Ohio State Defensive End Chase Young has been named the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year.

In spite of missing two games due to suspension, Young notched 38 total tackles and 16.5 sacks, which is a school record.

In other Ohio State Football news, head coach Ryan Day, in his first year at the helm, was named the Big 10 Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck.

Shockingly, that's the first time a Buckeyes head coach has won the honor since Earl Bruce did it 40 years ago.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, remain number 1 in the College Football Playoff Committee rankings that were released on Tuesday night. There was no change in the top rankings over last week as LSU, Clemson, and Georgia round out the top 4. 

Ohio State takes on Wisconsin Saturday night in the Big 10 Championship Game that's being hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. and you can hear it all on 1590 WAKR and 93.5 FM. 

 

:19 - Is the Democratic presidential race increasing or decreasing? We don’t know, as some candidates are dropping out, yet others are joining the process. Kamala Harris is the latest dropout, and the morning show panel discussed her strengths and weaknesses, and what eventually did her in.

7:35 - Our 70th annual WAKR Share-A-Christmas is in day three, and today, Ray sat down with Pamela Hopkins from the Salvation Army of Summit County. 100% of the proceeds from Share-A-Christmas go to the local Salvation Army, and Pamela mentioned the programs and services available.

12:06 - With the new year approaching, we all want to get in decent physical shape. But some of us get taken in by exercise fads, like Tae-Bo, the Jane Fonda workout tapes, and the ThighMaster.

16:22 - What could have been a scary scene for the Buckeyes looks to be averted, as QB Justin Fields prevented a major injury in the Michigan game. Dr. Joe Congeni deals with sports medicine at Akron Children’s Hospital, and he talked about how Fields was able to remain upright and play, and how players can prevent injuries with added padding.

21:35 - An increasing amount of women are splitting the costs of engagement rings these days. Is this smart or is chivalry dead?

Be sure to follow us on our various social media platforms. Facebook: 1590WAKRakron Instagram: @1590WAKR Twitter: @1590WAKR, @Rayinthemorning, @TonyMazur

:19 - With the holidays coming up, Ray mentioned a few items from the 1960’s that he remembers fondly as far as gift giving, especially when the Sears catalogue came in the mail.

6:00 - Today is day two of the 70th annual WAKR Share-A-Christmas, with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the Salvation Army of Summit County. Sarah Bailey is with the Salvation Army, and she brought up a few after-school programs she and her colleagues help for children and families in dire straits.

11:06 - Doing anything on December 20th? Our friend Helen Welch is performing at EJ Thomas Hall as a part of another Carpenters-theme Christmas show.

19:46 - And finally, Fred Greetham from the Orange & Brown Report attempted to figure out what is happening with the Cleveland Browns after Sunday’s loss to the Steelers.

Be sure to follow us on our various social media platforms. Facebook: 1590WAKRakron Instagram: @1590WAKR Twitter: @1590WAKR, @Rayinthemorning, @TonyMazur

(City of Akron) (Monday), Mayor Dan Horrigan is proud to release the Five-Year Strategic Framework for the Office of Integrated Development (OID) created this year under the direction of Deputy Mayor James Hardy.  Through this plan, the City will better focus its resources and relationships, advance equitable outcomes, and deliver improved services for all Akron residents.  OID is responsible for business attraction and retention, entrepreneurship, downtown development, recreation and public space, land use and zoning, as well as long range planning and City real estate. OID’s portfolio of projects will build upon existing strategies including Elevate Greater Akron, the Downtown Vision and Redevelopment Plan, and Planning to Grow Akron.  The OID Five-Year Strategic Framework details the bold actions and bold measures of accountability needed to transform Akron’s neighborhoods and improve the lives of Akron residents in meaningful ways.

“OID is not about doing something different for difference’s sake.  It’s about working smarter together to build and sustain an Akron that is healthy, equitable, beautiful, and resilient,” Mayor Horrigan said. “Vision-driven, community-focused development is not just the right thing to do, it’s also good business. My hope in the coming years, as we take this more inclusive approach to development, is that our residents find increased economic opportunity for themselves and their families and an overall improved quality of life.”

The Framework comes after more than a year of strategic planning, facilitated by Lynn Ross, Founder and Principal of Spirit for Change Consulting, LLC, and supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which made a grant of $139,020 to help develop and launch OID.

“This process and the resulting OID Five-Year Strategic Framework were born, in part, out of our local experience with Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative,” said Knight Foundation Akron Director Kyle Kutuchief. “The implementation of this plan is an extension of that new way of working focused on co-design, co-creation and co-stewardship.”

The 10 core values outlined in the OID Five-Year Strategic Framework will drive the attitudes, choices and actions of the OID team as they advance five overarching goals: Destination for All, Economic Opportunity, Placemaking and Placekeeping, Learning and Creativity, and More Equitable Akron.  “Equity is foundational to every aspect of the OID Five-Year Strategic Framework” Ross said. “What’s clear in this framework is that the OID team recognizes that to advance equity there must be increased fairness within its own systems, processes and procedures as well as justice in the distribution of resources.”

The Framework also details specific indicators designed to measure progress. The indicators—which will be reported annually—establish accountability for the OID team to the Akron community.  Indicators cover everything from Black/White Disparity in Median Household Income and Geographic Equity (elimination of concentrated poverty), to Private Investment in Real Estate per $1 of City Investment and Laborforce Participation, to Acres of Parkland per 1,000 Residents and Akron’s Transit Score®.  

Due to reductions in state and federal tax-sharing, the City’s total staff devoted to development and planning has been reduced by more than 45% over the last two decades. OID leverages an existing team of highly-trained and experienced city employees into a new organizational structure, proposes minimal new positions, and supports improved transparency and cross-team coordination and learning.

“In Akron, we are working to build a city that is resilient in the face of an ever-changing world.  As we step out of the Rust Belt shadow to reclaim and renew our own future, the OID Strategic Framework defines both the pathway to and measures of progress,” Deputy Mayor Hardy said. “It charts a course toward a more transparent and accountable method of urban development in order to achieve measurable outcomes for real people.”

With the support of the Knight Foundation, the OID Five-Year Strategic Framework document was designed by the Original Champions of Design, with original photography by Shane Wynn Photography. The framework is available at www.akronohio.gov/OID.