Someone broke into a home in Akron's Firestone Park neighborhood around midnight, Monday, and stole a semi-auto rifle, ammo, and clothing with the word "sheriff" printed on them.
Ring surveillance video caught the man in the back of the home rummaging through a van that was unlocked in the driveway.
See more from Cleveland.com.
Below is the full press release from the Summit County Sheriff's Office:
During the early morning hours of October 14, 2019, a burglary and a subsequent theft occurred in the area of East Ido Street in the City of Akron. Included in the items taken were a semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, and various clothing with the word “SHERIFF” printed on them.
The suspect is believed to be a black male who was wearing reddish shoes and a dark colored jacket with a gray hood. Video footage of the suspect is attached to this email.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Summit County Sheriff’s Office at 330-643-2147 and/or Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-643-8665.
Kent Police have arrested the Kent State "pervert" whose been caught on doorbell security camera at two different Kent State sorority houses three times in the last month and a half, wearing nothing but underwear.
According to a post to the Kent PD Facebook page, police were able to identify the suspect as Steven Franzreb, 43, from North Royalton, with the help of the U.S. Marshals Office. In the post, Kent Police say that Franzreb was arrested without incident late Friday night, around 10:30, in Broadview Heights. Other media outlets are reporting that he was picked up at his work after police went to his North Royalton home and he wasn't there.
Franzreb was held without bail throughout the weekend, charged with felony menacing.
Kent State University issued the following statement regarding the arrest:
On the evening of Oct. 11, the city of Kent Police Department made an arrest in the incidents involving a prowler outside sorority homes affiliated with Kent State University. As our students return to campus from fall break, we hope this will give them peace of mind.
The safety of our students and community members is our top priority. We would like to thank our partners at the city of Kent, including the city of Kent Police Department, and the agencies who provided assistance with this matter, including the U.S. Marshals Service and our own Kent State Police Department.
The Ohio Department of Transportation has become known for, at least over the past few years, their clever digital signs overlooking Ohio's highways.
Some of the more memorable signs have come around the holidays, including, "Drive EGG-cellent. Some BUNNY needs you," of course, on Easter. And then, at Christmas time, there was the homage to the hit film "A Christmas Story" that read, "Life is FRE-GEE-LAY. Slow down."
Now, ODOT is asking for your best traffic-related quips to be featured across the state.
Click here to submit your most clever entry.
A story featuring One of A Kind Pet Rescue in the Akron Beacon Journal this morning, and the dozens of sick dogs from Scioto County that have just moved in.
Tonya Jonda, Public Relations and Social Media Manager for the No-Kill shelter on West Market Street, explains that all of the dogs sent to Akron are relatively healthy, aside from one treatable issue. "None of the dogs are emaciated or anything like that," Jonda says. "At one point someone dropped off one or two dogs that were infected with mange and it affected the whole lot."
Hear more of the interview with Jonda and WAKR's Ryan Lang, host of "This and That with Ryan Lang."
This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro-10-11-19 Featured
Written by Jeanne DestroThis week, we’re talking about embarrassing things posted about you online, laws designed to help protect you from them, and what to do, if it happens to you.
Please note: You can subscribe to this podcast through the Apple and Andoid app stores, as well as through Stitcher and Spotify.
Student Athletes of the Week: Allison Spears and Tim Jervis: Norton HS
Written by Aaron ColemanThis week our 1590 WAKR Female Student Athlete of the Week is Allison Spears, a senior soccer player from Norton High School.
She says that being a Norton Student Athlete is something truly special.
“Going to practice every day and just smiling and laughing and walking through the halls and seeing my teammates every day.”
In 2019, she was named a team captain and was also a recipient of the PTC Scholar Athlete Award. She says that leadership is a dual role for her as she leads by example and vocally out on the pitch.
“It just depends on how the game is going,” she said.
Her coach Dan DiPasquale says that Spears exemplifies what you’re looking for in a student athlete.
“Allison is a soccer player that I first noticed when she was in the 8th grade! “ he says.
“Her dedication & hard work has made her into the amazing soccer player, leader & mentor that she is today, and I am very proud of everything she has accomplished!"
Away from the pitch, Spears is a member of the National Honor Society as well as the National Technical Honor Society and does some great work in the community as a Safety Town Volunteer for the past six years.
Upon graduation in the spring, Allison plans on attending the University of Akron to study Pre-Med.
Our next Male Student Athlete of the Week from Norton High School is Tim Jervis, a senior football player.
Tim says the atmosphere for Norton and their student athletes is second to none.
“It’s nice because it’s a small community and everyone supports you,” he said
His coach Kevin Pollock said he’s a great young man both on and off the field.
“Great kid, Great grades, and huge impact for us on both sides of the ball,” Pollock explained.
Tim is a two sport athlete for the Panthers playing along the offensive and defensive line in football and throwing shot and discus on the track and field team during the spring.
When not studying or playing sports, Tim is a member of the Spanish Club and a member of Superintendent Advisory Group. In addition to those activities, he also works at the Wadsworth YMCA.
He is currently undecided on where he will attend college in the fall of 2020, but he says he wants to get into the medical field.
We wish Allison and Tim the best in all of their future endeavors.
More...
SUMMIT COUNTY
Akron - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 26.
Barberton - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 26.
Bath Township - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 27.
Boston Heights - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Copley Township - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 27.
Cuyahoga Falls - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 26.
