Austintown Trustee Jim Davis said the shuttered Wedgewood Lanes is an eyesore to the residents living nearby as well as the other businesses in the Wedgewood Plaza on Raccoon Road. Davis said there are endless possibilities for the property after it is demolished, but the process to take it down is a long one. The owner is $38,000 in arrears on its property taxes, according to Mahoning County Auditor records.
Staff photo / Allie Vugrincic
AUSTINTOWN Gone are the days when Wedgewood Lanes, 1741 S. Raccoon Road, was packed with cars and people spending the night bowling.
Now all that stands is a building falling apart while other businesses in Wedgewood Plaza are thriving.
SEAN BARRON
YOUNGSTOWN New Youngstown police Chief Carl Davis said that rebuilding greater trust and better relations between police and those in minority communities begins with what can be a painful admission.
“We should acknowledge the history of racism in this country regarding how minorities have faced injustices from police,” said Davis, whom Mayor Jamael Tito Brown hired earlier this month as the city’s top law enforcement officer.
Davis was among several Mahoning Valley police chiefs who shared their views on policing during Tuesday’s Next Steps Coalition’s fourth town hall meeting.
About 30 law enforcement personnel, community activists, religious leaders and others attended the one-hour virtual session. Jaladah Aslam, the Youngstown / Warren Black Caucus president, served as moderator.
AUSTINTOWN Anna Mangan and Phil Fusco are the latest additions to the Austintown Police Department.
“We have two real good candidates here, and I think they’re going to turn out to be good officers for the Austintown Police Department,” police Chief Robert Gavalier said Monday after they were sworn in.
Both Mangan and Fusco said their desire to be an officer stems from when they were younger.
“My sophomore year in high school is when I realized I wanted to be a police officer. My cousin is a police officer, and I did a ride-along with him. I fell in love with it right then and there,” Fusco said.