West Side News & Notes
By Stephanie Kist
Wild turkeys common sight
in area
SUMMIT COUNTY — Wild turkeys inhabit all of Ohio’s 88 counties, and since the fowl live in the woods and do not migrate, they are commonly seen year-round, according to Metro Parks, Serving Summit County officials.
Visitors to the Metro Parks might
see turkeys during the day
in the Sand Run, Cascade Valley, Hampton Hills and O’Neil
Woods parks.
Females, or hens, usually nest
on the ground, but they have also been spotted nesting
on the ledges at Liberty Park in Twinsburg. Breeding
starts in early spring, and the young, called poults,
stay with their mother until fall or the following spring.
The wild turkey is the largest
game bird found in this part of the world, ranging from
3 to 4 feet tall and weighing up to 24 pounds. Farm-raised
turkeys, the center of a typical Thanksgiving feast,
are twice the size of wild turkeys and usually cannot
fly because of their size, according to Metro Parks
officials.
Wild turkeys can reach flight
speeds of up to 50 mph.
“They are surprisingly
agile, but they sound like a freight train when they’re
taking off in flight,” said park biologist Marlo
Perdicas. She added turkeys do more than just “gobble”
— they can bark, peep, yelp and even croak like
a frog.
Back in 1904, the turkey population
in Ohio was zero due to farming and loss of habitat.
But during the 1950s, turkeys were trapped in other
states by the Ohio Division of Wildlife and brought
to forests in Southeast Ohio, where the birds flourished,
according to Metro Parks officials.
Community Legal Aid has
new office
DOWNTOWN AKRON — The Akron
office of Community Legal Aid has moved. Its new address
is 50 S. Main St., Akron Centre Plaza, Suite 800, Akron,
OH 44308.
The local office phone number
is (330) 535-4191, and the number for new clients and
the Legal Aid Helpline is (800) 998-9454.
Hero award nominations being
accepted
WEST AKRON — The FirstEnergy
Foundation and the Summit County Chapter of the American
Red Cross are taking hero nominations for the upcoming
2008 Acts of Courage Awards. The
Acts of Courage award honors those who have acted courageously
or with nobility of purpose, often at great risk and
sacrifice of their own personal safety, comfort and
well-being, to reach out and help others in their time
of need, and by such action have embodied the ideals,
principles and purpose of the American Red Cross, according
to Red Cross officials.
The heroic act must either have
occurred in Summit County or the person performing the
heroic act must be a resident of Summit County. In addition,
the heroic act must have occurred in 2007.
Nominations must be submitted
by Jan. 1. For a nomination form, call Jackie Zavodney
at (330) 535-2351 or visit sum
mitcounty.redcross.org.
The 12th Annual Acts of Courage
Awards, along with the H. Peter Burg Community Leadership
Award, will be announced March 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. at
Tangier restaurant. Tickets cost $50.
Sheriff’s Office to
offer crime prevention seminars
SUMMIT COUNTY — The Summit
County Sheriff’s Office will present the program
“Refuse to be a Victim” Nov. 29 and Dec.
4 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The first seminar will take
place at the Sheriff’s Training Facility, 2825
Greensburg Road in Green, and the second at the Twinsburg
Government Complex, 7996 Darrow Road (state Route 91).
The seminars on crime prevention
will focus on personal safety, home security tips, safety
while traveling, workplace and computer safety, as well
as tips on staying safe while shopping for the holidays.
Presented by sheriff’s
deputies in conjunction with the National Rifle Association,
pioneers of the program, the seminars are free and will
include refreshments and safety materials.
Seating is limited. To register,
call (330) 643-8640 and leave your name, how many seats
are needed and which seminar you plan to
attend.
— By Maria Lindsay
Akron Zoo sets
attendance record
WEST AKRON — For the fifth
year in a row the Akron Zoo has set a new attendance
record.
According to zoo officials, last
year’s attendance of 255,804 visitors through
the end of October was surpassed during this year’s
annual Boo at the Zoo event, with 256,719 visitors recorded
by Oct. 28.
The Akron Zoo’s annual
Boo at the Zoo event hosted 18,750 visitors, which is
the second largest attendance registered for the event
in its 19-year history.
New displays at the zoo this
year contributed to the attendance record, according
to zoo officials. The new displays included a pair of
young lions unveiled in May. The male lion, Tamarr came
to the Akron Zoo from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Denver.
Shani, the female, arrived in Akron from the Fort Worth
Zoo.
— By Maria Lindsay
Taylor presents seminars to
identify, investigate fraud
OHIO — Ohio Auditor Mary
Taylor is sponsoring four training seminars aimed at
assisting local government entities and law enforcement
authorities in the detection, prevention and investigation
of white collar crimes to combat fraud and improve accountability
to Ohio taxpayers.
“These seminars will provide
local authorities with the tools they need to detect
and prevent fraud and to investigate it once it has
already occurred,” Taylor said.
The Auditor’s Special Investigations
Unit will present four training sessions, including:
• Cyber Investigation 100
— Identifying and Seizing Electronic Evidence
(ISEE);
• Cyber Investigation 101
— Secure Techniques for Onsite Preview (STOP),
to learn how to search a computer system for evidence
of fraud; • Financial
Crimes 101 — Keys to Unlocking Financial Crimes;
and
• Fraud Prevention 101 —
Fraud and Your Not-For-Profit Organization, Finding
and Preventing It, offering tips and techniques to reduce
the risk of fraud.
ISEE and STOP were developed
by the national White Collar Crime Center, a nonprofit
group established to provide training on the investigation
and prosecution of economic and cyber crimes.
The Cyber Investigation 100 presentation
coincided with International Fraud Awareness Week Nov.
11-17, but the other sessions have not yet been scheduled.
To schedule a presentation for your organization, contact
Taylor’s office at (866) 372-8364.
— By Maria Lindsay
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