AKRON: More than 1,000 customers are still without power Tuesday morning after strong winds toppled trees in the Akron area Monday night.

FirstEnergy reports Summit County has the most households affected by the high winds that continued through much of the day Monday.

The power company said it expects to restore power to the majority of affected customers by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Only sporadic outages remain outside of the city and in Portage, Stark and Wayne counties.

Power was restored to almost 1,400 Cuyahoga County customers before 9 a.m. Tuesday.

To see how many people are without power, visit http://outages.firstenergycorp.com/oh.html.

Akron-Canton Airport ceremonially kicked off the holiday travel season Tuesday with a turkey pardoning by Rick McQueen, the airport’s president.

The airport partnered with Goatfeathers Point Farm in Peninsula to spare Pilot, a local blue slate turkey.

Also Tuesday, a leadership team from the airport was to spend the afternoon helping with food distribution at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

MEDINA

Dooley, Myrna, 87, of Medina. Died Monday. Waite & Son.

Miller, Dana B., 59, of Brunswick. Died Monday. Carlson.

Riske, Jerome J., of Chippewa Lake. Died Monday. Waite & Son, Medina.

Roddy, Doris A., 77, formerly of Seville. Died Monday. Waite & Son, Medina.

Wagar, Don L., 91, of Sharon Township. Died Thursday. Carlson, Medina.

STARK

Cotton, Sam V., 84, of Alliance. Died Monday. Cassaday-Turkle-Christian.

Heck, Beverly J., 80, of Massillon. Died Sunday. Paquelet.

Tolley, Annetta, 91, of Canton. Died Sunday. Spiker-Foster-Shriver.

All Friendly’s restaurants in Ohio permanently closed Sunday and Monday, including four in the Akron-Canton area.

All 14 of the locations — which served Friendly’s signature items such as Fribbles, SuperMelt sandwiches and Wattamelon Rolls — were owned by Friendly’s franchisee Apex Eagle Hospitality Inc., according to a Friendly’s spokesman.

“These closings are regrettable, however continuing operation was no longer viable,” said a statement released by the Friendly’s company on behalf of Apex Eagle Hospitality.

The Akron-Canton area restaurants were at 3921 Medina Road (state Route 18) in Bath Township; 2934 South Arlington Road in Coventry Township; 4490 Everhard Road in Jackson Township and 2030 Wales Ave. in Massillon. Other Northeast Ohio-area stores were in Westlake, Parma Heights and Middleburg Heights.

Five of the shuttered Friendly’s locations were in the Dayton area, according to the Dayton Daily News.

It was unclear whether Friendly’s franchises or company-owned locations are closing in other states. The spokesman only had information on the Ohio closings.

Apex Eagle Hospitality is an Ohio enterprise, according to papers filed with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office. A 2004 document filed with Ohio Secretary of State’s office lists its registered agent as Daniel Digiambattista. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

With the closings, the ice cream chain, headquartered in Wilbraham, Mass., continues to have more than 300 stores in the United States.

This compares with about 600 restaurants in 2000. That year, the company closed Friendly’s stores in Tallmadge, North Canton and Alliance.

The chain, founded by Curtis and Prestley Blake of Springfield, Mass., grew rapidly after Hershey Foods bought it in 1979. Many, if not all, of the Ohio stores opened in the 1970s.

In 1988, Donald Smith and his Tennessee Restaurant Corp. acquired Friendly’s for $375 million.

Then in 2007, private equity firm Sun Capital Partners bought the chain. In 2011, the company filed for bankruptcy protection, emerging from bankruptcy in early 2012.

Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.

People Helping People is a list of charitable causes in our area that need donations or volunteers. The Beacon Journal has not investigated these causes, so donors should verify their worthiness and the tax-deductibility of contributions.

A link to a form for submitting requests to People Helping People can be found at www.ohio.com/charity, along with tips on researching charities and a list of causes already published.

Questions about submitting information? Call Mary Beth Breckenridge, 330-996-3756.

NewsChannel 5 is collecting nonperishable food during its Holiday Food Drive through Dec. 14. The drive benefits the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

In the Akron-Canton area, donations may be dropped off at La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries at 3970 Everhard Road NW, Plain Township; 172 Howe Ave., Cuyahoga Falls; and 3790 W. Market St., Fairlawn.

Monetary donations may be made at www.newsnet5.com/fooddrive.

Baskets of Love at Akron Bible Church, 783 Brown St., Akron, OH 44311, distributes food baskets to distressed households and toys to needy families at Christmas. It also operates an emergency food pantry and hot meal program twice weekly throughout the year.

The ministry is in need of the following:

• Donations of turkeys; new, unwrapped toys; and gift cards for older children. These items can be dropped off at the church from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays until Dec. 15.

• Donations of money and new or gently worn winter coats for children and adults.

• Volunteers to help pack food baskets and distribute them Dec. 13-20.

• Volunteers to help with the food pantry year-round.

• Donors willing to pay a utility bill for the pantry for a month during winter.

• Volunteers to help serve lunch Tuesdays and Thursdays after Jan. 1.

• Groups to sponsor a hot lunch once every other month.

For information, contact Henri Etta Fletcher-Lockhart at 234-200-9575 or fletcherhenri@gmail.com.

The ministry has a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/BasketsOfLoveAtAkronBibleChurch.

AKRON

Judicial vacancy

AKRON: The Summit County Republican Party will once again be recommending candidates to fill a judicial vacancy.

