Today is Aug. 22, 2024.

• Good morning! We’ve had a few fall-like days (and chilly nights) lately, but summer is about to return to form. Today, though, is going to be a gorgeous day to be outside: It’ll be sunny to partly cloudy and nice, with a high of 75 and low of 51. Temps will then gradually rise over the weekend, topping out at 84 on Sunday, but overnight lows next week will still drop into the high 50s — a sure sign that autumn is just around the corner.
  

• SUMMER’S ALMOST OVER: The 2024-25 school year starts Monday, Aug. 26 and Tuesday, Aug. 27 for students in the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District. Welcome back!
  

• RECYCLING BINS ARE BACK: Stow Mayor John Pribonic reports that the city’s cardboard recycling boxes are back. There are currently two bins, located at City Hall at 3760 Darrow Rd. and over by Leona Farris Lodge at 5027 Stow Rd.
  

• RECYCLING TIP FROM KIMBLE: Keep your recycling bin free of small items. For the best results, only recycle items larger than a credit card. Smaller pieces can jam Kimble’s machinery, so put small items in the trash instead.
  

• WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE SMF SCHOOLS BOND ISSUE? The Spotlight is taking the pulse of the Stow-Munroe Falls community on the upcoming $238 million, 35-year bond issue the school district is putting on the November ballot to build five new schools. If passed, the 8.89-mill bond issue would increase property taxes for owners of homes valued at $200,000 by nearly $622 annually. Send us your comments on the issue, and we will publish them as we get them in our “Reader Spotlight” feature (detailed below).
  

• “Reader Spotlight” is a forum 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 (recommended but not required for publication). 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: Megan Keleman, Citizen’s Police Academy, free zoo, connect with nature, community gardens and more local news. Full access is just $2.99/month.

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Stow

Community honors the life and mourns the tragic death of SMF alum Megan Keleman with candlelight vigil

With heavy hearts, hundreds of people turned out to honor the life of Stow resident Megan Keleman at a candlelight vigil held Aug. 18 on the front lawn of Stow City Hall.

We all know the horrific details by now. Keleman, 25, was a 2016 graduate of Stow-Munroe Falls High School. She was shot and killed in her car by Jason S. Williams, 53, of Cuyahoga Falls around 7:20 p.m. Aug. 14 in the drive-thru lane at Taco Bell on Graham Road, on the border of Stow and Cuyahoga Falls. An Aug. 15 press release from the Stow Police Department stated: “Witnesses told detectives that Williams began blowing his horn at Ms. Keleman when she pulled in front of him while entering the drive-through line. Williams then struck the rear of her car. Through the drive-thru speaker, Ms. Keleman asked the Taco Bell employees to call police. Moments later Williams exited his car and shot Ms. Keleman then [returned to his vehicle and] … used the gun to kill himself.”

Keleman died of gunshot wounds to the neck, while Williams died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office. Both were pronounced dead at the scene in what law enforcement called a murder-suicide.

The slaying has devastated our community and made headlines around the world. In addition to candle lighting, the Aug. 18 vigil at City Hall included on-site counselors who provided support for attendees, while Keleman’s pastor, Cole Tawney of Kent’s Riverwood Chapel, and other local pastors were present and offered prayers.

“As we mourn the tragic loss of one of our community members, we are reminded of the deep connections that bind us together,” Mayor John Pribonic said in a statement. “In this time of sorrow, let us come together to support one another, honor the memory of the one we have lost, and strengthen the bonds of our community. May we find comfort in unity and hope in the days ahead.”

The impact of Keleman’s tragic passing goes far beyond our community:

• Keleman was a recent graduate of Cleveland State University, completing her Master of Business Administration in May.

• Previously, she earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and financial management services at CSU.

• Keleman worked for over six years in the CSU Office of Undergraduate Admissions, was a founding member and president of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, was involved in student government, had served as president of the Panhellenic Association, and was the editor-in-chief of “The Cauldron”, CSU’s student publication.

“During her time as a student, Megan was an active leader on campus,” Laura Bloomberg, Cleveland State’s president, said in a message on the university’s website. “We send our deepest sympathies to Megan’s family, friends and loved ones. We have lost a caring, engaged and optimistic member of the CSU community. As a talented writer, Megan herself once provided advice on handling such tragic situations, and I suggest we all consider her words. ‘Happiness is forceful,’ she wrote in a 2020 article for The Cauldron. ‘Surrounding yourself with positive people is a great way to help you in challenging times because their happiness is contagious.’ Be kind to yourself and each other in the days ahead.”

Keleman worked at Shelter Care Inc. in Tallmadge, which helps homeless, runaway and at-risk youths. She also volunteered with the non-profit organization Girls on the Run, which issued this statement on Facebook:

“Our staff is heartbroken over the loss of our longtime volunteer, Megan Keleman. Megan was a resident of Stow, volunteer Girls on the Run coach in Hudson and a member of our fall 5K committee. Our council is honored to have worked with her since 2017 and our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time.”

Williams, meanwhile, was someone whom law enforcement termed as being “in crisis”:

• With no prior criminal history, Williams was arrested by Hudson police in March for OVI and a weapons charge, among several other offenses, after being pulled over for driving the wrong way on a one-way road. He later had a BAC of .199.

• Officers found an almost empty 375 mL bottle of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and a loaded Glock 30 (.45 caliber) pistol along with a loaded magazine in his car.

• As a result of those charges, Williams was indicted April 14 for improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle and operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and or drugs, according to court records.

• He was released on a $5,000 bond in May under the condition that he not possess any firearms.

The Keleman family issued this statement: “In light of the recent events, our family is enduring an immensely painful loss of Megan Elizabeth Keleman. We kindly ask for the media and the public’s understanding for our privacy during this difficult time. We appreciate the community’s support and hope that our request for privacy will be honored so we can continue to focus on supporting each other through this difficult period.”

Keleman’s funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at Riverwood Chapel.

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