Archive

Ohio Brewing Co. sells Cuyahoga Falls location to restaurant group, ending 28-year run



By Phil Keren
The Summiteer

A brewpub that was part of the revitalization of downtown Cuyahoga Falls sold its property to a restaurant group at the end of 2024.
 
Ohio Brewing Co., 2250 Front St., sold its building and contents to Monven Group, the parent company of Burntwood Tavern and Leo’s Italian Social, both of which have locations in downtown Cuyahoga Falls.
 
Brothers Chris and Michael Verich founded Ohio Brewing…

Tina Merlitti appointed to Stow-Munroe Falls Board of Education, filling vacant seat

By Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

In a 3-1 vote, the Stow-Munroe Falls Board of Education selected Tina Merlitti as its newest member at its Jan. 13 organizational meeting. Merlitti, a resident of Munroe Falls, fills the vacancy left by former board President Nancy Binzel, who resigned effective Dec. 31, 2024, with three years left on her four-year term.

Merlitti, a former member of Akron City Council, was chosen from 12 candidates who…

Stow community to hold vigil honoring Latoia Philpott on Feb. 9



Staff report

The Stow community will come together on Sunday, Feb. 9, to honor the life of Latoia Philpott, who died in a homicide on Jan. 27. Police say her boyfriend, Benjamin Asiedu, shot her six times before turning the gun on himself. 

City leaders announced that a vigil will be held from 1-2 p.m. at the Stow Community & Senior Center (5344 Fishcreek Rd.), offering friends, family and neighbors a…

Documenters: Hudson City Council for Feb. 4, 2025

By Julie Erickson

Hudson City Council
February 4, 2025
7:30 p.m.
 
Attendance
Jeffery L. Anzevino              Mayor
Chris Foster,                         President of Council (Ward 2)
Christopher A. Banweg,     Council Member (At-Large)
Michael W. Bird                   Council Member (Ward 4)
Patricia L. Goetz             …

How Ohio’s privatization of driver’s ed is failing teens in some poor urban and rural areas

By Andrew Tobias
Signal Statewide

This story was originally published by Signal Statewide. Sign up for their free newsletters at SignalOhio.org/StateSignals.

Homer Weekly realized the state had a big problem around 2017, when the private driver’s ed school he ran with his wife in Morgan County started seeing students from places farther and farther outside his small southeastern Ohio community. 

“We were getting students from Westerville,” Weekly said, referring to the…

Summit Metro Parks released an advisory on preventing bird flu

PREVENTION OF BIRD FLU SPREAD

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), H5N1 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers. The best prevention is to avoid sources of exposure:
  1. Enjoy wild birds safely from a distance. Avoid physical interactions like feeding.
  2. Do not touch sick or…

Here are all the events in Summit Metro Parks in March 2025

Saturday, March 1, 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Flapjacks and Sap Facts: A Maple Sugaring Breakfast
Liberty Park/Nature Center
9999 Liberty Rd., Twinsburg
Join us as we reap the fruits of our labor by enjoying a traditional pancake breakfast with our own Liberty Park maple syrup. As we wrap up breakfast, there will be a presentation and discussion about the notable history of maple syrup production in and around Summit County. Registration…

Home improvement company donates stockpile of windows and doors to local Habitat for Humanity



Staff report

Home improvement company Home Genius Exteriors has donated more than $320,000 worth of windows and doors to Habitat for Humanity chapters in Summit County and western Pennsylvania.

The donation marks the beginning of a partnership between Home Genius and Habitat for Humanity that will allow customers to donate their old windows and doors after new installations.



"When a community business reaches out to us offering a partnership, it's a great…

Local communities should jump on Groundhog Day bandwagon

By Tim Troglen
The Summiteer

Summit County needs to jump on the Groundhog Day bandwagon.

“How so?” you might ask. 

Let me tell you. 

I’m sure Pennsylvania’s own Punxsutawney Phil brings in a ton of cash with celebrations fueled by food, souvenirs and festivities as the nation’s best known-rodent is celebrated yearly for his prognostication of the end of winter.

Phil is a cash cow.

Why not get a local rodent or…

Metronet plans to connect Stow and Silver Lake to its 100% fiber-optic internet network

Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

Residents of Stow and Silver Lake are about to get another option for their internet service.
Metronet announced this week that it plans multimillion-dollar investments for both communities, with the Evansville, Indiana-based company saying its 100% fiber-optic network will provide service of up to 5 gigabits per second for residents and 10 gigabits per second for businesses.