The party’s executive committee will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 17 at Portage Country Club, 240 N. Portage Path in Akron.

The committee will select three candidates to recommend to Gov. John Kasich to fill a vacancy on Barberton Municipal Court created by the election Nov. 4 of Judge Todd McKenney to Summit County Common Pleas Court. McKenney is filling an unexpired term ending in January 2017.

Candidates interested in applying may send a written application and resume to Summit County GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff at 1755 Merriman Road, Suite 250, Akron, Ohio 44313. The deadline is 4 p.m. Dec. 11.

A screening committee will interview applicants at noon Dec. 15 at party headquarters and will submit its recommendations to the executive committee.

Kiwanis luncheon

AKRON: Josh McManus, the Akron program director for the Knight Foundation, will speak at the monthly Kiwanis Club luncheon at noon Dec. 4 at the Portage Country Club, 240 N. Portage Path.

Prior to joining the Knight Foundation in July, McManus was the founder and inventor at Little Things Lab in Chattanooga, Tenn., a problem-solving organization that worked with private foundations in U.S. cities. He has a bachelor of science in business administration from Georgia Institute of Technology and a master of science in business administration from the University of Tennessee.

Tickets at the door are $15. To make a reservation, contact Laura Brelin at 330-643-5503 or email lbrelin@uwsummit.org.

Zoo discounts

AKRON: Visitors to the Akron Zoo can choose their own admission fees during December by pulling a snowflake out of Santa’s hat.

Starting Monday and continuing all month, the zoo is dropping admission prices to $4, $5 or $6 on its already discounted winter price of $7. One visitor from each group will be invited to choose a snowflake with the admission price that each person in the party will pay before entering the zoo.

The zoo is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in December, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Most all the zoo’s 700 animals are viewable during the winter season, including the snow leopard cubs that were born earlier this year and will be experiencing their first snowfalls. Visitors can warm up during the cold days inside the Madagascar exhibit, Meso-American exhibits and Komodo Kingdom.

Children under 2 are free; parking is $3.

For more information visit www.akronzoo.org or call 330-375-2550.

LAKE TOWNSHIP

Police gear purchased

LAKE TWP.: Township trustees on Monday approved the purchase of equipment costing $2,060 for the Uniontown Police Department.

Training cartridges, duty cartridges, batteries and left-handed holsters for the department’s Tasers will be purchased from Vance’s Law Enforcement Co.

Trustees also hired Dennis Galada as a part-time fiscal assistant. He will be paid $13 per hour.

STOW

Flight donation

STOW: The Cpl. Joseph A. Tomci Memorial Foundation is donating $6,250 to sponsor an entire flight of World War II veterans to fly to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials in May.

The foundation is named for a Stow Marine who was killed in Iraq in 2006.

The donation will be made to Honor Flight Cleveland, which charters the flights.

SUMMIT COUNTY

Tree ceremony

AKRON: The Victim Assistance Program will host its 20th annual Angel Tree Ceremony from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday in the auditorium of the Akron-Summit County Public Library main location, 60 S. High Street, Akron.

This event that is free and open to the public will honor the homicide victims in Akron from the last year.

For more information, call 330-376-0040.

Students, parents and parishioners enjoyed an early Thanksgiving meal Tuesday at UDS Steel Academy, a charter school that opened this fall on Creighton Avenue after North Akron Catholic School closed the previous spring.

The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland had merged the old parochial middle school with St. Anthony’s in a five-year effort to right-size its schools and parishes.

With education continuing in the old Catholic school building, the community had an extra reason to celebrate the home-cooked meal that the school’s vibrant parent-teacher association provided.

“I think it’s wonderful. There were a lot of people from the church that gave and gave and gave to build this school,” said Eva Stull, a member of Christ the King Church for 50 years before it, too, merged.

Stull was among dozens of parishioners from Blessed Trinity Parish who broke bread in the school’s gymnasium with 98 students and about 70 parents.

The charter school has hit its target enrollment two months after opening. The school is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Education and managed by United Disability Services of Akron. It caters mostly to students with Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD or autism spectrum disorders.

Education relies heavily on hands-on instruction for students who learn differently. Math instruction, for instance, is mixed into music and cooking classes.

The school’s signature element, a steel drum band, has provided the tempo for a learning model pioneered by Angel Lawrie, the school’s founder and principal.

Lawrie is a 25-year public school teacher. She launched a steel drum band four years ago while working at Summit Academy, a chain of charter schools that uses music therapy and karate to reach children with special needs.

When Lawrie made the announcement this summer to start her own school, 40 students quickly signed up.

But the vision lacked a building and a business plan.

Meanwhile, consolidation efforts continued to free up Catholic schools, which have rented many vacant buildings to publicly funded and privately run charter schools.

“Our school was in crisis in terms of the number of students,” the Rev. Joe Warner, pastor at Blessed Trinity, said of declining enrollment in 2010.

After Lawrie met Gary Knuth, executive director at United Disability Services, the two took her plan to Warner, who cautioned that opening by the fall would be a long shot.

“When we first met, I said, ‘Hey, you don’t realize our diocese doesn’t move that fast,’ ” Warner recalled.

The decision took only three weeks, however, and learning at the old Catholic school hasn’t skipped a beat.

“Really, there was no hole to fill. The timing was incredible,” Warner said.

