Chicken, Weed, and Construction: Welcome to Akron Podcast

Today on the Akron Podcast, we're talking some chicken.

We're talking some weed.

Those usually go hand in hand from what I hear.

We're talking some things about the towpath, the inner belt.

Of course there's been a shooting.

Some good news about Spectrum and what are your flights going to be like from Cleveland and Akron Canton.

And some bad news for i77.

It's the Akron Podcast for March 27, 2026.

Our website is akron podc podcast.com well, if you were happy when issue two passed about legalizing weed, Naya's got a story about a new kind of rollback.

Kind of maybe.

Well, just take it away.

More guardrails around legal weed if you use medical marijuana Listen up.

Ohio has rolled back parts of the recreational marijuana law passed in 2023, issue 2, with new restrictions taking effect March 20.

Here is the big picture.

Weed is still legal, but more regulated with stricter rules and penalties.

Here are some key no public use smoking or vaping is now banned in public places and businesses Keep it on private property, and even then landlords can still say no.

Transportation rules got stricter Opened products must be stored out of reach, like in your trunk, and everything has to stay in its original packaging.

No more Michigan runs.

It's now illegal to bring marijuana into Ohio from another state or have THC products shipped to you.

Intoxicating hemp products and THC drinks are now illegal again.

THC extracts are now capped at 70%, down from 90%.

Sharing is still allowed, with limits only on private property, capped at 2.5 ounces of plant or 15 grams of extract per day.

And no money can be exchanged.

No more products shaped like animals, fruit or anything that might appeal to kids.

You can still be fired for marijuana use, and now you won't qualify for unemployment if you violate company policy.

Home growing still legal, but strictly capped at 6 plants per adult, 12 per household, with penalties for going over.

Delivery isn't here yet.

No Uber eats for weed yet, but medical delivery could come later.

Some previously designated funds, like social equity programs, are gone, with more money now going to the state's general fund.

Bottom line, Ohio didn't undo legalization, but it definitely put more guardrails and consequences around it.

Thank you, Naya.

Let's stick with the I don't know if you consider that good or bad news, but here's some news that you're especially if you're kind of North Akron, you're not going to be happy about this.

Heads up for drivers on the west side of Akron more construction delays are on the way.

The ramp from Interstate 77 southbound to Gent Road will be closed starting March 30 through mid May as part of a widening project.

Detours will send drivers down to Route 18 and back up to reconnect.

Meanwhile, the ramp from gent Road onto I77 southbound is already closed and will stay that way through July.

On top of that, expect nightly lane closures between Gent and Everett roads from 7pm to 6am for ongoing pavement work.

The big picture this is all part of a long term project that won't wrap up until September 2027, so plan ahead and expect delays for a while.

September 2027 Holy cow.

Ugh.

Ugh.

That's right.

Let's shift over some good news, especially for those people in Hudson.

We're going to toss it over to the always energetic Katie Employees at the.

New Spectrum Great Lakes Regional Office have been settling into their new quarters in Hudson.

The opening of the office, which currently has 140 employees, was celebrated February 27th with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Hooray.

The 30,000 square foot space designed by Al Post Inc.

Features work areas and flexible meeting spaces.

Congrats to everyone in Hudson.

Back to you Dave.

What's going on with Akron City Council?

Well, they had a close one.

The Akron City Council narrowly passed by a 7 to 6 resolution to explore expanding police body camera look back footage from 30 seconds to 60 seconds before activation.

So what's going on with this?

Well, the proposal would require city leaders and the administration to work together on extending pre recording time because right now the Akron Police department cameras capture 30 seconds before activation.

That still requires them to activate it though.

To me I'm like, okay, though, won't they just activate it later if you capture more footage?

Concerns were raised about the cost of storing more footage.

That's definitely a thing, and supporters say it's about improving transparency and accountability.

Not so much attacking the police, but the opponents worry about the unknown costs and potential impacts on officer recruitment and retention.

That one's an interesting one.

Well, if we if we catch people doing bad things, then it'll be really hard to hire someone because we'll have a bad reputation.

Maybe.

Maybe that's what they mean by that.

Some council members questioned whether a resolution was needed at all since the mayor is already looking into that change.

But at least at this point, it's not a final policy yet.

