AKRON
Two men victims
AKRON: Akron police believe two men who were robbed Monday afternoon were targeted by the same gun-toting men.
The first victim, 24, was robbed about 4:30 p.m. while in the 800 block of Sumner Street. The robbers took an iPod, cell phone and $50, police said.
About 90 minutes later, a 25-year-old man was robbed of a phone, a pill bottle and $50 by two men in the 600 block of Sherman Street.
Officers recovered the victim’s property, minus the $50.
Police say the suspects are two black males in their 20s. One wore a red hat and a red and white hooded jacket. The second wore a gray and black hooded sweatshirt and dark colored jeans.
Pizza robbery
AKRON: A man delivering pizza to an Akron home was robbed at gunpoint Monday night, police said.
The 20-year-old Pizza Hut employee was making a delivery about 7:30 p.m. on Arnold Avenue when a masked robber answered the front door with a gun and demanded money.
The driver dropped the food, a cellphone and his wallet and fled to his car.
Police later recovered the man’s cellphone and the large pizza and Pepsi he was delivering.
The house was found to be an abandoned property.
Phone harassment
AKRON: An Akron woman was arrested this week on charges she made harassing phone calls to a library last month.
Lisa Jenkins, 21, called the Kenmore branch library 46 times between Nov. 8 and Nov. 12, according to Akron police. She has a prior conviction for phone harassment in September against the same branch.
According to a police report, Jenkins would call the library repeatedly but not speak when the line was answered.
Police say they also arrested Lynda Plum, 46, on obstructing justice charges. Officers contend Plum blocked officers trying to arrest Jenkins when they visited the Carey Avenue home where she and Jenkins live.
Both women were being held in the Summit County Jail.
Santa visit
AKRON: Garry Moneypenny, the Ward 10 councilman and council president, will hold his annual visit with Santa from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Linda Theater, 1745 Goodyear Blvd.
The event, which is free and open to all families, will include face painting and a raffle for a new bike. Those who attend may bring their own cameras for photos with Santa.
For more information, call Moneypenny at 330-733-9990.
BARBERTON
Victim ID’d
BARBERTON: An Akron man has been identified as the person killed Monday by a passing train in Barberton.
Jason Strickland, 37, died instantly when he was struck at 2 p.m. by the CSX train.
Authorities say he was sitting on the CSX tracks at Coventry Road and State Street in Barberton and was attempting to stand up when he was struck by the train.
Barberton police are investigating the incident.
Facility study
BARBERTON: The city is looking into a new home for its police department and courts.
The City Council on Monday approved a contract to study facility planning that will bring in GPD Group to conduct a needs assessment to determine what it might cost for a new justice center, Municipal Judge David Fish said.
“We don’t know what sites are available, we don’t know if there’s open land to build on or if we’ll need to retrofit a new building, and we don’t know the costs,” Fish said. “We need to know what we don’t know.”
The assessment will be done for the court systems, clerk of courts, probation department and the law department. Fish said the planning study will determine where the new facility might be, and emphasized they would like to keep it in Barberton.
CANTON
Suspects arrested
CANTON: Two suspects were charged in connection with a pizza shop robbery in which an 18-year-old employee was held on the floor with a gun to his head.
Khristian I. Seymour, 19, of Chicago Place Northwest, was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and a speeding violation.
The Highway Patrol arrested him for a traffic violation Friday at Tuscarawas Street West and Dueber Avenue.
Also charged was a 17-year-old Canton boy, according to Capt. David Davis, who heads the department’s detective bureau.
COVENTRY TOWNSHIP
Prostitution charge
COVENTRY TWP.: Four women were arrested and charged with prostitution at a South Main Street business Monday after the Summit County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint that men who were responding to advertisements for massages were paying women to perform sexual acts.
Amber Eslich, 30, of Louisville, and Latosha Wyrick, 32, of Moreno Valley, Calif., were arrested on charges of prostitution and promoting prostitution.
They were transported to the Summit County Jail.
Additionally, Heather Long, 29, of Canton, and Charitey Riggs, 19, of Louisville, were charged with prostitution after deputies executed a search warrant at the business at 3232 S. Main St., where they seized cash and client lists.
They were cited and are to appear in court.
During the investigation, the sheriff’s office determined that women who were giving massages received “tips” for performing sexual acts on their clients.
Their services were advertised under the adult section of known prostitution websites.
Other individuals have been identified as part of the investigation and might be charged.
CUYAHOGA FALLS
Meth lab
CUYAHOGA FALLS: Cuyahoga Falls police discovered a suspected meth lab while investigating a potential burglary at a State Road apartment complex.
Joshua Rix, 29, of Akron, was later arrested on drug charges, Falls police said.
