Free Meals for Kids: A Summer Lifeline in Akron

Hey, it's Dave and I gotta say this while I can.

And it's quiet.

I have a team of people with five jackhammers ripping the crap out of my basement, which is not conducive to recording a podcast.

So today's show I've used some AI voices, so if you hear street names sounding weird, that's what's going on.

But I still wanted to bring you the news of what's going on in Akron.

It's the Akron Podcast for May 15, 2026.

Our website Akron Podcast and we are going to start off with a story about Chippewa Lake.

For generations of Northeast Ohio families, Chippewa Lake Amusement park was the place for summer memories, thrill rides, ballroom dances and company picnics.

Now, nearly 50 years after the park closed, part of the historic property is welcoming visitors once again.

The Med Dinah County Park District is opening the new Tumble bug Trailhead on May 15 at 57 North 96 Long Acre Lane in Chippewa Lake.

Named after one of the amusement park's classic rides, the trailhead is the first phase of a long term effort to transform the former amusement park into a 95 acre nature preserve that still honors its history.

The opening phase A parking area, picnic shelter, half mile gravel loop trail.

Future plans include extending the trail to the original location of the Tumble Bug ride and preserving pieces of the park's past.

The Chippewa Lake Historical Society is also creating a museum inside a 1920 home owned by the Park District at the corner of Longacre Lane and Lake Road.

The museum is expected to open later this summer and will feature outdoor displays of amusement park artifacts, including a ticket booth and ride cars.

Park District officials say the goal is to make Chippewa Lake Park a destination again, just a quieter one focused on history, recreation and and nature.

The original amusement park operated from 1878 to 1978 and became one of Ohio's most beloved entertainment destinations.

At its peak, the park featured rides, games, food stands, a hotel and a famous ballroom that hosted performers like Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Lawrence Welk.

The park also attracted famous visitors such as Henry Ford and Thomas Edison and was a popular gathering place for employee picnics home hosted by companies like Firestone, Timken and Rubbermaid.

It is nice that we're in the middle of spring, Nice weather is coming and the zoo is opening up with some new stuff.

Summer fun is arriving early at Akron Zoo as the zoo unveils its brand new Primate Passage exhibit this weekend.

The renovated attraction replaces the former Lemur exhibit in the Legends of the wild area and and has been transformed into a South American themed habitat filled with new monkey and bird species.

Visitors will get a chance to see white faced saki monkeys, including a playful one year old named Ripley who is already becoming a fan favorite with zoo staff.

The exhibit also features cotton top tamarins and golden lion tamarins, all designed to live in immersive environments that make guests feel like they've stepped into a rainforest.

The zoo is also introducing axolotls, the unusual salamanders that have exploded in popularity online thanks to their unique appearance and permanent smile like faces.

Zoo officials say the new animals are active, playful and excited to interact with visitors.

And that's not the only attraction returning this weekend.

Dinotrek is back after drawing big crowds last year.

The exhibit features 30 life size animatronic dinosaurs scattered throughout the zoo, including a massive T. Rex and several new dinosaur species joining the lineup this year.

The grand opening celebration happens Saturday, May 16 with family friendly activities including crafts, scavenger hunts and opportunities to explore all the new exhibits.

If you are worried about how you're going to feed your kids when they get out of school, we've got some good news.

The city of Akron is once again stepping up to help families this summer by providing free, free meals for local youth facing potential food insecurity while school is out.

Starting June 8, eligible kids and teens ages 18 and younger will be able to receive meals through the city's summer food service program.

Meals will also be available for participants in qualifying summer day camp programs.

The food will be prepared by Akron Public Schools and distributed at community centers and other locations throughout the city.

The program runs Monday through Friday from June 8 through July 31, with the exception of June 19 and July 3.

Families receiving SNAP benefits, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or benefits through the food Distribution Program on Indian reservations automatically qualify for free meals.

Officials say income guidelines for reduced price meals are also available upon request.

For more information about locations or eligibility, residents can contact the city's food Service program coordinator, Robert Dowdle at 330-375-2832 or by email at artiudelkronohio.gov we will also have a link in the Show Notes, which shows all the locations@akronpodcast.com the good.

News is winter is gone.

The bad news is it left us with a whole bunch of potholes and and if you're wondering when are we going to get this fixed?

Well, here's the report.

Drivers across Akron can expect to see road crews hard at work this year as the city launches another major paving season.

Akron plans to resurface 47 centerline miles of roadway in 2026 as part of a multimillion dollar infrastructure investment.

The city has budgeted $6.5 million for street resurfacing, along with another $1.85 million dedicated to concrete pavement rehabilitation projects, especially in the Ellet and Goodyear Heights neighborhoods.

Officials say roads are selected based on their condition, traffic volume and how efficiently projects can be grouped together.

Streets listed as 2026 base are scheduled for this year, while 2026 alternate roads could be added if additional funding becomes available, according to the city.

A quarter percent income tax increase approved by voters in 2017 helped Akron dramatically expand its paving efforts, increasing from about 16 miles of roadway resurfaced annually to nearly 48 miles per year on average.

Shammas Malik says safe and reliable roads are critical for residents, and that continued investment helps make the city safer and more accessible.

Residents should watch for posted signage ahead of resurfacing work.

Since on street parking will be restricted during active construction, the city says traffic will be maintained as much as possible throughout the projects.

And if you hit a pothole before your street gets resurfaced, Akron says help is only a 311 request away.

Residents can report potholes by calling 311 using the Akron311 app or visiting the city's website.

Officials say crews are currently filling between 200 and 300 potholes every single day during the busy spring repair season.

And as always, check your show notes for a link to more information.

I gotta say, the 311 service is actually it works well.

