Akron Beacon Journal
New vax guidelines causing confusion
Amid recent changes in vaccine guidelines coming from the federal government, area medical experts are voicing concerns about children’s health and public confusion. h In 2024, the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine, introduced the previous...
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Councilman criticizes Malik over police reform
An Akron City Council member who has become one of Mayor Shammas Malik’s most outspoken critics says a series of upcoming community policing forums is meant to hold Malik accountable for reforms he has promised. At-large Councilman Eric Garrett Sr.,...
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Akron issues last call for leaf pickups
Leaf collection units are still prowling Akron’s streets, but soon they’ll be replaced by snow and ice removal crews if the predicted winter storm moves in as aggressively as anticipated. h “The same men and women in my department that run the...
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New leaders make quick changes to school board
The new leaders of the Akron school board have pledged to make the board meetings quicker, more productive and more transparent than the often divisive, hours-long meetings the board has known for more than a year. With three newly elected faces, the...
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Akronites sound off against ICE, Trump
Several hundred protesters peacefully gathered in downtown Akron Jan. 10 to speak out against practices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and one of its agent’s recent killing of an unarmed citizen in Minneapolis. Indivisible Akron...
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Summit County adopts IGNITE program
Summit County is the latest and largest Ohio county to adopt IGNITE, a program that uplifts and educates jail inmates to reduce recidivism rates by better preparing them for their post-incarceration lives. h Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree...
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School board members sworn in
They spent months on the campaign trail explaining to voters how they would bring transparency and stability to a school district that has been under constant turmoil for the past five years. And now, two months after being elected, Akron Public...
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Down to the last drop
What is believed to be Summit County’s oldest restaurant is up for auction, right down to its namesake coffee pot. h The Coffee Pot Restaurant in Barberton served its last dish and cup of coffee on Christmas Eve. h This ended a legacy on Second Street...
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Akronite Auerbach stays busy with tour, projects
After 25 years in the music scene, Dan Auerbach is still surprised when he receives a Grammy nomination. He has 24. “To be honest, I was extra surprised this year,” said the 46-year-old front man of The Black Keys. At the 2026 ceremony, he’s up for...
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NEW YEAR, NEW HOPE
Everything seemed to go wrong for Pierre Mays after a simple operation to repair a hernia in 2011. h Mays wasn’t healing. When people around him caught the flu, he got something worse — pneumonia. An infection led to a second surgery and, eventually,...
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‘Coach Bossy’ looks to motivate, inspire
At 5 a.m. every Monday through Saturday before most of Akron is awake, James Starks is already on the gym floor, pushing clients through burpees, squats and something harder to measure: consistency. h Known in the community as “Coach Bossy,” James...
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Case dismissed against TikTok streamer ICE shot
A federal judge has dismissed the charges against a Los Angeles-based TikTok creator who was accused of assaulting an officer before being shot by a federal agent during an immigration enforcement operation, court records show. Carlitos Ricardo...
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FACING THE FUTURE
We’ve waited a century for this! h Nearly 100 years ago, a group of futurists dared to imagine what life would be like in 2026. Some of their prognostications turned out to be completely wrong while others proved to be eerily true. h Let’s see what the...
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Crafting something new
In a 1.4 million-square-foot Hudson industrial complex, pallet racking, automated conveyors and office cubicles hearken back to earlier in 2025 and years prior when arts and craft retailer Joann was headquartered there. h Property owner Industrial...
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‘We want to connect our kids to the best possible future’ Graduating behind bars at Indian River High
MASSILLON – He spoke softly. Wearing his green cap and gown, with fellow graduates, staff and family celebrating around him in the gym, the 17-year-old boy talked about his future now that he’s graduated high school. What he planned to do when he gets...
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‘I’m really proud of the work we’ve done’
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said his administration has spent Year 2 of his first term continuing the work started in Year 1. “I’m really proud of the work we’ve done around violence intervention and prevention, creating that gun crime intelligence...
