Akron Beacon Journal
Hundreds remember shooting victim
More than 200 people stood silently at a community vigil in the chilly autumn air on Oct. 22, many with lit candles in hand, in grief and in support of the family and friends mourning the death of 61-year-old Sharon Dorn of Stow. The mourners gathered...
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‘Something incredible’ is coming to Lock 3
Internationally renowned sculptor Chakaia Booker, who had a solo exhibition in 2000 at the Akron Art Museum, is returning to the city to install a permanent, 17-foot sculpture made of stainless steel and recycled Goodyear Racing Eagle tires. The...
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Ad accuses rival for governor of lying about upbringing
Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on a controversial ad featuring his opponent’s estranged mother with a $4 million buy. The ad, which leaked Oct. 19, features the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton...
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Is consolidation of Ohio universities inevitable?
When Republican gubernatorial candidate James Rhodes was on the campaign trail in 1962, one of his central promises was to expand access to higher education. Rhodes, who dropped out of Ohio State University after his first quarter but saw its value,...
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‘Kind’ natatorium instructor mourned
For almost two years, Bethany Hartman visited the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium at the same time every Tuesday for personal training classes led by Sharon Dorn. These 5 p.m. classes became so ingrained in Hartman’s routine that Dorn’s name appeared on her...
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Grassroots groups partner to drive Akron midterm turnout
Dozens of civic-minded Summit County residents filed into Highland Square’s Mustard Seed Market and Cafe around 10 a.m. Oct. 17. Minutes later, many left with transparent bags full of informational voting flyers and endorsement cards destined for...
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OVERLOOKED
Nan Nedelka has good days and bad days. Skull-piercing migraines and throbbing nausea can keep her home on bad days. Visual snow may fill her eyesight like static on a television screen. Diplopia, double vision, keeps her off the road and tethered to...
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Politics, second chances and a confrontation at the Canfield Fair
Glad-handing politicians are as much a part of the Canfield Fair as Russo’s sausage sandwiches smothered in Italian peppers or the 90-foot Ferris wheel anchoring the midway. h At least three future or current U.S. presidents – Warren G. Harding, Joe...
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Akron Zoo opens new $10M animal hospital
No matter the size of the animal or critter in need of care, the Akron Zoo’s new Tom and Shelley Koutnik Center for Veterinary Care can handle it. h And that includes everything from a Partula snail that weighs just a fraction of an ounce to the zoo’s...
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Trump rallies for GOP candidates in Ohio
In a bid to boost Ohio GOP candidates ahead of the midterm election, President Donald Trump and Ohio Republicans used the Youngstown stage for invective interlaced with broad policies, decrying “communist” Democrats and immigration, while reminding the...
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Foes fear amendments would deter developers
April Stern is an Akron landlord happily renting to 13 people with felony convictions. But if voters pass two Akron charter amendments aimed at helping people with criminal histories, those 13 tenants could be looking for new places to live, Stern...
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DIG IN
Jesus Mireles and Graciela Quezada Zaragoza are owners of Mama Lupe Mexican Grill in Green. September brought a variety of new restaurants to Greater Akron’s diverse food scene. The former Pinky’s Pizza and Ice Cream in Akron is now home to two...
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PROTECTED ON PAPER
Jessica Hardy did exactly what the justice system asks of someone facing abuse. After Hardy’s ex-boyfriend began stalking and harassing her, she sought a protection order. When he flooded her phone with messages, she told him to leave her alone. He...
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Mother remembers son killed in hit-and-run
An Akron mother wants answers and justice after her 35-year-old son was recently killed in a hit-and-run incident in Highland Square. h Sharon Franklin says her son Jaymeeson Franklin was a “gentle giant” who liked to help people and work on cars. h...
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APS will honor academic powerhouse with parade
They don’t wear helmets. Or play under the bright Friday night lights in front of hundreds of cheering fans. h But Akron Early College High School students have been putting up big points on the academic scoreboard. On the most recent state report...
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Schools worry about proposed state takeover
Garfield Community Learning Center should have been released from state academic oversight this year after posting better state report card scores for the past two years. h Instead, the state in April gave Akron Public Schools a choice: Garfield could...
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Teen turns love of animals into business
In the past couple of years, St. Vincent-St. Mary freshman Trenton Preston has built a reputation across the Akron area as an entertainer and animal educator under the stage name “The Professor.” h At 14 years old, Trenton is likely one of the...
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Relics complicate deal for Szalay’s field lease
As a lifelong farmer, John Szalay is no stranger to sleepless nights. He worries about the rain — and whether there will be too much or too little. He frets about the corn and whether they can plant it soon enough for a good haul. Lately, though,...
