Akron Police is looking for the public's help identifying the person they say robbed the Carnegie Pantry at 959 Carnegie Avenue last Wednesday afternoon just after 4 p.m. 

As shown in the video below, the suspect entered the store and pointed a gun at the clerk, demanding money from the register and Newport 100 cigarettes. 

The suspect is described as a black male, about 5'5", between 250 and 300 pounds. He was wearing gloves and a bandana over his face. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Magaw with the Akron Police at 330-375-2490. 

Tim Owens' Travelers Tavern located on Manchester Rd. in Akron is closing its doors for good. 

The announcement comes just a year after the tavern, run by Akron native and former Judas Priest front man Tim Owens, was featured on Spike TV's "Bar Rescue." 

Owens opened up in 2013 under the name "Ripper's Rock House," offering food, spirits, and live music. The venue has reportedly been on a steady decline in patronage, hence the appearance on "Bar Rescue;" a reality show designed to help struggling bars and restaurants. 

In multiple Facebook posts, Owens said that due to his music schedule and no time to dedicate to the bar's daily operation, he's closing up shop. 

The last day for food is September 2nd, and the last day for live music at "Travelers" is scheduled for September 3rd. 

As the Death Penalty appeal continues in the case of 20-year-old Shawn Ford, a court has denied Ford's defense their request to unseal parts of the record and other court documents on Monday. The court did rule, however, that the attorneys and the office of the Ohio Public Defender can review all sealed documents related to the case; it's just the public that won't be able to review them. 

The ruling surrounds the Death Penalty case for Ford who was convicted in the brutal deaths of Jeffrey and Margaret Schobert, his then-girlfriend's parents. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2013, Ford and his accomplice, Jamal Vaughn, broke into the Schobert home in New Franklin. Ford attacked Jeffrey with a sledgehammer and then lured Margaret to the home via text message from Jeffrey Schobert's phone. Margaret was at the hospital visiting their daughter, Chelsea, who was recovering from an assault by Ford. Once Margaret got home, Ford then attacked her in the same manner. 

Ford was later convicted by a jury and then sentenced to death after the jury's recommendation. His execution was initially scheduled for December 29, 2015, but an appeal is automatic in any death penalty case. 

Due to the appeal process, Ford is likely not to be executed for years to come. 

The Ohio Department of Health has released their Unintentional Drug Overdose report for 2015, revealing a sharp increase in the number of fenatanyl-related deaths since 2013.

We are certainly no stranger to fentanyl-related overdoses, as locally in Summit County the number of overdoses reported to local emergency rooms have skyrocketed this year, most notably in June and July. 

The Department of Health report indicates the number of fenatanyl-related deaths in the state rose more than doubled between 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile, overall drug overdose deaths rose from 2531 in 2014 to 3040 last year.

See the full report below: 

(Columbus, OH) - The number of unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio increased again in 2015, driven by a sharp rise in fentanyl-related deaths, according to a new report released by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). The number of fentanyl-related deaths in Ohio has increased from 84 in 2013, to 503 in 2014 and rose to 1,155 in 2015. Overall, drug overdose deaths in Ohio increased from 2,531 in 2014 to 3,050 in 2015. 

The report also dramatically demonstrates the rapidly changing nature of the battle against drug abuse.  As the state has worked with physicians to curb prescription opiate abuse, the number of prescription opiate overdose deaths have begun to level off.

“Ohio was one of the first states to see the rise of fentanyl over the past couple of years, as the opiate epidemic continues to evolve to more powerful drugs,” said Dr. Mark Hurst, medical director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. “We knew when we started this battle five years ago that progress wouldn’t be easy, but we are well prepared to stay on the leading edge of fighting this epidemic thanks to the multi-faceted strategies we have put into place.”

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic narcotic that is estimated to be 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin, and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. The vast majority of fentanyl reports by law enforcement in drug seizures result from illegally produced and trafficked fentanyl, not diverted prescription fentanyl.

Last fall, Ohio requested assistance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help better understand the increase in fentanyl-related deaths. CDC issued a report that provided insight into fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Ohio, and also noted that “the state has launched a comprehensive response” to address the issue.

The use of naloxone, the opiate reversal drug, has been vital to saving lives and that is why Ohio has increased funding to purchase naloxone for first responders through local health departments. In 2015, Ohio EMS personnel administered 19,782 doses of naloxone – 7,207 more doses than in 2013. More than one dose of naloxone may have been administered to a single patient to reverse the opiate overdose.

