Akron Blocks National Access to Our Floc Cameras

Dave Jackson00:00:20

It's the Akron podcast for Monday, October 26th.Our website akron podcast.com the City of Akron is opting out of the nationwide searches of its Flock License Plate Camera Network, effective immediately.The decision follows concerns from the residents and City council about privacy and immigration enforcement.And this is the one that makes me scratch my head and reproductive rights.How do they get that from a license plate?But anyway, a review found that most identifiable searches by outside agencies were part of a broad nationwide searches rather than investigations specifically tied to crimes in Akron.The change will not affect Akron police using the cameras locally and Ohio agencies can still access the system through statewide searches, but out of state agencies with a legitimate investigation can still contact Akron police directly for assistance.But it's just not an open door.So sorry Tennessee or somebody else.The city had previously blocked outside agencies from searching under categories related to immigration enforcement and and women's reproductive health.Public safety Craig Morgan says the city will continue to review camera use and implementing safeguards to address residents concerns.Well, this is not good news, but it's not unexpected.Akron is raising drinking water rates over the next three years to pay for replacing aging water mains, repairing treatment facilities and maintaining the water system.The monthly bill for a typical household will increase from $25 today to 30 in 2027, 36 in 2028.That's only two years away and 42 in 2029.The first increase takes effect January 1, 2027.Happy New Year and will appear on February bills.The city says investment is needed because of 90% of Akron's water mains are are more than 90 years old.Akron recorded 403 water main breaks in 2025.It was a record at the time and has already experienced 444 breaks in 2026.Mayor Malik says the increases are necessary to keep the water supply safe and reliable.He also acknowledges the impact on household budgets.Eligible residents can apply for assistance through the city's Water Bill Assistance program.A lot of about issues 11 and 12 and the mayor announced his stance against the two proposals intended to improve access to housing in the city.A groundswell of opposition, according to the Signal website here from landlords and business leaders has followed.But the board of the Greater Akron Chamber on Friday voted to oppose issues 11 and 12, with President and CEO Steve Millard saying that the housing issues that Freedom Block raised in pushing for the legislation they were legitimate, but putting a pair of charter amendments on the ballot was not the right way to solve them.Also, the Northern Ohio Apartment association and the Akron Canton Real Estate Investors Association.Both also said this week that the proposals to eliminate application fees allow security deposits to be paid over three or six months and treat criminal history as a protected class for the sake of housing decisions could lead to unintended consequences.A third real estate organization, the Akron Cleveland association of Realtors, shared its opposition in a blog last month.I gotta say, I agree with this one.I saw a picture of a meeting, and at the back they had on a whiteboard.Owning a house is a right.And from my chair, as someone who lived in apartments for years and saved up money to get the down payment, and it meant making sacrifices and things, it's not a right, it's a privilege to own a house.Is it hard?Yeah.And once you buy a house, the hits just keep coming.But giving them away for free, which is not what the bill says, but it just, it's.I agree with the mayor.That's just not the way to go about it.This was a fun press release.The Smells Like Snow Coffee Festival.This is Akron's ode to the early 2000s drama Gilmore Girls, which I was a huge fan of, and all things coffee.Of course.It's coming back to Lock 3 on Nov. 7 from noon to 6pm all right, so far, so good.Admission is free.Even better.And it features coffee and food vendors and live entertainment.And this year's festival will feature appearances from the show's cast and crew.And I was like, oh, cool, the mom and the daughter.No, including John Cabrera, who played Bryan Fuller.And if you're like me, Emily Kuroda, who played Mrs. Kim, and author and costume designer Valerie Campbell, then I'm like, okay, so there will be town troubadours.There will be all sorts of fun stuff.There are different again, music people are going to be there, and it's free.So whatever you're doing on November 7th, go down and get yourself some coffee, some food, and say hi to the guy that played Brian.No offense to John, but, you know, I was expecting the actual, you know, main, main people, but I'll take Brian.If you're new to the show, I love Stan Hewitt.And it is going to have a great Christmas display this year.They're calling it Holidays through the Decades.The historic Akron estate, once home to Goodyear founder FA Cyberling, will feature decorated rooms representing different eras from the 1920s all the way through the 2000s, along with displays celebrating Akron's 200th anniversary and America's 250th anniversary.The event runs on select nights from November 27 through December 30, and visitors can tour the decorated mansion and see thousands of lights across the grounds.Enjoy the Dazzle light show, visit Santa.That's always good, you know, Gotta get your list in.And explore the Poinsettiafield Corbin Conservatory and, of course, the estate's famous gingerbread cookies will be available.Now tickets are required, with