Your Morning Matters: Merrie memories of the Warner Bros.

Good morning and welcome to Your Morning Matters.

It's Thursday, May 14, 2020, and on this day in 1931, the "finest theatre ever built," the Warner Brothers Theater opened on Federal Street in downtown Youngstown.

The family of the Warner brothers — Harry, Albert, Samuel and Jack — settled in Youngstown in 1896. Sam launched the family's foray into motion pictures by taking a job as an Idora Park projectionist. Excited by the possibilities of film, the brothers bought a projector and began exhibiting movies like "The Great Train Robbery" on their own. By 1923, they had met early film success, launched the legendary Warner Brothers Pictures Inc. (later Warner Bros.) and, eventually, opened their own movie theaters.

According to the book "A History of Jewish Youngstown and the Steel Valley" by Thomas Welsh, Joshua Foster and Gordon F. Morgan Jr., "Reportedly modeled after the Warner Theater in Los Angeles, the Youngstown building boasted a capacity of four thousand with an estimated construction cost of more than $1 million."

And the grand opening, with the movie "The Millionaire," was a major event, the book tells us: "With thousands of people crowding the streets and hundreds of cars blocking traffic, men and women in formal attire streamed into the theater as studio executives greeted them, while a WKBN radio announcer described the festivities to the outside world."

After plans were announced to demolish the theater in 1968, the Edward W. Powers family made a $250,000 donation to preserve it. Today, the DeYor Performing Arts Center is home to the Edward W. Powers Auditorium and the Ford Family Recital Hall as well as the Overture Restaurant. A plaque memorializes the Warner Bros. significance to Youngtown.

Ah, for the good old days. ... Let's be careful out there.

Now, here's what you need to know about the Mahoning Valley today:

Opponents of the state takeover of Youngstown City Schools exhausted one avenue of dissent when the Ohio Supreme Court denied their appeal of House Bill 70 on Wednesday.

HB 70, known locally as the Youngstown Plan, created the school district CEO role in 2015 as well as an expanded relationship with the Academic Distress Commission. Opponents, however, remain undeterred.

PANDEMIC FACTS

• In the U.S.: 1,406,443 confirmed cases; 84,545 deaths, according to infection2020.com at 10 p.m. May 13.
• In Ohio: 24,245 confirmed cases; 1,347 deaths.
• In Pennsylvania: 58,698 confirmed cases; 3,943 deaths.
• In the Mahoning Valley: 1,163 confirmed cases in Mahoning County; 420 in Trumbull County; and 354 in Columbiana County.
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: Closed at 23,247.97, down 516.81 points, or 2.17 percent.

Other matters

One of three candidates appearing live tonight on the Canfield Local School District's website and social media channels could become the district's next superintendent. The district is hosting a virtual "Meet the Finalists Night" at 6 p.m. Mahoning Matters

The Ohio Department of Aging has announced a free, daily check-in by phone service for Ohio's older residents to ensure their well-being amid the ongoing coronavirus public health emergency and beyond. Mahoning Matters

Some families obeying stay-at-home orders have turned to the internet to look for a pet, thinking they would have plenty of time to help the pet adjust to its new surroundings. Many have come across scammers, according to the Better Business Bureau. Mahoning Matters

Some Pennsylvania representatives issued a statement to Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday, saying his "rhetoric is irresponsible." This came after Wolf threatened to withhold federal dollars from counties that defy his color-coding system for reopening the state. WKBN

Ohioans who did not qualify for traditional unemployment benefits can now apply for a new federal program. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said those workers may be eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance at pua.unemployment.ohio.gov. WFMJ

Dan Rowland, director of marketing for Windsor House, said the slow response from the federal and state government has forsaken nursing home residents and staff. The Business Journal

A gate is expected to be installed at the entrance to the Mahoning Valley 9/11 Memorial on South Raccoon Road within the next month because people are making a mess of the recycling bins there. The Vindicator [May encounter paywall.]

In case you missed it

Mahoning Matters took a tour of retail spots in Boardman and Niles. At Valley malls, Tuesday's retail revival was a mixed bag of masked shoppers and still-shuttered stores. But retailers said Day 1 still went better than expected.

Your comments matter

"What [the] heck is in the 1,800 pages? Ridiculous! You want to give $1,200 for everyone, it doesn't take 1,800 pages to say that!"

— Terrie Mantas Vodhanel, on the 1,800-page HEROES Act, which would provide $1,200 cash payments to individuals, with up to $6,000 per family.

Registered readers can comment on a selection of our stories, and all readers can comment on stories on our Facebook page. Opinions published here do not reflect the views of Mahoning Matters.

Event of the day

What's on tap for tonight? Modern Methods Brewing Co. is hosting a virtual game night at 7 p.m. For details and a Zoom link, click here.

To see what else is going on around the Mahoning Valley, check out Mahoning Matters' event calendar here, or click the Events tab on the top menu at mahoningmatters.com.

Story tips

Is there a story you think we should know about? Please tell us at news@mahoningmatters.com.

Let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful for you. Send your ideas and thoughts to mark@mahoningmatters.com. If you want to get this in your email inbox, sign up here.

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Your Morning Matters: Merrie memories of the Warner Bros.."