Andrew

Here’s what Akron is doing to prevent teen violence What to do about incidents like the one at Mason CLC, and how to keep young people safe, has been an ongoing discussion in Akron.

Some really excellent reporting, led by my colleague at Signal Akron, that highlights some of the issues -- and solutions -- for young folks in Akron following the shooting and chaos at a local elementary a couple weeks ago.

signalakron.org/heres-what-a...

Has bluesky gotten better with memes? Those and the sh*tposting are the only things keeping me tied to Twitter.

For the record, I’ve always thought it was spelled “hoes”

Akron schools superintendent accused of shouting at employees New allegations of hostile behavior toward colleagues by Akron Public Schools Superintendent Michael Robinson are being raised.

APS Superintendent Michael Robinson is accused of calling local reporters “hos” and repeatedly shouting at a high-level employee in a letter to the board.

It’s at least the third letter written to the board this year accusing Robinson of workplace misconduct.

signalakron.org/akron-superi...

I’m here at the funeral for Jazmir Tucker, the 15-year-old who was fatally shot by police on Thanksgiving night. It’s a tough scene, but the community has come out in droves to pay their final respects.

How do we get these badges Hunter? Social media verification doesn’t change the work, but it’s a nice attaboy, especially for local reporters like myself.

To be sure, Ken is a great reporter doing great work. But this advice may not be a fit for everyone. The value of a good mentor and editor can’t be understated, especially early in your career.

The other side of this is that young reporters can learn good process, reporting standards and source-building practices from working at a quality outlet.

Independent reporting can work, especially if you already have an audience that’s willing to pay, but it’s risky if you’re not established.

By the way, these are the documents his admin deemed "confidential" in a recent email to a member of the board of education. One was a presentation presented publicly the previous week.

scarlet-christabel-14.tiiny.site

Akron schools’ superintendent sent disappearing emails Akron schools’ Superintendent Michael Robinson allegedly sent self-deleting, work-related emails, potentially violating public records laws.

Akron Superintendent Michael Robinson confirmed, and defended, his admins practice of sending confidential emails that were set to self-delete.

While not technically illegal, the practice certainly violates the spirit of state sunshine laws and the public's trust.
signalakron.org/akron-school...

I asked one board member if the session went well. They said no. There's certainly some controversy around the district's leadership right now, and I'm working on some reporting to shed light on how the board is handling it. More to come.

Perhaps more interesting than the passing of the forecast was the 2+ hour executive session board members and the superintendent went into.

They said it was to discuss a personnel matter and a settlement. The superintendent did not return to the board meeting afterwards.

Where Akron Public Schools plans to reduce its budget The five-year forecast has Akron Public Schools maintaining a positive cash balance until fiscal year 2029.

Last night, the Akron Board of Education finally passed their state-mandated five-year forecast. At board member requests, it includes over $10 million in cuts for next school year and another $4.5 million in cuts over the next five years.

signalakron.org/akron-public...

SROs in Akron schools: Punching incident raises questions The partnership between police and Akron Public Schools has drawn more attention after an SRO punched a student at Firestone CLC.

Lost in the shuffle of breaking news was this extensive reporting we published at Signal Akron about the role of cops in schools.

We spoke with parents, officers, community leaders and students about the SRO program. The reporting is comprehensive and complicated.

signalakron.org/firestone-pu...

I’m always thankful and grateful to do the work. Thank you for reading.

Family of 15-year-old killed by Akron police breaks silence Hours before he was shot and killed by an Akron police officer, Jazmir Tucker spent Thanksgiving Day at his grandmother’s house.

On Thanksgiving night, Akron Police shot and killed at 15-year-old boy with an assault-style rifle. They found a loaded pistol zipped into his jacket pocket.

We have more questions than answers at this point, but have been reporting what we have as we have it.

signalakron.org/a-kind-lovin...

I’m burning it at both ends a bit lately, and definitely have not been training jiu jitsu w the frequency I’d prefer, but I’m doing work I believe in again and starting to settle into this beat. It’s good to be here.

