It's official -- the Ohio state high school football championships are coming back to the birthplace of football. The board of directors of the Ohio High School Athletic Association approved taking the games back to Canton at the remodeled Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium for 2017 and 2018.

The intention is to return the games to Ohio Stadium in Columbus in 2018, but the board hasn't voted on that issue. This year's championship games will be played the week after Thanksgiving.

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(OHSAA) The Ohio High School Athletic Association football state championship games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton in 2017 and 2018 following approval from the OHSAA Board of Directors at its January meeting Thursday. The OHSAA staff had previously confirmed its intent to return to Canton in 2017 and 2018 and the 9-0 vote by the board of directors Thursday makes the move official.

After a 24-year stay in Stark County from 1990-2013, the football state championship games were held at Ohio Stadium in Columbus in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

“We had great hosts in Stark County before, and I know we will again,” said Dr. Dan Ross, OHSAA Commissioner. “We are blessed in Ohio to have so many outstanding playoff venues like Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton and Ohio Stadium here in Columbus, and our intent all along has been to rotate the finals between the two sites. The last three years in Columbus have been great, and the timing worked out well because Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame had major stadium renovations underway at the same time.”

The 2017 OHSAA football state championships weekend is Thursday, Nov. 30, through Sunday, Dec. 3. The exact dates and times of the games will be finalized this spring. All seven state championship games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

“Visit Canton is excited to see the tradition of the OHSAA High School Football Championships return to Stark County, and we are so eager to showcase the world-class Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium,” said Allyson Bussey, President of Visit Canton. “Our team at the Convention & Visitors’ Bureau is working hand-in-hand with OHSAA and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to plan an experience of excellence for the athletes, coaches, parents, students and everyone involved in this prestigious event.

”The stadium complex, which is next to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will include Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, featuring hotels, shopping, a conference center and parking decks. The world-class stadium and entertainment complex, adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is one of nine major components of Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, a $600 million development project under way to transform the Hall of Fame’s campus.

“We look forward to the OHSAA High School Championships returning to Canton,” shared David Baker, President & CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village that includes the spectacular, state-of-the-art Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium will provide a rich experience for the many players, coaches, families, and fans attending the games. The excellence in competition among the best football players in the state will be celebrated by the Hall of Fame and our community.”

No details for the football state championship games after 2018 have been finalized, but the OHSAA intends to return to Ohio Stadium in Columbus for the 2019 state championship games.

Finess Terry didn't go far on the lam from charges he pulled the trigger in a March 2016 street gunfight that sent a bullet into a house and injured a man sitting in his home. Terry was picked up on Triplett Avenue after spending time on the Most Wanted list for the U.S. Marshal's Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.

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(NOVFTF) The Fugitive of the Week, Finess Terry, was arrested this afternoon by members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force. Terry has been wanted since March of 2016 for felonious assault and discharging a firearm into an occupied structure in the Akron area. Members of the task force arrested Terry in the 1300 block of Triplett Blvd in Akron.Terry’s arrest was a direct result of information provided through the tip line. As always, thank you for your partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Fugitive of the Week program.

Summit Deputies arrested three people out of a Green motel fight that had it all -- sex, drugs and duking it out. Two of those arrrested a pimp and prostitute; she'd called her dad for help after a fight, then the two men got into a fight. Cops say they also found heroin.

The fight is just the latest episode at the same hotel where 16-year old Andrew Frye died last year of a heroin overdose from a supply provided by family members, including his grandmother and mother.

Arrested where 23-year old Brandon Roberts, who was injured in the fight in the lobby of the Super 8 Motel on Corporate Woods Parkway. Roberts is charged with promoting prostitution and possession of heroin. He's been booked into the Summit County Jail after being treated for injuries after a fight with 45-year old David Jones of Akron, who'd been called to the motel by his daughter, 20-year old Katie Jones.

The elder Jones was charged with felonious assault while she was charged with heroin possession. They were also booked into the Summit County Jail.

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(Summit Sheriff) On January 16, 2017, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office responded to a motel in the city of Green in response to a fight that was occurring in the lobby. When the deputies arrived, a 23 year old man, identified as Brandon P. Roberts, had been injured in the altercation. Roberts was transported to Akron City Hospital by the Green Fire Department. The Summit County Sheriff’s Detective Bureau responded to investigate the incident.

Detectives found that prior to the fight, patrons of the motel, Brandon Roberts and Katie Jones, had been involved in a verbal altercation. Jones contacted her father, David Jones to come pick her up from the motel. When her father arrived, David Jones and Brandon Roberts got into a physical altercation. The investigation further revealed that Katie Jones and had been engaging in prostitution at the motel with the assistance of Brandon Roberts. They were also found to be in possession of heroin.

On January 16, 2017, David J. Jones, age 45 of Akron was arrested and charged with Felonious Assault (F-2) and Katie M. Jones, age 20 of Akron was arrested and charged with Possession of Drugs – Heroin (F-5). They were booked into the Summit County Jail.

