Here are your morning headlines for Wednesday, June 3:
- Lake Erie smashes another high-water record;
- Canton to beign $4.7M road projects;
- University of Akron to hire 25 full-time faculty;
- Mahoning County added to disaster declaration;
- Akron to vote on $18M restructuring projects;
- University of Mount Union president to retire;
- Cuayhoga County's global innovation center loses tenant;
- Ohio sheriff pleads not guilty to theft, covering up crimes;
- Three teens arrested in connection with Akron home invasion;
Lake Erie smashes another high-water record
Lake Erie's water levels have set another record. Cleveland.com reports the lake averaged nearly 575 feet above sea level in June, which narrowly beat May's record. The previous all-time record was set in June 1986. It also surpassed the record for all-time monthly high water level. Cleveland has had six inches above normal precipitation levels this year.
Canton to beign $4.7M road projects
Canton is about to begin its largest repaving project ever. The Repository reports the city plans to spend $4.7 million on street resurfacing this year, nearly 80% more than last year. Part of the money will come from a tax increase set last year, which will supply an additional $1.7 million. Damaged street lights and waterlines are expected to be fixed. The work is expected to be completed by mid-September.
University of Akron to hire 25 full-time faculty
The University of Akron (UA) is hiring 25 full-time faculty members a month after accepting more than 40 buyouts. The positions are in departments that the university is growing as part of its three-year strategic plan, including nursing, law, cybersecurity, engineering, communication and finance. The new faculty are slated to start in the spring of 2020. About two-thirds will be tenured positions. Last summer, UA announced it was phasing out 80 degree programs in the coming years.
Mahoning County added to disaster declaration
Mahoning County residents impacted by severe weather in late May will be eligible for federal assistance. Mahoning has been added to the 10 counties covered by a disaster declaration from President Trump. Gov. Mike DeWine said residents there experienced severe flooding from the storms that led to 21 tornadoes touching down across the state.
Akron to vote on $18M restructuring projects
Akron is considering nearly $18 million in infrastructure projects for the coming year. The Beacon Journal reports city council will vote next week on reworking an interchange at I-77 and Vernon Odom Boulevard to accommodate a planned project to transform the shuttered Rolling Acres Mall into an Amazon fulfillment warehouse. Council will also vote on a more than $17 million omnibus package with street, bridge, sewer and water projects that would start in July of next year. Included is a roundabout project in Ellet and the repaving of Kenmore Boulevard.
University of Mount Union president to retire
There will be another university president vacancy in Northeast Ohio. The Repository reports The University of Mount Union’s W. Richard Merriman Jr. will retire next year. He was hired as the university’s 12th president in 2015. The newspaper reports Merriman cited the timing coincides with the school nearing completion of its capital campaign and strategic plan. He will be 65-years-old next year and will have been a college and university president for 22 years.
Cuayhoga County's global innovation center loses tenant
Cuyahoga County's Global Center for Health Innovation is losing its biggest tenant. Cleveland.com reports Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management Center Systems Society will shut down operations over the next year at the downtown complex. Without a replacement, the Center's occupancy rate could drop below 50% by 2021.
Ohio sheriff pleads not guilty to theft, covering up crimes
A southern Ohio sheriff has pleaded not guilty to charges including theft in office and witness intimidation. Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader is accused of driving impounded vehicles, using his office to commit thefts, and covering up his crimes. Attorney General Dave Yost has started the process of trying to remove Reader from office. A spokesman for the Sheriff says he will not resign and plans to run for reelection next year once he’s exonerated.
Three teens arrested in connection with Akron home invasion
Three Canton teens have been charged in connection with an Akron home invasion last week that left one dead and three injured, including a 12-year-old boy. A U.S. Marshals task force announced the arrests of Marquis Felder and Zaveon Carter, both 17, and Lavontae Poole, 16, after a weeklong investigation. Brandon Varner, 34, was shot and killed at the home in the city's southeast side.