“It must have been divine intervention,” Knuth joked.

Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792 or dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.

The leader of an effort to grow the region’s economy through medical-related research, education and product development is stepping down at the end of the year.

Dr. Frank L. Douglas has served as the president and chief executive of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) since 2009, shortly after area hospitals and universities launched the partnership.

Douglas, 71, was scheduled to reduce his hours next year but instead decided the time was right to transition to president emeritus and vice chair of the BioInnovation Institute’s board.

“My role then becomes redefined, but I’m still involved,” Douglas said. “I’ll be available for Skyping conferences and definitely coming in for any type of projects or meetings that require my presence.”

Douglas came to Akron to serve as the institute’s first president and chief executive after a national search five years ago.

During his career, he led the discovery, development and market introduction or management of more than 20 drugs, including allergy medicine Allegra and osteoporosis drug Actonel. He also has served on advisory boards for the World Health Organization, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health.

Under Douglas’ leadership, the BioInnovation Institute secured federal grants, spearheading a national industry effort to make the United States more competitive globally in the medical device industry, and led a collaboration with the FDA in biomaterials.

Institute Board Chair William Considine, president and chief executive of Akron Children’s Hospital, praised Douglas’ leadership.

“Dr. Frank Douglas is one of those truly transformational leaders,” Considine said Tuesday. “He is a phenomenal visionary, extraordinarily proactive in this thinking. He’s one-of-a-kind.

“I really admire and applaud his value system and what he was able to do with a concept, because there was no substance in terms of the Austen BioInnovation Institute, truly, when he came. He pulled people together and developed a startup company over his tenure here that truly did impact our community in a very positive way.”

Douglas’ departure comes as the institute is continuing to undergo big changes since two of its founding partners — Akron General Health System and the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) — opted not to continue as full partners this year.

Akron General and NEOMED joined with the University of Akron, Summa Health System and Akron Children’s Hospital in 2008 to launch the BioInnovation Institute, a nonprofit headquartered in downtown Akron.

ABIA has sought new partners and focused on marketing its services to medical device companies, health-care systems, firms interested in entering medical markets, inventors, entrepreneurs, colleges and universities.

The institute also streamlined operations, reducing staff from a high of about 30 employees to 15 as it contends with operational losses and reduced financial support from its partners.

As part of its new strategy, the institute recently entered an agreement for Akron Children’s Hospital to take over operations of the simulation center in ABIA’s downtown headquarters.

Children’s is leasing the 22,000-square-foot mock hospital and high-tech simulation equipment from ABIA for $38,900 per month ($466,800 per year) and marketing the facility to other hospitals, universities and first responders to use for training.

The institute is leasing its headquarters space on North Main Street from the Development Finance Authority of Summit County.

The finance authority issued $7 million in bonds to help renovate the bottom three floors and basement for the BioInnovation Institute. The project also received a $2.5 million low-interest loan from the state, $1 million in equity from the institute and $250,000 from the county for HVAC work on the upper floors.

The institute’s $620,000 annual lease covers the yearly payments due on the bonds and state loan.

Considine said the ABIA’s board is exploring whether a partnership might be possible for the institute’s other key initiative: medical device development.

The board is waiting to see the outcome of those discussions before picking Douglas’ successor, he said. “Depending on the structure, the type of individual you might need in that role will be different.”

Douglas earned $614,640 in total compensation from the institute in 2012, according to the nonprofit’s most recent available filing with the Internal Revenue Service.

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

On Monday night, Ferguson erupted.

On Tuesday afternoon, about 200 Kent State students marched across campus to protest the Ferguson decision. Some chanted, “Don’t shoot” and, “No justice, no peace.”

In Cleveland on Tuesday evening, thousands shut down the city at rush hour, clogging streets and spilling onto expressways. Their rallies followed a police shooting of a 12-year-old boy who waved a toy gun at an officer.

In Akron, there was nothing. Or was there?

The events of Ferguson, Mo., stirred again the national conscience regarding one of its most difficult subjects: race.

Or is the issue really race? Is it justice?

As Tuesday morning unfolded and Americans digested the events of the night before, Beacon Journal reporters and editors gathered to talk about what people in our community may think, what they know and what they don’t know.

Out of that discussion came this.

There was talk

Ferguson is about eight hours to the west on Interstate 70, but people here were talking.

Hashtags and names trending on Twitter in Northeast Ohio included #FergusonDecision; Mike Brown, who had been shot in Ferguson; Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Brown; Tamir Rice, the adolescent shot in Cleveland; African-Americans; and Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old shot dead by a neighborhood-watch volunteer in Florida in 2012.

Brimfield police Chief David A. Oliver, who is white and a daily poster with an international following, offered a long commentary on Facebook which by early Tuesday afternoon had more than 10,000 likes and 6,000 shares. In part it said:

“Today 350+ million people in the United States will not commit a felony, steal from a store, bully a clerk, punch a cop in the face, fight for his gun, charge at the officer to engage in a life and death struggle and get shot. Being a contributing member of society and abiding by the law is not as hard as some want you to believe.

“If we want to look at things to change, we ought to start by teaching people to follow the rules we have in place. … We should recognize the authority of parents, teachers, police and others in a position to enforce rules and laws.”

Here?

People asked questions.

Can it happen here?

What made it happen there?

Is our community different?