On January 19, 2017, Brandon P. Roberts, age 23 of Akron was arrested and charged with Promoting Prostitution (F-3) and Possession of Drugs – Heroin (F-5). He was booked into the Summit County Jail.

Akron's Fire Department releasing results of it's investigation into the fatal Tallmadge Avenue fire that killed four members of a family and left two survivors.

"Unattended cooking" on the gas stove is the ruling; even though the stove itself was burned, at least one the burners was in the "on" position and the blaze originated in the kitchen. Despite no evidence of working fire detectors in the home, the Fire Department says it was unable to determine conclusively whether detectors were in the home.

Parents Omar Riley and Shirley Wallis died in the blaze, along with their daughters nine year old Aniyla and eight-year old Shanice Riley. A 12-year old daughter, Shaniya Wallis, was burned in the blaze. Family friend Jennifer Grubbs was able to escape from an attic bedroom by crawling out a window.

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(AFD Release) – The investigation by the Akron Fire Department (AFD) into the December 3, 2016, fatal fire at 266 East Tallmadge Avenue has been completed. In the course of the investigation, AFD companies forced entry to all doors of the structure with exception of the east door.

The structure was examined using a systematic approach starting with the areas least damaged to most damaged. Inspection of the interior revealed heavy damage to the first floor kitchen area at and near the gas stove. The knobs of the stove were completely burned off, and evidence shows one burner was in the “on” position. Materials on the first floor show evidence of reaching their ignition temperatures.

Evidence shows the fire traveled upwards in a chimney effect reaching the second floor. The occupant of the attic stated that after smelling smoke, she went to the second floor landing and opened the attic door. Being immediately overcome with smoke, she ran upstairs to get away from it and was able to escape from a third floor window.

While firefighters did not see any smoke detectors, fire investigators were unable to conclusively determine whether or not they were present. After processing the fire scene and interviewing witnesses, the Akron Fire Investigator determined that the origin of this fire was in the first floor kitchen area at or near the gas stove. The cause of this fire was determined to be unattended cooking. 

Barberton police are putting a man and woman behind bars for a weekend shooting that left a Cleveland man dead at the scene. Justin Randle was found in the grass and died a short time later; witnesses fingered the shooters taking off in an SUV outside a home on Michigan Place; police stopped the vehicle, found a gun and shell casings in the vehicle.25-year old Akria Taylor and 26-year old Antonio Parra, both of the Cleveland area, arrested. Parra's facing murder, Taylor obstruction charges.

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(Barberton PD) On January 15, 2017 at 1:51 a.m., Barberton Police were called to 341 Michigan Place for a person who had been shot. Arriving officers found the victim lying in the grass. The victim was identified as Justin R. Randle, DOB 5/31/1989 from East 74th Street, Cleveland, Ohio. Randle had been shot and witnesses stated that the suspect had left the scene in a Saturn SUV. Randle was transported to Summa Akron City Hospital where he was operated on. Randle died from his injuries early Sunday morning.

Shortly after the shooting call went out, Barberton Officers spotted a Saturn SUV that matched the suspect vhicle heading out of the City on Wooster Road North. Officers conducted a traffic stop. A loaded gun and two fired shell cashings were recovered from the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle was Akiria Taylor, DOB 2/21/1991 from Griffing Avenue in Cleveland. The passenger of the vehicle was Antonio Deon Parra, DOB 2/20/1990 from Walford Road in Warrensville Heights. Both Taylor and Parra were arrested and booked into the Barberton City Jail.

Parra is charged with Murder and Taylor is charged of Obstructing Justice. Both will have their initial appearance in Barberton Municipal Court on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.

Providing a helping hand during times of trouble doesn't go unrecognized. Akron-based FirstEnergy honored with the "Emergency Assistance Award" from an electric utility group for it's support of southern power systems following Hurricane Matthew last year. FirstEnergy sent hundreds of line workers to Florida and South Carolina last October to help restore power for more than a million customers. The local utility was also recognized for it's own efforts following storms in West Virginia caused power outages for customers of it's Mon Power subsidiary.

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(FirstEnergy) For the 11th consecutive year, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has earned recognition for its emergency response efforts from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a leading electric industry organization.

FirstEnergy was honored with the “Emergency Assistance Award” as a result of sending about 600 line workers, contractors and support personnel to assist Florida Power and Light and Duke Energy after Hurricane Matthew caused large-scale power outages along the East Coast. Over a 10-day period in early October last year, FirstEnergy personnel were part of an effort that helped restore electric service to 1.2 million Florida Power and Light customers in Florida and 157,000 Duke Energy customers in South Carolina.

FirstEnergy also earned the “Emergency Recovery Award” for restoration efforts of its own customers following severe thunderstorms and flooding that caused more than 70,000 Mon Power customers in West Virginia to lose power in late June of last year. More than 1,000 company line workers, contractors, damage assessors and support personnel were part of the restoration effort. Despite accessibility issues with flooded substations and multiple transmission structures being damaged in inaccessible mountain areas, FirstEnergy crews were able to restore more than 90 percent of the customers within four days.

