Every now and again a true story comes along at the movies that is so bizarre, there leaves little doubt it has to be true. No one could write this story.  I haven't seen a true story this strange since the masterpiece, Fargo nearly 20 years ago.

So the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a big decision to make: what should be the state song for the Bay State?

Aerosmith supporters call it a no-brainer; the boys are, after all, Boston personified. But there are also fans of Modern Lovers and their "Road Runner" as a better representation of all Massachusetts has to offer.

Here's what we've got in Ohio:

Me? I'm thinking we need to revisit Ohio's state song. "Beautiful Ohio" may be nice when the best damn band in the land performs it at Ohio Stadium when the Buckeyes play, but with so many other, fresher-than-1913 songs now available from home-grown talent in the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame maybe the General Assembly should start doing some thinking.

Chrissie Hynde, Michael Stanley, Mott the Hoople's "Cleveland Rocks" (OK, they aren't from Ohio) or anything Alex Bevan comes up with. "Skinny Little Boy From Cleveland, Ohio" sure fits the bill.

Just sayin'....

The economic impact on oil and gas drilling in the shale deposits in Northeast and Southeast Ohio will now be reported by the state.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services released its first "Shale Report" on Monday. It will be released every three months to track hiring trends, salaries, drilling permits, and other industry impacts.

The first release tracks the impact from The first quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012. JFS spokesman Ben Johnson says core employment over that time increased 17%, and ancillary services, for jobs such as trucking and environmental consulting, increased about 3%.

Johnson says they have been asked to monitor who is getting hired for these jobs, whether they are from Ohio or other states, but the first report does not have the information. He says they are still looking for the best way to track a worker's state of residency.

Opponents have argued that the oil companies are bringing in their own workers from outside Ohio when they begin drilling.

The report also tracks salaries, which shows the average is the highest of any industry in Ohio.

One surprising stat that Johnson points out is that while the actual drilling takes place mainly in eastern Ohio, places like Dayton are seeing an increase in ancillary jobs as well.

Locally, trade schools and colleges are preparing students for jobs in these fields, with programs geared toward the industry.

The full report is available by clicking here.

A legendary Akron musical group was honored on the 50th anniversary of its biggest hit.

"Ruby and the Romantics" hit the top of the charts with "Our Day Will Come" in 1963, and Thursday at Akron City Council, Ruby Nash Garnett and family of her "Romantics" were honored by the city of Akron.

Ruby's musical story started at the Akron Community Center, today's Akron Urban League.

"They'd always have a talent show. Anybody and could get into the talent show, any and everybody," Ruby explains. "We had a lot of groups...there was a lot of talent in Akron."

Ruby beat out a group of singers known as the Embers, and they asked her to join the group that would become "Ruby and the Romantics".

The club dates expanded from Akron into Cleveland and Youngstown before the group made it big in New York.

Ruby is 78 now, and the only surviving member of the group. She moved back to Akron. 

She says she'd say as a youngster that she wanted to be heard singing on the radio.

"When I was about 4 or 5 years old, I told my mother, she always had me listening to the radio, that one day I wanted to hear myself on the radio," Ruby says. "She never got to hear me, but my father did."

Ruby says a lot of musical talent was around the Akron/Canton area back in the 1960s...among those groups she knew before they became famous, the O'Jays.

She says she was quite young when she knew she wanted to be heard on the radio.

At the ceremony, Miller South eighth grader Jasmine Moore sang a rendition of the group's biggest hit, "Our Day Will Come".

A Cuyahoga County man died, after shooting himself in the woods off I-271 in Medina County last night after struggling with a sheriff's officer.

The Medina County Sheriff's Department says officers were called to the area of I-271 and Ridge Road after a report of a hitchhiker in the area.

A Medina County Sheriff's officer went to see whether 27-year-old Andrew Baumgartner needed assistance...and was going to move him to a safer location when he patted Baumgartner down.

The officer felt a weapon during the pat down, and Baumgartner got away from him after a short struggle.

Baumgartner then fled to a home on Ridge Road and asked for help, and the residents called 9-1-1.

A number of officers heard a gunshot ring out, and discovered Baumgartner had killed himself.

He'd apparently walked about 4 miles from where his vehicle was found at a rest stop on I-271 near the Medina County line.

The Medina County sheriff's office says Baumgartner was wanted for questioning in recent thefts in Cuyahoga County.

They say a backpack on him contained several items including loaded gun, jewelry and watches.

The community garden at Mason Park may be looking into some extra security.

The garden was vandalized last month.

"Most of it was at the top of the hill where our kids garden was," Cheryl Schmidt with the NEOhaus Institute, which oversees the Mason Park garden, tells AkronNewsNow, "and they vandalized some of the boxes, and pulled up plants and vegetables and kind of threw them all over...so it was kind of disheartening, especially for our kids program."

Schmidt says the group has talked with the city of Akron and the Akron Public Schools about better security, including possible measures like adding a fence, beefing up surveillance or adding lighting.

