CANAL FULTON: A mysterious illness that has killed three dogs in the Cincinnati area and sickened more than a dozen others earlier this month might be spreading into the Akron-Canton area.

Dr. Melanie Butera, owner of Elm Ridge Animal Hospital, said she has seen four canine patients in the past two weeks with symptoms similar to those exhibited by the dogs that died in Cincinnati. Three dogs were brought into her Portage Street Northwest office by their owners last week and one the previous week. Three survived after treatment; one did not.

Chris Gatsios, of Canal Fulton, said she took her Labrador retriever, Bella, to Elm Ridge last Friday, after the dog vomited repeatedly for three days even though she refused to eat.

“My first thought was she ate something she wasn’t supposed to. Then she got real lethargic and was just not herself, ” Gatsios said.

Bella stayed at the hospital overnight and seemed worse the next morning.

“On Saturday, she was so bad, I expected her to die,” Gatsios said.

Butera said Bella exhibited symptoms similar to another dog brought in the same day. That animal then was taken by its owner to an emergency clinic, where it died overnight.

Gatsios said Butera called all over the country, trying to figure out what she was dealing with.

“It’s a very aggressive illness, and it has a very acute onset,” Butera said.

Coincidentally, two of the four animals Butera treated recently had been in Cincinnati, but Bella wasn’t one of them.

“She stays in a fenced-in backyard,” Gatsios said.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is collecting data to pinpoint the cause of the illness and to decide what steps need to be taken to prevent other animals from contracting it. Samples from the Stark County dog that died are being analyzed in California. It might take several weeks before a report is available.

“We really have to wait until we hear what the tests are going to show to see if they are the same as each other,” Butera said.

Whatever it is, the illness has left veterinarians scratching their heads.

A Louisville veterinarian contacted Butera this week to say he also has a patient exhibiting similar symptoms that include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, trouble breathing, low blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat.

“They are profoundly [physically] depressed, weak and lethargic. They couldn’t lift their heads to look at you, and they couldn’t care less where they were,” Butera said.

Once symptoms appear, an animal can die within 48 hours, she said.

The state agriculture department connected Butera’s cases with those of the dogs from southwest Ohio, she said.

Blood tests taken from the afflicted animals have not pinpointed any of the usual diseases that would cause the symptoms the animals are showing, said Erica Hawkins, communications director for the agriculture department. She said tests have ruled out diseases that pathogenic bacteria cause, such as salmonella, E. coli, distemper, parvovirus or the other usual suspects.

“They still are not sure, wondering if it is some kind of bacterial or toxin related,” she said.

Akron-Canton and Cincinnati are the only two areas in Ohio where the illness has been reported, Hawkins said.

The owner of two dogs boarded at the Cincinnati kennel where the outbreak occurred earlier this month said he left his dogs at the facility while he vacationed for a week. One got sick; the other showed no symptoms.

Russell Gibson said his puggle, Max, became lethargic and showed symptoms associated with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis — bloody diarrhea and vomiting — when his owner returned to pick up the dogs.

Max soon developed neurological symptoms of tremors and shaking, which he still exhibits after three weeks of treatment, Gibson said Wednesday.

Gibson said veterinarians at MedVet, the animal hospital where all the Cincinnati dogs were treated, told him that on the day he took Max for treatment five more animals were coming in, four already were hospitalized, two had been released and three had died. Gibson said he has been in contact with several of the dogs’ owners since the pets became sick.

“We all had the same common denominator: a day-care facility in Norwood [a Cincinnati suburb]. At least six of them were boarded there,” Gibson said.

He believes the dogs were exposed to some sort of toxin at the kennel.

Without a clear idea what is causing the illnesses, the state is advising dog owners to pay attention to their animals.

“The thing we are really encouraging, if folks are concerned at all, is to keep an eye on your dog. If you see any kind of a sign of diarrhea or vomiting, get it to your vet immediately so they can start supportive therapies,” Hawkins said.

Gatsios took Bella home Sunday night after three days at Elm Ridge Animal Hospital. When released, Bella could stand, wag her tail and bark at her family, but she is not out of the woods yet, said Gatsios, who has been cooking chicken for Bella’s meals since the dog got home.

“Now it’s just wait and see, but she is definitely not back to herself yet,” Gatsios said.

Butera, who is still looking for answers, said she spoke with Gibson on Wednesday and is no longer sure her patients share the same illness with the Cincinnati dogs.

“What he described in Cincinnati to me is just downright scary because of how fast it went from dog to dog or from environment to dog. If what I’m seeing is a separate situation from what those dogs died from, then I would breathe a big sigh of relief. If those dogs have the same thing, and it is viral, boy that’s scary,” she said.

Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.

COVENTRY TWP: After weeks of dealing with the orange barrels of construction, morning commuters heading into Akron on South Main Street this week met a different traffic nightmare.

More than 900 drivers traveling the northbound route between 7 and 8 a.m. found themselves abruptly funneled from two lanes into one.

Although people complained that the old road was like driving on a washboard, they say they are more upset that a two-lane road with a center turn lane has replaced the four-lane road.

Tim Shank of Green travels the 1.1-mile section of South Main into Akron each morning. He said the merge point that motorists met just north of Portage Lakes Drive on Monday was “just terrible” for commuters.

“They don’t give you any advance warning. You are right up there when you see you are going to merge,” Shank said. “The first day, they didn’t have any sign at all, and that made it kind of dicey.”

By Tuesday, motorists were racing to be the first to get to the single lane, he said.

In the evening, an estimated 815 southbound commuters each day find the same situation as they merge at Axline Avenue just south of North Turkeyfoot Road.

Summit County paid for the $550,000 road resurfacing project that began Aug. 5, with the majority of funding coming through the Ohio Public Works Commission.

It was necessary to reduce the four 10-foot-wide lanes into three lanes because the road did not meet a state recommendation of 12-foot-wide lanes, said Joe Paradise, deputy director of the Summit County Engineer’s Office.

Motorists will need to get used to the lane changes, he said. They will be dealing with them at least until the county widens the road to five lanes in 2019.

Repaving the road is a stop-gap measure the engineer’s office hopes will last until it finds money to widen the road and rebuild storm sewers. The section is the final piece of the South Main Street project that began in 2001.

“This is the missing link,” Paradise said.

The engineer’s office estimates the project to rebuild the road will run between $8 million and $10 million.

“It’s one of the main projects that we are looking for money for. The county engineer’s office has a budget that at most has $16 million a year, and this could be a $10 million project,” said Heidi Swindell, government affairs liaison for the engineer’s office.

Bumpy ride

A traffic study the engineer’s office conducted indicated 75 to 80 percent of the 15,000 cars traveling on the road each day used the inside lanes, Paradise said.

“They are driving it as a two-lane road. We took a look at safety, because when somebody in the inside lane stops to make a left turn into a driveway, everyone following them, which is the majority of traffic, jumps over to the right, passes them on the right and comes back in the inside lane,” he said.

Paradise said the road surface was bumpy because of uneven catch basins.

“It would cost me a small fortune to reconstruct all those catch basins to be able to be nice and smooth and even,” he said.

But motorists say that traffic study was skewed because no one wanted to travel either direction on the teeth-rattling outside lanes.

“The outside lane is like a washboard, and everybody is always going to drive on the place that doesn’t knock the fillings out of your teeth,” Shank said.

Jeff Pearce, who lives just off Warner Road near the repaved section, agreed.

“The [inside] lane was a lot smoother. The outside lane rattles you to death. You were actually better off if you straddled the two lanes, but the sheriff drives up and down there so much, you don’t want to do that,” he said.

On Wednesday, Pearce said he inched his way home at rush hour until he could make a right turn on Warner Road.

“This week coming home, I sat through five traffic lights at the Warner Road light. The slowdown started at R&S Truck Caps. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic starting at the IBEW [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers],” he said.

On Wednesday afternoon, R&S employees said customers have not complained about traffic, but they did note northbound traffic bottlenecks at Portage Lakes Drive happen around 7:30 a.m. and southbound near North Turkeyfoot Road between 5 and 5:30 p.m., said Ray Thompson of Green.

“That’s when it gets bad,” he said.

County engineer’s office employees have gone out and driven the road during high traffic times, Swindell said.

