Today is Oct. 21, 2022.

• Good morning! After several days of chilly fall air, we're warming up this weekend, starting today when it will be pleasant and milder with a high of 64 and low of 47. Then it'll be in the 70s for the next several days with no rain forecast through Monday — perfect weather to get out and enjoy the last vestiges of the fall foliage color peak.

• In this issue, we've got explanations of three issues Stow and Munroe Falls voters will see on their Nov. 8 ballots. Thanks to our paid subscribers for supporting this coverage!

Latest news in brief

Silver Lake residents, is your car taking a beating in the driveway? Help from council could be on the way

A limit on a maximum of three cars being kept in garages in Silver Lake could be scrapped. As part of a wider review of planning codes in the village, council members were asked to abolish a rule which prohibits more than three vehicles being stored in a garage.

Council members heard that the existing code dictates a garage may only have three garage doors – but when it was written, this was extended to limit the number of cars kept inside as well. Resident Joel Testa said he has to keep vehicles parked in his driveway that he wanted to store inside, exposing them to harsh weather and winter salt and defeating the attempt to monitor aesthetics in the village.

The three-door limit was imposed to keep buildings in a coordinated style. Council members agreed that the number of doors should be kept at three – but that did not mean a garage could only store three vehicles. Instead, it is proposed that a garage’s largest internal size could be linked to a proportion of the overall lot size – meaning more cars could be stored inside but the three-door limit would be maintained.

The debate is part of a review of planning codes which could also see an increase in the height of houses to 35 feet in keeping with neighboring communities. The council voted at its Monday, Oct. 17, meeting to table the motion on a new code to allow it to return to the Planning Commission for further review and amend recommendations.

More local news:

• Acker-Moore Memorial Post (3733 Fishcreek Rd.) in Stow will host the 8th Annual Stuff the Truck event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Items that will be accepted include new to gently used men's, women's and kids' clothing; canned or boxed food items; and gift cards from Acme, Giant Eagle, Meijer, Target and Visa. Cash or checks (made out to AMMP) will also be accepted. All proceeds benefit the Freedom House of Kent and local veterans. For more information, call 330-673-1608.

• Hampton Inn Stow (4331 Lakepointe Corporate Dr.) will host a Holiday Pool Party, Overnight Stay, & Breakfast With Santa weekend Dec. 3-4. The event package includes 10% off area restaurants for dinner; 8 p.m. pool party on Saturday, Dec. 3; 8-10 a.m. Breakfast With Santa on Sunday, Dec. 4; photo opportunities with Santa; and overnight accommodations at Hampton Inn Stow. Email [email protected] for more information.

• The Community Church of Stow (1567 Pilgrim Dr.) is having a spaghetti supper from 4-7 p.m. today to support the Hurricane Fund through the United Church of Christ Global H.O.P.E. Disaster Ministries program. Dinner comes with spaghetti (meatless sauce is available), salad, bread, beverage and dessert. Chef salad is also available. Cost is $9 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under. The Community Church of Stow offers its spaghetti suppers on the third Friday of each month (except December). Call 330-688-8927 for more information.

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Community calendar

⛳ Fri., Oct. 21, 6:30-9:30 p.m. & Sat., Oct. 22, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: Library Mini Golf Foundation Fundraiser. What: Play miniature golf inside the library to benefit the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library Foundation. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Rd.). Cost: $20 per person in advance and $25 at the door on the first day; $5 for ages 13 and up, $3 for ages 5-12, and attendees aged 4 and under are free on the second day. Go to www.smfpl.org/golf to purchase tickets in advance online.

🎥 Fri., Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Community Movie Night. What: The third of four Friday night movie presentations in October, featuring the showing of "Hocus Pocus." Where: TGI Fridays (4300 Lakepointe Corporate Dr.) in Stow. Admission is free.

👻 Sat., Oct. 22, 2-4 p.m.: Trunk-or-Treat. What: Event hosted by the Stow-Munroe Falls High School Drama Club featuring free candy, crafts, games, and trunk-or-treat bags. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls High School (3227 Graham Rd.). Contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.

👻 Sat., Oct. 22, 7:30-8:30 p.m.: Haunted Hearth (Stories for Adults). What: Gather around the Sancturetum fireplace and listen to scary stories told by the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library. Event is for attendees aged 18 and over. Where: Sancturetum at Stow City Center (3760 Darrow Rd.). Treats provided by Stownut Donut & Diner. Cost is $5 per person.

📚 Wed., Oct. 26-Sat., Oct. 29: Friends of the Library Book Sale. What: Four-day book sale at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Rd.). Dates/times: Oct. 26: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (Patrons’ Sale), 1-4 p.m. (Friends’ Presale), 4-8 p.m. (general public sale); Oct. 27: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (general public); Oct. 28: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (general public); Oct. 29: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (general public “Bag Day”; all books free from 2-3 p.m.).

