AKRON
Meth lab found
AKRON: Akron police have arrested two people accused of making methamphetamine inside a Praire Drive home.
James Swisher, Jr., 28, and Justina Lee, 27, are charged with illegal manufacturing of drugs, illegal assembly of chemicals, possession of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and endangering children.
On Friday, Akron officers went to the couple’s home in response to complaints and recovered chemicals, smoking pipes, digital scales and other items commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine.
Three young children living in the home were placed with the Summit County Children’s Services Board.

Robber sorry
AKRON: A 90-year-old man was pushed to the ground and temporarily robbed of his wallet outside his Quayle Drive home.
The man, 90, suffered bruises to his arms and legs during the incident about 10:30 Friday night.
He told police a man in his late teens asked him for gas money and then assaulted him and took his wallet. The victim then convinced the robber that he should not commit the crime and he returned the wallet and rode away on a dark blue mountain bike.
The robber is a white male standing about 5-feet-11 and weighing 130 pounds. He has a goatee and wore a dark hooded sweatshirt.

Resident shoots
AKRON: A burglar was scared off by a gun-toting resident who returned to the East Buchtel Avenue apartment Saturday night.
The burglar stole a cell phone, two laptop computers, a shoulder bag and checkbook before running off. One of the residents gave chase and fired a shot along Wise Street, but apparently did not strike the burglar, police said.
Police say the burglar was a black male, 18 to 26 years old. He had a goatee and short black hair cut in a fade. He wore dark clothing.

Highland break-ins
AKRON: Two Highland Square businesses were burglarized last weekend.
The first happened about 11 p.m. Friday inside the Metro Burger, 845 W. Market St. The second happened about 5 a.m. Sunday at Georgio’s Pizza, 835 W. Market St. In each case, front windows were broken. Cash was taken in the Metro break-in. It is unclear if anything was taken in the pizza shop break-in.


Guilty verdict
AKRON: A Summit County jury Friday found an Akron man guilty of felonious assault.
Thomas Higgins, 19, of St. Michaels Avenue, will be sentenced Sept. 13 by Common Pleas Judge Tom Parker.
In February, the victim and his brother picked up two male passengers.
Authorities say Higgins pulled out a gun and demanded money. After a struggle, the victim was shot in the shoulder. Victim’s brother drove a couple blocks away and called police. About five hours later, Higgins was arrested riding around in a car.
Keith fundraiser
AKRON: Marilyn Keith, a candidate for the Ward 8 Akron City Council seat, will have a fundraiser from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Rockne’s, 7 Merriman Road.
Donations of $35 to $100 are suggested.
Keith, an Akron teacher and the wife of former Ward 8 Councilman Bob Keith, now the council clerk, is one of three Democratic candidates for the Ward 8 spot in the Sept. 13 primary.

Adoption meeting
AKRON: Summit County Children Services will hold a free foster care and adoption information meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 23 at the North Hill Branch Library, 183 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave.
Those attending meeting will learn more about foster care and adoption.
Light refreshments will be served.
The event is open to the entire community and reservations are not needed.
For details, call 330-379-1994.

CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Ice cream social
AKRON: Akron Municipal Court judicial candidate Joy Malek Oldfield is holding a ice cream social on Aug. 28.
The event for families will run from 1 to 4 p.m. at Zwisler Hall at St. Sebastian Catholic Church, 456 Mull Ave.
The event includes games and face painting.
Tickets are $25 per family.
To RSVP, call 330-798-2080 or email to info@joyforjudge.com.

Irish music
CUYAHOGA FALLS: The committee to elect Mary Nichols-Rhodes to the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education will hosting a dinner and Irish music fundraiser Friday.
The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cuyahoga Falls FOP Lodge, 436 Graham Road.
Irish tenor Pat Flynn, accompanied by accordion player Danny Cristy, will perform ballads and lively Irish songs beginning at 7 p.m.
Suggested donation is $25 to $50.
For reservations or more information, contact info@nichols-rhodesforschoolboard.org or call 330-957-6167.

CUYAHOGA VALLEY
Weeding time
AKRON: The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is holding an invasive plant removal day on Aug. 20 at Hampton Hills Metro Park.
Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon at the trailhead off Akron Peninsula Road.
The volunteers and park staff will remove Japanese knotweed, multiflora rose, autumn olive and privet.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, sturdy boots, work gloves and bring drinking water. Breakfast snacks will be provided.
The effort will be cancelled if it rains.
To register and for more information, contact Jamie Walters at 330-657-2142 or volunteer@forcvnp.org.
Participants must be at least 16 years old, accompanied by an adult and have a signed parental permission slip or be over the age of 18 with a signed form.

PORTAGE COUNTY
Offices merge
KENT: Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio is merging its Ravenna and Kent operations.
The last day of the Ravenna Health Center now open two days a week is Monday.
The Kent location is open four days a week including two Saturdays a month.
The change is part of the agency’s long-term strategic plan to improve operations and cost efficiency.
All Ravenna patient files will be transferred to the Kent center to ease the transition and all Ravenna employees will work at the Kent facility.

SUMMIT COUNTY
Senior roundtable
BARBERTON: U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Copley Township, will host a roundtable today for seniors to discuss the future of federal programs, including Social Security and Medicare.
The roundtable is scheduled from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. at the Barberton Active Adult Center, 500 W. Hopocan Ave.
“Over the last seven months, our seniors have seen programs they depend on such as Social Security and Medicare constantly placed under attack,” Sutton said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to hearing the concerns of seniors in our district and talking with them about how we can strengthen these programs and make our country a better place for its senior citizens.”

WADSWORTH
Library honored
WADSWORTH: The Wadsworth Public Library is a winner of the Ohio Library Council’s 2011 Library Innovation Award.
The library was saluted for its circulating laptop service which allows library users to borrow laptop computers for use at home.
The service began in 2009 and was made possible by the donation of 50 used laptops from the Westfield Insurance Group.
The laptops have been checked out 510 times, officials said.

Robbery reported
WADSWORTH: Police are trying to identify a man who robbed a High Street gas station Sunday may have committed similar heists earlier this month in Streetsboro and Cuyahoga Falls.
The Wadsworth robbery at the Circle K, 1051 High St., happened about 4 p.m. Sunday. The robber flashed a gun and demanded cash. He fled before police arrived.
Video surveillance, police said, suggests the crime was committed by the same man who robbed a Circle K in Streetsboro and a Marathon gas station in Cuyahoga Falls on Aug. 5.
The photos can be viewed on the Wadsworth police Facebook site, http://www.facebook.com/wadsworthpd.
Anyone with information can call the Wadsworth Police Department at 330-334-1511.