AKRONWorker robbedAKRON: Two armed robbers approached a woman leaving work Tuesday night at the Kenmore Community Center and demanded money.The incident happened about 8:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the community center at 880 Kenmore Blvd.The woman told the two masked robbers she had no cash. She then got inside her car while the robbers fled with no money. Police responding to a 911 call found a navy blue stocking mask believed to have been worn by one of the robbers.Police said the robbers were two white males in their mid to late teens. They wore dark clothing and ski masks.Anyone with information is asked to call Akron police at 330-375-2490. Anonymous tips may be left at http://akronohio.gov/asp/tip.html.Pet benefitAKRON: Northeast Ohio reggae band Human Nature will play at 8 p.m. Feb. 9 at Ripper Owens’ Tap House in Akron to benefit Heaven Can Wait.Admission to the show is free. Donations will help Heaven Can Wait’s mission to rescue animals from Summit County Animal Control.For information, visit www.heaven-can-wait.com or call 330-328-8699.ALLIANCELibraries to closeALLIANCE: The Rodman Public Library’s Main Library in Alliance, the Bookmobile, and the Carnation Mall branch will be closed from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday for staff training.The closing will permit all library personnel to participate.NORTH CANTON SCHOOLSClean sweepNORTH CANTON: Law-enforcement dogs failed to uncover any drugs during an unannounced sweep Wednesday at North Canton’s Hoover High School.North Canton police with K-9 units from Canton, Brimfield Township and Navarre police as well as Tuscarawas County sheriff’s deputies conducted the search.North Canton police and school officials said the goal was to “successfully locate and remove drugs from the school, to help ensure the safety of the students and staff with minimal disruption to the learning environment.”Students were not allowed to leave their classrooms during the sweep of hallways and lockers, which took place over 30 minutes. Students were not searched.While the dogs alerted authorities to four lockers, no drugs were found, police said.PLAIN TOWNSHIPFirefighters hiredPLAIN TWP.: Township trustees approved the hiring of six firefighter/paramedics at their meeting Tuesday evening.James Russell II, Adam Farley, Brandon Ogden, Adam Gladysz, Ronald DiFrancesco and Jonathan Hofstetter will join the department once they have passed physicals. Fire Chief Don Snyder said they will fill vacancies created in the department due to recent promotions.The board also issued a proclamation commending former Fire Chief John Sabo for his 44 years of service to Plain Township.Tom Stahlehaber gave a report on the newly formed township “Friends of the Parks.” He is president of the group, which is working to obtain nonprofit status, and he said it will hold fundraisers and other events to support Plain Township parks.Trustees will hold a joint meeting with the Plain Local Board of Education at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at GlenOak High School.STARK COUNTYFree tax helpThe Greater Stark County Urban League, in partnership with Reentry Bridge Network Inc. and the Ohio Benefit Bank is offering free tax preparation at the Greater Stark County Urban League.The free clinics will be held from 4 to 6 tonight, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday. No appointment is necessary, but pre-registration appointments can be made by calling Monique Cox-Moore at 330-456-3479, ext. 125, or
mcoxmoore@starkcountyul.org.There is no income eligibility requirement to use the services at the clinic at the Urban League, 1400 Sherrick Road SE in Canton.Posts filledJACKSON TWP.: Stark State College announced the appointment of three academic deans who started in January.Donald M. Ball of Canton was named dean of the Engineering, Industrial and Emerging Technologies Division. He will earn $100,600 a year.James Treacle of Bolivar is heading the Sciences Division at a yearly salary of $99,500. Andrew Stephan of St. Peters, Mo., is new dean of the Mathematics Division at a yearly salary of $105,500.Bank robbedCANTON TWP.: A Canton man has been arrested in the aggravated robbery at KeyBank, 3001 Cleveland Ave. SW., on Wednesday afternoon.Stark County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from the bank at 3:02 p.m.Using a description given by witnesses, deputies arrested the suspect a few blocks down the street 15 minutes later.Gillett L. Jones, 46, was booked into the Stark County Jail and will be charged with aggravated robbery, Chief Deputy Rick Perez said.Police did not provide details of the robbery or the arrest.SUMMIT COUNTYOffice hoursCUYAHOGA FALLS: Summit County Councilman John Schmidt will hold public office hours from 7 to 8:30 tonight at the Cuyahoga Falls Public Library, 2015 Third St.He will be available to answer questions and hear concerns from constituents. Schmidt represents most of Cuyahoga Falls and Munroe Falls, and a portion of Akron.For details, call 330-643-2725.Record visitationAKRON: Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, attracted more than 5.1 million visitors in 2011 — the highest number on record for the district and up 88,000 from 2010 numbers.That includes visits at 14 parks, the 33.5-mile Bike & Hike Trail, 22.4 miles of the Towpath Trail and the Seiberling Nature Realm on Smith Road in North Akron.The park visited the most was Sand Run in Northwest Akron with 1.75 million visitors.The numbers are tallied from traffic counts, pavilion and shelter reservations, event participation, swim pass sales and attendance estimates from special events like cross-country meets.Office hoursGREEN: State Rep. Anthony DeVitis, R-Green, will hold district office hours Friday.“It is important that I take the opportunity to connect with the residents of the 43rd Ohio House District,” he said.The office hours will be held at the Green Branch Library, 4046 Massillon Road, from 4 to 5 p.m. No appointment is necessary.To contact DeVitis’ office, call 614-466-1790 or email
district43@ohr.state.oh.us.TALLMADGE SCHOOLSBuilding meetingsTALLMADGE: The Tallmadge school district has scheduled two meetings to involve the community in planning buildings housing students in kindergarten through fifth grade.The meetings will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 30 and 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 7. Both will be held at the middle school.District officials will seek community input on current and future use of Munroe, Dunbar, and David Bacon schools, and the Overdale building, which is currently closed.Steven Wood, business director of Tallmadge schools, says the meetings are part of an ongoing process under the district’s master plan, which began more than 10 years ago.WOOSTERFugitive arrestedWOOSTER: An arrest has been made in the Dec. 10 death of Clifford Johnson, 21, who was shot in the back while standing in a yard on East North Street.Lashaun Reed, 23, of Wooster, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon in Greenville, Miss., after an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force Akron Division and the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.At the time of the shooting, Reed was free on bond awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to felonious assault and assault charges. Those charges stem from the June 12 stabbing of two individuals on North Buckeye Street in Wooster.Marshals, with the help of officers from the Greenville Police Department, tracked Reed down at a boarding house where he was renting a room. He was found hiding in a closet, marshals said.Reed is at the Greenville Police Department jail awaiting an extradition hearing to return him to Ohio.