AKRON
Bank robbed
AKRON: Akron police are looking for the man who robbed an East Waterloo Road bank Tuesday morning.
The man entered the Charter One branch, 1165 E. Waterloo Road, at about 11 a.m. and walked up to a teller. The robber whispered: “Give me all of your money and no dye pack.” The teller gave the man an unspecified amount of cash and the robber fled.
Police say the man is white and in his early 30s. He has brown hair, a slight beard and a large tattoo on the left side of his neck. He was last seen inside a gold, Chrysler Sebring or Dodge Stratus with a black convertible top. The license plate possibly starts with EXJ-54.
Anyone with information is asked to call Akron police at 330-375-2490. Anonymous tips may be left at http://akronohio.gov/asp/tip.html.
Shelter talk
AKRON: Kristin Keller, community resource coordinator of Hudson Ministerial Association, will discuss the Laurel House Shelter for Homeless Adults at a noon luncheon Wednesday.
The event will be at First Congregational Church, 292 E. Market St., at Market and Union streets.
Cost is $7.50, payable at the door in cash or by check made out to: Community Welfare Forum.
Those attending are asked to RSVP by 2:30 p.m. today to Chris Donatelli at CDonatelli@All4Youth.org or 330-864-1359.
BATH TOWNSHIP
Heater caused fire
BATH TWP.: A heater inside a restroom is believed to have ignited a fire at a large concession/storage building at the Our Lady of the Elms sports complex.
Fire officials and insurance investigators have concluded their probe into the early Sunday morning blaze that destroyed the building off Ira Road, school officials said.
They have ruled out foul play. Snow was a helpful clue, because there were no footprints or tire tracks near the scene, school officials said.
A motorist traveling on Interstate 77 about 12:30 a.m. Sunday spotted the flames.
The Elms dedicated the $1.6 million, 16-acre athletic complex in 2001 after it was annexed from the Crown Point Ecology Center. It has two soccer fields, two softball fields, six tennis courts and a track.
School officials hope to rebuild on the site.
COLUMBUS
Oelslager at helm
COLUMBUS: State Sen. Scott Oelslager, R-North Canton, has been named chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, a powerful committee that crafts the state budget.
Senate President Keith Faber noted Oelslager’s 27 years of experience as a state legislator as one of the reasons for his selection.
Oelslager said he is grateful to receive the appointment and looks forward to working with his House colleagues and Gov. John Kasich to “craft a balanced, fiscally responsible spending plan that continues to put Ohio on the road to recovery.”
Record voting
COLUMBUS: Almost 1.9 million Ohioans voted an absentee ballot in last year’s election — a record number for the perennial presidential battleground state.
Roughly 33 percent of the more than 5.6 million votes cast in the November election were from absentee ballots, according to reports released Wednesday from Secretary of State Jon Husted. The early ballots accounted for about 30 percent of the overall votes cast in 2008.
— Associated Press
MEDINA
Porn arrest
MEDINA: A Medina man was arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges.
Richard J. Miezin, 47, is accused by federal authorities with receiving, distributing and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Prosecutors say Miezen possessed and distributed the images from his computer from April 2010 to February 2011. He is also charged with making false statements to FBI investigators.
The indictment came through a joint investigation by the Medina County Sheriff’s Office and the Akron office of the FBI’s Crimes Against Children Task Force.
MEDINA COUNTY
Pediatric flu shots
MEDINA: The Medina County Health Department will provide a pediatric seasonal flu clinic from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at 4800 Ledgewood Drive.
Vaccinations will be administered to children ages 6 months old to 18 years old on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
The vaccine also will be available at a walk-in clinic Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
A parent or legal guardian must accompany all minor children. Cost is $12 for Medina County children and $14.50 for out-of-county children. Adult flu clinics have concluded for the season.
For more information, go to www.medinahealth.org or call 330-723-9688 or 888-723-9688 and choose option 1.
NORTHEAST OHIO
Offices for Joyce
TWINSBURG: U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-Russell Township, will keep the same two district offices U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette used until his retirement as 14th District representative.
The district offices primarily will deal with casework and community outreach. Constituents may contact the offices to request help, share comments or ask questions.
The offices are at 1 Victoria Place, Room 320, Painsville, OH 44077, and 10075 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg, OH 44087. The phone numbers for the Painsville office is 440-352-3939 or 800-447-0529, and for the Twinsburg office is 330-425-9291.
Constituents also can contact Joyce through his website, http://joyce.house.gov/.
STARK county
Employee theft
CANTON: A former employee of the Stark County commissioners’ building maintenance staff has been released after serving five days in jail for stealing janitorial supplies.
Joseph L. Fleming Sr., 53, pleaded guilty to theft before Stark County Common Pleas Judge Lee Sinclair on Dec. 28. Sinclair ordered his release Wednesday. Fleming had been sentenced to 10 days in jail.
Fleming’s sentence includes two years of probation and 200 hours of community service. He was ordered to pay $652 in restitution for cleaning supplies and paper products.
Landfill deal tabled
CANTON: The City Council has postponed for one week a proposal to accept landfill runoff at Canton’s sewage treatment plant in exchange for the site taking the plant’s sludge.
Council President Allen Schulman acknowledged there are environmental concerns about putting landfill leachate into the sewage plant. Four citizens spoke against the idea at Monday’s council meeting.
Dan Lincoln of Magnolia said the city has no way of knowing what is contained in hydraulic fracturing wastes deposited at American Landfill near Waynesburg. He cited radiation as one possibility.
The landfill would provide economical sludge disposal, Service Director Warren Price said. He said the city has procedures for treating leachate and other toxic waste.
“There are just no good choices,” Schulman said.
Law Director Joseph Martuccio said the landfill liquid “had to be dealt with by somebody somehow.”