For those that are not in the know, we here at Mecca Media Entertainment have decided to take on the responsibility to bring to the community a weekly broadcast for The Reporter Newspaper. The program will be featured weekly here on this page and the home page of this site.

The Reporter Newspaper is an all black operated and black-owned weekly newspaper/publication that's been telling our stories for 50 years. In 2016 The Reporter Newspaper announced that they were available online @thereporternewspaperonline.com which is the online equivalent (website) of the tangible form. Now in-conjunction with Mecca Media Inc. you can hear/ see the news being read directly from the website via a weekly broadcast.

How To Get To The Reporter Newspaper From Route 77/The Wilbeth Rd. Exit

September 2022

City Of Akron And Partners Launch Fall In Love With Downtown Akron Campaign

Akron, Ohio, Sept. 7, 2022 — Today, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP), and the City’s Lock 3 announced the Fall in Love with Downtown Akron Campaign to promote the newly expanded DORA, downtown businesses, and engagement with the Main St. thoroughfare. The campaign kicks off this Friday, Sept. 9 and runs through Friday, November 25 when the City will host the Welcome Santa Parade and Tree Lighting, officially launching the winter season in Akron.

“Downtown Akron really offers something for everyone,” said Mayor Horrigan. “There’s arts and culture, music and event spaces, retail venues, amazing bars and restaurants, and so much more. With a newly expanded DORA, we want to welcome our residents and guests to enjoy all that downtown has to offer, and this Fall we have a full slate of fun events and activities for everyone to enjoy.”

President and CEO of Downtown Akron Partnership Suzie Graham said, “The Fall season is a wonderful time to experience downtown. Whether it is your first time visiting, or you frequent the district regularly, you are sure to find a host of great experiences through the Fall in Love with Downtown campaign.”

Launching this Friday is the Fall in Love with Downtown Akron Passport Program. The program includes dozens of downtown businesses! In order to participate, simply pick up a passport at any of the participating businesses, or download and print one here, make a purchase at 10 of those businesses before the end of the campaign on Nov. 25, and make sure to get a sticker at each one you visit. The first 250 people to finish their passport and turn it in will earn a custom downtown t-shirt designed by Micah Kraus. Everyone who completes the passport by the end of the campaign will be entered into a drawing where one grand prize winner will receive a prize package of downtown businesses worth $300. DAP will also award a $25 gift card to one lucky passport finalist each week of the campaign.

Passport participants are encouraged to download the Akronite app for free on Android or Apple devices to earn additional rewards. By shopping at downtown businesses during the campaign, users will earn an additional 10% back for their purchases. To sign up, simply download the app, enter your card information, and start spending at downtown locations. Learn more about Akronite here.

The passport must be completed on/before November 25, 2022. Return your completed passport by mail or drop off to: Downtown Akron Partnership | Greystone Hall | 103 S. High St, 4th Floor | Akron, OH 44308 OR take a photo and email to info@downtownakron.com.

There will also be a Walktoberfest on Saturday, September 17 from 2-8pm from Market St. to Missing Falls Brewery and R. Shea Brewery. There will be street performances along the route including musicians, an axe-throwing booth, and more. Guests are invited to visit any participating DORA establishment for a drink. Cascade Plaza will have lawn games and The Shed will be open for beverages from 2-5pm.

The campaign also includes a fall movie schedule hosted by Lock 3 on Saturdays in October. Movies begin at 7:30pm unless otherwise noted. The movies will be shown at a variety of downtown locations as Lock 3 begins to undergo its transformation. Visit www.Lock3Live.com for movie locations as we get closer!

Sat. Oct. 1 – DORA the Explorer
Sat. Oct. 8 – Disney’s 2021 Cruella
Sat. Oct. 15 – Gremlins
Sat. Oct. 22 – Hocus Pocus (7pm at Cascade Plaza)
Sat. Oct. 29 – Rocky Horror Picture Show

On October 22, DAP will host Fall Fest from 5-9pm in downtown Akron. There will be Trick or Treating along Main Street from 5-7pm, with pumpkin painting, music, fire pits, vendors and more in Cascade Plaza from 5 -7pm. Afterwards stick around for a showing of Hocus Pocus at 7pm at Cascade Plaza.

