- Staff Report. Remembering those we've lost in Portage County
From the publisher: Fraud is a real problem
- Ben Wolford. At least once a week and sometimes more often than that I receive an email or a call from a reader telling me they need to update their credit card because it was stolen or hacked.
Downtown Kent to turn into student art gallery in March
- Adriana Gasiewski. While attending the 2025 Heritage Ohio Annual Conference, Lesley Sickle, marketing coordinator of Main Street Kent, learned how in Delaware, Ohio, they displayed students’ artwork at local businesses for an entire month and started thinking about how Kent could pull off something similar.
Brimfield may have spent thousands in unnecessary property tax payments
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Brimfield’s newest trustee has a sharp eye for dollar signs. During the township’s Feb. 2 trustee meeting, Kevin Scott mentioned that the township is needlessly paying tens of thousands of dollars in annual property taxes.
Op-ed: Poverty in plain sight
- Op-Ed Contributor. Talking about poverty is not easy. Not because it is unimportant — not when tens of millions of Americans live in poverty’s vice grip. Talking about it makes us uncomfortable because it forces us to confront hard questions about fairness, responsibility, and whether the systems we have built are working.
Portage County obituaries for Feb. 23-24, 2026
- Staff Report. Remembering those we've lost in Portage County
Letter to the editor: Don't create a government file on our schoolchildren
- Letter to the editor. Kent’s board of education is considering an issue that should alarm district residents as well as good people across Ohio. Board members are studying whether to oppose a benign-sounding but actually pernicious piece of legislation in Columbus: Ohio House Bill 42.
Best Cities to Live in Ohio in 2026
- Submitted. Ohio is a state that offers a perfect blend of urban amenities and natural beauty, making it a great place to call home.
Judge Mark Fankhauser remembered for ‘service,’ ‘integrity,’ ‘enduring love’
- Adriana Gasiewski. After he unexpectedly died on Feb. 15, Mark Fankhauser, a longtime Portage County Municipal judge, is remembered for his ambition, passion and commitment, not only to his community but also to his family.
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Village of Mantua, Crestwood Local Schools clash over school resource officer hire
- Wendy DiAlesandro. The Village of Mantua has been saying for months that it has hired a full-time school resource officer for Crestwood Local Schools, but school officials aren’t on board.
Marijuana revenue adds unexpected funds to three cities in county
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Three Portage County cities are seeing green, but it has nothing to do with the approach of St. Patrick’s Day.
County roundup: Paris plans to streamline community alerts, plus news from Rootstown
- Roger Gordon. The Paris Township Trustees approved the use of Savvy Citizen, a free, PA-based, one-way communication app and service that allows local governments, including various townships and boroughs, to send alerts about community events, road closures and important news directly to residents via smartphone notifications, text messages or email.
Rootstown Lions Club Chili Cook-off a hit in its fifth year
- Abigail Kress. Community members and businesses across Rootstown Township came together for the Rootstown Township Lions Club 5th Annual Chili Cook Off.
One for the Books: Retelling Greek legends
- Mary Louise Ruehr. Myths are among the world’s oldest stories, and the Greeks had some fantastic tales. These were usually based on the deeds of the gods, who were often mean and sometimes downright horrible. There are plenty of modern retellings of the stories, and I found these three particularly fun.