"And they have been very, very receptive. So I think it's just a matter of where exactly we want the fence, what the cost is gonna be," Schmidt tells AkronNewsNow.com. "And the same thing with what has to be done to add the surveillance and what kind of costs we're looking at, so those are the things that we're doing now. I don't know how much this is all gonna cost."

Schmidt tells AkronNewsNow that once that cost is determined, NEOhaus will figure out what fundraising efforts are needed to pay for it.

She says that in addition to raising money at existing events like one scheduled at Mason Community Learning Center in October, other efforts could be added to pay for the upgrades.

Schmidt says the community really responded to get the Mason Park garden back in shape, with over 120 plants being donated...and volunteers and kids getting together to replant them.

Cancer has impacted almost all of our lives in some way or another, and a special group of friends including myself are doing something in honor of someone we lost to the disease.

On the Friday edition of 1590 WAKR  Ray Horner Morning Show, I spoke about why this event is significant to me.

This Relay is in honor of my good friend Tony Ciccarone, who died of colon cancer at the age of 26

 I will always remember him for his friendship and our shared love of sports. Tony was a great all around guy and someone who you could always count on.

2012 RELAY FOR LIFE by Aaron Coleman

However, many people were impacted by Tony during his time here, including those who are participating in the relay, and we are all walking together in his memory.

The 2012 Relay for Life at Bolich Middle School in Cuyahoga Falls serves as the backdrop for "Tony's Mafia" who will be relaying for the second time in as many years.

Relay Team Captain Tammy Thornburg , Tony's fiance says that all proceeds from the event will go directly to cancer research.

"It all goes back to the American Cancer Society and their motto is 'Creating More Birthdays'," Thornburg said.

"The money goes directly to cancer research in hopes of a cure."

The 24-hour event will be running from 9 a.m  Saturday to 9.a.m Sunday, with at least one member of each team walking the track for the duration of the event.

Tammy says there will be plenty going on at Bolich over the weekend in addition to the relay.

"Anybody's welcome to stop over, there will be a lot going on with raffles, silent auctions, bakesales and all kinds of stuff," she says.

If anyone is wishing to donate,  Bolich Middle School in Cuyahoga Falls will be providing  food, games and activities providing not only fun, but  fund raising opportunities.

The relay itself is broken down into three sections:

It all starts with a survivors lap, where cancer survivors walk a lap to celebrate their own personal victories over cancer. Then,  after dark we participate in the Luminaria Ceremony where  we light candles  inside bags filled with sand.

Those bags  have the name of an individual who succumbed to cancer.

Last but not least, there is the Fight Back ceremony, which all participants pledge to wage our own fight against cancer by quitting smoking, or speaking to our elected officials about cancer.

In our second year as a relay team, "Tony's Mafia has over 30 members and has raised over $2,000 for cancer research. 

The woman accused of pretending to be a veterinarian now has a trial date set.

Brandi Tomko will be standing trial September 11 according to News Channel 5 after her hearing Monday morning in which 5 additional counts were added to her 33-count indictment on various animal cruelty and other charges.

Tomko is accused of treating and operating on animals at the now-closed C&D Animal Hospital in Akron.

Both Bob McGee and Kenny Reymann were in the courtroom during the hearing and tell the news organization  it was difficult for them to be in the same room with the woman who they say had a hand in their pets' demise.

McGee's dog Allie was a service dog for the injured Gulf War veteran. He came forward after Reymann told the story of his dog Charlie's death with the media earlier in the year.

Tomko has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently out on bond.

On the Web www.newsnet5.com
 

Brimfield police traced a stolen vehicle at the Days Inn to a suspect in a room there on Sunday - and a drug haul, according to officers.

The Brimfield Police Facebook page says officers found heroin, cocaine, and prescription pills inside the motel room, along with cash, scales and two safes... not to mention two children.

Police say a female suspect was arrested, and the children are going with Portage County child welfare workers.

A male suspect got away, and is still being sought.

Brimfield Police aren't yet naming either the female arrested, or the male still on the loose.

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On the Web: Brimfield Police Department, https://www.facebook.com/BrimfieldPolice

The woman accused of posing as a veterinarian will be facing additional charges as her Monday pretrial approaches.

Akron Police Detective Steve Null tells AkronNewsNow.com that several people have come forward since the original indictment came out against Brandi Tomko.

"Several people have come forward, reports were filed," Null said.

"As of this (Friday) morning, new charges were presented to the grand jury in reference to those new complaints."

Authorities say Tomko treated animals at the now-closed C & D Animal Hospital on Brittain Road in Akron.

Tomko is currently charged with over 30 counts of animal cruelty, identity fraud, and practicing without a license, even though she had no formal veterinary training. She allegedly drew blood, wrote prescriptions for animals and performed surgeries on them, some resulting in death.

Akron Police say she used the money from customers to support a drug habit. She has pleaded not guilty.

Null explains what could happen at Tomko's next court appearance Monday, April 30.

"I'd imagine at that time the new charges would be read to her for the arraignment on these additional charges and the judge would set a trial date at that time."

Brandi Tomko is currently a free woman after posting bond April 24.