AKRON

Three males shot
AKRON: Three people were wounded, one critically, in two shootings Monday in Akron.
The first occurred about 5:30 p.m. in the 900 block of Bisson Avenue where a 19-year-old man was shot in the abdomen. He was being treated for nonlife-threatening injuries at a local hospital.
No other information was released and no suspect description was provided.
The second shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Chittenden Street.
A 56-year-old Akron man was shot and was hospitalized in critical condition. A 17-year-old boy also was shot. He was being treated for nonlife-threatening injuries. No detailed description of a suspect was provided.
Anyone with information is asked to call Akron police at 330-375-2490. Anonymous tips can be left at http://akronohio.gov/asp/tip.html.

Bath township
Civil War exhibit
BATH TWP.: The Bath Township Museum’s Civil War exhibit honoring the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War will be on display through Aug. 28.
Bath Township During the War of the Rebellion interprets the family stories of Bath’s 150 Civil War veterans, before, during and after their role in the war.
The next museum exhibit will be Victorian Christmas, featuring six trees decorated with reproduction ornaments of the late 1800s. Each tree will be part of a vignette of life in Bath Township during the Victorian Age. The exhibit will open Oct. 2.
Admission is free for all museum events. The Bath Museum is in historical Bath Town Hall, 1241 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road. Regular museum hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 9-11:30 a.m.; Sundays, 1-4 p.m.; other times by appointment.
For more information, call 330-659-4211.

See spiders in dark
BATH TWP.: Identifying and collecting spiders and insects during the day can be fun but locating them at night is a different and fascinating experience.
Join Dr. Todd Blackledge at the University of Akron Field Station, 4240 Ira Road, in the Bath Nature Preserve for a night-time spider walk at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Learn about some of the common species in the area, how to identify them and how they live. Bring a flashlight and dress accordingly.
For more information, call 330-668-2919.

CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Benefit for mayor
BARBERTON: Mayor Bob Genet’s re-election campaign committee will host Make Thursday a Sundae, featuring free sundaes at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at David B’s Grill and Pub, 524 W. Tuscarawas Ave.
Genet will face Councilman at-large Bill Judge in the Democratic primary Sept. 13. The winner will face Republican Kevin Mitchell, who is uncontested in Barberton’s primary, in November.

Cocktail fundraiser
AKRON: The Keep Judge Tom McCarty Committee will host a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday in the atrium of the Key Building, 159 S. Main St. in downtown Akron.
McCarty is seeking to hold his seat on Akron Municipal Court in the Nov. 8 election.
Reservations are not required. The event will include cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
Contributions will be accepted. For more information, call 330-815-7775.

MEDINA COUNTY
Pig roast Sunday
LAFAYETTE TWP.: The Swine N’Dine pig roast to benefit the Medina County Home will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the home, 6144 Wedgewood Road (state Route 162).
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. Advance tickets for $12 are available at Buehler’s stores.
The event is being sponsored by the Friends of Medina County Home. Proceeds will benefit the home’s residents.
Call 330-722-5549 for more information.

NORTHEAST OHIO
Meet with state rep
State Rep. Todd McKenney, R-New Franklin, will hold two “Coffee and Conversation” events this month to meet with constituents:
• Monday at the Mogadore McDonald’s, 3868 Mogadore Road.
• Aug. 29 at Jubilee Donuts, 218 Tallmadge Circle, Tallmadge.
Each session will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. No appointment is necessary. The public is encouraged to participate.

PLAIN SCHOOLS
Programs outlined
PLAIN TWP.: Oakwood Middle School Principal Brian Matthews gave the Plain Local Board of Education an update Monday on the middle school’s arts immersion program.
Matthews told the board that students can choose from a variety of new courses, including foreign languages, STEM, Social Studies Alive Robotics and other programs with the school’s realignment plan.
Students in grades K-4 will attend neighborhood elementary schools, grades 5 and 6 are combined at Glenwood Intermediate School on 44th Street and grades 7 and 8 will attend Oakwood Middle School on Schneider Road.
Varsity football coach Scott Garcia told the board that all middle school student-athletes will be together in one building (Oakwood) for the first time in 51 years.
The board also recognized the 2011 Golden Eagle Hall of Fame inductees: Patrick Looby, Gary Isler, Louidajean Holloway Payton, Nikole Saunders Werntz, Rick Thompson and Tony Pastore. They will be honored at the GlenOak High School football game Aug. 25 and at an induction ceremony 6 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

STATE NEWS
Snake off U.S. list
U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar on Tuesday removed the Lake Erie watersnake from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.
The harmless snake that occupies rocky areas in western Lake Erie became the 23rd species to recover sufficiently to be removed from the list.
The watersnake had been listed as a federally threatened species in 1999. A recovery plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, was finalized in 2003.
The snake’s numbers have grown to nearly 12,000. Key habitat has also been preserved.
Ohio still lists the snake as endangered and it is illegal to kill them.

SUMMIT COUNTY
Clinic on economy
AKRON: Summit County will hold a “Surviving the Economy” clinic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Veterans Service Commission, 1060 E. Waterloo Road.
The event is the fourth in a series of six clinics at various locations in the county.
Residents who are experiencing financial difficulties or just want to know about the resources that are available are encouraged to attend. Homeowners can receive tips on how to protect their homes from foreclosure and learn about loan modifications or other foreclosure relief.
There will also be information available to help with debt management, unemployment, property taxes, weatherization, how to avoid the latest financial scams and additional free resources to help consumers with their economic struggles.
Representatives from Bank of America, GMAC Mortgage, PNC Mortgage and SunTrust will attend.
For more details, go to www.co.summit.oh.us/conaffairs.htm or call 330-643-2879.

Wayne county
Sheriff will retire
WOOSTER: Wayne County Sheriff Thomas Maurer has announced he will not seek a fifth term.
In a letter to the county board of elections, Maurer said he is stepping down after his term ends in 2012 to spend more time with his wife, Toni, and their family. His retirement ends a law enforcement career that spans nearly four decades.
His time with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office started in 1973 as a night-shift jail guard. He later worked as a patrol deputy and in the county probation department as a probation officer.
Maurer first was elected sheriff in 1996 and won re-election to four-year terms in 2000, 2004 and 2008. During his tenure, he served on a number of state and multistate boards and testified on law enforcement issues before Congress.
His letter compliments his staff, cost-saving measures within the department and hails the deputies’ ability to solve every homicide that occurred during his years in office.
“I am proud of my career in law enforcement and of my accomplishments while serving four terms in office,” he wrote. “I wish to thank everyone I met along this journey.”