The same suspect who police say robbed an Akron hospital employee is believed to be involved in two robberies in one day.

The Akron Police Department reports the first robbery took place on Tuesday morning at about 6:30 a.m., when an Akron General Medical Center employee was robbed by an armed suspect in a parking lot.

The victim tells police the suspect handed over his wallet and cash before they jumped into their getaway car.

Police describe the vehicle as a silver, four door car, with tinted windows.

At 1 p.m., police believe the suspect involved in the first incident joined a second suspect to rob two 17-year old males in the parking lot of Chapel Hill Mall. Police say they made off with a $40 watch.

Akron police descriptions of the suspects are vague.

Ohio's jelly and jam company is now officially the proud owner of a coffee brand.

J.M. Smucker Company announced on Wednesday that it has successfully aquired the majority of Sara Lee's coffee brand.

Press Release:

The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of a majority of the North American foodservice coffee and hot beverage business of Sara Lee Corporation ("Sara Lee") in an all cash transaction.  The Company previously announced the agreement with Sara Lee on October 24, 2011.

The acquisition includes Sara Lee's market-leading liquid coffee concentrate business sold under the licensed Douwe Egberts® brand, along with a variety of roast and ground coffee, cappuccino, tea, and cocoa products, sold through foodservice channels in North America.  In addition, the companies entered into a long-term innovation partnership to collaborate on liquid coffee technology for the foodservice market.

"We are pleased to complete this transaction which adds the market-leading liquid coffee concentrate business to the Smucker portfolio," said Richard Smucker, Chief Executive Officer.  "The transaction further strengthens our position as a leading North American coffee company, provides new coffee technologies, and adds significant scale to our foodservice business.  We are excited to welcome the nearly 475 new employees into the Smucker family."

A Cuyahoga Falls woman faces felony charges after confessing that she had sex with a teen.

Michelle A. Cooper, 24, was arrested on charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a Monday after she confessed to police to having sexual contact with a 16-year old teenage boy from Alliance.

The Canton Repository reports the boy is related to Cooper.

She first told police she was raped by the boy last week, but then later told police the encounter was no mistake.

Cooper was also charged with misdemeanor falsification.

On the web: CantonRep.com

The Akron area could see up to three additional inches of snow Tuesday morning. Temperatures are holding steady in the low 20s.

The Lake Effect Snow Warning expires at 12 p.m. Tuesday.

Still, the wind could blow fallen flurries with gusting winds up to 25 miles per hour.

Full Forecast Details:

MEDINA-SUMMIT-PORTAGE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MEDINA...AKRON...RAVENNA
400 AM EST TUE JAN 3 2012

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST
TODAY...

* ACCUMULATIONS....ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS TODAY WILL AVERAGE 1
  TO 3 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS.

* TIMING...SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES THIS MORNING ALONG
  WITH SOME BLOWING SNOW. THE SNOW SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF DURING
  THE AFTERNOON.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH.

* IMPACTS...SOME DRIFTING OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN OPEN AREAS.

* TEMPERATURES...16 TO 20.

* VISIBILITIES...UNDER A MILE IN THE HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND POOR VISIBILITY. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

A Canton man tells police he accidently shot himself on Monday.

Police tell News Channel 5 that Leonte Williams, 25, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after he suffered a gunshot wound to his chest. His condition is not known.

The shooting happened at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at a house in the 1300 block of Gibbs Avenue.

Previous Coverage:

Police Searching For Canton Shooting Suspect

Canton police are investigating a morning shooting, where an adult victim suffered a gunshot wound to his chest.

Police detectives tell News Channel 5 the shooting took place at 10:30 a.m. Monday, at a house in the 1300 block of Gibbs Avenue.

The search for a the suspect is ongoing as police are also working to obtain more details from the victim.

Follow AkronNewsNow.com for details as information becomes available.

Residents in Cuyahoga Falls will shell out more for their water bills.

Starting this month, water rates rise by 15 percent. This is the second rate increase during the past two years.

City Service Director Valerie Wax Carr tells the Falls News Press that the Falls rates are still the lowest in Summit County.

