The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 45

2 1 The Beacon Journal www.Ohio.com '''in i ningia ii mm MKJhmmw Hi Wilt Page D2, Saturday, August 8, 1998 to leave lie's im mo 1 to see the township hire Cincinnati attorney David Altman, an outsider with environmental expertise, to handle the case, she said. Borello said her group will seek county money to hire Altman. Plain Twi Massillon biker, 27, dies in road collision A 27-year-old Massillon man 1 a. r. iwiirr nliiin.ti.Mf 1 Rally champs arrive: 8 a.m., Topside at Derby Downs.

Pancake breakfast: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., Derby Downs festival tent Served by Downtown Kiwanis Club. Cost: $4.50. Ail-American Soap Box Derby Parade: 10 a.m., Derby Downs track. Tickets for the parade and race are $7 for reserved seats; $5 for general admission.

All-American Soap Box Derby races: 11:30 a.m., Derby Downs track. Salute to the champions: 4:30 p.m., Derby Downs finish line Awards presentation: 7 p.m., E.J. Thomas Hall, University of Akron. The Hall of Fame in Heis-man Lodge at Derby Downs will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Derby Fest will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the festival grounds behind the track. deaf is very good," Watson says. "She doesn't sit back and wait for people to come to her." Rather, Jeri Beth goes out and meets them, as she did with her newest friend, Ben.

Ben and Jeri Beth have been inseparable these last couple of days. Although he doesn't know sign language, they pass notes or point to communicate. "He makes up signs," Jeri Beth says, demonstrating something Ben might do, like say "come on" by making a beckoning motion. "I understand that just fine." Jeri Beth says she hasn't had any problems communicating with the "hearing kids" this week: "I'm lucky because I have a very small pen and paper that I carry around with me and I can write." Also, friends from home who have flown in for the derby are helping her mom with the signing. When it comes Jeri Beth's turn to race, she will have an interpreter at the starting and the finish lines, so she can communicate during the most crucial points of the race.

Watson says she is pleased by how helpful the derby staff has been. "When she goes to a store to buy something, whenever she goes to a restaurant and orders something, when she watches TV, if there's no closed captions, she feels the hearing world around her at all times," Watson says. Jeri Beth faces this challenge unabashed. "I was born deaf," she says. "I didn't get deaf because I was sick or something." She accepts it without much thought, and goes on to reach for the stars.

Oregon contestant loves derby atmosphere; deafness no big thing By Nicole J. De Sario Hi'mim Journal stuff H'ritrr Most racers in the All-Amer-ican Soap Box Derby glare at the sky, hoping to chase away any rain clouds before the competition begins. But Jeri Beth Watson, 9, of Salem, welcomes a storm and hopes that lightning will drive the derby back to its rain date tomorrow. Then, Jeri Beth explains, she could spend a whole extra day in the most exciting "fiin place in all the world." She could run around the University of Akron some more with her new friend, Ben Kakuk, 10, of Washington. She could whiz down the track just one more time.

Best of all, she could continue as the champ in this weeklong celebration of her racing achievements. As she gushes with the possibilities, her hands become tired. Because she is deaf, she uses sign language to talk. "My arms and hands are getting hot because I'm signing so fast," she says while her mother interprets for her. Jeri Beth becomes so worked up that she doesn't want to take a break.

"I'll just sign a little slower," she says. Jeri Beth is one of 296 kids bursting with excitement, jitters and anticipation. The day has finally come when, in a single-elimination tournament from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., three world champs will be set apart from the rest of the Ail-American field. MATT DETTICHBeacon Journal Jeri Beth Watson of Salem, uses sign language to communicate her excitement about the derby.

"Winning a trophy would be my favorite part," Jeri Beth says as she focuses on a mental image of the award. She says she'll be content even if she doesn't win, "but, you know, I'd be happy to win a trophy, too." As far as the weather goes, Jeri Beth may not get her wish. The forecast calls for a high of 88, with just a chance of showers. Her mother, Debbie Watson, explains that Jeri Beth is one motivated little girl. "She's a very strong-willed and independent child, which for being ClBWAM) Akron woman dies from crash injuries An Akron woman has died from injuries in a chain-reaction accident July 28 on Interstate 77 near the Stark-Summit county line.

