Good morning, Youngstown.

Good Trouble Trumbull held a peaceful rally in Warren Saturday morning — participants wore an inflatable frog costume to spotlight local healthcare challenges and encourage residents to update their voter registration by Oct.

5 ahead of early voting.

The Regional Chamber will host the Valley Housing Summit to address local affordable housing challenges later this fall in downtown Youngstown (community leaders and local officials will share their plans).

Youngstown skaters came together on Saturday at the Lincoln Park DIY skate park (corner of Oak Street and McCartney Road) for a pirate-themed “Shipwreck” event that turned recent vandalism into support for park revitalization.

The event included BMX riders, music, food, and competitions while locals cleaned up earlier.

Columbiana’s first Swine Fest featured a head-to-head BBQ cook-off among local chefs and included live music and raffles on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at The Vineyards at Pine Lake (with both professional and amateur competitors showcasing their skills).

Hundreds ran a memorial 5k race on Sunday morning to honor Nick Cayton, a state trooper who died in October 2025.

The event raised $15,000 for a Youngstown State University scholarship fund and brought together family, friends, and colleagues.

Over 400 people joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Northeast Ohio District’s annual Steps of Hope Walk at Perkins Park on Saturday to raise funds for community support; the event added a new family fun run with medals, a basket raffle, and free lunch from local partners.

Dave Long, a 74-year-old Poland native (retired Army major) who served during Vietnam and Desert Storm, remains active in community veteran affairs by writing a monthly column to help older adults avoid scams.

He also advises YSU’s ROTC program and participates in annual veteran reunions.

The Valley's newest 7 Brew Coffee Stand will open Monday, Oct.

12 at Mahoning and Howard Avenues after a $1.7 million investment cleared a strip plaza in late June & will operate daily from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., marking the chain's third location in the area.

Hundreds attended Saturday's Oktoberfest at the Diamond at 7 17 Credit Union Field at Eastwood in Niles, where the Trumbull County Historical Society hosted the family-friendly event (relocated from downtown Warren) celebrating Bavarian traditions with craft beers, German food and contests.

On Sunday, fire departments from McDonald, Girard, Kinsman, Austintown, Fowler, Burghill, Newton Falls and Weathersfield completed live-fire training at a Salt Springs Road building in McDonald using a wood-framed geodesic home offered by its owner to simulate challenges and practice teamwork (preparing for real emergencies).

In Warren, the Mahoning Valley People’s Action Alliance held a town hall Saturday to discuss the local healthcare crisis following the closure of Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital.

Medical professionals and residents stressed that local access remains limited (and more improvements are needed).

Local leaders and housing experts will meet at a summit hosted by the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber on Wednesday, Sept.

30, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Mahoning Valley to discuss solutions for low-to moderate-income and workforce housing — a measure aimed at addressing rising demand.