“We are excited to gain access to another internet option, creating…

Stow murder-suicide claims two lives, the third homicide in five months



Staff report

A Stow woman was fatally shot inside her home Saturday in what police say was a murder-suicide involving her boyfriend, a Summit County sheriff’s deputy.

Officers responding to a report of a possible suicide at 3:57 p.m. Jan. 27 discovered the bodies of Latoia Renee Philpott, 41, and Benjamin Asiedu, 43, inside a residence in the 4100 block of Meadowlark Trail, according to the Stow Police Department.

The Summit County…

Community grieves tragic death of SMF High School educator Jimmy Mashburn



By Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

The Stow-Munroe Falls community is mourning the loss of SMF High School educator Jimmy Mashburn, 32, who was killed in a two-vehicle crash on I-77 in Green early on the morning of Jan. 21.

According to reports, Mashburn was driving his pickup truck northbound on I-77 when his vehicle struck the rear of a disabled semi-truck in the right lane shortly after midnight. Mashburn was pronounced dead…

Tallmadge has a new chamber of commerce director

By Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

Kim Polatas was recently named as the new executive director of the Tallmadge Chamber of Commerce.
According to the Chamber, Polatas was chosen to lead the organization due to her wealth of experience in leadership, community engagement and business development, and she will play a key role in advancing the Chamber’s mission to support local businesses and foster economic growth in Tallmadge.

“I’m honored to step into…

Hudson refutes reports about considering LifeCenter Plus purchase with Stow

Staff report

The city of Hudson has announced that it is not considering a joint recreation center with Stow at the LifeCenter Plus property, as previously reported.

“We have established a committee to explore various options, including discussions with neighboring cities to learn about their recreation centers,” Hudson City Manager Thomas Sheridan said in a statement posted Jan. 18 to the city’s website. “Currently, LifeCenter Plus is not being considered as a…

Summit Metro Parks program calendar for February 2025

Saturday, February 1, 10 - 11 a.m.
Coffee With the Birds
Liberty Park/Nature Center
9999 Liberty Rd., Twinsburg
Join a naturalist to see which birds visit our viewing area. Bring a mug and your bird questions – we’ll provide warm beverages and birding insights. Make it a total “birdy” day: Hand-feed the chickadees or stay to help count birds for Project Feeder Watch. For more information, call 330-865-8065.


Saturday, February 1, 1…

Updated: Stow and Hudson consider sharing a community rec center

By Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

Update Jan. 23, 2025: We've reached out to Hudson and Stow officials and published a new article here. We're continuing to report on the rec center issue to learn more about past efforts and future solutions.

Update Jan. 20, 2025: Officials in the Hudson city administration have disputed that a join purchase of LifeCenter Plus is under consideration. We're working on a follow-up article to learn…

State grant pushes Hudson Inclusive Playground toward finish line


Staff report

Megan Higgins’ and Amanda Weinstein’s daughters are friends who can’t easily play together at Hudson parks. Isabella Higgins, 8, has a neuromuscular disorder that limits her ability to play on typical playground equipment.  

“It takes her body extra time to move,” Megan Higgins said. “I always tell people, for her, it’s like having 10 pounds of weight tied to each leg, each arm and around her waist, and that’s…

Construction underway for high-speed internet project, Summit Connects

By Phil Keren
The Summiteer

An estimated $35 million project launched last fall will connect all 31 Summit County communities to a public safety fiber network and give internet service firms the opportunity to extend service to residents and businesses.

County leaders decided to initiate the Summit Connects project after the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of having reliable high-speed internet access.

“The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the growing digital divide present in…

Saying fines don't work, Cuyahoga Falls Library erases overdue fees to encourage access

By Tom Hardesty

Effective Jan. 9, the Cuyahoga Falls Library is eliminating overdue fines on most items and announcing fine forgiveness. The new checkout policy was approved Dec. 17 by the library’s board of trustees.

“We are thrilled to announce that the Cuyahoga Falls Library is now fine-free,” library Director Andrew Harant said. “One of our core values is access – to our collections, resources and services. Studies show that eliminating fines…

Hudson approves grant agreement and pay raises for some employees

Staff report

Hudson City Council has approved a 10-year grant agreement to incentivize the relocation of Charter Communications’ regional operations.

The annual grant will be equal to 50% of the city income taxes paid by the company’s employees. Hudson has a 2% income tax rate.

The telecommunications company, which is headquartered in Connecticut and does business as Spectrum, will move employees from several regional offices outside the county to 280 Executive…