Carr says the city needs to improve its "aging infrastructure" as she noted 70 percent of the city's water lines are more than 50 years old.

The rate hike is a move toward an EPA recommendation of water rates to fall in line with 1.3 to 3.1 percent of a median household income. Still, Carr tells the newspaper that with the 2012 increase, the city is still well below the recommended rate range.

The Cuyahoga Falls water system also services residents in Silver Lake, Munroe Falls and some residents in Stow. Customers in Silver Lake and Munore Falls will not only pay the additional 15-percent, but they also must pay an additional 20-percent under a new contract.

On the web: FallsNewsPress.com

Akron Snow and Ice crews are prepared to salt and clear the roads as bands of lake effect snow drop inches of heavy white stuff Monday.

A Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect for counties including Summit, Portage and Medina.

Click here for details on the storm from the Weather Channel.

Akron Public Works Manager Paul Barnett says he's considering bumping up the number of plows on the streets from 32 to 51 units, depending on the forecasts he usually depends on.

"If only one of the three indicates that we're going to get some lake effect, we'll probably keep it around 32," he said.

Keeping the main streets and highways clear is the first priority, but the ice is also weighing heavily on the battle plan.

Akron Snow And Ice Ready for Storm by WAKR Lindsay McCoy

"What we're worried about it getting a layer of ice on the roadway itself," he said.

"We go through a lot of salt in blowing storm like this with the temperatures the way they are. Getting that off, it really, really difficult once it forms."

Side streets will see treatment if the snowfall totals reach at least four to six inches. Otherwise, Barnett says keeping the main roads clear will come first.

It's starting to look a lot like winter in the Akron area.

The National Weather Service has issued a Lake Effect Snow Warning, which lasts through Tuesday at 12 p.m.

"We're going to see the lake effect snow, we're going to see significant snow bands start to set up late today and tonight especially," Michael Palmer said, Weather Channel meteorologist.

Lake Effect Snow Warning: Weather Channel Update by WAKR Lindsay McCoy

Three to five inches of snow is expected, with additional accumulation possible Palmer said.

Click here for your extended forecast.

"With those winds gusting 30-40 miles per hour and the bands of heavier lake effect snow developing, that's going to whip around the snow and reduce visibility," he said.

Palmer suggests taking it slow while behind the wheel, as the roads could become slick through Tuesday.

After the snow moves through, a warming trend may help melt it away bringing highs into the 40s by the end of the week. 

More Ohio workers will notice the bump in minimum wages earned than in any other state this year.

Those earning a minimum wage in the state, will see an additional 30 cents bringing the hourly wage to $7.70.

The National Employment Law Project is a non-profit organization that anaylzes the impact on minimum wage workers in the United States. The latest research from the organization shows that close to 347,000 low-wage workers will benefit from this increase.

What does this mean for paychecks? An added $624 each year in wages on average.

Press Release:

Washington, DC – On January 1^st, Ohio’s minimum wage will increase 30 cents to $7.70 an hour, raising wages for 347,000 low-wage workers in the state. Ohio’s minimum wage increase means an extra $624 per year in wages for a full-time minimum wage worker. The increase is the result of a state constitutional amendment approved by Ohio voters in 2006 that provides for annual rate adjustments that keep pace with the rising cost of living. Ohio is joined by seven states— Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Vermont—that will also raise state minimum wage rates on New Year’s Day, boosting wages for more than 1.4 million workers nationwide. More Ohio workers will be directly affected by this increase than in any of the other states seeing a boost this week.

The increased consumer spending generated by the raises will lead to an additional $366 million in GDP and create the equivalent of more than 3,000 full-time jobs, according to an analysisby the Economic Policy Institute released locally by Policy Matters Ohio. While weak consumer demand is holding back business expansion, raising the minimum wage puts more money in the pockets of low-wage workers who have little choice but to spend that money immediately on goods and services. 

