Real or fake, pro wrestlers slam forward in the Mahoning Valley

Professional wrestler Ryan Burke, of Niles, “suffers” the agony of defeat after losing a match. Photo by Leonard Crist. By LEONARD CRIST Here’s something you don’t usually want to say to a professional wrestler. “So this is fake, right?” Even though pro wrestling impresario Vince McMahon let the cat out of the...

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Nature, conspiracies and Jim Traficant: The unusual world of artist Jason Van Hoose

Jason Van Hoose’s painting “St. James/The Martyr” has become one of his most popular works. Image used with permission from Jason Van Hoose. By LEONARD CRIST Homemade biscuits and red-eye gravy: a young Jason Van Hoose couldn’t go another day eating the stuff. The steel mills were starting to rust, and Van...

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