“We’ve driven it during rush hour several times,” she said. “We got some pictures and we didn’t experience any traffic jams.”

Special events

Several people who called the Beacon Journal this week to complain about traffic congestion on the road said they expect bigger headaches during special events in the area, such as the annual Bridgestone Invitational World Golf Championships at Firestone Country Club, when traffic already requires a police presence.

“I couldn’t imagine what this is going to do during the world championship,” Pearce said.

The engineer’s office doesn’t expect any major problems for motorists during those times because of the center turn lane at Warner Road, Paradise said.

“Right now, we are reconfiguring the traffic signal out there and putting in a loop detector so that a car in the left-turn lane can turn as necessary,” he said.

But the turn lane won’t help motorists who get stuck behind traffic that makes frequent stops, such as trash haulers, mail trucks and school buses, Shank said.

“On Monday, there was a trash truck there and everybody was using what we call ‘the suicide lane.’ You know, that’s the middle lane where whoever gets there first uses it,” Shank said.

Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.

A cost-cutting move by Akron Public Schools is phasing out a service with ties to the desegregation days.

As a result, 198 high school freshmen will be looking for a new way to school because they will no longer get free passes to use Metro RTA buses. The district will save about $400,000.

The program began in 1977 when the schools agreed to what was called the Akron Plan, aimed at eliminating racial segregation, according to board member Lisa Mansfield. That plan was made unnecessary by an open-enrollment policy in 2010 that allows students to attend any district high school.

The busing program continued, however, and 436 high school students were transported on Metro buses last year, according to Dan Rambler, director of student support services.

This year, the board decided to cut costs by excluding freshmen from the program. Rambler said 238 upperclassmen continue to get the passes this year.

Rambler said the schools will seek options for students who are hurt by the move, especially homeless families who might be eligible for a program called Project Rise. Call 330-761-2969 for more information.

He also said students can purchase monthly RTA passes for $50.

Dave Scott can be reached at 330-996-3577 or davescott@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Scott on Twitter at Davescottofakro.

The unions representing nurses and support staff at Akron General are expressing concerns about how the health system’s proposed sale will affect employees and the patients they serve.

“Change, in general, is always scary,” said Mark Whitehurst, chair of the Professional Staff Nurses Association, which represents registered nurses at the hospital. “I think the main concern, honestly, is how is it going to affect what we do day to day? Are we going to have the ability to take care of our patients?”

Akron General Health System last week announced a tentative deal to sell the health system’s assets to a new, for-profit joint venture between national hospital chain Community Health Systems (CHS) and the Cleveland Clinic. CHS would be the majority owner.

Akron General Health System President and Chief Executive Dr. Thomas “Tim” Stover held a series of meetings with employees this week to talk about the possible sale and address their concerns.

The health system is among the region’s largest employers, with more than 5,000 workers.

The new owners “are recognizing our present employees,” Stover said in a recent interview.

When asked whether union contracts will be honored after the sale, officials from Akron General and CHS said it’s too early to provide details until a definitive agreement is reached.

A portion of Akron General employees is represented by two collective bargaining units: the Professional Staff Nurses Association, a local unit of the Ohio Nurses Association representing about 730 registered nurses; and the United Steelworkers of America Local 1014L, representing about 775 technical, clerical and support workers.

Tim O’Daniel, president of the United Steelworkers of America Local 1014L, said he believes the bargaining units and their contracts will remain after the sale.

The support staff’s current three-year contract expires in March 2016.

“There are several ways that an employer, after a sale, could attempt to not honor a contract,” he said. “It involves terminating all the employees and having them reapply for their positions. It would be very foolish on their part to create that type of atmosphere.”

If the new ownership strengthens Akron General, “it’s going to be good,” he said.

However, he added, the union is prepared to fight “if it comes down to eroding any of our rights.”

Kelly Trautner, deputy executive officer for the Ohio Nurses Association, said there’s not enough information available to say whether the sale will be good or bad.

Whitehurst and Trautner said they want the good relations the bargaining unit has had with hospital administration in recent years to continue after the sale.

The nurses’ union contract with Akron General expires in the spring.

Ohio Nurses Association is in contract negotiations at Northside Medical Center for the first successor contract since Community Health Systems acquired the Youngstown hospital and other assets of Forum Health out of bankruptcy in 2010.

“We have some dire safety and quality concerns around staffing,” Trautner said of the negotiations with the Youngstown hospital.

Five of six collective bargaining units at the former Forum Health — now called ValleyCare Health System — have concluded contract negotiations since November, CHS spokeswoman Tomi Galin said. The Ohio Nurses Association has been offered similar proposals, which include wage increases.

After service workers at one ValleyCare hospital recently ratified a three-year contract, a spokesperson for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2804 told the Youngstown Vindicator: “We believe it was a really fair package and that negotiations were conducted on a professional level.”

Michelle Mahon, national representative with National Nurses United, said Community Health Systems has a history of poor labor relations.

The National Nurses Organizing Committee has been battling Affinity Medical Center, a CHS-owned hospital in Massillon, since a vote last year by RNs to join the union.

“The hospital has refused to follow the law and respect nurses rights” by not recognizing the vote in favor of union representation and refusing to bargain for a contract, Mahon said.

Affinity spokeswoman Susan Koosh said in an email that the hospital is challenging the validity of the election, which was 103 to 97 in favor of unionizing.

“While this is a pending legal matter, the hospital can’t engage in bargaining,” she said. “… Our nurses are trusted, valued members of the hospital team and they are treated with respect.”

About 8,000 of the nearly 100,000 Community Health System employees nationwide are represented by unions, Galin said. Negotiating teams at affiliated hospitals include local human resource representatives, supported by labor relation specialists and attorneys.

“Our organization is committed to ethical conduct, to treating employees fairly, and to supporting the quality care they provide their patients,” she said in an email.

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or cpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.

A new emergency department.

A new cancer center.

Millions of dollars worth of much-needed upgrades to aging computer systems.

The Cleveland Clinic name — and, potentially, its highly respected medical care.

These benefits and more could be coming to Akron General if the recently announced tentative sale of the health system to national hospital chain Community Health Systems (CHS) and the Cleveland Clinic moves forward, Akron General Health System President and Chief Executive Dr. Thomas “Tim” Stover said this week in an interview with the Beacon Journal.

Under the tentative deal, Tennessee-based hospital operator CHS would be the majority owner, with the Cleveland Clinic getting an undisclosed minority stake.

“We desperately need main campus improvement,” Stover said. “We need things like a new emergency room, a new cancer center. There is a whole list of capital needs we put in front of CHS that they recognized and have plans to help us with.”

The Cleveland Clinic brings its medical and patient care expertise to the deal, while Community Health Systems provides business and operational leadership and financial resources.

“We only have one chance to get this right,” Stover said. “This wasn’t about bringing an organization in here that was going to bring us a bucket of money. This was about raising the bar clinically in Akron, Ohio. You can’t do that without two sets of resources: one is clinical excellence and the other is money.”

The Akron General name will stay, Stover said, but the Cleveland Clinic branding will be added.

“We will be able to say on all of our signage: ‘Akron General, a Cleveland Clinic affiliate,’ ” Stover said. “The nice thing about this is we’re able to sit down and talk with the Clinic about where it is we need their help. That will be up to our medical staff and our local leaders.”

Quality medical care

With this and other deals, the Cleveland Clinic is capitalizing off its “intellectual capital” and reputation for quality medical care, said Thomas S. Campanella, director of the health-care MBA program at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea.

“Somebody else may be putting up pure dollars,” he said. “From a model standpoint, that’s not a bad way to do it.”

Many other details — including the potential purchase price — haven’t been released as talks continue.

Akron General had been seeking a larger partner to boost its financial health while contending with massive changes in the industry both locally and nationally.

The health system includes Akron General Medical Center, physician practices, Visiting Nurse Service and Affiliates, Hospice of VNS, Lodi Community Hospital, Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Institute, three health and wellness centers and other outpatient locations.

The health system posted a $4.8 million loss on revenues of $588 million in 2012.

“We are trying to grow,” Stover said. “It became very obvious to us that we can’t grow on our own.”

