A former Akron Children’s Hospital nurse is facing felony charges of stealing potent prescription painkillers while on duty.

The Ohio Board of Nursing opened up an investigation after 33-year-old Caitlin Abramovich admitted to stealing fentanyl, an opiate painkiller that doctors say is 40 times more potent than heroin, according to reports. Fentanyl has been in the news lately because drug dealers have surreptitiously mixed it with heroin to strengthen the potency of their products — which has led to a spike in overdose deaths across the country.

Abramovich, who is free after posting a $5,000 bond, also admitted to stealing morphine and hydromorphone, which are less potent opiates but still controlled substances. She told her supervisors she took and used the hospital’s syringes as well.

Abramovich, of Copley Township, is accused of stealing the drugs from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1 by diverting unused painkillers to disposal receptacles, according to police records.

Hospital officials reported the incident to the Board of Nursing, which reported it to police on Feb. 26.

After she reportedly admitted to stealing, she was fired from her position at the hospital and her ­nursing license was suspended, according to reports.

Board of Nursing records indicate she worked with anaesthesia and first obtained her nursing license in 2004.

She’s charged with theft of drugs, a felony of the fourth degree. According to Akron Municipal Court records, Abramovich is expected in court March 25 for her next hearing.

Hospital officials said the incident showed even doctors and nurses can be victims of the opiate and heroin epidemic that’s sweeping the nation.

“The opiate abuse ­epidemic is now front and center in the national conversation,” said Lisa Aurilio, the hospital’s chief nursing officer and vice president for patient services, “and Akron Children’s is involved at the local, state and national level in finding solutions through best practices, ­advocacy and legislation.”

Aurilio said in a statement that nurses and doctors are actually more at risk of abusing drugs because of their circumstances.

“Health care workers experience a great deal of stress due to the life and death situations they experience each day on the job,” she said. “This, coupled with their access to controlled substances, puts them at greater risk for substance abuse than the average person.”

The hospital works to educate its employees in an effort to minimize the risk, she said.

“At Akron Children’s Hospital, we train our staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of substance abuse in our patients as well as in their co-workers,” she said. “When we notice behavioral changes in staff that indicate a possible substance abuse problem, such as in this case, we follow Ohio law on reporting our concerns to the appropriate professional licensing board as well as law enforcement. We also connect the employee to treatment resources.”

Several policies are in place, she said, to monitor the dispensing, documentation and disposal of unused painkillers. In addition, all staff members undergo rigorous screening for criminal convictions and drug testing prior to employment.

Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.

An online fundraiser has been established to benefit the family of a 5-year-old girl who died Monday night in a Brunswick apartment fire.

The girl’s family members identified her as Keagan Sullivan. She was the only person to die in the fire, which decimated the building she lived in at Hickory Hill Apartments. Fire investigators are working to identify what caused the fire, though they ruled out arson on Tuesday.

The Medina County Coroner’s Office has not confirmed the girl’s identity. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, which was contracted to perform an autopsy, referred questions to Medina County. However, a gofundme page set up by the girl’s family identifies her as Keagan and includes a photo of her smiling sheepishly before a birthday cake.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the fundraiser had collected more than $17,000 for family members who lost all their possessions in the fire and must pay for hospital and funeral costs.

In an interview, Keagan’s uncle Joseph Sullivan said the family was overwhelmed by the response.

“The local response has been amazing,” he said. “The fact that St. Ambrose church was packed with people and things to provide to us and everyone else was just overwhelming.”

He said his family was devastated by the news of Keagan’s death. Many members of the family are staying home from work and school to grieve.

“They have nothing. They don’t even have a place to live right now,” he said. “Everyone involved in this is going to have to pick up their lives and move on, so I don’t know how much is enough or even if there is enough.”

He said he established the fundraiser as soon as he heard the news of his niece’s death. Much of the money was donated by family members, friends, members of the military and players of online games that Sullivan enjoys.

“I’ve got 13 years in the military and a lot of brothers and sisters. I also play a lot of online video games with massive communities,” he said. “The first thing I did was reach out to all my friends and they started spreading the word. There are people who are mortal enemies in the game, and they’re stepping up to help out.”

His sister, Jordan Sullivan, is Keagan’s mother. She and Keagan’s 6-year-old sister Kye were among six people hospitalized for their injuries. Kye was released from the hospital on Wednesday, but Jordan remains in the hospital on a ventilator due to smoke and soot inhalation. Keagan’s other sister, 2-year-old Kylee, is staying with grandparents.

Sullivan said Keagan’s biological father does not live nearby. Jordan’s boyfriend, Russell Roper, lives with the family. According to social media posts, he identifies himself as stepfather to Keagan.

In addition to Keagan’s death and the six people who were hospitalized, more than 50 people were displaced from their homes in the apartment building and an adjoining structure in the complex. Several pets also died, and many nearby apartments suffered water damage from firehoses.

Sullivan said many other gofundme.com collections were set up by others ravaged by the fire. He encouraged people to donate and said he’ll meet donors in person if non-cash items wish to be given.

“If people want to donate in other ways, join gofundme and send me a message,” he said. “I can set up a time and a place for us to meet. Whatever they want to do.”

Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.

CLEVELAND: Kent State University’s board of trustees gave its nod of approval Wednesday to a smoke-free campus and adding a new sports program — women’s lacrosse.

The board also approved new room and board rates for residence halls and the establishment of a center for the study of gender and sexuality.

The board held its quarterly meeting at the Ernst & Young accounting firm in Cleveland’s Flats district. The board, which often goes on the road to push its regional campus concept, met with Cleveland and Cuyahoga County leaders for breakfast prior to a day of meetings.

Kent State President Beverly Warren and her cabinet have already begun taking steps to make Kent State a smoke- and tobacco-free campus — including e-cigarettes — by July 1, 2017.

“This is an administrative policy, but we are seeking your endorsement,” Warren told the board. “It’s in support of the university’s Healthy Campus 2020 initiative.”

Shay Little, Kent State’s interim vice president for student affairs, told the board the president’s cabinet came up with seven health-conscious priorities, but will focus primarily on the no-smoking policy.

“We see changing that culture of smoking as a key tipping point of making that healthy campus change,” Little said. “We don’t think we can promote a health-and-wellness environment across campus without doing this first.”

Little said studies show that less than one and a half percent of adult smokers begin smoking after the age of 26, so there is a great potential to target the traditional age students on campus.

The university’s current policy limits smoking and tobacco use to at least 20 feet away from buildings and bans it in university vehicles.