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BUILDING A MOVEMENT
LAKE TWP. − Some people are just meant to be friends. Samantha “Sam” Richardson and Lauren De Matteis met in the spring while volunteering at a “No Kings” protest. They quickly bonded over their shared passions to provide safe spaces for women and...
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Justices hear major climate change case
BOULDER, CO − Maddison Schink remembers getting her grandmother’s phone call as hurricane-force winds whipped a wildfire through their Colorado neighborhood: What would you like me to save from our house? Flustered, the college student rattled off the...
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Pushback grows against plate readers, data’s usage
Akron’s 145-camera citywide Flock network, touted as a public safety tool that helps officers solve crimes, is being scrutinized by residents and city officials alike. At-Large Akron City Councilman Eric Garrett recently introduced a resolution to...
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Suspect dead during home arrest attempt
A 34-year-old man is dead after Akron police say he shot himself Oct. 1 as authorities attempted to arrest him on a vandalism charge. The police union says the charge involved an incident targeting an officer. The fatal shooting happened in a matter...
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Barberton all abuzz over beehive hubbub
Aclutch of beehives in Barberton has created an uproar, complete with social media threats to the hives and stinging allegations lobbed at a council member. In his retirement, Tom Walters started something he’d long researched: beekeeping. Walters said...
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Poll finds Acton in lead for governor
As Ohioans worry about the direction of the state and nation, Democrat Amy Acton is leading Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the nationally watched Ohio governor’s race, according to a new Suffolk University/ USA TODAY Ohio Network poll. In the new poll,...
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Airwoman surprises sister at Akron school
Miah Pierce always looked up to her big sister, who serves in the Air Force. But after three years of being deployed overseas, Jayauna Tyler now looks up to her sister, who is not so little anymore. Jayauna surprised Miah and other classmates at...
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RETHINKING REAPPRAISALS
Debbie Wymer joined 3,573 Summit County residents in challenging their home’s new valuation this August when she went to Firestone Park Community Center to speak with an appraiser at a stop on the Summit County Fiscal Office’s roadshow. h Wymer, 74,...
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Emptied machine shop still filled with memories
The rumble of machinery used to shake the building. Now the only sound is the echo of footsteps in an empty factory. h Soon the heavy thuds of demolition will fill the air as a wrecking crew tears down the industrial site. h After nearly 75 years in...
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Copley students upset over cancellation of play
Lauren Worsham was excited to be cast in her first leading role in Copley High School’s fall production. “I related to Tilly,” said Worsham, a senior. “I felt like I was showing a piece of me.” Worsham, though, was devastated to learn that Copley...
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REFEREE A REAL GAME CHANGER
FIFA referee Tori Penso of Wadsworth first kicked a soccer ball when she was 10. h But it was the influence of her two older brothers who also played and became referees, along with her mother, that led to her officiating career. Her first team was...
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JOHN BROWN TRAIL DEDICATED
It was no small irony that a tribute to freedom had been locked up. For decades, access to the John Brown Monument was limited at the Akron Zoo. Fenced off to deter vandalism, the memorial was accessible only by appointment or through occasional...
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Drug helps teen with rare metabolic disorder
Most people eat a sandwich or pasta for lunch without thinking about it. The 4 grams of protein in a slice of regular bread and 6-8 grams of protein in pasta don’t have much significance. But for Eli Widmer and the almost 14,000 estimated individuals...
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‘Nobody’s doing it like Charlie was’
PHOENIX – Turning Point USA has raised millions of dollars and set up thousands of new campus chapters across the country in the year since its cofounder was assassinated. But the group has not found a successor to Charlie Kirk, the architect and the...
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‘COACHING SAVED MY LIF ’
DeMonte Powell found himself in financial trouble and homeless after playing football for one season at Muskingum University. h Now the head coach of the North High School football team, Powell left Muskingum in east-central Ohio with student debt and...
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Akron Art Museum to reopen 1899 building
After more than a year of renovations, the Akron Art Museum will reopen its restored, 1899 historic building with three new galleries during a preview day Sept. 23 and community opening Sept. 24. h The $12.5 million project in the former post office...
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Dads, families celebrated at Akron Public Schools
Hundreds of Akron fathers and father figures escorted students to school on Sept. 17 as part of Ohio’s annual Fathers Walk. h With the help of their parent-teacher organizations and local businesses, more than a dozen Akron Public Schools buildings...
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Summit County executive outlines plan to ride out turbulence, uncertainty
Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro has seen the recent tailwinds of economic prosperity, opportunity and momentum transform into headwinds of financial uncertainty, new technology and an increasingly turbulent political environment. And while local...