Responding to a question on Facebook, Kristina Belinge of Canton said, “Of course it could. Racism is still a very real and touchy subject and happens everywhere. Not all police are good. And not all civilians are law-abiding citizens.”

On Twitter, Ryan Isley of Akron said, “It could happen here. It could happen anywhere. Who would have thought what happened at Papa Don’s would happen in Akron?”

He was referring to the fatal shooting of off-duty Akron policeman Justin Winebrenner on Nov. 16. Isley explained that he wasn’t talking about racism, but senseless violence: “Things escalate and get out of control, which seems to be what happened in Ferguson as well as in Akron.”

Ferguson is safer

Akron is a major metropolitan city of 198,559 with a suburban sprawl that includes 400,000 to 500,000 more people.

Ferguson, with 21,129 people, is a suburb a few miles outside of St. Louis and within the city’s beltway. In comparison with the Akron metro area of 700,000, the St. Louis metro area is 2.8 million.

Ferguson’s population count is about the same as Hudson’s.

But back to Akron, Ferguson has a higher median income, is slightly more educated, higher home values and an unusually high number of women to men: 57 to 43.

The two cities are the opposite in crime and racial composition: Akron had 1,570 violent crimes per 100,000 people last year, Ferguson only 101. Akron is 31 percent black, Ferguson 65 percent.

What about emotions?

Surely, the outpouring of support during the funeral of white Akron police officer Justin Winebrenner reflects a different attitude toward police here, doesn’t it?

The Rev. Greg Harrison of Antioch Baptist Church, a former Akron police detective, is African-American.

Harrison is concerned.

“We have the same ingredients,” he said. “We’re kidding ourselves if we think we’re immune to that, if we think we’re just not Ferguson yet. We need to look at whether we commit resources to preventing getting there or commit to paying for what happens after.”

Akron was recognized across the country in the 1990s for its head-on conversation about race after riots ripped Los Angeles. The Coming Together Project brought the president of the United States to the University of Akron campus for a town hall conversation.

Maybe it’s time for another.

“I really think it’s past time we have this conversation regarding race, that we have this conversation regarding minorities and police officers,” Harrison said.

Darrita Davis, president of Stop the Violence Akron, was planning her Tuesday night meeting when she received a call from a reporter.

“We don’t want to have a riot here in Akron,” said Davis, who is African-American. “We need to have a conversation: Do black lives matter?”

“You expect police to protect and serve,” she said. “You want them to be safe as well. Where is the common ground where we can all work together?”

Experts’ view

Two Kent State University professors, Patrick Coy, the director of the Center for Applied Conflict Management and an expert in nonviolence, and Jerry Lewis from the Department of Sociology and with roots in anti-war studies, expressed concerns.

Coy lived in St. Louis for a decade and described it as one of the most depopulated, de-industrialized cities in the country, far more segregated than Akron or Cleveland.

Structurally, trouble is less likely in Akron, but emotionally, injustice can spawn violence anywhere.

“I think that the black community uprising in response to differential treatment by police and the justice system could happen anywhere in this country,” said Coy.

Lewis suggested that if there had been an indictment, celebration could have turned violent, too.

“With all due respect that every death has its tragedy, the symbolic values of the white policeman and the black youth are very powerful,” Lewis said. “I think that’s what drives Ferguson as the litmus test for racism in our society.”

He said the fact that the president inserted himself in the issue escalates the symbolic importance.

And for a white commenter on the Beacon Journal’s Ohio.com, the president is indeed an issue: “I would like to have seen Obama send a few officials to the funeral in [Akron] LAST WEEK, of OFFICER JUSTIN WINEBRENNER, a white policeman, killed two weeks ago in Akron by a black man.”

Contributing to this story were Beacon Journal reporters Marilyn Miller, Rick Armon, Rich Heldenfels and Stephanie Warsmith.

PARIS TWP.: A 19-year-old Minerva man was seriously injured Wednesday morning in a hit-and-run crash.

Authorities are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver of a 2014 black Chevrolet Cruze believed to be the vehicle involved in the incident. It would show heavy front-end damage, the State Highway Patrol said.

The man was walking westbound at 8:20 a.m. on the north side of U.S. 30 between Tunnel Hill Avenue and Cindell Street Southeast when a westbound vehicle hit him and kept driving. He was transported to Aultman Hospital in Canton, where he was listed in critical condition, according to information from the Jackson Township post of the patrol.

Pieces of the car left at the scene helped the patrol identify its make and model. Damaged areas include fender, headlight, fog light, passenger-side mirror and possibly the windshield, the patrol said.

Authorities are asking for anyone with information to call 330-433-6200. Local body shops are being contacted in case they come in contact with this vehicle.

Trustees of the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation awarded $859,000 in grants and gifts to charities and charitable activities in the Akron area this month.

By far the largest award, $500,000, was given to Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens for restoration of its Historic Twin Tea Houses and Hidden Aspect. (See related story.)

Other awards went to:

■ Access Inc., $4,000 for illuminated outdoor signage.

■ Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, $15,000 for transportation costs.

■ Akron Roundtable, $500 for operations.

■ Akron Zoological Park, $10,000 for renovations at the lemur exhibit.

■ American National Red Cross, $15,000 for the Summit, Portage and Medina Counties Chapter for transportation services.

■ Arthritis Foundation, $2,500 to the Great Lakes Region, Northeastern Ohio office for operations.

■ Bluecoats Endowment Fund, $1,000 for a 2015 contribution.