KSU will join other campuses across the nation taking part in Wednesday’s “1Day Stand Against Tobacco.”

The Undergraduate Student Government recently passed a resolution supporting a ban on cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, oral tobacco and hookah products.

Athletics addition

Women’s lacrosse is set to become the first addition to Kent’s sports program since 1997, when women’s golf and women’s soccer were added. KSU currently has 18 sports: 10 female and 8 male programs.

KSU Athletic Director Joel Nielsen hopes to have the lacrosse team in its first competitive season in 2018-2019.

“It’s a fast-growing sport,” he said. “We’re in a hot pocket in Northeast Ohio for both men and women.”

The program will share the university’s field hockey facility; lacrosse is played during spring and field hockey in the fall.

“I don’t have to go out and fundraise and build from scratch for them to practice and compete,” he said.

Nielsen said there are 38 teams in driving distance to compete against, including Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame. He said about $500,000 will be needed in seed money for scholarships, staffing and operations.

Other actions

The board signed off on new room and board fees starting in the fall semester for 25 residence halls that house about 6,500 students.

A change in the room rate structure simplifies the rates to provide more flexibility and less disparity. Some rates are going up and some are going down. The range includes decreasing rates by nearly $900 — or 15.21 percent — for a single apartment with less space to increasing a standard single room by $342 — or 9.81 percent. The standard double room will cost $3,380 per semester. The basic meal plan will cost $1,980 per semester, a $45 increase over last year.

The board also approved the creation of a center for the study of gender and sexuality that will be housed in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The purpose is to build on the successes of programs that have increased the recruitment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students and meet the demand for more courses.

The center will develop a multidisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in gender and sexuality studies.

Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.

The Stow bride paid wedding photographer Cory Friedman $5,500 to take pictures and shoot video at her wedding.

When Friedman abruptly closed his business last April, Kayla Taylor said she thought she might have to cancel her wedding.

Taylor, though, found someone willing to take pictures for no charge at the Sept. 12 wedding. She was in Summit County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday to attend the sentencing of her would-be photographer for failing to provide the service he promised to her and 38 other customers.

“My concern is that people get back the money he’s taken,” said Taylor, 21.

Friedman, 31, of Twinsburg, pleaded guilty Wednesday to grand theft, a fourth-degree misdemeanor that carries up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. He previously pleaded guilty, but then withdrew his plea in November, pointing to a misunderstanding about the sentencing terms of his agreement with prosecutors.

Friedman, though, stuck with his guilty plea Wednesday. Judge Tom Teodosio sentenced Friedman to two years of probation, fined him $1,000 and ordered that he pay $26,732 restitution to his clients or give them the photographs or videos he took of their weddings.

Friedman was arrested in July after a lengthy investigation into Simply Elegant Weddings, a Richfield business run by Friedman that abruptly closed in April. Police said 39 clients either gave Friedman money without receiving any services or didn’t get the photos and videos that the photographer had taken.

Friedman said he owned his photo business for 13 years and got into financial trouble because of a divorce that dragged out for two years and resulted in his bank accounts being frozen. He said he knew he was going to have to close his business, but didn’t tell prospective and current customers.

“I should have been more forthcoming with my clients,” he said. “I was in fear this would cause panic and make it worse.”

Friedman said he never intended to deceive his customers and he apologized to them.

Teodosio said Friedman ruined “a lot of what should have been pleasant memories.”

Summit County Assistant Prosecutor Pete Daly said the restitution money will be deposited into Friedman’s probation account and checks will be sent to his clients for what they are owed.

Taylor said she came to court Wednesday to make sure Friedman actually pleaded guilty. She was fearful he would back out again.

She said she wasn’t sure that she wanted him to go to jail, but just wanted to see him make good with her and his other clients.

“People, including me, lost their savings,” she said.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705 or swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @swarsmithabj and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/swarsmith.

FAIRLAWN: Ninety-three-year-old Dorothy Louise Liggett had one regret about her life.

That disappointment was transformed to joy on Wednesday afternoon when she was awarded her high school diploma as a surprise on her birthday.

“Her one regret is no longer a regret. It is a fulfilled ambition,” said Donald Huston, Liggett’s 67-year-old son, who lives in Oklahoma. “I’m really thrilled that she is finally getting the one thing she always told us she wished she had gotten. This is a special birthday gift. It gives credence to her entire life.”

Liggett’s North High School diploma was hand delivered to her home in Fairlawn by Akron Public Schools Superintendent David W. James. He was moved to makes sure Liggett received her diploma, after reading a letter from her daughter, Janice Larkin, 73, of Monument Beach, Mass.

In the letter, Larkin explained that her mother was a few weeks away from graduation in 1942, when she was expelled, after school officials discovered she was married.

“When I read the letter, and did some follow-up research, I felt terrible for the way Mrs. Liggett was treated all of those years ago and wanted to do what we could to make it up to her,” James said. “To have invested 13 years in school, to have been a good student and still not receive a diploma because of that, was simply wrong."

Liggett and her late husband, John Huston — who had graduated from North High School two years earlier and had been called into the U.S. Army Air Corps. — had run away to Kentucky to be married and discovered a few months later that they were having a baby. Their plan was to have Liggett finish high school and then join her husband wherever he was assigned, after she graduated.

That plan changed when Liggett was belittled by a gym teacher for forgetting her gym suit. When the teacher insisted Liggett go to study hall, the slighted teen blurted: “No. I’m married. I’m going home.”

The heat-of-the-moment admission ended her chance to walk across the stage with her peers. Just two months from graduation, the school acted on its policy that banned married students from attending high school.

“When we were growing up, my mother always insisted that I and my siblings finish school and go to college. She did the same thing with her grandchildren, great grandchildren and even neighborhood children. She would tell us how important education is and say that the worst thing you could do is not finish school,” Larkin said.

“She always felt that by not getting her high school diploma, she had not done what she should have,” Larkin said. “I feel responsible because she was pregnant with me when she was expelled.”

After Larkin was born, she and her mother (against the advice of relatives) rode the Greyhound Bus all over America to join her father on several military bases, where he completed pilot training. Larkin shared that she and her mother slept in some unusual places, including a library in Kansas and a converted chicken coop in Oklahoma.

In addition to mentoring children and youth, Liggett is currently near completion of a mission to read a biography or autobiography on every U.S. president and president’s wife.

Liggett received her diploma surrounded by her five children — Larkin, Huston, Diane Bailey of Uniontown, Carol Weiner of Akron, and John Huston of North Carolina — sons- and daughters-in-law, school representatives and media.

They surrounded her as they coaxed her out of her home to receive the surprise.

