Norton’s Veterans Memorial Park symbol of ‘town’s shared values’
PHOTOS BY BOB MOREHEAD | BGNN Jill Jordan Burke delivers the national anthem at the dedication of Norton’s Veterans Memorial Park. Marine Corps veteran Ken Bramen rings a bell for each Nortonite killed in military service. Retired Army Maj. Gen. Jim Hodge, a 1973 Norton High School graduate, pauses at the bronze battlefield cross monument…
Read MoreLetters from the War – Barberton Marine sacrificed life in World War II
1st Lt. Thomas Haynes Johnson was killed in action during a Marine assault on Japanese positions at Cape Gloucester, on New Britain island, in the South Pacific. Lt. Thomas Johnson wrote 82 letters home while he was on active duty in the Marines. One of Lt. Johnson’s fellow soldiers snapped this photo of him as…
Read MoreTraveling Tuskegee Airmen memorial visits Barberton
From left, Dia Thomas, Reference Librarian; Frederick Gisentaner, Security Officer; Joshua Brickner, Fiscal Officer; John Collver, Celtic Club; Jim Collver, Celtic Club President; Ann Hutchison, Library Director; and Gretchen Quinn, Reference Services Manager, at the Barberton Public Library with a traveling display honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. The banner will be at MAPS in July. BARBERTON …
Read MoreBCDC helping businesses for 40 years
PHOTOS BY HEATHER IMMLER | BGNN Board members of the nonprofit Barberton Community Development Corporation were given a tour of the warehouse space at the Seiberling Complex, 345 15th St., which houses more than a dozen businesses. BCDC celebrates 40 years of helping businesses in and around Barberton. This bulk system is used by Continental…
Read More‘We Are All Magics’ mural unveiled at BIS
Gionni Harwell, 10, poses May 24 with a section of the mural he painted at Barberton Intermediate School as part of the “We Are All Magics” project, which included working with artist Dara Harper. PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA McCUNE | BGNN Lucy Collier, third-grader, points to a butterfly she painted on the “We Are All Magics”…
Read MoreLocals look forward to ‘Superbowl of radio’
By BOB MOREHEAD BGNN senior staff writer/KA8LYJ Every summer, amateur radio operators all over the world unplug their gear, take it outside, and try to log as many contacts as they can over a 24-hour period using their own power. This year, Amateur Radio Field Day is June 28-29 and local hams are setting up…
Read MoreKatherine J. Fern, 63
Katherine J. Fern, born 12/01/1961, beloved mother, sister and friend passed away peacefully on June 22, 2025. Kathy graduated from Barberton High School in 1980. She was the epitome of kindness, the sweetest person that everyone loved. She was cherished by her son Michael (Alexis) and also survived by her brothers Jason Canada (Melissa), Dale…
Read MoreDelores J. Kenna (nee Somerick), 86
Delores J. Kenna (nee Somerick), 86, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at Summa Akron City Hospital. Delores was born on June 16, 1938 to Mary R. (Zakraysek) and Joseph A. Somerick. She was a1956 graduate of Barberton High School. She was a faithful member of St. Augustine Church…
Read MoreNorton Veterans Memorial Park to be dedicated
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY OF NORTON A rendering of Norton Veterans Memorial Park, featuring the zigzag reflection walkway, a saluting soldier silhouette, and a central hexagonal platform honoring all six branches of the U.S. military. The city will dedicate the site at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 4. Norton Historical Society plaque honoring the service…
Read MoreBarberton community honors the fallen
PHOTOS BY EMILY CANNING-DEAN | BGNN Greg Pivens, a lifetime member of VFW Post 1066, serves as guest speaker for the May 26 ceremony at the Lake Anna Military Honor Wall. Visitors to Barberton’s annual Memorial Day service included members of the American Legion and VFW Post 1066, members of the Barberton High School band…
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