These are the top selling homes in Summit County in the most recent report available from the Summit County Fiscal Office. The home linked here in Richfield Township was the top seller for week of Sept. 6, 2022, with a price of $1,900,000.

Here are top selling properties that week. The complete real estate transactions for Summit, Portage, Stark, Medina and Wayne counties can be found below.

Find more real estate data on our Data Central page: Summit County Real Estate Market Report

SUMMIT COUNTY

Akron City

Barberton City

Bath Township

Copley Township

Coventry Township

Cuyahoga Falls City

Fairlawn City

Green City

Hudson City

Lakemore Village

Macedonia City

Munroe Falls City

New Franklin City

Northfield Center Township

Northfield Village

Norton City

Reminderville Village

Richfield Township

Sagamore Hills Township

Silver Lake Village

Springfield Township

Stow City

Tallmadge City

Twinsburg City

Twinsburg Township

PORTAGE

Aurora City

Brimfield Township

Deerfield Township

Franklin Township

Kent City

Mantua Township

Mantua Village

Nelson Township

Randolph Township

Ravenna City

Ravenna Township

Rootstown Township

Shalersville Township

Streetsboro City

Suffield Township

Windham Township

Windham Village

STARK COUNTY

Alliance

Bethlehem Township

Canal Fulton

Canton

Canton Township

Jackson Township

Lake Township

Lawrence Township

Lexington Township

Louisville

Marlboro Township

Massillon

Nimishillen Township

North Canton

Osnaburg Township

Paris Township

Perry Township

Plain Township

Sandy Township

Sugarcreek Township

Tuscarawas Township

MEDINA COUNTY

Wadsworth

Brunswick

Chippewa Lake

Hinckley

Lodi

Medina

Seville

Spencer

Valley City

WAYNE COUNTY

Doylestown

Fredericksburg

Orrville

Rittman

Nicole made landfall in Florida at 4 a.m. Atlantic Time Thursday as a category 1 hurricane in the vicinity of Vero Beach, Florida.

Since then, Nicole has weakened to a tropical storm as it moved to position northeast of Tampa. The continued weakening of the system is expected as it remains over land. Tropical storm force winds are still expected to impact portions of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina into Thursday night. Heavy rain totaling 50 to 100 mm may fall in the central Appalachians and eastern areas of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. New England could also see totals of 25 to 100 mm out of the rain.

The remnants of Nicole will combine with a weather front to produce a rainy and windy Saturday for the Maritimes.

RELATED STORIES

The highest wind on Saturday will be mostly out of the south for the Maritimes, with the exception of northern New Brunswick which will be a more easterly wind. Widespread gusts of 40 to 60 km/h should be expected through the day. Peak gusts could reach 60 to 80 km/h on the Bay of Fundy and eastern coastline of New Brunswick, Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island. Due to the topography of the highlands, northern Inverness County Cape Breton will likely hit some gusts near or in excess of 100 km/h. The wind falls into a range that would be expected out of an autumn storm.

Some extra caution may be warranted as there could be some trees/branches and infrastructure more vulnerable due to previous damage from Fiona. Any easily wind-blown objects/furniture should be secured. I wouldn’t expect widespread power outages from a system such as this, but there will probably be some scattered across the region. Watch for impacts to ferry services and possible traffic restrictions on bridges/causeways.

It’s a good slug of fall rain for the region. A widespread 20 to 40 mm with some totals that could climb into a range of 40 to 70 mm. The higher rainfall amounts look most likely in New Brunswick and western P.E.I. Can’t rule out some higher totals in Digby, Yarmouth and Inverness counties of Nova Scotia as well. Given that the rain will have a tropical component, be aware that higher rainfall rates and downpours are possible. It would be a good idea to check that drainage is free and clear of any fall debris to help with water runoff.

There will be minimal risk of coastal flooding or storm surge with this system. Be careful on the coasts around high tides on the Bay of Fundy and Acadian coastlines of New Brunswick and the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia on Saturday due to increased wave action and onshore wind. Any vessels operating in marine areas should check a detailed marine forecast as a strong wind and increased wave heights will be present.

