AKRONFire rescueAKRON: Akron firefighters used a ladder to rescue a teenager and the teen’s grandmother from the upper floors of their burning home early Tuesday morning.The child, 17, and grandmother, 70, were taken to a local hospital with unspecified injuries, Akron fire spokesman Johnny Player said.One was found unconscious at the scene, but was later revived. Their conditions were not immediately available, but firefighters say the two are expected to live.According to reports, firefighters were called to 880 Sheridan Ave. about 4:40 a.m. Neighbors reported hearing screams, breaking glass and saw flames coming from the home’s front porch.Firefighters used ladders to save the teen and the grandmother, one from the second floor, the other from the third floor, according to the report.The cause of the fire is under investigation. Flames and smoke caused about $21,000 in damage.County grantAKRON: The Summit County Housing Advisory Board awarded Akron a grant of $272,252 that the city will use to acquire abandoned, foreclosed and blighted properties in the Summit Lake and Laird Street areas.The City Council voted Monday to accept the grant. Councilman Jeff Fusco said the city will use some of the grant to leverage other funds.The city and county have been collaborating on efforts to improve these two areas of Akron that have been particularly hard hit by foreclosures and blighted houses.Ward 1 meetingAKRON: Jim Hurley, the Ward 1 councilman, will have a ward meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. today at Patterson Park Community Center, 800 Patterson Ave.Representatives will discuss issues on the Nov. 8 ballot, including the Akron Public Schools’ operating levy. Community police officers also will be present.BATH TOWNSHIPResignation OK’dBATH TWP.: Trustees have accepted the resignation of Assistant Chief Jim Hower.Hower, who left Oct. 7, had been with the Fire Department for more than 47 years, interim fire Chief Tim Gemind said.Seven bids were received from around the country for the sale of the department’s 1991 Pierce Dash 3,000-gallon tanker/tender. The Bessie Volunteer Fire Department in Oklahoma was high bidder at $77,300.The 20-year-old truck is being replaced this month with a newer model.Trustees also approved the final payment of $13,107 to Schalmo Builders for work on the Ira Road Service Facility.The entire project, which included repairs and renovations to the buildings on site as well as the demolition of one small structure, was completed for just more than $237,000.The original estimate on the project was more than $330,000.The work was undertaken on the property owned by the township for about six years due to safety issues and to accommodate the storage of Service Department equipment and vehicles.Recycling optionBATH TWP.: The township’s trash hauler, Rumpke, provides curbside recycling for solid-waste customers in Bath, but there are some residents who do not have the option of recycling with their weekly trash pickup.That will change Monday as Bath, in cooperation with Revere Local Schools, will open a new recycling collection center on the west side of the Bath Road parking lot of Bath Elementary. The center will be accessible for the drop-off of recyclable plastics, metals, glass, and papers.Township Administrator Bill Snow said the new center has been paid for through grants awarded to Bath over the past three years from the Summit-Akron Solid Waste Management Authority. No township or school funds were used.CLEVELANDNew NASA chiefCLEVELAND: NASA astronaut Gregory H. Johnson is the new chief of the external programs division at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.Last May, Johnson piloted the Endeavour’s final flight.He will remain in the astronaut corps and will be in charge of the Cleveland program for one year.He succeeds astronaut Mike Foreman, who held the post until last May. COLUMBUSTowpath fundingCOLUMBUS: The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in northern Tuscarawas County is getting $150,000 in state funds.It is one of 24 trail projects in Ohio that will share in $1.7 million in federal funds distributed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources through the Recreational Trails Program.The Towpath grant will help complete the paving of a 2.75-mile section along the Tuscarawas River in the Zoar-Zoarville area.The total cost of the project is $240,000.HIGHLAND SCHOOLSFinancial forecastGRANGER TWP.: The Highland school board has approved its five-year financial forecast.The plan shows that the district could be in deficit spending by 2015.Although Highland passed an operating levy in May, state cuts will mean the levy will not cover expected expenses as long as the district had hoped.macedoniaStore robbedMACEDONIA: Police are looking for two men who bound two cell phone store workers during a robbery Saturday.The women were not injured during the heist as the T-Mobile store on East Aurora Road was about to close at 8 p.m.Lt. Vince Yakopovich said two men wearing surgical masks and one armed with a gun entered the store, forced the clerks at gunpoint to the back room and tied their hands and one woman’s feet.The men then took what Yakopovich said was a small amount of cash and several dozen cell phones. At one point, the men demanded more money, but they did not try to enter the store’s safe and instead quickly left, he said.Yakopovich said detectives are working with police in Maple Heights and Garfield Heights, where similar robberies have taken place recently.PORTAGE COUNTYPipe bomb foundRAVENNA: Police said a juvenile student is being questioned about a pipe bomb found Tuesday morning at Maplewood Joint Vocational School on state Route 88.Police and firefighters responded to an 11:03 a.m. call about the device, revealed to be a PVC pipe with end caps and a fuse when viewed from a distance through a telephoto lens.The Summit County Bomb Disposal Unit was contacted and responded with a bomb detection K-9 and handler. A robot removed the device to a remote part of the parking lot, where it was rendered safe.There were no injuries or property damage, and the investigation is ongoing. Any person with information about the incident is asked to call Ravenna police at 330-296-6486.Tire collectionThe Portage County Solid Waste Management District will hold a tire recycling collection Saturday in Paris Township.The collection will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the fire station, 9355 Newton Falls Road.The collection is open to any Portage County resident. The first 10 tires are free. There will be a $1-per-tire fee for all tires over the 10-tire limit.Tires from commercial or industrial firms will not be accepted.There will be additional tire collections on:• Oct. 29, Randolph Township garage, 3636 Waterloo Road.