I sprung a leak in my basement this week.

Well, it's been here a couple weeks at this point.

But the interesting part from the city was, remember when two years ago they made us install new meters?

Well, for whatever reason, the company they hired shaved off the knob to my main water valve in the house.

They were afraid it was going to break.

They changed the meter anyway and said, oh, we'll come back and fix that.

So the guys show up to waterproof my basement, which is way expensive, and I forgot that they never came back to fix it because why would I didn't need to turn off the water.

I call 311 because we needed then to shut off the water to my house and to their credit they got it shut off quickly.

The guy came in, I explained what happened and I go so how do we fix this?

Because you know you guys broke it and he was a very nice man.

I didn't shoot the messenger.

But basically I had to pay to fix something that the city broke.

And if you ever, ever felt like donating to the show, now would be the time.

But to their credit, when I called Akron, they had a guy out here.

And then later when I said, hey, can I get my water turned back on, they had a guy out there pretty quick.

So aside from breaking something and then not paying for it, they were very what's the word?

Prompt and the everyone on the phone.

The team was great.

So if you need something, you know, you can always go to akron ohio.gov but just a quick update on the 311 service.

It worked really well.

All right.

We had some good news before now, some not so great news.

And if you want drama, there's only one word that comes to mind, and that of course, is the Akron Public.

Schools More controversy is unfolding inside Akron Public Schools as district spokesperson Stacey Hodo has been placed on paid administrative leave amid what school officials describe as concerns over her conduct and communications.

In a letter delivered to hodo's home on May 8, Superintendent Mary B. Outley said the district is reviewing possible violations of board policy, administrative guidelines and job responsibilities.

The letter itself did not spell out the specific allegations.

School Board President Barbara Sykes confirmed Hodo is on paid leave but declined additional comment.

Hodo, meanwhile, says she believes she's being retaliated against.

In a separate letter sent to school board members before she was placed on leave, Hodo accused APS leadership of fostering what she called a pervasive culture of retaliation and compared the current climate to the turmoil that surrounded former Superintendent Michael Robinson, who resigned in 2025 after an outside investigation found he had created a toxic and hostile work environment.

And don't forget, we paid him $200,000 to leave hundreds.

Hodo alleges she faced retaliation after filing a whistleblower complaint related to public records and after testifying in support of former Facilities Services Supervisor Darian Johnson during his termination hearing.

The situation adds another chapter to the ongoing instability inside Akron Public Schools leadership.

Hodo herself was hired in late 2024 after leaving a high paying executive role at Google to return home to Akron and take over the district's communications department during a particularly chaot period.

Her tenure quickly became controversial.

Shortly after starting the job, Hodo accused then board member Reverend Gregory Harrison of improperly sharing confidential information and later described a tense elevator confrontation with him at district headquarters.

She also drew criticism earlier this year after posting on Facebook that the Akron Beacon Journal was toxic and accusing reporters and district staff of conspiring to destroy lives.

In her latest letter to the board, Hodo says she has been isolated professionally and excluded from key meetings involving her own department.

She argues that any decision not to renew her contract would not be related to her job performance, noting that she has not yet received a formal evaluation from the district.

At this point, it remains unclear whether Superintendent Outley plans to renew Hodo's contract or what the outcome of the district's review will be.

A sad story, and I'm not even sure where this happened.

I know the plane took off.

It was one of those little two seater things took off from the Akron Fulton Airport and it crashed into a house.

All the reports I'm seeing right now, obviously, unfortunately the two people on the plane are dead and we got lucky.

There were people in the house but somehow they are safe and unharmed.

Their house is trashed, but none of the reports say where the house is in Akron.

But I'm happy to hear that at least the people in the house were not harmed.

A major polymer manufacturer is scaling back part of its operations in Akron, but company leaders say the move does not signal the end of their future in the city.

Huntsman Corporation announced it plans to end nitrile latex production at its facility on West Emerling Avenue by the end of the first quarter of 2027.

The shutdown will impact roughly 25% to 30% of the site's 70 to 75 employees.

Company officials say increasing competition from low cost imports, especially from China, has made the nitrile market increasingly difficult.

Despite the closure of the nitrile operation, Huntsman says it is not leaving Akron.

The company will continue operating its reactive liquid polymers business locally and plans to focus future development efforts on advanced materials, including its Myrolon carbon nanotube technology.

Hans Dorfy of the Polymer industry cluster at the Greater Akron Chamber says the closure is significant but does not reflect a weakening of Greater Akron's long term position in the polymer industry.

He pointed to ongoing innovation efforts tied to the region's federally designated tech hub and state supported innovation hub programs.

The Emerling Avenue site itself has a long history in Akron manufacturing, operating continuously since 1900 under various owners.

So it's sad to hear that they're shutting down one product, but it sounds like they're going to be bringing a product from Texas back to Akron.

So we'll lose some people and we'll probably gain some more people in the future.

One thing I definitely wanted to point out is next Tuesday, the State of City address from the mayor at the Civic theater.

It's at 5pm and I'm going to that.

I'm looking forward to that.

So if you see, I think I still have an Akron Podcast T shirt somewhere and I'm going to put that on and hand out some business cards and help to get the word out.

And speaking of that, if you can help get the word out about the Akron podcast, that's always deeply appreciated.

Also some things going on tonight at the Northfield Roxino, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, better known as the Satch VI Band, they will be there as well as at the Kent Stage.

The Molly Tuttle and Maggie Rose will be there.

And like I said, next Tuesday we've got the state of city address.

River Butcher will be at the Night stage that's right next door to the Civic.

That's a comedian and we're looking forward to have a great weekend as the weather gets warmer.

And thanks so much for listening to the Akron Podcast.