“The tireless work of FirstEnergy’s crews to quickly and safely restore service to customers, and to lend assistance to neighboring electric companies, demonstrates the industry’s strong commitment to customer service,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “FirstEnergy’s dedicated crews who faced challenging conditions are greatly deserving of this recognition.”

“Receiving both awards is a special honor because it means our employees used their considerable skills in difficult work environments to benefit our own customers, and those of other utilities,” said Steven Strah, senior vice president of FirstEnergy and president of FirstEnergy Utilities. “What is most impressive is that the repairs were made with no accidents or injuries, which is a testament to our employees’ commitment to safety.”

EEI presents these awards to member companies to recognize extraordinary efforts to restore power or for assisting other electric companies after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions and other natural events. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of electric industry experts following an international nomination process. The awards were presented January 11, 2017, during the winter EEI Board of Directors and CEO meeting in Florida.

The name of the 17 year old shot and killed on West Thornton Street Wednesday has been released -- and the Akron schools are mourning. Ernest Anderson, Jr. was killed, a 19-year old wounded after an argument.

The Summit County Medical Examiner reported Anderson died from gunshot wounds to the head and the torso.

Anderson was a student at East High School; the district released a video of Anderson working

Akron superintendent David James said ""we are deeply aggrieved by this tragic episode. Another student, another life filled with promise has been extinguished by violence. We are thinking of his family and the entire East CLC community." 

The Akron Zoo is going big again with a new exhibit for 2017. "Curious Creatures" will feature what the Zoo calls some of the "world's strangest animals" starting this summer and replaces the Journey to the Reef exhibit in Komodo Kingdom. Among some of the animals: naked mole-rats, electric eels and insects who even garden.

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(Akron Zoo) 2017 will be a bizarre year at the Akron Zoo. The zoo is getting ready to introduce the community to some of the world's strangest animals when their new exhibit, Curious Creatures, opens on June 3, 2017. The exhibit will be located in Komodo Kingdom and replace Journey to the Reef, which closed in November last year.

The new exhibit will include animals that are uniquely different or have odd adaptations allowing guests to learn about some of the world's most "Curious Creatures." Some of the unique species that guests will be able to learn about in the new exhibit include naked mole-rats, leaf-cutter ants, electric eel, red-eyed tree frogs, walking batfish, chain dogfish, flashlight fish, mata mata turtles and more.

The new exhibit will keep a few species that were in Journey to the Reef, such as sea nettles, giant Pacific octopus and coral. In addition the zoo will also be showcasing some carnivorous plants such as Venus flytrap, pitcher plant, bladderwort and more. In total, Curious Creatures will include over 20 exhibits and several interactive areas like the learning lab, where guests can see marine and terrestrial invertebrates, a mood wall that simulates the helpful adaptation some animals have to blend in and change color and a strength tester where guests can compare their strength to that of the powerful mantis shrimp.

Guests will be able to view the strange behaviors of animals like the leaf-cutter ants who cut leaves with their jaw and carry them back to their nests where they grow fungus gardens, which the ants then eat. Guests will also learn about curious adaptions of animals like the naked mole-rat, which has no fur, just pink, wrinkly skin. These creatures live underground like moles and have small rat like tales, but are neither a mole nor a rat.

"Curious Creatures allows us to engage guests in an exploration of biodiversity unlike anything we have done before. By connecting our guests with animals they perhaps did not even know existed, we hope to encourage greater interest in the diversity of our natural world," said Doug Piekarz, president & CEO. "Our hope is Curious Creatures will spark the curiosity of every guest and inspire them to help these magnificent creatures as we continue to advance our mission to connect your life to wildlife while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation action."

Curious Creatures will be located in the exhibit hall in Komodo Kingdom Education Center. The exhibit hall is a space that changes exhibits every 3-4 years. Curious Creatures will be the fourth exhibit to occupy this space since Komodo Kingdom opened in 2005.

Ravenna police have officially named a suspect and victims from a weekend shooting that left two dead and another person injured.

26-year old Javon Thomas of Akron is charged with murder; 20-year old Austin Tiller of Stow and 24-year old Brian Brack of Canton were found dead in an apartment on Woodgate Boulevard. A third shooting victim, 21-year old Destanny Dixon of Ravenna, suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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(Ravenna PD) On January 7th, 2017, Ravenna Police Department officers responded to the apartment building at 731 Woodgate Blvd in Ravenna for a reported shooting. When officers arrived on scene two persons were found deceased from gunshot wounds. A third person was injured, suffering non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

As a result of an argument between several persons inside one of the apartments at 731 Woodgate Blvd weapons were fired. The names of those involved can now be released as all next of kin notifications have been made.

The Ravenna Police Department has charged 26 year old Javon M Thomas of Akron, Ohio with Murder. Additional charges may follow pending Prosecutors review.

Deceased are 20 year old Austin J Tiller of Stow, Ohio and 24 year old Brian K Brack of Canton, Ohio. The injured person is 21 year old Destany Dixon of Ravenna, Ohio.

Ravenna Police Department Detectives are continuing their investigation. More details will be released when appropriate.