Summit Lake Community Center has reopened this week, a full six to eight weeks ahead of previous estimates.

Summit Lake Community Center was closed for almost two weeks due to a one car hit-skip accident at the corner of Lakeshore and Kenmore boulevards that caused Akron’s transformers to fail, leaving the Community Center with no heat or electricity.

Since the accident occurred, First Energy employees and city of Akron employees have worked to find a replacement transformer to serve the Community Center. The usual lead time for purchasing a large transformer such as the one at serving the Community Center is eight to 10 weeks, but First Energy was able to find a similar sized transformer in their inventory in Cleveland.

A minority health expo this Tuesday will enable residents to get a number of free health screenings.

The Minority Health Roundtable expo takes place April 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Open M, 941 Princeton St., in Akron. Along with free admission, door prizes and health information, participants also will receive health screenings for cholesterol, blood pressure. diabetes, HIV/STDs and sickle cell, along with dental services, prostate screenings and free haircuts.

Losing weight usually means looking good. Losing weight as part of the Pound for Pound Challenge, however, means that there’s the possibility of feeling even better. For the third consecutive year, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank has partnered with "The Biggest Loser" television series and other national organizations in support of the Pound for Pound Challenge Event.

Between now and the season finale of "The Biggest Loser: Couples TV" series later this season, those that live within the eight Ohio counties covered by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank can visit the official website and pledge to lose weight. Every pound pledged during the challenge equals one pound of food (or 11 cents) donated to the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.

A strange phenomenon.  A cross appears at sunset on Easter Sunday in 2009 and again in 2010.

 My son was looking out the kitchen window on Easter Sunday 2009, and to his surprise he saw an image of a cross in our back yard.  He called me to come and look out the window.  Certain that he didn’t realize what he was viewing, in utter disbelief, shock and awe, my first reaction was to grab my camera as I rushed out the patio door and began snapping shots hoping the cross wouldn’t disappear before I finished taking its picture.  I’ve never seen anything so remarkable and neither had my family.  Not knowing what else to do I just kept shooting pictures.

Finding local, healthy and affordable food is but one of many problems facing the inner city. So to address this challenge, community gardens have sprung up so residents can use a dedicated plot of land to grow their own food.

But are urban gardens always the answer? In order for community gardens to be a success, the “community element” must be firmly in place, said Denise Ellsworth, educator for The Ohio State University Extension in Summit County.

Dewayne Wheeler is frustrated. A convicted felon who has paid his debt to society, Wheeler has fallen upon hard times, and all he really wants to do is find a job and earn an honest wage. However, he cannot find work and is homeless and depressed. Wheeler was able to vent some of his concerns to Deputy Mayor David Lieberth at a virtual town hall at the Akron-Summit County Public Library’s downtown main library on Wednesday.

A current resident at the Haven of Rest shelter, Wheeler has had problems navigating the system and said he feels alienated from the community. He said has had to panhandle and live on the street as merely a means to an end.

As a retired Akron police officer, John Bailey has seen his share of criminal activity. Much of this activity is the result of repeat offenders with tumultuous backgrounds, some stretching as far back as childhood. Now, as a part-time deputy with the Juvenile Diversion Program, Bailey spends his time working with teens that have put themselves on that same dangerous path, helping them turn their lives around.

If you walk the halls of any Akron Public School and hear the heartfelt melody of a violin, the singing of a flute or the bright burst from a trumpet, you might just be hearing one of the 200 instruments donated through the Music Alive program.

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Eva Moore grew up in a household she refers to as “dysfunctional,” where emotional and physical beatings were routine. Her sister coped with the pain by overeating and later became obese. Eva turned to drugs and alcohol instead, starting herself on a long downward spiral that continued well into adulthood.

But today, Eva is the founder of the Akron-based nonprofit Freedom House for Women and is using her experiences to help other women in the same situation.