West Side News & Notes
By Stephanie Kist
Community unites
for Take Back the Night
DOWNTOWN AKRON — On Oct. 6, students and members of the greater Akron community will participate in a rally and march on The University of Akron (UA) campus to raise awareness and break the silence about oppression and violence against women, according to organizers of the annual event.
Melody Drnach, vice president
of action of the National Organization for Women (NOW),
is scheduled to speak at the premarch rally. Local bands
Rebel Girl and Equals Four
will play at the post-march reception.
The Akron Take Back the Night
2006 is sponsored by the Rape Crisis Center of Medina
and Summit Counties, the Women’s Study Program
at UA and the Akron-area NOW.
The event will open at 6 p.m.
at the Student Union Theater, followed by the keynote
speaker address at 6:30 p.m. and a speak-out session
from 7 to 8 p.m. Students and members of the community
are invited to speak out against violence against women
and share their experiences.
At 8 p.m., participants will
march on a closed 1-mile course through campus and return
to the theater for refreshments and music. All ages
and genders are welcome to participate.
Take Back the Night is an international
rally and march that is organized by local communities
and colleges with the purpose of raising awareness about
violence against women.
The first Take Back the Night
event began in England in 1877 as a protest against
the violence and fear that women encountered walking
the streets at night. The first Take Back the Night
in the United States was organized in San Francisco
in 1977.
For more information, contact
Denise Hollenbach at (330) 374-0740, ext 26, or via
e-mail at deniseh@scmcbws.org.
School bus strikes vehicle
on Reserve Drive
COPLEY — Students were
shaken up, but none complained of injuries Sept. 22
when a bus transporting them home from Copley High School
struck a gold Saab that was at a stop sign on Reserve
Drive waiting to turn onto Jacoby Road.
Kirkwall Drive resident Shirley
Harris, the driver of the Saab, was transported to Akron
City Hospital, where she was treated and released. The
extent of her injuries was unknown.
Bus driver Cheryl Swain was not
injured. Police cited her for making an improper turn.
Officers said it appeared she simply cut too closely
while turning.
Thirty-four students were evacuated
from the bus, which was resting on the hood of the car,
and a second bus took them home.
According to another motorist
who witnessed the accident, “The bus had cut the
corner very sharp and hit the brown [gold] car. The
bus pushed the car about 25 feet until it stopped. Then
I got out, called the police and made sure everyone
was all right.”
Swain said the first thing she
did when she realized she had hit the car was to make
sure all the students were OK. They all said they were,
and she began recording their names and which seats
they occupied at the time
of the accident.
Copley-Fairlawn City Schools Board
of Education held a special meeting the morning of Sept.
26 to discuss the incident.
— By Maggie DeMellier
Neighborhood party surpasses
goal for fence funding
HIGHLAND SQUARE — About
75 people attended a neighborhood bash Sept. 23 in Highland
Square, raising $2,300 for a fence to keep unwanted
foot traffic at bay.
According to Steve Arrington,
one of the organizers of the event, money is still coming
in. The goal for the event was to raise $1,800.
“It was a very successful
time,” he said, adding neighbors from Crosby Street,
Belvedere Way and Rhodes and Payne avenues attended.
The fence is intended to stop
people from short-cutting from Payne Avenue and Beck
Street to Rhodes Avenue. According to residents, neighbors
have seen drug use and solicitation and prostitution
occurring in the area, and the fence is meant to break
up the illegal activities taking place during the day
and night.
The 6-foot-high fence will run
260 feet along the back of several homes.
“I knew we would make the
goal,” Arrington said. “I didn’t know
we would surpass it.”
He added he’s not sure
when the fence will actually be built, as there are
some issues with trees along the property lines.
Basic Law Enforcement Academy
begins Oct. 10
GREEN — The Summit County
Sheriff’s Office’s 11th Basic Law Enforcement
Academy will begin Oct. 10 and take place on Tuesday
evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 12 at the Sheriff’s
Office Training Facility, 2825 Greensburg Road. A graduation
dinner will take place at a later date.
Summit County residents interested
in law enforcement and functions of the sheriff’s
office may enroll in the free 10-week course. The deadline
for registration is Oct. 2.
Topics will include a jail tour,
terrorist awareness, crimes against the elderly, crime
prevention, self-defense, juvenile diversion, narcotics
investigation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, sexual
predators and identity theft.
To register, contact Lt. Dale
Soltis at (330) 899-5400.
Girl Scout Councils to
merge
GREATER AKRON — Girl Scouts
of the Western Reserve Inc. will merge with four other
Girl Scout councils in Northeast Ohio to modernize the
organization.
The uniting of Girl Scouts of
the Western Reserve with
Girl Scouts of Erie Shores, Great Trail, Lake Erie and
Lake to River councils will bring together Girl Scouts
from Medina, Summit, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana,
Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning,
Portage, Sandusky, Seneca, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas
counties, as well as parts of Wayne and Harrison counties.
According to council officials, the
goal of this realignment is to build a high-capacity council
that can better deliver on its mission to build girls
of courage, confidence and character who make the world
a better place. There will be more and different program
events, more camp opportunities, enhanced services to
adult volunteers and continued outreach to underserved
populations.
“This transformation is
so important to the future of Girl Scouting, and Girl
Scouts of the Western Reserve looks forward to reaching
out to our partners in the local community throughout
this process to deliver the Girl Scout experience to
more and more girls,” said Dee Jones, chief executive
officer of Girl Scouts of the Western Reserve.
For more information on how to
join, volunteer or donate to Girl Scouts, call Girl
Scouts of the Western Reserve at (330) 864-9933 or visit
www.girlscoutswr.org.
Roundabout can be viewed
in real time
COPLEY — Summit County
Engineer Greg Bachman announced the installation of
a new aerial-view camera at the Ridgewood and Hametown
Roundabout.
The camera, located at the first
modern roundabout built in Northeast Ohio, according
to Bachman’s office, provides viewers with real-time
footage of vehicles entering, traveling through and
exiting the roundabout.
The 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week
Internet coverage of motorists driving the roundabout
is available by visiting the Web site engineer.co.sum
mit.oh.us and
clicking on “Camera View of the Ridgewood/Hametown
Roundabout.”
“Our goal is to not only
educate the community about the advantages of modern
roundabouts, but to also show the ease in which any
type vehicle can travel through the Ridgewood and Hametown
Roundabout safely and efficiently,” Bachman said.
The Web site also provides updates
on this project and others throughout the county.
Akron hydrant
flushing continues
WEST AKRON — City of Akron
Water Distribution Division personnel
began flushing fire hydrants in Northwest Akron Sept.
27 and continue to flush hydrants in West Akron.
The Northwest Akron area is bounded
approximately by the city limits on the north, Mull Avenue
on the south, Portage Path on the east and Pembroke Avenue
on the west.
The West Akron area is bounded
approximately by Mayfair Road on the north, Wooster
Road on the south, Merriman Road on the east and Crestview
Avenue on the west.
Discoloration to water is likely
to appear. Water users are urged to check their cold
water for discoloration prior to drawing water for cooking
and for use in washers and dishwashers.
If discoloration is found, the
water user is advised to discontinue use until the water
clears. Customers can call (330) 375-2554 to get a nightly
update on streets that are to be flushed. Select “Frequently
Asked Questions” and follow the prompts.
Water customers also can log
on to www.ci.akron.oh.us and
select “News Releases” to get the latest
hydrant flushing updates. Water users also may call
(330) 375-2420 for more information.
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