adult admission ranging from 24 to 28 and children's tickets from 13 to 15.Links will be in the show notes.While you're out voting on November 3, you might want to stop by the Akron Zoo, where they're offering free admission on several days in November.So not just election day, November 3rd, by the way, that's from 11 to 4.The zoo is planning Veterans Appreciation Days in partnership with key Bank.That's November 7th to the 11th, and all veterans and active duty members will receive free admission along with up to five tickets with a valid military ID.Admission will be free to all guests from 11 to 4pm Saturday, Nov. 14, as part of the Shop a holiday event.There will be 60 vendors set up throughout the zoo for holiday shopping.For more information, go to akron zoo.org all right, if you're one of these people that if you get pulled over and you're like, oh, here we go, I know my rights.I don't have to answer your questions.Yes, you do.You've always had to.You have to identify yourself.And a new Ohio law, House Bill 492, makes it a steeper penalty.So it's not a new law.They're just saying, hey, we had this law.And people are still screaming at officers, I know my rights.No, you don't.Apparently.So what it does, if you don't identify yourself, it makes it a fourth degree misdemeanor.Again, if you're in your vehicle, you refuse to provide your name, your address and date of birth, that's all they're asking for.That's a fourth degree misdemeanor.Now, violators could face up to 30 days in jail or a $250 fine.So just say your name, say your date of birth and your address.That's it.The law also makes interfering with an officer attempting to make an arrest a second degree misdemeanor.So again, when a police person pulls you over, maybe just do what they say.It's a novel idea.And if you don't believe me, go watch some body cam footage on YouTube.Man, do the police have a hard gig because they're dealing with drunk people all the time.Uh, the bill is introduced by state Rep. Sharon Ray of Wadsworth and Cindy Abrams of Harrison, and it was signed by Governor Mike DeWine back in July.Supporters say the measure will improve officer and public safety during traffic stops.Yeah, because they don't have to pull you out of the car and all the nonsense that goes along with that.And this isn't really now what I say, that it doesn't have anything to do with getting out of the car.It's just give them your information.Answer the questions.It says the Ohio justice and Policy center opposed the legislation, arguing that it creates additional criminal penalties for conduct that was already illegal.Yeah, well, here's the thing.There was a law that said you have to do this and people weren't doing it.So now they're like, hey, we're trying to get your attention.It's now a fourth degree misdemeanor and you can spend 30 days in jail.You better give me your name, address, you know, and date of birth.It does not require drivers or passengers to answer questions beyond providing the specified identifying information.So for all of you that I know my rights.Yeah, okay.You still have to identify who you are.Otherwise, enjoy your time in jail.I would put a pin in this one that we're going to come back to it because on October 22, there were 59.That is a whole lot bus operators called off on a single day, which, as you might imagine, means there are a bunch of bus routes that, you know, you're standing out waiting for the bus all day, to quote ZZ Top, and they never showed up.And this led to some Metro direct routes not being served.Now they issued a statement.We understand how frustrating it is to wait for a bus that doesn't arrive, especially when you depend on public transportation to get to important destinations.Yeah, like my job.Not only did I miss my job, but I missed my pay.Said, we know we've fallen short of the reliable service you've come to expect and deserve, and we're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.People on social media said, yeah, it would have been nice if you would have just been transparent and let people know so they could have tried to get different transportation.RTA said in a statement it's taking these steps to solve the problem.So number one, if you want a job, they're going to be hiring 50 additional operators.To strengthen its workforce.They're having administration and team members with commercial driver's license help cover services when possible, having operators voluntarily working overtime and taking extra shifts to keep the buses going and addressing attendance issues with involved parties.Now, unless everybody got the flu, I'm thinking that was planned.I'm thinking there are internal issues.Something weird is going on here, especially because they just signed a new contract where they got a $2,000 signing bonus, all sorts of other stuff.And so I don't know what's going on.I think there's more than what meets the eye here that it just so happened that 59 people called off on the same day.But if you are one of the people waiting for the bus all day, RTA is sorry.This one caught me by surprise.West Akron residents, they are frustrated after going more than Are you ready for this?A year without working streetlights on Greenwood Avenue At a September Ward 4 meeting, first Energy Representative Amy Hopkins said the company's engineers are working to identify damage underground street lighting wiring, with repairs expected by the end of the year.Now, if you check your calendar, it's two and a half months, possibly sooner.A resident at the meeting, Aisha Motley, called the outages a safety concern.You think saying children are difficult to see outside at night and our car has