The Akron General tentative deal comes several months after the Cleveland Clinic formed a strategic alliance with Community Health System.

National for-profit giant CHS owns, operates or leases 135 hospitals in 29 states, including Affinity Medical Center in Massillon.

In 2012, the publicly traded hospital chain reported revenues of $13 billion.

In a prepared statement, Affinity Chief Executive Officer Ron Bierman said the hospital has benefited from “the larger organization’s access to capital, clinical programs, quality and safety initiatives, physician recruitment resources, management expertise and group purchasing” since being purchased by CHS in 2007. (Akron General was a part owner but sold its minority stake in the Stark County hospital to CHS in 2009.)

Capital investments

Nearly $30 million in capital investments have been made in Affinity in recent years, he said, including construction of a new emergency department and a cardiac catheterization lab that opened last month.

Along with capital investments, CHS can provide Akron General access to better prices for purchasing supplies and updated technology needed for billing, lab, pharmacy and other areas, Stover said.

The deal with Akron General is one of several strategic moves into the region by CHS, which already owns Affinity Medical Center in Massillon and several hospitals in the Youngstown-Warren area.

This week, CHS announced another tentative deal to buy Sharon Regional Health System, just across the state line in western Pennsylvania.

Other hospital systems also are expanding in the area.

Catholic Health Partners, Ohio’s largest hospital system, is finalizing a $250 million deal for minority ownership of Summa Health System, Akron General’s cross-town rival.

These types of mega-mergers and acquisitions are increasingly common as hospitals try to capture more market share and prepare for a shift toward payment systems that provide financial incentives to keep patients healthy, not just to provide more services, said Gary Ryan, a health-care partner for consulting services firm PwC.

Strong capital needs to upgrade technology, acquire new equipment and replace aging facilities also are driving the trend, he said.

Any agreement will include provisions to continue Akron General’s charity care policies for patients who can’t afford care, Stover said. A foundation with a to-be-determined amount of money will be created to fund community health initiatives.

Stover opposed the conversion of the former Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital several years ago to a for-profit joint venture between Summa Health System and area doctors.

Though he still opposes physician ownership of hospitals, Stover said he has learned “the difference between for-profit and not-for-profit in health care, frankly, is very little.”

All hospitals, regardless of tax status, are in business to deliver “quality service in an efficient way and provide services to the community,” Campanella said.

Stover refuted concerns that money from Akron General will end up going to a publicly traded, out-of-state company.

“The profits that are made are going to be invested back in our system,” he said. “Once we get to the point where we have a positive margin — and we will — that money will be reinvested back into the system for growth.”

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or cpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.

Retail purchases will cost a bit more come Sunday when shoppers across Ohio will see a one-quarter percent sales tax increase.

The state rate will rise from 5.5 percent to 5.75 percent, or 25 cents for every $100 spent — applying to vehicles, electronics, clothing and other goods.

In Summit and Medina counties, the sales tax will go from 6.5 percent to 6.75 percent.

The rate will increase to 7 percent in Portage and will be 6.5 percent in Stark and Wayne counties.

Cuyahoga County will jump to 8 percent sales tax.

Depending on your purchase, the 0.25 percent increase could make a bigger dent in your wallet. A $10 purchase will see a 3 cent increase while a $500 washing machine would see a $1.25 increase and a $30,000 car would see a $75 increase.

Ohio lawmakers approved the increase as part of the state’s $62 billion, two-year state operating budget. The increase is part of a larger package of tax adjustments that will reduce overall business and individual taxes by an estimated $2.7 billion over the next three years. That includes a 10 percent cut to the personal income tax that will be phased in starting Sunday.

The research group Policy Matters Ohio, based in Cleveland, has estimated that the income-tax cuts would result in the top 1 percent of Ohio wage earners on average receiving $6,000 a year while the bottom fifth of wage earners would have to pay $12 a year.

During the state budget debate this year, the group proposed that Ohio offer a sales tax credit for lower income families as a targeted way to help offset some of the impact of tax changes on poorer Ohioans. Five states offer such credits.

Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks executive director, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, one of the state’s leading advocates for the poor, countered such arguments at an event this week with praise for Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s efforts toward helping the needy.

Besides his advocacy for Medicaid expansion, Hamler-Fugitt said the governor’s tax reform package helped lead to the creation of an earned-income tax credit that helps the low-income families targeted for help by her organization.

“Although the sales tax is increasing, the benefit of the EITC for those we serve is without question a net positive,” she said.

The Ohio Department of Taxation estimates that 35 percent of an average Ohio family’s spending is subject to the sales tax. Groceries, housing, medicines, education and many other purchases are exempt from sales taxes. Even with the latest change — Ohio’s first increase since 2003 — the state’s rate is still lower than about half the U.S. states.

Ohio first enacted a sales tax in 1935. The rate then was 3 percent. The rate rose to 4 percent in 1967 and to 5 percent in 1981, according to information from the state.

In 2003, state lawmakers temporarily tacked a penny onto the tax — raising the rate to 6 percent for the next two years. In 2005, it was dropped to 5.5 percent.

Suburban South Family Physicians in Coventry Township is a bustling primary care and family practice, more than three decades old, where generations of the same families have gone for years.

Not just for the good medical care, patients tell me. But also for the always-welcoming atmosphere its partners have managed to create, dear and glorious physicians in the truest sense, Dr. Al Feltrup and Dr. W. Kevin Lonsdorf.

Since late fall, however, a huge element in that formula has been missing.

Not the practice’s laser-like focus on dispensing good medicine. That’s still intact.

And not the friendliness, nor the well-choreographed rhythm of the office. That’s intact, too.

What’s missing, or rather who’s missing, is Feltrup, who was diagnosed two years ago with terminal cancer. He’s been unable to report for duty since November.

But he was overflowing with praise for how his partner and their staff (including physician’s assistant Janet Smith and Dr. Joseph Marino, who helps hold down the fort two days a week) have really dug in to serve and care for his patients.

A grateful Feltrup credits Lonsdorf with taking the worry off his plate about what would happen to his patients: “He’s taken over the practice and he’s taken on a lot of calls of complicated patients. He’s been a true blessing.”

“That’s what friends, what partners do,” Lonsdorf, seemingly uncomfortable with all the accolades, chimed in. “You step up for one another.”

To those unfamiliar with his diagnosis, Feltrup looks like the picture of good health. Only that’s not what’s going on inside.

“I was diagnosed in May of 2011 with liposarcoma, a fatty tissue tumor that occupied half of my abdomen,” Feltrup said. “I felt an egg-shaped mass in my groin one day when I was working out. So I called my general surgeon.”

A CT scan confirmed a large mass. Aggressive treatment followed, including six weeks of radiation and surgery in September 2011 to remove a 20-pound tumor from his abdomen and pelvis.

Unfortunately, the cancer reared its ugly head again with a vengeance, this time in the liver and lungs. “It’s Stage 4, invariably fatal,” Feltrup said.

Not one to give up — as he would advise his patients — he has undergone five different chemotherapy agents. “None have worked,” he said matter-of-factly.

Even so, Feltrup, who has been on two experimental drugs, is poised to start a sixth chemo in September. His faith, he said, is telling him to try: “I trust in God!” he declared.

“Sooner or later everyone has a cross in life to bear. I wish I didn’t,” he continued with remarkable acceptance and joie de vivre.

“I’m still going strong,” said Feltrup, flanked by his partner and managing a smile during a recent interview. “Life is good! And my faith is strong …

“The real blessing in all of this are the cards and the expressions of love I get from my patients. I’m also on a lot of prayer chains … We’re very fortunate to have the patient base we have.

“Although I have not gotten a clinical cure, I’ve been able to maintain a good lifestyle. I’m still able to ride my bicycle, walk and travel … I’m not having pain although there are other side effects.”

High school acquaintances

Feltrup, 63, and Lonsdorf, 62, have known each other since their days at St. Xavier High School near Cincinnati. They rode the bus together but were a year apart in school. Even though they didn’t pal around together, they had longstanding friends in common and would see each other at holiday parties when they were home from college.

They went to different colleges and medical schools. Neither got into medical school the first time he applied. But they were determined, reapplied, and the rest is history.

