The trial date was set Wednesday during a brief hearing before Common Pleas Judge Lynne S. Callahan.

Brogan Rafferty, who turned 17 last month, also waived his right to a speedy trial, according to his attorney, John Alexander Jr.

Rafferty previously was charged as an adult in Noble County in connection with the shooting death of a Virginia man, David Pauley, 51, and the shooting of a South Carolina man, Scott Davis, 48, who survived a gunshot wound and alerted authorities.

Last week, a three-day hearing was scheduled to begin April 17 in Summit County Juvenile Court to determine whether Rafferty will be tried as an adult in connection with the slayings of the other victims: Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron, and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon.

Alexander said a joint trial date will be set in connection with all four victims after the juvenile court hearing is held.

Authorities here and in Noble County have said previously that Rafferty was the accomplice of a 52-year-old Akron man, Richard James Beasley, in a scheme involving a bogus Craigslist ad posted online as early as July.

The ad promised a job for $300 a week and housing to serve as caretaker of a Noble County farm.

Victims who responded to the ad, authorities said, were lured to their deaths.

According to details in Beasley’s Summit County indictment, Geiger was the first victim. He was shot and killed Aug. 9. Pauley was shot and killed Oct. 23. Davis was shot Nov. 6. And Kern was shot and killed Nov. 29.

Rafferty is being held at the Summit County juvenile detention center. Beasley is being held without bond at the Summit County Jail.

Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or at emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.

Gary Zoldesy was appointed to the nonpartisan position Wednesday by Summit County Probate Judge Todd McKenney. He fills a vacancy on the three-member board created when former Trustee Brenda Patterson died in January.

Trustees David Calderone and Tom Seese were unable to agree on the appointment last month, so they passed the decision onto the judge.

McKenney sought applications, then interviewed eight candidates.

The judge said he chose Zoldesy because of his experience as superintendent dealing with declining revenue while maintaining quality services.

Zoldesy, 64, is now an Ashland University professor who teaches classes that help teachers move into administrative positions or administrators advance their careers.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Coventry Township,” said Zoldesy, who ran for trustee last year but was one of several individuals who lost to Calderone.

He said he and his family were embraced by the community when he was hired by Coventry schools in 2003 and saw the trustee job as a way to give back. His first priority, he said, is simply getting to know the other two trustees so they can work together on issues.

He retired from Coventry schools in 2007. His previous experience includes serving as business manager in the Warrensville Heights school district; providing technical help to Northeast Ohio school officials as an area coordinator for the Ohio Department of Education’s division of school finance and serving as superintendent of Western Reserve schools in Huron County.

He has a master’s degree from West Virginia University and a doctorate in education from the University of Akron.

Others interviewed for the position were Mark Bulgrin, Edward Diebold, Robert Knabe, Gary Peters, Larry Rider, William Willis and Robert Wilson.

“I thought all the applicants were well-qualified and really loved Coventry,” McKenney said.

Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.

Boggs, Paul “Doug”, 67, of Alliance. Died Friday. Cassaday-Turkle-Christian.

DeGarmo, Paul H., 88, of Canton. Died Sunday. Paquelet, Massillon.

Ewing, James M., 90, of Massillon. Died Sunday. Paquelet & Arnold-Lynch.

Harper, Bobby L., 73 of Massillon. Died Friday. Paquelet & Arnold-Lynch.

Kelly, Eleanor L., 88, of Massillon. Died Sunday. Paquelet & Arnold-Lynch.

Montini, Mary, 90, of Massillon. Died Saturday. Paquelet.

Owens, Barbara J., 72, of Massillon. Died Feb. 15. Paquelet.

Rogers, Wanetta, 73, of Massillon. Died Feb. 16. Paquelet & Arnold-Lynch.

WAYNE

Davenport, Emilia M., 87, of Wooster. Died Sunday. McIntire, Bradham & Sleek.

Graffuis, Holly K., 55, of Orrville. Died Monday. McIntire, Bradham & Sleek, Wooster.

Lytle, William M., 93, of Wooster. Died Monday. McIntire, Bradham & Sleek.

Musser, Twyla M., 89, of Wooster. Died Friday. McIntire, Bradham & Sleek.

OTHER

Lowe, Russell L., 79, of Sullivan Township. Died Sunday. Parker & Son, Lodi.

Getting folks to come the first time is not a difficult chore. Keeping ’em coming can be.

But that’s D.J. Griggs’ job, one she takes very seriously.

Griggs, the always animated and enormously popular in-pool arthritis class instructor at the Green YMCA, gives a whole new meaning to the expression “kicking it up a notch.”

Her call to action certainly keeps them coming back for more. One participant confided that she even schedules her doctor and beauty shop appointments around Griggs’ not-to-be-missed classes.

And why not? Griggs — with a mini-microphone headset, making it easier to be heard by those in the water — has an indisputably eager coterie of water proteges, men and women alike, who range in age from 35 to 88.

She has them singing and moving in ways they never thought possible, to such addictive uptempo tunes as the Macarena and, of course, the Village People’s YMCA.

And they all seemed to really get into the flow when Bob Barwick, aka “The Music Man,” dialed up the country tune Elvira.

They all seemed to know the appropriate exercise moves and when to clap, to say nothing of the high-spirited lyrics:

Elvira, Elvira

My heart’s on fire, Elvira

Giddy up, oom poppa, oom poppa, mow mow

Giddy up, oom poppa, oom poppa, mow mow, heigh-ho Silver, away …

Gloria Price of Canal Fulton — who, in an earlier note, described herself as a “regular” along with her husband Jim — stopped short of calling herself addicted to the class, which meets 11 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

But Price is addicted, and that’s good, as I saw for myself. It really is a thing of beauty and inspiration.

Magical, too. For when this devoted group takes to the water, the pain seems to just dissipate.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, water exercise does a number of positive things: “The warm water raises the body temperature, causing the blood vessels to dilate and increase circulation” and “Water supports joints to encourage free movement.”

Eighty-year-old Janet Terrell and her 82-year-old husband, Russell, said their doctor is such a believer in water exercise that he prescribes it for his patients.

Even so, the best thing about Griggs’ class, the Terrells agree, is the instructor herself.

Of course, exercise and putting their pain in check are the main reason for enrolling. But it’s a virtual happy hour, just not with the drinks.

“We love to party and celebrate everything,” Gloria Price said. “Birthdays, of course. But we also had a ‘Happy Groundhog Day’ party. Our special instructor dressed up as a groundhog and sang a special song. We had decorations and great food.”