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Highlands shelter provides a safe haven
The teen needed a place to live but didn’t want to be separated from her 2year-old son. Children services tried to find a place for Teasia Howell, but foster parents were willing to take a teen or a baby − not both. Her caseworker suggested Highlands...
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Education Department probing Brown security
PROVIDENCE, RI − The Trump administration has opened an investigation into security protocols on Brown University’s campus after a Dec. 13 mass shooting that killed two students and injured nine others. The investigation is looking into what happened...
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Deck the halls
It was a bit of a treasure hunt. Some beloved pieces of Northeast Ohio history have found a new home for the holidays in the city of Akron. For 100 years, the GE Lighting campus on Noble Road in East Cleveland would be aglow each holiday season as...
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Eddy’s Bike Shop eyes new location after fire
Jimmy Ruggles, owner of Eddy’s Bike Shop, could see the flames from the highway as the Peninsula store burned to the ground. Since the fire Feb. 28, Eddy’s in Peninsula has been housed in a storage warehouse at 1655 Mill Street West. Ruggles said it’s...
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Summit County restaurant openings in 2025
So many new restaurants this year in the Greater Akron area. More than 60, in fact. Local restaurateurs were busy opening Creole, bar food, Italian, soul food, pizza, vegan, Mexican, seafood, Mediterranean, Asian and so many more styles of eateries....
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Accused fraudster loses home
Hundreds of investors who trusted a former Copley basketball coach with more than $200 million are still waiting to get any money back after some lost their life savings and homes in a Ponzi scheme. Facing mounting legal problems and an ongoing...
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It doesn’t get more Akron than Archie
Brandon Meeker has put his acting and improv skills to very festive use by doing the voice of Archie the Talking Snowman for five straight Christmas seasons at Lock 3 in Akron. h It’s a distinctly Akron acting job that Meeker, 24, loves for its very...
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‘WE REFUSE TO LET FEAR TAKE US’
Rabbi Moshe Sasonkin joined with children to lift large blocks made of Legos, including one triangular piece to cap it off, building a Lego menorah on a stage in the heart of Summit Mall. h Moments later, dozens of Summit County residents, including...
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‘Disneyland for Christmas’
Sometimes life imitates art. h Mark Klaus stood back and smiled Dec. 15 as a Hollywood film crew scurried about his Castle Noel. h The Medina museum dedicated to all things Christmas and holiday film memorabilia is the setting for the final Christmas...
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Akron Zips AD has ties to Rubber City royalty
Tdirector,he people of Akron confronted Andrew T. Goodrich with a question, so he needed to dig for the truth. Hired in April as the University of Akron’s athletic Goodrich found himself smiling and nodding whenever someone mentioned Benjamin Franklin...
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Dad gifted rare violin made long ago by his grandfather
KENT − Robert Griffin used to watch in awe as his grandfather Coral crafted violins by hand. A cobbler, Coral Griffin repaired and created violins. He made only eight, and the family lost track of what happened to them. But Robert Griffin’s three...
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STAYING PUT
Judy Horn retired this year, and her 120year-old farmhouse in Akron’s Merriman Valley neighborhood is paid off. Ideally, Horn said, she would downsize from her home of 39 years “if the market was better.” But things aren’t the way they used to...
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Mushroom business sprouts up in Akron
Looks can be deceiving. h The former place of worship on South Main Street in Akron looks pretty unassuming from the outside. h But inside there are some pretty cool things growing in the lower level of the building that was once a Jehovah’s Witnesses...
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Krampus Society aims to separate myths, lore
The legend of Krampus h When he’s not roaming the woods seeking out misbehaving kids, Krampus works at the Summit County wastewater treatment plant. This is the busy season for Krampus to spread holiday cheer and clear up some misconceptions about...