Eugula Davis, 43, died Thursday at Cleveland MetroHealth Center. She was the only one seriously injured in the multiple-car accident, which occurred just south of Mount Pleasant Road Northwest on both sides of the four-lane divided highway. The crash involved two minivans, a car and a tractor-trailer. RARI5ERT0N Two Coventry men charged in drug raid Two 19-year-old Coventry Township men appeared yesterday in Barberton Municipal Court after a raid that Summit County sheriffs narcotics detectives said netted 6 pounds of marijuana, $1,900 in cash and two cars. Shawn M.

Welty and James C. Lyons, both of Hohman Avenue, were each charged with possession of drugs, Sheriff Richard Warren said. After an investigation, narcotics detectives obtained a search warrant, which was executed Thursday. Warren said the marijuana has a street value of about $11,000. Massillon Man shot by police charged with assault A Massillon resident who remains hospitalized in critical condition from gunshot wounds suffered in a confrontation with police officers has been charged with felonious assault and resisting arrest.

If convicted, Christopher Smith of Fifth Street Southwest could be sentenced to 9'A years in prison on the two felonies. He is a patient at Massillon Community Hospital. He was shot four times in the confrontation on July 31. Massillon Detective Sgt. James Mizeres said yesterday that Smith charged three officers with a large kitchen knife as they tried to talk him into dropping the weapon.

He had already suffered a large slash wound on his arm. Weldon said Smith was within seven to eight feet of the officers and still coming toward them when they fired four times. All the shots struck Smith in the upper torso. Police said the case is to go to a Stark County grand jury within two weeks. Officers were called to Smith's home because of a disturbance outside the residence.

Her goal for today is to go home with an award. While Jeri Beth will not be happy to board her plane tomorrow, she is excited to show all her friends back home her derby memorabilia. "I'm going to be a little embarrassed, but I'll show them anyway," she says, clearly feigning her embarrassment by tucking her chin into her chest and batting her eyelashes. "I don't want my friends to be mad because I'm famous." died yesterday after his motorcycle collided with two cars near Lakeside Avenue and Fulton Drive in Plain Township. Stark County Sheriff Bruce Umpleby said James E.

Copeland of Michael Circle was eastbound on Fulton when he drove into the side of a westbound car that was attempting to turn left onto Lakeside. After the collision, Copeland continued moving forward, colliding with a second car on Lakeside. Copeland was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Canton, where he was pronounced dead. No charges have been filed, and the investigation is continuing, the sheriff said. Medina Treasurer's car wash to be sold at auction The former car wash business owned by Medina County Treasurer John Burke and his wife will be put up for sheriffs auction at 9 a.m.

Aug. 21 at the Medina County Jail. American National Bank in Parma foreclosed on the property in July, seeking to recover $44,278 from a defaulted loan to Burke Properties, owned by John and Lisa Burke, according to documents filed in Medina County Common Pleas Court. The North Court street property, Burke Car Van Wash and Beverage Drive Thru, has been appraised at $312,000. Bids must reach at least two-thirds of the appraised value.

The car wash venture led to other problems for Burke. In October, he pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor counts of failing to pay personal property taxes on the businesses' equipment. Chatham Twp. Off-road crash kills boy, injures father Medina County sheriffs deputies are investigating the crash of an all-terrain vehicle that caused the death of a 13-year-old boy yesterday. Deputies would not release the victim's name.

They said the accident happened on private property on Avon Lake Road in Chatham Township, and the boy's 31-year-old father was also injured. The father was taken to Lodi General Hospital, and a Metro LifeFlight helicopter was summoned for the boy. A physician on the helicopter pronounced the 13-year-old dead at the scene. said Matt Perez, 14, of North Doug Jenney, the celebrity coordinator, said that there was a day when derby celebrities were known by all. Dinah Shore, Richard Nixon, O.J.

Simpson, Tom Hanks and Ronald Reagan are just some of the well-known figures to come to Akron in support of the race. A I i Ml Trinlptt Blvrill HI Akron-Fulton Wer International Airport I 6 llS SpringfieldllLake FUN One actor too young for the nightclub scene Continued from Page Dl his son took a lead role in the movie Soul Food last year. Brandon also appeared in Waiting to Exhale and has been on The Gregory Hines show. The young racers were most interested in his performance in Space Jam. "Was it fun? Did you meet Michael Jordan?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, I did, and he's even taller than he looks," Brandon replied. Jennifer fired another list of questions at Haskins, who inter acted with the kids just like Mr. Belding would have. Haskins immediately recognized Jennifer, and he made sure she knew it. "We're buddies.