It's just the start of a deeper conversation about the police oversight, the costs and the community trust in Akron.

For those who are itching to get outside.

Ian has a story about the towpath.

The Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition is kicking off its Healthy Steps walking program on April 1.

Running through the end of the month, the free challenge encourages people to stay active by tracking their daily steps, whether that's on local trails like the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail or just around their neighborhood.

Participants can join solo or as a team, log their steps each week and compete for prizes, including one for the top stepper and another random winner.

Last year, walkers logged over 122 million steps, covering more than 55,000 miles.

So yeah, Akron got its steps in.

The program is sponsored by Lucky Shoes with support from local groups like the Akron Rubber Ducks and the Akron Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Back to you, Dave.

I'll take this one.

LeBron James has a restaurant called Buckets.

It's going to open April 1st.

Why would anyone ever open anything on April Fool's Day?

But okay, and this of course is in House 330.

The restaurant is part of a larger redevelopment of the former Tangiers and it now includes spots like a Starbucks, a Chase Branch, there's some shops, even spaces, and of course a museum dedicated to the king.

Buckets will serve up fried chicken.

I'm sure there's no problem with KFC calling the thing Buckets, but anyway, and other comfort food in big sports focused space designed for hanging out and watching games.

That sounds like fun.

And it's more than just a restaurant though.

It's also part of that LeBron James Family Foundation's I Promise program, meaning it's also going to double as a hands on job training space for local families.

The bottom line is it's not just a place to eat.

It's Another piece of LeBron's growing impact on Akron, combining food, community and opportunity.

Very cool.

Liam has an update about the Inner Belt.

Akron is starting to roll out a big picture plan to transform the Inner Belt.

I should probably clarify this is that whole area, not the bar on Main Street.

And while it's ambitious, it's going to take time.

The city has already set aside $500,000 for short term improvements like beautification, road resurfacing and updating zoning to encourage more walkable neighborhoods and new housing.

Longer term ideas include mixed income housing, better pedestrian and bike access, safer streets, and more connections between neighborhoods that were divided when the Inner Belt was first built.

There are also plans for new public spaces, art celebrating Akron's history and revitalized corridors along Exchange street and Vernon Odom Boulevard.

Some proposals even suggest closing parts of roads to cars and reworking traffic flow to improve access to jobs and services.

If everything comes together, the project could bring over 4,500 new homes, new businesses, and miles of new roads and connections.

But funding is still uncertain, including a paused $10 million federal grant.

And the full transformation could take decades to complete.

Bottom line, Akron has a vision to reconnect and rebuild neighborhoods around the inner belt.

But this is a long game with a lot of moving pieces.

And I don't care how beautiful you make it in the bike path, it's going to take me a while to feel comfortable biking in downtown Akron.

And you go, Dave, why?

Well, Katie's going to explain this happened again.

Yet another shooting.

A 38 year old security guard was shot in the chest by an 18 year old male that he had kicked out of the club.

This was at the Vortex Concert Club and lounge in the 1100 block of Britain Road.

Police said the guard has non life threatening injuries.

So Akron, we need to remind you apparently.

Cause this is the second instance of someone getting kicked out of a club only to turn around and shoot the guard.

When you get kicked out of the club, you need to go home.

Can we please quit shooting each other?

I hear you, Katie.

It's amazing.

And that's like again, the second person that's done that last up we have, well, I know now we have ICE agents at the airport, but like what are things looking like at Cleveland Hopkins and Akron Canton?

We're going to send it back over to Katie.

Travelers flying out of Northeast Ohio may want to pack a little extra patience.

The ongoing partial federal government shutdown is starting to impact airport operations.

With about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration workers nationwide still on the job but not getting paid, that's leading to staffing shortages at security checkpoints, which means longer lines, slower screenings and the potential for delays.

While Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is still running normally, for now, smaller airports like Akron Canton Airport could feel the squeeze more if staffing drops further.

Airlines aren't offering refunds for missed flights due to long security lines, so travelers are being told to arrive earlier and keep a close eye on their flight status.

Meanwhile, Cleveland Hopkins has even reopened a food pantry to support unpaid federal workers during the shutdown.

So I'm glad to hear that Akron Canton, at least for now, is operating kind of normal.

But if this shutdown drags on, expect delays to become part of the travel experience.