“What’s the one thing you never did in your life that you wish you had?” Bailey said as she walked arm-in-arm with Liggett, her mother clearly shocked to find a small crowd assembled in her driveway.

“Graduate,” Liggett replied.

“Well, you are now,” Bailey said as one of her siblings pulled a black graduation cap from a box and placed it on her head.

Superintendent James approached the tearful woman and ended 75 years of longing with a handshake and a diploma.

“I always felt bad not having this,” she said. “Even though I’m 93 years old, I still like having it.”

“While it may be an honor for Dorothy, for us it is a long overdue recognition of her achievement from her days as a student at APS,” James said. “While any day certainly would have been suitable, we feel her birthday is the perfect occasion — what better gift for a life-long learner and one who has given so much to so many?”

Staff writer Paula Schleis contributed to this article. Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.

Basketball

BOYS

Tournament 
Scoreboard

Wednesday’s Results

Toledo/Akron Division I Regional

(At University of Toledo)

Lima Senior 46, Lorain 38

Canton Division III Regional

(At Canton Memorial Fieldhouse)

Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph 58, Newton Falls 28

St. Thomas Aquinas 87, Oberlin 80 (2OT)

Scoring Summary

Canton Division III Regional

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 87,
OBERLIN 80 (2 OT)

Aquinas 14 18 18 17 8 12 — 87

Oberlin 15 18 13 21 8  5 —  80

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (19-8) — Paul 11-11-37, Newman 3-6-13, Pellegrene 3-4-10, Duplin 5-0-11, Sommers 2-1-6, Knott 2-4-8, Smith 0-2-2. Totals: 26 28-33 87.

OBERLIN (19-7) — Johnson 10-2-22, Hughley 7-4-21, Hicks 5-0-14, Payne 3-2-11, Smith 2-0-4, Robinson 1-0-3, Carter 0-2-2. Totals: 29 10-20 80.

3-point goals: Hicks 4, Paul 4, Payne 3, Hughley 3, Duplin, Sommers, Newman, Robinson, Carter. Fouls: Obe., 24-14.

Canton Division III Regional

CLE. VILLA ANGELA- ST. JOSEPH 58,
NEWTON FALLS 28

VASJ 11 22 17 8 — 58

Newton Falls 9 11  5 3 — 28

CLEVELAND VILLA ANGELA-ST. JOSEPH (21-5) — Roberts 5-0-11, Dean 5-0-14, McGarry 5-0-10, Higins 3-0-6, Stauffer 2-0-4, Newlon 1-0-3, Butler 1-0-2, Turk 2-0-4, Gaffney 2-0-4. Totals: 26 0-8 58.

NEWTON FALLS (18-8)— Walton 3-4-10, Suarez 5-0-14, Simpson 1-0-2, Ball 1-0-2, Koontz 0-0-0. Totals: 10 4-4 28.

3-point goals: Suarez 4, Dean 4, Newlon, Roberts. Fouls: 9-9.

Tournament Schedule

Thursday’s Games

Toledo/Akron Division I Regional

(At Rhodes Arena, University of Akron)

Brunswick vs. Canton McKinley, 7 p.m.

Canton Division II Regional

(At Canton Memorial Civic Center)

St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. Youngstown Ursuline, 6:15 p.m.

Cleveland Benedictine vs. Perry (Lake Co.), 8 p.m.

———

Friday’s Games

Canton Division IV Regional Final

(At Canton Memorial Fieldhouse)

Cleveland Hts. Lutheran East vs. Willoughby Cornerstone Christian, 7 p.m.

———

Saturday’s Games

Toledo/Akron Division I Regional Final

(At Rhodes Arena, University of Akron)

Brunswick-Canton McKinley winner vs. Lima Senior, 7 p.m.

Canton Division II Regional Final

(At Canton Memorial Civic Center)

St. Vincent-St. Mary-Youngstown Ursuline winner vs. Cleveland Benedictine-Perry (Lake Co.) winner, noon

Canton Division III Regional Final

(At Canton Memorial Fieldhouse)

St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 7 p.m.

GIRLS

State Tournament Schedule

(At Schottenstein Center, Ohio State)

Thursday’s Games

Division III Semifinals

Gilmour Academy (23-5) vs. Marion Pleasant (26-2), 1 p.m.

Ironton (27-0) vs. Columbus Africentric (22-5), 3 p.m.

Division II Semifinals

Columbus Eastmoor Academy (22-4) vs. Kettering Alter (26-2), 6 p.m.

Hathaway Brown (17-10) vs. Ottawa-Glandorf (25-2), 8 p.m.

———

Friday’s Games

Division IV Semifinals

Willoughby Cornerstone Christian (23-4) vs. Waterford (26-1), 1 p.m.

Fostoria St. Wendelin (25-3) vs. Jackson Center (24-4) winner, 3 p.m.

Division I Semifinals

Wadsworth (26-1) vs. Reynoldsburg (23-5), 6 p.m.

Solon (18-5) vs. Mason (25-2), 8 p.m.

———

Saturday’s Games

Division III Final

Gilmour Academy (23-5)-Marion Pleasant (26-2) winner vs. Ironton (27-0)-Columbus Africentric (22-5) winner, 10:45 a.m.

Division II Final

Columbus Eastmoor Academy (22-4)-Kettering Alter (26-2) winner vs. Hathaway Brown (17-10)-Ottawa-Glandorf (25-2), 2 p.m.

Division IV Final

Willoughby Cornerstone Christian (23-4)-Waterford (26-1) winner vs. Fostoria St. Wendelin (25-3)-Jackson Center (24-4) winner, 5:15 p.m.

Division I Final

Wadsworth (26-1)-Reynoldsburg (23-5) winner vs. Solon (18-5)-Mason (25-2) winner, 8:30 p.m.

AP All-Ohio Team

COLUMBUS (AP) — The 2015-16 Associated Press Division I All-Ohio girls basketball team, based on the recommendations of a media panel, with school, height, class and scoring average:

DIVISION I

First team: Shayna Harmon, Ashville Teays Valley, 5-foot-9, sr., 22.4 points per game; Jodi Johnson, Wadsworth, 5-11, sr., 18.1; Dee Bekelja, Solon, 5-8, jr., 17.5; Rion Thompson, Lima Senior, 5-9, sr., 26.5; Nia Staples, West Chester Lakota West, 5-9, sr., 16.4; Meche’la Cobb, New Albany, 6-0, sr., 21.0; Kierstan Bell, Canton McKinley, 6-1, fr., 21.0; Kelly Wurth, Springboro, 5-9, sr., 18.5; Taylor Mikesell, Jackson, 5-9, so., 19.3; Hannah Hess, Oregon Clay, 5-8, sr., 16.0.