been vandalized.Residents also raised concerns about repeated power outages on the South Rose Boulevard, where aging trees outside FirstEnergy's maintenance area may be contributing to the problem.Hopkins again, this is a representative from FirstEnergy offered to investigate the causes of the individual outages.Well, that's nice.And discuss which streets should receive repair priority.The meeting also covered rising electric bills and ways residents can report streetlight problems through Akron's 311-service-Ohio Edison or the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.But come on, a year without streetlights?That's ridiculous.Ohio lawmakers are considering a bill that will require Ohio lawmakers are considering a bill that will require electrical bicycles.Ohio lawmakers are considering a bill that will require electric bicycle and low speed electric scooter riders to be at least 14 years old, wear helmets and register their device for $25 before using public roads.Senate Bill 477, it's introduced by Senator Bill Demora of Columbus, will also establish speed limits on shared use paths and sidewalks.DeMora says the proposal aims to improve safety and create consistent statewide rules, although cities could still set their own restrictions on where and how the devices could be used.Yeah, when I was growing up, I had a moped and I had to pay to have a license.I had to.I don't know if I had to wear a helmet, but I definitely had to pay to, you know, have a little license on the back of the bike.And I just see people.Right.And I don't know what.That moped went almost 30 miles an hour.And I just see people going down steep hills with no helmet and they're just driving like maniacs.So I'm all for this bill.This was kind of sad.Turfi Turkey.This is kind of sad.There is a $5,000 reward offered by the turkey foot lake golf course for information leading to either the identification, the arrest and conviction of individual or individuals responsible for intentionally damaging our golf course by driving a side by side vehicle on the turf.This is hard to believe.You ready for this next statement?We have video evidence of the.Of the incident.So that's.That's good.I was going to say where's the flock camera?Right.We are committed to identifying those responsible and pursuing all available crime charges as well as full restitution.Yeah, they ripped it up.This was on facebook.And they tore up this golf course something fierce.So if you know it says all tips will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law.$5,000 Reward help us hold those responsible and accountable.The reward is payable upon the arrest and conviction of the responsible individuals.Information provided must materially contribute to their identification and prosecution.And if multiple qualifying tips are received, the reward may be divided at the sole discretion of Turkey Foot lake golf links.The police are enhancing the video and have asked me not to post the video because they think they can identify the video or the vehicle from the video.So, you know, we hate those flock cameras, but they do come in handy at times.Just.Just don't point one at me.I thought I would throw this in because you're probably upset about your water bills going up, but this was back at the beginning of the month, and that was that.Akron has reached an agreement with the Ohio and U.S. environmental protection agencies to eliminate a proposed $300 million sewer treatment facility that city officials say would provide little additional environmental benefit.Now, the plan still needs public comment and approval from a federal court before it becomes final, but Akron has invested more than $1 billion in sewer improvements.So if you wonder why your bill's going up.Yeah, that's a b on that one.They've been doing that since 2014.And federal consent decree completing 24 of 26 major projects and nearing completion of the northside interceptional tunnel.Now, once that tunnel is finished, the city expects 99% of wet weather sewer flows to be eliminated or captured for treatment, preventing about 2.3 billion gallons of untreated water from entering local waterways annually.Instead of building the expensive facility, Akron would disinfect wastewater discharges during April and November to meet water quality standards and better protect people using the river for recreation.Mayor Malik said the agreement could save ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars and allow the city to shift more Reese's towards its aging drinking water infrastructure.All right, just a couple things to refresh the events calendar Course Halloween is this Saturday the 31st.William Shatner will be at the Northfield Racino with a screening of Star Trek 2.Sting is at Blossom November 1st through the 3rd.There's a Stooges Fest November 6th in Canton.And then this one we haven't talked about.If you're into comics.The Akron comic con is November 7th and 8th.That's it.Amedio's Expo center in Cuyahoga Falls.So I wanted to be sure and mention that because we had mentioned it before.It's funny to see all the different things that are coming up in 2027.Stephen Bishop is coming to Kent Stage.Anthony Jeselnik is coming to the Civic, I believe so.Arrested Development will be at E.J.Thomas.Rick Springfield, I haven't talked about this one yet.Will be at the Northfield racino.This is December 13th.That's a stripped down version.I believe he has a stripped down album coming out.And I haven't mentioned this one either.The Akron Children's Hospital Annual Holiday Tree Festival.This is at the John S. Knight Center.That is going to be happening December 11th and 12th from 11am to 6pm.