The Smells Like Snow Coffee Festival will return to Cascade Plaza on Nov. 5 from 12-5pm and celebrate all things we love about the late fall season. The Gilmore Girls inspired coffee festival will have plenty of vendors and of course all the coffee you can drink!

Fall in Love with Akron Photo Contest
In addition to fun events and activities, visit downtown Akron during the Fall in Love with Akron campaign and capture the beauty of the neighborhood in autumn with your best photograph to join the Fall in Love Photo Contest. Your photo should incorporate a recognizable part of the downtown Akron landscape. The contest is from Friday, September 9 through Friday, Nov. 25.

To Enter:
Post your best shot to Instagram, tag @downtownakronpartnership & use #FallInLoveWithAkron. Make sure your privacy settings allow others to see your post. The contest will be judged by 2 downtown art experts, to be announced. First Prize gets a $150 prize package, second place get $100 prize package, and third place gets $50 prize package.

Fall in Love with Downtown Akron is presented by City of Akron, Lock 3, Downtown Akron Partnership, and the Akronite App, with additional support from the Knight Foundation.

There will be a variety of other fall-themed events in downtown Akron throughout the Fall in Love with Downtown Akron campaign and you can find the most up to date info at https://www.downtownakron.com/explore/fall-in-love-with-akron or follow our social media channels for more.

City Of Akron Offices Closed Monday September 5 In Observance Of Labor Day

Akron, Ohio, August 31, 2022 — All municipal offices will be closed on Monday, September 5, 2022 in observance of Labor Day.

There will be no curb service on Monday, September 5. There will be a one-day delay of trash/recycle collections for the remainder of the week, with curb service resuming on Tuesday, September 6 and continuing through Saturday, September 10. To get reminders and alerts about your household’s curb service schedule, please download the Akron Recycles app free on Android or Apple devices.

“Every day, workers here in Akron uplift our community by making us safer and stronger. They keep Akron moving forward.  Labor Day provides us the opportunity to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers both here in Akron and across the country.” -Mayor Dan Horrigan

Mayor Horrigan To Host 6th Annual Health Equity Summit On September 28 At John S. Knight Center

Akron, Ohio, September 6, 2022 — Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan will host his 6th Annual Health Equity Summit at the John S. Knight Center, on September 28 from 8:30am-4:30pm. This year’s Summit will discuss issues such as mental health, infant and maternal health, youth opportunity, and more. Additionally, there will be updates on Full Term First Birthday’s (FTFB) Strategic Plan to reduce infant mortality in Akron.

Each year, the Health Equity Summit brings together healthcare leaders and workers, employers, social service agencies, grass roots groups, and citizen advocates to discuss tackling racial disparities in healthcare and finding equitable solutions to help those who have been historically disenfranchised.

“Since taking office, tackling racial disparities in healthcare has been a major focus of my administration,” Mayor Horrigan said. “Working hand in hand with the community’s key healthcare stakeholders we’ve made significant progress creating a safer, healthier Akron for all. However, there is still more we can collectively do. This year’s Summit will focus on systemic racism’s effects on mental health, FTFB’s next strategic plan, and continuing collaboration to enhance healthcare for our underserved communities.”

The featured keynote speaker is Kemp Boyd, a coach, pastor, and Executive Director of Love Akron. Kemp Boyd is a community leader who has forged relationships throughout Akron, connecting various faith, civic, and non-profit organizations to create meaningful change in our community.

A full schedule of speakers and discussions will be released in the coming weeks.

Registration for the Health Equity Summit is free and available at akronhealthequitysummit2022.eventbrite.com. This year’s Summit will take place at the John S. Knight Center, and will be the first in-person Summit since 2019. Attendees will be served complimentary breakfast and lunch. There are a limited number of seats available.

This year’s Health Equity Summit is generously supported by Summit County, Summit ADM Board, and Summit County Public Health.