Players of the year: Jodi Johnson, Wadsworth; Nia Staples, West Chester Lakota West

Coaches of the year: John Feasel, Lewis Center Olentangy; Gideon Dudgeon, Hamilton; Chip Weiss, Westlake

Second team: Kortney Eisenman, Upper Arlington, 6-3, sr., 14.4; Gina Conti, Grove City, 5-11, jr., 17.0; Kelly Meade, Lewis Center Olentangy, 5-9, sr., 16.1; Devyn Bonner, Zanesville, 5-11, sr., 18.3; Katie Cole, Sylvania Northview, 5-11, sr., 18.0; Teagan Ochaya, Mentor, 6-2, so., 17.0; Krista Johnson, Youngstown Boardman, 5-8, sr., 17.1; Michaela Barnes, Chagrin Falls Kenston, 5-6, sr.,19.6; Takyra Gilbert, Hamilton, 5-4, sr., 15.3; Lauren Van Kluenen, Mason, 6-3, sr., 13.1.

Third team: Brandie Snow, Lake, 5-8, sr., 17.5; Maddie Blyer, North Canton Hoover, 5-5, jr., 13.0; Monica Fury, Westlake, 5-9, sr.,11.0; Allie Bjorn, Avon, 5-9, sr.,11.0; Alexus Lessears, East Cleveland Shaw, 6-4, sr.,14.7; Sidney Roule, Amherst Steele, 5-10, jr., 14.7; Mariah White, Toledo Start, 5-8, jr., 13.0; Bre Hampton-Bey, Toledo Notre Dame, 5-7, jr., 15.0; Shaquille McGruder, Huber Heights Wayne, 6-2, so., 15.3; Dai’Shona Washington-Polk, GlenOak, 5-9, jr., 16.0.

Special mention: Karissa Weekley, Zanesville; Destiny Johnson, Zanesville; Holly Groff, Nordonia; Jasmine Bishop, Twinsburg; Paige Davis, Logan.

Honorable mention: Adrian Crockwell, Reynoldsburg; Alexa Fisher, Powell Olentangy; Madison Greene, Pickerington Central; Jacy Sheldon, Dublin Coffman; Bexley Wallace, Pickerington Central; Karlee Pireu, Perry; Katie Karalic, Nordonia; Lexi Manos, North Canton Hoover; Kia Allen, Warren G. Harding; Caitlin Tytler, Jackson; Sophia Fortner, Wadsworth; Marlee Profitt, Highland; Ny Brown, Wooster; Ashley Kaleel, Canfield; Shayla Middlebrooks, Elyria; Samantha Pirosko, Eastlake North; Jayla Hall, Amherst; Phoebe Sterba, Rocky River Magnificat; Nicole Heffington, Mentor; Elise Keshock, Rocky River Magnificat; Zoranne Host, Berea-Midpark; Bryce Blood, Toledo Whitmer; Haley Hess, Oregon Clay; Mariah Copeland, Toledo Notre Dame; Nadia Dumas, Toledo Start; Essence Cowan, Lima Senior; Allison McNeal, Logan; Lexi Wasan, West Chester Lakota West; Lindsey Nartker, New Carlisle Tecumseh; Sylvia Hudson, Sidney; Maddie Stuhlreyer, Cincinnati Ursuline Academy; Jailyn Mason, Mason.

SACRAMENTO: Kevin Love’s four-point play with 1:32 left sealed the Cavaliers’ 120-111 victory Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings.

Love, mired in a 4 of 27 shooting slump from 3-point range in his last seven games, delivered the corner 3-pointer while he was fouled by Darren Collison. His ensuing free throw extended the Cavs lead to 115-108 with 1:31 left.

The Cavs missed nine consecutive 3-point shots prior to Love’s make and finished the game just 13 of 44 from deep (30 percent).

Kyrie Irving scored 30 points, LeBron James had 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Love had 17 points and 10 rebounds. But it didn’t come easy.

A six-point halftime deficit swelled to 11 within the first minute of the third quarter, prompting Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to burn a timeout. The Cavs responded by holding the Kings to 36 percent shooting the rest of the quarter and forced four turnovers, turning that 11-point deficit into a five-point lead within eight minutes.

DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who shot 56 percent in the first half despite missing plenty of open looks. Cousins shot 12 of 18 at the free-throw line, while Rudy Gay had 19 points and six rebounds.

The Cavs play at the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said Thursday the Supreme Court needs to operate with its full contingent of nine justices as he signaled he will soon announce his nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

Republicans stood firm in opposition to an election-year confirmation of the president’s pick, arguing that American voters should have a say in November and citing decades of precedence. Yet, one GOP senator suggested that Republicans would be more willing to act if Obama were a Republican.

Obama did not say when, exactly, he would reveal his candidate, whom Senate Republicans have vowed to ignore.

“If and when that happens, our system’s not going to work,” Obama said during a news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Our goal is to have them be objective and be able to execute their duties in a way that gives everybody, both the winning party and the losing party in any given case, a sense that they were treated fairly.”

One GOP senator acknowledged that the Republican decision to block the nominee is, indeed, politics.

“If a conservative president’s replacing a conservative justice, there’s a little more accommodation to it,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said in a radio interview on WEKZ radio in Monroe, Wis. Johnson has stood with other Senate Republicans in opposition to moving forward with any Obama nominee to replace Scalia, who died last month.

The host asked Johnson how things would have been different if Republican Mitt Romney were president. Johnson, who is in a tight re-election race against former Democratic Sen. Russ Fein­gold, said that would be a “different situation.”

At the White House, Obama suggested his candidate’s credentials would put added pressure on the GOP. He said he’s looking for someone who “by historical standards, would not even be questioned as qualified for the court.”

A source has told the Associated Press that Obama’s top contenders include three appellate judges, each with a record of bipartisan backing and traditional judicial pedigree. They include Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; Merrick Garland, chief judge on the same court, and Judge Paul Watford of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a source familiar with the selection process who would not be named discussing the private deliberations.

D.C. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is also under consideration, although a less likely option, the source said. Judge Jane Kelly from the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has also reportedly been considered.

On Capitol Hill, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley dug in on blocking all action on an eventual nominee this year, saying Democrats are only criticizing the strategy to score political points.

Grassley, R-Iowa, said at a committee meeting Thursday that Democrats’ efforts to pressure him to change his mind will be futile. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has delivered daily speeches on the Senate floor against Grassley, sometimes attacking him personally.

