AKRONFraud convictionCLEVELAND: An Akron woman was sentenced Monday to more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges related to the theft of more than $415,000 from her employer.Barbara Collins, 63, also was ordered to make restitution to her former employer, Food Equipment Manufacturing Corp. in Bedford Heights, and to Travelers Insurance and American Express.Federal prosecutors say Collins used her employer’s bank account from 2003 to 2010 to pay various personal bills, including her son’s wedding and honeymoon.She was indicted in August and later convicted in U.S. District Court in Cleveland of using her position as office manager to gain access to her company’s bank accounts. She then would use the money to pay off her own credit card bills, prosecutors said.Collins, who had no prior criminal record, received a 25-month prison term during her sentencing hearing before Judge Donald C. Nugent.Trunk showAKRON: The Akron Zoo will host a trunk show from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 inside the zoo’s Welcome Center.Zoo exhibits will not be open during the show because the zoo is operating on its winter schedule, regularly closing at 4 p.m.In addition to the zoo’s gift shop being open during the event, 20 local artists and vendors will be selling jewelry, art, photos and other items.For every $10 purchase, visitors will receive a raffle ticket for more than 20 prizes.Admission and parking will be free.A complete list of vendors attending the trunk show is available at www.akronzoo.org.Trash delayAKRON: The city will have normal trash and recycle collection today and Wednesday, but no pickups on Thanksgiving, which is Thursday.Curbside service will resume, with a one-day delay, Friday and Saturday.Free holiday mealAKRON: A free Thanksgiving meal will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at Christ Is the Answer Ministry, 379 E. South St.The church and the East South Street Neighborhood Watch are sponsors of the meal.A church service will begin at 10 a.m.CAnton schoolsPolicy changeCANTON: The Board of Education has expanded its policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying of students to staff, volunteers and visitors.Members approved the change on Monday.The new policy enumerates a list of attributes for which individuals may not be abused. The categories include an individual’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, marital status, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, linguistic preference, political beliefs, military status, citizenship, physical manifestation of allergies or other distinguishing personal characteristics.The policy also delineates procedures to be followed in response to reported abuse.CAMPAIGN TRAILSpecial electionAKRON: A special election to decide who should be Richfield’s next mayor will be held Dec. 6.The Summit County Board of Elections set the election date during its meeting Monday.Voters will pick between City Council President Bobbie Beshara and former Mayor Ralph Waszak Sr., the two top vote-getters in a five-way race in the Nov. 8 general election.Beshara led the race with 508 voters, or 33 percent of the 1,542 votes cast. Waszak totaled 467 votes, or about 30 percent.A charter amendment voters passed in 1990 requires the winner to have a majority of all votes cast, or 40 percent of the total and be at least 5 percentage points ahead of second place. If these thresholds aren’t met, a special election must be held between the two top finishers.CARROLL COUNTYLodge donatedDELLROY: The closed Atwood Lodge is getting a new owner.The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District intends to donate the lodge-meeting center to Carroll County commissioners.Details of the donation are expected to be worked out by the parties in the coming weeks.The lodge was closed in October 2010 after losing more than $1 million a year in its last two years of operation. The conservancy district lost an average of $159,000 a year on the lodge since it opened in 1965.The facility includes 104 rooms, a dining room, conference center, 17 cabins, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and two golf courses.Atwood Lake Park and two marinas remain open.The lodge had been offered to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Kent State University’s New Philadelphia branch campus. The state was not interested in the property; Kent State was interested in partnerships but not in owning the lodge.COLUMBUSBMV sites to closeCOLUMBUS: All state Bureau of Motor Vehicles deputy registrar locations will be closed Dec. 3 as the offices modernize the statewide computer system.Services also might remain limited Dec. 5.A list of deputy registrar locations and phone numbers can be found at http://bmv.ohio.gov/county_lst.stm.CUYAHOGA FALLS$1,000 raisedCUYAHOGA FALLS: A spaghetti dinner fundraiser Sunday raised about $1,000 for the children of a Cuyahoga Falls man killed in a Nov. 12 motorcycle crash.Sean T. Simmons, 44, was a U.S. Navy veteran who lived with his two boys on Norwood Street. He was killed while on his way to a memorial parade honoring fallen Ohioans from the Vietnam War.Lynn Stalder, owner of Lynn’s Bar & Grill on East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue in Akron, hosted the dinner Sunday. She said additional donations will be accepted through Thanksgiving Day.Anyone wishing to contribute should call her at 330-920-9168.highland schoolsStadium effortGRANGER TWP.: Community member Joseph Kohmann addressed the Highland school board Monday night about athletic facility needs. He asked the board to allow him to work with a group of community members to investigate the needs and potential for raising money to meet those needs.Board members and administrators agreed that the beginning steps would include fact-finding and looking into forming a stadium foundation which would funnel funds. He said that all funds would come from private individual, corporate, and foundation funding. Superintendent Catherine Aukerman stressed that no levy money would be used for the project.The district owns acreage to the south of the high school. About eight years ago, a study was done to show where future athletic fields could be placed on the property. Included in the effort could be a new stadium and tennis courts.Parking, which is currently inadequate, would need to be addressed.According to Kohmann, there is a consensus among some in the community that a new stadium is needed rather than improvements at the current stadium. Anyone interested in participating in the initial stages of the project should contact the Board of Education.In other action, board members approved an increase in costs of latchkey services beginning Jan. 1. Since there has been no increase in fees for several years, increases will be about 15 percent.The cost per day for either before or after school care would increase from $7 to $8.JACKSON TOWNSHIPBank robbedJACKSON TWP.: Authorities are looking for the man who robbed a Jackson Township bank Monday afternoon.The robber entered the U.S. Bank branch on The Strip about 1 p.m. and handed a teller a note claiming he was armed. He demanded money and fled with an unspecified amount of cash.There were no reports of injury to the teller or customers.Police and the FBI say the man appears to be Latino and in his 30s, standing about 5-feet-8, weighing about 150 pounds and possibly with a pitted complexion. He wore a blue hooded sweatshirt.Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 330-834-3960 or the FBI in Canton at 330-456-6200.