As of Thursday, a tropical cyclone information statement, outlining a combination of the weather front and post-tropical Nicole, remains in effect by the Canadian Hurricane Centre for the Maritimes. An additional special weather statement is in place for both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. That statement not only advises that some higher winds gusts may be present but that those areas are under higher risk of seeing heavier rain. I’ll have an update on our CTV Atlantic News programming at 5, 6, and 11:30 p.m.

This year, Inverness prepares for an exciting Independence Day celebration, as the city’s annual event will feature national country music performer Eddie Montgomery, in addition to fireworks, games and food.

Steve Schurdell, managing partner of local radio stations including Citrus 95.3, Fox Classic Hits 96.7, Greatest Hits 106.3 and Nature Coast Country, said the live music will be a landmark event for the county.

“The city of Inverness always does quality events, but to our knowledge this will be the largest free music event with an artist of this caliber in Citrus county history,” Schurdell said.

The event will be held July 3, with live entertainment beginning at 5:30 p.m. and fireworks launching at 9:30 p.m. Montgomery, of Montgomery Gentry fame, will perform at 7:15 p.m. following the Bearded Brothers.

Schurdell also felt the addition of such known talent at the celebration could open the door for future large artists to perform in the county as well.

“With the closing of Rock Crusher Canyon and Pavilion as an event venue, there is an absolute need for a place to host live music events here in Citrus County,” Schurdell stated, “The city of Inverness has done an outstanding job in the development of the Depot District, which along with Liberty Park provides an exceptional setting for outside music events.”

In addition to live music, the festival will host a variety of family games. The train station will have ping pong, patio pong, corn hole, Jenga and Connect Four all located under the Depot Pavilion.

There will be lots of food available as well, with a variety of nonprofit and church vendors set to be present at the celebration. The train station will be serving beer and hot dogs in the pavilion, with specialty hotdogs and ice cream available inside the train station.

To ensure safety of participants in the event, coolers, tents, personal fireworks and outside food or alcohol will be prohibited. It’s recommended to bring cash as well, since there are no ATMs on the site.

“The city of Inverness and our Citrus County Sheriff’s Office has a priority for not only everyone to enjoy themselves, but for the city to be a safe environment,” said Betty Pleacher, assistant director of Inverness parks and recreation.

The family’s roots are in the circus in Switzerland, and today, from their base in Ocala, the Gassers train their horses – Lipizzaner stallions, Spanish Andalusians, Friesians, Arabian, and quarter horses – to perform at the highest level of dressage.

The International Equestrian Federation defines “dressage” as “the highest expression of horse training,” in which “horse and rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements.”

You can see the Gassers’ horses hit their mark on Father’s Day, June 19, at 3 p.m. when “The Gala of the Royal Horses” show comes to the VanNess Arena of the Citrus County Fairgrounds, 3600 S. Florida Ave., Inverness.

As Sidney Gasser explains it, his father, René Gasser, is bringing a show to this area that’s previously been seen at noteworthy riding schools in Vienna and Spain. For the past 12 years, René has been touring in Australia and elsewhere abroad with such shows as “Lipizzaners With the Stars,” “Equestra,” and “The Horseman From Snowy River.”

“The Gala of the Royal Horses” will be touring North America.

But the Gassers are no strangers to North America. Sidney, who is the family’s show manager, said they’ve toured every state except for Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. During the pandemic, they’ve mostly performed in Florida, but recently have expanded to Georgia and Alabama.

Nine horses perform in the show and when the family travels, 15 horses go on the road.

Sidney said one highlight of the show is when his sister, Gigi, Roman-rides a pair of horses, with one foot on each horse.

The performers also will demonstrate the difference between dressage and Western riding.

And the riders and horses will perform “The Airs Above the Ground,” a series of dressage movements in which the horses leave the ground, and “The Art of Garrocha,” in which a rider wields a long pole in a series of maneuvers requiring precision and balance from both the rider and horse.

Sidney said when the show tours, the horses ride in semis and the crew in RVs. They’ll take along bales of hay and bags of grain and resupply as needed. The horses will stay in barns at fairgrounds or large equestrian centers.

