felony Honor Court program operated by Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony D’Apolito. D’Apolito took over the docket from its founder, Judge Shirley Christian, shortly after it began in 2016. In the 10 years it has operated, D’Apolito said, the program has graduated more than 50 defendants with military backgrounds and helped ...

Choffin pauses dental program due to low enrollment

YOUNGSTOWN — Even though one program under Choffin Career & Technical Center’s adult-education umbrella has been temporarily sidelined, the vocational and technical school is continuing to grow, an official contended. “The dental program at Choffin has been paused until 2027-28,” Sherry Cross, the adult-education director, said during the regular Youngstown Board of Education meeting Tuesday at Youngstown Rayen Early College High School. “We just did not have the people coming to this program this particular year.” It’s important for that program to attract at least ...

Austintown announces free meals for all students

AUSTINTOWN — The Austintown Local School District will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students under the federal Community Eligibility Provision for the 2026-27 school year. This policy eliminates the collection of meal applications for free, reduced price and paid student meals; reduces burdens for both families and school administrators; and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals, according to a news release from the district. Families with children eligible for school meals may also be eligible for free health care coverage through Medicaid and/or Ohio’s ...

Rulli violates federal law on stock trading

U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli failed to timely disclose 22 stock trades, including those dating back to late 2024, in violation of a federal law designed to prevent insider trading by members of Congress. Rulli, R-Salem, violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act though it ...

Woman pleads not guilty in Liberty booster scam

LIBERTY — A Youngstown woman is set to appear back in court next month after being accused of using her position to steal from two of the school’s extracurricular booster programs. Christina Merrick, 48, pleaded not guilty to a charge of misuse of a credit card in front of Girard ...