One by one, Republicans on the committee defended Grassley and Democrats criticized the delay.

Republicans argued that the Constitution does not give a timeline on how long it should take to confirm a justice.

Drink in the ambience at museum’s Art & Ale beer tasting

The Akron Art Museum’s very popular Art & Ale beer tasting runs from 6 to 9 p.m. in the museum’s McDowell Lobby, 1 S. High St., You can sip craft beers, sample food from area purveyors and check out the galleries. Tickets are $50. http://akronartmuseum.org.

Dance fans have options in both Akron and Kent

• The contemporary Neos Dance Theatre melds technology and dance with Media and Movement at the Akron Civic Theatre at 8 p.m., with film effects accompanying two world premiere works. (Neos notes that the performance is rated PG-13 for suggested nudity and language.) Cost is $25 or $10 for students. Call 330-253-2488 or see www.akroncivic.com.

• Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance presents original choreography by students in WE16HTLESS — Program A at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday, and Program B at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Performances are at Erdmann-­Zucchero Black Box Theatre, 1325 Theatre Drive, Kent State University. Tickets are $18, with discounts for alumni, seniors, staff and students. 330-672-2787 or www.kent/edu/theatredance.

Playhouse Square takes ultimate voyage with ‘Star Trek’ music

If you’re the kind of person who knows the original Star Trek theme’s lyrics (“Beyond the rim of the star-light / My love is wand’ring in star-flight …”), you’ll enjoy Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage at 8 p.m. at Playhouse Square’s State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. It promises music from the shows and movies performed by a live orchestra, with footage beamed up (sorry) on a big screen. Tickets are $10-$65 at 216-241-6000, www.playhousesquare.org.

Akron police arrested a man Wednesday who allegedly hid a shooting victim’s phone and gun during an investigation into the victim’s death.

Martino Mitchell, 29, was charged with evidence tampering and obstructing official business. He’s accused of taking the belongings of 26-year-old Recardo “Ricky” Travis — who had just been shot to death — from his car and stashing them under a nearby porch. Travis was found dead in his car at about 11 p.m. on March 4 in the 1200 block of Onondago Avenue on the city’s east side, according to police.

Mitchell, who has a history of gang-related crime, is accused of retrieving the items from the porch after police left the scene.

Police continue to investigate Travis’ death. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 330-375-2490.

Mitchell and Travis each have lengthy criminal histories, according to court records. Mitchell had a conviction of involvement in the Bloodline street gang, and Travis had alleged ties to the V-Nots gang.

Travis also was one of a group of teenagers charged in 2007 with involvement in the Akron killing of 18-year-old Shawrica Lester outside the now-defunct Cage nightclub for teens.

According to witnesses and police, a shootout between the V-Not and Hilltopper rival gangs left Lester dead outside the East Market Street nightclub in January 2007. Lester was reportedly not involved with either gang, but was caught in the crossfire.

Travis was not convicted for his alleged involvement.

Travis made news again last October when he exchanged gunfire with two men in the 300 block of Robert Street. Police said he and a friend were attacked by men who opened fire, and he returned fire. Two of his friends were injured, but Travis was not.

Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.

A bicyclist advocacy group plans to host a rally in Brecksville on Saturday to raise awareness about what its members perceive as mistreatment by motorists.

“There is a culture of forgiveness for careless motorists when the opposite should be happening,” said Bike Cleveland Executive Director Jacob VanSickle. “We need to establish a culture that insists on responsibility for one’s actions.”

The rally, which is being held at 11 a.m. in Brecksville’s Town Center, comes in the wake of the acquittal last month of Timothy Wolf, who was found not guilty by a jury on two counts of vehicular homicide in Garfield Heights Municipal Court.

Wolf was accused of killing two bicyclists, Matthew Billings and Jim Lambert, in a September crash. Wolf told investigators he could not see the bicyclists because the sun’s glare temporarily blocked his vision.

The families and friends of Billings and Lambert are expected to speak at the rally, and Bike Cleveland will share bicycle safety tips with attendees.

VanSickle said motorists too often are given asylum because of generations of car culture and because the public attempts to blame bicyclists in crashes between cars and bikes.

“The value of a person is not diminished merely because they choose an alternative mode of transportation to a car,” VanSickle said. “People on bikes are valuable members of our society: mothers and fathers, friends and family.”

Voters will decide whether a Summit County councilwoman facing political corruption charges will be able to defend her seat this fall.

Despite a looming federal trial, Councilwoman Tamela Lee has remained in the Democratic primary on Tuesday.

She is being challenged by DeAndre Forney and David Hamilton for the council’s District 5 seat.

Forney, 33, of Akron, is a counselor with Urban Ounce of Prevention. Hamilton, 31, of Akron, is a former city prosecutor and an attorney.

Lee, 57, of Akron, who has been on the council since 2011, is accused of accepting small amounts of cash, packs of cigarettes and food in exchange for using her political influence to help a local family. Her trial is set for April 13 in federal court in Cleveland.

She couldn’t be reached for comment.

Lee, who has denied any wrongdoing and is being represented by a public defender, hasn’t appeared at County Council meetings since a judge barred her from having contact with county employees. The county has canceled her county-issued cellphone.

Investment company Woods Cove III of Beverly Hills also foreclosed last month on her home on Courtland Avenue in Akron.

Both Forney and Hamilton said they are disappointed that the district is not being represented now on the council. The district covers Copley Township and Fairlawn, and parts of Akron and Bath Township.

Forney, who filled in last year as an at-large Akron City Council member, said he has the experience and skill-set for the position.

“I look at government as a ministry,” Forney said. “There are many ways to help people, but for me government is a tool for me to help people.”

Forney has run unsuccessfully for the city council twice, and he also had sought an appointment to the county council in 2011 when Lee was chosen to fill an unexpired term.

Hamilton, who is making his first run at public office, wants to focus on retaining young professionals in the area and public safety, especially when it comes to vacant properties.

He said his background as an attorney would be an asset for the council.

“I want to use my law degree to help the community,” Hamilton said.

The primary winner will take on Republican John Sans of Akron in the general election.

All eight district seats are up for election this year, but there are only three contested primaries. The other contested races are:

• In District 1, longtime Councilman Nick Kostandaras Sr. of Richfield faces Rita Darrow, a former councilwoman in Macedonia in a Democratic primary. The district encompasses Macedonia, Twinsburg, Boston Heights, Northfield, Peninsula, Reminderville, Richfield, Boston Township, Northfield Center Township, Richfield Township, Sagamore Hills Township and Twinsburg Township.