The Gasser family also includes Sidney’s mom, Barbara, who is the business manager. Sidney’s sister, Katharina, gives lessons at Peninsula Farms in Ocala. Information about the lessons, as well as about the show and horses, is at www.galaoftheroyalhorses.com. The family also has a Facebook page that can be found by searching for “Gala of the Royal Horses.”

Tickets for the June 19 performance are at www.etix.com. For $55 (or $27.50 for children ages 4-12), visitors can buy VIP seats, which include a post-show “meet and greet.” Adult seats are $45, seniors (age 60 and older) are $35, and children’s seats are $20. As a Father’s Day special, if a visitor buys two adult tickets, a third is free.

For more information about the show, call 361-332-6305.

Editor's Note: According to additional information from the Levy County Property Appraiser’s office, Steve and Justin Lamb paid $3.127 million for the property in 2018. The story has been updated to reflect that.

A Chinese-based biological research company purchased 1,400 acres for $5.5 million in July with hopes to build a primate quarantine and breeding facility, according to Levy County officials and records.

JOINN Laboratories bought the property from L & T Cattle & Timber LLC, which is owned by Steven and Justin Lamb, longtime Citrus County businessmen. The Lambs purchased the 1,400-acre tract of land at 6870 SE County Road 326 in 2018 for $3.127 million, records show.

Pre-purchase, JOINN Laboratories, its attorney and the Realtor marketing the property made contact with the Levy County Planning and Zoning Department for a primate quarantine and breeding facility, said Stacey Hectus, the county’s planning and zoning director. Levy County permits research laboratories in its industrial zoning only, Hectus told the Chronicle. The parcel that JOINN Laboratories purchased has a Future Land Use and Zoning of Forestry/Rural Residential (F/RR).

“We had discussions with all of the above people explaining that this was not permitted in the zoning district they were in,” Hectus explained. “They asked to rezone the property but I stated that a request such as that would not be looked upon favorably by staff because of compatibility and spot-zoning.”

Spot-zoning, Hectus said, is zoning one parcel or parcels within a larger zoned area when the rezoning is usually at odds with a County’s Comprehensive Plan and current zoning restrictions. “But we examine each individual application on its own merits as they come in,” she said.

Because the parcel has a Future Land Use and Zoning of Forestry/Rural Residential, Hectus said, in this case a land use amendment and a rezoning would be required, and if the parcel is over 50 acres, that requires review by the state as part of the expedited state review of comprehensive plan amendments.

“Because it would most likely need to go to the state, we would require that to happen first, see what comments came from the state agencies and then, if the applicant received favorable review by the state, they could proceed with the rezoning,” she said, noting all of these are public hearings and would require notice such as signs posted on the property for the duration of the process, ads in the paper, letters to surrounding property owners within 300 feet of the parcel(s) in question.

The Chronicle could not access JOINN Laboratories CA Inc. website and a phone number listed for the parent company did not ring. The paper reached out to JOINN Biologics US Inc. for comment about their parent company’s plans for the property. According to JOINN Biologics website, JOINN Laboratories is the parent company and is the leading clinical and nonclinical CRO with facilities in China and U.S.

“JOINN Laboratories CA Inc. is a different company from JOINN Biologics US Inc,” JOINN Biologics wrote in its response. “They are on the same campus as our company, but they are a completely different legal entity. Please direct your inquiry to the company listed on the public information.”

A June 21, 2022, article by Yicai Global, stated that JOINN Laboratories shares had increased despite a ban on the import of monkeys for research purposes by the Chinese government.

The import ban, the news article stated, coupled with a big surge in the development of new drugs, which are tried out on non-human primates before they are used in clinical trials on human subjects, has led to a shortage of lab monkeys in the country. There are only 30,000 in the country, according to a recent report by China Fund.

The cost for lab monkeys has risen from $1,046 in 2014 to $29,874 the story stated.

Jeff Bryan is executive editor of the Citrus County Chronicle. Contact him at jeff.bryan@