This week has been wild for us, as I am sure it has been for everyone! Hopefully all of those New Years Resolutions have been off to a great start as we are now midway through January (Craziness). Love having you all here as always and hope you have a great weekend!
~The Promotional for the gift baskets will start soon! Let us know all of you favorite spots so we can make sure its filled with giftcards and goodies from all of your favorite spots!
• Shut Down of Local Nursing Home
-Fire Safety at schools!
-New Data Center Plans in Perry
-SARTA Increase Proposal
-Weekend MLK Events!
Have a great Weekend everyone! -JJ
📍 What’s happening
The Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost, on behalf of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), is seeking a court order to shut down the House of Loreto nursing home in Canton after state inspectors found widespread care failures that put residents in “real and present danger.”
📊 Inspection findings
An ODH report from Jan. 2, 2026 found serious problems, including:
Failure to provide basic care and monitor residents’ medical conditions.
Improper medication management (poor documentation, untracked blood-thinners, poorly controlled narcotics).
Unmonitored kidney issues leading to hospitalizations.
Poor wound care and lack of infection control.
No infection prevention specialist on staff.
Inadequate safeguards for residents with dementia.
As a result, inspectors concluded that 12 of the 29 residents were at serious risk and six had already suffered actual harm.
⚖️ Legal actions
The facility submitted a plan to fix these issues by Jan. 8, but authorities said it was inadequate and still out of compliance with state law. The AG’s office therefore filed for a temporary restraining order and injunction to close the home and relocate residents to other facilities in the area.
A court has ordered the nursing home to stop admitting new residents and begin relocating current ones; a further hearing on a preliminary injunction is scheduled.
📌 Background context
The House of Loreto was once run by Catholic sisters and had a long history in the community. It was sold to new owners in March 2025, after which oversight lapses and staffing issues allegedly worsened.
Fire-Safety Issues At Akron Schools!
Akron fire inspectors cited Akron Public Schools for roughly 230 fire code violations across 44 school sites in 2025, with common issues including missing ceiling tiles, appliances plugged into extension cords or surge protectors instead of wall outlets, and blocked exits. Only Forest Hill Community Learning Center passed its annual inspection on the first try. Hyre Community Learning Center and the high school side of East Community Learning Center had the most violations (16 each).
Despite the volume of citations, Akron Fire Department officials say no imminent danger exists. Any single violation-no matter how minor-triggers a failed inspection in the department’s system. As of December, 14 of 24 reinspected sites had passed, while 10 still had outstanding issues.
Superintendent Mary Outley said most violations have been corrected, estimating about 90% resolved, with remaining fixes underway. The district has tightened its response: supervisors must now physically verify corrections, leaders attend expanded monitoring meetings, and monthly briefings reinforce fire-safety awareness. Fire officials praised APS for cooperation and noted that violations are not uncommon in large, heavily used buildings.
Overall, inspectors and district leaders emphasize that annual inspections are working as intended-identifying routine hazards, ensuring follow-through, and keeping schools safe.
Plans for data center development are moving forward in Perry Township, with at least one additional site in Canton under consideration, as demand for cloud computing and AI infrastructure accelerates.
Perry Township site: Township officials confirmed that land along Faircrest Street SW, across from the Metallus plant, is expected to be used for a data center. The project sits within a Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) with Canton, splitting income tax revenue (2% to Canton, 0.5% to Perry). The buildout is expected to take several years; job counts and tax impacts remain unknown.
Why Ohio: Ohio already hosts 101 data centers with 77 more planned, largely due to land availability, transmission infrastructure, climate, and proximity to metro areas, according to a study by the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. By 2030, data centers are projected to add 37,200 jobs and $4.7 billion to Ohio’s GDP-but could also strain power grids and raise electricity prices.
Developer activity (“Project Hall of Fame”): Roughly 100 acres near Faircrest Street were purchased by Faircrest Street Holdings LLC, tied to Panattoni Development Co., with Clayco involved. Plans conditionally approved in October include four large buildings (two ~219,600 sq. ft., two ~153,900 sq. ft.), plus utility infrastructure. While submitted as a data center, Panattoni says final use is still under evaluation, with approvals required by October 2027 before construction.
Water & utilities: Canton is expected to supply water to the Perry Township site and has capacity for an additional 4–6 million gallons per day without major plant upgrades. Usage estimates and contracts are not yet finalized.
