AKRONTip jar stolenAKRON: An Akron man is accused of taking a tip jar from a sandwich shop during a robbery Tuesday afternoon.Kenneth A. Smith, 54, of Ray Street, was arrested at his home shortly after the robbery at the Corral Sandwich Shop on South Arlington Street. Police say they found Smith hiding in a hallway closet with the tip jar, which contained $16.11.He is accused of having two crack pipes.Smith is charged with aggravated robbery and possession of drug paraphernalia.Workers say the robber came inside the restaurant about 4 p.m. and told them he had a gun and wanted money. He grabbed the tip jar and other change and ran out. A clerk, 54, followed, but she lost sight of the man on Ray Street. Students arrestedAKRON: Two Buchtel High School students were arrested Tuesday on charges of setting fire to papers inside a bathroom trash can, prompting a schoolwide evacuation.Kyle Walker, 18, and a 15-year-old boy were charged by police with arson and inducing panic. Both are students at the Copley Road school.The two are accused of using a lighter to set fire to a paper towel and placing it in a plastic trash can about 10:45 a.m. School staff briefly evacuated the building because of the smoke.Akron firefighters and an arson investigator responded to the scene. The suspects were taken into custody about 11:30 a.m., police said.canton schoolsBullying chargeCANTON: The father of a Leh-man Middle School student who was beaten on a bus told the school board this week that the district’s new policy on bullying lacks sufficient consequences.William Daugherty of 22nd Street Northwest said his son’s assailants were suspended. Daugherty said the punishment should be more severe.“If you beat somebody up, you’re expelled, period,” he suggested. “You get no sports.”Daugherty said his son was bruised but did not seek medical treatment for his injuries. His assailants are expected to be prosecuted in Stark County Family Court.Lehman Principal Ed Rehfus said an assistant has been assigned to the bus where the assault occurred Nov. 18.He said he has also addressed supervision in the restrooms, an area Daugherty identified as a potential site for bullying.Rehfus said he occasionally supervises the restrooms personally. Some teachers supervise students who are sent in groups, he said, while others try to prevent problems by sending only two or three at a time.The school board enacted a policy on bullying, hazing and harassment on Nov. 21.HARTVILLENew sewer ratesHARTVILLE: Village Council is considering a three-year sewer rate schedule that would raise monthly residential bills by about $4.40 each year.The current monthly charge of $38.05 would rise to $42.47 on April 1, to $46.87 on April 1, 2013, and to $51.28 on April 1, 2014. The increases range from 11.6 percent the first year to 9.4 percent in the last year.Commercial and industrial users would see proportional increases in base rates.Council plans to vote on the measure Dec. 20.The additional revenue would be used to pay off debt and to finance the expansion and upgrading of the sewage treatment plant.KENTShows plannedKENT: The Kent State Planetarium will explore the skies of winter and their ties to religious and cultural observances at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Dec. 16.The free show is open to all but not recommended for children younger than 6.Seating is limited, so reservations are required; call 330-672-2246. The show will be in Room 108 of Smith Hall on the Kent campus.For additional details, visit http://planetarium.kent.edu.North cantonYMCA theftNORTH CANTON: North Canton police are investigating the theft of potentially more than $100,000 from a YMCA child-care facility.No charges have been filed. Police said a “person of interest” has been identified and interviewed.Officials at the YMCA of Central Stark County alerted police Dec. 2 “regarding their discovery of an internal theft and embezzlement,” police said in a news release Wednesday.Police say the amount of cash missing may total more than $100,000. The theft took place from August 2005 through November.According to police, the money was taken from the North Canton Child Care Center, 200 Charlotte St. NW.Police say their investigation is continuing.SUMMIT COUNTYAggregation rateAKRON: Summit County’s natural gas aggregation rate will be better than anticipated.County leaders announced they finalized a two-year deal this week with Direct Energy Services for a fixed rate of $5.393 per thousand cubic feet (mcf). Older customers receive a 10-cent discount per mcf.They had previously thought the rate would be between $5.85 and $6.The fixed rate runs from February 2012 through January 2014. The company will send letters to customers about the program.The county agreement affects residents in Bath, Boston, Copley, Coventry, Northfield Center, Richfield, Springfield and Twinsburg townships and New Franklin. People also can opt out of the deal and sign with a gas supplier of their choice.For details about the program, call Direct Energy at 866-760-6040.wadsworthCable hikesWADSWORTH: City Council has approved increases in cable television rates.Service Director Chris Easton said the rate increases are due to programming costs and not to operating costs by the city.Basic service rates will move from the present $12.80 monthly to $13.15; enhanced, $40.15 to $43.15; and digital basic, $49.70 to $53.70.The council also adopted legislation to realign the city’s wards to conform to the 2010 census.