A targeted campaign to raise awareness about the signs of a drug overdose was launched in May to urge family members and friends of people who use drugs to obtain naloxone to administer during an overdose while waiting on first-responders to arrive. The campaign focuses on 15 Ohio counties that accounted for 80 percent of the state’s fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2014. 

“In the midst of this growing opiate epidemic, we are seeing positive indications that our aggressive efforts are working to reduce opioid prescription pain medications available for abuse,” said ODH Medical Director Dr. Mary DiOrio “There were 81 million fewer opioid doses dispensed to Ohio patients since the state took initiatives to curb opiates, and the number of people who try to get controlled substances from multiple doctors has dramatically decreased. Also, the percentage of prescription opioid-related deaths compared to all unintentional overdose deaths declined in Ohio for the fourth straight year.”

DiOrio attributes the decline in the number of opiates dispensed to Ohio patients with efforts to reduce the prescription pill supply, increased law enforcement efforts, empowering prescribers and pharmacists to use Ohio’s prescription drug monitoring system, the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System, and working with medical professionals to establish opioid prescribing guidelines for healthcare professionals who treat chronic pain and acute pain.

“The state has been very aggressive in implementing new strategies to strengthen Ohio’s fight against opiates, but we are reminded today of the difficult road ahead as the epidemic evolves at a rapid pace,” said Andrea Boxill, the coordinator of the Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team and deputy director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. “In the face of the continued rise in drug overdoses, we believe that Ohio has one of the most comprehensive approaches in the nation to combatting opiate abuse and drug overdoses, and we will continue to evolve our efforts to address the changes that we are seeing in the drug market.”

A summary of the 2015 Ohio Drug Overdose Report is available here, and the full report is available here. A list of new strategies to combat the opiate epidemic, including fentanyl, is available here. A detailed list of Ohio’s past and ongoing efforts tackling the supply of drugs, preventing drug abuse before it starts, treating those who fall prey to drug addiction, and reversing drug overdoses with naloxone is available here.

Akron Police are asking the public's help catching a woman who robbed the PNC Bank at 1546 West Market Street just after the bank opened after 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The police report states that employees reported the suspect entered the bank, handed the teller a note and demanded money. The teller handed the suspect an unreported amount of cash. The suspect put the money in a large purse and fled on foot.

The suspect is a black female, 35–45 years old, 5’02”–5’05”, 125–150 lbs., with long black hair. She was wearing a light blue zip-up jacket, dark jeans and a multi-colored head scarf.

Anyone with information about this suspect is encouraged to call Akron Police Department, at 330-375-2490; the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-866-4-WANTED; or the Summit County Crimestoppers, Inc. at 330-434-COPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

As we continue to define the heroin problem, officials recognize that it has become an epidemic across the nation, and especially in the Akron area. 

The following is from the Summit County Public Health Population Health Vital Statistics Report: From January 1, 2016 to July 31, 2016, emergency rooms serving Summit County residents have treated an estimated total of 1,019 drug overdoses.* Since the beginning of 2016, cases per day remained relatively low, averaging 3 per day from January 1 - July 4 (Figure 1a). However, beginning in the second week of July, overdoses began rising rapidly from 3 per day to 14 per day through the remainder of July. After reaching 10 cases for the fi rst time on June 26, the number of drug overdoses ended up hitting double-digits on 21 of the 31 days in July, reaching a high of 25 on July 27th. All told, there were 395 estimated overdoses in July 2016, which matched the total number of overdoses seen between March 1 and June 30; a span of 122 days.

We spoke with Dr. Doug Smith with the Summit County ADM Board about what is causing, in part, the surge in heroin-related overdoses here in Summit County: 

Metro RTA has announced some changes to the upcoming Fall schedule, including the removal of the stop at Summit Mall from the Route 1 bus schedule. Kris Lilgeblad, Planning and Development Director at Metro RTA, says the removal of the stop makes sense and has been in the works for a while. "It will speed up our service, make it more reliable, and it will be cheaper, in the long run, for everybody," Lileblad tells 1590 WAKR.

One addition Metro RTA is making is a new Downtown Shuttle that will run between the downtown transit center and the University of Akron campus through downtown Akron. The route was previously operated by the University, and Lilgeblad says with Metro in charge of the route, there will be more frequent stops, including every 10 minutes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. beginning Sunday, August 21st. Lilgeblad contends this will be much more convenient for downtown workers and even University of Akron students.

