Akron News Archives

Gus Hall was sworn in today as the 14th chief of the Akron Police Department. Hall, 55, was a major and commander of the department's uniform patrol subdivision.

Akron police Maj. Gus Hall will be the department's interim police chief, effective Monday.

Saturday afternoon, Akron Police received a call about a black male in a grey Chevy Impala, firing shots in the Seward Avenue area.

The Gothic Building, a Chicago-style, four-story building constructed in 1903, will celebrate its restoration with a prestigious dedication ceremony with special guests, tours, refreshments and live music.

Federal prosecutors say Indianapolis businessman Timothy Durham defrauded investors through a classic Ponzi scheme and they want to seize his luxury home, other properties, 18 bank accounts and a Bugatti touring car.

Former Akron City Council candidate DeAndre D. Forney has been cleared of all alleged wrongdoing in connection with a 2008 charity event involving the LeBron James Family Foundation.

Powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens will play a rare "unplugged" show on Friday, December 4 at the Tap House in Akron, Ohio.

Akron Police are trying to identify the man who led them on a wild chase in the wrong direction along I-77 Saturday evening.

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron has fired head football coach J.D. Brookhart.

Akron is requiring nonunion employees to take another six hours of furlough time by mid-December. This is on top of 18 hours of pay these employees already have given up to help address the city's budget problems.

Emergency personnel remain at the scene of an Akron traffic accident that injured several mentally disabled individuals.

A former anesthesiologist has admitted to making pipe bombs that were part of an arsenal seized at his apartment, federal agents say.

State workers this morning were replacing speed limit signs along Interstate 77 in West Akron and Fairlawn that allow drivers to zoom by at 65 mph.

An Akron man whose illegal, mobile methamphetamine lab snarled Interstate 76 traffic in Brimfield on June 25 will spend the next 10 years in prison.

Authorities in Akron, Ohio say they've arrested a man who has confessed to setting 18 fires over a four year period.

Firefighters were called to the scrap yard on West Wilbeth Road for reports of heavy black smoke and explosions.

Two police officers responding to aid other officers were involved in a 3 a.m. crash at the intersection of Copley Road and Madison Avenue with a car that ran a red light and turned out to be stolen from Boardman, police said.

Akron detectives are investigating a fatal stabbing. Violence broke out in the 1100 block of Keys Place around 10:30 Wednesday night.

Federal authorities have charged the Cuyahoga Falls man accused of concealing an arsenal of bombs and firearms inside his apartment.

AKRON Arrest in robbery AKRON: An Akron man wanted for last weekend's robbery of a gas station has been taken into custody.

The move to stop Ohio drivers from texting behind the wheel has spread to Toledo.

A 28-year-old Akron man is suspected of setting fire to 18 occupied dwellings and three cars in the Akron area between 2005 and 2008.

Akron Police Chief Craig Gilbride has led the department for just under a year. For the officer who rose reluctantly to the top chair over a three-decade career, it only seemed longer.

Four people were injured Tuesday afternoon in a violent collision in Akron that caused a van carrying mentally disabled passengers to flip on its roof.

Summit County's unemployment rate rose slightly to 9.8 percent in October, state figures released Tuesday show.

An Akron family wakes up to a massive house fire and with little time to react, the family of four jumps from a second-story window.

Akron Children's Hospital CEO, wife announce $1 million gift to support research By Cheryl Powell Beacon Journal medical writer POSTED: 02:36 p.m. EST, Nov 23, 2009 Akron Children's Hospital is getting a $1 million boost to its research efforts from its longtime chief executive and his wife.

A 41-year-old Akron man was killed in a crash Sunday night. Jamie Thorrat, of Dorchester Road, was driving north on Dorchester at 10:30 p.m. He was speeding in a 2003 Ford Focus as he approached Jefferson Avenue and lost control of the car, police said.

Police are asking for help to find a suspect in an armed robbery. The Circle K at 997 Brown S. was robbed Saturday night, when a man walked in about 9 p.m., demanded money and lifted his shirt to reveal a gun.

Remember Devo of Whip It fame? Well, the '70s New Wave band will release their first studio album in 20 years, tentatively titled Fresh, in 2010 and launch a new tour starting with a date at Coachella Music Festival in April.

