Today is Aug. 5, 2022.

• Well, it’s summer in Northeast Ohio. So today is par for the course: Humid and a high of 82 degrees with an 80% chance of thunderstorms. Then down to 72 tonight before really heating up over the weekend.

• SCHOOL STARTS SOON! Stow-Munroe Falls students go back to school on the following dates: Monday, Aug. 22: Grades 1 through 5, 7, 9, and new high school students. Tuesday, Aug. 23: Grades 6, 8, and existing high school students. Monday, Aug. 29: Kindergarten.

• Many thanks to Each+Every design studio for all the hard work and expertise designing The Spotlight’s logo. They're a local company and a great group of people. And, of course, thanks again to all of you for choosing such a great name for this publication. We're proud of it and excited to be getting into the real work of local journalism.

Latest news in brief

Bzzzzz … bees force closure at Bow Wow Beach

Because of a takeover by bees, the City of Stow has closed the small-dog portion of Bow Wow Beach at Silver Springs Park until further notice. The large-dog part of the park remains open for now. We’ll let you know when the bees are gone and Fido can safely go back to the park.

• Scouts BSA Troops 270 and 7270 will hold their annual rummage sale from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 6, at the United Methodist Church at 4880 Fishcreek Rd. Donated items can be dropped off at the church from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5.

• You can do your part to help keep Stow beautiful by volunteering for Team Up 2 Clean Up Stow on Saturday, Aug. 27. Volunteers will work in small groups and be assigned an area to pick up trash on streets and sidewalks. Register at StowOhio.RecDesk.com. For more information, call 330-689-2700.

• Stop by the Stow-Munroe Falls Girls Volleyball Car Wash from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Dairy Queen at 3645 Fishcreek Rd. Donations will be accepted.

Community calendar

💸 Aug. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. – Cryptocurrency Scams with the Akron Better Business Bureau. What: The Akron BBB’s Kelly Tremaine will discuss ways people can protect themselves against scammers in the cryptocurrency market. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. Registration is required. To register, go to https://events.smfpl.org/event/8956090.

🎸 Aug. 10, 6-7:30 p.m. – Concerts on the Green. What: Free concert by Silver Creek playing classic rock, Motown, Southern rock, country and blues. Where: Stow City Center Campus, 3870 Darrow Rd.

📻 Aug. 11, 7 to 8 p.m. – History of Radio. What: Dr. Max Grubb, senior lecturer of communication at Youngstown State University, gives a presentation on the history of radio. Where: Stow-Munroe Falls Room at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, 3512 Darrow Rd. Registration is required. Register at https://events.smfpl.org/event/8980498.

🍔 Aug. 15, 6-7:30 p.m. – Cooked Up Fun! Campfire Cooking In Cast Iron. What: How-to and hands-on cooking program by professional caterer Jeff Kline. Where: Silver Springs Campground (concrete pad near site #17), 5238 Young Rd. Cost: $5.

Obituaries for Aug. 2-4

Monica J. CaineMonica J. Caine, 95, died July 31, 2022. Born in St. Mary’s, PA, she was a resident of Stow since 2015.Read more

Paul W. HalnonPaul W. Halnon, 89, died July 26, 2022. Born in Colchester, VT, he was a resident of Stow since 2014, and a U.S. Army veteran.Read more

Munroe Falls

We don’t want to be Flint

Lead in the water can be a disaster for a city. Just ask Flint, Michigan, which has seen upwards of 12,000 children sickened with lead poisoning — and possibly 12 people killed because of it — since 2014. With that tragedy in mind, Munroe Falls is embarking on an ambitious plan to map every water pipe in the city over the next year. If any lead pipes are still in use, they must be replaced by October 2024.

• The city has secured a $50,000 grant to help inventory its 1,900 service-line connections to homes and businesses.

• “We are aiming to avoid a time bomb like the problems in Flint, Michigan,” Munroe Falls Service Director Jim Bowery said.

Feature

Her son’s tragic death set Christine Moncheck on a mission to help others cope with loss

Christine Moncheck experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when her 18-year-old son Andrew was killed in an automobile crash, the victim of a drunk driver. In the eight years since, Moncheck has become heavily involved in several charity and outreach programs to help others who have suffered a tragic loss like she did.

• Moncheck works with The Magic of Life Foundation, the Friends of the Angel Committee, and founded the Akron-Cleveland chapter of Helping Parents Heal.

• “We went from planning his high school graduation party to planning his funeral in the blink of an eye,” she said.

Silver Lake

Village needs money for Veterans Tribute Garden

Donations are still needed for the Veterans Tribute Garden, which the village plans to construct to pay tribute to Silver Lake’s veterans and their families. According to Mayor Bernie Hovey, the village hopes to start construction in September and complete it in time for a Veterans Day dedication Nov. 11 — provided the money is there to do so.

• All benches have been sold, but about 400 pavers are still available. Additionally, the village needs more sponsors and general donations to hit its goal of $80,000 raised for the project.

• For questions or information about the project, contact Hovey at 330-923-5233 or email [email protected].

That’s everything for today! If you have any news tips or story ideas, please send them to me at [email protected]. When in doubt, send it. We'll probably publish it.

I also wanted to remind you that we'll be launching our paid subscription drive at some point. Hopefully sooner than later since revenue-to-date is $0. We're thinking to make the news briefs, calendar and obits free, and the news stories behind a paywall. Anyone who genuinely can't afford a subscription will be able to get one for free just by sending a quick email. (And we'll grant all such requests, no questions asked.) Pricing will likely be similar to The Portager or maybe a little less, with a monthly and annual option.

If you have any thoughts about those ideas, I would love to hear them!

Have a great weekend, and see you Tuesday!

Tom [email protected]