Youngstown, USA - The killing of an elderly woman in a church parking lot has left residents of Youngstown, Ohio, wondering if the city has really turned the corner on years of decline.
Youngstown's once-roaring steel industry has all but disappeared, and in 2008 the city made Forbes magazine's list of ''America's Fastest-Dying Cities.'' But Mayor Jay Williams has championed a smaller, greener city. Vacant buildings are being demolished to open up space and remove vestiges of decline.
But the Jan. 23 killing of an 80-year-old churchgoing woman has shaken the city. An 18-year-old was arrested in the case, but police say there is little they can do to stop such random acts of violence.
Youngstown had 24 homicides last year, a sharp decline. But there were five in January, a disturbing uptick.