We know each other from last year," Haskins said. The kids gave him a warm welcome, screaming out, "Who's the principal? Mr. "Mr. Belding always watches out for the kids and he's always there for them. I believe all of these kids know that," Haskins said of the character he plays.

"That's the reason why Mr. Belding gets along with the crowd so well and why I get to have so much fun." While some kids swarmed around the celebrities, others seemed more taken with their pizza and TwinMes. "I don't even know who's here," Most of the stars were obligated to attend because of their contract with General Motors, back in the days when Chevrolet was the host sponsor. Now, Jenney said, the derby relies on the good will of celebrities. "That may be hard to sell to some of the celebrities, to donate their time," he said.

"But, obviously, the people that come here don't feel that way." Beacon Journal 1WM Grow Harvest brings diverse groups of kids together Continued from Page Dl Westminster, put new-found friendships ahead of the vegetation: "Making new friends has been the best part." Jordan is a cucumbers and beans girl. Mandy Molinaro, 514, also from Westminster, agreed: "I really like my new friends." Cheryl Hosey, 11, from Prince of Peace, also spoke of the intangible harvest: "It's been great to be around others I did not know, to have fun with them as well as to learn how to work in the garden." Still, Cheryl walked away from The bulk of the fruit and vegetables harvested at Crown Point goes to the AkronCanton Regional Foodbank, which serves seven counties and benefits 320 social service agencies including hot meal programs for the hungry and food pantries. "We shipped 1,300 pounds of produce last Tuesday to the food bank," Irvine said. He said he expects the farm will harvest 4,000 pounds this year for the foodbank. The child gardeners, who worked 5 acres, also got to bag some crops for their families.

"We hope to be able to expand to 10 or 12 acres in the next three to five years," Sister Rosemary said. This special garden partnership program, in its fourth season, was made possible by a grant from the Akron Community Foundation, which paid for the two college interns and bus transportatioa Other children's garden partnerships involved the black St. John C.M.E. Church and the white Oakhill Presbyterian Church; the predominantly black Crouse Caring Community and the predominantly white Akron Unitarian Uni-versalist Church; and the East Akron Community House. First-time gardener Megan Svoboda, 8, told why her summer in the dirt was so valuable: "This is all organic, no chemicals you can't get sick from it.

"I'm going to tell all of my friends that even though it's fun to go to the grocery store, it's a lot of fun to grow it yourself and see the vegetables as they come fresh out of the ground." For more information about Crown Point Ecology Learning Center and its partnership programs, call 330-666-9200. Jewell Cardwcll's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Messages for her can be left at 330-996-3567. the experience with a much greater appreciation of the farmer: "Gardening lets me know how hard the farmers work and how much they help people." Six-year-old Caleb Meredith of Prince of Peace said, "Before I came out here, I thought vegetables came from the sky. Now I know they come from the ground." Bruce Perry, 7, of Westminster, wanted me to know that he really does know where dirt comes from: and compost make dirt." Feeding the soul "This has been awesome, seeing kids who might never have met each other breaking down walls," said Lisa Spaulding, program intern and a junior at Ober-lin College.

Jessica Pfeiffer, the other intern and a senior at Xavier University in Cincinnati, also marveled in the magic of the moment: "Some of these kids had never seen a deer. They got to do that." Uniontown Lake Twp. will enter cleanup negotiations Lake Township will be permitted to intervene in ongoing negotiations before a federal judge on cleaning up a closed toxic-waste dump in Uniontown. It is unclear who will represent the township in the closed-door talks on the closed Industrial Excess Landfill, said township trustee Sue Ruley. The township had for months been seeking permission to get involved in the talks before U.S.

District Judge John Manos in Cleveland. The talks involve whether the cleanup will be taken over by the polluting companies and what steps will be required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the 30-acre site. The Concerned Citizens of Lake Township would like to be involved in the talks, although that has not been authorized, said spokeswoman Chris Borello. Her citizens group would like Akron Seminary students to sing at St.

Elia's The Octet, a singing group of seminarians from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, N.Y., will sing in Akron this month at St. Elia's Orthodox Church at 64 W. Wilbeth Road. The group will sing at a vespers service at 6:30 p.m.

Friday in the church and then will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. in the church hall. The Octet is made up of American and international students. The group also will bring a traveling bookstore featuring icons and books published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press.