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‘Everybody here got behind our mission’
Michael Allio made a promise to his late wife, Laura. h He vowed to continue an initiative they started together — to help people reduce their pain from a common side effect of chemotherapy called hand-foot syndrome, he explained. Laura developed the...
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What does Akron’s new logo represent?
As Akron bids farewell to its bicentennial year, it can also wave goodbye to the short-lived rubber worker logo. h During the city’s closing ceremony for its yearlong bicentennial celebration at Perkins Square on the Akron Children’s Hospital campus,...
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Ohio childcare ‘never been more expensive’
Maria Reyes survived radiation therapy for breast cancer. That was easier than finding reliable childcare for her son Jack, who has Down syndrome, autism and is nonverbal. h “At least with my cancer, I knew the steps that I had to take, when they’re...
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Tipping t e scale
In Farhad Sethna’s 35 years practicing law, he says he’s never seen interference like he has from President Donald Trump’s administration. Since taking office for a second term in January, Trump and his team have thrown a wrench into the workings of...
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Grant provides boost to Akron Sneaker Academy
A pair of sneakers can be more than just an article of clothing – it can be the spark that opens the door to science, storytelling and an entrepreneurial mindset. That’s the mission behind the Akron Sneaker Academy, a local organization working to...
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Old church cemetery to get modern upgrade
The Rev. Christopher Zerucha, pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church, talks about the construction of a columbarium at the church cemetery on South Maple Street. St. Bernard Cemetery is landlocked on South Maple Street in Akron. There is no more space...
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‘Gone but not forgotten’
An Akron mother this holiday season is remembering her son who was shot and killed seven months ago with an angel ornament bearing his name. h Yvette McIntyre-Allen joined other grieving area residents Dec. 1 for the Victim Assistance Program’s 31st...
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A familiar face will be on Tallmadge City Council
Tallmadge City Council. Tallmadge mayor. EMTP/firefighter for Tallmadge’s fire department. Director of public service. These are just a few of the positions David Kline has had in Tallmadge over the years. Starting next year, he will again add...
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Welcome Santa parade gets Akron in the holiday mood
With a wind chill of 21, the Welcome Santa parade in downtown Akron had a polar feel on Nov. 28. Santa Claus, floats, drum lines, vehicles and costumed characters lit up the night, with the evening culminating in fireworks and the tree lighting at Lock...
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A STRONG FOUNDATION
Who says you can’t go home again? After years of operating from a post office box, storing records in family basements and meeting in borrowed spaces, the Charles and Salome Reymann Foundation has returned to its ancestral roots in Ellet. The...
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Small Business Saturday deals in Greater Akron
Small businesses will spread some holiday cheer Nov. 29 by participating in various Small Business Saturday events throughout Greater Akron. h Some of the events listed include additional opportunities on the surrounding days to purchase from vendors...
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Inflation weighing on income growth
WASHINGTON – Inflation has helped set back income growth to levels comparable to the slow recovery from the Great Recession more than a decade ago, potentially constraining the spending power of consumers ahead of the critical holiday retail season,...
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‘It’s all worth it’
Trevor Weigand’s “medical mystery” has been solved, though not cured. But his battle against a rare cancer continues to provide an unexpected perspective. Fear enveloped his family in 2008 when the son of University of Akron men’s basketball assistant...
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‘It is just beautiful’
It takes a lot of hands. A lot of heart. And more ornaments and strings of Christmas lights than one can possibly ever imagine to pull off the annual Deck the Hall at Akron’s historic Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. The holiday transformation of stately...
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Trump win gives rise to local organizing group
Noelle Bowman said life has prepared her for this moment. Bowman founded Indivisible Akron in 2024 following Donald Trump’s election to a second term as president. Her winding career path — an undergraduate degree in business, working in the medical...
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3 residents share grassroots solutions
From the isolation of COVID-19 to a record-setting number of homicides, 2020 was a chaotic year in Akron for Second Baptist Church Assistant Pastor Jaland Finney. Families were struggling, he said. h So, Finney began driving the streets of Akron, often...
