Displaying items by tag: Akron News

(City of Akron) Today (Wednesday), Mayor Horrigan is pleased to announce that work on Main Street has flipped from the west side of the street to the east side, marking the completion of a vast majority of the major underground utility work on the project. This milestone moves the project one important step closer to completion which is scheduled for July 2020.

"This critical indicator of progress is a reminder that the finish line is in sight,” said Mayor Dan Horrigan. “I am excited to see the ultimate result of all the work that has gone into completely renovating our Main Street Corridor. I continue to encourage residents to support the wonderful businesses that call Main Street 'home’ as we push forward with the last stretch of Phase I construction.”

All northbound traffic, between W. State St. and just south of W. Bowery St., has now been flipped over onto the newly paved west side of the street as contractors begin work along the east side. With this shift of traffic, on-street parking will not be available within these limits. On street parking is available on University Ave., State St. and S. High St. This portion of the project (State St. to Bowery St.) is expected to be complete by June 30.

Free two hour parking will be available in the Summit County parking deck located at 200 S. High St., for those visiting Main Street businesses impacted by this phase of construction. Click here for a parking map. Vouchers are good for up to two hours. Vouchers are available with a purchase from any of the following businesses: Indulge, Key Bank, El Gato, Lockview, Baxter’s, The Peanut Shoppe, US Bank, Barley House, and the Civic Box Office. Patrons should take a ticket upon entering the deck, and then when leaving, should insert their ticket (at the High Street exit) and when prompted to pay, scan their voucher.

In addition to the work associated with the Main Street Corridor Project, private vault work on several of the historic buildings will also be ongoing. Pedestrian access and northbound traffic will be maintained for the entirety of the project.

“I extend my gratitude to all our businesses, workers, residents, and visitors for their continued patience as we completely recreate Main Street into a more beautiful, functional, and inviting corridor for all users, while also making needed upgrades to the underground utilities,” Mayor Horrigan continued. “The inconveniences of construction will be temporary, but the infrastructure investment being made along Main Street will last for generations.”

For the most up-to-date information about the project please visit www.driveakron.com.

With now less than one month to go before the 24th annual Acts of Courage Award ceremony, the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio, Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties Chapter has announced their twelve recipients. 

The event on March 5th, at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn will honor local residents who have displayed extraordinary courage in the face of disaster, crisis, or otherwise emergency situation. 

Below is the list of this year's honorees and a little more about their story courtesy of the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio: 

Jason Strunk, Leslie Snyder and Seth Bond of Summit County will be honored for saving a mother and her three children during an active shooting.

While waiting at a red light on his way to help an elderly family friend grocery shop in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood, Jason Strunk heard gunfire. That is when he saw a mother being shot by her boyfriend, while trying to protect her three children, including an infant she was carrying.

 Without hesitation, he jumped out of his car and began to wrestle with the armed individual. At this time, Leslie Snyder and Seth Bond arrived and witnessed what was happening. Bond began to assist Strunk in trying to apprehend the shooter, while Snyder attended to the injured mother and her children.

During the exchange, the shooter’s gun jammed, allowing Strunk to grab the two older children and place them in his car. Snyder placed the mother and baby in her car, while applying pressure to the mother’s wounds. They were able to drive the family to safety until first responders and paramedics arrived.

Jacob Thompson of Portage County will be honored for pulling out a driver from an overturned semi-truck.

On February 24, 2019, there was a high wind advisory for drivers. That day, Jacob Thompson was returning to the Kent State University campus following United States Coast Guard drill training in Port Clinton, Ohio.

As he was driving, the high wind took hold of a trailer and threw a semi-truck that was driving in front of him into the center guardrail.

Thompson immediately pulled his vehicle to the side of the road. Upon approaching the vehicle, he was able to see the driver confused and unable to get out. He got into the truck and pulled the driver to safety from the overturned vehicle.

Brian Linder of Summit County will be honored for performing CPR on an unresponsive individual.

At the end of a workday at Akron City Hall, Brian Lindor was walking across the downtown skywalk to the garage to go home. As he was hurrying to avoid the frigid February cold, he spotted an individual unconscious and not breathing.

Having just completed a CPR refresher course a few months prior, Lindor began to administer CPR until paramedics arrived on the scene.

Officers Matt Martincin and Chris Deeks of Medina County will be honored for saving two women from a home fire.

As smoke billowed from a second-floor apartment building, Medina police officers Matt Martincin and Chris Deeks arrived to see two women trapped in an apartment. Despite having a smoke alarm in the apartment, there were no batteries in the alarm.

After attempts to have the women jump failed, Martincin and Deeks found a ladder on the back of a contractor’s vehicle and used the ladder to rescue the two women and all seven of their pets..

Paul Diven of Summit County will be honored for repairing an oxygen tank of an unresponsive individual.

