(City of Green) Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer is pleased to announce that the Green Fire Division administered Narcan, the antidote to reverse a drug overdose, 20 less times (or 33% less) in 2018 than the prior year. In 2018, Green Fire administered Narcan 40 times during emergency calls versus 60 and 83 times in 2017 and 2016, respectively.

"Through the national attention directed to opioid addiction and collaborative efforts of our Summit County Task Force and the Green Drug Task Force, the message is getting through," said Gerard Neugebauer. "We are thankful that the numbers are going down and less families are seeing the impact of drug use and addiction.”

In January 2017, Green launched its Green Outreach (GO) team, a quick response team comprised of Green Fire Medics, Summit County Sherriff Deputies and social workers from the Orianna House visit homes in the City of Green within a week of an overdose to offer support, education and assistance.

The team quickly expanded their visits to include not only those who overdosed the prior week, but to anyone who had called for emergency service where drugs or alcohol were involved. In 2018, the Green Outreach Team visited 71 residents to offer support and help. Thirty-two of them responded favorably and actively sought treatment.

“I am exceedingly proud of our Green Outreach Team that visits homes of those impacted by drug or alcohol abuse to offer support and help to those in need and their families."


In addition to the Green Outreach Team, the Green Drug Task Force, an all-volunteer group formed in 2016, to educate the public, offer support to families in need, and prevent drug abuse in our community. The Drug Task Force meets every other month on the first Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Central Administration Building. The first 2019 meeting of the Drug Task Force is February 5. For more information, visit www.cityofgreen.org/drug-task-force.

(Goodyear) To celebrate its legacy in the sport, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will induct the Goodyear Blimp as an honorary member of the College Football Hall of Fame. The blimp will be the first non-player or coach to be inducted.

What started as a request from network television to provide aerial coverage for the 1955 Rose Bowl Game telecast has turned into a long-standing commitment to college football coverage. Since then, the blimp has covered more than 2,000 games from the Rose to the Cotton Bowl and everything in between. For players and fans, the blimp has come to signify the magnitude of games and the superior performances that take place on the field.   

“College players and fans know that when the Goodyear Blimp shows up, it’s a big game. Its presence is intrinsically known and tied to the traditions that make college football so great,” said Archie Manning, National Football Foundation chairman. “As the eye in the sky to college football’s greatest coaches, players and moments, it’s only fitting that the Goodyear Blimp joins the College Football Hall of Fame in a year when the game celebrates its 150th anniversary.”

“I’ve been lucky enough to both play and broadcast underneath the shadow of one of sports’ biggest icons, and each time it’s special,” said Kirk Herbstreit, former college football player and ESPN analyst. “For me, playing under the blimp felt like a payoff for the hard work that goes into game day, so I’m excited it’s getting recognized for its contributions to college football.”

In its sports history, the Goodyear Blimp achieved major broadcast “firsts,” including the first to provide aerial coverage of a major sports event and the first to deliver high definition live video to a national sports game. That innovation intended to enhance the players and fans’ experience continues to this day with a BlimpCast on Jan. 7 when ESPN will conduct a live production of the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship from inside the Goodyear Blimp airing on ESPN3 and the ESPN App as part of ESPN’s MegaCast presentation.

“Goodyear is proud that our iconic airship is an honorary member of the College Football Hall of Fame and will live in the company of college football legends,” said Todd Macsuga, Goodyear’s general manager brand marketing, North America consumer. “The Goodyear Blimp has established itself as a symbol of the greatness that takes place on college football fields each Saturday.”

Fans will be able to experience the blimp’s history in college football with a new exhibit set to open later this year at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The exhibit will showcase historical blimp artifacts, video footage, pictures and more.

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 64,000 people and manufactures its products in 47 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com.

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include Football Matters^®, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy^®, annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments – a proud partner of the Campbell Trophy^®, Herff Jones, New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Sports Business Journal, SportsManias, Under Armour and VICIS. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.

(Akron Police) A reward of up to $10,000.00 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for the bank robbery at the Huntington Bank, located at 1411 South Arlington Street. 

Around 12:30pm this afternoon, the Huntington Bank was robbed. The employees reported the suspect entered the bank, jumped over the teller counter, and demanded money. The suspect, armed with a knife, took an unreported amount of cash from two tellers and fled out the rear door of the bank. He was last seen jumping over a fence into the back yards of the Rosemary Apartments. He was then seen getting into a black, 4-door vehicle. 

The suspect is a black male, 20–25 years old, 5’11”–6’01”, 150–170 lbs., and was wearing a black ski mask, a black wind breaker jacket, all black clothing, purple latex gloves, and carrying a black backpack with red strings. 

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490; or 330-375-2TIP, the FBI at 330-535-6156, the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-866-4-WANTED; or the Summit County Crimestoppers Inc. at 330-434-COPS. You can also text TIPSCO with your tips to 274637 (Crimes). Callers can remain anonymous. If you see the suspect, consider him ARMED and DANGEROUS. Do not approach; call 911.