■ Boy Scouts of America, Great Trail Council, $10,000 for its Pathfinder Urban Scouting Program.

■ Building for Tomorrow, $25,000 for its early childhood initiative.

■ Children’s Concert Society of Akron, $8,000 for in-school program artistic fees.

■ Community Hall Foundation (Akron Civic Theatre), $15,000 for theater repairs.

■ Community Outreach Resources Exchange (CORE), $8,000 for its furniture bank.

■ Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet, $10,000 for its 39th performance season.

■ East Akron Neighborhood Development Corp., $10,000 for greenspace vacant lot reuse projects.

■ Embracing Futures, $16,000 for orthodontic treatment.

■ Foundation Center-Cleveland, $2,000 for a 2015 contribution to its Library/Learning Center.

■ Furnace Street Mission, $8,000 for its Safety Forces Chaplaincy Center.

■ Good Neighbors Inc., $5,000 for its food pantry.

■ Goodwill Industries of Akron, Ohio, Inc., $2,500 for a 2015 contribution.

■  Greenleaf Family Center, $5,000 for handicap-accessible doors.

■ Greenleaf Family Center, $7,500 for its Adolescent Suicide Prevention Program.

■ GroundWorks Dancetheater, $5,000 for 2015 Summit County performances and outreach.

■ Haven of Rest Ministries, $2,000 for 2015 operations.

■ Info Line Inc., $10,000 for 2015 operations and programs.

■  International Institute of Akron, $20,000 for citizenship and immigration services programs.

■ Jewish Family Service of Akron, $10,000 for its Summit County Seniors: Happy, Healthy and at Home Project.

■ Mature Services, $15,000 for its Homecare Program.

■ Mobile Meals of Akron, $15,000 for meals and medically prescribed supplements.

■ NAMI Summit County, $5,000 for its Summit County Housewarming Project.

■ National Multiple Sclerosis Society, $5,000 to the Ohio Buckeye Chapter for its Equipment, Home and Modification Program.

■ OPRS Communities — Rockynol Life Care Fund, $1,000 for 2015 operations.

■ Salvation Army, $10,000 for its Learning Zone.

■ Stewart’s Caring Place, $10,000 for integrative care and group programs, workshops and classes.

■ Summit County Children Services, $500 for the Caring and Sharing Fund.

■ Summit County Children Services, $500 for the graduation Recognition Fund.

■ Summit County Historical Society, $25,000 for Perkins property restoration.

■ United Way of Summit County, $20,000 for its 2014 campaign.

■ United Way of Summit County (as fiscal agent for Bridges Summit County), $10,000 for Bridges Summit County shared collaborative costs.

■ Weathervane Community Playhouse, $15,000 for its 2014-15 season.

In addition to the awards, the foundation continued to pay down its $100,000 commitment to The Magical Theatre for its Restore the Magic! Capital Campaign and made final payments on its $100,000 award to the University of Akron Foundation for a conference room in its new College of Business Administration Student Success Center and to RMH of Akron Inc. for its capital campaign to renovate and expand the local Ronald McDonald House.

For information about the foundation and its grant application process, call 330-762-6427 or go to www.foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/corbin.

PARIS TWP.: A 19-year-old Minerva man was seriously injured Wednesday morning in a hit-and-run crash.

Authorities are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver of a 2014 black Chevrolet Cruze believed to be the vehicle involved in the incident.

It would show heavy front-end damage, the State Highway Patrol said.

The man was walking westbound at 8:20 a.m. on the north side of U.S. 30 between Tunnel Hill Avenue and Cindell Street Southeast in Stark County’s Paris Township when a westbound vehicle hit him and kept driving. He was transported to Aultman Hospital in Canton, where he was listed in critical condition, according to information from the Jackson Township post of the patrol.

Pieces of the car left at the scene helped the patrol identify its make and model. Damaged areas include fender, headlight, fog light, passenger-side mirror and possibly the windshield, the patrol said.

Authorities are asking for anyone with information to call 330-433-6200. Local body shops are being contacted in case they come in contact with this vehicle.

People Helping People is a list of charitable causes in our area that need donations or volunteers. The Beacon Journal has not investigated these causes, so donors should verify their worthiness and the tax-deductibility of contributions.

A link to a form for submitting requests to People Helping People can be found at www.ohio.com/charity, along with tips on researching charities and a list of causes already published.

Questions about submitting information? Call Mary Beth Breckenridge, 330-996-3756.

The Women’s Board of Catholic Charities Community Services of Summit County, 812 Biruta St., Akron, OH 44307-1104, is collecting household and personal items for its Bags of Love for families in need. Items needed include laundry detergent, soaps, dish detergent, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, shampoo, conditioner, paper products and diapers. Deadline is Dec. 8.

For information, visit http://uwsummit.org or call the United Way Volunteer Center, 330-643-5512.

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, 350 Opportunity Parkway, Akron, OH 44307, is holding its annual Hunger-Free Families campaign through Dec. 31.

These events are planned:

■  Double Your Dollar Day, Dec. 1. Donations made online at www.akroncantonfoodbank.org will be doubled.

■  Giving Tuesday, Dec. 2. All Bob Evans restaurants, Papa John’s locations in Akron, most Chipotle restaurants and the Spaghetti Warehouse will donate a percentage of proceeds to the food bank.

