Akron Beacon Journal

MANTUA: The Crestwood Local Schools is now requiring drug tests for all middle and high school students to participate in extracurricular activities and for high school students who drive to school, the Kent Ravenna Record-Courier reports.The new policy took effect last month.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

CONGRESS TWP.: Authorities are seeking help to identify the driver of a car that rear-ended a horse-drawn buggy Wednesday night and then left the scene.A young child was seriously injured in the two-vehicle crash and is being treated at Akron Children’s Hospital, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

At first glance, the 51 children singing, dancing and doing art projects underneath a large tent might be attending any of a variety of local summer day camps.But the kids at this camp all have one thing in common — they’ve all lost a loved one.In its 12th year, Camp Promise offers a four-day program for children ages 6 to 11 as a way to learn to manage and understand their grief through creative activities.The free camp is operated by the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Visiting Nurse Service and funded through donations to the Akron General Foundation.

AKRONKiwanis luncheon ThursdayAKRON: Denise Schafer and Hannah Moore of Junior Achievement will speak at the Kiwanis Club of Akron’s luncheon at noon Thursday at the Duck Club of Canal Park, 300 S.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Bus riders in Portage, Stark and Summit counties not only can ride for free on Fridays this month but they also can win free stuff.The Akron-based Metro Regional Transit Authority, Canton-based Stark Area Regional Transit Authority and Kent-based Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority said a “Ride Patrol” will be on buses handing out free gift cards, bus passes and other items to passengers during Free Fare Fridays.

The family members of the victims in two fatal fires wept, comforted each other and shook their heads sadly Wednesday morning during the lengthy arraignment of the Akron man prosecutors say was responsible.Ford, 58, pleaded not guilty in Summit County Common Pleas Court to 29 charges related to three fires in his Akron neighborhood that claimed nine lives, including five children.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

CANTON: An engineering firm was unable to conclude what specifically caused nearly 2 million gallons of drilling slurry to leak in Stark County earlier this year during the construction of the Rover pipeline because of incomplete records kept by the companies, the Canton Repository reports.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released the report by J.D.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Researchers studying chimpanzee brains have found the most extensive evidence to date of Alz­heimer’s disease pathology in a primate.However, researchers — including those from Kent State University — say more study is needed to determine whether the pathologies found in chimpanzee brains lead to age-related cognitive decline in the apes.The new study — involving the brains of humans’ closest living relatives — could help researchers determine how humans develop Alzheimer’s and how to fight the disease.

Ohio ranks worst in the nation when it comes to student debt, according to a new study.The website WalletHub released rankings Tuesday breaking down each state and the District of Columbia based on 10 factors, including average debt, proportion of students with debt and percent of loans past due or in default.Ohio took the top spot based on the analysis.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

CUYAHOGA FALLS: Folks have talked about the need to redesign Barney’s Busy Corners — the notorious six-road convergence near Chapel Hill Mall — for decades, but no one has ever taken the step of actually asking for federal help.Until now.On Monday, Cuyahoga Falls City Council authorized Mayor Don Walters to apply for federal funds on a longshot bid to raise the $13.4 million needed.The city will ask for $6 million from the Federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality Funds through the local Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS).