President James A. Garfield’s life and Northeast Ohio ties are on display - Jeremy Brown. On March 4, 1881, James A. Garfield was inaugurated as the 20th president of the United States. He’d sought to end the spoils system and promised to address the injustices of slavery, but his time in office was curtailed when he was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau.
- Sandy Engle. Randolph resident Cindy Laford has been bird sitting, grooming and rescuing birds for 28 years and continues to be astonished at their intellect. Recently her son visited and said, “This coffee is horrible.” Cindy replied, “Then take it back.” He responded, “Naw, I’ll just drink this foul-tasting stuff.” Maynard, a blue and gold macaw, replied, “Coward.”
- Kathy Baker. An amaryllis plant stands tall on my kitchen counter. I wonder if it has any idea how beautiful it is. At first, it was simply a nondescript, brown knob. Then, seemingly overnight, it became a tall, green stalk. Little by little, a perfect flower appeared. Soon, I thought, it will shrivel and die, as plants do. But that’s not what happened.
- Staff Report. Remembering those we've lost in Portage County
- Roger Gordon. The Windham Township Trustees held a special meeting recently regarding the amendment that the people brought about having a second dwelling on one parcel. The trustees voted to accept the zoning commission’s recommendation to deny that activity.
- Lauren Cohen. At any given Special Olympics Ohio Portage County cheer practice, coach Ashleigh Lawrence and the athletes can be seen goofing around and dancing, but most of all, working hard.
- Julie Watson. Cardinals, also known as red birds, are very common throughout Portage County and the Eastern United States. Their estimated population across North America is 100 -130 million strong.
- Staff Report. Remembering those we've lost in Portage County
- Wendy DiAlesandro. In May 2025, the Brimfield fire chief was on the verge of losing his job over complaints of shouting, threatening employees and dishonesty on the job. Instead of terminating him, township trustees in October suspended him for 10 days and offered him a three-year contract extension and a raise.
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- Mary Louise Ruehr. Their names are familiar, for completely different reasons, and their life stories, luckily for us, make for good reading.
- Staff Report. Remembering those we've lost in Portage County
- Jackie Loreta-Rinearson. The Garrettsville Curtains up Theatre is preparing for its 20-year anniversary. In celebration of this great accomplishment, they are celebrating with “The Phantom of the Opera” (non-musical version).
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Samantha Stephens paused in the lobby of Schneller, a one-of-a-kind company on Powdermill Road in Kent.
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Kent drivers, beware: those barrels lining the south side of the Stow Street bridge will likely remain in place for at least another year.