The group even had wedding cake, with some of the women wearing bridal veils into the pool, in honor of the royal wedding of William and Kate.

“We sang Happy Birthday for Betty White’s big day,” Price happily continued. “Of course, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day are coming. And the luau this summer. And a nicer bunch of friends would be hard to find!”

The philosophies they all seem to have bought into are these: Move it or lose it! Life is too short not to have fun! Don’t let pain get the best of you!

On this day, those in the water sported colorful visors they decorated or other fancy headgear as they slapped colorful balls to each other.

Shirley Dobbins of Canal Fulton has been part of the pool exercise class for the better part of a year to address her arthritic knee. She’s already had one replacement.

The 65-year-old — who is retired from FirstMerit Bank as a customer service specialist in real estate management — sees the program as a positive except for one thing: “There’s not a lot of weight loss that goes on here because of all of the parties,” she joked.

John Long, 73 and a retiree from Acme Tools, swears by the water regime he’s been involved in since 2001. “It keeps me agile,” he insisted. All the fun he has in the process is just an added bonus.

New Franklin’s Mary Ann Stirewalt,74, and Akron husband and wife Mary and Don Markley, 68 and 71 respectively, couldn’t agree more.

Lori Lautenschlager, district executive at the Green YMCA, said forever etched in her mind’s eye, on the day of the royal wedding, are “all of those women in the water wearing veils.”

Proof of how nonthreatening the workouts are is the fact that most of the participants who wear eyeglasses keep them on. Most also wear some type of water shoes for traction, like Springfield Township’s 78-year-old Gladys Lyons, who’s retired from Akron General Medical Center’s dietary department.

In a few cases, this exercise program is a family affair. Mostly mother-daughter pairings.

Akron’s Linda Wise accompanies her 82-year-old mother, Josephine Gergosky of Green. “She calls herself a retired domestic engineer,” Wise said of her mother, who never quite warmed up to the term housewife.

Likewise, 83-year-old Ann Harms has big fun as she pals around in the pool with her daughter, Sharon Parsons of Akron, while making new friends.

Akron’s Carrie Tangenberg, 35, is the youngest in the class. “I’ve just been coming for two weeks,” said Tangenberg, who is finding it very beneficial in the stretching and movement to combat her rheumatoid arthritis.

Bob Fritzche shared this priceless wisdom: “You’ve got to maintain your car and your home. You need to maintain your body the same way.”

The 82-year-old Fritzche, also known as “Yoga Bob,” teaches yoga, Pilates and SilverSneakers and has many of the same senior students in the pool.

Even more telling than any words of praise I can assign is the sprinkling of toddlers who exercised nearby. They often stopped in their tracks, moving as close to the pool as safety would allow, while trying their best to imitate the shake-shake goings-on they observed in the water, especially the highly charged Chicken Dance.

“That’s the next generation of exercisers,” said a smiling Griggs, who also teaches children’s exercise classes and has an associate’s degree in early childhood education.

If it’s true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, those in the pool have yet another reason to keep putting one foot in and shaking it all about.

Jewell Cardwell can be reach at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.

Principal Jeff Cohen with Rock Gaming LLC, a partner with Caesars Entertainment Inc. in the $350 million joint venture casino development, said the Horseshoe Cleveland casino will be ready for opening day during the week of May 14.

“When you’ve got 600 [construction] people a day in here, it’s truly amazing how this place progresses each and every day,” Cohen said during a media tour. “Every day you come in here there’s just a total transformation from one day to the next.”

As he talked, crews worked above escalators that will take bettors to a basement buffet that will seat 400. The street-level gambling floor was lined with knee-high bases awaiting slot machines.

Dealers-in-training are getting excited about being part of history, said Marcus Glover, general manager of the casino.

“They couldn’t be more excited. If it were up to them, they’d be in this place right now and so they are eager to get down here, and they are eager to be part of what this historical development will be and what it will mean to the city of Cleveland,” Glover said.

The casino will open in the former Higbee’s department store in the heart of the city. It will employ 1,600 people.

Penn National Gaming plans to open a casino in Toledo two weeks later. It also plans to have another casino in Columbus. Rock Ohio Caesars also is to open a casino in Cincinnati.

Ohio voters approved plans for all four casinos. Led by church groups, opponents fought the vote, saying that gambling hits the poor the hardest.

The Higbee’s building and its holiday-decorated windows had a starring role in the 1983 film A Christmas Story. A second casino phase with a building to be constructed nearby will begin later.

What it will look like

The street level of the first phase will have 700 slot machines, 30 table games and a bar in the middle of the action.

The second floor of the Higbee’s building will have 1,400 slots, 34 table games and a food court with three outlets, including a specialty burger restaurant and a deli. The top floor will have a VIP lounge and specialty gaming tables.

“We are ready to take delivery of slots,” Cohen said. That will begin under tight security next week.

The original plan called for opening the casino next month, but that was delayed by the pace of background checks on casino employees.

“We essentially were ready to open up March 26, so this extra time that we’ve got is really a bonus,” Cohen said. “It’s given us the ability to fine tune, tweak things, get kitchen equipment burned in, get our employees trained and ready for opening.”

Cohen said a casino parking deck, which suffered a partial collapse in December without injuries, would be ready for the casino opening. Safety has gotten special attention since the collapse, he said.

Tour Lippman School

AKRON: The Lippman School, 750 White Pond Drive, will host an open house at 10 a.m. Feb. 29 for prospective families.

The independent school enrolls boys and girls in kindergarten through eighth grade.

For more information, go to www.thelippmanschool.org or call 330-836-0419.

COPLEY TOWNSHIP

Picnic canceled

COPLEY TWP.: The Sadie Hawkins Day Picnic scheduled for Feb. 29 at the Copley Community Center has been canceled because of a lack of interest.

The Active Senior Fair is still scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 at the Copley Community Center.

JACKSON TOWNSHIP

Anti-fracking talk

JACKSON TWP.: Sandra Stein­graber, an opponent of the drilling technique commonly known as fracking, will speak March 14 at Kent State University’s Stark Campus.

Her talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Hall Auditorium, 600 Frank Ave. NW.

Admission is free, but tickets are required. They are available at the Main Hall desk.

Steingraber, an ecologist, author and speaker, is a visiting professor at Ithaca College.

Her talk on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in drilling for natural gas is being sponsored by the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation.

For more information, call 330-499-9600.