The winner will face Republican Ron Koehler of Macedonia.

• In District 7, longtime Councilman Tim Crawford of Norton faces Nolan James of Akron in a Democratic primary.

There is no Republican on the ballot. The district covers Barberton, Norton, New Franklin, Clinton and parts of Coventry Township and Akron.

Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will kick off at noon Saturday in downtown Akron.

The parade, presented by the Mark Heffernan Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and city of Akron, begins on Cedar Street and moves northbound on South Main Street to Bowery Street.

This year’s parade participants include University of Akron football coach Terry Bowden, West Side Irish Pipe and Drum Band, Operation Flags of Freedom, Celtic National Ladies Drill Team, Akron RubberDucks, Miss Akron and Miss Canton, Irish step dancers and Akron Celtic Guards Hurling Club.

The day begins with a breakfast from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Ancient Order of Hibernians Mark Heffernan Division, 2000 Brown St.

The event raises money for the local hurling team, an Irish field sport (www.akronhurling.com). Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children.

The Hibernians also will host a lunch with Guinness stew and Irish bread pudding from noon to 4 p.m., with prices starting at $5; and a dinner from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

The dinner menu and cost will be announced later.

There also will be live music by the Shaffer Brothers, and Callahan and O’Connor after the parade. Tickets are $5.

Four men involved with running the Royal Buffet & Grill in the Chapel Hill area of Akron, already facing charges of harboring undocumented workers, have now been accused of cheating the federal government out of more than $3 million in income taxes.

On Wednesday, a federal grand jury in Cleveland returned the additional charges that allege conspiracy to commit tax fraud and filing false tax returns.

The indictment says that between 2003 and 2013, the owner/operators of the restaurant on Buchholzer Boulevard underreported the business’ gross receipts by $9.4 million, resulting in a loss of federal income tax of $3.2 million.

The indictment says the four men — and one other man who operated the restaurant — were involved in a conspiracy in which the majority of cash receipts were not reported to accountants hired to prepare tax returns.

“They recorded and kept detailed records of daily credit card and cash receipts; however, a majority of the cash receipts were not reported” to the accountant, the indictment says.

Last May, the four men were indicted on charges of harboring undocumented workers and paying them substandard wages. The indictment alleges that the four men housed as many as 14 undocumented workers in a small two-story home near Akron’s Chapel Hill Mall.

Some worked 11 hours, six days a week, and for that would receive less than $6 dollars an hour.

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed that the four owner/operators worked with smuggling agencies in Chicago and New York to get employees who were of Chinese and Mexican descent.

Named in the indictment last year were Chau Fang Lam, 57, Rui Xu, 28, Xin Hsu, 34, and Zhou Qiang Zou, 33. Added to the indictment this week was Yuan Lin, 24, of Fairlawn.

It is unclear whether any of the indicted men remain involved with the Royal Buffet & Grill’s ownership or operation. An employee at the restaurant Thursday evening told a reporter that she didn’t know who owned the restaurant. She said the manager was not there.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Riley.

Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com.

To Rakeem Jones, flanked on all sides by uniformed sheriff’s deputies, it was more than just the shock of being ejected from a political rally for Donald Trump. The black man felt as if he was being transported back in time.

“It’s not the America they portray on TV,” the 26-year-old said, the day after he was wrestled to the ground by officers and punched in the face during the campaign event in Fayetteville, N.C.

But to friend Ronnie Rouse, who caught the incident on video, it was “totally American.”

“This is the America everybody wants to ignore,” the music producer told the Associated Press on Thursday. “This is the America, when people tell you, ‘Oh, racism doesn’t exist.’ It’s here.”

What should we make of scenes like this Wednesday evening at Crown Coliseum?

They have become a regular thing at Trump rallies, and while security experts say Trump has every right to quash dissent at events he’s paying for, they say the Republican front-runner is playing with fire by not tamping down uncivil behavior and assault.

“I would go so far as to say that I find that abhorrent,” security consultant Stan Kephart, a former police chief in Arizona and California, said of Trump’s failure to call out his pugnacious followers. “To me, he’s pressing the line. He’s doing things that you would see a showman do.”

Jones said the man who hit him was allowed to stay, but on Thursday, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office charged 78-year-old John Franklin McGraw of Linden, N.C., with assault and disorderly conduct.

A news release from the sheriff’s office said the assault victim was being escorted out of Crown Coliseum after disrupting the rally, and deputies had their eyes on the stairs when the assault happened.

“The deputies who did not see the assault continued up the steps with the victim, who was ultimately escorted from the Coliseum,” the news release said.

McGraw was arrested Thursday after investigators reviewed a video posted on social media. Videos from the event show a man with a ponytail and cowboy hat hitting a black man being escorted from the seating area.

Sheriff Earl Butler condemned the assault and launched an internal investigation into how deputies handled the situation.

The following Akron-area FirstMerit branches are closing as part of the acquisition by Huntington, according to a legal notice:

• 210 N. Main St., Rittman.

• 832 W. Maple St., Hartville.

• 3311 Kent Road, Stow.

• 9717 State Route 14, Streetsboro.

• 9777 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg.

• 102 Main St., Wadsworth.

These Huntington branches in the region will close:

• 39 E. Market St., Akron.

• 3899-A Medina Road, Akron.

• 3630 Center Road, Brunswick.

• 965 E. Cherry St., Canal Fulton.

• 3504 Tuscarawas St. W., Canton.

• 5801 Darrow Road, Hudson.

• 1011 E. Aurora Road, Macedonia.

• 2875 State Road, Cuyahoga Falls.

• 1500 E. Market St., Kent.

• 1065 N. Court St., Suite C, Medina.

• 1340 N. Main St., North Canton.

• 4879 Portage St. NW, North Canton.

• 4086 Massillon Road, Green.

• 445 W. Milltown Road, Wooster.

— Beacon Journal staff report

WILKINSBURG, Pa.: Two gunmen working as a team fatally shot five people including a pregnant woman and critically wounded two others at a backyard cookout, with one attacker using a rifle to shoot the victims in the head as they were driven in his direction, a prosecutor said Thursday.

“The murders were planned. They were calculated, brutal,” District Attorney Stephen Zappala said of the Wednesday nighttime shootings.

The medical examiner officially ruled the death of the fetus a homicide Thursday afternoon, bringing the fatalities in the late Wednesday night ambush attack to six.

The gunmen appeared to have targeted one or two of the victims, said Zappala, who added that they hadn’t ruled out drugs as a motive.

