A city man faces a preliminary rape charge and other preliminary felony counts after a woman claimed he tied her with an extension cord and forced her to have sex.

Daniel Ridley, 32, is also facing initial charges of criminal confinement, strangulation, domestic battery and interference with reporting of a crime after a Saturday morning incident in which he allegedly assaulted the woman.

The woman told police that after she arrived home with a friend, an apparently drunk Ridley woke her around 8:45 a.m. the next morning by pulling blankets off her and accusing her of sleeping with other men, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Ridley then began ripping off the woman's clothing before the struggle moved to the kitchen, where Ridley hit the woman, choked her at least three times, slapped her and tied her with an extension cord, the affidavit said.

Ridley then allegedly raped the woman before threatening not to untie her unless she agreed to give him custody of their son, the affidavit said.

The woman escaped by telling Ridley she needed a cigarette to calm down after the incident and then running off, the affidavit said.

The U.S. Postal Service has announced recommended holiday delivery mailing dates for mail and packages for U.S. military personnel serving in Afghanistan and other overseas locations.

First-class and priority mail bound for Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4, parcel airlift mail should be sent by Dec. 1, and space-available mail destined for Afghanistan should be sent by Nov. 21.

Parcel post mail to all military overseas locations should be sent by Nov. 13.

For more information, visit the postal service's Web site at www.usps.com/communi cations/newsroom/2009/ pr09_082.htm.

Minnich Road, between Monroeville and Hoffman roads, will be closed 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday as Allen County Highway Department crews install a crossover pipe.

The University of Saint Francis is holding a community-wide food drive at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

“USF Feeds the Fort” will take place in the North Campus auditorium, 2702 Spring St. The goal is to collect 56,800 food items in an effort to replenish the area's food banks and soup kitchens during this time of economic hardship for many families, according to a news release.

The public is welcome.

A leak in a water valve reduced traffic on Coldwater Road to one lane this morning on the city's north side.

According to Frank Suarez, City Utilities and Public Works spokesman, the valve to an 8-inch water line failed about 11 p.m. Monday in the 4200 block of Coldwater Road, just south of Coliseum Boulevard.

Suarez said none of the nearby businesses, including Glenbrook Square, lost water service and that normal traffic flow was expected to resume around noon today.