The event is free to the public. Demonstrators to support family battling to keep land WVIZ Prnpram srherlnleH Trial Previous conviction will add to prison time Continued from Page Dl that Zanders didn't see Denise Charley and that the witness made up the story to win early release from prison. There was no testimony on The producers sought contributions of memories through an ad in the Akron Beacon Journal, which collaborated with the station on the program. Readers such as Douglas wrote in, and were later contacted. Filming was done at the Akron Summit County Public Library.

"I wasn't nervous at all I thought I would be," said Douglas, who was interviewed for a half hour. "But I can talk. I'm a talker." Well-known residents interviewed include retired University of Akron historian George Knep-per, community activist Art Min-son and retired Akron lawyer and author Fran McGovern. The program, which cost $70,000 in production and staff time, was pulled together in two months, Neeson said. It will premier at the Senior Expo at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.

Wednesday and at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday. The program will be shown in the Knight Center's lower-level exhibition hall on a giant screea It will air on WVIZ at 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Aug. 18 and at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 22. whether Zanders saw the boy or whether he tried to scare the boy as well as the mother.

During deliberations, jurors asked for a blow-up of a State Highway Patrol map detailing the accident scene. Jurors apparently concluded there was reasonable doubt that Zanders saw and intended to scare Dustin Charley while he stood beside his mother. After the verdict, Susan Humphrey, Denise Charley's mother and Dustin's grandmother, thanked Assistant County Prosecutors Scott Rilley and John Sinn, jurors and county Victim Assistance workers. "I thank them very much for all they have done, and I'm happy we've finally found justice for one of my children," she said. "I think justice has been served, but I'm also very sorry for Mrs.

Zanders and her family. This has been the most horrifying experience to go through, and to go through it twice. to debut at Senior Expo Continued from Page Dl umentary of vintage photos and taped interviews with area residents about the Akron of long ago. The program first will be featured at the Summit Senior Expo, which runs Wednesday and Thursday at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.

The program, produced by WVIZ staffers Cynthia Albanese, Julie Henry and Mark Rosenber-ger, is part of a series about local history that has proved very popular, particularly with older viewers, said Peg Neeson, WVIZ spokeswoman. In the last two years, WVIZ has produced Cleveland Memories, followed by More Cleveland Memories, and Holy Cleveland, a feature on landmark religious congregations in the city. "We thought, 'Well, Akron's in our neighborhood, said Neeson. Outside Cuyahoga County, WVIZ gets its largest viewership from Summit County, she said. able to just walk in and take someone's land," said Anita On-dreyka, 50, of Wadsworth.

The board sued for eminent domain on June 5 after the Shaffers refused an offer of $415,000 for 42 acres next to the high school. The school district wants to build a new junior high school. Ondreyka said opponents hope the show of support convinces the school board to withdraw its suit and find another location for the school. Robert and Lou Shaffer have a home on the 63-acre lot. The piece of land the school board wants to build on now contains a cornfield and a greenhouse.

The family has owned the land since 1815. Robert, a 67-year-old retired Firestone employee, has said he intends to hand down the remaining property to his childrea To win an eminent domain case, the board must convince a judge the public's need for the land outweighs the rights of the private owners. If the ruling is in favor of the schools, the judge sets the price for the property. Wadsworth protesters upset with school district BY Kymberli hagelberg Brawn Journal sltiff wriltr Wadsworth: Supporters of a Wadsworth family hope a public protest will convince the school board to abandon its attempt to take 42 acres of farmland through eminent domain. Protesters backing the property owners, brothers Robert F.

and David Shaffer, plan to gather in Medina Public Square at 9 a.m. Monday in front of the county courthouse. The demonstration will occur an hour before Common Pleas Judge Judith Cross is scheduled to consider the Wadsworth School District's lawsuit aimed at forcing the Shaffers to sell their land. The demonstration's organizers said they have distributed more than 3,000 fliers to encourage people to stand on the square with American flags. "We're going to be there to say we don't believe they should be CfiH Friday's Buckeye 5 numbers: 11, 12, 26, 27, 33 Sales: $381,504 Friday's Pick 3 numbers: 430 Pick 3 wagers: $1,362,573.

Pick 3 payout: $471,492.50 Friday's Pick 4 numbers: 0486 Pick 4 wagers: $417,444 Pick 4 payout: $57,300 Thursday's Buckeye 5 numbers 6, 8, 13, 14, 28; no $100,000 winners Tonight's Super Lotto jackpot: $12 million 4.