Akron Police are investigating a couple of weekend street robberies.                                      

Shortly after 10:00 Saturday night, three men walking in the 500 block of Sumner Street were robbed at gunpoint. The victims reported the suspects approached them from behind and demanded their property . The suspects then knocked the victims to the ground and went through their pockets, taking cell phones, wallets and cash before fleeing.

Responding officers located the suspects walking on Brown Street. After a brief foot chase, all three were arrested. Officers arrested Demont S. Freeman, 18, of Lincoln Way East in Massillon, Ohio; Michael Terrell Graves, 20, of 7th Street NW in Canton, Ohio; and Gavontye K. Lott, 20, of Raymond Street in Akron. They were charged with Aggravated Robbery and booked into the Summit County Jail.

Around 9:30 Sunday night, two victims were robbed while waiting in the drive-thru line at a restaurant in the 600 block of East Market Street. The victims reported a man approached the passenger side door window and demanded the victims’ money. The victims handed the suspect $5 and the suspect fled northbound from the restaurant.

Several minutes later, offices located the suspect, Shawn Michael Cook, 31, of Cotter Avenue. Cook was charged with Robbery and booked into the Summit County Jail.

Could Akron be the future home of a professional football team ?

AkronNewsNow reported earlier this Spring that the new United States Football League was looking at Akron as a possible location for one of its teams to begin a Spring 2013 season. Now the Akron Beacon Journal reports that officials from the league will meet with city of Akron and University of Akron officials next week to discuss putting a team in Akron to play its games at the idle Rubber Bowl. The Bowl hosted its last University of Akron game in 2008 and is in need of repairs and upgrades.

The USFL would not compete with the NFL, but would be a developmental league that could send players to the NFL, similar to what the former NFL Europe did. USFL officials think Akron is an attractive location for such a team, but investors must also be sought.

On the web : ohio.com

 

Power has now been restored to 650 FirstEnergy customers in south Akron after a dump truck knocked down power lines along I-277 near Manchester Road around 1:30 Friday afternoon. Power was restored to all customers about an hour later.

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Power is out to more than 650 FirstEnergy customers at this hour in south Akron after power lines were knocked down by a dump truck along I-277 near Manchester Road around 1:30 this afternoon .Akron fire and First Energy crews are on the scene at this hour. FirstEnergy officials hope to have power restored within the hour.

Used car salesman don't exactly have the best reputation. Buying a used car can be risky enough, and now the state has stepped in to make sure your dealer doesn't give you a raw deal.

Governor Kasich recently signed a measure approved by the Ohio Legislature mandating training for future used car dealers setting up their business in the state.

Lou Vitantonio, President of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association describes the new training rules

" It requires any dealer that is newly applying to be a used vehicle dealer to undergo required training, before they can be licensed in the state of Ohio. "

He tells AkronNewsNow the mandatory training requirement protects both seller and buyer. " It's a protection for not only the dealer, but also the consumer out there so that a used car dealers understands what all the rules and regulations that are in place in the state of Ohio are, before stepping in and obtaining a used car dealer license."  

Ohio Used Car Dealers Training by Larry States

 Vitantonio says the state already has a lot of rules in place to protect you from attempts to rip you off by selling you a lemon. "There are a whole host of rules in the state of Ohio that are very particular about advertising and the sale of motor vehicles, and this will make it very very clear for someone entering the business," says Vitantonio.

With a tighter economy and consumers being more cost conscious used car sales have increased significantly in the past few years and used car prices are climbing. That means more people are exposed to the possibility of a bad deal.

Franchised new car dealers who also sell used cars are exempt from the new training rules since the dealers and automakers already conduct similar training .

The Summit County Office of Consumer Affairs is warning area residents of two scams.

A local business reported receiving calls from an individual claiming to be from the Summit County Police Department asking for donations to take needy children shopping at Wal-Mart. When the business started questioning the telemarketer about the donation, the caller became abusive and hung up.

Consumer Affairs Director Cynthia Sich tells AkronNewsNow there is no Summit County police department, only the Sheriff's Office, and they are not soliciting such donations over the phone.

" It is not uncommon for shysters to use familiar sounding names that mimic legitimate organizations and just because the words “police”, “firefighter” or “veteran” come up in a name does not mean that it is affiliated with your local agencies. This is a great opportunity for our office to remind consumers and businesses alike to be skeptical of solicitations for donations by phone, mail or even in-person. “In this instance, the scammer claimed to be from an agency that does not exist in our area. Had the business not asked questions but just gave their account information, their donation, and possibly more, would have gone into the pockets of the con artist and not to help those in need," says Sich. She says its best to call the department being represented and verify whether the solicitation is legitimate.

