NOTEBOOK: U.S. Senator J.D. Vance asks for options to mitigate wildfire impact on Ohio
U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland raising questions about the Canadian wildfires, current forest management and firefighting practices, and resource sharing with Canadian counterparts.
Vance’s letter reads, in part:
“As of Thursday June 29th, there were 502 total fires in Canada, with 253 determined to be out of control by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. This is only the beginning of fire season in Canada, which historically peaks in July and August. I am concerned that the smoke from Canada will become a regular environmental event this summer in Ohio, across the Midwest, and the United States. As the primary government entities tasked with fighting wildfires in the United States, it would be valuable to get your perspective on the below set of questions. It is critical that we start thinking about these questions and others to prevent, to the extent possible, additional air quality issues in Ohio.”
Read Senator Vance’s full letter, including the questions he poses to Secretary Haaland, here.
Youngstown announces bridge closure for July 4 celebration
Youngstown announced that the Market Street Bridge will be closed starting 7 a.m. July 4 for the city’s fireworks display.
Drivers are asked to use the South Avenue bridge as an alternative for incoming and outbound traffic.
The city said the Market Street Bridge will be reopened at approximately midnight July 5 after cleanup has finished.
Little League Ohio District 2 Baseball/SoftbaIl Tournament results from Friday
Results from Friday’s Little League Ohio District 2 Baseball/SoftbaIl Tournament being held at the Fields of Dreams in Boardman.
In the Minor Softball (8-10) Division
Boardman 15, South Range 0
Boardman ;lays Canfield July 1, 10 a.m. on Field S1
South Range plays Struthers, July 2, 10 a.m. Field S1
In the Major Softball (10-12) Division:
Boardman 3, Austintown 1
Boardman plays July 5, 8 p.m. on Field S2
Austintown plays Howland July 1, 10 a.m. Field S2
In the 50/70 Baseball (11-13) Division:
Struthers 16, Austintown 13
Struthers plays July 2, 10 a.m. on Field PONY2
Springfield 15, South Range 1 - South Range is eliminated from the tournament
Springfield plays Austintown July 1, 10 a.m. on Field PONY2
Full bracket details are available at: https://tinyurl.com/District2LLTournament-2023
The Howland Farmers Market to be held July 1
The Howland Farmers Market takes place outdoors at Richard E. Orwig Park from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. July 1.
The participating vendors will have fresh, locally grown vegetables, microgreens, seasonal fruits, farm fresh eggs, delicious 4th of July themed sweets, homemade crafts, local honey, health and beauty items, and more.
The Howland Farmers Market’s Summer Season is every Saturday outside at Richard E. Orwig Park, located at 8189 E. Market St., across the street from Giant Eagle.
Fused glass bowl workshop at JCC of Youngstown
The Paul and Yetta Gluck School of Visual Arts at the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown is offering a fused glass bowl workshop for ages 18 and older from 6 to 8 pm. July 18.
Participants will design a bowl using the fused glass process to create a new addition to their home decor.
The cost is $30 for JCC members and $40 for nonmembers. Registration is required by July 14. Visit jccyoungstown.org/visualarts to register.
Third annual Swing Fore JA Golf Classic to benefit financial literacy programs in Mahoning Valley
Registration is currently open for Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio’s Third annual Swing Fore JA Golf Classic, held at the Lake Club in Poland on Aug. 7.
The event limited to 32 foursomes/128 golfers. Foursome packages are available for $1,000 and include 18-holes of golf, unlimited drinks, lunch, southern-style BBQ dinner buffet, golfer “thank you” gifts, food trucks, contests on the course, and numerous prize giveaways. Registration begins at 10 am, with a shotgun start at 11am. Golfers will have use of all The Lake Club golf facilities including the putting greens, chipping greens, and driving range prior to the start of the event. Sponsorships are also available. The deadline to register for this event is July 28.
Registration is available by visiting Junior Achievement of Eastern Ohio’s website at easternohio.ja.org.
Senior Living by Youngstown Area Jewish Federation receives grant for hospice suites
Senior Living by Youngstown Area Jewish Federation received a $15,000 grant from the Trumbull Memorial Health Foundation, a supporting organization of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
The funds will be used to renovate rooms at Heritage Manor Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation to establish new hospice suites.
The hospice suites are part of the final phase of a large expansion project for Heritage Manor, part of Senior Living by Youngstown Area Jewish Federation’s continuum of care.Prior to the expansion, begun in 2021, the facility had 42 private rooms, 16 rooms that shared one bathroom for every two rooms and seven semi-private rooms. Phase 1 added 12 private rooms, each with their own restroom, and eliminated semi-private rooms.
Phase 2 added a therapy gym, rehabilitation solarium, Veteran’s Courtyard, mock apartment, and therapy office.
In Phase 3, all shared bathrooms were eliminated and 11 rooms were newly renovated. Every room of the 72 bed facility is now private with its own restroom.
Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board elects new officers
The Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board welcomed new officers at its June Board of Directors meeting with the election of four Board members to officer positions and three members to Member-at-Large positions.
The new officers include Eric Ungaro as Chair, Attorney Tom Vasvari as Vice Chair, Chelsey Zoldan-Calhoun as Secretary and Attorney Wm. Scott Fowler as Treasurer.
Ungaro, a longtime local educator, football coach and current Poland Trustee has served on the Board since 2014 and previously held the role as Treasurer. For Ungaro, the Board’s mission is close to his heart as he was inspired to join the Board after losing his brother to an overdose.
Vasvari is a Senior Partner at Kisling, Nestico & Redick and has previously served as Board Secretary and Treasurer prior to his role as Vice Chair. Zoldan-Calhoun is Clinical Counselor and Supervisor at Insight Clinical Counseling and Wellness as well as an Adjunct Professor at Yorkville University who has served on the Board for two years as a member of the Programs and Policies Committee. Rounding out the new officer appointments is Fowler, an attorney with Comstock, Springer & Wilson Co, LPA who joined the Board at its inception and previously served Vice Chair, Chair and as Chair of the Ways and Means Committee.
In addition to the new officers, the Board also appointed Pat Sciaretta, Ruth Mastriana and Anne Cobbin (Immediate Past President) to Member-at-Large.
The Board is composed of 18 community members and is led by its Chair Ungaro and Executive Director Duane Piccirilli. For Boards operating as 18-member boards, the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall appoint eight members of the Board and the Board of County Commissioners shall appoint 10 members.
Ohio’s congressional redistricting case moves back to state supreme court
In an expected move, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday sent back an Ohio congressional redistricting appeal for reconsideration by the state’s highest court.
Following its decision in Moore v. Harper, in which a majority of the court rejected the concept of the independent state legislature theory, the court entered a short order regarding the Ohio case, directing the state supreme court to reconsider the case “in light of Moore v. Harper.”
The Moore v. Harper decision essentially rejected all of the arguments attorneys for Huffman and GOP leadership made for legislative authority over district maps.
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This story was originally published July 1, 2023 at 2:00 AM.