Youngstown in 1906
VALLEY UPDATE Rare photo collection captures street scenes, downtown Youngstown landmarks
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF YOUNGSTOWN AND MAHONING COUNTY
Youngstown Hospital complex on lower Oak Hill Avenue
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF YOUNGSTOWN AND MAHONING COUNTY
Park Avenue, looking southeast, from Pennsylvania Avenue
Dollar Bank and the Maid of the Mist fountain on the northwest quadrant of Central Square
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF YOUNGSTOWN AND MAHONING COUNTY
West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown, looking northeast. Note the street car tracks and overhead wires.
8 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 METRO MONTHLY
Pilot program expands internet to underserved
t. Gov. Jon Husted, director of InnovateOhio, visited Riverside Local School District in Logan County last month to announce the launch of several projects at the school that are funded through Ohio’s K-12 Broadband Connectivity Grant and that will help provide affordable high-speed internet access to a student population that is largely underserved by broadband. Husted was joined by Paolo DeMaria, the state’s superintendent of public instruction; Scott Mann, superintendent of Riverside Schools; and other state and local partners to highlight the district’s use of federal CARES Act funding that was set aside by the state to provide hotspots and internet-enabled devices to Ohio students. “The great news about this project is it’s not only serving the school and the students, but it’s serving the local community as well,” said Husted. Through a pilot project implemented by InnovateOhio and BroadbandOhio, Riverside collaborated with OARnet and PCs for People to utilize a new fixed wireless technology on school property that can bring broadband access to approximately 600 households in three surrounding towns (Logansville, De Graff and Quincy). The approach uses the school’s infrastructure through OARnet to broadcast a wireless signal to the surrounding communities through an antenna situated on the lights of the school’s football field. Households within this range will then be able to connect to high-speed internet inside their homes through a partnership with PCs for People, a national non-profit organization that wipes all data, refurbishes, and then distributes digital devices to lowincome households. Families signing up will pay as low as $15 per month for service and receive speeds estimated at 50 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload with no contract or added equipment fees. Subscribers will pay an upfront fee for a router and then a monthly fee of $15. The school district is subsidizing the cost of some units to help low-income households. The speed of internet will be twice that of the federal minimum definition of high-speed internet, providing an important opportunity for students to do their schoolwork remotely and families to work from home. The school also used the K-12 Broadband Connectivity funding (from the Ohio Department of Education and the Management Council) to provide hotspots on school buses that drive around the community, offering a place for students to do homework if internet is not available to them in their homes.