The second incident involves reports from residents in Bath and Richfield Townships of an unlicensed door-to-door female solicitor selling educational study guides and software for kids for Southwestern Advantage (The Southwestern Company). The complaints have indicated that the solicitor is presenting the county’s license application form as her license. Sich says the woman is not licensed with the county.

Cynthia Sich says when a solicitors knocks on your door make sure to verify their credentials. Ask to see their license and read it to make sure it is a license and not an application. If residents do not wish to be approached by solicitors, canvassers, or peddlers should post “No Soliciting ” notice by their entrance doors. Should an unlicensed solicitor appear at your door, contact your local law enforcement.

With an air quality advisory in effect and temperatures in the 90's a lot of folks are seeking refuge from the heat, and many are heading for their local Akron-Summit County Library branch. 

The library's Carla Davis tells AkronNewsNow " We notiuce that our library customers are coming in and they're staying longer. Right now we're in the midst of our summer reading program, so that is drawing a lot of customers in. But there are also toys available."

Davis says some of the branches are also advertising that they are a refuge from the heat on their social media sites.

Davis says people come to cool off and stay longer than normal to take advantage of the library's other services. 

A company closing in Kent will mean 84 lost jobs.

NewsChannel 5 reports H&M Rubber Company is closing, according to a notice filed online Friday with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The notice stated workers will be laid off in two phases. 49 workers are expected to lose their jobs in late July. The rest of the workforce will say goodbye in late January of 2013.

H&M is located on Mogadore Rd. in Kent.

The reason for the closure is so H&M Rubber can transfer to its parent company King Systems in Noblesville, Indiana.

King Systems manufactures and distributes airway management, anesthesia and respiratory medical devices, equipment, products and supplies.

 On t On the Web www.newsnet5.com

A new company starting up in Akron today will offer technology that allows small gas engines like those on lawnmowers and ATV's to run on pure hydrogen, eliminating the need for gas as the fuel.

Hydrogen Energy Systems hopes to create jobs in Akron making the hydrogen conversion units and is signing up more investors.

The company eventually plans to power automobile engines on hydrogen in the future. An announcement on that venture expected in a few months.

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News Release From Hydrogen Energy Systems LLC

Hydrogen Energy Systems, LLC, (HES), today announced breakthrough hydrogen technology for small internal combustion engines. This new technology is a cost saving “green” solution to a long-standing energy and
emissions dilemma.

Inventor Rick Saccone developed proprietary technology which addresses the emissions from the small internal combustion engine which is the worst polluting engine. A small engine 2 is defined as 30 hp or less. Operating a typical 6 horsepower engine emits 88 lbs. of CO2 (carbon dioxide and 34 lbs. of HC (hydrocarbons), CO (carbon monoxide), and NOX (oxides of nitrogen) annually. US EPA estimates the result to be 2.9 lbs. per hour of operation.  

The technology, known as a Mixing Block™, replaces a carburetor or fuel injector
delivering the exact mix of hydrogen and air to successfully and efficiently run small internal combustion engines (ICE). The Mixing Block™ maximizes the overall energy efficiency thereby avoiding any unnecessary energy-intensive stages and matches the delivery technology with the on-board vehicle storage technology.

Small engine pollution is a major problem. US EPA estimates 30 million mowers are operated weekly in the United States emitting 43.5 million pounds (21.7 tons) of pollutants – that’s just small engines on lawn mowers. The small engine category is larger than automobile engines as there are 4-5 small engines manufactured  for every one automobile engine. The US EPA Clean Air Act mandates small engine manufacturers reduce emissions by 2012.
To date, small engine manufacturers have been allowed to “average, bank and trade” (ABT) to meet new regulations. ABT means that since being made aware of Phase 3 regulations, companies were permitted to bank the number of grams below the limit they were producing and apply them to engines produced in new regulation years.

According to the US EPA, it is not likely manufacturers currently meet the Phase 3 standards, although the reports are not due in for several more months. The US EPA has a sunset on the banked credits which run out in 2-3 years. With the credits earned by small engine manufacturers, they have until 2015 for a solution. After that, all new small engines will need to be in compliance.

“ Today, Hydrogen Energy Systems has offered their technology to the world which will significantly reduce greenhouse emissions and the result for all of us is a healthier environment. I am excited the technology was developed here in Akron and that the Akron Global Business Accelerator has played a beneficial role in making this happen”, stated Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic.    

The Mixing Block™ will run a small internal combustion engine on 100 % hydrogen. It operates safely, transfers across engine sizes unlike a carburetor or fuel injection system, has fewer parts than a carburetor or fuel injector, costs less to manufacture, extends engine life. reduces maintenance costs, and most importantly produces low-to-no emissions providing a solution to small engine manufacturers in meeting U.S. and Global emission reductions.
The manufacturing of small engines outfitted with the Mixing Block™ (certified at = 1Mg/kW- hr) could enable companies to sell the balance of their engines at Phase 2 levels of emissions.   