I fell out of love with news for a while after leaving Fox. That love of the craft is returning and I’m so grateful for it. I can’t speak highly enough of what we’re trying to do at Signal Akron. It feels good to be back to the work.

I’ve been watching The Newsroom lately and it’s got me fired up to do my job.

Maybe I’m just getting more mature or more or less pretentious, but I’ve come around on some of Aaron Sorkin’s high-minded writing. It’s undoubtedly idealistic, but aren’t those ideals at the heart of what we do?

Akron Board of Education delays vote on 5-year forecast The Akron Public Schools' Board of Education did not take an anticipated vote Monday on a five-year forecast for the district.

After lengthy discussions and an hour-long executive session, the Akron Board of Education failed to vote on their five-year forecast, which is due to the state by the end of the month.

It was surprising development. Read my latest for Signal Akron here:
signalakron.org/akron-board-...

Faculty, students at University of Akron react to proposed cuts. Proposed cuts of 10 polymer professors at the University of Akron has already had a chilling effect on the well-regarded program.

Faculty and students across campus are alarmed, disheartened by the proposed merger of the flagship polymer sciences programs.

There’s much we don’t know, but more details are coming about the cuts at the University of Akron.

Read our latest at Signal Akron:

signalakron.org/its-like-cut...

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Dozens of faculty positions could be cut at University of Akron More than 30 faculty positions across eight University of Akron departments are on the chopping block; two of the departments may close.

“At this stage I don’t really care all that much about what happens to the university,” a professor whose entire department is on the chopping block said.

Read the latest details about the proposed cuts coming to the University of Akron.

signalakron.org/dozens-of-fa...

Andrew Keiper, Author at Signal Akron

Much, much more to come, but I'm excited and proud of my start on the beat. If you're incline, you can find all of my work for Signal Akron at the link below.

signalakron.org/author/akeip...

Reductions in staff, faculty coming to University of Akron Emails provided to Signal Akron show that University of Akron President RJ Nemer is beginning the process of making faculty and staff cuts.

I also broke the news about the University of Akron planning staff reductions. It's the first major shakeup by new university president RJ Nemer.

signalakron.org/university-o...

Garfield CLC staffer on leave after ‘inappropriate' social videos A Garfield Community Learning Center staffer has been placed on leave while Akron Public Schools investigates a social media video.

A local high school teacher was recently caught on Instagram Live dancing inappropriately with an allegedly underage woman. We're still short on official details, but here's my early reporting on the incident.

signalakron.org/garfield-clc...

'Serious incident' involves Firestone CLC student and Akron police In a “serious” incident at Firestone Community Learning Center, two police officers used force on and handcuffed a minor student.

Of course, my reporting wasn't only focused on the levy. I also detailed a use-of-force incident at a local high school where a uniformed cop punched a student three times in the head during an arrest. His cell phone was setting off metal detectors. (More TK soon.)

signalakron.org/akron-police...

Akron Public Schools’ Issue 27 passes: 'I'm feeling relief' - Signal Akron The Akron Public Schools levy passed early Wednesday morning with 57.7 percent of voters supporting it and more than 63,000 votes counted.

The levy passed, and I was the only local reporter present at the watch party. Here's my report from Election Day.

signalakron.org/akron-public...

Akron voters to consider Issue 27 to build new North High School Akron Public Schools are asking voters to pass Issue 27 to help fund the district and pay for a new North High School.

I wrote a comprehensive report on the levy, how the district got here, and what would happen if it did or did not pass.

signalakron.org/akron-voters...

North High School: Rusty water leaks, asbestos, old boilers North High School held an open house on Sunday — days before voters weigh in on the fate of the 93-year-old building.

A large portion of my coverage over the past few months was dedicated to the levy, Akron's first in 12 years. A major selling point of the levy was the rebuilding of a nearly 100-year-old school in disrepair. It houses a largely immigrant student body.

signalakron.org/akron-public...