A plea deal is a possibility in the case of an Akron father accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of his 4-year-old son.

The Beacon Journal reports Summit County Common Pleas Judge Judy Hunter scheduled a trail date for 49-year-old Terrance Allen for July 15. The deadline for reaching a plea deal has been set for July 9.

On January 23, police say Allen's 4-year-old son, Jamarcus Allen, got a hold of a gun and accidentally shot himself inside a car.

Allen is also facing charges including child endangering, tampering with evidence and possessing a weapon under previous felony disability.

Court records show a burglary conviction in 1996 in Cuyahoga County barred him from carrying or owning a gun.

On the web: www.ohio.com

It's about that time when drivers begin to notice more orange barrels popping up throughout the area as construction season begins for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The construction kick-off event for ODOT District 4 was held near State Route 93 (Manchester Road) where crews are already working on a roadway widening project.

District 4 Public Information Officer Justin Chesnic says ODOT is going door-to-door to let businesses and residents know about how construction in the area will impact their commute.

"That has actually helped a lot of businesses prepare," said Chesnic. "It's actually cut back on our complaints that we've gotten and kind of helps them to understand what's coming their way."

Chesnic says one of the biggest projects in Summit County is a $53 million pavement replacement project on Interstate 271.

"It's a highway that's 50 to 60 years old. Not just the pavement, but the base underneath it, the concrete, is starting to fail - so we have to go and rebuild the road completely."

Chesnic says even though it's a busy construction season, no major closures will impact drivers on the interstates.

Click here to find the full list of construction projects in your county.

Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is launching its own mobile app to help visitors navigate their way through the parks and trails.

The app will feature GPS enabled directions, maps and a list of daily events for all 14 parks and 125 miles of trails. The free app will be available for iPhone and Android users beginning May 1st.

Park officials say they've spent less on the app because they used an online content management platform, with graphics designed in house by park staff.

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(Press Release) Metro Parks, Serving Summit County will launch a mobile app May 1. It will be available for FREE on iOS and Android, and include the following features:

•GPS enabled directions, downloadable maps, restroom locations and more for all 14 of the district’s parks and the multipurpose Bike & Hike Trail, Freedom Trail and its sections of the Towpath Trail

• Brief descriptions of 40 trails, with filters based on difficulty and distance

•A comprehensive calendar of programs and events
• Click to call phone numbers for rangers, the administrative offices, the visitors center at F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm and seasonal information

•Locations of birding “hot spots,”
landmarks, fishing are as, sled hills and more

•Information about reservable pavilions and shelters

•Alerts, news, and rules and regulations

• Social media links for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Custom built mobile apps can cost tens of thousands of dollars. By using an online content management platform, with graphics designed in house by park staff,Metro Parks will be able to publish and host the app for less than $500 in 2013. In addition, staff can manage content directly rather than rely on a third party developer.

Beginning May 1, the app will be available on the iTunes Store and Google Play.

“This cross platform app will provide easy access to all of the information visitors need to enjoy the Metro Parks,” said Nathan Eppink, Chief of Marketing &
Communications.

Call 330-865-8065 or visit www.summitmetroparks.org for more information.

Doing more with less, and still improving services...that's the message from Summit County Executive Russ Pry in his annual state of the county address.

Despite some positive economic signs in 2012, Russ Pry says general fund revenue dropped again - due to lower property values and less state government funding.

The county's top officeholder says the county's economy is continuing to "slowly recover" overall, with signs of improvement in sales and property tax collection and increased activity in commercial and residential construction.

Pry once again talked about reducing the cost of government by collaboration between agencies and with the county's cities, and noted the county general fund has continued to shrink with lesser money coming in.

Highlights of 2012 in Summit County, according to Pry, include the completion of two big job creators - the Bridgestone Technical Center and the Akron headquarters of the Austen BioInnovation Institute.

That institute renovated and took over the first floor of space formerly occupied by the county Department of Job and Family Services.

To that end, Pry talked of overseeing that agency's move out of its remaining current downtown space to make way for biomedical development in that space left behind.

He proposed the county helping the city of Green with money - $500,000 - for sanitary sewer work to build the third phase of the CAK Business Park near Akron-Canton Airport. It could result in over 1,000 new jobs.

Pry wants to expand the focus on Summit County's children. The popular "Summit 4 Kids" event will help build an entire month of programs aimed at children - "Summit Kids Month" - in August.

A Hazmat crew and the Summit County Sheriff's bomb squad responded to a chemical spill at Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems on Massillon Road this morning.

Picric acid, which began to crystalize, was discovered inside the building around 8 a.m., according to Akron fire Captain Al Bragg.

Bragg says there was a potential for an explosion. The building was immediately evacuated.

The hazmat team was also called to the scene. The hazardous material was taken outside to a field nearby where the bomb squaq willl safely detonate the chemical.

No injuries have been reported.

Here is a video that shows the danger picric acid poses from WHIO-TV:

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Summit County is moving towards not dipping into reserve funds to balance the county budget.