The lab was discovered Friday morning after officers were called to the complex at 2522 State Road when a resident spotted someone attempting to enter a unit through a window.
Police determined there was no burglary. However, they said they found items inside the apartment that could be used to make methamphetamine.
Rix was arrested on a felony charge of illegal assembly of chemicals for the manufacturing of drugs. Falls narcotics officers say further charges are expected against other suspects.
CUYAHOGA VALLEY
Trail meeting
BOSTON HEIGHTS: The National Park Service is holding an informational meeting Thursday on the Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Trailblazers patrol.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Happy Days Lodge off state Route 303.
The volunteers bicycle, hike and ride horses on park trails to assist park visitors.
Volunteers must be available for 27 hours of training and must agree to volunteer at least 40 hours per year.
To apply, call 330-657-2299.
LAKE TOWNSHIP
Temporary budget
LAKE TWP.: Trustees approved 2013 temporary appropriations totaling nearly $11.4 million at their meeting Monday evening.
They also set aside $250,000 for construction of a salt building during 2013 and $90,000 to purchase police vehicles and equipment for the Uniontown Police Department.
The board authorized the purchase and installation of fencing at the township’s recycling center on Midway Avenue from Southway Fence Co. of Canton at a cost of $23,900.
Because of the Christmas holiday, trustees next will meet at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 24.
STARK COUNTY
Final tally
CANTON: Stark County picked a winner and didn’t flip-flop, after all.
The county has a national reputation for backing the successful presidential candidate, but that distinction was in jeopardy this year when Republican Mitt Romney held a slim 644-vote lead after Election Day.
Once all the outstanding provisional ballots were counted, though, Democrat Barack Obama squeaked ahead by 851 votes.
So Obama won Stark just as he did four years earlier.
The Ohio secretary of state certified the official election results last week.
Since 1960, Stark voters correctly picked the winning president every time except for twice. In 1976, they chose Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter. And in 2004, they selected John Kerry over President George Bush.
Statewide, Obama received 2,827,621 votes, or 50 percent of those cast, to Republican Romney’s 2,661,407, or 47 percent.
Voter turnout was 71 percent.
STOW
Discussion tabled
STOW: A public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss legislation related to Redmon Funeral Home’s plans to build a crematorium at its Darrow Road business.
The council’s chambers inside Stow City Hall was packed with residents Monday night, but the planned hearing on the topic was postponed due to technical difficulties that prevented a proper recording of the proceedings.
Redmon is seeking a change in the city’s zoning code to allow funeral homes to install cremation equipment. In October, the city’s Planning Commission unanimously approved a proposal for such a change, sending the matter to council for final action.
Several neighbors of the business have expressed concerns about possible pollution coming from the crematorium.
The City Council will meet after the public hearing Thursday. It has not been determined whether the panel will vote on the Redmon legislation at the meeting.
SUMMIT COUNTY
Art show
TALLMADGE: Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities will host “All Mixed Up” from 6 to 8 p.m. today and Dec. 13 at the Cuyahoga Falls Center, 2355 Second St.
All Mixed Up is the first art show for its Dream Out Loud Studio and features artwork created by individuals with developmental disabilities.
The opening reception will be tonight with a meet-and-greet with the artists and agency representatives. The artwork will be on display and available for purchase.
The event is open to the public.
The public also can support the Dream Out Loud Studio arts program by purchasing artwork at the Gift Gallery in Akron, 2420 Wedgewood Drive, Suite 6.
WADSWORTH
Building site
WADSWORTH: The city’s Planning Commission Monday unanimously approved a proposal by Graff Plumbing to have a business site at 125 Tolbert St.
Commissioner Andy Graham said the plan to improve the site is a “good repurposing of a vacant eyesore.”
The commission set a number of requirements for the approval.
Fencing will be required along the east property line where vehicles are expected to be stored.
Originally, more fencing was proposed but that requirement was dropped by the commission.
Another requirement is that the parking lot is to be graveled.
Originally, the proposal was for the parking lot to be hard surfaced, but that requirement was also dropped.
Other requirements are that the storage of material and inventory on the outside of the building is prohibited and the number of commercial vehicles stored on the site is limited to four.
Planning Director Jeff Kaiser raised the possibility the Environmental Protection Agency might become involved to test for contaminants because the building had been used as a dry-cleaning operation.
The commission set a public hearing at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 on a proposal by Kendall House to rezone from residential to highway interchange commercial less than one acre fronting on West Street directly west of the Sunoco station.
That land, if rezoned, is expected to be added to other commercial land in the area as a site for a restaurant with a drive-through.
After the public hearing, the commission is expected to make a recommendation to the City Council concerning the rezoning request.
The council will then take up the issue, hold a public hearing and make a final decision on the commission’s recommendation.