Back in May of last year, the Summit County Sheriff's Office was tipped off to a woman that was stealing from the bank accounts of several area residents with developmental disabilities.

The investigation determined that Beth Wallace-Cox was stealing money from 49 different people from Portage and Summit Counties, through her business, PayeeShip Solutions in Rootstown, which provides financial services to the developmentally disabled.

Wallace-Cox was arrested Thursday, charged with felony theft from a protected class.

The Akron Beacon Journal's reporting the indictment lists the total theft amounted to just under $10,000.

See the full press release from the Summit County Sheriff's Office below: 

(Summit Co. Sheriff's Office) In May of 2018, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office received a report that an individual was misappropriating funds from the bank accounts of several individuals with developmental disabilities. The matter was turned over to the Summit County Sheriff’s Detective assigned to the Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board. The investigation was conducted in conjunction with detectives from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office. It was alleged that the suspect, identified as Beth Wallace-Cox had been utilizing the victims’ funds for her own personal gain. Through the investigation, it was determined that there were 49 victims in Summit County and Portage County. Wallace-Cox is the owner of a business called Payee Ship Solutions. The business provides payee services to individuals with developmental disabilities. On January 3, 2019, Beth Wallace-Cox, age 46 of Rootstown was arrested and charged with Theft from a Protected Class (F-3), Forgery (F-3), and Tampering with Records (F-3). She was transported to the Portage County Jail. Follow up questions should be directed to Inspector William Holland at 330-620- 9738

A Canton mother and her two young children were injured when they were hit by a wrong-way, drunk driver on New Year's Eve.

According to reports, the crash happened along US 62 Eastbound between Market and Cleveland Avenue in Canton about 11:35 Monday night.

The other driver, who was heading westbound in the eastbound lanes, was taken to Aultman and then transfered to an Summa Akron City Hospital where he reportedly died Tuesday night. 

He's been identified as Jose Lopez Chavez of Canton. 

Massillon city officials say they're looking to cut costs at the former Affinity Medical Center, that's currently not staffed, but still being powered and secured daily.

The average cost to manage the closed property, according to the Canton Rep, is roughly $6,800 per day, including utilities, maintenance, and building security.

Earlier in December, City Council gave the green light on a new deal with Aultman, that is assuming emergency and more services for Massillon residents.

Starting early 2019, Massillon will begin winding down most operations at the former Affinity site.

Read more on the story from the Akron Beacon Journal. 

Update: Wednesday afternoon, members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Randy Fitzgerald on a traffic stop on Route 8 in Macedonia.

The task force was assisted by officers from Boston Heights, the Summit Count Sheriff's Office and the Macedonia Police Department.

Although several tips were submitted on this case, the arrest was not a result of a tip.

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The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is looking for Randy Fitzgerald, of Akron, who is this week's Fugitive of the Week.

U.S. Marshals and Akron Police are reporting that Fitzgerald is wanted for Weapons Under Disability in connection to an incident that left a small child shot in the stomach.

Back on May 20th, three children, ages 8,9 and 12, were left alone in a home on Marcy Street, when one of those children found one a gun, believed to belong to Fitzgerald, and shot another child in the stomach. The child lived. In the home, responding officers found another gun, drugs, and body armor. A warrant was issued for Fitzgerald who has been on the run since.

Anyone with information regarding Randy Fitzgerald, please contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED or Text keyword WANTED and tip to 847-411 (tip411). Tipsters can remain anonymous and reward money is available.

There are still a few days left in the year, but Akron Police have released homicide and gun-related incident statistics for 2018, with a slight dip in the former.

So far this year, there have been 37 homicides in Akron; that's five fewer than last year. That said, there have been more non-homicide shootings in the city. As of Thursday, Police in Akron say there were 417 reported shootings not resulting in a death; 30 less than the same period of time in 2017.

APD adds that throughout the year, 798 guns were recovered or seized in Akron, averaging out to about 2 per day.

See more on the report from the Akron Beacon Journal. 

(City of Akron) Effective Wednesday, January 2, 2019, continuing through Monday, January 6, the City of Akron Sanitation/Curb Service Division will permit residents to place extra trash, in the form of wrapping paper and boxes alongside their trash carts, on their normal collection day. 

"Each year we provide this extra service to our residents after the holidays, most of whom have additional items to discard or recycle,” Mayor Dan Horrigan said. "This particular pickup is intended for extra holiday items, like wrappings and boxes, which we realize won't all fit in one or maybe even two trash carts." 

Following the holidays, the City will also collect residents' holiday trees left alongside trash carts on their normal collection day. As always, customers who wish to put out a larger volume of other household trash are asked to contact the Mayor’s Action Center at 3-1-1, (330) 375-2311 or www.akronohio.gov/311 to pre-schedule one of the three special bulk pickups allotted to each household, each year.

Please note, there will be no curb service on Tuesday, December 25 (in observance of Christmas Day) or Tuesday, January 1 (in observance of New Year’s Day). Curb service will resume Wednesday through Saturday, on a one-day delay.