Police said they have no suspects. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald urged witnesses to step forward, saying that “can be our first step to stopping the violence in our communities.”

“As a community, we must say enough is enough,” he said.

Four women, one of them eight months’ pregnant, and a man were killed as they rushed toward the back porch to seek cover as a gunman fired a .40-caliber pistol at as many as 15 adults who were playing cards and having a late-night cookout.

That steered the victims toward the rear porch and door of the house, where an accomplice armed with a 7.62 mm rifle similar to an AK-47 shot them from behind a chain-link fence less than 10 feet from the porch, Zappala said.

Neither weapon has been found.

The man with the rifle aimed high throughout the barrage of bullets. Four of the dead were found on the tiny back porch.

“They were all head shots,” Zappala said.

The dead included three siblings, Brittany Powell, 27, who lived at the home; Jerry Shelton, 35; and Chanetta Powell, 25. The other two were Shada Mahone, 26, and Tina Shelton, 37.

“My whole family was massacred,” said Jessica Shelton, the mother of the siblings and aunt of the other two killed.

“It doesn’t make sense to take people’s lives like that,” said Jessica Shelton, who had been at the party earlier in the evening.

Her daughter Chanetta was eight months’ pregnant, she said. And she said one of the critically wounded victims is also her son.

One of her grandchildren was at the party and saw his mother lying dead, then ran upstairs, Shelton said.

“He said he didn’t want the bad men to get him,” she said.

She said she didn’t know why anyone at the party would have been targeted.

All of the victims were hit by shots from the rifle, and none from gunfire from the pistol, which “looked like a distraction almost,” said agent Chris Taylor, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He said 49 shots were fired in total, 31 from the rifle.

All of the victims had multiple wounds.

“It looks like right now they were all fleeing toward the back door of the residence when the second gunman fired from the side of the yard,” said Lt. Andrew Schurman of the Allegheny County homicide unit. “They all seemed to get caught on the back porch.”

Carl Morris and his son, Robert, were getting ready to leave their house across the street when they heard a volley of three shots, a pause, then gunfire lasting more than a minute.

Robert Morris said he saw children run onto the small back porch and heard someone scream, “Mommy, Mommy!”

“It was terrible,” the younger Morris said.

Huntington Bank will close 107 Huntington and FirstMerit branches in five states — 20 in the Akron area alone — as part of its proposed merger.

After the closures, there will be about 1,000 branches in the bank network, said Huntington spokesman Brent Wilder.

The branch closures would likely not happen until the new year, a bank official said, as the merger still has to be approved and is expected to close in the third quarter of this year. Columbus-based Huntington is acquiring Akron-based FirstMerit in a deal worth $3.4 billion in stock and cash.

The branch closures include both Huntington and FirstMerit branches. In the five-county Akron area, the bank is proposing to close 14 Huntington branches and six FirstMerit branches. In total, 77 FirstMerit locations and 30 Huntington branches in the eight-state region will be closing in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

The bank filed its official merger applications Thursday with the Federal Reserve Bank and the Office of Comptroller of the Currency.

Huntington Bank ran a legal notice in Thursday’s Akron Beacon Journal classified section, listing the branch closures and consolidations.

The applications are not immediately available to the public. Officials with both agencies said it could take several days to a week for their employees to go through the applications and redact any confidential information. Wilder said the bank was unable to provide a copy of the filings.

Several factors were used to decide the closures, including proximity to the nearest branch, customer service and customer impact, Wilder said.

Wilder said he didn’t think the age of the branch was a primary factor.

In fact, one branch closure — the Huntington branch in Cuyahoga Falls at 2875 State Road — was just built and opened in December 2014. It is directly across the street from a FirstMerit branch, which will remain open.

The downtown Akron Huntington branch at the corner of Market and Main streets is among those being closed. Also closing is a Huntington branch in Montrose attached to a Malley’s Chocolates.

Other area closures include branches in Brunswick, Canal Fulton, Canton, Cuyahoga Falls, Hartville, Hudson, Kent, Massillon, Macedonia, Medina, North Canton, Rittman, Stow, Streetsboro, Twinsburg and Wooster.

Wilder said no Huntington branches within Giant Eagle stores were among those being closed.

Customers had mixed reactions to the news.

“I think this is crazy,” Christina Noesner Lowman wrote in a post on Facebook, saying she thought FirstMerit was closing and Huntington was taking over. “Why would they close a brand new bank [in Cuyahoga Falls] and use an old bank?”

To which, Jackie Rasile replied: “Exactly! I’ve recently changed banks to Huntington because that [Cuyahoga Falls] branch is very close to my work.”

Bank officials have said customers will have a “vast grace period,” possibly for years, when account numbers — both new and old — for both banks will be linked and accepted.

There is also some potential confusion about the downtown headquarters based on the wording in the legal notice.

The notice mentions “the main office of FirstMerit located at 106 South Main St., Akron, OH, 44308, would become a branch location of the surviving bank.”

Wilder said the notice was required to indicate the main headquarters of the combined institution will be in Columbus and not Akron.

In an interview several weeks ago, Huntington Chairman, President and Chief Executive Steve Steinour said Akron would have its own regional headquarters downtown after the deal.

Wilder said it’s too early to give details about where affected branch employees will be placed.

“We’re committing to retain the employees,” Wilder said.

Steinour has publicly stated all branch employees will have a job, though details have not been available.

Wilder said it is “likely there will be a lot of the same faces within the same general communities, but it wouldn’t be possible right now to say exactly where everyone will be working a year from now.”

When asked whether affected employees could be offered new jobs too far from their current branches to easily commute, Wilder said: “We are going to retain such a strong branch network in the broad Akron area that there are going to be very generous opportunities within our robust branch network.”

About 1,000 branches will remain open in the eight-state footprint of the new Huntington Bank.

Both banks lease and own their buildings, he said.

Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty

Basketball

BOYS

Tournament
Scoreboard

Thursday’s Results

Toledo/Akron Division I Regional

Canton McKinley 72, Brunswick 65

Canton Division II Regional

St. Vincent-St. Mary 67, Youngstown Ursuline 52

Cleveland Benedictine 67, Perry (Lake Co.) 54

Scoring Summaries

Canton Division II Regional Semifinal
ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY 67, 
YOUNGSTOWN URSULINE 52

STVM 14 14 10 29 — 67

Ursuline 9 12 14 17 — 52

ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY (24-3) — Graves 8-5-21, Wooldridge 2-0-4, King 3-0-7, Williams 3-0-6, Ivory 1-1-3, Davis 2-1-5, Baddley 7-2-16, Sampson 2-1-5. Totals: 28 10-15 67.