• Nov. 5, Ravenna Township garage, 6115 S. Spring St.• Nov. 12, Mantua Township garage, 11621 Mantua Center Road.Call 330 678-8808 for more information.STARK COUNTYHelp for squirrelsPERRY TWP.: The Stark County Park District’s Sanders Wildlife Rehabilitation Center needs help.The center has a large number of baby squirrels ready to release back into the wild and needs more squirrel nesting boxes built for winter survival.The center raises three or four young squirrels together in a nesting box and they are released at 14 to 16 weeks of age with a nesting box at an appropriate location, said spokeswoman Gail Gollbach.Officials seek locations with nut trees or at sites where people will feed them through the winter.Nest box plans are available at www.starkparks.com . Click the What’s Happening tab.Instructions also may be picked up at the center off Genoa Road Northwest.For more information, call 330-477-0448.SUMMIT COUNTYHearing scheduledAKRON: The Summit County Board of Elections voted Tuesday to hold a hearing next week on a complaint alleging campaign finance violations against a former state representative and current judicial candidate.The hearing for Steve Dyer, who is running for Barberton Municipal Court judge, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.Later Tuesday, however, board Chairman Tim Gorbach emailed the other board members after receiving documentation from Dyer and questioned whether the hearing should be held. He said he feared the board “jumped the gun” in scheduling the hearing.William Albright filed a complaint earlier this month against Dyer that contends he violated campaign finance laws by making an expenditure prior to filing his treasurer designation to run for judge when he reimbursed himself about $3,300 for mileage expenses.Albright also questioned whether Dyer provided documentation for his mileage expenses.The Republican board members in a meeting Tuesday questioned whether Dyer properly handled the transition from his state representative fund to his judicial fund.Dyer said Tuesday that he already has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Ohio Supreme Court’s disciplinary counsel and has documentation for his mileage.Dyer faces competition in the Nov. 8 election from Christine Croce, the clerk of Barberton Municipal Court.Though the race is nonpartisan, Dyer is a Democrat and Croce is a Republican.Rapist sentencedAKRON: An Akron man who was convicted of kidnapping and multiple rapes at knifepoint has been sentenced to life in prison without a chance of parole for at least 50 years, authorities said.Richard Alan Culp, 43, of East South Street, was sentenced Tuesday in Summit County Common Pleas Court by Judge Judy Hunter.Last month, a jury convicted Culp of five counts of rape, one count of kidnapping and various sex-offender specifications that enhanced his sentence.The series of rapes occurred Dec. 12. Prosecutors said Culp and his girlfriend asked the victim for a ride home under the pretense of showing off martial arts trophies that he claimed he had won.Once inside Culp’s home, the victim was attacked and held captive until she managed to escape the following morning as Culp was dressing.Prosecutors said Culp was arrested five days later at another girl’s apartment in Medina.Sentence for pornAKRON: A Twinsburg man was sentenced to 2› years in prison for two separate cases after being convicted of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and retaliation against a public official, authorities said.Nicholas J. Castagnola, 25, was sentenced Tuesday by Summit County Common Pleas Judge Tom Parker.Twinsburg police arrested Castagnola in June 2010. He was accused of retaliating against the city law director, who had prosecuted Castagnola for selling alcohol to a minor.Police obtained a search warrant as part of that investigation and seized Castagnola’s home computer. In an analysis of the computer files by the state crime lab, hundreds of images and videos of child pornography were found, prosecutors said.Castagnola also was convicted of vandalism, criminal damaging, trespassing and possession of criminal tools in the retaliation case.Fish ordersCUYAHOGA FALLS: The Summit Soil and Water Conservation District is accepting orders for fish to stock local ponds and lakes.Largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegills, white amurs and fathead minnows are available.Prices range from 80 cents to $13 per fish. The minnows are $7 per 100.The deadline to order is Friday. The fish must be picked up from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the rear of 2525 State Road.For more information, call 330-929-2871, ext. 10, or go to www.summitswcd.org.CSB fundraiserAKRON: The Citizen’s Committee for Children Services will hold its annual silent/live auction fundraiser at 6 p.m. Friday at Fairlawn Country Club, 200 N. Wheaton Road.Tickets for this year’s Taste of Italy are $50 per person for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and dinner.Auction items will include a wine cellar package, a variety of domestic and imported beers, golf packages, gift cards to area restaurants, Ohio State- and Browns-themed baskets and tickets to events at Weathervane Playhouse, E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall and the Akron Civic Theatre.For more information, call 330-379-1918.