Today is June 20, 2024.

• Happy summer! The solstice arrives today at 4:50 p.m. — and it gets here in the middle of a blistering heat wave. We are currently under a Heat Advisory that started the morning after Father’s Day and continues until at least 8 p.m. Saturday. It’s going to be hot and humid again today, with a high of 91 degrees with sunshine and some clouds, and a low of 69 tonight. We could get your typical summer thunderstorm this afternoon with gusty winds and small hail, so be ready to batten down the hatches on short notice. And we’ll still be in the 90s most of the weekend before it starts to cool off a little, so we have to hang in there just a little longer.
  

• WELCOME TO THE LONGEST DAY: The arrival of summer today means this is the longest day of the year. We will get 15 hours, 8 minutes and 41 seconds of daylight today. Then starting tomorrow we go the other way for the next six months, losing daylight each day until the winter solstice, which will occur at 4:19 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. On that day, we’ll get just 9 hours, 12 minutes and 25 seconds of daylight — the shortest day of the year.
  

• THE HEAT IS ON: We’re in the midst of the first major heat wave of the year in Summit County this week, so Summit County Public Health is encouraging residents to monitor themselves and others for signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses. Go here for tips on how to stay safe in the heat.
  

• STOW COMMUNITY CENTER GRAND OPENING PUSHED BACK: The City of Stow’s Grand Opening Celebration for the new Stow Community Center at 5344 Fishcreek Rd., originally slated to take place Saturday, July 6 as part of the city’s #CelebrateStow festivities, has been postponed. Mayor John Pribonic told The Spotlight on June 14 that the city “had to push it back by a month due to supply issues. We don’t have a date yet.”
  

• STOW PUBLIC HEARING ANNOUNCEMENT: Stow City Council will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 18 in Council Chambers at Stow City Hall to discuss Ordinance No. 2024-117, “Social Gathering Venues.” City Hall is located at 3760 Darrow Rd. Go here to read the ordinance.
  

• SILVER LAKE PUBLIC HEARING ANNOUNCEMENTS: Silver Lake Village Council has scheduled two upcoming public hearings. The first will take place at 6:45 p.m. Monday, July 15 to discuss Ordinance No. 39-2024 titled “Residential District, Area, Yard and Height Regulation; Accessory Uses.” The second public hearing will be held at 6:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5 to discuss Ordinance No. 44-2024, a revision of separate chapters titled “Definitions”, “Residential District”, “Park and Recreational District” and “Industrial District.” Public hearings take place at Village Hall at 2961 Kent Rd. Go here for more information.
  

• OUTSMART THE SCAM: Summit County residents lose thousands of dollars to scams every year. Learn how you can avoid it happening to you by attending the “Outsmart the Scam” program from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 22 at Stow City Hall, located at 3760 Darrow Rd. Outsmart the Scam will feature information and demonstrations from Dr. David Licate, professor of criminal justice at the University of Akron; the Office of Elliot Kolkovich, Summit County prosecutor; the Summit County Sheriff’s Office; and more. The program will start with brief presentations and close with time for you to chat with a range of organizations that are here to serve the public. This event is free and open to the community.
  

• BIG RUMMAGE SALE IN STOW: The United Methodist Church in Stow, located at 4880 Fishcreek Rd., will hold a rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22. If you’re looking for bedding, sporting goods, toys, tools, kitchen/bath/bedroom items and a whole lot more, then you’ll want to check out this sale. There will also be lunch concessions and a bake sale. The folks at the church say that “in addition to the above items, a beloved lady in our church left us the contents of her house to our church for the sale. Everything you can think of (except heavy furniture) is included.” The sale is cash only.
  

• AND ANOTHER SALE: St. Stephen Lutheran Church at 3725 Kent Rd. in Stow will hold a craft market from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 6 in the church’s Fellowship Hall and surrounding outdoor area. The “Just Peachy Craft Market” will feature local artists, organizations and vendors, with jewelry, crafts, art and handmade items available for purchase. The timing of the market will coincide with The Peach Truck delivery from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. And it’s not too late to participate: Applications from artists and crafters will be accepted until Monday, July 1. Cost for a table space in the Fellowship Hall is $20/space, and outdoor space is $25. If interested, contact the church office at [email protected] for more information and an application. Proceeds from the table reservations will benefit St. Stephen’s Mission Support.
  

• The Spotlight has a new feature called “Reader Spotlight,” where you can send us your comments, concerns and suggestions on anything going on in our communities of Stow, Munroe Falls and Silver Lake. Send your email to [email protected], put “Reader Spotlight” in the subject line, and please include your name and town. We will publish comments as we receive them.
  

• If you just subscribed or missed something in an earlier newsletter, don’t fret: Subscribers have access to every edition of The Spotlight at www.stowmunroefalls.com. Check out back issues to catch up on everything that’s going on in our communities — you never know what you might have missed!

⭐ Several stories in this issue are only available to premium subscribers: Summer concerts in Silver Lake, library parking, first responders memorial, mosquito spraying and more local news. Full access is $2.99/month.

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Silver Lake

Eight lives remaining: Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department rescues Silver Lake cat stuck in tree for several days

A month after a kitten was rescued from the wheels of a semi truck in Portage County (see the video here), Silver Lake had its own harrowing feline rescue June 13 when the Cuyahoga Falls Fire Department saved a cat that had been trapped in a tree for three days. Channel 19 News in Cleveland first reported the story June 14.

CFFD’s Engine 5 was on the scene:

• Upon arriving, fire personnel saw that the intrepid feline was stuck about 15 feet above the ground in the tree.

• After considering safety and other factors, the decision was made to attempt a rescue — with hopes that the feline wouldn’t be spooked by the commotion and climb even higher in the tree, or become combative when grabbed.

• After placing a ladder against the tree, a firefighter — wearing gloves, of course — carefully climbed up to the cat.

• With the cat remaining in place, the firefighter was able to grab the feline without incident and safely navigate back down the ladder, delivering the cat to its overjoyed owner.

The CFFD says that animal assistance and rescues are dependent on “a risk-benefit analysis with a more stringent approach than that of the analysis conducted for human lives, in regard to the following primary factors: Do we have resources available and can we assist while maintaining the highest degree of safety for our members. … That being said, we always try to help animals and most of the time we can get the job done.”

Go here to see photos of the rescue.

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