County finance and budget director Brian Nelsen says that in the heart of the recession, Summit County went into a five-year budget plan that balanced using some of the county's reserves with significant yearly budget cuts.

"That essentially allowed the county to spend reserve balances," Nelsen tells AkronNewsNow, "but also cut annual expenditures to a point where by the end of this fiscal year, it has always been the plan that we would end the reliance on using reserve balances, and still maintain a healthy reserve balance."

Nelsen says 2013 should be the last year Summit County will need to dip into the reserves, for just over $1 million.

He says the reserve fund will have $25 million left when the county starts producing balanced budgets without needing to use money from the reserves, which Nelsen expects will happen in 2014.

Nelsen says the plan is still possible despite lower than expected revenues, because of the cuts.

"Our revenues in 2012 had dropped from $113 million in 2007 all the way down to $97 million last year," Nelsen explains, "and that's after the economy and sales tax grew for three consecutive years."

Nelsen does point out that there are a number of unmet needs in the county budget, particularly on the capital budget side.

He says many projects are in need of upgrades, including the 800 MHz public safety radio system and the 9-1-1 dispatch system.

A 4-year-old boy  was shot and killed in Akron Wednesday morning, and his father is now facing charges.

Akron Police late Wednesday afternoon charged 48-year old Terrence Allen with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Jamarcus Allen.

The Summit County Medical Examiner's office reports Jamarcus was shot in the head inside a vehicle near South Arlington Street and Davies Avenue around 9:30 a.m.

He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Police detectives recovered a gun at the scene.

A nearby Summit County Sheriff's Deputy was the first to arrive on the scene.

An eyewitness tells AkronNewsNow what he saw. "I saw an old man laying in the middle of the street and screaming "my baby got shot, my baby got shot. He had his baby laying on his chest, and I saw the blood coming down."

He says he was alerted to the incident by hearing a man and woman screaming as they exited the car.

A bullet hole was clearly visible in the car's roof making it possible the shot came from inside the car.

No further details have been released. The shooting remains under investigation. The Medical Examienr will conduct an autopsy on Thursday.

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Update 11:49 am:

Akron police say a child was shot and killed this morning following a shooting near Arlington and Davies roads.

Authorities tell News Channel 5 that the 4-year-old boy was shot inside a car around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Authorities are still looking for the suspects and are investigating the fatal shooting.

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Previous Coverage:

Summit County Sheriff's Deputies say one man and a child were injured during a shooting near the intersection of Arlington and Davies roads.

News Channel 5 reports one man was shot in the head around 9:30 a.m.

Deputies say the child was taken to a local hospital.

No further details have been released. Authorities are looking for the suspects.

On the Web: www.newsnet5.com

Recent events around the country and here in Northeast Ohio have left people wondering: "How can I protect myself?" Many in Summit County are turning to conceal carry permits and the proof is in the numbers.

NewsChannel 5 reports that In the entire year of 2011, a total of 1,252 people were issued a CCW (concealed carry weapon) permit. This year, that number is already up to 1,168. This month alone 93 people have already applied for their CCW.

Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander expressed his concerns about the 40% jump in CCW holders in Summit County.

"I would suggest that they get a lot of training. Just don't rely on the 12 hours by law is required to get your CCW" Alexander tells AkronNewsNow.

Alexander attributes the increase in conceal carry permits to recent violent events.

"People don't feel safe. The shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin, the suspected shooter in the Cleveland area. It seems like there increasing instead of decreasing" says Alexander.

To get your CCW you need to have 10 hours of classroom training and 2 hours of range training.

It's been legal to carry a concealed weapon with a permit since 2004; since then more than 12,000 CCW permits have been issued.

Local police departments received numerous calls about a low-flying plane preforming what appeared to be stunts and maneuvers Friday evening.

Copley Police Chief Mike Mier told the Beacon Journal that officers noticed the plane along the Copley-Fairlawn border around 7 p.m.

Several residents called police and reported seeing objects falling from the plane. Officers found pieces of fabric and cans of furniture polish in a parking lot on South Cleveland-Massillon Road.

No injuries were reported.

Authorities do not know any further information about the plane.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Copley Police Department.

On the Web: www.ohio.com

Greenstar Recycling unveiled their new single stream recycling facility in Akron Wednesday morning. The single stream process allows residents and business to combine all recyclables into one bin. 

"No longer are the residents or the haulers required to separate the materials in their households or at the curb," said Steve Dunn, senior vice president of operations.

Greenstar has invest $7 million in the new facility including improvements to an existing 196,000 square facility on Exeter Road.

The company has created 43 new local jobs and plans to add more, up to 75, as volume increases.

"We are here to partner with the city, the county and the state, said Marcelo Figueira, CEO of Greenstar Recycling. "And we hope we can enhance this partnership moving on."

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic said the city is always looking for new ways to improve the environment.

"There are many things we can do," said Plusquellic."Taking waste out of the landfills, and not only taking it out but reusing it for good use, is an important part of what we've been doing."

The recycling center will process around 7,000 tons of recyclables each month, serving central and northeast Ohio. That number is expected to double within the next 18 to 24 months.