AKRONStore robbedAKRON: An Akron convenience store was robbed Saturday evening, police said Monday.A man wearing a red mask and possibly armed with a gun entered the Convenient Food Mart, 199 Massillon Road, about 8 p.m. and demanded money from a clerk.The man took about $150 and fled, according to the police report. There were no injuries.Police say the robber is white and in his 20s. He stands about 5-feet-8 and wore a green hooded sweatshirt, gray sweat pants and white shoes.Anyone with information is asked to call Akron police at 330-375-2490. Anonymous tips may be left at http://akronohio.gov/asp/tip.html. Gun incidentAKRON: A Cleveland man was arrested after he was accused of pulling out a gun during an argument Sunday morning outside a McDonald’s restaurant.Garland Johnson, 23, was being held in the county jail on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, illegally having a weapon, inducing panic and obstructing justice.He was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Sunday after fleeing Summit County deputies outside the McDonald’s at 246 E. Exchange St.Deputies working an off-duty security detail reported that Johnson pulled out a handgun during an argument in the parking lot and tried to flee after a deputy confronted him. He was arrested after a brief chase. Suspect surrendersAKRON: An Akron man wanted on charges of robbing a 61-year-old woman of her purse in December has surrendered to police.Patrick Merritt, 39, was being held in the Summit County Jail on charges of aggravated robbery. He surrendered Monday to Akron police detectives.He is accused in the Dec. 29 robbery of a woman who told police she was mugged as she was getting into her car in a parking lot in the 1500 block of East Market Street.She told police that the man pointed a handgun at her and demanded her purse. She gave him the purse, and the robber ran north behind the business.Police on Monday said that surveillance images showing Merritt entering a local gas station shortly after the robbery were released to the media last month and helped detectives identify a suspect. Lock 3 sets recordsAKRON: The city had a record-setting year at Lock 3, with the unseasonably warm weather driving people to enjoy the downtown festivities.The number of ice skaters topped 30,300, which was a 22 percent increase over 2010 and was significantly higher than any year since the rink opened in 2004. More than 6,600 people flew down the new sled-riding hill dubbed Rocket Run, a 150-foot polymer-covered all-season slope. The total number of visitors to Lock 3 between Nov. 25 and the last Sunday in January was nearly 60,000, an increase of 30 percent from 2010, according to a city news release.Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth said the sledding hill will become a staple at Lock 3 during the winter season.The winter festivities at Lock 3 ended Jan. 29.The city is now preparing for Lock 3’s summer concert season, which will begin with the free Rock the Lock series that starts May 25. Information about upcoming events is available at www.lock3live.com. Voters pick UA adAKRON: Voters picked a TV ad featuring University of Akron research on contact lenses and nanofiber bandages as their favorite UA commercial.The favored version was shown in the Super Bowl on Sunday.UA said that 3,600 students, faculty, staff and others voted online last week to select the version they preferred of the three versions of the commercial. Each featured two different kinds of UA research.This was UA’s 14th year buying a regional ad in the Super Bowl. The commercial is part of a bigger marketing campaign.Ward 4 meetingAKRON: Ward 4 Councilman Russel Neal Jr. will have a ward meeting at 6:30 tonight at the Lawton Street Community Center, 1225 Lawton St.Neal is seeking input from residents on possible legislation that would place a time limit on roadside memorials in honor of someone who died. Some neighborhood watch leaders are pushing for a time restriction because they think the memorials become an eyesore when they are left for weeks, months or years.Information also will be provided on the Akron Electric Governmental Aggregation Program.CLEVELANDPreserve opensCLEVELAND: The 88-acre Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve was opened to the public on Monday. The preserve on Lake Erie includes a 1.3-mile loop trail. It has been designated an Important Bird Area by Audubon. It is open daily during daylight hours.The site, a one-time sediment disposal area, is managed by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.The entrance is behind the Ohio Department of Natural Resources office at 8701 Lakeshore Blvd.In the past, the preserve has been opened to the public on a limited basis.HOMER TOWNSHIPLane closedHOMER TWP.: U.S. 224 will be reduced to one lane at River Corners Road in Medina County from 8 a.m. Wednesday through 5 p.m. Friday, the Ohio Department of Transportation said.The lane will be closed for soil testing needed before a bridge project.MARLINGTON LOCALDistrict gets fundsMARLINGTON TWP: The Marlington Local School District received a check Monday for $50,929.84 from the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds.Through a paperwork error at a bank, a district account became dormant when it used an incorrect address rather than the district’s address, the state said. The money was routed to the unclaimed funds division for safekeeping.The state worked with the district to address the error so it could reclaim the money.“We plan to place the monies into our permanent improvement fund to help offset the cost of future school building repairs,” Treasurer Sandy Moeglin said.sTARK coUNTYIwo Jima luncheonNORTH CANTON:. The annual luncheon honoring the 67th anniversary of the invasion by U.S. troops of Iwo Jima will be held at the First Christian Church, 6900 Market Ave N., at noon Feb 18. Tickets cost $15. Reservation deadline is Feb. 10. Donations for door prizes are accepted. Send donation and reservation information to Jim Woofter, 1467 15 St. NW, Canton, or call 330-453-0170 or email jwoofter@neo.rr.com.SUMMIT COUNTYMLK eventCUYAHOGA FALLS: The 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship banquet will be held Feb. 18 at the Sheraton Suites on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls.The banquet is open to the public. Cost is $40.Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Cleveland, is the guest speaker. The event raises money for college scholarships given annually to children with an incarcerated parent.The banquet is sponsored by Bondage Breakers Inc., an Akron-based group that helps inmates reacclimate into society after prison. The group has helped more than 1,500 inmates in Akron since 1989. For tickets, call 330-701-0576. Bridge winnerAKRON: Archbishop Hoban High School won the 12th annual Miniature Bridge Building Competition Saturday at the University of Akron.Thirty teams from area high schools built miniature bridges out of balsa wood. The Archbishop Hoban bridge built by Dylan Starvarz, Daniel Ulinski and Eric Maynard, held 61 pounds. A team from Firestone High School — Ben Wilson, Drew Bangachon and Vince Musci — came in second and also won the Aesthetics Award.The competition is designed to encourage high school students to implement scientific and mathematical principles they have learned in the classroom. The event was sponsored by Summit County Engineer Alan Brubaker; Arcadis, Burgess & Niple; CT Consultants; Euthenics; Hammontree & Associates; Jones-Stuckey Ltd.; KCI; M-E Companies; ms consultants; Osborn Engineering; Palmer Engineering; Richland Engineering; E.L. Robinson; URS; and Hatch Mott MacDonald.