Local News

The city of Akron razed a 175-year-old piece of Portage County history this week when crews demolished the Olin House in Franklin Township, one of about 42 properties countywide on the National Register of Historic...  Read Story. 7 comments

Fund-raising efforts at Kent State University to bolster funds for endowment, capital projects and current operations are closing in on the $200 million mark. More than $32 million in donations this fiscal year alone boosted the university's Centennial Campaign balance to $192.5 million. The ultimate goal is $250 million, and university officials believe they are likely to surpass that amount by the time the campaign ends in...  Read Story. 2 comments

The jobless rate for Portage County jumped 1.3 percentage points to 12 percent in January from December's 10.7 percent rate, according to state numbers released Wednesday. A year ago, in January 2009, the county's rate was 9.6 percent. The data indicates 10,700 county residents were jobless out of a labor force of...  Read Story. 13 comments

TWINSBURG - The Chrysler Stamping Plant on S.R. 82 was sold for $45.5 million to an unnamed bidder Wednesday and the winning bid will be presented to a judge with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York today. Twinsburg Mayor Katherine Procop said she is pleased with the sale price " and the likelihood that industrial manufacturing jobs will remain at the 2-million-square-foot...  Read Story.

DEERFIELD - Zoning may be back on the ballot in the township this year. Trustees have advertised for applications for a zoning commission. The panel will be charged with drafting a proposed zoning resolution for the...  Read Story.

A new zoning district in eastern Franklin Township is being created to accommodate the possibility of adult entertainment. The new C-2 commercial zone, which includes adult entertainment among its uses, would encompass two lots on the south side of S.R. 59 between S.R. 261 and the CSX Railroad...  Read Story.

Defense attorneys for Adrian A. Barker, one of two University of Akron students accused in last fall's beating and death of Kent State University student Christopher Kernich, are seeking to have eyewitness identifications of his alleged killers " as well as several statements he made to Kent police " thrown out of his April 13 trial, saying they were improperly...  Read Story.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Democrats claimed momentum Wednesday in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues despite persistent Republican efforts to knock them offstride. Obama himself, rallying support outside Washington for the second time this week, shouted to a crowd in Missouri, "The time for talk is over. It's time to...  Read Story. 11 comments

Camp Road in Rootstown may close for culvert work ROOTSTOWN -- The township will be installing culvert pipes on Camp Road within the next few weeks, weather depending. Township trustees say the road may be completely closed or partially closed during...  Read Story.

Lohan files lawsuit over commercial Associated Press MINEOLA, N.Y. -- Lindsay Lohan is feuding with the E-Trade babies. The actress has filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming a television ad for the Wall Street firm that aired during the Super Bowl and...  Read Story. 2 comments

Obama renews Haiti support WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday renewed America's commitment to the recovery and reconstruction of earthquake-devastated Haiti, telling visiting President Rene Preval he knows the crisis has not passed. After...  Read Story.

Dems close to health bill pact Associated Press ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Democrats claimed momentum Wednesday in their drive to enact the sweeping health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, citing near agreement on crucial issues despite...  Read Story.

Global network of Mafia raided NEW YORK -- The FBI arrested a reputed U.S. mobster Wednesday on charges he provided protection for a Sicilian counterpart mapping out criminal turf in Florida -- part of an international sweep aimed at further crippling the...  Read Story.

Senate passes jobless aid, business tax breaks Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Wednesday to extend key pieces of last year's economic stimulus measure, including help for the jobless and money to help financially strapped states pay for...  Read Story.

Note to Washington: Voters say talk jobs By Liz Sidoti and Christine Simmons Associated Press WASHINGTON -- They just don't get it in Washington. There's a gaping disconnect between what Americans care about and what President Barack Obama and Congress,...  Read Story.

Budget deficit sets a record WASHINGTON -- The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year. The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the...  Read Story. 1 comment

China has its own 'tea party' BEIJING -- Like the United States, China is having its own tea party movement, but this one has a very different agenda. Police have long tried to shush and isolate potential activists, usually starting with a low-key...  Read Story. 1 comment

Scientists eye climate panel WASHINGTON -- The world's biggest scientific guns are being called in to mop up after a trickle of unsettling errors in the authoritative reports written by a global warming panel. The U.N. and the Intergovernmental Panel on...  Read Story. 2 comments

LOS ANGELES - Corey Haim, a 1980s teen heartthrob whose career was blighted by drug abuse, has died. He was 38. Haim died early Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie...  Read Story.

Nine-year-old Dawoud Abu Armana's childhood is full of memories " and scars " that will likely last a lifetime. A native of Beij, a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, Dawoud suffered a severe head injury in January 2009 when an Israeli tank shell struck his home. Kent native Steve Sosebee worked through the Palestine Children's Relief Fund to bring the boy to the U.S. for surgery to repair to injuries to his...  Read Story. 2 comments