Coventry Township - 5-9 p.m. Oct. 27.
Fairlawn - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 27.
Green - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 26.
Hudson - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Lakemore - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 26.
Macedonia - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Mogadore - 5:30-7 p.m. Oct. 27.
Munroe Falls - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
New Franklin - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 26.
Northfield - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Northfield Center Township - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Norton - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 26.
Peninsula - 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 31.
Reminderville - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Richfield - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Richfield Township - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Silver Lake - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 26.
Springfield - 4-6 p.m. Oct. 26
Stow - 5-7 p.m. Oct. 26.
Tallmadge - 5:30-7 p.m. Oct. 31.
Twinsburg - 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
See more from the Akron Beacon Journal here.
Last winter the City of Akron received a lot of blowback from citizens upset with the lack of response to a January storm that left several people stuck in the snow, some for days.
Mayor Dan Horrigan issued an apology to residents of Akron, saying they were re-evaluating their snow and ice removal process.
Fast forward to Wednesday, and it appears the City has revamped the winter-weather response, as Mayor Horrigan announced the new "aggressive snow and ice removal plan" ahead of the 2019-2020 winter season.
"We will have more plows and equipment and those trucks will have better access to the salt," the Mayor told the Jasen Sokol Show on Wednesday, shortly after rolling out the plan to the public. "There is also a route revision; we've reworked it so that it's more responsive to neighborhood needs."
One of the biggest changes to the winter strategy is that the City has ended their contract with ODOT that previously required the city to plow 150 miles of Akron highways. That responsibility now lies solely on ODOT, freeing up more resources to focus on city streets.
See more from the City of Akron below:
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan was joined by City Council leadership and Public Works staff this morning as he unveiled his aggressive plan to overhaul the City’s approach to snow and ice removal for the upcoming winter season. The new 5-point strategy includes significant improvements to equipment, technology, logistics, and training.
“Last winter we experienced a once-in-a-decade snow storm, which ended up revealing some unacceptable weaknesses in our system,” Director of Public Service John Moore said. “After that event, we immediately got to work critically evaluating every aspect of our strategy, with a commitment to being better prepared, across the board.”
“I am proud to say that today is a new day in terms of Akron’s snow and ice response,” Mayor Horrigan said. “For the 2019-2020 winter season, we will have more plow trucks, better access to salt, new routes, enhanced training, and better policies and technology to ensure we are maximizing our available resources and manpower. The singular goal is to get our streets cleared as soon as possible to reduce the dangers and hassle for residents and drivers.”
One important change was the decision not to renew the ODOT maintenance agreement, which has been in place for over 50 years, in which the City maintained state interstates within its borders. By concluding that agreement, the City will have additional trucks, materials and manpower to dedicate to Akron streets. The City will make up for the lost revenue from that agreement with a portion of the new, additional gas tax revenue from the State of Ohio, estimated at an additional $3.2 million annually.
The full 5-point improvement strategy is summarized below.
1. More Plow Trucks and Equipment
· Ended ODOT maintenance contract for highways, allowing 5 more 15-ton plow trucks to be available for plowing City streets
· 3 new replacement 5-ton trucks allowing additional backup equipment in major events
· 13 additional smaller 1-ton trucks outfitted with plows and/or salt spreaders which will be used for complaint-response in every City ward.
· More aggressive maintenance schedules and opening additional City facilities (including the Copley Road facility) for maintenance work to reduce plows being out of service when they’re needed most
2. Better Access to Salt
· Market is recovering from extreme salt supply shortage last winter with more materials available nationwide
· Already secured commitment on our full quantity of salt at approx. 25,000 tons
· More salt available for City streets without ODOT maintenance agreement.
3. Route Revisions
· Recrafting of routes on City street allowing quicker completion, and minimize travel times between routes, materials and service locations.
· Continuing work with logistics experts to maximize effectiveness and efficiency
· Outside contractors will have access to pre-assigned areas for emergency assistance
4. Enhanced Training
· Providing additional in-truck training of new plow drivers by experienced operators
· Working with simulator vendors and partners to provide enhanced classroom training
5. Improved Policies & Technology
· Working with City Council to adopt improvements to the Parking Ban procedure including earlier notification
· Supervisors in the field will have better access to Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system, 3-1-1 service requests, work order management in real time.
· Internal Constant Improvement Team established to review responses to events and make changes and improvements before the next event.
“While we do still live in Northeast Ohio where Mother Nature ultimately wins—this is about delivering the services that residents expect and deserve—effectively and efficiently,” Mayor Horrigan remarked, “I want to thank City Council, our residents who shared their thoughts and input, and especially the hardworking City crews that work long, challenging shifts during major storms. With these important enhancements, I’m confident we are appropriately prepared for the coming winter season.”
“This is truly an aggressive new strategy, and I am pleased with the investment and dedication it demonstrates,” Council President Margo Sommerville said. “I want to thank the citizens of the Snow and Ice Task Force for their assistance. City Council looks forward to partnering with the administration to deploy these new policies and strategies to improve our ability to effectively clear city streets of snow and ice this winter.”
Additional information about the new and improved strategy, along with a detailed “Snow and Ice FAQ” is available on the City’s website and also on the City Council website. As always, residents with concerns or complaints should contact the Mayor’s Action Center by dialing 3-1-1 or (330) 375-2311 or submitting online at www.akronohio.gov/311.