The pair reconnected in Akron when they did their residencies in family medicine at Akron City Hospital and have been together ever since, buying land and setting up their practice 33 years ago.

It’s been a solid friendship with common interests like sports and bike riding (although not together), and a successful partnership, both were quick to acknowledge. Lonsdorf and Feltrup come from the same religious background, think alike — well, most of the time — and have an abiding respect for one another professionally and personally.

Lonsdorf’s best man

Feltrup, who has been married 30 years and has four children, was best man when Lonsdorf got married 20 years ago. Lonsdorf has a son from a previous marriage.

“We’ve only had three arguments since we’ve been in business,” Feltrup said. “And those we quickly resolved by just sitting down and talking about them.”

“One of the reasons our practice has worked so well is that we are not clones,” Lonsdorf said. “We respect the differences.”

The strength of that bond is evident in other ways.

“We would do anything for each other,” Lonsdorf said. “We’ve always been comfortable like the left hand knowing what the right was doing.”

Support from staff

Both docs were quick to compliment their staff, which they say is second to none, and not just in this situation.

“Our staff has been extremely loyal over the years,” Feltrup said.

Lonsdorf agreed, adding, “In fact, we’ve had very little turnover. Our employees are second to none and the patients love that.”

The beauty of family practice, both agreed, is that they can develop those long-term relationships with their patients.

Feltrup said his wife, Cathy, has been a hugely important port in this storm: “She’s been tremendously supportive. She’s been a rock and cornerstone throughout. This has been devastating to her, how things have worked out. But she’s been a real trouper.”

“She’s a supreme optimist,” Lonsdorf said.

Asked what advice he might give to the patients he doesn’t get to see anymore, Feltrup was quick with this immensely powerful answer: “Life is precious.”

And with it this prescription: “Take one day at a time. Every day is a blessing. Trust in God. He knows what direction to go in. Just follow his will.”

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP

Crash halts traffic

BRIMFIELD TWP.: Motorists experienced long delays while traveling westbound on Interstate 76 near the border of Summit and Portage counties Friday.

A semitrailer flipped on its side in the high-speed lane west of the Tallmadge Road exit, creating traffic delays for hours while workers cleared debris.

No injuries were reported.

AKRON

Ground broken

AKRON: The city broke ground at a ceremony Friday for the Highland Square grocery store that residents long have been clamoring to see.

The store will be a two-
story, 23,000-square-foot building with a second-floor terrace and restaurant. It is being built on the triangular-shaped parcel at North Portage Path and West Market Street.

The owners of Mustard Seed Market, who have two other stores, will operate the business. They will lease the store from the city, with the option to buy, and will operate the nearby city-owned commercial strip that includes Chipotle.

Phillip and Margaret Nabors, who own Mustard Seed Market, and their two sons, Abraham and Gabriel, joined Mayor Don Plusquellic in shoveling dirt to officially launch the project.

To make way for the new store, an existing building will be torn down. Habitat for Humanity will help with the deconstruction and will recycle and reuse many of the materials, according to a city news release.

The grocery store is expected to open next year.

Call center open

AKRON: The Customer Service Call Center at the Akron Beacon Journal will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. today, Sunday and Monday.

Regular weekday business hours of 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. will resume Tuesday.

Anyone with delivery issues should call 330-996-3600.

Meeting canceled

AKRON: Russel Neal Jr., the Ward 4 councilman, has canceled his monthly ward meeting because of candidates forums he will be attending.

Neal said he plans to attend candidates forums at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Olive Baptist Church and 6:30 p.m. Thursday at First United Church of Christ.

CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Candidates night

AKRON: A candidates night for Akron City Council seats in Wards 1, 3 and 4 will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at First Grace United Church of Christ, 350 S. Portage Path.

The event is aimed at opening up communication between the candidates in the Sept. 10 primary election and their constituents, according to a news release.

For more information, call Steve Arrington, director of community outreach, at 330-431-0677.

Ward 4 forum

AKRON: A Ward 4 Community Candidates Night will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Mount Olive Baptist Church social hall, 1180 Slosson St.

Attendees can meet candidates running for the Ward 4 and at-large seats of Akron City Council.

Those unable to attend can email questions to deacon
owens@aol.com.

For more information, call Rick Owens at 330-212-2355.

Grand opening

CUYAHOGA FALLS: The Don Waters for Mayor Campaign will host a grand opening of its headquarters, at 450 Portage Trail, from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Free food, games and entertainment will be part of the festivities.

COVENTRY SCHOOLS

Special meeting

COVENTRY TWP: The Coventry Board of Education has called a special meeting for 5 p.m. Thursday at the Lakeview Administrative Offices, 2910 S. Main St.

On the agenda are a bond resolution and a discussion involving the Portage Lakes Fitness Center.

For more information, call 330-644-8489.

CUYAHOGA FALLS

Costly ‘prank’

CUYAHOGA FALLS: From the outside it looked sinister.

Cuyahoga Falls police were called to Americana Drive on Tuesday after nearby residents said they saw a man inside one of the units “swinging” something.

When officers knocked at the apartment, a 31-year-old opened the door “holding a hatchet and appeared to be covered in blood.”

The man told the police he was “playing a prank” on a roommate.

He has been charged with inducing panic.

CUYAHOGA VALLEY

Service canceled

PENINSULA: Passenger rail service to and from the Canton Lincoln Highway Station aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has been suspended for this year.

In a news release, the railroad said the recent expiration of its track maintenance agreement with Akron Metro RTA and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park forced the decision.

Akron Metro RTA owns the track between Akron and Canton.

Passenger service through the national park between the Akron Northside Station and the Rockside Station in Independence is unaffected and will continue on its current schedule, the railroad said.

“We are disappointed to suspend Canton service and hope it can be resumed at some point in the future,” railroad President and CEO Craig Tallman said.

The suspension affects only one trip scheduled for October.

For more information about Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad excursions and special events, go to www.cvsr.com.

PORTAGE COUNTY

Body found

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a woman’s body was found lying in the middle of a road crossing the Ohio Turnpike on Friday.

Authorities say 45-year-old Kathy Pratt, of Garrettsville, was found on Bryant Road at 5:20 a.m.

Pratt was pronounced dead at the scene by the Portage County coroner’s investigator. Her body was taken to Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna.

The Windham Fire Department and EMS, along with the Portage County Sheriff’s Department, responded to the scene to assist.

The incident remains under investigation.

— Plain Dealer

RAVENNA

Fire at college

RAVENNA: Ravenna police responding to a report of a burglary at Fortis College on Friday morning found an injured worker outside and a small fire inside the building.

The initial call for help came at 6:24 a.m.

The worker at the college on Enterprise Parkway told officers she had been attacked inside the Fortis College building and during the attack a small fire was started in a hallway.

Police said the worker ran from the college to the nearby Paris Healthcare building.

Paris workers were able to put out the fire.

The worker from the college suffered burns and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Ravenna police Capt. Dave Rarrick said officers checked “the interior and exterior of the Fortis College building” and did not locate any other persons.

The city’s detective bureau and the Portage County Arson Investigation Unit are investigating.

Rarrick said evidence collected from the scene is being sent to the State Fire Marshal’s lab for analysis.

Anyone with information is asked to call Ravenna police at 330-296-6486.

SUMMIT COUNTY

Rocksino job fair

NORTHFIELD: The Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park will hold a job fair from 1 to 7 p.m. Sept. 12 to hire about 600 permanent jobs for the new racino in Northfield, the company said Friday.

Candidates are encouraged to apply online at www.
hrrocksinonorthfieldpark.com.

The racino, located next to the Northfield Park harness track along state Route 8, is expected to open in December.

It will be filled with about 2,300 slots-like video lottery terminals, a comedy club, premium steakhouse, buffet room, Hard Rock Live music venue and Hard Rock Cafe.

Special meeting

The North Hills Water District will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to review the hydrant flushing contract with the Northfield Center-Sagamore Hills Fire District as well as a proposal to paint various hydrants through the district during the fall.

Music for kids

HUDSON: A Teddy Bear Picnic will be held from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Hudson Gazebo.

The free event, presented by the Western Reserve Community Band and Taste of Hudson, is for children of all ages and will include musical selections from the band.

The Hudson Gazebo is located at state Routes 91 and 303.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church has called its 14th senior pastor.

