The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • A1

For home delivery, call 800-777-2442 2019 GateHouse Media Business Community B1 Comics B8, 9 Deaths Editorial A9 C1 I 1 INTERIM PRESIDENT SEEKS UA CHANGES John Green says quo is not conducive to for university 1 BUCHTEL MOVES ON IN PLAYOFFS Griffins top East Dragons, will play for district title on Saturday TAT OV 1 OHIO HOUSE CLEARS NEW GAS TAXES Bipartisan vote nudges 10.7-cent increase closer to becoming state law Engaging Essential.Friday, March 8, 2019 OHIO.COM SUNDAY Partly sunny SATURDAY Partly sunny TODAY Not as cold By Jessica Wehrman and Jack Torry The Columbus Dispatch Even as he spent months exploring the possibility of running for president in 2020, Sen. Sherrod Brown insisted that the White House was not something ever dreamed about. At least for now, that remains the case. In a conference call with Ohio reporters Thursday morning, Brown, an Ohio Democrat who won a third term to the Senate last November, said he would not run for the White House next year. He made his decision after a little more than four months of consideration, following long conversations with his ultimately supportive family and trips to early voting states Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

Everywhere, he pounded his campaign slogan the dignity of work into the minds of voters and, he hopes, his fellow Democrats. But good press and a posi- tive reception still weren't enough to convince him. Instead, he'll stay in the Senate, becoming one of at least three Democrats to bow out of the race this week alone. fight best when I bring joy to the he said. find that joy fighting for Ohio in the Brown, who Hillary Clinton considered as a possible run- ning mate in 2016, rule out the possibility of serving as a running mate in 2020.

But he rule it in either, saying, just not a con- cern of mine Nor did he endorse any of the other Democrats in the race. Brown, 66, has worked in public service since 1975. He has only lost one race, in 1990 to Bob Taft for secretary of state, winning election after election even as the state grew slowly more Republican. He has been the only Ohio Democrat to hold statewide office aside from Supreme Court justices since 2011. Biden, money drive out Brown Senator vows to fight for Ohio in Senate; high-profile Democrats draw funds, attention, analysts say See BROWN, A4 By Jim Mackinnon Beacon The Akron task force charged with finding ways to improve the snow- plowing recommends that the city reopen a long-closed truck maintenance facility, possibly hire more driv- ers, better enforce parking pans, improve plow-driver training and review whether to renew a state highway plowing contract.

A i i i a Sommerville appointed the 15-person task force in the aftermath of the botched plowing follow- ing a once-a-decade storm the weekend of Jan. 19 that dumped a foot of snow and clogged streets for days. A summary of the a i a released Thursday. The task force will con- tinue to meet and will make additional recommenda- tions, said Sommerville and city council member Jeff Fusco, the task force chair. The initial recommenda- tions do not include cost estimates.

is just the first Sommerville said. like a view of what we believe needs to be Fusco said. The two council mem- bers said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has seen and fully supports the recommenda- tions. The office did not respond Thursday to a request for comment on the Flurry of ideas to aid Akron snowplowing Task force releases initial recommendations; cost estimates not included A front loader is parked next to the salt dome at the Copley Road public works facility on Thursday in Akron. See SNOW, A8 By Matthew Barakat and Stephen Braun The Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was sentenced Thursday to nearly four years in prison for tax and bank fraud a i advising Ukrainian politicians, a a was called sentencing guidelines. Manafort, sitting in a wheelchair as he deals with complications from gout, had no visible reaction as he heard the 47-month sen- tence. While that was the longest sentence to date to come from special counsel Robert probe, it could have been much worse for Manafort. Sentencing guidelines called for a 20-year term, effectively a lifetime sentence for the 69-year-old. Manafort still faces the possibility of additional time from his sentencing in a sep- arate case in the District of Columbia, where he pleaded guilty to charges related to illegal lobbying.

Before Judge T.S. Ellis III imposed the sentence, Manafort told him that I feel humiliated and ashamed would be a gross Manafort handed 47-month sentence Ex-Trump campaign boss could have gotten 20 years in prison for tax, bank fraud Manafort By Malcolm Abram Beacon a a released their first new music in five years. The song, was recorded at ist Dan Easy Eye Sound and is presumably the first teaser from a new album. The video for the song mostly shows the band's and the song's names, but it opens with a vintage screen shot advertising "23 Music Magazine," which aired on the former Akron TV station WAKR (Channel 23). The Keys are report- edly slated to perform at Woodstock 50 music festival in New York in August, sug- gesting that the Akron-born duo is returning to active status after an extended hiatus.

The its seventh album, was released in 2014 and while the band has been silent, Auerbach and drum- mer Patrick Carney, both now based in Nashville, have both been busy. A a a a solo album, on A Black Keys release first tune since 2014 Video for single includes Akron reference; duo may play at Woodstock 50 See MANAFORT, A4 See TUNE, A6.