🎆 Fri., Oct. 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Flannels, Food Trucks & Fireworks. What: Free event presented by the City of Stow Parks and Recreation Department, featuring the rescheduled Stow Summer Sunset Blast fireworks at 8 p.m. Where: Silver Springs Park (5238 Young Rd.) in Stow.

🎥 Fri., Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.: Community Movie Night. What: The last of four Friday night movie presentations in October, featuring the showing of "Monster House." Where: TGI Fridays (4300 Lakepointe Corporate Dr.) in Stow. Admission is free.

👻 Sat., Oct. 29: Trick-or-Treat: Here are the times for trick-or-treating in our communities: Munroe Falls, 5:30-7:30 p.m.; Silver Lake, 6-8 p.m.; Stow, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

👻 Mon., Oct. 31, 6-8:45 p.m.: Ghost Stories of the Civil War. What: Stow's own Paul Goebbel, a historical reenactor, dresses in 1860s garb to tell stories of first-person accounts of paranormal activity and apparitions at Civil War sites. Audience participation is encouraged. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library (3512 Darrow Rd.). Registration is required (events.smfpl.org).

Obituaries for Oct. 18-20

Evonne (Aed) HannaEvonne "Vonnie" N. (Aed) Hanna, born November 20, 1928, passed away peacefully, October 19, 2022 at the age of 93. She is preceded in death by her parents, Neff and Rose Aed and her husband, Edward Hanna.Read more

Douglass "DBear" TylaIt is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Douglass “DBear” Tyla who went home to our Lord on October 17, 2022.Read more

Dorothy L. TreptowDorothy L. Treptow was born in Milwaukee, WI, on March 7, 1932, and passed away on October 13, 2022, at 90 ½ years young, (she never considered herself “old!”)Read more

Dorothy E. (“Dotty” or “Dot”) KamisDorothy E. (“Dotty” or “Dot”) Kamis, 92, died October 13, 2022. Born in Leechburg, PA, she lived much of her life, and raised her family, in Ford City, PA, prior to moving to Stow, OH, where she resided for 27 years.Read more

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Election Preview

Issue 6: While passage of the school levy will cost taxpayers, failure will be even costlier for the district, SMF officials say

It's been 11 years since the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District put a general operating levy on the ballot. But after stretching funds as far as they could and facing record-high inflation, school officials say that passing Issue 6 is "dire" to continue operating the district's schools at their current standards.

• Voters passed a permanent improvement levy in 2016, but those funds cannot be put toward the day-to-day operating budget.

• If passed, Issue 6 will cost homeowners an additional $50 per $250,000 of property value.

• “If it does not pass, our taxpayers will see a completely different SMF Schools than they are experiencing now," Superintendent Tom Bratten said.

Election Preview

Issue 25 and Issue 26: Similar Stow initiatives differ on which city officials get their term limits extended

Stow residents voted on a term limits initiative just four years ago, but now two more will be put before them Nov. 8. Both issues seek to allow city officials to serve out someone else's term without having it count toward their own term. But there are differences.

• Passage of Issue 25, a citizens' initiative, would change the city charter so that the mayor, law director and finance director could still be elected to two four-year terms after finishing out another official's term.

• Passage of Issue 26, proposed by city council, would add language to the charter that says serving out someone else's term wouldn't count against any elected officials, including council members. So Issue 26 is more sweeping than Issue 25.

• If both issues pass, the one with the most votes is the one that will go into the charter.

Schools

SMF investigation finds that behavior, not race, was behind bus driver's decision to make students change seats

The Stow-Munroe Falls School District has completed its investigation into accusations of racial segregation on one of its buses, and the verdict is in: The driver of the bus made students switch seats based on unruly behavior, not race.

• Superintendent Tom Bratten said the district's review of the bus video showed "students standing and kneeling on seats, throwing trash out bus windows and stuffing trash into seats.”

• "Our driver took appropriate actions to assure safety," Bratten said.

Mailbox

Reader: They should just join force with stow or cuyahoga falls probably the falls since the fire department and the schools are the same

Tom: We had a ton of comments on Facebook about the Silver Lake cruiser situation. Most are just spouting off about speeding tickets and car maintenance tips. But some of them, like this, actually propose some interesting ideas. Remember you can always share your thoughts on our Facebook page or by commenting in the Mailbox below.

And that's it for another week of The Spotlight. We enjoy bringing the news of our communities to you, and we also enjoy when you bring to us — so if you hear or see anything, let us know and we'll get on it. See you Tuesday!

Tom [email protected]