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City Of Akron Welcomes Temporary Public Dance Floor Installation In Lock 4

The City of Akron is pleased to announce the completion of a temporary dance floor installation in Lock 4 in downtown Akron. The dance floor depicts large scale hands wearing rings and a bracelet, and includes Bluetooth speakers which members of the public can connect to in order to play their favorite music. The installation, created by Swedish architectural collaborative Dansbana! in collaboration with FRONT International, highlights the value of dance as a tool of personal and collective transformation. This project is funded by a Knight Arts Challenge Akron Award.

In order to utilize the dance floor, residents can head down to Lock 4 anytime between 10am-10pm through October 2, 2022 to connect to the Bluetooth speakers through their cell phone or other compatible device. Once connected, they can choose a song or playlist from any music streaming platform. The device will allow up to 20 minutes of connectivity before it will disconnect to allow anyone else in the vicinity to enjoy the installation.

“FRONT International is thrilled to partner with the City of Akron and Dansbana! on the Lock 4 installation,” said FRONT Triennial founder Fred Bidwell. “Local artists and dance organizations sharing their vision for public space helped to create this collaborative platform for dance and creative expression in the heart of downtown and we hope Akron residents and visitors will enjoy engaging with this installation.”

Dansbana! was founded in Stockholm in 2015 by the architects Anna Fridolin, Anna Pang, and Teres Selberg. Since 2015, the trio have designed public, Bluetooth-powered, open-access dance floors through a community-driven research process. Initially developed by the all-female architecture group as a response to a lack of public recreation spaces for young girls and women in and around Stockholm, each Dansbana! dance floor is conceived together with local participants and is site-responsive in its approach.

The Akron dance floor’s program and design was developed through a series of workshops in Fall/Winter 2021–22 with dancers from the Akron community, cultural organizations, and local artists. The goal was to create an ongoing dialogue around movement, recreation, and music—an architecture of joy and collective healing.

The dance floor was installed as part of an ambitious artistic presentation across the region by  FRONT International, a free public art festival that takes place across Cleveland, Akron, and Oberlin every three years. Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows, the second iteration of FRONT International, runs from July 16 through October 2, 2022.

Other FRONT exhibitions and performances in the area include a major group exhibition at the Akron Art Museum featuring local, regional and national artists, two exhibitions at The University of Akron, and an installation at Quaker Square in collaboration with Curated Storefront. For information on all FRONT International sites in Akron, please visit www.frontart.org.

To access events taking place on the dance floor installation, visit https://www.downtownakron.com/calendar.

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Headworks Improvement Project Approaching Final Phase

Today, the City of Akron announced the Headworks Improvement construction project at the Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) is moving into its final phase. The project involves the replacement of the Main Outfall Interceptor (MOI) aerial sewer crossing over the Cuyahoga River.

Residents and visitors who travel the Towpath or Riverview Road have likely seen the Towpath detour around the Main Outfall Interceptor where it crosses over the river, just south of the Botzum Trailhead of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. That detour goes around the Headworks Improvement project. To complete the aerial sewer replacement, Akron will be using a temporary pumping system along the Towpath to divert flow to the Water Reclamation Facility along Akron-Peninsula Road. This pumping operation is scheduled to start later this month.

The pumping system will be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and scheduled to be completed within 90 days. Personnel will be on-site during the pumping and construction project at all times.

This temporary pumping system will be a large component of the final phase of the Headworks Project. Having been built in 1954, the Headworks facility is beyond its useful life with the last refurbishment occurring in 1989. The MOI sewer was placed into operation in 1928 and with the replacement of the existing river crossing and sewer, the new river crossing will remove physical barriers from the river allowing a wider area for recreation along the Cuyahoga River. The new Headworks Facility will be a vital improvement and protect the investment Akron has made in upgrading the treatment of wet weather flows at the WRF and improve the water quality of the Cuyahoga River. 

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City Of Akron Deputy Mayor For Public Safety Charles Brown Retiring

Today, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan announced that effective September 23, 2022, Charles Brown, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, is retiring from the City after more than 36 years of dedicated public service.

