NORTHEAST OHIO
Storm warning
The Akron area is poised to get its first taste of winter.
A strong winter storm is expected to make its way across Michigan on Friday, spreading snow into the region.
The bulk of the heavier snow and blizzard conditions are expected to stay well west of Akron and along the Lake Erie shoreline if the predicted lake-effect snow bands set up as the storm moves northward.
The National Weather Service says rain tonight will switch over to snow showers on Friday into Saturday in the Akron area.
By the time the snow ends Saturday, as much as 3 inches could fall in Akron.
The biggest impact from the storm in the Akron area is high wind. The National Weather Service warns that there could be gusts as high as 45 mph tonight. Up to a foot of snow could fall along the Lake Erie shoreline.
The prospects for a white Christmas, however, remain questionable as temperatures Tuesday are expected to rise into the mid-30s.
AKRON
Couple robbed
AKRON: An elderly couple was confronted by three gunmen during an attempted robbery inside an Akron car wash Tuesday night, police said.
The robbery was thwarted when the husband, 79, began to call 911. The three robbers fled the self-serve car wash in the 1300 block of South Arlington Street without any money.
Police say the New Franklin man and his wife, 72, drove their Kia Sportage to the car wash at about 10 p.m. Once inside, the three robbers armed with pistols ordered the couple to the ground. The husband then made his 911 call.
Shots fired at car
AKRON: An Akron man’s car was shot at multiple times as he pulled into his home’s driveway Tuesday night, police said.
The 53-year-old Springdale Street resident was not injured.
Police were called to the North Hill neighborhood about 10 p.m. The victim told police he was parking his car when the gunfire erupted. The vehicle’s passenger window and door were struck several times, police said.
The man said he noticed four men standing near Carpenter Street and Uhler Avenue just prior to the shooting. The men were not identified.
Trash schedule
AKRON: City sanitation crews will pick up Christmas present wrapping remnants, including paper and boxes, placed alongside trash carts Jan. 2-7.
The pickup is intended for extra holiday wrappings and boxes that won’t fit into one trash cart, Public Service Director John Moore said.
Customers who need to put out a larger volume of household trash are asked to call Akron’s 311 Call Center from any residential phone in the city or 330-375-2311 from any other phone to schedule one of the three special pickups allotted each household per year.
Curb service will be delayed by one day after the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays.
Christmas trees also will be collected if they are placed alongside trash carts on residents’ normal collection days.
Hanna appearance
AKRON: Jack Hanna, author, television personality and director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will appear at the Akron Civic Theatre to present Wild Times with Jungle Jack Hanna at 6:30 p.m. April 18.
The 75-minute show will feature several of his wildest friends from the animal kingdom to educate and entertain guests of all ages. Tickets for the show, sponsored by the Robert O. Orr & Annamae Orr Family Foundation, start at $22 with proceeds benefiting the Akron Zoo’s new exhibit, the Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge, slated to open in late summer.
Hanna, with animal ambassadors from the Columbus Zoo, will share humorous stories about his experiences with animals.
Tickets are available at the Akron Civic Theatre Box Office, by calling 330-253-2488, at www.akroncivic.com or Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.
Tickets are $22 and $32 for reserve seating; $75 tickets are available that include the show and a private meet and greet with Hanna prior to the show and some of the animals plus appetizers; $200 tickets are available through the Akron Zoo only and include a guided tour of Grizzly Ridge at 3 p.m., appetizers and a private meet and greet at the show.
BATH TOWNSHIP
Contract approved
BATH TWP.: Trustees have unanimously approved a new three-year contract between the township and the Bath Professional Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 4130 AFL-CIO.
According to interim Administrator Bill Snow, the contract is “a product of a lot of work.”
The contract includes a 1 percent increase in pay for both 2013 and 2014, as well as a 2 percent increase in 2015. The latter wage increase is negotiable should other bargaining units or administrative staff not receive a wage increase for that year. Conversely, should any other employee group receive a wage increase greater than those specified in this contract, the firefighters would receive the same percentage rate of increase.
Among the other items listed in the contract are the wage rates to be paid in 26 equal installments.
“We had nothing but a positive conversation on the issues,” said Snow.
CANTON
Bank robbed
CANTON: The FBI is looking for two men who robbed a Canton bank Wednesday morning.
An FBI spokeswoman said the two men were armed with semi-automatic pistols at about 11 a.m., when one of them jumped over the counter of the Huntington Bank branch at 6248 Navarre Road SW and snatched an undisclosed amount of cash.
The men fled the bank and ran to a white Chevrolet Z-71 pickup truck that had temporary license tags and damage to the passenger side bed area.
Special Agent Vicki Anderson said the men had their faces and hands covered, but they appeared to be black or Hispanic with average builds.
Anyone with information is asked to contact FBI officials at 330-456-6200. Tipsters can remain anonymous. A reward is available for the successful identification and prosecution of the robbers.
HARTVILLE
Budget approved
HARTVILLE: The Village Council approved appropriations Tuesday for 2013 of $1.56 million, a 4 percent increase from this year’s nearly $1.5 million.
The new year will see an increase in the police budget from $690,760 to $711,465.
Major purchases will include a dump truck for the Street Department, a police cruiser and a pickup truck for the sewage treatment plant.
In other action, the council learned that the Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 to consider a site plan for a proposed Aldi’s grocery store on the southeast corner of Market Avenue and West Maple Street.
Five members of the council voted to change nepotism rules over the objection of Councilman Edsel Tucker. He said the new ordinance would permit the hiring of relatives who could not be hired under previous rules.