The National Employment Law Project hailed the upcoming increases for spurring recovery for families and the economy and called on Congress to follow suit.“These minimum wage increases represent bright spots on an otherwise bleak economic horizon,” said Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project.  “Workers’ buying power is the secret weapon in the fight to get our economy back on track.  Ohio is taking action to protect that critical buying power. Congress should follow Ohio’s example to realize these benefits for the national economy.” 

An estimated 291,000 workers in Ohio will be directly impacted as the new minimum wage rate will exceed their current hourly pay, and 56,000 more will see a raise as pay scales are adjusted upward to reflect the new minimum wage, according to an analysis of government data by the Economic Policy Institute. Seventy-three percent of these low-wage workers are over age 20; 71 percent work 20 hours per week or more. [See chartfor complete demographic breakdown.]

Strengthening the buying power of low-wage workers is especially critical in the current economic climate.  A recent NELP studyfinds that the majority of new jobs created in the wake of the recession are in low- and mid-wage occupations.  And while the share of the workforce comprised of low-paid workers is growing, the wages for this group are declining: workers in lower-wage occupations (with median wages under $13.52) have seen a 2.3 percent decline in real wages since the recession began. The proliferation of lower-wage jobs in the economy means the impact of the minimum wage will be even greater in setting wage scales for growing industries in which millions of workers will spend their careers.  Wages and salaries are now the lowest share of GDP since 1955, while corporate profits are the largest share of GDP since 1950.

“The increase in the minimum wage will help Ohio’s lowest wage workers have a bit more in their pockets, which will in turn boost Ohio’s struggling economy,” said Amy Hanauer, executive director of Policy Matters Ohio, which released the EPI analysis in Ohio. “Although it’s a modest change, this small boost is in the right direction for Ohio workers, Ohio communities and the Ohio economy.”

Eighteen states plus the District of Columbia have minimum wage rates above the federal level of $7.25 per hour, which is just over $15,000 per year for a full-time minimum wage earner.  Unlike the federal rate – which loses value every year it is not increased by an act of Congress – 10 states increase their minimum wage rates annually to ensure that real wages for the lowest-paid workers do not fall even further behind: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Nevada indexes its minimum wage in July; Missouri announced that the state minimum wage remains below the federal minimum wage, and that the federal rate will continue to apply this year.

A large body of research shows that raising the minimum wage effectively boosts low-wage workers’ incomes without reducing the number of low-wage jobs or hours.  A groundbreaking 1994 studyby David Card and Alan Krueger, who now heads President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, found that an increase in New Jersey’s minimum wage did not reduce employment among fast-food restaurants.  These findings have been confirmed by 15 years of economic research, including a 2010 study, published in the Review of Economics and Statistics, which found that minimum wage increases did not cost jobs.  Another recent study, published in April 2011 in the journal Industrial Relations found that even during times of high unemployment, minimum wage increases did not lead to job loss.

The following data reflect the impact of the 30 cent increase in the Ohio minimum wage to $7.70 an hour on January 1, 2012. Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey data.

Estimated total number of Ohio workers affected by increase: 347,000

Directly affected workers: 291,000

Indirectly affected workers:  56,000

Percentage of total Ohio workers: 7.2%

Characteristics of those Affected by Increase

Percentage over age 20 years of age: 72.9%

Percentage working 20 hours per week or more: 71.4%

White: 83.5%

Black: 9.6%

Hispanic:  3.3%

Asian: 3.5%

The table below lists the following: states with increases; amount of increase; the new wage on January 1, 2012 wage; and increase in annual earnings for a full-time worker:

Arizona $0.30; $7.65; $624

Colorado, $0.28; $7.64; $582

Florida, $0.36; $7.67; $749

Montana, $0.30, $7.65; $624

Ohio, $0.30; $7.70; $624

Oregon, $0.30; $8.80; $624

Washington, $0.37; $9.04; $770

Vermont, $0.31; $8.46; $645

Policy Matters Ohio is a non-profit, non-partisan policy research institute dedicated to a more prosperous, equitable, sustainable and inclusive Ohio, online at policymattersohio.org.

The National Employment Law Project is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts research and advocates on issues affecting low-wage and unemployed workers, online at nelp