Every hot air balloon rally — and Ravenna’s Balloon A-Fair is one one of them — is ruled by a balloonmeister: a person who coordinates all flight operations, working with a weather officer and a safety officer. The balloonmeister also communicates the flight mission to the balloonists.
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
Theodore Roosevelt High School was again placed on lockdown Monday morning and a student was detained, the second consecutive day of disruptions caused by threats of violence against the Kent City School District.
The 11th District Court of Appeals has upheld a judge’s decision to overturn a jury decision awarding Kent resident Fred Molai $750,000 for damages related to burial plots he purchased from Standing Rock Cemetery.
- Tom Hardesty.
I can only imagine what it must have been like to be a high school offensive lineman— say, somewhere around 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds— breaking the huddle for the first play of the game, getting to the line of scrimmage, looking up …
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
A man threatened to bring an AK-47 to Walls Elementary School in Kent on Friday afternoon, prompting “precautionary safety measures” led by the Kent Police Department with support from the Kent State police.
School districts in Ohio that have difficulty passing levies or don’t have a strong commercial and residential tax base traditionally have less money to give students an equitable education. So, the choices of available electives may be slim, or the prospect of joining a swim team — a sport Crestwood had to cut because the district could no longer afford it — might not exist.
The City of Kent has begun a plan to overhaul the entrance to the city on state Route 43, as part of a joint renovation process with the Kent City School District and Davey Tree.
There are literally thousands of books with the word “daughter” in the title; I have a few hundred myself. Fortunately, some of the more recent ones are exceptionally good reads.
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
Facing skyrocketing rates from NOPEC, shocked customers are scrambling to other providers and warning neighbors to check their electric bills.
Atwater Township Fire Department is gearing up for its centennial celebration Sept. 10, where there will be food venders, historical apparatus, and at least one extrication demo at the fire station, allowing viewers to see how the Jaws of Life operate.
I saw some readers commenting about their subscriptions to commercial newspapers, and wanted to share that the Kent Free Library subscribes to America’s News, a database that provides digital access to past and current issues of over 3,500 American newspapers.
In a project that involved over 1,500 Kent State students and dozens of volunteers, 18 quilted art pieces are now on sale to benefit a community center in one of Portage County’s historically impoverished communities.
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
Step into the entrance of Galerie Wellness, a new high-end wellness center and studio at 122 W. College St. in Kent. “You are exactly where you need to be,” reads the black-and-white mosaic tile at your feet.
The dispatch center at the Portage County Sheriff’s Office could double in size, expanding from four to eight consoles, under an $800,000 plan the office proposed during the Sept. 1 county commission meeting.
County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a $154,375 loan to the Portage County Regional Airport Authority for critical repairs, which will add to the $523,059 the airport already owes the county government.
- Angie Reedy.
Since I was a kid, I have always been fascinated with the Byers’ Castle on Prospect Street in Ravenna. My friends and I made up all kinds of stories about the Castle and dreamed of getting inside.