MEDINA COUNTY

Truck kills toddler

HOMERVILLE: A Medina County toddler has died after she was struck by a pickup truck in her family’s driveway Monday afternoon.

Sophia Miller, a 21-month-old from Homerville, died Monday night at Akron Children’s Hospital.

According to Medina County sheriff’s deputies, Sophia was playing in her family’s Jesse Lane yard about 3:35 p.m. when a 17-year-old family friend drove his pickup truck into the driveway. After dropping off a relative of the girl, the driver backed out, striking the child.

The driver immediately stopped and called 911, deputies said.

Sophia was taken by medical helicopter to the Akron hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 8 p.m. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office was to perform an autopsy. No charges have been brought.

“It was a very, very freak accident,” sheriff’s Lt. Matthew Linscott said.

Exhibit on Lincoln

MEDINA:. The Medina Library will host Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War, a traveling exhibit opening March 2.

The exhibit will examine how President Abraham Lincoln used the Constitution to confront specific crises of the Civil War.

The Medina Library will host an opening-night reception featuring An Evening with Matthew Brady, Mr. Lincoln’s Camera Man at 7 p.m., followed by the unveiling of the exhibit that will remain on display until April 13.

For more information, go to www.mcdl.info.

NORTHEAST OHIO

Grants announced

Eight local communities and grass-roots groups in the Akron-Canton area are getting litter-prevention funds from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The winners are:

• Keep Akron Beautiful, $2,000, for the citywide cleanup on April 21-28.

• Cuyahoga Falls, $2,000, for American River Day Cleanup on May 19.

• Bath Township, $2,000, for the Project Pride Roadway cleanup on April 21.

• Munroe Falls, $2,000, for the River Sweep cleanup on May 19.

• West Branch State Park in eastern Portage County, $2,000, for park cleanup.

• Western Reserve Land Conservancy, $1,000, for cleanup of Adam’s Run and Haley’s Run on April 28 in South Akron.

• Keep Alliance Beautiful, $1,111, for downtown cleanup.

• Keep Ohio Beautiful, $2,000, for a state roadway cleanup on April 14 sponsored by the Akron-based group.

A total of $140,628 was awarded in the 75 grants.

SUMMIT COUNTY

Abuse awareness

AKRON: Summit County Children Services is offering free training next month on recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect.

Although the training is designed to meet the requirements for all child care employees, child care centers and type A homes, the course is open to the public.

Registration is required and space is limited.

The initial six-hour course will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon March 3 and March 10 at Children Services, 264 S. Arlington St. The registrant will need to attend both sessions to receive certification. A three-hour renewal class will be offered during the summer at a date to be determined.

Topics covered include: an overview of Children Services, indicators of child abuse and neglect, mandated reporting, prevention of child abuse and community supports that are available.

For more information or to register, go to www.summitkids.org and click on the links located in the story titled Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training; or contact Julia Mothersbaugh at 330-379-2090 or jmothersbaugh@summitkids.org.

WOOSTER

Regula honored

WOOSTER: A new facility at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center has been named after Ralph Regula, the longtime Republican congressman from Navarre.

The Ohio State University board of trustees agreed to name the Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research Facility in honor of Regula, who was instrumental in winning federal funds for the facility.

The facility, unveiled last fall, is the first of its kind in Ohio and one of only two nationally with capacity to research infectious diseases of both plants and large animals with higher safety levels.

Regula served in Congress from 1972 until he retired in early 2009.

CLEVELAND

Murder-for-hire plot

CLEVELAND: Federal authorities say an Ohio woman describing herself as an animal rights activist has been charged with soliciting murder in a plot to kill someone wearing fur.

Court records show 27-year-old Meredith Lowell of Cleveland Heights appeared Tuesday in federal court in Cleveland and was ordered held by the U.S. Marshals Service pending a hearing next week.

Investigators say the FBI was notified in November of a Facebook page Lowell created with an alias offering $830-$850 for the hit.

Investigators say an FBI employee posing as a possible killer learned via email correspondence that Lowell wanted the victim to be at least 12 years old and wanted to be on site when the slaying took place so she could distribute “papers” afterward.

One of her defense attorneys declined comment.

— Associated Press

Sex law overturned

COLUMBUS: The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the rights of reclassified sex offenders to challenge through the court system their status and any convictions for not reporting their whereabouts to authorities.

In 2010, the high court threw out sections of Ohio’s tough, new 2007 sex-offender law as unconstitutional. It said the legislature couldn’t force state officials to change convicts’ classifications retroactively.

The law had upped public-notice requirements and applied them to previously exempt offenders released before July 1, 1997.

In a unanimous decision Tuesday, justices said the 2010 ruling didn’t invalidate the legal system through which offenders challenge reclassifications or seek to have nonreporting indictments overturned.

The case involved a released offender, Paul Palmer of Columbus, who challenged both his reclassification and a subsequent reporting charge.

— Associated Press

Funds left unused

COLUMBUS: Ohio’s attorney general says only 13 of Ohio’s 88 counties have used federal funds available for bringing back convicted sex offenders who flee the state without informing authorities.

Mike DeWine is urging more counties to use money from a program he set up last April. It reimburses counties for the cost of bringing convicted sex offenders back when they flee to avoid laws requiring them to regularly register with authorities. The Dayton Daily News reported Tuesday that DeWine is concerned that only 22 convicted sex offenders have been brought back under the program.

Only $30,000 of the $100,000 available when the program started has been used.

DeWine recently identified more than 100 Ohio offenders being sought out of state.

— Associated Press

So is Jami Ferrell, former Playboy Playmate of the Month for January 1997.

Same for businesses run by rapper Ludacris.

All are being sued by Fair Finance Co. trustee Brian Bash, who says they and others owe lots of money to the bankrupt Akron finance company’s estate.

Kaelin, Ferrell and defendants named in dozens of other Fair Finance civil lawsuits, also known as adversary proceedings, are being ordered to appear in person in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Akron for what are called initial pre-trial conferences.

The lawsuits also include Fair Finance co-owners Timothy Durham and James Cochran, at least some of their family members and others who worked for the company. Durham, Cochran and Rick Snow, the former Fair Finance chief financial officer, await a federal criminal trial in Indiana scheduled to start this summer.

The lawsuits, filed in six “waves” starting in November, for the most part allege what are called fraudulent transfers that total more than $37 million.

If the defendants don’t appear as ordered or don’t get an approved extension, the people named in the suits risk an automatic default in favor of the Fair Finance estate.