Four free Akron area H1N1 clinics will be available this week. H1N1 clinics for the week of 11/23/09 include: Monday, November 23 at 4:00pm-7:00pm at Mogadore High School Monday, November 23 at 4:00pm-7:00pm at Sill Middle School Tuesday, November 24 at 4:00pm-7:00pm at Norton High School Tuesday, November 24 at 4:00pm-7:00pm at Woodridge Middle ...

Akron is getting $1.9 million in state funds to help turn an empty 12-story downtown office building into loft apartments.

A tiny dog and its owners are finally reunited after the dog miraculously survived three months in the woods of Franklin county.

A Kent State University student hospitalized after an attack last weekend died Saturday evening, according to Cleveland area news channels.

Mayor Don Plusquellic joined with Governor Ted Strickland today and University of Akron President Dr.

An Akron man was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison on an attempted murder charge involving a shooting during a gas station robbery.

An Ohio man has been sentenced to 22 years to life for killing his mother and brother found buried behind their burned-out home near Akron.

A fire Thursday that caused about $20,000 damage to the contents of a local business was due to poor maintenance of the machine where the fire originated, authorities said.

JoAnn Colbert, 56, and Ivan Richardson, 59, both of West Market Street, were arrested and charged with drug abuse and drug trafficking.

Akron police and the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office have identified the man whose body was found in a North Akron home Thursday afternoon.

Conya Doss is a musical multitasker. The Cleveland-born and bred singer/songwriter, who will be performing at the Keepers Lounge at the Stage Door of E.J. Thomas Hall Saturday, has been on the proverbial grind for four albums.

Here are the burglary reports released today by the Akron Police Department. Anyone with information on the cases is asked to call Akron police detectives at 330-375-2490. Anonymous tips can be made at http://ci.akron.oh.us/ASP/tip.html . 800 block of Aberdeen Street.

The Akron School Board has approved a plan to upgrade facilities at Buchtel High School even though it means elimination of a practice field.

Two H1n1 vaccine clinics will be held this weekend. Both clinics will be held at the Forest Hill Community Learning Center, located at 850 Damon Street in northeast Akron.

The escape plan was devised in a matter of seconds as fire and smoke raced through their Akron home early Tuesday.

An Akron family was taken to the hospital this morning after a fire destroyed their home on Noah Avenue.

Police and deputy marshals arrested a 20-year-old Akron man who has been on the run since July.

Good news for Akron lead foot drivers. Part of I-77 will be flowing at a faster clip.

Police arrested a man Friday night for allegedly stabbing another man in downtown Akron near the Cascade Plaza.

Akron's Millionaires Row was looking a little ragged. Once a boulevard of fabulous mansions, East Market Street had lost its allure by the early 20th century.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Maybe not everywhere you go but certainly at Chapel Hill Mall.

Investigators in Akron are trying to figure out who's responsible for setting a series of leaf fires in the city.

An Akron man will spend 9 years in prison for making meth in his basement. Michael Hendricks was convicted by a jury last month and was sentenced yesterday.

Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain, will be in Akron on Monday November 16.

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic was in the hot seat this morning, defending the city's decision to lay off 38 firefighters to help address a budget shortfall.

Celebrating the talented people who help bring artistic understanding, culture and excitement to our lives, the Akron Area Arts Alliance recognizes the 2009 Arts Alive! Award winners at the 5th Gala Community Arts Award Celebration starting at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Portage Country Club, 240 N. Portage Path, Akron.

The city of Akron, Ohio, has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer system to reduce or eliminate sewage overflows that have long polluted the Cuyahoga River and its tributaries, the Justice Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state of Ohio announced today.

An Akron man was arrested Thursday by the Summit County Sheriff's office in connection with the theft of seven vehicles from Fred Martin Motors over the past few weeks.

The Veterans Day observance at the University of Akron actually got underway at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with UA's Army Reserve Officers Training Corps 42nd Ohio Volunteer Battalion conducting a 24-hour vigil, standing guard over a symbolic eternal flame starting at 11:11 a.m. Tuesday until 11:11 a.m. Wednesday at the Buchtel Common flagpole.

Akron city government is putting some financial records on the internet. Mayor Don Plusquellic said yesterday that by consolidating information on a new website, he hopes to silence accusations from critics that information is being hidden.

Akron General and Hospice of Visiting Nurse Service are offering free memory screenings as part of National Memory Screening Day, a national initiative of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America .

AKRON House fire AKRON: The Akron Fire Department is investigating a Wednesday morning fire on Royal Place near St.

Saving Buchtel High School's practice football field could cost the district an additional $11 million and add two years to a three-year project to build a new combined high school and middle school.

