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Youngstown council asked to permit spending $1.5M in speed camera citation funds

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YOUNGSTOWN – With Youngstown long struggling to spend money collected from those caught by unmanned cameras speeding in school zones, city council is being asked to set aside $1.5 million of it for safety improvements near various schools. It is, by far, the largest financial request ever made of the fund, which collected $2,676,735 for the city as of August. However, a specific plan still needs to be created for the $1.5 million request. Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works, said, “We don’t have a scope of work yet. But it will be sidewalks, ...

US unemployment claims dip to 197,000, lowest since mid-July

Business News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for U.S. unemployment benefits dipped last week to the lowest level since mid-July as layoffs remain low and most American workers enjoy job security. The Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims ticked down to 197,000 from a revised 198,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, dropped by 2,500 to 200,000. Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. So far this year, ...

A new Trump proposal would require tax filers to disclose citizenship status

Business News

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration would require U.S. taxpayers to disclose their citizenship and work authorization status to the IRS as part of a proposed change to the annual tax form that nearly all workers file each year. Administration officials argue the new requirement will help the federal government stop immigrants lacking permanent legal status from collecting federal benefits they are not eligible for, potentially saving taxpayers up to $2 billion. But taxpayer and privacy advocates say the data could be used to help find and deport those people. Most Americans ...

Not your everyday coffee in this Serbian cafe. Enjoy it in the company of alpacas

International News

STAJICEVO, Serbia (AP) — A cafe in northern Serbia has unusual hosts: six alpacas. The South American animals, of various sizes and colors, roam among the tables at the Tiganjica Ethno-Village resort near Stajicevo, north of Belgrade, happy to interact with the guests. The Alpaca Cafe here opened only a week ago and is a rare sight in Europe. Tiganjica resort owner Zoran Ostojin said he got the idea in Slovakia. “My wife and I were in an Alpaca cafe in Slovakia and we were fascinated,” Ostojin told The Associated Press. “We wanted people in our country to get to know ...

Summit seeks answers to Valley's housing shortage

Latest News

NILES — The Mahoning Valley Housing Summit was hosted Wednesday at the Eastwood Event Centre by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to bring together professionals, developers and community leaders in the housing industry. The main focus of the summit was to brainstorm possible solutions ...

Gentle giant Backpack declared winner of Alaska’s Fat Bear Week

National News

After a week of fierce competition, Backpack emerged victorious as Fat Bear Week champion, the heftiest bear of Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. The nonprofit running the longstanding contest announced that the bear, known for his pacifist nature, was the winner Tuesday with more than 100,000 votes, giving him a close win over Bear 910 with just over 50% of the poll. The contest, which is in its 12th year, celebrates the resilience of the 2,200 brown bears that live in the preserve on the Alaska Peninsula, which extends from the state’s southwest corner toward the ...