YOUNGSTOWN URSULINE (19-7) — Hughes 5-4-15, Harden 3-1-7, Ballard 1-0-2, Parella 8-3-22, Maserrie 2-2-6. Totals: 19 10-14 52.

3-point goals: Parella 3, Hughes, King. Fouls: Urs., 17-11. Rebounds: STVM, 23 (Baddley 9); Urs., 26 (Parella 7). Turnovers: Urs., 28-14.

Late Wednesday

Canton Division III Regional Semifinal
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 87,
OBERLIN 80 (2OT)

Aquinas 14 18 18 17 8 12— 87

Oberlin 15 18 13 21 8  5— 80

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (19-8) — Newman 3-6-13, Pellegreene 3-4-10, Sommers 2-1-6, Paul 11-11-37, Smith 0-2-2, Knott 2-4-8, Duplin 5-0-11. Totals: 26 28-33 87.

OBERLIN (19-7) — Smith 2-0-4, Payne 3-2-11, Hicks 5-0-14, Hughley 7-4-21, Carter 2-2-8, Johnson 10-2-22. Totals: 29 10-20 80.

3-point goals: Paul 4, Hicks 4, Payne 3, Hughley 3, Carter 2, Newman, Sommers, Duplin.

Tournament Schedule

Friday’s Game

Canton Division IV Regional Final

(At Canton Memorial Fieldhouse)

Cleveland Hts. Lutheran East vs. Willoughby Cornerstone Christian, 7 p.m.

———

Saturday’s Games

Toledo/Akron Division I Regional Final

(At Rhodes Arena, University of Akron)

Canton McKinley vs. Lima Senior, 7 p.m.

Canton Division II Regional Final

(At Canton Memorial Civic Center)

St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. Cleveland Benedictine, noon

Canton Division III Regional Final

(At Canton Memorial Fieldhouse)

St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 7 p.m.

GIRLS

State Tournament Results

(At Schottenstein Center, Ohio State)

Thursday’s Results

Division III Semifinals

Marion Pleasant 50, Gilmour Academy 47

Columbus Africentric 63, Ironton 34

Division II Semifinals

Kettering Alter 60, Columbus Eastmoor Academy 34

Ottawa-Glandorf 51, Hathaway Brown 40

State Tournament Schedule

Friday’s Games

Division IV Semifinals

Willoughby Cornerstone Christian (23-4) vs. Waterford (26-1), 1 p.m.

Fostoria St. Wendelin (25-3) vs. Jackson Center (24-4) , 3 p.m.

Division I Semifinals

Wadsworth (26-1) vs. Reynoldsburg (23-5), 6 p.m.

Solon (18-5) vs. Mason (25-2), 8 p.m.

———

Saturday’s Games

Division III Final

Marion Pleasant (27-2) vs. Columbus Africentric (23-5), 10:45 a.m.

Division II Final

Kettering Alter (27-2) vs. Ottawa-Glandorf (26-2), 2 p.m.

Division IV Final

Willoughby Cornerstone Christian (23-4)-Waterford (26-1) winner vs. Fostoria St. Wendelin (25-3)-Jackson Center (24-4) winner, 5:15 p.m.

Division I Final

Wadsworth (26-1)-Reynoldsburg (23-5) winner vs. Solon (18-5)-Mason (25-2) winner, 8:30 p.m.

MIAMI: Abandoning the nasty insults of past debates, Donald Trump and his Republican rivals turned Thursday night’s presidential face-off into a mostly respectful but still pointed discussion of Social Security, Islam, trade and more. Trump shook his head and declared at one point: “I can’t believe how civil it’s been up here.”

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio didn’t hesitate to lay out their differences with Trump, but the candidates largely managed to present those arguments without vitriol.

In a lengthy discussion of the threat posed by radicalized Muslims, Trump refused to back away from his recent statement that “Islam hates the West.” He said he wouldn’t stoop to being “politically correct” by avoiding such statements.

Rubio had a sharp comeback: “I’m not interested in being politically correct. I’m interested in being correct.”

The Florida senator noted the Muslims in the U.S. military and buried in Arlington National Cemetery and said the only way to solve the problem of violent extremists is to work with people in the Muslim faith who are not radicals.

Cruz bundled together his criticisms of Trump for what he called simplistic solutions on trade and on Islamic terrorists, saying, “The answer is not to simply yell, ‘China: bad, Muslim: bad.”

Trump, though, clearly was intent on projecting a less bombastic — and more presidential — image.

His closing message: “Be smart and unify.”

“We’re all in this together,” he said early on, sounding more like a conciliator than a provocateur as he strives to unify the party behind his candidacy. “We’re going to come up with solutions. We’re going to find the answer to things.”

The candidates split down the middle — Trump and Texas Sen. Cruz vs. Florida Sen. Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — on the likelihood and implications of the GOP race coming down to a brokered Republican convention this summer.

“I think I’m going to have the delegates, OK?” Trump said.

As for who has a realistic chance of winning the nomination, Trump simply wrote off Rubio and Kasich, saying, “There are two of us that can, and there are two of us that cannot, OK?”

Cruz heartily agreed with Trump on that.

Rubio countered that disappointing “delegate math” aside, he’d keep on fighting.

Kasich, for his part, said it wouldn’t be so bad to have a contested convention. He added there are plenty of primaries left so “let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Trump’s rivals, in a desperate scramble to halt his march to the nomination, gradually ramped up their criticism as the night wore on.

Rubio’s overarching message: “I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says. The problem is presidents can’t just say anything they want because it has consequences around the world.”

Cruz, eager to cement his position as the party’s last best alternative to Trump, had a string of criticisms of the GOP front-runner, too, saying flatly at one point: “His solutions don’t work.”

Trump refused to take the bait when Cruz repeatedly poked at his foreign policy positions and at one point lumped Trump with Hillary Clinton and John Kerry in supporting the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear deal.

Trump’s restrained response: “If Ted was listening, he would have heard me say something very similar” to what Cruz had said about the failings of the deal.

In a meaty discussion of Social Security, Cruz and Rubio both said they’d gradually raise the retirement age for younger workers to help stabilize the system and stave off financial disaster for the system.

Trump, in contrast, said he’d do “everything within my power not to touch Social Security, to leave it the way it is.”

Trump was questioned about whether he had set a tone at his rallies that fueled violent encounters between supporters and protesters.

“I truly hope not,” he said, but added that many of his supporters have “anger that is unbelievable” about how the country is being run and that some of protesters were “bad dudes.”