The Rev. David Lee Nevergall will officially begin his pastorate on Sunday. He replaces the Rev. Landis Coffman, who retired in July 2012.

Nevergall is a native of St. Mary’s, a small city in west central Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree in music at Ohio Northern University. Before entering Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, he worked in advertising and marketing communications.

As a seminarian, Nevergall served at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church near the Victorian Village area of Columbus. He completed his clinical pastoral education at the Ohio State University Medical Center and worked as a chaplain for Dodd Hall Rehabilitation Hospital. He spent his internship in three small congregations in southern Marion County.

Nevergall began his ministry as a pastor in 1994 in the Northwestern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at Grace Lutheran Church in Elmore. He served the congregation until being called to Holy Trinity, which traces its roots to 1866 and counts Akron notables John F. Seiberling, Charles Miller and J.H. Hower as founding members.

Holy Trinity is located at 50 N. Prospect St. It offers Sunday worship services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. and Sunday School at 9:45 a.m., September through May. For more information, call 330-376-5154 or go to www.trinityakron.org.

In other religion news:

Events

The Chapel in Marlboro — 8700 state Route 619, Marlboro Township. 10:15 a.m. Sept. 8. Creation Science JAMboree will be held for grades K-5 and middle school ages. It features a lesson titled The Seven C’s of History. It will be presented by John Lookabaugh from the Akron Fossil and Science Center. He also teaches elementary science and history in Burton. For more information, contact the Rev. Rob Cochran at 330-935-0132.

Christ Is The Answer Ministries — 379 E. South St., Akron. 4 p.m. Sunday. Bishop Langford Floyd from Hill’s Temple First Born Church of the Living God will be keynote speaker and the Rev. John Peterson from Fellowship Baptist Church in Medina is featured guest to celebrate the Rev. J. Michael Martin’s 19th pastoral appreciation. At 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, encouragement services will be held. 330-376-1869.

Cross Road Unity Church — 920 Brown St., Akron. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 7-8. Fun Day fundraiser event for an October mission trip. Bake sale, donation sale, raffle basket, car wash, face painting and games. The public is invited. 330-835-7345.

Dominican Family Church — 90 W. Thornton St., Akron. 7 p.m. Friday. Supportive Pastors will sponsor a Fellowship of Love service in honor of the Rev. Ann Davis of Alpha & Omega Church. Church choirs will be welcomed, along with praise teams/dancers, soloist for an A selection or representatives to give words of encouragement. 330-376-1869.

God’s Women of Purpose: Persecuted for Perfection — at Grace Park, Perkins Street and Prospect Avenue, Akron. 3 to 8 p.m. Sept. 7. Unity Prayer Vigil will be held. Prayer from 6 to 7 p.m. Purpose is to pray for women and children around the world that have fallen victim to violence, including rape, kidnapping, murder and domestic violence.

Mount Haven Baptist Church — 545 Noble Ave., Akron. 5 p.m. Sunday. The Rev. Terrance Bivins and the Worship Cathedral from Lorain will be guests at a pre-anniversary pastoral celebration for the Rev. Richard B. Cash. 330-253-2923.

Mount Lebanon Baptist Church — 180 Edward Ave., Akron. Noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 7. Community Day will be held. Free food, games, music and other activities.

Prince of Peace Missionary Baptist Church — 844 Garth Ave., Akron. 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. A three-day Youth Revival will be held. Elder Jimmie K. Rodgers will be keynote speaker. 330-762-4997.

Queen of Heaven Church — 1800 Steese Road, Green. 9 a.m. Monday. Labor Day Mass in the pavilion, or inside the church in case of rain. Doughnut social will follow. 330-896-2345.

Performances

Living Hope United Methodist Church — 3406 S. Hametown Road, Norton. 5:30 p.m. Sept. 7. A free community meal and concert will be held, featuring the Glory Way Quartet of Mansfield. The group has released three albums of original gospel songs, and toured extensively throughout Ohio and neighboring states. It is open to the community. Free-will offering. 330-658-3060.

Mount Calvary Baptist Church — 442 Bell St., Akron. 2:30 p.m. today. Jennifer Mekel & Friends will appear at Cedar Point live in concert. A tribute event for Taylor Robinson, a 13-year-old Akron girl missing since May 4. Sponsored by Power of Word and Music Ministries. For more information, call 330-253-3733.

Speakers, classes,

workshops

Queen of Heaven Church — 1800 Steese Road, Green. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 9. First of a six-week series on Mondays, Journey to Peace Bereavement Support, a ministry of information, consolation, spiritual and emotional support. For those of any faith who have experienced the death of a loved one. For information or to register, call Sue Lyons at 330-499-3937.

RiverTree Christian Church — 7373 Portage St. NW, Jackson Township. 5 p.m. today and 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday. Pat Gelsinger, chief executive officer at VMware, a $36 billion global corporation, will speak during worship services.

The deadline for Religion Notes is noon Tuesday. Items must be in writing. Please fax information to 330-996-3033, email it to religion@thebeaconjournal.com or send it to Religion, Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309

The case against the Hudson doctor accused of inappropriately touching his patients is growing.

Stow police Chief Louis J. Dirker said Friday afternoon that since news of the legal troubles of Dr. James P. Bressi surfaced at least 40 additional potential victims have contacted authorities.

“The investigation continues as more victims are still coming forward,” Dirker said in a news release.

Bressi, 59, was arrested at his Victoria Parkway home in Hudson about noon Friday by members of the Northeast Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, Stow police, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and Hudson police.

Dirker said the arrest is the culmination of a 1½-year investigation by Stow Detective Jeff Swanson following complaints that arose over the doctor’s conduct at Summit Pain Specialists in Stow.

Bressi already has been indicted by a Summit County grand jury on 23 counts that include rape, gross sexual imposition and sexual imposition.

The pain management doctor also faces a civil lawsuit alleging sexual offenses against several patients — some in their 70s.

The indictment cites 10 female victims, with the last alleged offense taking place in March, just prior to Bressi’s departure from the clinic, and dating back to September 2011.

The State Medical Board of Ohio suspended Bressi’s medical license earlier this month.

Eight former patients filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in May against Bressi and the clinic.

Bressi has denied the allegations through filings in the civil case and also before the state medical board.

Stow police are asking potential victims or anyone with information to call 330-689-5734.

Akron has been trying to shed its steam heating and cooling system for years.

Voters rejected a charter change in 2010 that would have allowed the city to sell or lease the aging system.

Now, Akron has come up with a new plan: Giving the system to Akron Children’s Hospital, the plant’s biggest customer. Voters will decide if this is a better idea.

The Akron City Council voted 12-1 on Friday to put an issue on the Nov. 5 ballot that would donate the steam system to the hospital. Councilman Bruce Kilby cast the lone opposition vote.

The special meeting, called during the council’s summer recess, was volatile and confused, with council members and Mayor Don Plusquellic often talking over each other and council members at times unsure about what they were voting on. At one point, Kilby was told he couldn’t speak.

“I suggest you get over your hatred for me,” Kilby told the mayor after a particularly heated exchange.

“I don’t like people who lie,” Plusquellic responded.

Plusquellic proposed giving the troubled Akron Recycle Energy System (RES) on Opportunity Parkway to Children’s Hospital, which then would find a permanent owner or operator for the plant.

Hospital officials have said they need assurances the system can continue to meet the heating needs for the hospital’s expanding campus. Children’s Hospital recently started a $180 million, seven-story addition.

Under its charter, the city can’t sell any public-owned utility to another operator or enter a long-term operational lease without voter approval.

Before the vote, Plusquellic gave the council a brief summary of the steam plant’s troubled history. He said the city built the plant, originally designed to burn trash, in 1977 and always used an outside operator for the system. He said the system never generated enough money to cover expenses.

Plusquellic said the city has invested more than $28 million in the plant since 2007, with the bulk going to improvements needed to keep it operational.

The city contracted with Akron Thermal in 1995 to operate the system, but the company went bankrupt. Akron Energy Systems LLC (AES) took over operations in 2009.

Marc Divis, president of Cleveland Thermal, which owns AES, couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.