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Soldier answers call to duty beyond Vietnam
As a poor boy growing up in South Akron with dreams of playing NCAA football, retired Sgt. 1st Class Johnnie Downs never imagined he’d carve out a distinguished career with the U.S. Army. Even as a soldier returning home from the Vietnam War, he...
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Turning pain into purpose
Days after 23-year-old Diamond Fisk was killed in crossfire on May 18 in Akron’s Merriman Valley, friends and residents like Ontario Bradley spoke at a gathering in Fisk’s honor. h Over a dozen of Fisk’s friends and family responded by yelling out...
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Barberton’s RD Bike Shop closing doors
The ride is coming to an end for a Barberton bicycle shop. h RD Bike Shop, situated in a historic storefront on Second Street NW, is closing after 46 years in business. h After years of traversing a long and winding road of being owners of a small...
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Will you answer the bell?
Bells are ringing. Perhaps a little more vigorously this year. The Salvation Army of Summit County kicked off its Red Kettle Campaign with a plea for assistance Nov. 6 at the 21st annual Community Medal Award Luncheon at St. George Fellowship Hall in...
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Top school board winner sees mandate for change
The top vote-getter for the Akron school board race says voters have given the newcomers a mandate for change. h Phil Montgomery, who garnered 17% of the roughly 66,403 votes cast, said voters demand more transparency and better communication from the...
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Family of shooting victim speaks out
Elijah Wells is now fighting for his life in the Cleveland Clinic Akron General’s critical care unit after being shot eight times Nov. 2 during a party at an upscale Airbnb home in Bath Township. h After one surgery, surgeons are struggling to locate...
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Phone videos could aid Airbnb shooting probe
The investigation into the Nov. 2 mass shooting at a so-called “birthday party” at an Airbnb in Bath Township continues as some shooting victims remain hospitalized. Bath Twp. Police Chief Vito Sinopoli told reporters at a press conference on Nov. 3...
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How SNAP loss could affect Summit County
Though he’s in need himself, Eric Heaton still finds ways to help others. h Having received a three-day supply of food Nov. 1 from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Ozanam Center at 93 Kent St. in Akron, Heaton was going home to get some clothes he...
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EXCEEDING STANDARDS
J’Den Johnson has wanted to be a firefighter since he saw them on TV when he was young. The senior at Akron’s Ellet Community Learning Center doesn’t have to wait until after high school to start his training. As part of Ellet’s fire and emergency...
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I DO, BOO
Eleven couples who weren’t scared to tie the knot on Halloween Day married their forever boos on Oct. 31 in the grand lobby of Akron’s historic Civic Theater. Couples dressed up in costumes as Village of Lakemore Mayor Richard Cole officiated their...
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Mr. Fun’s to close its Cuyahoga Falls store
Meralie Pocock talks about some of the quality costumes that can be found in Mr. Fun’s basement in Cuyahoga Falls on Oct. 29. Mr. Fun’s is closing the 2104 Front St. store by Dec. 31. Goodbye, Michael Myers. h Good night, Dracula. h And thanks for...
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Will pricey process cost Northeast Ohio?
President Donald Trump’s Sept. 19 proclamation requiring U.S. institutions to pay $100,000 for each petition to bring a single immigrant worker to the country on an H-1B visa could have ramifications for current and prospective Greater Akron employers...
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Hunger crisis awaits, Summit leaders warn
With food assistance benefits set to expire for 77,160 Summit County residents, County Executive Ilene Shapiro is asking the communities in Ohio’s fourth-largest county to come together to help their neighbors find a meal. Summit County Council...
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NEOMED professor puts time change in spotlight
Have you ever felt sleepy after a time change? That’s not just your imagination. It’s an actual thing, according to Jessica Ferrell, a Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) professor who studies the impact of time change. “The actual time change...
