Would you like to add beauty and restore environmental function to your landscape? Native shrubs are a great place to start. Their extensive root systems reduce storm water runoff and soil erosion while also providing critical habitat for wildlife. Fortunately, many homeowners have already developed a consciousness about the need to add native plants to their landscape.
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
About a quarter of registered voters in Portage County — 26,525 individuals — cast ballots in the Nov. 4 election. Here’s a look at some of the candidate races and issues that were decided this Election Day.
Concerned with the volume of traffic accidents at two intersections along state Route 261, Kent city leaders hope two changes will save lives and property.
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
- Submitted. That awkward gap between “We matched” and “We’re actually meeting in real life” is where a lot of connections die. People get busy, overthink, or just… fade.
Free snacks, blood pressure checks, flu shots and more will be available at a health fair set for 4-6 p.m. Nov. 5 at 575 Lake St., Ravenna.
- Roger Gordon.
Aurora The groundbreaking ceremony for Aurora Park at Geauga Lake took place Oct. 23. The city purchased approximately 47 acres of lakefront property at the former SeaWorld site from Industrial Commercial Properties in 2024. “It was a great event,” Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said of the event that drew 50 to 60 people. Because a section of the park spills over into Bainbridge Township, the Bainbridge Trustees had to approve Aurora’s preliminary design plan for the park, which they did. […]
- Sally Kelly.
You know it is fall when you start seeing pumpkins and skeletons in your neighbors’ front yards. And if you are over the age of 65, your phone starts ringing and your mailbox is always full with advertisements about health insurance programs.
Editor’s note: The Portager publishes letters to the editor from the community. The opinions expressed are published not because they necessarily reflect those of the publication but because we feel they contribute meaningfully to the local discourse on matters of public interest. I am a severely ill, disabled person. I live in subsidized housing; I get the Social Security Disability benefits I worked for over the course of 30 years; I have Medicare and Medicaid for the disabled; and I […]
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
The recently fired chief of Mantua police, Joe Urso, has appealed his dismissal in Portage County Common Pleas Court, arguing that the village council hearing against him was unfair and that he was denied due process.
After a failed attempt earlier in the spring, the Streetsboro City Schools is aiming to pass a continuing operating levy for regular expenses during the Nov. 4 election.
- Shirley Mars.
While the leaves have not been as brilliant as in some past years, there is still plenty of beauty in Brimfield, and, for the most part, the weather has been pleasant. Nothing says fall like a 4-year-old picking out pumpkins at Dussel Farm on a perfect autumn day. My husband and I enjoyed watching Dylan McSweeney as he was laser-focused on filling his wagon with his treasured pumpkins.
- Lauren Cohen.
U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes and U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, who represent Portage County residents, voted against each other on H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, on Sept. 19. The bill was created to fund the government short-term to prevent a government shutdown.
The Franklin Township trustees held a regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 28, 2025, at Township Hall. In attendance were Chairperson Kellie Kapusta and trustee Scott Swan. Also attending were Zoning Inspector Joe Ciccozzi, Deputy Fire Prevention Officer Richard Smith and Road Superintendent David Akerley.
Streetsboro City Schools has a levy on the ballot and I hope people will vote to support the levy. I completely understand that the additional tax can be quite a burden on some folks, so I want to make sure people understand some important points regarding the levy and school funding.
- Staff Report.
Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County
Development is a major concern for candidates running for trustee in Brimfield Township, while communication is a hot topic in Hiram Village.
- Ben Wolford.
Six-hour bread lines. A person digs through the garbage. A 75-year-old Army veteran wonders aloud: “What the hell am I going to eat?”