Bill Considine, president and CEO of Akron Children’s Hospital, was out of town Friday, but Tim Ziga, the hospital’s associate general counsel, spoke to the council, indicating support for the mayor’s plan.

Ziga said the hospital has been in talks with the city and AES for the past year in a half about a 25-year lease to “put the plant on better ground.” He said the hospital considered building its own plant but decided instead that supporting the existing plant would be the better course.

He said the hospital needs a reliable heating and cooling source. When the current system fails, he said, the hospital must cancel surgeries and close some of its units.

“This is a very critical concern for the hospital,” Ziga said.

If the ballot issue is approved, Ziga said, a coalition of downtown business owners and government entities will be formed to work through the details of the steam plant’s future. The goal: forge plans for plant improvements by the beginning of next year, so they could be completed before the hospital’s addition is complete in 2015.

The steam plant provides heating and cooling to more than 50 downtown businesses and locations. Other major customers include Akron General Medical Center, Canal Place, City Hall and the Summit County offices.

Council questions

Council members Mike Williams, Linda Omobien and Kilby asked the most questions about the proposal, primarily focused on the value of the system and the city’s future liability for the plant.

Omobien asked Plusquellic whether he had the plant appraised.

Plusquellic said he didn’t think it made sense to waste money on an appraisal of a plant that is losing money. He said the only value of the plant is as a “community asset.”

Williams asked what would be the city’s liability for the steam plant after it is given to Children’s Hospital. The city has said the hospital wouldn’t be liable for previous plant operations.

Plusquellic said the city and hospital still would need to work out an agreement on the donation that would require council approval. He said the city would continue to provide resources to keep the plant operating until an agreement was reached with an operator. He said the operator then would be responsible for maintaining the plant.

Plusquellic said the city’s long-term liability for the plant, including any environmental issues, would be the same as it is now.

Williams asked what the system generates in annual income. Plusquellic said he didn’t have an exact figure, but that it is around $11 million.

Williams said he supports the plan overall, but disagrees with Plusquellic’s assertion that the plant has no value.

“Ten to 11 million in income is some value,” he said. “On the whole, this makes sense.”

Plusquellic accused the council members questioning the proposal of political posturing, with the meeting falling 11 days before the primary. Omobien, Williams and Jeff Fusco, the three council-at-large members, are competing with Kilby, the current Ward 2 councilman, for three at-large seats in the Sept. 10 election.

Kilby said council members should be able to ask questions without being accused of being political.

“I resent the implication that if we ask questions protecting taxpayer interests, we are against sick children,” Kilby said. “[The plant] does not belong to us. It belongs to the people of this city.”

Kilby asked whether the city could trade water and sewer services to the new operator in exchange for steam heat. He also wondered what would happen to the mineral rights of the property and whether the city would share in the proceeds if the hospital sold the plant for a profit.

Plusquellic said such details would be worked out in the agreement with Children’s Hospital.

“If there’s a huge profit — a windfall because they find diamonds under it — we will protect the citizens,” Plusquellic said.

The exchange between Plusquellic and Kilby concluded when Councilman Ken Jones, who was in charge of moderating the discussion, said, “I think you need to be quiet, Mr. Kilby.”

Kilby, who was permitted to speak again later in the meeting, said he thought the council needed more time to have its questions answered. He pointed out that the deadline for putting issues on the Nov. 5 ballot isn’t until next Friday.

Fusco said the steam plant has been a “tough asset” for the city. He said the voters will decide if donating the system to the hospital is a good idea.

The ballot issue might face opposition.

Warner Mendenhall, an Akron attorney who led a failed recall attempt against Plusquellic and has been involved with other ballot measures, expects a “disorganized effort” against the issue.

“I don’t think we should be giving away a city asset,” said Mendenhall, who has sent emails to his supporters opposing the proposal. “We’re broke.”

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @swarsmith. Read the Beacon Journal’s political blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/ohio-politics.

MEDINA

McMillen, Robert C., 89, of Medina. Died Monday. Carlson.

Whitehead, Iva L., 105, of Litchfield Township. Died Friday. Waite & Son, Medina.

STARK

DeVault, Teressa D., 61, of Massillon. Died Aug. 24. Paquelet & Arnold-Lynch.

Harrison, Gordon L., 75, of Alliance. Died Friday. Cassaday-Turkle-Christian.

Stevens, Kathleen M., 97, of Massillon. Died Wednesday. Paquelet & Arnold-Lynch.

Valentine, Judith L., 69, of Minerva. Died Wednesday. Cassaday-Turkle-Christian, Alliance.

OTHER

Oppenlander, Lloyd W. Jr., 69, of Cleveland. Died Wednesday. Carlson, Brunswick.

Bolinger, Howard W., 75, of Cumming, Ga. Died Monday. Carlson, Medina.

Mark D. Hanchett is reminded of his responsibility as a pastor each time he looks at the portrait of Jesus that hangs in his office near the door that leads to the sanctuary at St. John Lutheran Church.

“I look at it every time I get ready to go into the chancel. It is the same picture that my [late] grandfather looked at before preaching during his 67 years as pastor of St. Paul’s in Batavia [N.Y.],” said Hanchett. “He really enjoyed being a servant of Christ. He had a passion for caring for people and sharing the gospel whenever and wherever. He was a wonderful pastor and a wonderful example for me.”

On Sunday, Hanchett, 50, will be ordained and installed as the new pastor of the church. His will be the first ordination in the 105-year history of the church, located on Wilbeth Road at the top of the hill just west of Interstate 77.

Hanchett, a second-career pastor, has spent the past year serving the parish as a vicar, or intern. The internship was part of his training to become a pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. He completed his resident studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. The goal of the yearlong internship was to give him practical experience to complement his classroom studies.

During the past year, the Rev. John Eiwen, retired pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in downtown Akron, supervised Hanchett.

Eiwen said he knew Hanchett was right for the job when they first met.

“He’s just a very friendly, outgoing person who enjoys working with the people of the church to reach out to the community to share the gospel of Jesus,” Eiwen said. “The goal was to, if everything worked out, have him become pastor after a year. The people love him, and I certainly give him my wholehearted support and approval. It’s going to be a smooth transition.”

Before entering the seminary in 2010, Hanchett, a civil engineer, worked as a surveyor, draftsman, construction site manager, assistant and general project manager, site planner and client liaison.

His engineering career took him from his native Buffalo, N.Y., to Peoria, Ariz. Along the way, as a lifelong Lutheran, he was actively involved in the church.

While in Arizona, he was licensed as a deacon in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and served his home church and others in the Phoenix area. He also served as an instructor in the denomination’s Pacific Southwest District’s Lay Leadership Program.

As a seminarian, he served at Concordia Lutheran Church in Kirkwood, Mo. He also gained experience working in deaf and adult-care ministries and as an assistant chaplain with Lutheran Senior Services.

Hanchett began his internship at St. John on Aug. 1, 2012. The congregation called him as their pastor on May 1.

Mark Hohl, president of the local congregation, said Hanchett has brought new energy to the church.

“People are excited. You can already tell the difference in attitudes. There has been a real connection between him and the congregation since he arrived,” Hohl said. “The congregation has embraced his family, and he really enjoys being here.”

Hanchett and his wife, Kathy, have been married more than 24 years. They have three children: Kaitlyn, 23, who is studying to become a science teacher at Concordia University in Austin, Texas; Craig, 20, who is deployed on the USS Truman as an aviation mechanic with the U.S. Marine Corps; and Jacob, 16, a junior at Ellet High School.

The special ordination and installation service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday at the church, 550 E. Wilbeth Road. Eiwen will lead the service, and the message will be delivered by the Rev. David Belasic, former pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Cuyahoga Falls and former president of the Eastern District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

The Rev. Terry Cripe, president of the denomination’s Ohio District, will conduct the ordination and installation.

“We knew as soon as we got here that this was home for us. We were warmly welcomed and could feel the love of God being extended through the people,” Hanchett said. “We have already begun to make some connections in the community and look forward to pooling our resources and working with other churches and organizations to share the gospel.

“This is where God has put me, and I will be his hands, feet and voice.”

For more information about St. John, call 330-773-4128 or go to www.stjohnlutheran-akron.org.

Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com. She can be followed at www.twitter.com/ColetteMJenkins.

