AKRON
Neighbor faces rape charge
AKRON: Police arrested a 19-year-old man last week on charges that he raped his neighbor after climbing through her bedroom window in September.
Billy Gene Patterson of Akron is charged with rape, aggravated burglary and felonious assault. The charges are first- and second-degree felonies.
The incident occurred on Sept. 24, according to police reports. The woman reported that her assailant beat her with his fists and strangled her until she was unconscious. She suffered black eyes, a bloody nose and a split lower lip that required stitches.
Patterson, who was arrested and charged on Thursday, was 18 in September. He’s faced drug charges and traffic violations as an adult, but no violent crimes were listed in Summit County Common Pleas court records.
Two ward meetings Tuesday
AKRON: City Council members Russ Neal and Mike Freemen will host meetings on Tuesday in their respective wards.
Neil’s Ward 4 meeting will be 6:30 -7:30 p.m. at Lawton Street Community Center (1225 Lawton St.) following a block club meeting at 6 p.m.
Joan Davidson of Interfaith Caregivers Program will talk about support services for the community’s elderly and disabled at the ward meeting.
Residents also may participate in the Ward 4 annual review and help plan the 2017 agenda. For more information, call 330-212-3034.
Freeman will hold his monthly ward meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Kenmore senior community center, 880 Kenmore Blvd.
City administration representatives will talk about downtown development and progress on the city sewer project.
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Faculty joins steel union
KENT: Members of a part-time faculty group at Kent State University unanimously have joined forces with the United Steel Workers in an effort to strengthen its contract negotiating efforts.
The Kent Part Time Faculty Alliance (KPTFA), whose membership numbers about 200 of the 1,349 adjuncts on the main campus and seven regional campuses — half of all faculty at KSU, unanimously voted last month to affiliate with the United Steel Workers. The group had no collective bargaining representation.
Leaders of the KPTFA said its employees are paid a third of what full-time, tenured track faculty members are paid and receive no benefits such as health care because they don’t work enough hours to qualify.
Some have not received raises in more than 10 years, a news release said.
SUMMIT COUNTY
Applicants sought
Summit County Republicans are seeking applicants to fill two Akron Municipal Court judicial vacancies.
The vacancies were created by the election of Akron judges Katarina Cook to Summit County Domestic Relations Court and Joy Oldfield to Summit County Common Pleas Court in the Nov. 8 election.
Interested applicants may send a resume to party headquarters at 1755 Merriman Road, Suite 250, Akron, OH 44313 by 4 p.m. Friday.
Local Republicans will recommend three candidates to Gov. John Kasich, who will choose the replacements.
Cook’s replacement will be appointed in 2017 and will run that year for an unexpired term. Oldfield’s replacement will be appointed in 2017 and will run that year for a full term.
For more information, contact Wayne Darlington at 330-434-9151 or wdarlington@summitcountygop.org.
STOW
LaRose hosts public hours
STOW: State Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Hudson, will host district office hours Saturday for constituents in Wayne County and portions of Summit and Stark counties.
No appointment is necessary.
LaRose will be at Canal Fulton City Hall, 155 E. Market St., noon to 1 p.m.; Wayne County Public Library, 220 W. Liberty St., Wooster, 2-3 p.m. and Stow City Hall, 3760 Darrow Road, 4-5 p.m.