South Canton properties: Two large tracts annexed into Canton were acquired and resold to entities affiliated with DAMAC Group, which announced a $20 billion U.S. data center investment. Preliminary filings reference an “ActiveInfra DC Campus,” but no formal plans or contracts have been submitted to the city.
Community concerns: Residents across Ohio are pushing back over energy consumption and wastewater impacts; some communities have enacted moratoriums. Regional studies urge coordinated planning with utilities to balance economic gains against infrastructure stress.
Overall, multiple data center projects are in early planning and due diligence, with significant economic upside-but unresolved questions around energy, water, environmental impact, and final site use remain.
Underneath is a great article on the growth of these types of facilities and why the need for them continues to grow! ⬇️
(SARTA sales tax increase proposal)
SARTA’s board voted Jan. 14, 2026 to put a sales tax increase on the May 5 primary ballot, its first attempt to raise the tax since voters first approved countywide funding in 1997.
What’s proposed: Raise SARTA’s sales tax from 0.25% to 0.35% starting July 1.
That would move Stark County’s total sales tax from 6.5% to 6.6%.
Practical example: $1,000 in taxable purchases would go from $65 to $66 in sales tax (a $1 increase).
Money impact: SARTA says the change would generate about $8 million more per year (roughly $27 million annually total vs. about $19 million now).
Why they want it:
Replace aging buses and reduce long-term maintenance costs (they’ve been running some buses up to 800,000 miles; they want retirement closer to 400k-500k).
Restore/expand services, including bringing back more of ProLine (ride-by-appointment) that was cut due to budget reductions and layoffs.
Provide local match money to win more state/federal grants-and reduce reliance on uncertain federal funding.
Potential additions: limited Sunday service (ended in 2009) and connections along key corridors and possibly to Akron/Cleveland.
Support new pilots like D2D (Destination to Destination) rideshare in Canal Fulton ($6/ride) launching Feb. 9.
Political reality: Board members acknowledged it’s a tough ask-most voters don’t ride SARTA, so the campaign needs a clear “community benefit” message. Timing matters too: if it fails in May, future attempts could collide with broader anti-tax turnout later in 2026 or 2027.
Campaign note: A pro-levy group (“Citizens for SARTA”) has a fundraiser Jan. 22 featuring Canton Mayor William Sherer II.
More local events for the kids! :
Symphonyland Strings – A free Canton Symphony Orchestra program introducing ages 3–6 to orchestra instruments through storybooks will be held at 10 and 11 a.m. Jan. 17 at the Stark Library Plain Community Branch.
The Wilderness Center programs – The The Wilderness Center is hosting a free Guided Hike and Creature Feature on Jan. 17.
Stark Parks activities – Stark Parks will offer Beginner Bee School (Jan. 24) at Sippo Lake Park and Youth Archery for ages 10–17 on Jan. 22 at the park’s Exploration Gateway.
These events offer a mix of creativity, music, outdoor exploration, and hands-on learning for kids and families across the area.
-An indoor farmers market will run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Canton Museum of Art (1001 Market Ave. N.). The free event features local food vendors, health and wellness products, free soup and bread samples, recycled arts and crafts demos, free seeds, balloon art, and kids’ activities.
The market will continue on the third Saturday of each month: Feb. 21, March 21, April 18, and May 16.
Greater Akron organizations are hosting a full weekend of events to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., with programming running from Jan. 17-19, leading up to Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 19.
Key events include the annual Power, Love Justice Weekend, featuring:
An MLK Female Youth Symposium (Jan. 17) at Buchtel Community Learning Center, focused on empowering young women ages 12-24.
An MLK Male Summit (Jan. 17) for young men ages 11-17 at the Akron Urban League.
A Gospel Concert (Jan. 17) at The Faith Place, featuring the Chicago Mass Choir.
On Jan. 18, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day Coalition will host its long-running annual program at First Congregational Church of Akron UCC, with a keynote from Vincent Peterson, remarks from Shammas Malik, and community performances. That same day, Akron-Summit County Public Library will host a free lecture by Jelani Cobb.
On MLK Day (Jan. 19), events include a community breakfast hosted by the Akron Urban League, a Day of Doing volunteer effort, and free or special programming at venues such as the Akron Zoo, Akron Art Museum, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the Cleveland Botanical Garden.
Together, the events focus on reflection, education, service, and community engagement in honor of Dr. King’s legacy.
With an awesome weekend ahead of us, definitely want to make sure everyone keeps in mind the awesome events that are in store for everyone! As always, any recommendations for guides are much appreciated and hope everyone has an amazing weekend!