AKRON
Grant applications
AKRON: The Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study is seeking applications from local communities interested in the second round of grants in the Connecting Communities program.
The program seeks to award funds for projects that promote livability, such as bicycle-, pedestrian- and transit-oriented initiatives.
Grants of $50,000 were awarded last year to the city of Akron/Metro Regional Transit Authority and the village of Richfield.
AMATS, which oversees transportation planning in Summit and Portage counties and Chippewa Township in Wayne County, will begin accepting applications Thursday.. The deadline for submission is Oct. 14.
For more information, go to www.amatsplanning.org or call 330-375-2436.
Zoo day for seniors
The Akron Zoo is not just for kids anymore.
The zoo is hosting Senior Safari for adults 55 and over from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
Seniors will be admitted to the zoo for a discounted price of $3, which is 50 percent less than regular senior admission. Senior caregivers will be admitted for a discounted $5.
Guests will be able to enjoy the entire zoo and information booths highlighting senior services, live entertainment and activities. They will have a chance to experience up-close encounters with animals and complimentary coffee and specialty bread, while supplies last.
More than 20 vendors will be on hand to offer information regarding services for active seniors. The band Keyed-Up Quartet will perform from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Senior Safari is sponsored by SummaCare, Summa Health Systems and Bob Evans. The Akron Zoo is ADA-accessible and provides wheelchairs free of charge and electric scooters for $25 per day. All rentals are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Moneypenny event
AKRON: Garry Moneypenny, a Ward 10 Akron City Council candidate, will have a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at New Era Restaurant, 10 Massillon Road.
Moneypenny, a former Akron councilman, is hoping to return to the seat he once held. He is unopposed in the Sept. 13 Democratic primary, but faces competition in the Nov. 8 general election.
Cost is $25.
For more information, call 330-733-9990.

Wine event
FAIRLAWN: The Akron Black Action Committee will host the 2011 Wine Sip with the Candidates at 5:30 p.m. Friday at St. Thomas Eastern Orthodox Church, 555 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road.
The event will provide a public forum for an evening of interaction with political candidates to address any questions or concerns in a relaxed setting.
The cost of the event is $35 and will include dinner and dancing.
All political candidates running for offices in the city, county and statewide elections have been invited.
For tickets or additional information, contact Judi Hill, 330-805-5550, or Daron L. Wright at 330-294-1004.

CUYAHOGA VALLEY

Station reopens
INDEPENDENCE: The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Rockside Station has reopened.
The announcement came from the railroad and the National Park Service.
The station, at the railroad’s northern terminus, had been closed since the beginning of the year for $1.1 million in improvements that included the expansion of the boarding station, adding vault toilets, improving lighting and paving the parking lot.

GRANGER TOWNSHIP

Mosquito tablets
GRANGER TWP.: The Medina County Health Department will put tablets in a swampy area near the athletic field behind the administration building that serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, the trustees reported Monday.
The tablets will kill the mosquito larvae.
In other township news, firefighters think the recent earthquake may have caused minor cracks in the fire station to become larger. They have also noticed that some of the doors are no longer shutting properly. They plan to have the building inspected.
During the earthquake, the firefighters said they could hear the water sloshing in the fire engines.

MEDINA COUNTY
Renacci meeting
WADSWORTH: U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, will hold a public meeting with constituents at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Wadsworth Church of the Nazarene, 743 High St.
The meeting will follow a traditional town hall-style format, with a question-and-answer period following a formal presentation by Renacci.
The event is free and open to the public.

Fall hiking program
MEDINA: The Medina County Park District’s Trekking Through Autumn hiking program begins Thursday.
Participants must hike at least eight designated trails before Nov. 30.
Backpacks will be awarded to first-timers; hiking pins will be awarded to veterans.
The program is free for Medina County residents. Out-of-county participants must pay $10 for backpacks and $2 for hiking pins.
Brochures are available at the Wolf Creek Environmental Center in Sharon Township, the Susan Hambley Nature Center in Brunswick and the park district offices in Lafayette Township.
For more information, call 330-722-9364 or go to www.medinacountyparks.com. Click on Programs and Activities, then on Trekking Through Autumn.

SUMMIT COUNTY
Fair housing talk
BATH TWP: The Fair Housing Advocates Association will conduct a landlord-tenant seminar on Basic Rights of Landlords & Tenants at 7 p.m. today at the Fairlawn-Bath Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 3101 Smith Road.
The seminar will cover the basic rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants when it comes to tenants who live in rental properties that are foreclosed on.
The session is for tenants, landlords and any other people interested in obtaining knowledge about the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants.
For more information, go to www.fairhousing.com or call 330-253-2450.

WADSWORTH
Electrical charges
WADSWORTH: The city has applied for an Ohio grant to install electric charging stations, according to Assistant Service Director Harry Stark.
Stark said city officials have been in discussion with state officials and should know soon whether Wadsworth receives a grant.
If the stations are installed, electric vehicles can recharge batteries at these locations.
Stark said if the grant is received, the city will probably have to provide matching funds.