21 WFMJ archives / May  20,  1985 | Nine people died in the explosion of an illegal fireworks plant on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township 40 years ago. The blast obliterated the building in which they were working and heavily damaged a nearby barn. 

May 20 

2000: Gov. Bob Taft signs a bill prohibiting "partial birth" abortions that are performed after six months of gestation. Doctors performing the procedure would face up to eight years in prison and fines of $15,000.  A similar ban was declared unconstitutional in 1995.

Kathleen Yeloushan, principal of Struthers Middle School, announces that the school is one of six in the state selected for the 2000 Hall of Fame by the Ohio Association of School Administrators.

Lamancusa's Market in ‏Girard, where longtime owner Carmello Lamancusa was gunned down in February, is being put up for sale by the family. 

1985: A powerful explosion at what appears to be an illegal fireworks factory in a barn on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township kills at least nine people. A coroner's spokesman says all were young, and body parts were found 200 feet away from the blast. 

A 17-year-old East Side youth is being held, and another is sought in an arson fire that did $5,000 in damage to North Junior High School. 

Youngstown Bishop James W. Malone, president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, reports on a 10-day trip to Poland. He said he was impressed with the ability of Polish clergy to interweave political messages regarding the Solidarity union movement with a spiritual message. 

1975: A former Trumbull County man, Air Force Sgt. Elwood Rumbaugh is identified as one of three men killed in action during the Mayaguez rescue operation in Cambodia. 

Lillian Paton, Grace Rudibaugh, and Ann Duck are honored by the Ida McKinley Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star for 50 years of membership. 

Atty. Kenneth Raupple, assistant city law director for consumer affairs, resigns from his post, claiming that consumer protection has become "a political issue."

1950: Slot machines are clicking away in Ellsworth despite citizens' protests to the Mahoning County sheriff's and prosecutor's offices. 

Burglars break into the First Presbyterian Church of Youngstown and escape with $15 in cash and some stamps.

A thunderous explosion rips through a string of ammunition-laden barges in South Amboy, New Jersey, killing at least 29 people and damaging 3,000 of the waterfront city's 4,000 homes.