The first time I stepped into this Highland Square store, I really had no idea what to expect.

Authorities in Ohio say a woman abducted at gunpoint by her ex-boyfriend was rescued unharmed after a 100 mph chase along Interstate 77.

When people move around too often, they can have a hard time with some of the simplest questions.

Actress/singer Rachel York will bring a dose of Broadway glamour to Akron on Sunday with her cabaret For the Love of It, which she'll perform at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Akron-Summit County Main Library Auditorium.

A 43-year-old Akron man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for running a methamphetamine lab in his home while children lived there.

Motorists on Interstate 77 soon won't have to worry as much about their speed. Akron City Council today approved legislation urging the Ohio Department of Transportation to increase the speed on Interstate 77 between Vernon Odom Boulevard and Cleveland-Massillon Road from 55 mph to 65 mph.

AKRON, Ohio Cassandra Hirsh, DO, has joined the Haslinger Family Pediatric Palliative Care Center at Akron Children's Hospital.

Two employees at an Akron water plant were taken to the hospital Saturday night after a chemical spill.

Donnie Grigg, 36, of Akron, will be sentenced Nov. 24 for burglarizing an office at Oriana House, a treatment center for drug and alcohol abuse.

An Akron man awaiting sentencing today for assaulting his former roommate with a machete apparently attempted to commit suicide at the Summit County Jail this weekend and is being held in the jail's mental unit, authorities said.

The Akron Zoo is taking steps to convert 16 acres of leased land into more space for attractions.

Christmas is arriving early all over Akron, as New Hope Christian Fellowship prepares to serve as a collection point for Operation Christmas Child.

A knife fight between two homeless men left one dead and another injured and charged this morning with murder.

An Akron man is fatally stabbed at a gas station late Wednesday night. Nicholas Bobo died after the incident at the Speedway gas station on E. Market Street.

An Akron woman faces a murder charge for planning the stabbing death of her mother.

Prosecutors in Ohio intend to seek the death penalty against a woman accused of hiring a friend to kill her mother.

Columbus police took an Akron man into custody Tuesday who was wanted on felonious assault and drug charges.

The following list of homes for sale will be updated as new listings come on the market in Summit County.

An Akron man has died after he was stabbed last night at a Speedway gas station on East Market St.

Summit County prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a 20-year-old Akron woman accused of paying a hitman $5,000 to kill her mother.

The Akron call center of Teleperformance USA will shut down and more than 300 people will lose their jobs on Dec.

Firestone High School in Akron needs some help with its visual and performing arts program.

Akron Children's Hospital is getting ready for another growth spurt. The pediatric hospital recently acquired the Neurology & Neuroscience Associates' building on West Exchange Street as it looks to expand its main campus.

The Akron City Council has five new members. While the new members were celebrating at parties or at home Tuesday night, they did so knowing difficult times await when they assume their seats in January.

The Akron Health Department is holding two free H1N1 influenza vaccine clinics this week and another next week for people at high risk of complications from the flu.

Akron residents who already have raked leaves into the street probably are wondering when the city will pick them up.

A 37-year-old man kicked in his neighbor's door and stabbed him over loud music early today, police said.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray has opened a consumer complaint bureau in Akron.

The Akron Police Department is looking for information that leads to the arrests of three suspects wanted in connection with three separate homicides in recent weeks.

An Akron man is behind bars after a terrifying home invasion over the weekend. Officers arrested Tyrone J. Thomas after he allegedly entered the victim's apartment through an unlocked door, walked into the bedroom and held a knife to the victim's head.

An Ohio hospital is accusing a group of doctors of unfairly steering patients to a competing medical center in which they have a financial interest.

Jay Stanford Andrews, the Akron man accused of attempting to murder his roommate with a machete, testified that their relationship began at the county jail because he had become lonely and knew he would eventually need a strong companion to protect him from neighborhood thugs.

Voters will remake the seven-member Akron School Board when they vote in Tuesday's general election.

The Akron Health Department is offering shuttle bus transportation from the Northeast Community Center/Akron-Summit County Public Library parking lots on Shatto Avenue to its free H1N1 flu vaccine clinic this afternoon at the Judith Resnik school.

Former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman thinks his experience in Washington and business background make him the best candidate to succeed retiring U.S. Sen.

Bishop Richard Lennon implored a group sitting vigil inside St. John the Baptist to leave the church.