■  Long Haul Against Hunger, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 12, outside Kisling, Nestico & Redick, 3412 W. Market St., Fairlawn. Donors can drop off money or nonperishable food. Monetary donations will be matched.

■  Sale of food bank icons, through Dec. 13. Buy an icon for $1 at local Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt and SweetFrog frozen yogurt locations, On Tap at the Harbor in Coventry Township, Sarah’s Vineyard in Cuyahoga Falls or Pancho’s Southwestern Grille in Green.

■  Selfless Elf 5K, starting at 8 a.m. Dec. 20. Participants are encouraged to dress in holiday-theme costumes to run or walk a course that begins and ends at the food bank.

More information about the food bank is on the website, or by calling 330-535-6900.

AKRON

Fire displaces family

AKRON: A fire severely damaged a home in the 1000 block of Roslyn Avenue on Wednesday afternoon and displaced the family living there.

The Akron Fire Department received a call about 1 p.m. about a stove on fire in the kitchen. When firefighters arrived, the house was ablaze, with heavy smoke coming from one side. Everyone had safely made it outside.

Firefighters had the blaze under control by about 1:45 p.m.

A damage estimate was not immediately available.

The American Red Cross was notified to provide help to the family.

Holiday festivities

AKRON: The holiday festivities at Lock 3 Park in downtown Akron will kick off officially this weekend.

The Holiday Tree Lighting Festival will begin at 7 p.m. Friday. It will feature Akron’s own Jasmine Moore and United Ice and will end with the lighting of displays throughout Lock 3 and a pyrotechnics show.

The Welcome Santa Holiday Parade will step off at 11 a.m. Saturday. It will feature 100 units that will march up Main Street from Cedar Street to Bowery Street.

For more information about Akron’s holiday plans, go to www.lock3live.com, call 330-375-2877 or email lock3@akronohio.gov.

CUYAHOGA VALLEY

Trail section reopens

The National Park Service has reopened the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail through Sunday from the Frazee House in Valley View to the Station Road Trailhead in Brecksville.

Starting Monday, the trail will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Dec. 5 so workers can dredge the canal and remove debris.

PLAIN TOWNSHIP

New police vehicles

PLAIN TWP.: Trustees on Tuesday approved the purchase of four 2015 Ford Explorer Police Interceptors from Waikem Ford at a cost not to exceed $29,000 each.

Stark County sheriff’s deputies who are contracted to patrol Plain Township will use the vehicles.

Trustees also approved the purchase of a printer/plotter at a cost of $8,200 for the zoning, fire and road departments to use to print large maps.

Approval also was granted for increasing zoning fees for new construction in Plain Township from 7 cents to 10 cents per square foot.

Zoning Director Dennis Fulk told trustees this puts Plain Township in line with similar fees in nearby townships.

Revere Schools

Agreements approved

BATH TWP.: The Revere Board of Education on Tuesday approved paying for buses, auditing services and service agreements with outside providers.

The district will purchase two new buses for $80,491 each through bids made possible with membership in the Ohio Schools Council. This midyear, out-of-cycle purchase was necessitated by structural problems with buses in the aging fleet, Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer David Forrest told the board.

Cost for the 71-passenger buses will be paid with the district’s permanent improvement funds. Delivery is expected shortly after the first of the year.

The board also approved using the services of the State of Ohio Auditor’s Office for fiscal year 2014 at $24,190, an increase of $1,517 from the previous year.

The need for audiology services in the district will be handled through an agreement with Akron Children’s Hospital at a projected cost of $5,500.

In addition, the board approved an agreement with the Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center for the use of a teacher of the visually impaired on an as-needed basis for $91.50 per hour.

WADSWORTH

‘One call’ explainer

WADSWORTH: An information session to explain the city’s emergency notification system known as “One Call Reaches All” will be held at the Soprema Senior Center, 617 School Drive, at 2:45 p.m. Monday.

The One Call system will provide emergency alerts for severe weather and other hazardous conditions by telephone or computer.

Monday’s session will explain how to sign up for the system, and personnel will be on hand to help with that process.

Registration is requested by calling 330-335-1513.

Local police departments do not expect a drop-off in Black Friday crowds this year, despite the trend of shopping online.

“There have been online sales for years now,” Fairlawn Police Chief Kenneth Walsh said. “And people still keep coming. I really doubt if that will ever change.”

Walsh said the Fairlawn Police Department will maintain its usual Black Friday protocol at the four main shopping centers in the city: the Shops of Fairlawn, Rosemont Commons, Fairlawn Town Centre and Summit Mall.

“While [Summit Mall] has its own security force and we do walkthroughs of the mall every once in a while, we’ll definitely increase our presence there on Black Friday,” Walsh said. “We have extra people in the mall as well as patrolling the parking lots, because those can get pretty crazy as well.”

At the Aurora Farms Premium Outlets, there will also be an increased police presence for Black Friday shopping, Aurora Police Chief Brian Byard said.

“During the holiday season, especially Black Friday, the mall employs several additional uniformed officers throughout the day, as do many of the stores,” Byard said. “Some being plainclothes and others being uniformed officers. In addition, we will have extra patrol on the grounds as well. The mall also has their own private security staff.”

Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards said Chapel Hill Mall will also be using off-duty officers during the holiday shopping season.

The Akron Police Department also passed along advice for safe holiday shopping, including:

■ Be aware of your surroundings.

■ Plan your route: Drive at safe speeds and according to the weather conditions; take along a charged cellphone.

