21 WFMJ

12/02/2025

On Monday evening, Austintown Township trustees spent a portion of their meeting commending the community for their support for those affected by the Phoenix House apartment explosion.

Trustee Robert Santos mentioned that on the same day of the incident, every resident of the building had received a health evaluation and was given a place to sleep.

12/02/2025

After the announcement of closing its McKinley Avenue Garden Café location, the Kravitz Deli team purchased its new location at 127 Penn Avenue in Salem.

After the announcement of closing down their McKinley Avenue Garden Cafe location, the Kravitz Deli team purchased its new location at 127 Penn Avenue in Salem.

12/02/2025

Investigation into the cause of the fire will begin Tuesday morning, according to the Youngstown Fire Department.

12/02/2025

The Holiday Parade is set to begin at 6 p.m. Friday in Youngstown's Central Square and is at full capacity for 2025.

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12/01/2025

The Powerball jackpot is $740 MILLION! You can watch the drawing tonight after the game on 21 News.

12/01/2025

The bill states that "to preserve the integrity of national citizenship, allegiance to the United States must be undivided."

Current law allows certain United States citizens to maintain foreign citizenship, which could create conflicts of interest. Senator Moreno’s Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 would require them to fo

12/01/2025

Snow is in the forecast! Stay with 21 News for the latest on school closings and delays. ❄️

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

By: Jeena Cadigan

Investigators in Mercer County say 21 new car owners fell victim to a scam when trying to file paperwork with the state.

Ronald Scofield was a notary taking money from the new car owners but never submitting title and registration paperwork to PennDOT. Investigators say he took $5,528.50 over the course of three years.

Without paperwork being submitted, if someone is pulled over the car would come up in the previous owner's name causing problems for the driver.

“If an officer thinks that it looks suspicious…they could issue fines or possibly even try to impound the vehicle or make you walk home” Christina Gill Roseman, an attorney with Roseman Law said.

Attorney Gill Roseman said she usually sees title delays on the dealer side, not from notaries. In Ohio dealers have 40 days to file paperwork and in Pennsylvania 20 days, according to Gill Roseman. If drivers don’t see their new registration soon after that it could be a red flag.

“If there's a problem with the odometer or if the vehicle hasn't been paid off yet by the prior owner when it should've been or if there’s a title brand,” Attorney Gill Roseman said.

But even without the paperwork attorney Mark Malone says drivers wouldn't have issues in situations like an accident.

“If these new purchasers even if they’re not the registered owner if they have valid insurance on it they should still be covered,” Malone with Morgan & Morgan Law said.

And with the right paper trail the previous owner who’s still listed on the title could also be in the clear.

“If they can prove like hey theirs a bill of sale here and I sold the vehicle and I received the money I don't control this vehicle anymore there shouldn’t be any long term liability,” Malone said.

To avoid being scammed attorneys recommend registering the car with PennDOT or ODOT directly or a free notary.

According to Pennsylvania State Troopers, Scofield is charged with theft by failure to make disposition of funds, a third-degree felony, along with several other zoning violations found during PSP's investigation.

12/01/2025

East Liverpool man sentenced to 18 months, 5 years probation
By: Tristan Hostetter

An East Liverpool man has been sentenced to 18 months in jail with 5 years of probation after pleading to an amended gross s*xual imposition charge following alleged crimes occurring in October of 2023.

Brett Thompson is also required to register as a tier 1 s*x offender.

Thompson was secretly indicted by a grand jury in January of 2025.

Court records show Thompson was originally scheduled to go on trial on Nov. 17, but that trial was canceled before being rescheduled for Dec. 1.

RELATED COVERAGE:

20-year-old Brett Thompson, who is charged with four counts of r**e, is set for a plea hearing on December 1.

12/01/2025

Man charged with several arsons in Youngstown, including local business owner's truck

By: Zach Mosca

A man who had previously been convicted of arson in Cleveland is now accused of a large string of arsons in Youngstown.

Youngstown Fire Investigator Charles Hodge tells 21 News that 59-year-old Will Jones is facing 18 charges, including 14 counts of aggravated arson and four counts of arson, with three of those being felonies and one being a misdemeanor. Aggravated arson is always a felony.

According to Youngstown Municipal Court records, Jones is set to be arraigned on Wednesday, December 3 at 1:30 p.m.

Hodge tells 21 News Jones had been setting several fires throughout the city, including houses on Oak Hill Avenue, East Woodland Avenue and Willis Avenue, as well as multiple vehicles in downtown Youngstown.

One of those vehicles belonged to George Case, who owns the record store, Geo's Music in downtown Youngstown and is a member of the band, Geo C and Tha Storm.

Hodge says none of these fires appear to be targeted.

Case told 21 News he had $20,000 worth of equipment in his truck, including speakers and a soundboard, that have all been destroyed and need to be replaced. The interior of the vehicle is also severely damaged. Some of the vehicle damage is pictured below.

None of Case's musical instruments were in the truck at the time of the fire.

In addition to operating Geo's Music and his work in the band, Case tells 21 News he also DJs at events for individuals with special needs and also does charity and volunteer work for special needs individuals. This fire has hindered his ability to do that work.

"That truck and that band equipment was the way that I earned money," Case said.

A GoFundMe page has been made for those looking to donate to help Case replace the vehicle and equipment. You can donate by clicking the link below.

https://gofund.me/0d546ce61

12/01/2025