AKRON
Man charged in drug death
AKRON: A 33-year-old Akron man faces charges for allegedly selling carfentanil to two people who overdosed — one of them fatally.
Joe Louis Turner II of Tyner Street also is facing charges of manslaughter, corrupting another with drugs and trafficking in carfentanil.
Turner sold the drugs to two people on Kent Street on Sept. 22, according to the Akron Police Department’s daily report. Belinda Godfrey, 49, of Akron, was revived by paramedics, but later died.
Carfentanil is a drug similar to heroin but so potent it’s used as a sedative in zoos for large animals such as elephants.
West Hill neighbors to meet
AKRON: Residents of Ward 1 are invited to attend a meeting of the newly formed West Hill Neighborhood Community Development Corp. (formerly West Hill Neighborhood Organization) at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Church of Our Savior, 471 Crosby St.
James Hardy, the Akron mayor’s chief of staff, and local neighborhood leaders will be on hand to discuss new housing legislation, future plans and ways to get involved.
SUMMIT COUNTY
Rape suspect surrenders
A man wanted for the rape of an elderly woman surrendered to Summit County sheriff’s deputies Wednesday morning.
Robert C. Gates, 42, of Boston Heights, was charged with first-degree felony rape and a warrant was issued for his arrest last week, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said.
The charge stems from a Nov. 11 incident where a disoriented and barefoot elderly woman showed up at the back door of a Northfield Center Township residence seeking help. She was unable to communicate but was taken for a medical evaluation and a subsequent investigation showed she had been sexually assaulted, authorities said.
Authorities believe the assault occurred in Boston Heights.
MASSILLON
City considers honoring band
MASSILLON: The city is considering renaming City Hall Street Southeast after the local band LaFlavour, a group that formed in Massillon in 1967.
City Council began debating this week whether or not to name the street LaFlavour Place, but not everyone is keen on the idea, the Massillon Independent reports.
“I don’t see the point of changing it,” resident Jim Huebner said. “I would think we have more urgent things for City Council to do.”
LaFlavour, which had different names through the years and specialized in dance music, had the song Only the Lonely hit No. 91 on the Billboard 100 in June 1980.
The group is often the headline act of the city’s annual Summer Concert Series and is scheduled to perform again this year, the newspaper said.
STOW
Event to benefit after-prom
STOW: The Stow After Prom Committee is sponsoring a wine and beer tasting to raise funds for after-prom activities.
The tasting is from 7 to 11 p.m. March 3 at Silver Springs Lodge, 5027 Stow Road, Stow, and will include appetizers, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.
The event is for guests 21 and older. Cost is $30 per person.
To register, visit Eventbrite.com under Wine and Beer Tasting 2017 Stow by Thursday.
K-9 program fundraiser
STOW: The 13th Annual Celtic Club St. Pet’s Day Bulldog Lift-a-Thon, a benefit for the Stow Police K-9 Fund, will take place at Stow-Munroe Falls High School from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 4.
The event is in memory of K-9 Colt.
Admission is $5 per person; children 12 and under are admitted free. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
Entertainment will be provided by Celtic Rush, the MacConmara Irish Dancers and Rosemary Noland’s Irish Wolf Hounds.