Akron

Signs of spring are already popping up at Akron Cooperative Farms, a community garden that mainly serves Bhutanese immigrants.

The move to hire the university's Department of Criminal Justice Studies comes after Akron City Council rejected Mayor Shammas Malik's plan to hire a national consulting firm last month, citing the $640,000 price tag.

The nonprofit Early Childhood Resource Center is dispersing $199,990 in grant money from The National Fund for Workforce Solutions and $40,000 from the GAR Foundation, according to Akron officials. The city is also providing mini-grants to childcare centers, according to city officials.

The city held a town hall Tuesday night to hear residents thoughts on crowd control as the city develops a new policy per a settlement last year.

The Eddie Eagle cartoon, produced by the National Rifle Association in the late 1980s, is being used in Cleveland, Akron and cities across the country to try to teach children gun safety. But research shows it's ineffective.

Homeless outreach groups across the country are conducting the annual Point-In-Time Count. Although official numbers won't be in for months, advocates expect the number of people experiencing homelessness to continue to increase.

Akron launched the mental health co-responder model SCOUT in March 2024. The team handles mental health calls that otherwise would have gone to police or firefighters.

Akron is gearing up to celebrate it's 200th birthday this year, with events that reflect on its past and look forward to the future.

Malik introduced the $368 million budget to city council Monday. Priorities include investments in community centers, resurfacing 48 miles of road, funding for the city's polymer cluster and replacing active lead service lines.

The Downtown Akron Development Corporation hopes to attract businesses, jobs and development. The ordinance approved by council allocates $150,000 over three years.