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Wednesday February 22 2012

By NewsTalk 570 WKBN

It's Ash Wednesday. And it seems Catholic churches and churches of other denominations are scheduling more services for the first day of the Lenten season. Youngstown Diocese Director of Worship Fran Amer says this is a time for repentance and prayer.

It's not like the 20-cent increases being seen around the "rest" of Ohio, but gasoline prices are up here. About 12-cents a gallon in the last month; most of that in the last week. The AAA average price for Youngstown-Warren this morning was $3.46 a gallon. Stations that were selling for $3.29 are $3.39. On Route-224, the price is generally $3.49.

After two years, the Beaver Local School District is out of fiscal emergency. The state auditor lifted that designation for the Columbiana County district yesterday. Under the guidance of a state commission, the district was able to get out of the red and prepare a five-year financial forecast without a deficit. Concessions by teachers and other employees helped balance the books.

Democratic candidate for Mahoning County Commissioner Richard "Oz" Ouzonian is asking the Secretary of State to remove David Betras from the county elections board. This after Ouzonian showed reporters a series of insulting text messages sent to him by the party chairman: Betras calls him "fat" and "pathetic". Betras has apologized for sending those messages.

A Girard man and his son are OK after a garage fire last night. Neighbors saw the flames in an attached garage just before midnight. That was on Beechwood Avenue; no cause for the fire.

Good Samaritans need to be careful too: That from the state patrol, after a Salem woman was injured while assisting an accident victim on the freeway. They say if you feel you must use your car to block an occupied car on the roadway, have your flashers and lights on.

The state of Ohio likes pit bulls again. The governor has signed a bill that removes the reference to the breed in a vicious dog law.

The Ohio Division of Liquor Control has refused to transfer a license to new owners of a problematic Warren bar. They will not grant a license to Clancy's Pub on Youngstown Road; it has been closed for several months. The city pointed to gunshots and loud music outside the bar. The police were called there 19 times in a 5-month period.

Another animal cruelty investigation in the city: A dog was found dead on the Eastside in the area of the Kendis Circle apartments; the dog had been shot in the chest. Call Animal Charity if you have any info.

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