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Summit County improves overall
Summit County school districts collectively saw more stars on the latest Ohio school report card, with every district meeting or exceeding the state academic standards. The latest report card results released Sept. 15 show that Summit County students...
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Woman happy to live in Tallmadge for a century
A century is a long time to live in one place. Ileana Crites Williams chose to spend it all in Tallmadge. “Where else would you be?” she said. “It’s the best place there is.” Williams was born in Tallmadge, got married in Tallmadge, raised her...
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Self-described ‘Fanilow’ attends her 42nd concert
Considering Virginia Whitmore’s admiration for legendary singer Barry Manilow, it’s a wonder she didn’t name one of her two daughters “Mandy.” h But by the time Manilow released that tune — his first No. 1 hit — in 1974, Whitmore was a married mother...
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Highland Square under scrutiny
Squiggly neon lights lined the walls inside the Highland Tavern on July 24. The tables that once dotted the interior were gone. People packed the bar; some danced to the DJ’s booming music, while others bought drinks. Outside, the bouncer asked for...
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Commemoration in Stow reflects on 9/11
The city of Stow commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack with a somber ceremony outside the city’s safety center. Community members joined first responders to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost a quarter-century...
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A GENERATION OF AFTERSHOCK
Aquarter-century later, 9/11 still echoes. The worst terrorist attack in U.S. history has been followed by other seismic events, from a once-in-a-century global pandemic to the rise of artificial intelligence that is transforming commerce, education...
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Schools expect fewer stars on report card
Akron school leaders expect this year's state report card to show that Akron Public Schools is meeting state standards for a second consecutive year. But the scores also are expected to show that the district lost some of its momentum from the...
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Hickory Harvest Foods hiring at Akron facility
Hickory Harvest Foods, a food manufacturer based in Coventry Township, is hiring as it gears up to open a 30,000square-foot facility dedicated to chocolate and yogurt production and research and development. As the business puts finishing touches on...
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Acton calls self ‘fierce warrior’
Democrat Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton spent Labor Day morning campaigning and providing medical care to two women who collapsed during an annual parade on Cleveland’s east side. The day before, Acton was rushed by an armed man at the...
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August ushers in 7 new area restaurants
Seven new dining spots joined the Akron-area restaurant scene in August, in the communities of Fairlawn, Stow, Barberton, Twinsburg and Sagamore Hills. h Stow saw two restaurant openings, one specializing in fare from three Asian countries and another...
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Kennedy sought change to measles tally
WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s online measles tally after he questioned whether...
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‘You learn from failure. Just keep going’
With a final shift and retirement celebration with colleagues on Sept. 4, Kirk Armbruster concluded 47 years of working at Merryweather Foam in Barberton. It’s where he’s worked the entirety of his career. Armbruster, who is from Barberton, started at...
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Unique slice of Akron history hits the market
Exuding a true-to-history Art Deco architectural style with cream brick, terra-cotta and bronze doors, the former terminal building backing directly up to Akron Fulton Airport is for sale for $4 million. Randy Theken, an entrepreneur and engineer with...
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Midway Plaza gets arcade, event space
Monica Combs said she can see the issues from her home in Akron’s North Hill. h “Kids just don’t have enough to do,” Combs said. h Combs recently opened one solution in Midway Plaza: MLJ Arcade. The arcade, which has operated for three years in...
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What’s driving growth for area auto dealers?
Motorists driving along Interstate 77 in Green may notice the towering new glass windows of the Serra Auto Group Subaru dealership and vehicles from the Japanese auto manufacturer dotting the lot where a Regal cineplex once stood. h Driving up West...
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DRONE DELIVERY OF MEDS BEGINS
The Cleveland Clinic is officially flying into the future with its new drone delivery program — and it may end up in Akron someday as the service expands. The hospital system began making these prescription deliveries from its Beachwood campus using...
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Center offers holistic approach to health
Four local wellness professionals are taking a collaborative approach to health, bringing mental, physical and emotional wellness together in one Fairlawn space. For the women behind Regenerative SelfCare & Wellness, wellness starts with looking at...
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WHAT’S NEW?
The new school year often brings a flurry of new changes. And this school year is no exception. h School districts across Summit County have rolled out new policies, upgraded facilities, changed leaders and athletic conferences this school year. h The...
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Questions surround death after 50 years
Cyndi Terrill got a phone call that forever changed her life on the morning of Aug. 23, 1976. h The co-workers of her sister, Pam, wanted to know where Pam was. Pam had the keys to open the shop where they worked. h Cyndi went to Pam’s bedroom in the...
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Fans line up to honor Dolly permanently
Dolly Parton certainly made a lasting impression on a fair number of fans in Greater Akron. And now the late singer will be forever memorialized by some of them. A steady stream of fans made their way to Magic City Tattoo and Body Piercing in...