Conference schedule

Because of the large number of pretrial conferences — about 90 — Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge Marilyn Shea-Stonum on Tuesday said she expects to hold a pretrial conference every 15 minutes on the days they are scheduled. Dates have been scheduled in March and April.

“We’ll have to set up two rooms,” the judge said. “It’s my intention to have two lanes of pretrials.”

Besides the main courtroom, Shea-Stonum said she anticipates using the court’s witness room.

Shea-Stonum said defendants may seek an extension if they can’t be ready in time for the conference date, but she won’t dismiss the suit.

“Let them know they need to be at that first pre-trial,” the judge told Bash in a teleconference call in open court. “If they need an extension of time, they need to file a motion. We need to get them off the starting block. … Defendants need to take a service of summons very seriously.”

Cases could be settled prior to their scheduled pre-trial conferences. A lawyer for Bash told the judge that a “handful” of defendants are in settlement talks.

Pursuing celebrities

Bash alleges in a lawsuit that Kaelin, who became known to the public during the O.J. Simpson murder trial, owes $23,700 to Fair Finance. Ferrell, who was Durham’s girlfriend, owes $174,415, according to Bash. A foundation run by Ludacris owes $30,000 to Fair Finance, the trustee says.

Bash this year has filed civil lawsuits seeking more than $1.2 billion from companies and individuals in the Fair Finance bankruptcy. Bash has said that Durham and Cochran ran Fair Finance as a Ponzi scheme shortly after buying the long-time Akron company in 2002. More than 5,000 Ohio residents, many of them elderly, bought more than $200 million in uninsured Fair Finance investment certificates.

The Fair Finance estate now has about $2.3 million in escrow, Bash told Shea-Stonum in giving a status update in court. The trustee said he received about $520,000 since January for the estate.

Fair Finance never reopened after FBI raids on Nov. 24, 2009. Creditors forced the company into bankruptcy in February 2010. Federal agents arrested and charged Durham, Cochran and Snow last year.

The next Fair Finance status hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. April 3. The judge and trustee agreed to schedule upcoming status hearings every other month instead of monthly.

Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com

He was 82.

Mr. Buchholzer might be best known for helping to steer the gravity-powered racing program back from the brink after a cheating scandal tainted the race and longtime supporter Chevrolet pulled out.

Coincidentally, Mr. Buchholzer died the same day as another long-time Derby supporter, Frank A. “Whitey” Wahl.

The two often worked closely on the Derby and with the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.

“They’re probably in heaven,” longtime Derby enthusiast Jeff Iula of Cuyahoga Falls said. “Bruce emceed the awards ceremonies for years, but he couldn’t remember people’s names, so he called everybody ‘Champ,’ and Whitey gave him hell for it.”

Mr. Buchholzer graduated from Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Ga., attended Ohio University and served in the U.S. Army in Korea and in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Family members were movers and shakers in Akron.

His father, J.J., owned the downtown Hower Department Store for which Bruce worked until it closed in 1961. J.J. Buchholzer also owned land in North Akron that in 1967 became the area’s second indoor shopping mall, Chapel Hill. Bruce’s brother, Richard, developed the mall with Forest City Enterprises.

Bruce Buchholzer started an advertising agency and carved a niche for himself in community service.

Former Akron resident Bob Troyer recalls that Mr. Buchholzer became “a loyal, dedicated volunteer” of the reorganized Derby committee, serving as president in 1974 and general chairman in 1975.

Those were perilous days for the Akron-based organization, which was loping along without funding from the carmaker and smarting from a cheating scandal on the track. Only 99 racers took part that first year — a far cry from the 500-plus who raced in the most recent season.

“We had a determination to keep the program alive,” Troyer, now of the Chicago area, said.

Mr. Buchholzer served in many capacities with the Derby over the next three decades and was inducted into its hall of fame in 2000.

He also was a past commissioner of the Eastern District of the Boy Scouts and a charter member of the East Akron YMCA management. He served on the East Akron Board of Trade for 41 years and the Akron Board of Trade Council for 36 years.

He was active on the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame, twice serving as general chairman. In November, he donated $50,000 to the organization for scholarships that will bear his name.

He also was a founding trustee of the Robert O. and Annamae Orr Foundation, from which he retired in 2010.

Mr. Buchholzer received the George Boss Service Award from the Akron Touchdown Club in 2009.

Throughout it all, he often had a camera in his hand, Troyer recalled.

“You’d be at an outing, and a week later you’d get an envelope with four or five pictures of you and others,” Troyer recalled.

Mr. Buchholzer leaves his wife, Linda; her children, Tammy Miller of Bath and Troy Howell of Akron, plus their four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mr. Buchholzer also leaves a sister, Eleanor Erickson of Los Angeles.

A private memorial service and burial will be Saturday. A celebration of his life is pending.

Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.

Some pastors will use the Ash Wednesday service as an opportunity to evangelize — preaching the meaning of Lent as a 40-day pilgrimage to grow closer to God and to invite worshippers back for special services and programs. According to the gospels, Jesus spent 40 days praying and fasting in the desert before beginning his public ministry. Lent marks that phase of his life.

Eastern Rite Christians will begin Lent on Monday and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ on April 13. Those in the Western tradition will celebrate Easter on April 8.

Building faith

“The challenge is to convince people why they should alter their lives for six weeks during Lent,” said the Rev. David Zachrich, pastor at Tallmadge Lutheran Church. “Our goal is to give people something that will help build their faith and deepen their commitment to living as Christians, imitating Jesus Christ.”

To assist people on their Lenten journey, Tallmadge Lutheran Church, at 759 East Ave., is offering six Wednesday services at 6:30 p.m., beginning today with an Ash Wednesday observance that includes the imposition of ashes. The theme for the series is “CROSS/PEACE: For He is our PEACE through the CROSS.”

At the heart of the series is a 12-inch wooden cross, which was given to worshippers Sunday and delivered to the homes of members who missed Sunday worship services. Each week, participants will receive an item — a stone, a coin purse, a purple ribbon, a nail, a die and a sponge. Each item, which will be displayed on the cross, serves as a reminder of a Scripture-based lesson.

The stone, for example, will remind participants Christ is never more than a stone’s throw away (based on Luke 22:39-46). The coin purse challenges participants to think about how much they value their Christianity (Matthew 26:14-16). The purple ribbon is a reminder that although Christians consider Jesus as king, sometimes they ignore his rule (Mark 15:16-20). The die cautions participants not to gamble with their spiritual lives (John 19:23-24).

