Events Calendar
In This Section
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Green High senior goes extra mile for those who walk and jog the park trails
Community, school and military news roundup
Tragedy to hope: Family creates foundation for bereavement therapy
Visiting new Navy ship brings back memories for Doylestown man serves on USS New York in 1930s
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Councilman proposes online list of drug labs to aid home buyers
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Feb 23, 2008
STOW.: A city councilman is pushing legislation to make it easier for home buyers to know whether they are purchasing a house that once served as a meth lab.
The proposal, which council's Roads & Safety Committee will begin debating Monday, would create a local online database of former meth labs in homes, hotels and apartments in the city. That record would be discovered in a title search during the buying process, thus alerting a potential new owner about the problem, according to the legislation.
Councilman Ron Alexander asked the city's legal department to develop a proposal after recent media reports about a Stow woman who says she unwittingly bought a house that once was used as a meth lab. She has filed a lawsuit against the seller.
Alexander, a local attorney, said he'd like to figure out a way to require the seller to disclose the information.
''That would be more effective,'' he said.
The legislation says a property would be removed from the meth lab database when the city received proof that it ''has been satisfactorily
cleared of methamphetamine residue.''
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's National Clandestine Laboratory Register lists only one home in Stow the one involved in the lawsuit.
Meth is a drug manufactured by cooking ingredients, including over-the-counter medications. The cooking process creates dangerous chemical residues that can seep into walls and carpeting.
Exposure to those chemicals can cause headaches, chest pain, nausea and dizziness and other problems, depending on the length and type of the exposure, according to health experts.
State Rep. Steve Dyer, D-Green, a former Beacon Journal reporter who wrote about disclosure problems related to meth labs, introduced a bill last year that would create a statewide database and allow counties to make note of meth labs in property titles.
But his bill has sat in committee, as some have raised questions about who would be responsible for funding the cleanup.
Dyer applauded the Stow proposal.
''People are recognizing that this is a serious problem and we need to do something about it so people aren't innocently moving into toxic waste dumps,'' he said. ''It makes all kinds of sense.''
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
STOW.: A city councilman is pushing legislation to make it easier for home buyers to know whether they are purchasing a house that once served as a meth lab.
Get the full article here.