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Nurse helps provide survivors aid, support
The first year that Providing Access to Healing (PATH) started at Cleveland Clinic Akron General, the program assisted 150 sexual assault victims. The next year, that number doubled. This year, when PATH celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the program...
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‘WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED’
Musa Al Barr awoke early on a chilly March day in 1977 when he realized his waterbed heater wasn’t working. Al Barr told the female friend who had stayed over that he was going to check the power in the basement of his three-story Akron home. He put...
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Former Sea World’s transformation begins
It doesn’t look like much right now. h But just wait. h The city of Aurora broke ground Oct. 23 on an ambitious project to transform the former Sea World theme park and the waters of Geauga Lake that straddle Portage and Geauga counties into a city...
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Students test skills at Kent State airport
At the Kent State University airport, four Cessnas lined up near the runway single file on Oct. 22. One by one, they taxied down the runway, then soared toward the leaden gray skies. A few moments later, they would return, one by one. The purpose of...
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Fairlawn to flip switch on new traffic system
Some big changes are coming to one of Summit County’s busiest corridors. And chances are you might not even notice a difference — but your car or SUV might. Fairlawn is set to roll out its Connected Vehicle Corridor at the end of the month − the...
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Critics say death penalty not applied evenly in OH
When she took office in January, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich became the first Democrat in nearly a century to serve as the county’s elected prosecutor. Pillich is also Catholic. And like many Catholics, she has moral misgivings about the...
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Ohio mental illness law spares 9 on death row
Ashford Thompson suffers from a serious mental illness. Doctors hired by defense attorneys and prosecutors reached that consensus in the case of Thompson, who is sitting on death row for killing a Twinsburg officer in 2008. Under a new state law, this...
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Area protesters call for change
Among the hundreds of signs being waved by protesters at the No Kings rally in Cuyahoga Falls on Oct. 18, one stood out. “Trump: The Silent Coup,” read the sign that was painted on a canvas rather than poster board and had a red “V” over the...
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Is the U.S. Constitution color-blind?
WASHINGTON – In deciding a major case examining the racial composition of electoral districts in Louisiana, U.S. Supreme Court justices are facing the question of whether the U.S. Constitution should be seen as color-blind – even when remedies are...
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Time’s running out for Firestone Plant 1
A Northeast Ohio construction firm is preparing to submit its vision for preserving the historic Firestone Plant 1 to city officials who are preparing to demolish the complex. Michael Rickenbacher, director of construction at JERA Contractors, said...
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What drives Goodyear CEO? Cars, of course
Recalling that one of his first memories is playing with a toy steering wheel in his car seat, Goodyear CEO and President Mark Stewart joked that his love of cars dates back to when he was “probably 0.1 years of age.” h He grew up spending time in his...
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Friend bequeaths rare airship artifacts
Avi Greenbaum doesn’t know much about airships. h He’s learning, though. h The 78year-old Akron resident is the temporary caretaker of a rare collection of lighter-thanair relics. h “I’m not an authority on this stuff,” he said as he motioned toward a...
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Sam’s Jewelry Emporium to close
Lee Manes doesn’t want to say he’s “going out of business.” That sounds too negative to him. Instead, the 79-year-old prefers to say he’s “retiring out of business.” The banners tell the story: “FINAL DAYS! STORE CLOSING.” Sam’s Jewelry Emporium, a...
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WWII hero comes home after 80 years
He died serving his country 80 years ago, but his relatives never had the chance to provide a traditional burial for him until now. Platoon Sgt. Harold M. Weaver, a World War II Marine Corps veteran, finally was laid to rest Oct. 11 with family in...
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Stark company provides workers a second chance
PLAIN TWP. — Ken and Stephanie Henderson have come a long way from their cramped, two-bedroom rental in Canton. “The mice used to play in front of us,” Ken Henderson said, laughing at a time when their three children were young. To make matters...
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