“Hopefully, by building the display at home, people will have a constant reminder that this special holy season is a time to grow stronger in faith,” Zachrich said.

Christ’s sacrifice

The Rev. David Weyrick, pastor at Stow Presbyterian Church, is also giving his parishioners a visual reminder of the Lenten season. He will distribute a small coin with the inscription “Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy upon me, a sinner” during the 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday service at the church, 4150 Fishcreek Road.

“It’s something they can carry with them in their pocket, and it has a hole for a keychain,” Weyrick said. “It’s a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice, a reminder to humble ourselves, to reflect and pray and sacrifice by fasting or giving something up. We have to be serious in our sacrifice. It isn’t sacrifice if it doesn’t hurt a little bit, because ultimately, it is about discipline.”

Weyrick, like Zachrich, will offer the imposition of ashes tonight and begin a weekly sermon series, “Lord, I Believe. Help My Unbelief.” The series, which will focus on doubt, will continue during regular Sunday worship services through Palm Sunday at 8:15, 9:30 and 10:45 a.m. A special six-week program that targets children 4 years old through sixth grade is 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Wednesdays.

At First United Methodist Church, 245 Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls, the Rev. David Baker will lead a “Sermon on the Mount” Bible study from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. each Wednesday during Lent. The church organist, H. Dean Wagner, will present a 30-minute concert in the sanctuary at noon Thursdays through April 5.

After each Wednesday study session, a Taize worship service will be offered from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. Taize worship is a contemplative prayer service based on chant-like repetition of Bible verses that originated in an ecumenical Christian monastic order in Taize, France.

“All three are opportunities for people to reflect,” said Baker, who will also impose ashes during tonight’s service at 7 p.m. “In our culture, it is sometimes difficult to quiet ourselves enough to really reflect on our lives. Lent is a spiritual journey. It is a time to look at our lives and hopefully become more faithful in our walk, modeling Jesus.”

The social justice committees at St. Vincent and St. Sebastian Catholic churches in West Akron are offering people an opportunity to learn to exemplify the peace of God during a Monday Lenten forum series. “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace,” begins Monday and runs consecutive Mondays through March 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. in St. Sebastian’s Zwisler Hall, 500 Mull Ave. Participants will explore how to sow light in darkness, love amid hatred, faith where there is doubt and hope in despair.

St. Sebastian Church, located at 476 Mull Ave., is offering Ash Wednesday services today at 9 a.m., 5:15 and 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday services are at 6:30 and 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at St. Vincent Church, 164 W. Market St.

“Throughout Lent, we will try to help people boost their spiritual lives to the next level. Although we should always be focused on our faith, Lent is a special time when we put an extra emphasis on spiritual growth,” said the Rev. John Valencheck, pastor at St. Sebastian. “Our hope is that people will take this time to look at where they are and determine where they need to grow closer to God and to live out a faithful Christian life.”

Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com

Defense attorney Catherine Loya no longer will defend cases in Judge Joy Malek Oldfield’s courtroom, Chief Public Defender Joseph Kodish said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Akron Bar Association, which investigates attorneys for potential ethics violations, requested and received Copley police documents regarding the incident. An investigation could lead to discipline by the Ohio Supreme Court.

Kodish said Loya’s move is a reaction to growing publicity and after his meeting Tuesday with Akron City Prosecutor Doug Powley, who only learned of the Oldfield-Loya incident through media reports.

Since her Feb. 5 arrest, Loya continued to represent indigent defendants in Oldfield’s court despite pending drunken driving-related charges in which the judge was a passenger and a potential witness in the case.

In addition, Oldfield occasionally has driven Loya to and from work after Loya lost her driving privileges for refusing to take a breath test following her arrest.

“I just decided, in light of everything, I decided I would do that,” Kodish said of Loya’s reassignment. “I think it’s good for everybody’s sake. I don’t have any specific reason other than that.”

Kodish has not determined Loya’s new courtroom assignment.

On Saturday, he acknowledged Loya was still working regularly in Oldfield’s court, but said she eventually would move as part of a regular rotation among attorneys. He said he allowed Loya to stay in the court for more than two weeks, because he didn’t view the Feb. 5 incident as an ethical conflict.

“I didn’t think that it was inappropriate then,” he said. “What changed? Nothing. I just wanted to do it. Nothing has changed, other than the fact that it puts everybody in a difficult position based on publicity that has been going around. I just thought that it would be the best thing for her right now.”

Loya’s attorney, Ed Bonetti, declined comment Tuesday.

While Powley was unaware of Loya’s ties to Oldfield, his assistant prosecutor assigned to the courtroom was told of the incident shortly after it occurred and never informed her boss.

The assistant, Gertrude Wilms, who like Oldfield is a Democrat, said she supports the judge and Loya. She does not believe a conflict exists, nor did she detect any rulings favoring Loya.

Powley agreed with the assessment on Oldfield’s rulings, but said he scolded Wilms during a meeting Tuesday for failing to tell him of the incident.

“I’ve handled that internally and instructed Gert on that matter,” he said. “It’s nothing you can put in the Beacon, because I was cussing at her. I used strong terms to advise on the importance of following my procedures manual.”

Loya, 30, is charged in Barberton Municipal Court with having physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor. She was convicted of similar charges in 2009.

The judge has not commented on the incident. Her attorney, John Hill, has questioned the veracity of the police report and supplement that the arresting officer, Copley Patrolman Thomas Ballinger, wrote.

Hill also has questioned when the supplement, which contains the most scandalous accusations, was written. He speculated it was written 10 days after the event.

The report, however, is “an accurate reflection” and was written the night of the incident, Copley Police Chief Michael Mier has said.

That report has been sent to the Akron Bar Association. Attorney Bill Chris, who serves as counsel for the association’s Grievance Committee, first learned of the incident from media reports and on Tuesday confirmed he requested a copy of the incident report and supplement.

The group has the ability to bring complaints to the Ohio Supreme Court for disciplinary action. Oldfield, 36, has been a judge since January.

“I got the report from the police, but anything we do is confidential,” Chris said.

He declined further comment.

In his report, Ballinger said he found Loya and Oldfield in a parked car stopped in a strip mall about 1:45 a.m. Feb. 5. The officer said that as he approached the Toyota, he “observed a female’s head raise up from the back seat and look out the back window.”

He then saw “two female subjects placing their clothing items on and then exit the back seat and move to the front seats.”