■ Park smart: Park close to the store in a well-lighted area and keep the car locked. When returning to the car, have your keys out and check inside and under the car.

■ Shop together: Shopping at night is best to do in groups.

■ Shop in small doses: Make regular trips back to the car. Too many packages can put you off balance and make you a target.

■ Hide purchases: Put items in the trunk, rather than placing them on the floor or seat.

■ Dress down: Be casual, comfortable and avoid wearing expensive jewelry.

■ Use cash and credit cards safely: Do not display a large amount of cash and be aware of identity theft.

■ Do not play hero: Comply with a thief’s demands, and do not return home if you feel as though you are being followed.

Katie Nix can be reached at 330-996-3216 or knix@thebeaconjournal.com. She can also be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KatieNix_ABJ.

A federal proposal to tighten limits on ozone, or smog, to better protect public health will affect the Akron-Cleveland area, but the required changes will not be overly sweeping.

E-Check vehicle tests and more costly reformulated fuel likely will remain in place in eight counties in Northeast Ohio, said Sam Rubens, administrator of the Akron Regional Air Quality Management District and assistant environmental health director of Summit County Public Health.

“Overall, it won’t be too bad,” he said of the proposed tighter limits on the air pollution from factories, power plants and vehicles.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to lower that ozone limit to 70 or even 65 parts per billion from the current 75 parts per billion allowed under the Clean Air Act. Such a move probably would trigger lawsuits and major political fighting at the same time the White House is pushing an anti-carbon, clean-air strategy.

The new ozone limit could fall anywhere in the 65 to 70 range when it is finalized by Oct. 1, U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Wednesday in a teleconference.

The EPA had until Dec. 1 to release its plan to comply with a federal court deadline. State will have until 2020 to draft clean-air plans and comply.

A 90-day public comment period will be held after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. Three public hearings will be held.

Air region readings

Northeast Ohio fails to comply with the current limit because of ozone levels of 78 parts per billion in Lake County for unofficial 2012-2014 ozone readings, Rubens said.

He said ozone readings elsewhere in the region were 62 in Summit County, 64 in Portage County, 67 in Medina County, 75 in Cuyahoga County, 70 in Geauga County, 69 in Lorain County and 72 in Ashtabula County.

Because the eight-county area is considered an air region, an excessive ozone level in one county means sanctions against all eight.

Ozone — formed when hydrocarbons combine with nitrogen oxides in direct sunlight — can cause breathing problems for children, the elderly and asthmatics. It has been linked to heart disease and premature deaths.

Ozone limits were last set in 2008 by the Bush administration. The 75 parts per billion limit was never fully enacted.

The EPA planned to release new ozone limits in August 2011, but President Obama delayed them because of attacks from Republicans and powerful industry groups.

If the limit drops to 70, the Cleveland-Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton. Toledo and Lima regions would all fail, Ohio EPA spokeswoman Heidi Griesmer said. A limit of 65 parts per billion would add the Portsmouth, Marietta and Steubenville regions to that list.

The state agency will review the EPA proposal and submit comments, she said.

Recommending limits

An EPA advisory committee has recommended a limit of 60 parts per billion. The agency must review the standard every five years.

Environmental and public health advocates hailed the EPA action. Many Republicans, manufacturers and the fossil fuels industry blasted the move as too costly for the benefit it might provide.

“The proposed new limit will mean Ohio citizens benefit in two major ways: cleaner air and healthier lives,” said Trish Demeter of the Ohio Environmental Council, a statewide eco-group. She said 5 million Ohioans are at risk from smog-filled air.

Harold P. Wimmer, national president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said the EPA proposal would “provide greater protection to millions of Americans from the nation’s most pervasive air pollutant — a step that is long overdue.”

He said medical and scientific evidence suggests the limit should be lowered to 60 parts per billion to truly protect human health.

Industry groups said the ozone proposal would hurt the economy with little public health benefit. It would cost jobs and negatively affect consumers.

The powerful American Petroleum Institute said the ozone plan would be the “most expensive regulation ever imposed on the American public” and could cost $270 billion a year.

At 65 parts per billion, 94 percent of the United States would fail to comply and would be forced to take corrective measures, critics said.

The EPA proposal is available at www.epa.gov/glo.

Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.

Doug Piekarz fell in love with nature as a child fishing for trout, watching birds and relishing wildlife at his grandfather’s small cabin on a dirt road in the Catskill Mountains of New York.

“It really opened up my eyes to the gift that’s around us if we stop long enough to look,” said Piekarz, who quickly committed his life to the preservation and admiration of animals and plants.

“I wanted to go save the world. I’ve spent much of my life looking for ways to do that.”

On Wednesday, the Akron Zoo’s board of directors gave Piekarz another way to accomplish his life’s goal by selecting the 17-year employee as the zoo’s next CEO and president.

“I feel fulfilled in my goal as a little 8-year-old boy in trailblazers at my grandfather’s cabin in the Catskills,” Piekarz, 47, said.

Piekarz will step up from his current role as vice president of planning and conservation at the zoo Jan. 1. He succeeds Pat Simmons, who in June said she was leaving after 31 years to become deputy director and chief operating officer at the North Carolina Zoo.

Piekarz’s employment at the Akron Zoo began in 1997, when Simmons lured him from the Bronx Zoo.

