AKRON
Road closure to start
AKRON: A portion of Sand Run Parkway will be closed starting Thursday as a contractor for the park district re-paves the road surface between North Portage Path and the ford.
The work is expected to last about two weeks, but inclement weather could extend the project timeline.
During the work, access to the Sand Run Service Center, Mingo Lodge and the parking lots along the road will be maintained and the jogging trail will remain open.
Updates will be posted on the Park & Trail Alerts page at summitmetroparks.org and on Twitter (@metro_parks).
Columnist to speak
AKRON: Washington Post syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. will speak at noon Oct. 20 at the Quaker Station in downtown Akron as part of the Akron Roundtable’s 40th anniversary celebration.
Dionne, a longtime commentator on politics, will speak on “Why Does this Election Seem So Different? And What Can We Expect When It’s Over?’
Tickets for the luncheon are $20. To purchase tickets and for information on other Roundtable events, go to www.akronroundtable.org. For information, call 330-247-8682.
Dionne, who first spoke to the Akron Roundtable in February 2009, is a professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University.
MEDINA COUNTY
Local veteran honored
A Medina County man received 15 military medals, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, during a special ceremony Tuesday at the Gray’s Armory Museum.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, presented the medals to Michael Allen Sampsell of Lodi, an Army Cavalry Scout who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He was wounded twice during his years of service. The medals were awarded to him throughout his 13 years in the Army, but they were lost during his move from Germany back to the United States in 2012 when he left the service.
“This is beyond humbling to say the least and I am truly honored to be here today,” Sampsell said in a prepared statement.
In addition to the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, Sampsell received the Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster Bronze and Oak Leaf Cluster Silver, Good Conduct Medal and Clasp Bronze with Four Loops; Meritorious Unit Commendation; Valorous Unit Award; National Defense Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; Combat Action Badge; Global War on Terror Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Star Attachment; and Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Star Attachment.
PERRY TOWNSHIP
Clown threat scares school
PERRY TWP.: A 12-year-old Stark County boy was charged Monday with felony inducing panic after he allegedly posted a threat on Twitter to shoot up a local school and used an account of “Frown the Clown,” the Canton Repository reported.
“School was out today (Monday),” Perry Township Police Chief Michael Pomesky told the newspaper. “But parents were very concerned whether or not to send their children to school (Tuesday). There was no timeline; it was an open-ended threat.”
PORTAGE COUNTY
Shaved heads show support
Seventeen Portage County sheriff’s deputies have shaved their heads to support a colleague who is fighting breast cancer, Beacon Journal news partner newsnet5.com reported.
Deputy Amy Papatoukakis, who has been with the department for 11 years, had surgery and is now receiving chemotherapy.
Her longtime deputy partner Ed Hayes shaved his head and other deputies followed suit, the television station said.