The officer said he smelled alcohol coming from the car when he talked to the women. Oldfield, who is married with two children, identified herself as a judge and said it was she who had been drinking.

Hill said the officer’s reportis “untrue” and that the women were not in the backseat or in a state of undress. He said they were driving to Oldfield’s home and stopped at the parking lot to allow the judge to smoke a cigarette and collect her emotions. Earlier, Oldfield was distraught about the health of a relative, Hill has said.

Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.

United Steelworkers Local 1123 Golden Lodge in Canton overwhelmingly approved a new five-year contract by a vote of 1,520-260, according to a posting at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday on the union’s website.

Union members in January had strongly rejected the company’s first contract offer, an outcome that put the mill expansion in jeopardy.

Joe Hoagland, president of Local 1123, said it might take him another day or two to get a better handle on why so many of the local’s 2,300 members reversed their votes.

The new pact retains a $5,000 retirement bonus that the rejected version would have eliminated, Hoagland said, and “that had been a hang-up for some members.”

He said the new contract also changes a two-tier wage and benefits system put in place under the current contract. Under newly revised language, new hires will be paid the same as senior Steelworkers after two years instead of three under the current pact.

“You can make the assumption,” Hoagland said, that union members also were thinking about the implications for the Faircrest steel mill if they voted down the contract.

Timken issued a statement Tuesday night saying it is going to proceed with the Faircrest expansion. The company said this will be the largest investment in the mill since it opened in 1985.

“This is a good day for our customers around the world, for our company and for the local community,” Salvatore J. Miraglia Jr., Timken president — steel group, said in a statement. “We’ve received great support for our steel expansion from state and local officials and suppliers, and now our employees have put the last element in place to make this project a go.”

The new contract “establishes work force stability through project construction and startup in 2014,” the company said. The contract, which expires in September 2017, covers four facilities in Stark County.

The project calls for a new ladle refiner and large-bloom continuous caster and is expected to increase Faircrest capacity by 25 percent as well as provide a wider range of large-diameter bars, the company said.

Timken, a maker of global bearings and specialty steel, had warned the Steelworkers this was a last-chance opportunity to vote on a contract that would allow the Faircrest project to happen. The company said it needed a stable work force to expand and restart the Faircrest plant and asked to open bargaining early.

The company said the energy industry in large part was driving increased demand for its steel for use in shale oil and gas drilling and development.

The Steelworkers, who have been working under a five-year contract that was to run through September 2013, started voting at 6:30 a.m. at Mayfield Senior Center, on 13th Street in Canton, and ended 12 hours later.

In January, they voted 917-608 against the first tentative agreement. Union officials at the time said members told them they rejected the contract because it retained a two-tier wage and benefits package and eliminated the $5,000 retirement bonus.

The union and company subsequently resumed bargaining and on Feb. 7 announced a new tentative agreement had been reached.

Timken previously said the new proposed contract had only minor changes from the one the union turned down in January; union officials said the revised contract had enough changes to merit taking it back to the membership for a vote.

Timken said the tentative agreement provided:

• Annual increases to permanent base wages plus cost-of-living increases.

• Increases in variable pay and incentive pay.

• Improvements in health and wellness plans.

• Increases in pension benefits.

• Changes to the wage escalation rate for new employees.

Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com.

Austin Stout, assistant chief legal counsel for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in Columbus, said in a phone interview the required paperwork was completed and he expected Feaster to be freed late Tuesday from Mansfield Correctional Institution.

Jana DeLoach, Feaster’s attorney, said he would not be returning immediately to his home in Akron, however, because of threats she said he has received from the victim’s family. She would not disclose where Feaster would be headed after his release.

Feaster, who turned 22 last month, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in the shooting death of Shawrica Lester outside the Cage teen nightclub in January 2007. The shooting occurred in the club’s parking lot on East Market Street following an exchange of gunfire by rival gang members.

Feaster, 17 at the time, later pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in juvenile court. He was one of six co-defendants originally charged in the shooting and gang fight.

“I’m really very happy for him and his family, and I am equally upset with the shenanigans of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office and the way they’re portraying this situation,” DeLoach said after Tuesday’s announcement that Feaster would be released. “They know, and the Akron Police Department knows, that my client didn’t shoot Shawrica Lester. He is not an admitted killer like they’re trying to make it sound.”

Retrial is possible

The decision leading to Feaster’s release originally was set in motion by the Ohio Supreme Court last December after a lengthy series of appeals by both sides.

The high court ruling cleared the way for the withdrawal of Feaster’s guilty pleas and sent the case back to Summit County Juvenile Court for a possible retrial.

Last week, it appeared Feaster was going to be released Friday, within hours of an announcement by county prosecutors that they were dismissing the charges against him.

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said at the time that none of the original witnesses was willing to testify about what happened on the night Lester was killed.

Enough time served

But in another twist in the protracted legal battle, DeLoach said prosecutors then blocked Feaster’s release by informing prison officials he still had a three-year sentence to serve for contempt of court for refusing to testify against one of his Cage co-defendants late in 2007.

Tuesday morning, however, DeLoach objected to the prosecution claim in a formal, two-page letter to the corrections department’s legal division. She wrote that Feaster’s sentence for contempt was to be served consecutively to his 13-year sentence.

Because of the high court ruling and the dismissal of the charges by prosecutors, DeLoach argued, “There is now no sentence [that] the three-year sentence can run consecutive to.”

Stout, the agency’s assistant chief legal counsel, said all of Feaster’s Summit County sentencing entries were reviewed and a determination was made that, in fact, he already had served enough time to fulfill his three-year term for contempt.

A statement Walsh issued Tuesday afternoon said her office no longer would challenge Feaster’s release.

“We will not be filing anything with the court regarding Feaster’s contempt charges. We further reviewed all of the prior journal entries,” the statement said, “and have verified that Feaster has no additional time to serve based on his contempt findings in both Juvenile and Common Pleas Court.”

Sandra Lester, the victim’s mother, could not be reached for comment about Feaster’s release.

Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or at emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.

The board’s Republican members proposed drastically cutting precincts before the November election and eliminating district poll worker coordinators, who work part time but receive full-time benefits. The Democratic members opposed these steps, instead suggesting keeping the poll worker coordinators, but no longer providing them with health care.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, will be tasked with breaking the tie votes. Summit now has six tie votes pending before Husted.

The board and Summit County are locked in a battle over how much funding the board needs to make it through this year, which happens to be a presidential election year when more people vote and boards are busier. The county has pointed to the boards in Lucas and Montgomery counties, which have similar populations and number of registered voters, but spend millions less than the Summit board.