“Charles has been integral to the City’s efforts to combat violence in our community, move the needle forward on racial equity and social justice, and increase support for our public safety officials,” said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. “He is one of the hardest working men I know; always available to answer the call and be there at a moment’s notice. I’m fortunate to count Charles as a friend and he will certainly be missed here at the city. It’s been my pleasure to serve alongside him these last 7 years.  I thank Charles for his dedicated service and wish him and his family the very best in his next chapter.”

Charles Brown became Deputy Mayor for Public Safety for the City of Akron in 2016. Prior to his current position, he served as Assistant Chief of Police in the Akron Police Department for several years. He also served the citizens of Akron for 27 years in all three of the police department’s sub-divisions: Uniform, Investigative, and Services.  During his tenure, Charles held numerous leadership roles within the police department.

Brown holds an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Akron, a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Ashland University and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy, as well as the FBI’s Police Executive Fellowship Program – a six month assignment at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.

In his retirement, Charles is looking forward to spending more time with his family.

"Serving the City of Akron has truly been my life's work," said Charles Brown. "It has been my immense honor and privilege to serve the residents of Akron these past 36 years. I'm proud of the work that I've been able to do and the impact I've made in collaboration with the men and women of Akron's public safety forces. I want to thank Mayor Horrigan, Chiefs Tucker and Mylett, and all of the public safety employees I've had the honor of working alongside in my tenure for their dedication to this city." 

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City Of Akron Begins Work On West Side Transmission Main

Akron, Ohio, July 26, 2022 — The City of Akron is beginning rehabilitation work on 6300 feet of the West Side Transmission Main Line (WSTM) beginning August 1. The work will take place over a six-month period and be performed primarily on North Street, Valley Street, Crosby, and a small portion of South Portage Path. HM Miller has been contracted to perform the work.

The WSTM was originally constructed in 1973 and its primary function is to convey large volumes of more than 20 million gallons of water per day from Akron’s two main storage reservoirs- the Newton Street Reservoir and the Tallmadge Low Boy Reservoir. Over the past 49 years the WSTM has had multiple failures including a massive failure on April 12, 2013. This break caused immense damage to surrounding property and lead to the main being out of service for an 18-month period.

The current pipe is made from Prestress Concrete Cylinder Pipe material (PCCP) which was installed across the country in the 1970s. It’s been discovered that this material, if manufactured in the early 1970’s, is prone to failures. Most commonly, the mortar coating on the pipe cracks allowing water to seep in and corrode the wires. Internal water pressure overwhelms the concrete core and the steel gives way causing the pipe to burst. These bursts are often massive in nature and cause significant damage.

Since the major break in 2013, the City has performed extensive inspections and multiple repairs on the pipe to minimize the risk of further bursts of the WSTM. The repairs have kept the main in use, but to avoid future failures, this rehabilitation needs to occur.

For this project, the city will utilize an innovative method of construction by inserting a 30” High Density Polyethylene Pipe (HDPE) inside the existing 36” PCCP. This method is less invasive and requires much less excavation which should lessen the impact on travel. The projected $4.5 million project will reduce the likelihood of future catastrophic main breaks in the area.

North Street from North Howard Street to West Market Avenue will be closed starting August 1 and is expected to be closed for three weeks. The detour will utilize North Main to West Market for traffic traveling from the North. Traffic traveling from the West will use West Market to North Main.

Mayor Horrigan Announces Small Business Relief Program

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan announced a new program in the city to provide eligible small businesses with one-time $10,000 grants. The program will utilize $1M in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Applications open August 15 and are due by Sept. 2, 2022. This grant program will be administered by the Greater Akron Chamber.

“Our small businesses are the lifeblood of Akron,” said Mayor Horrigan. “They have weathered several storms in the past couple of years between the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing shutdowns, supply chain issues, staffing shortages, and more. The ARPA funding allows us to help these vital establishments to stay in business right here in Akron and I could not be more excited to get these investments into the hands of our business owners.”