SALEM, Ohio (WKBN) - Ohio is home to many animals, including some you think actually live in other areas. This week, there was a small bear sighting in Salem. It was in the Highland, North Union area. ODNR says Ohio is home to a small population of black bears, which are an endangered species in the state. If you run across one, make your presence known to the bear, yell or clap your hands, which will usually scare it off. "Just like any wild animal, give them their space, and they're not going to bother you. I always say bears are like big raccoons. They will get into garbage. They will get i ..read more

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) - Postal workers in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys and all across the country will be doing their part to help provide food for those in need this weekend. 2024 Tornado count climbing fast: Where we stand in Ohio and Pennsylvania Letter carriers will hold their 32nd annual "Stamp Out Hunger" drive on their delivery routes Saturday. Workers will be asking customers to leave bags or boxes with non-perishable food items next to their mailboxes. The collected food will then be distributed to local food pantries and soup kitchens like the Gleaners Food Bank in Youngstown ..read more

RAVENNA, Ohio (AP) – An Ohio school superintendent convicted of sexual battery involving students is taking her conviction to the Ohio Supreme Court. Laura Amero, originally from Austintown, pleaded guilty in November 2019 to sexual battery and sexual imposition in connection to sex acts involving students who were teenagers. Amero was sentenced to 10 years in prison in February 2020 but appealed her conviction and sentencing in the 11th District Court of Appeals. She was pregnant at the time, and her sentence was stayed pending her appeal, which was denied on March 18, 2024. Amero was booked ..read more

EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio (WKBN) — An East Liverpool man was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to multiple drug charges after a 2023 raid. Khalide Moore, 25, was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison following guilty pleas in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court. He was found guilty of trafficking in cocaine with a specification for forfeiture of money in a drug money case; trafficking in fentanyl-related compound with a specification for forfeiture of money in a drug money case; and receiving stolen property. The charges date back to a July 2023 search warrant execution at a house on the 30 ..read more

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) - A well-known community group made a donation Friday. Youngstown United as One is a group whose mission is to bring unity to the community. Leaders presented a $1,000 check to the Youngstown Little Bears, a youth football team. The donation was a joint effort with Youngstown United as One coming up with $500 and Gus, the owner of the mini-mart on Wilson Ave. in Campbell, donating the other $500. The money will be put toward bus repairs, travel fees and uniforms for the football and cheerleading team. "The kids are the future. To keep kids off the streets and let them k ..read more

SEBRING, Ohio (WKBN) -- A man previously found guilty of negligent homicide in 2022 is set to return to the courtroom next month on assault charges. Jacob Fullerton was jailed on a murder charge in July 2022 and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of negligent homicide that August. Fullerton was accused of assaulting a woman who was eight weeks pregnant. Investigators at the time said the woman began experiencing complications from the assault and a fetal heartbeat was no longer present, leading to the initial charge of murder. Fullerton's most recent case stems from a February 2024 incident in ..read more

CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) - South Range High School gives students with special needs a day to enjoy. The high school is hosting its second annual Special Needs Field Day at the high school football stadium. Students from the Fairhaven and Leonard Kirtz schools took part in many activities. Obstacle courses, bounce houses and face-painting were some of the activities they got to do. "We just make sure they have a good time, really, like set up all these games. We get NHS students, student council, all these groups involved," said Ava Ward, junior class officer. "It's really important to us to make ..read more

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKBN) - May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the designation is centered around addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. Belmont Pines Hospital in Liberty Township is a part of this conversation centered around mental health. Mike Tornow, the hospital's director of clinical services, about two million kids attempt suicide in the United States, and about two-thirds of children report some type of traumatic event in their life before the age of 16. Tornow added that any time kids stop communicating with others or ..read more

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the location of the assault. WKBN regrets the error. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) -- A former Poland Seminary High School student charged with rape on school grounds pleaded guilty this week in Mahoning County Juvenile Court to several charges. The 18-year-old male entered a guilty plea of admission, the juvenile equivalent of guilty, to a count of rape, a first-degree felony, as well as other charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor, a second-degree felony; pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, a second-degree felony ..read more

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) -- A man convicted last month of beating his girlfriend has appealed both his convictions and sentence this week. Sammy Anderson, 29, appealed his convictions on two counts of felonious assault, a second-degree felony and being a felon in possession of a firearm, a third-degree felony, to the 7th District Court of Appeals. Anderson appealed his sentence of 15 to 19 and a half years, which he received April 19 from Judge Anthony Donofrio. The sentence came after jurors convicted him following a trial. Anderson was on trial for two separate incidents involving the same vi ..read more