Summit County gave the elections board a temporary budget of $1.5 million for the first three months of this year and is proposing about $4.8 million for the entire year. The board had requested nearly $9.3 million, which included $1 million in contingency costs. The board spent $7.1 million in 2008, the last presidential election year.

Alex Arshinkoff, one of the two Republican board members, thinks the board needs to reduce precincts, a cost-cutting step Lucas and Montgomery have made since 2008. He proposed dropping from 475 precincts to about 269 — a 43 percent reduction — which would result in 1,250 to 1,300 voters per precinct. Summit now has an average of 736 voters per precinct.

“We need to get on this,” Arshinkoff said. “If we go to mandate funds, we need to be strong showing we’ve done everything we can to cut costs.”

Arshinkoff was referring to how an elections board can go to court to force the county to release funds. This step has been taken in other Ohio counties, but never in Summit.

Tim Gorbach, the board’s Democratic chairman, admitted Summit is “behind the curve” in cutting precincts compared to other boards, but said he doesn’t think this step should be taken between the presidential primary and general elections. The expected savings is about $124,000.

“The savings are not enough versus the disruption this would serve onto our customers who are the voters,” he said.

The board’s Democratic members also don’t want to get rid of the poll worker coordinators, whom they said serve an important function on election days, troubleshooting problems at the polls. The Democrats suggested keeping them at the $4,000 annual salaries they now receive, but no longer providing health care, which was the most significant expense with their compensation. The poll worker coordinators would continue to earn pensions, as do other part-time employees at the board.

“If we pay them more, that gives us better confidence that, on Election Day, any problems or concerns will have people experienced handling them,” Gorbach said.

Arshinkoff held off on his proposal that the board forgo an outside location for in-person early voting in November. Republicans think this step would save about $50,000, but Democrats argue it would result in the long lines and waits that the board had in the March 2008 primary when it held early voting at the board’s cramped Grant Street office. The board had an outside spot for in-person early voting in November 2008 and November 2010.

Summit County officials are looking for a county-owned building where the board could hold early voting this fall and not have to pay rent. The board plans to revisit the issue after the March 6 primary.

The Democratic board members didn’t bring up the issue of how part-timers are being used, which they think is an area where savings can be achieved.

Gorbach said after the meeting that part-timers right now are being taken off of special projects, including a registration audit the Democrats had criticized, and diverted to tasks related to the upcoming primary. After the primary, he said, the board will look at what tasks part-timers should be performing.

Arshinkoff thinks the cuts the Republicans have proposed likely won’t be enough to satisfy the county. He said further reductions might be needed, including layoffs.

Both Democratic and Republican board members and staff are concerned that the board could run out of money after the March primary and not have enough to pay poll workers and part-timers. The county turned down the board’s request for an additional $200,000 for the first three months of the year.

Gorbach said the board might have enough in other areas of the budget to cover personnel expenses for the primary, although any shifting of funds would require the approval of the Summit County Council. He said the board will keep the county apprised of its budget situation.

“We will review and let them know if we’re running short,” he said.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.

Recipients were:

• Access Inc., $5,000 for hunger relief programs.

• Akron Community Service Center & Urban League, $6,000 for work-force development initiatives.

• ARC of Summit & Portage Counties Inc., $5,000 for its People Together disability awareness and anti-bullying program.

• Barberton Area Community Ministries, $3,000 to purchase food.

• Battered Women’s Shelter, $12,000 for operating expenses.

• Boy Scouts of America – Great Trail Council, $10,000 for the Camp Manatoc Fitness and Aquatic Center campaign.

• CASA Board Volunteer Association Inc., $3,000 for Child Advocate Volunteer Scholarships.

• Child Guidance & Family Solutions, $4,000 for assessment kits for the Toddlers and Preschoolers Succeeding Program (TAPS).

• Children’s Concert Society, $3,500 for its In-School and Concert Hall Series.

• Children’s Dyslexia Centers Inc. of Akron, $5,000 for free tutoring to help children overcome dyslexia.

• Community Pregnancy Center Inc., $5,000 for the Safety First Project for newborns.

• Crown Point Ecology Center, $2,500 to meet electric service code compliance.

• Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet, $5,500 for its 2011-2012 season.

• Evant Inc., $7,500 for activity programs for those with disabilities.

• First Glance Student Center, $2,000 for the Student Leader Program in Kenmore.

• Friends of Metro Parks, $5,000 for the Outside Is In education program.

• Gennesaret Inc., $5,000 to purchase freezers.

• Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, $2,500 for the Positive Futures Program for girls in the Summit County Juvenile Detention Center and Safe Landing Youth Shelter.

• Haven of Rest Ministries Inc., $7,500 for food, shelter and care.

• International Soap Box Derby Inc., $10,000 for marketing/development salary assistance.

• Invent Now Inc., $6,000 for Camp Invention 2012.

• Mobile Meals Inc., $12,000 for meals and supplements.

• NAMI Summit County, $4,000 for its Housewarming Project.

• Oasis Outreach Opportunity Inc., $3,000 for The Way Education Program.

• OPEN M, $10,000 for its free clinic and mental health programs.

• Prevent Blindness Ohio, $3,000 to expand its Vision Care Outreach in the Akron area.

• Rebuilding Together Summit County Inc., $4,000 for home repairs and modifications.

• Salvation Army – Summit County Area Services, $5,000 for the Learning Zone Program.

• Society of St. Vincent de Paul, $6,000 for the AIM High program.

• South Street Ministries, $6,000 for the Youth Leadership Initiative.

• Summa Health System, $10,000 for the Center for Minority Health and Disparities Community Room.

• Tutoring Nurtures Talent Inc., $3,000 for rental fees for tutoring sites.

• Urban Vision, $5,000 for its Set on Success Afterschool and Summer Enrichment program.

• Victory Gallop, $4,000 for its therapeutic horseback riding program.

• Waiting Child Fund, $5,000 for the Summit Permanency Collaborative.

• Women’s Auxiliary Board of the Summit County Children’s Home, $5,000 for its Beds for Kids Program.

Jerry and Emily Welty established the foundation to benefit charitable causes. Grant applications are being accepted through May 1 for the foundation’s June distribution meeting.

For more information, contact Brenda J. Moubray, FirstMerit Bank, Grant Administrator-Family Foundation Office, 106 S. Main St., Fifth Floor-TOW 23, Akron, OH 44308; 330-384-7301; brenda.moubray@firstmerit.
com.