You can see more of the changes to Metro routes at AkronMetro.org.  

The Summit County Sheriff's Office says they've arrested five teenagers, between the ages of 16 and 19, in connection to Tuesday morning's arson fire that destroyed the Lichtenwalter Schoolhouse at Boettler Park. 

It happened between 4 and 5 a.m. Tuesday morning. In addition to the fire at the schoolhouse, that was first built in 1885 and restored in 2002, investigators noticed other acts of vandalism throughout the park. They say a bathroom had been broken into on the grounds and significant damage was done inside. Also, the teens threw trash cans onto the rooftops of other buildings throughout the park.  

On Thursday morning, the Sheriff's Office released that they've arrested a 16-year-old male from Springfield Township, a 16-year-old female from Springfield Township, another 16-year-old male from Akron, 18-year-old Brandyn McCroskey, and 19-year-old Matthew R. Swan, both of Springfield Township. All five are charged with fifth-degree felony breaking and entering, fifth-degree felony vandalism, and fourth-degree felony arson. Swan and McCroskey were booked into the Summit County Jail while the juveniles were transported to the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center. 

Sheriff Steve Barry says he is pleased with the expedient and thorough investigation, which led to the identification and arrest of all suspects involved. City of Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer also releasing a statement: “Thank you to the Summit County Sheriff, Green’s Fire Division and the Ohio State Fire Marshal for their quick work in finding the individuals who caused this irreparable damage to our beloved historical schoolhouse." 

See more on the story from WAKR.net.

If you're looking for a good place to get your grub on while mixing in a lot of family-friendly fun, look no further than Lock 3 for this weekend's 11th Annual National Hamburger Festival. 

The founder of the event, Drew Cerza, says in the 11th year of the festival, they're always looking for ways to keep it engaging and entertaining for burger revelers. In addition to the usual burger-eating contest, bobbing for burgers, and live music, this year's event will feature the Buckeye Brewfest. The new addition will showcase the best efforts of 10 Ohio-based breweries on Sunday, the last day of the event. 

During a media preview event on Tuesday at Canal Park, where Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan kicked off the event, saying the family-friendly event has become a staple in Akron and continues to draw people to the area after 11 years. 

The event kicks off this Saturday, August 13th, from noon until 11 p.m. and again on Sunday, August 14th, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

See more on the festival, including a list of restaurants, vendors, events and acts, on the official National Hamburger Festival website. 

ODOT has released a statement Monday afternoon saying ramp work will begin Tuesday morning, and with it closures throughout the Central Interchange. 

Ramp construction had been delayed a week because the contractor tasked with doing so had not gotten the construction signs in place with time enough ahead of the scheduled construction. 

Despite the setback, Justin Chesnic with ODOT tells 1590 WAKR that the same contractor has completed the work needed on their end and they are ready to go. Below is the official release from ODOT: 

Monday, August 8, 2016

Interstate 76 in the City of Akron

(Tuesday, August 9 – until further notice)

The following lane restriction and ramp closures will occur by Tuesday morning, August 9, at 6 a.m.

• I-76 between Grant St. and Inman St. will be reduced to two lanes in each direction.
• The ramp from I-77 northbound to I-76 westbound will be CLOSED. The detour will be I-277 westbound to I-76/Kenmore Leg eastbound.
• The ramp from SR 8 southbound to I-77 northbound/I-76 westbound will be CLOSED. The detour will be I-77 southbound to I-277 westbound to I-76/Kenmore Leg eastbound.

(Wednesday, August 10 – until further notice)

Beginning Wednesday, morning, August 10, at 6 a.m.., the ramp from I-76 eastbound to I-77 southbound will be CLOSED through late November for bridge removal. The detour will be I-76/Kenmore Leg westbound to I-277 eastbound to I-77 southbound. This work is part of a $15.6 million project to remove three bridge on I-76/I-77 over Johnston St. The project also includes the relocation of Johnston St. between Spicer St. and Brown St. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by late July 2017.

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The Ohio Department of Transportation maintains the state's largest man-made asset--the transportation system. ODOT's mission is to provide the safe and easy movement of people and goods from place to place. As a $2.8 billion per year enterprise, ODOT invests the bulk of its resources in system preservation through maintenance, construction and snow and ice operations.

“The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by ODOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 11, 2015, and executed by FHWA and ODOT.”

Follow our coverage of the story with the last update from WAKR.net.