The man fatally shot Thursday afternoon behind an Akron convenience store was a former football standout who graduated from Ellet High School in 2008 and later attended Youngstown State.

Paris D. Wicks II, 23, of Wall Street, was killed by a single gunshot to the torso, a Summit County Medical Examiner’s investigator said Friday.

Another man injured in the shooting, also 23, police said, was in an area hospital.

Akron Police Capt. Dan Zampelli said investigators were continuing to interview witnesses Friday afternoon. No arrests had been made.

“We still have not put together a motive or positively identified any of the suspects yet,” he said.

There were no indications from the preliminary investigative reports about how many people were involved in the shooting, Zampelli said.

“We’re not even concluding that there was a fight. We’re not sure what it was yet. That’s what we’re trying to put together,” he said.

The shooting occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m. Thursday behind the Lovers Lane Market at Lovers Lane and South Arlington Street. Officers found Wicks’ body lying in a rear parking lot of the store.

The injured man, whose identity police have not released, was found at a business about a block away on South Arlington Street, police said.

Zampelli said the midday gunfire was traumatic for children coming home from school.

Wicks, like his father more than 30 years ago at North High School and Youngstown State, was a standout running back. At Ellet, he won All-City Series honors and helped the Orangemen claim a share of the city title as a junior in 2006.

In an outstanding City Series game late in his senior season, Wicks had 17 carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a touchdown pass in a 48-0 victory over East.

His father, Paris Wicks, who was inducted into the Youngstown State Athletics Hall of Fame, was the school’s second leading rusher with 3,101 career yards. He scored 30 touchdowns and set school records for most touchdowns (five) and points (32) in a game.

Marcus Henderson of Akron, who was a longtime friend of Paris Wicks II and played football against him in high school, said Wicks was “probably the most friendly, honest guy I knew.”

Henderson, 24, works as a barber at the Exquisite Blendz shop on Brown Street, about a five-minute drive from the scene of the shooting, he said.

“When I found out it was him,” Henderson said, “it was just hard for me to believe. He never initiated any trouble with anybody. As a football player, he got along with anybody and everybody.”

Henderson said his little sister was in the same Ellet High graduating class as Wicks.

“We were all pretty close-knit. It’s a sad time for all of us, for everybody from Ellet,” Henderson said.

Community activist Darrita Davis, a cousin of the victim’s mother, Ronda Wicks, said she had not seen him since he was much younger, but is close to his mother.

“The family is taking this very hard,” Davis said. “He was a good kid. Basically, I’m hearing that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that some young individual, who is said to be 15 or 16, was trying to rob him.”

Summit County Common Pleas Court records show Paris Wicks II was arrested June 28 on a low-level felony drug charge, along with a first-degree misdemeanor charge of driving under suspension for failure to obtain proper insurance.

The drug-possession charge was dismissed by motion of the prosecutor in an Aug. 14 plea bargain, and he pleaded guilty to only the misdemeanor driving offense.

After a March 2011 arrest, he was indicted for receiving stolen property, improper handling of a firearm in a vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and two misdemeanor charges.

The case was resolved in a plea bargain with a guilty plea to only the weapons charge, for which he was sentenced to two years of probation.

Under terms of the plea bargain in the case that was resolved two weeks ago, he was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest. His term was scheduled to begin next week.

Zampelli asked anyone with information about the shooting to call detectives at 330-375-2490. Information also can be provided anonymously by calling Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS (2677). A cash reward is offered for information leading to an arrest.

Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or at emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.

The Habitat for Humanity house that had sat empty for months is now home to a homeless Akron couple and their five children.

The marriage of pairing a homeless family with Habitat is a first for Summit County.

Two agencies came together Friday to provide a home for Bobby and Rasheda Jackson and their children. The family was left homeless when their rental home was condemned.

They lived out of their two cars and also in temporary shelter provided by Akron-area churches.

A phone call connected them to Family Promise of Summit County, a nonprofit group that provides shelter for homeless families through a large network of congregations and then works to find more permanent housing.

A subsequent phone call from Jeff Wilhite, Family Promise’s executive director, to Rochelle Fisher, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Summit County, hatched the idea that a Habitat home built last year during a blitz by the Homebuilders Association Serving Portage and Summit Counties would be a perfect fit for the family.

So after 99 days of living in classrooms and fellowship halls in numerous congregations through the Family Promise program, the family was presented a Bible and a set of keys to the house at a ceremony Friday at the home on Akron’s Ardella Avenue.

The couple still has to put in Habitat’s required 250 hours of “sweat equity” over the next 18 months by helping to build homes and make lease payments. Once the work requirement is complete, they will make payments on a 30-year, interest-free loan for the $80,000 home.

“Today is overwhelming,” said Rasheda Jackson, who is taking part in the Asset Program at the Akron Urban League geared to helping participants get back into the workforce.

“We are a praying family,” said her husband, Bobby Jackson, who operates a landscaping firm and also works in the security business. “I knew God was going to move in our favor.”

The couple and their children, Sahaylee Davis, 12, Makayla Davis, 10, Alonia Jones, 8, Emonie Davis, 4, and Bobby Jackson Jr., 16, spent their first night in the home Friday night.

The Jacksons praised the work of the two agencies and everyone who helped them move from being homeless to eventual homeowners.

“I couldn’t sleep the last couple of nights,” Rasheda Jackson said.

Fisher, whose organization at the end of this building season will complete eight new homes bringing its total to 182, said the collaboration with Family Promise was a “marriage made in heaven.”

Wilhite, former deputy mayor of the city of Akron, said the new home in East Akron is “a great start” for the family.

The Rev. Mark Ward, who moved into a Habitat home down the street a year ago and whose Zion Temple Baptist Church is located on the street, said things always work out better “when we work together.”

Carmine Torio, president of the homebuilders group, said he was thrilled the Jacksons were moving into the house his group helped build a year ago.

“This house has a great family to make it a home,” he said.

For more on Habitat for Humanity of Summit County, visit www.hfhsummitcounty.org or call 330-745-7734. For more on Family Promise of Summit County, visit www.familypromisesc.org or call 330-253-0801.

Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.

By Paula Schleis

HUDSON: A century-old prairie-style train depot — once the passion of a citizens group that attempted to raise money to move and preserve it — was quietly razed Friday.

The abandoned depot was once an important junction on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Cleveland-Pittsburgh line, a place where World War II soldiers said farewell before heading to the front, and passengers boarded the locally famous Doodlebug to reach businesses and stores throughout the region.

Its current owners, Norfolk Southern Railway, had given the community years to find a way to save it, but not enough interest could be generated.

The depot sat just north of the trestle that crosses state Route 303 near Library Street.

Because the building had no operational value to the railroad, and because there were safety concerns over trespassers and vandals, “we got to a point where we said, OK, the preservation or movement of this station isn’t going to take place, so we’ve got to act,” railroad spokesman David Pidgeon said.

The effort to save the depot began in 2005 and ended four years later.

All Aboard Hudson, formed by a group of local residents, only collected $5,000 toward the cost of preserving the 60-foot-by-30-foot building, which was built some time in the first decade of the 20th century.

At the time, group organizers suggested it could cost up to half a million dollars to find a new location for the structure, move it, and restore it.

When the group disbanded in 2009, it donated all it had collected — including a switching light, model of the depot and historic newspaper clippings — to the Hudson Library & Historical Society.

The society’s Gwen Mayer said she expects to use the material in some future display.

Mayer said the depot torn down was the third to have been erected in Hudson.

“Certainly, we’re sad to see the building demolished, but we understand without a purpose, or money, or a place, you can’t possibly preserve everything,” she said.

Dave Mangold, a Portage County train historian and a locomotive engineer, was heartbroken that the Hudson depot wasn’t saved.

“We’re losing our history in Northeast Ohio,” he said.

He said he made arrangements to pick up some corner posts and structural bricks from the demolished building.

“It’s just one of those morbid things I do to remember the old structures,” he said. “It’s a shame that’s all that’s left.”

The city of Hudson, however, had the last word Friday.

After demolition crews moved out, the building department moved in and tacked a zoning code violation on a piece of equipment left behind.

“Demolition of structure requires approval and demo permit,” the notice said, suggesting the permit had not been acquired.

Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.

Stow Police increased security at the Summer Sunset Blast on Saturday following the report of an attempted abduction Friday night,

According to police, the parents of a 6-year-old boy said their son was in the Silver Springs Park Camp site on Young Road and was going to a movie at the festival with a cousin. However, the child went back to the campsite with the intention of telling his parents where he had gone.

That’s when police say he was approached by a man offering to take the child to his truck and then home. After the man picked up the child, the boy bit the man and eventually broke free. He then ran screaming to his parents, who had been looking for the boy, police said.

There were two men involved in the incident, the boy said. One was as white, about 6 feet tall, thin, about 50 years old, clean shaven and wearing glasses. The other was white and about 5 feet 7 with brown hair and wearing a T-shirt.

The boy did not know the exact location of the incident and did not see a vehicle.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Jeff Swanson of the Stow Police Department at 330-689-5734.

Five years ago, Brian Polen wasn’t a runner.

One year ago, he wasn’t the owner of a specialty running store in Wooster.

Two months ago, he wasn’t the race director for the Akron Marathon.

Now Polen, a former engineer, is all three, and his face will be among what’s new at the marathon this year.

Polen admits he had to hit the ground running, pun intended, when he started his new full-time job July 15.

His job description covers all angles of “course and runner experience,” he said — from making sure Akron’s streets are ready for the Sept. 28 event to making sure volunteers are ready to assist the expected 15,000 participants.

“I’m learning and doing at the same time, and it has been fun,” Polen said in a recent interview.

Polen, a 33-year-old Wooster native, said he started running five years ago to “get healthy and get in shape,” and ran his first Akron Marathon that year. At the time, he was supervising a production facility for an automotive supplier.

Then last October, he and his wife, Tammy, became speciality retailers, opening Vertical Runner in their hometown.

He has organized several activities, from group runs to 5K events, and his immersion into the running community was among the reasons marathon officials were impressed.

“The passion he has for the Akron race and the Akron experience, coupled with his charismatic personality and his experience in the running community, just made him that special candidate we were looking for,” Executive Director Anne Bitong said.

Polen replaced Jim Barnett, who served as race director for the marathon’s first decade and is now a member of its board of trustees.

Other changes await runners and spectators for the 11th Akron Marathon:

On the course

Organizers said the marathon has gotten so big, they’ve had to make adjustments at the starting line.

For the first time, runners will be separated into three “corrals” based on their expected pace.

“In the past, we basically had one big chute of runners and there was some suggestion for people to line up based on their pace, but nothing was enforced,” Polen said.

People confused about where to be in the lineup often ended up in front of much faster runners, causing log jams as thousands of people attempted to pass them.

“We will have some blazingly fast people there this year,” Polen said.

Bibs will be marked with each runner’s corral number, and as usual, a chip in the bib will mark the runner’s official starting time when he or she crosses the starting line.

There will also be something new at the end of the course, Bitong said.

Runners, spectators and volunteers will be able to upload personal snapshots of the race onto the Akron Marathon’s Instagram site. The photos will form a slide show on the big screen at the finish line in Canal Park.

“We’ll get live updates throughout the day,” Bitong said, “and we’re really encouraging our volunteers to be mini reporters out there.”

Health study

The Austen BioInnovation Institute has teamed up with the Akron Marathon to analyze the health benefits of the event.

Event organizers asked participants to fill out a health impact survey last year, but this year’s effort will include pre-race surveys matched to post-race outcomes conducted by medical professionals.

The goal is to collect data on everything from weight loss to how many participants were able to eliminate medications because exercise eradicated some borderline illness.

“Part of our mission is to promote health and wellness, as well as economic impact and promoting the region,” Bitong said. “We want to show there are benefits to focusing on your health.”

Olympic interest

This isn’t the first year runners have used Akron to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team trials, but there might be a record number of them here this year, Polen said.

Based on running times that some folks have put on their registration forms, organizers are guessing about 10 of them are Olympic hopefuls.

Polen credits changes to the half-marathon course, which was made “faster and flatter” last year. “The word got out,” he said, “and more people have identified our race to run for that qualifying time.”

To get invited to the trials for the 2016 Olympics, a man must finish a full marathon in 2:15 or a half-marathon in 1:05. For a woman, those respective times are 2:37 or 1:15.

Registration update

The Akron Marathon is on pace to do what it did last year: sell out.

More than 90 percent of the available spaces in the half and full marathons are filled. The event can handle 2,000 full- and 4,500 half-marathon runners.

Even the five-person relay teams are on pace to fill up, Polen said.

There’s a limit to how many are accepted because of logistics, such as the need to order supplies, and to help manage the traffic jam that can occur at the relay exchange zones, which occur on the same route as the 26.2-mile marathon.

Registration is also underway for the one-mile Kids Fun Run.

To register, visit www.akronmarathon.org.

Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.

Old-timers remember when Grace Park was not somewhere for good people to gather. It was a location so sad and sordid that in 1999 a vandalized, 104-year-old statue of Col. Simon Perkins was moved from the park land — which he donated to the city and named in honor of his wife — to a seemingly friendlier, safer spot at the University of Akron.

But on Saturday afternoon, the park on Akron’s near east side was a far more pleasing place, a location where charity and assistance were available to local residents.

School supplies, clothes, produce and other items were handed out to folks around the park along Prospect, College, Park and, yes, Perkins streets.

Blue tote bags from Walmart were overflowing. Recorded and live music poured from speakers on the Gospel Wagon. The YMCA and Summit County Public Health had information booths. Akron City Council President Gary Moneypenny, one of several city officials on hand, spoke about the way he saw Akron making a comeback.

The picnic has long been about comebacks and recovery. The annual event began in 1999, shortly before the statue moved.

Area residents Ethel Chambers and Anne Lane Gates started it to restore pride and quality to the community, as well as to help local residents. Yolanda Parker, a pastor of the Open Door Assembly of God, stepped in three years ago in conjunction with the church members to keep it going

Support comes from United Way, Family of Faith United Methodist Church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Family & Community Services, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and other operations.

The 2012 picnic served food to close to 1,000 people; Parker said that enough had been collected this year to feed 1,500.
And people were ready to eat. By early Saturday afternoon, more than 100 people — young and old, black and white — stood in the line for hot dogs, ribs and other edibles.

Besides the food, Parker said the household items donated truly help families.
“Many of them may have sheets on their windows,” she said. “They may get curtains, blankets, pillows — things they need in the home. In the clothing area we have clothing for all types of people, so anybody that goes over there can go away with an item.”

But it’s about more than food and goods.

“The whole purpose of the event is to bring unity to the community,” Parker said. “Many of the residents live beside each other, but they never speak to each other. In an environment like this, you can see that they have name tags on with their first names ... to get to know their neighbors.”

Still, the scene in the park seemed to contrast with the picture Moneypenny drew of an Akron showcasing new apartments for young professionals, a hotel and college student housing as part of a “vibrant downtown atmosphere.”

But Moneypenny said the improved local economy would also affect the poor people in Grace Park. More prosperous businesses would be more willing to support efforts like the picnic, he said. People who are doing well, he added, would be more ready to volunteer help to those still struggling.

Rich Heldenfels is a reporter for the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

Hudson: The University of Akron is offering a new, noncredit program for older adults called SAGE Community.

The program will offer one day of classes each week on topics ranging from history to poetry to religion.

The program picks up where a similar one Cuyahoga Community College sponsored, called Encore, left off.

“We were willing to take it over in the future,” said Harvey Sterns, director of UA’s Institute of Lifespan Development and Gerontology, which is overseeing SAGE. “Akron has a long tradition of older adult education.”

SAGE classes will be taught at Christ Church Episcopal on Aurora Street in Hudson, the same site at which Tri-C held its Encore program through last spring.

SAGE students will pay $95 to attend up to five courses that will last for eight weeks beginning Oct. 1. All classes will be on Tuesdays, so the adults will move through the day like students in a high school.

Participants will select from 17 courses that begin as early as 9 a.m. They will include First Mothers and Their Presidential Sons, Power Food for the Brain and The Spirituality of Mother Earth.

For details, call 330-288-8809.

Carol Biliczky can be reached at cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3729.