Gas prices

The Stark County Community Pulse Report is conducted by the Center for Marketing and Opinion Research.

The average price per gallon spiked 32 cents in Akron and 22 cents in Cleveland; Akronites will get to experience a new park this coming weekend on a portion of the decommissioned innerbelt; A developer has laid out a $100 million plan to restore a historic neighborhood in Cleveland Heights and erect new apartments, homes, parking and dining structures to revive the area ... and more stories.

A Cambridge, Ohio Marine was among four who died when their aircraft crashed Friday night in a Norwegian town during a NATO exercise; Ohio’s unemployment rate is the lowest since 2019; the Ohio Redistricting Commission moves to hire consultants as another map deadline looms; and more stories.

A bill would require the state's five public employee pension funds to divest themselves of Russian assets and ban state and local governments from contracting with Russian companies; Legislation would restore the pensions of more than 20,000 Delphi retirees; the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is bumping the pay for poll workers; and more stories.

The panel tasked with drawing new state legislative districts met briefly Tuesday as the state lurches towards a constitutional crisis; Akron police were involved a shooting that left two people dead Tuesday; Hudson's city manager has resigned; and more stories.

There are a couple of reasons why experts think the price of gas is currently higher than the same time last year.

The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected a second set of Ohio Statehouse district maps that retained strong Republican majorities and sent them back for a third try; Hudson Mayor Craig Schubert has called a special city council meeting Tuesday to consider suspending City Manager Jane Howington, pending removal; the proposed merger of two low-cost airlines will likely impact travelers flying out of Akron-Canton and Cleveland Hopkins airports; and more stories.

Akron will distribute around 3,200 free, at-home COVID tests this Saturday at four locations; three parents in Hudson have filed a lawsuit challenging the school district's quarantine and mask-wearing rules; University Hospitals has closed its freestanding Madison Health Center emergency room in Lake County; and more stories.

More than 5,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ohio for the first time since last December; Summit County Public Health, Cleveland Public Library give out thousands of COVID-19 test kits within hours; the Ohio Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday on the constitutionality of Ohio's new congressional map; and more stories.

The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been officially detected in Cleveland; Ohio currently ranks in the top three in hospitalizations per 100,000 people nationwide; Justin Bibb raised and spent nearly $1.6 million in his successful campaign for the Cleveland mayor’s office; and more stories.