Today is Oct. 16, 2025.

• Good morning! Our run of beautiful October days is about to end — but not quite yet. Today we’ll have plenty of sun with a high of 62 and a chilly — OK, cold — low tonight of 38. And the weekend is shaping up as a nice one — until Sunday, when we’re forecast to get periods of rain that could include thunderstorms and gusty winds. But we do need the rain, so six of one …
  

• A QUICK BREAK FOR THE SPOTLIGHT: After today’s edition, The Spotlight is taking a planned hiatus as we collect ourselves for the stretch run of 2025. Our next newsletter will hit your inbox the morning of Thursday, Oct. 30 — just in time for Halloween — so our absence will be brief. To cover the gap, our calendar of events farther down this newsletter spans the next three weeks rather than the customary two, so nothing will fall through the cracks. And, of course, any news that breaks in the interim will be covered in our next edition.
  

• SILVER LAKE SERVICE DEPARTMENT JOB OPENING: The Village of Silver Lake is accepting applications to fill a full-time Service Worker II/Mechanic position in the service department. Starting pay is $29.07/hr. with benefits. Go to this page for more details and an application.
  

• SILVER LAKE SHADE TREE COMMISSION VACANCY: The Silver Lake Shade Tree Commission is looking to fill a volunteer position; applicants must be a Village of Silver Lake resident who is willing to serve a four-year term beginning in 2026. The group meets six times a year. To apply, submit a letter of interest (and outline any pertinent qualifications) to Mayor Therese Dunphy at [email protected] no later than Friday, Oct. 31.
  

• STOW POLICE DEPARTMENT OPENINGS: The City of Stow is accepting applications from qualified individuals with full- and part-time experience for the position of Lateral Transfer Police Officer. 2025 top pay is $44.22/hr.; that will increase to $45.76 in 2026 and $47.14 in 2027. The application period will remain open until all vacancies are filled. Go here for more information and an application.
  

• SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED: The City of Stow/Stow Police Department have an urgent need for school crossing guards. The position is part-time — hours are 8 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. on school days. Go to this page to apply or contact Youth Services Supervisor Kathy Christ at 330-689-5856.
  

• 2025 NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION: Polls are open Tuesday, Nov. 4 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Go to this page for more information, including early and absentee voting, or call 330-643-5200.
  

• “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: Vans Pizza, a dozen fall events, Veterans Day Breakfast, calling all Stow Swifties, and more local news. Get full access for just $2.99/month.

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Stow

Route 8 woes: Semi crash near Steels Corners causes major backup during morning commute

Any of you get caught in it? An overturned semi-truck on Route 8 southbound near Steels Corners Road in Stow backed up rush-hour traffic for about two hours the morning of Oct. 9. The crash happened just after 8 a.m., according to Stow police.

All southbound lanes of Route 8 were closed between Seasons Road and Graham Road until the highway began to reopen around 10 a.m., according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. All lanes were open again by about 10:30 a.m. There was no word on injuries or the cause of the crash.

And if you were headed the other direction, you weren’t completely off the hook that morning. At about the same time as the southbound stoppage, a crash at the Ohio Turnpike slowed the morning commute for motorists going northbound on Route 8.

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