Stan Hywet maintenance worker Paul Diven saw a crowd gathering during the annual Ohio Mart. When he made his way to the commotion, he noticed a volunteer who requires oxygen not breathing.

Understanding time was of the essence, Diven began to troubleshoot to find the issue with the oxygen tank. Once he spotted that a part was installed wrong, he properly installed the part and began to hear the oxygen flowing, helping the individual regain consciousness.

Gregg Whiteman of Summit County will be honored for responding to a co-worker who was suffering a stroke.

While in a meeting at GOJO, Gregg Whiteman received a call from a colleague. Realizing how unusual it was to receive a call from someone who knew he was in a meeting, Whiteman answered his phone. He quickly realized that something was wrong and that the co-worker needed his assistance.

Remaining on the phone, Whiteman was able to gather the proper information to realize exactly where his colleague was, despite his inability to speak coherently.

Thanks to his persistence, Whiteman was not only able to find his co-worker lying on the floor of an office, behind a closed door, but his quick response and immediate call to 911 ensured that the co-worker in need was able to be taken to the hospital, where he was given medication to prevent permanent damage from the stroke he was suffering.

Lt. Doug Price, Firefighters Marcus Council and Barb Fisher of Summit County will be honored for providing fire safety tips and rescuing a young child from a home fire.

Last May, the Akron Fire Department responded to a home fire, with reports of a child trapped in a basement.

With the home engulfed in flames and the basement full of smoke, Akron firefighters Lt. Doug Price and Marcus Council entered the home in search of the young girl. Despite low visibility, Price was able to find the child unconscious and lying on the ground and covered. Price and Council removed the child from the burning home. She was transported to the hospital, where she was able to regain consciousness and make a full recovery.

It was later determined that the child had remembered the fire safety instructions she was taught a week earlier by her teacher Barb Fisher, ultimately helping to save her life.

In addition to recognizing the heroism of area residents, the Red Cross will present the H. Peter Burg Community Leadership Award to a community member who has been selfless in service to the community. This year’s recipient is Steve Hendricks, the market president of the Northeast Ohio region for S&T Bank.

While CEO of FirstEnergy, and chair of the local Red Cross Board of Directors, H. Peter Burg established a legacy of dedicated service to the Greater Akron community. Following his death in 2004, the Red Cross established an award in Burg’s name to honor his memory and inspire others. By bestowing the award upon Hendricks, the Red Cross recognizes his lifetime of community service.  

Photo and video opportunities are available with recipients at the event.

For more information on the 2020 Acts of Courage Award, visit redcross.org/acts20.

Akron Police detectives are looking for a man they say tried to rob the KeyBank on South Main Street in Akron Friday afternoon. 

According to the report, the suspect (pictured) walked in demanding money from a deller. When the teller did not comply with the suspect's demands, he reportedly tried to grab cash from a customer inside the bank. His second attempt at robbery was unsuccessful.  Before fleeing the scene, witnesses say the man threatened to kill everyone inside the bank.

Anyone with information is asked to call Akron Police. 

Update: The Jackson Township Police Department posted an update to their Facebook page this morning saying that Thomas has been located and is home safe. 

No further details have been released. 

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The Jackson Township Police Department is asking for your help finding missing Thomas M. Barbee (pictured), who they say may have run away from home. 

Thomas, 14, was last seen in the area of Hills & Dales and Deer Trace Avenue Northwest. 

He is listed as about five feet, seven inches tall, weighing about 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. 

Anyone with information is asked to please call the Jackson Township Police at 330.832.1553. 

Akron Police are investigating a robbery and attempted robbery they say are connected. 

Both incidents happened in the same area along Fourth Avenue Monday and both involved pizza delivery drivers. 

According to the APD report, a Domino's Pizza delivery driver flagged down an officer at about noon Monday in the 1100 block of 4th Avenue. The victim told police that he drove up to a vacant home and tried to call the number on the order ticket. While making that call, the victim says he was approached by two men, one of whom pulled a gun demanding his money and the food. 

That driver described the suspects as two black males between 16 and 18-years-old. 

The second incident was an attempted robbery at the same location around 7 p.m., but this time a driver for Papa John's pulled out his own gun when he was approached by three black males who came from behind the vacant home.

Police say no shots were fired and that the suspects, who the victim says were between 15 and 18-years-old, took off running. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Akron Police. 

Police Detectives and the FBI, have arrested a 21-year-old Norton man on several charges including possession of child pornography late last week.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation into Sam McKown started about three months ago. When McKown was arrested at his Norton home back on January 6th, in addition to child porn, police found a ballistics vest, a police patch, and expandable baton, and handcuffs.

A lawyer for McKown says that those materials were unrelated to the child pornography that was found, that they were given to him as a gift from a family member.

McKown has not been formally indicted yet.