“Thanks to this game changing technology, small engine manufacturers now have a positive alternative to meeting the Clean Air Act emission limits in a way that allows them to remain competitive, the result being clean air and that benefits all of us”, stated Summit County Executive Russ Pry.

“Hydrogen Energy systems addressed the small engine market instead of the automotive market first for two specific reasons, small engines are the worst polluting engines with heavy regulatory demands to reduce emissions and the infrastructure to serve the technology exists today to deliver the hydrogen. We can make an immediate impact on cleaning our air today”, stated HES CEO Jeff Wilhite.

 Hydrogen Energy Systems Opens In Akron by Larry States

 The infrastructure to deliver hydrogen fuel currently exists. In developing the technology, HES had to develop something that was safe, efficient,  economic to manufacture, affordable to consumers, met or exceeded Clean Air Act standards, and was able to integrate into the many applications using small internal combustion engines. “We have done that with the Mixing Block™”, says Inventor Rick Saccone. “As I worked on developing this technology, it was important to meet these benchmarks and solve the problem, that is why I invent, I like to solve problems but it was also important that we developed something which would significantly impact our environment, giving the current generation, and all those to come, a chance to be healthy with cleaner air and water.”       

The areas in which the technology can be adapted are; portable generators, standby generators, golf carts/ light carriers, burden carriers, outdoor power equipment, motorcycles/scooters, ATV/UTVs, marine engines. In addition, military applications. For example, small engine generators fueled by hydrogen, producing low-to-no emissions in a submarine or the hull of a ship, greatly reduces risk to the men and women in the armed forces.

HES has developed a proprietary application of the technology for automotive applications to be announced at a later date.

The Ohio Legislature is closing in on approving new laws to curb the growing number of scrap metal thefts across the state. The House and Senate recently approved their own versions of a tougher law to keep stolen scrap metal ripped from vacant homes and other sources from being paid for by scrap metal businesses.

Jeff Bauer, General Manager of Annaco Scrap Metal Recycling in Akron says he has no problem with a state metal recycling law as long as it's enforced equally to everyone.

He says a state law won't be nearly as tough as the Akron City metal recycling ordinance already in effect which requires customers to be photographed, properly identified and even fingerprinted to sell their scrap metal. He tells AkronNewsNow the Akron ordinance cost him legitimate customers " We lost about 40% of our peddler flow trade, what we call the common guy who cleans out his garage or barn and comes in. That's what we call our peddlers. We lost them when the ordinance was passed several years ago."  

He says those former customers took their scrap metal to other surrounding communities that don't have metal recycling rules. He says the state law would help level the playing field for scrap metal dealers.

Jeff Bauer claims 99% of scrap yards in this area deal in legal scrap metal purchases, and don't buy metal they suspect has been obtained through theft.  

Jeff Bauer, General Manager of Annaco Scrap Metal Recycling by Larry States

 Bauer favors an overall state ordinance. " Personally I think everyone should be under the same guidelines. If you're going to pass a state ordinance that should be what the local is too. Because what ends up happening is people drive out of the city limits, take their business to Barberton, or they take their business to Canton, and they avoid some of the laws. Look, we're not for crime. We're not for insinuating people should go out and steal scrap. Thats the last thing we want. But in the real world when grandma comes in carrying a bag of cans, how do you think she feels when we have to fingerprint her, take her picture, and treat her like a criminal, basically before she can even sell her aluminum cans to us," says Bauer.

He's hoping a good state law will help reduce the scrap metal thefts, while being fair to the businesses and their customers as well.

Summit County's jobless rate continued to decline in May, down to 6.6%, from 7.1% in April. In May of 2011 the county's unemployment rate was 8.3%

Summit County Economic Development Director Connie Krauss tells AkronNewsNow  their numbers also prove the economic picture continues to brighten locally. " We are seeing a considerable amount of commercial development, not just in locations, not just building new facilities, but expanding existing facilities. We've been extremely busy in the county."

Krauss says manufacturing employment continues to increase in Summit County and requests for building permits were up for May compared to 2011.  " We had since the recession our biggest month in permits and permit revenue last month in May. It shows us that those trends are happening," says Krauss. That bucks the national trend.

'We're also seeing some uptick in residential development, not as much as we'd like, but it does say that people are at least now starting to build new homes," says Krauss.

The city of Akron recorded a jobless rate of 7.6 percent in May, down from 8.0 percent in April.

Three other area counties saw dropping unemployment rates as well in May. Medina County came in at 5.6%, while Portage County's jobless rate fell to 6.3%. Stark County's rate dropped to 7.1 %

Ohio's unemployment rate for May was 7.3% compared to a national rate of 8.2%.