Linek, Ralph J., 91, of Medina. Died Sunday. Waite & Son.

STARK

Hall, Trudy DeArmitt, 59, of North Canton. Died Sunday. Spiker-Foster-Shriver, Canton.

Venables, Alan, 66, of Alliance. Died Sunday. Cassaday-Turkle-Christian.

OTHER

Deprill, Keith, 54, of Salem. Died Sunday. Sharer-Stirling-Skivolocke, Alliance.

Whether it was amateur or professional sports, Frank A. Wahl would be there. He enjoyed every aspect of sports, and through competition as an athlete and work as a volunteer, coordinator and coach, Mr. Wahl developed lifelong friendships.

Mr. Wahl died Monday of kidney and heart complications at the age of 90 at University Hospital in Cleveland.

Born on March 3, 1921, he graduated from Garfield High School in 1939 and the University of Akron in 1948. He played sports and also served in the military.

Ken MacDonald, 76, director emeritus of sports information at the University of Akron, said he got to know Mr. Wahl quite well through his work at the college.

“I have known Whitey 50 to 60 years,” MacDonald said. “He has been around Akron U forever. He went into our hall of fame in our second class in 1976. He has been a staunch Akron supporter.

“At one time he was doing broadcasts. He was color analyst with Bob Wylie and Denny Schreiner, and a longtime season ticket holder. He was the last [living] charter member of the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame committee, which was founded in 1957.”

Letterman at UA

Mr. Wahl earned eight letters in four sports — football, basketball, baseball and track and field — at UA. He earned four in basketball alone.

MacDonald said Mr. Wahl figured prominently in a 72-70 UA basketball win over Ohio University in four overtimes during the 1942-43 season.

MacDonald said his friend was also a standout pitcher in adult fast-pitch softball leagues with Hank Vaughn.

After serving in the military, Mr. Wahl returned to guide the Zips to the Ohio Conference championship in the 1945-46 season, leading the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game from his position as forward.

Mr. Wahl also played quarterback in football and shortstop in baseball.

He worked for Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. in various capacities until he retired in 1982.

“I worked with Whitey at Firestone in public relations, at the All-American Soap Box Derby and the World Series of Golf for many years,” said Bob Troyer, 65. “We were good friends.

“He was a great man, and was very active in the Akron area. He was chairman of the Soap Box Derby for many years.”

In 1936, at the age of 15, Mr. Wahl competed in the first Soap Box Derby held at what is now known as Derby Downs. He was inducted into the derby’s hall of fame in 1999 after serving as president, director of champions and flag man.

Derby, Firestone regular

Mr. Wahl was a regular at Derby Downs working the All-American Soap Box Derby and at Firestone Country Club working golf tournaments such as the Rubber City Open, PGA Championship, World Series of Golf, the NEC Invitational and the Bridgestone Invitational.

“This is a big loss for a lot of groups,” MacDonald said. “He was very active in a lot of things.”

In 2006, then-derby General Manager Jeff Iula proclaimed July 22 as Frank “Whitey” Wahl Day and said in an Akron Beacon Journal article that Mr. Wahl “has been a father image to all of us.”

MacDonald said Mr. Wahl remained active with the Summit County Hall of Fame up until this past month. He was inducted into the hall in 1970.

Mr. Wahl is survived by his wife, Marian; son Frank “Pep” (Angela); stepson Scott (Sunshine) Roberts; stepdaughter Leslie (John) Richards; and many grandchildren.

“Whitey was a good friend and a wonderful man,” Troyer said.

Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com.

Ward 7 meeting

AKRON: Donnie Kammer, the Ward 7 councilman, will have a ward meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Firestone Park Community Center, 1480 Girard St.

Brad Beckert, Akron’s engineering manager, will discuss Bridgestone Americas’ new technical center project and the ongoing construction around the facility.

COPLEY Twp.

Crash injures two

COPLEY TWP.: Both drivers were injured when two pickup trucks collided Saturday afternoon at state Route 21 and Minor Road.

Phillip W. Gotthardt, 20, of Norton, and Robert Donahue, 57, of Wadsworth, were both taken to Akron General Medical Center. Gotthardt’s injuries were described as serious. The nature of Donahue’s injuries was not reported.

The State Highway Patrol said Gotthardt was driving south on Route 21 and Donahue was traveling west on Minor. The collision forced both trucks off the road, and Gotthardt had to be extracted from his vehicle.

Troopers are still trying to determine who had the right of way at the intersection.

NORTHEAST OHIO

CPAs offer tax help

AKRON: The Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA) is offering free tax preparation services to Ohio military families this tax year. Through April, Ohio certified public accountants will volunteer to prepare 2011 tax returns for military personnel who are permanent residents of Ohio and currently deployed outside of the state.

Operation CPA is a partnership with the Ohio National Guard, and provides a service to help ease the burden of deployment on Ohio military families.

To find an Operation CPA volunteer in your area, call the Ohio Society of CPAs toll free at 888-959-1212 or email
cpanswers@ohio-cpa.com.

For details about special tax benefits for the military, visit the IRS Web site for military personnel. And for more tax tips from Ohio CPAs, visit OSCPA’s Tax Headquarters at www.financialfitnessohio.com.

palmyra twp.

Job fair at school

PALMYRA TWP.: The Southeast Local School District, in partnership with the Portage County Educational Service Center, will host its first job fair from 3 to 6 p.m. March 27 at Southeast High School, 8423 Tallmadge Road.

This free event will bring together job seekers with employers looking for local talent at all levels.

Job seekers are encouraged to update their resumes. An area with computers to complete online applications will be provided, as well as wireless-internet access for those who bring their own laptops. Rooms will be available for interviews on site.

The fair is organized in collaboration with Portage Workforce Connection, Portage Development Board and Hiram College Career Center.

Employers looking to fill positions next spring are invited to contact Grant Holmes at Portage County Educational Service Center, 330-297-1436, for registration and display information. For information, visit http://www.portage-esc.org/.

CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Free presentation

HUDSON: Summit County for Ron Paul is hosting a free presentation at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hudson Library and Historical Society, 96 Library St.

Retired Kent State professor Philip Weeks will present Liberty, the Founders and the Constitution and raise historical topics that remain influential.

For more information, contact Craig Thompson at craigt@craigthompson.us, and visit www.meetup.com/Ron-Paul-2012-Akron-Summit-County or www.facebook.com/RP2012
Akron.