By Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

The legal troubles for former Stow body armor company ShotStop Ballistics and its owner, Vall Iliev, are deepening.

Iliev, 69, of Stow, who owned ShotStop Ballistics until it ceased operations in early 2024, has been charged with three counts of smuggling defective Chinese-made body armor from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and then selling it to law enforcement agencies and others as legitimate, domestically made certified…

Tom Hardesty
The Summiteer

Summit County is considering ways to improve housing availability in the county, and it wants residents’ input to help tackle the issue.

The Summit County Executive’s Office and Summit County Lank Bank are sponsoring a new community housing initiative called the Summit County Housing Research Collaborative to facilitate discussion about various housing needs, from affordability to zoning and everything in between. The SCHRC is a community-driven effort to…

Isabella Schreck
The Summiteer

Ohio Sen. Kristina Roegner, who serves Portage County and part of Summit County, announced she is running for state treasurer, endorsing Trump-backed Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor and continuing the fight for Senate Bill 1 approval – all in February. 

Other Summit County public servants have brought forth new legislation, voted on partisan and bipartisan bills and shared their opinions on President Donald Trump’s executive orders and proposed…

By Noell Wolfgram Evans

Hudson City School District Board of Education

March 10

7 p.m.

In attendance were Hudson City Schools Board of Education members Steve DiMauro, Alisa Wright, Mark Dzurec, Laura Jones and Tom Tobin. Also in attendance were district administration officials Dana Addis, superintendent; Phillip Butto, treasurer; Kelly Kempf, director of pupil services; Angela Terella, assistant superintendent; Lisa Hunt, director of human resources; Jennifer Reece, communications manager; and Meredith Zaffran…

By Phil Keren
The Summiteer

 

Local leaders say the anticipated removal of the Gorge Metro Park Dam is another step in a years-long process to restore the Cuyahoga River to its natural state, as well as make it cleaner and friendlier to aquatic life.

 

When this project will go forward recently became less clear following the Unleashing American Energy Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20. In…

Staff report

Every classroom in the Cuyahoga Falls City School District is now stocked with a safety bucket, thanks to an Eagle Scout project led by Dennis Schaefer, a local student and Boy Scout Troop 152 member. Schaefer took on the initiative after hearing Security Supervisor Ben Gessford highlight the need for lockdown safety supplies at a Board of Education meeting.

After securing approvals from his troop, the school district, and the…

By Violet Puin

Jonathon Bollas (President of Council and Ward 3)

Christine Cipa (Council At-Large)

Jessica Epstein (Council At-Large)

Nick Rubino (Council At-Large)

Ted Roy (Ward 1)

Donald Pavlik (Ward 2 and Vice President of Council)

Mary Gutman (Ward 4)

Mollie Gilbride (Director of Finance)

Megan Raber (Director of Law)

Carol Siciliano-Kilway (Mayor)

Joe Ignazzitto (Director of Administration)

The meeting began with Pastor Daniel Doty from First Congregational Church of…

As a healthcare professional, father of two, and volunteer with the American Heart Association, I am writing to urge Governor DeWine to prioritize the well-being of Ohio's children by supporting universal free school meals.

Our school-aged children represent one of our greatest resources. It is our collective responsibility to ensure they have the foundation they need to grow physically, develop socially and emotionally, and excel academically. Proper nutrition is a cornerstone of…

By Tim Troglen
The Summiteer

March 29 will be a special day to me. 

Nope. It’s not an early Easter Sunday or first day of spring. 

That day has been designated by an Ohio House Bill as Ohio Tuskegee Airmen Day. 

I love the Tuskegee Airmen and all the history surrounding the 332nd Fighter Group. 

I was excited to read in a recent edition of The Summiteer that an exhibit dedicated to…

By Wendy DiAlesandro
The Summiteer

About 200 people packed the lawn in front of Stow City Hall on the evening of March 4, many of them chanting slogans, holding signs supporting a number of causes, and cheering when motorists passing by honked their horns in support.

The gathering was sponsored by the Stow-Munroe Falls Democratic Club. Demonstrators held signs indicating support for Ukraine, inclusive equality, and scientific truth. Other signs read, “The…

Staff report

The city of Cuyahoga Falls will pave more miles than it has since the mid-1990s with an additional $1 million allocated for street resurfacing this year. 

City Engineer Tony Demasi said the administration and council recognized the importance of road resurfacing and budgeted $4 million for paving in 2025.  

“It was really great that we had their support,” he said.

There are about 237 centerline miles, which measure the…

Cuyahoga Falls City Council

February 10, 2025

6:30 p.m.

Brian Ashton – at large

Rachel Loza – Ward 1

Meika Marie Penta – Ward 3

Michael Brillhart – Ward 5

Susan Spinner – Ward 2

Mary Nichols-Rhodes – at large

Dana Capriulo – Clerk of Council

Russ Balthis – President – at large

Jerry James – President Pro Tem – Ward 7

Frank Stams – Ward 8

Joe Siegferth – Ward…

By Isabella Schreck

The Summiteer

Nearly all of the state and federal representatives serving Summit County have brought forth legislation since the start of the new congressional session Jan. 3, and some have begun to discuss the state’s controversial higher education-focused Senate Bill 1. 

U.S. Rep. Democrat Emilia Sykes, who serves the county’s 13th district, has introduced two acts as of Jan. 25. 

Summit County’s Ohio State Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield), Sen…

By Phil Keren
The Summiteer

The city of Stow kicked off 2025 by opening an 8,000-square-foot facility that will offer programs for senior citizens and provide a venue for parks and recreation department events.

 

Hundreds of people attended the grand opening and open house for the Stow Community & Senior Center, 5344 Fishcreek Road, on Jan. 12. There were performances by the Stow-Munroe Falls String Orchestra and magician Jason Alan, as…

By Jeremy Brown
The Summiteer

If you’re a senior in the Hudson area and you’re looking for something to do, the Hudson Senior Network has you covered.

Twice a month, the Hudson Senior Network holds events for registered members, which includes wellness classes, luncheons, book clubs, mahjong, bi-monthly speakers, field trips and more.

In 2019, David Basil, then mayor of Hudson, saw the need for a senior center in the city, so…

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…

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…

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…

By Julie Erickson

Hudson City Council

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             …

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…