“ ‘If you come to Akron, you will help me build the zoo.’ That’s what Pat Simmons told me in my interview,” Piekarz recalled. “And it just captured my imagination.”

Since 1997, the zoo has expanded exhibits, passed three levies and opened year-round.

“I’m very proud of the staff and the community, of the accomplishments that this organization has had over the years,” said Piekarz, who added that he will continue to value the community input that has redefined the zoo.

Piekarz has held various positions from animal keeper to designer to his current position as vice president of planning and conservation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in biology, ecology and evolution from Montclair State University in New Jersey.

The board had contracted with a firm to conduct a nationwide search to replace Simmons.

“After talking with many local and national candidates during our search, we felt Doug was the right person to lead the Akron Zoo as the next president and CEO,” Bob Littman, chairman of the zoo’s board of directors, said in the news release. “Doug has great passion and dedication to the Akron Zoo, the community and conservation. He has earned the respect of the Board of Directors, his peers and zoo staff through his extensive work in exhibit design and construction, animal welfare and sustainability efforts.”

Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792 or dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.

A gift from a local foundation will allow Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens’ visitors to take in a view of the Cuyahoga Valley that’s been denied them for a decade.

The $500,000 grant from the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation will to used in part to restore the Hidden Aspect, an outdoor patio overlooking a lagoon on the Stan Hywet property and the Cuyahoga Valley beyond. The money will also fund restoration of the Twin Tea Houses, which flank the lagoon overlook at the end of the Birch Tree Allee.

Both the Hidden Aspect and the Tea Houses are built of sandstone, which is deteriorating, said Gailmarie Fort, vice president of outreach and communications for the historical estate. The houses are still safe for visitors, she said, but the Hidden Aspect was deemed too unstable for use.

“We’ve been monitoring and measuring them year by year,” she said.

Even Fort and other staff members at Stan Hywet have never visited the Hidden Aspect, which is north of the Tea Houses and curves to face the Cuyahoga Valley. It has been closed since 2004 and isn’t visible from the rest of the estate, she said.

The Hidden Aspect was a favorite picnic spot of the family of F.A. and Gertrude Seiberling, the Goodyear co-founder and his wife who built Stan Hywet a century ago.

The Tea Houses are garden pavilions flanking the Birch Tree Allee Vista, an overlook that’s a favorite spot for bridal parties. The houses were intended to serve as a place to rest and enjoy the view or seek shelter in bad weather.

Fort said Stan Hywet’s architect, Mark Gilles, will work with geology students from the University of Akron and Kent State University to assess all three structures and determine what needs to be done to shore them up.

The gift is part of a $6 million capital campaign that Stan Hywet has been pursuing quietly but hasn’t announced publicly, Fort said. Money raised by the campaign would also fund work on the perimeter stone wall and on leaded glass windows in the Manor House, Carriage House and Gate Lodge, as well as a room-by-room restoration of the Manor House.

The campaign’s $6 million goal also includes $2 million for Stan Hywet’s endowment.

Work on the Tea Houses and the Hidden Aspect will begin once all the money has been confirmed, Fort said. No timeline has been set.

Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MBBreckABJ, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckABJ and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.

Rather than hosting a traditional toy drive in order to collect donations for Toys for Tots, the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity is getting clever with its efforts.

The fraternity, known as Phi Psi for short, is selling ugly Christmas sweaters on the second floor of the University of Akron Student Union. Proceeds will go to the holiday season nonprofit.

“We wanted to do something a little bit more creative,” said Nick Dorsey, the fraternity’s president. “After the sales are over, we plan on taking the money and donating it.”

He said the fraternity plans to go to Toys R Us and buy toys to donate as well.”

Dorsey and Phi Psi’s philanthropy chair, Erik Etapa, sold sweaters for a range of $10 to $15 at the Student Union on Wednesday.

“We’ve had to hold a couple for people, but we’ve sold quite a few as well,” Dorsey said. “One of the fraternities bought a ton from us for their ugly sweater-themed date party.”

He said the group has raised about $600 so far.

By noon Wednesday, the two only had about five ugly sweaters and vests left.

“We’ve been cleared out,” Etapa said, laughing. “It’s a great problem to have, though. This has been a bigger success than I ever could have hoped.”

The sale was Etapa’s idea. He said Christmas was his favorite holiday, and he wanted to do something special for it.

“Sweater parties are a big part of the season, and I wanted to utilize that,” Etapa said. “Plus, every kid deserves a present to rip open on Christmas Day.”

Etapa said he trolls thrift shops around town trying to find more sweaters and vests, but the fraternity is also accepting ugly sweater donations and will sell those as well.

“I had found some ones with cats on them, and those went so fast I didn’t even know what to do,” Etapa said. “I didn’t even have time to get them up on the online catalog before they were gone.”

In addition to sweater sales in the Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 1, 3, and 5, the fraternity is selling them via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sweatersfortoys.

Katie Nix can be reached at 330-996-3216 or at knix@thebeaconjournal.com. She can also be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KatieNix_ABJ.

PORTAGE

Doles, Kenneth, 57, of Shalersville. Died Monday. Bissler & Sons, Kent.

Greene, Ralph C., 94, of Windham. Died Tuesday. Green, Mantua.

STARK

Urban, Theda J., 75, of Beach City. Died Monday. Paquelet & Arnold-Lynch.

OTHER

Rawson, Gary L., 69, of Stow. Died Monday. Adams Mason, Akron.