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APS fights absences with in-school care
When a child isn’t coming to school regularly, Akron Public Schools staff does not assume it’s just because they don’t want to be there. Instead, over the years, the district has worked to address the real-life barriers that often prevent kids from...
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Parents, experts on how to monitor screen time
OThird of a three-part series. ne Akron parent gives her kids two-hour blocks of screen time at home — one when they finish their homework and one before bed. Another limits her kids’ time on technology to three hours per day while they’re at home. And...
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Teachers get creative to help students focus
Second of a three-part series. When Roxanne Crook notices her students beginning to chat among themselves, tap their pencils or lean back in their chairs, she knows it’s time to refocus their attention. The first grade teacher at Akron’s Crouse...
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10th Akron Pride Festival draws impressive crowd
The Akron Pride Festival kicked off its 10th anniversary in grand style Aug. 22 with its annual Equity March that stretched from the former Spaghetti Warehouse parking lot up Main Street to Cascade Plaza downtown. Leading the march with colorful pride...
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On Tuesday
Teachers share strategies for keeping students engaged. Read the entire series at BeaconJournal.com.
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Iran vows ‘devastating’ response to threat
DUBAI – Iran said on Aug. 21 that its response to any new U.S. threats would be “devastating” after Washington pledged to impose the toughest financial penalties in history with the aim of toppling the Iranian leadership. Washington prepared for...
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Area photographer gives gift to healing parents
Morgan and John Merkel endured three miscarriages, fertility medications and three rounds of fertility treatment before they had their baby, Clarke, in 2019. Once Clarke was born after a high-risk pregnancy and rough delivery, the Cuyahoga Falls...
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Tyrone Noling gets rare clemency hearing
Butch Wolcott was only 14 when he and three of his buddies were accused of killing an elderly Portage County couple. Wolcott, who was promised immunity, testified during Tyrone Noling’s trial in 1996 that Noling was the ringleader and shot and killed...
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UA Buchtel Commons seeks to be oasis of calm
University of Akron President R.J. Nemer envisions the in-progress, new version of the Buchtel Commons thoroughfare as a place where students can congregate — and find calm and serenity. h With the middle portion of the $8 million reconstruction of...
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Ohio voters divided on Miller’s candidacy
David Hoecke paused under a canopy of trees on a steamy August Saturday in front of Medina’s gazebo. The 88-year-old Republican and his wife live in Berea but hand out the Gideon New Testament Bibles at the Medina Square Farmers Market every week...
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PorchRokr fest turns porches into stages
It was a smorgasbord for the ears. Some 161 bands or solo acts took to the porches in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood on Saturday, Aug. 15, for the annual PorchRokr. There were 40 some venues along the residential streets ranging from lone...
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WHAT CAN BE DONE?
They didn’t even have time to scream. h One minute, the energetic young Akron boy was crossing the street. h The next, Kingston Solomon was struck by a speeding car that bystanders didn’t see coming. h Jasmine Riley, Kingston’s mother who had been...
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Hudson teen talks her Patriot Games trip
Shannon Dressler is used to competing in silence. When she’s swimming, no matter how many people are watching her, she dives into the pool, and the world condenses to just her and the water. But from Aug. 9 to Aug. 11, Dressler, a 16-year-old rising...
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Poindexter running on a platform of helping the working class
Brian Poindexter’s campaign for the 7th Congressional District began in his friend’s garage in January when he and his buddy hand made a podium. h Tom Dufour, Poindexter’s friend and a fellow Brook Park councilman, shared the news of Poindexter’s...
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Event listings aim for ‘signal in the noise’
Akron and other communities in Summit County aren’t lacking in events, but there’s a need to connect the right people with the right listings, say two friends who are fine-tuning a solution to address the knowledge gap. Mac Love, artist, cofounder and...
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School districts tighten rules for nonresidents
Sixteen-year-old Mashiya Martin lives in Akron, but she’s been attending Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools since second grade. Under the district’s new open enrollment policy, her family now must pay $2,000 for her to attend Stow-Munroe Falls High School...
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‘Mr. Derby’ reenacts momentous 1966 ride
Six decades after he first raced at Derby Downs in Akron, 74-year-old Jeff “Mr. Derby” Iula returned to the hill in the same jacket and helmet to relive that moment with another ride down Lane 1. The International Soap Box Derby historian, Hall of...
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Time Traveler moves to Merriman Valley
There’s a reason why Scott Shepard named his record shop Time Traveler. It’s the feeling that people get when an old song plays. “When you listen to music, especially from your past and you haven’t heard it for a while, it’s like time traveling back to...
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