Portage Foundation awards spring grants to 14 local organizations
The Portage Foundation’s Grants and Scholarships Committee awarded a total of $79,150 to 14 area organizations.
Public speaking, private grief and my personal experience with the afterlife
- Tom Hardesty.
I don’t do public speaking.
I’m a writer, not David Letterman. I have a galaxies-better chance of entertaining someone through the written word rather than the spoken word.
Mantua celebrates the revitalization of the local business community
Mantua’s downtown community came together Saturday to celebrate new local businesses in the village and those that were remodeled before or during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health department merger could slow service and raise costs, Kent director says
Kent’s top health official said merging the city’s health department with its Portage County counterpart would be detrimental to residents, possibly leading to more work for fewer staffers and higher costs and fees for services.
Mantua considers tax increase to save dispatching services, hire full-time officers
The Village of Mantua is hoping to raise over $200,000 more a year from taxpayers starting in 2022 through an income tax hike meant to offset the potential loss of a dispatching contract with Garrettsville that expires in December.
County commissioners relax some Covid precautions while awaiting state guidance next month
Rather than setting an end date for Covid restrictions in county offices, commissioners decided on Thursday to follow CDC guidelines while anticipating Governor DeWine’s June 2 Covid announcement ending Ohio health orders.
As of now, in accordance with the Ohio Department of Health’s May 17 orders, employees and people visiting various county offices may or may not mask up, according to their preference. Previously, employees and the public were asked to wear masks and to social distance “even though we couldn’t make them do it,” Commissioner Vicki Kline said.
Letter: Congratulating Kent Lions Club scholarship winners
One dreams of becoming a high school band director. The second plans to study neuroscience, especially how the brain and memory work. The third wants to be an astronomer and continue his ongoing research into dark matter. All three — Madison Walker, Claire Laux and Alexander Green — also are winners of the Lions Club of Kent’s John Ferlito Memorial Scholarship.
Ravenna’s Magnolia Market kicks off May 28 with food and live music
Live music, vendors, games, fresh produce and fun for the whole family in the middle of Ravenna. What’s not to like? The Magnolia Market, a multi-genre mini-festival, will offer a montage of arts, crafts, music, food trucks and more starting May 28, and then continuing every other week.
How to visit Hiram Township’s new website
Hoping to build transparency, trustees are revamping the township’s website to include meeting minutes, township codes and financial information. For information on all things Hiram, visit the website at www.hiramtownship.org.
Letter: KIFA urges Congress to support Justice in Policing Act reforms
We urge every member of Congress to take swift action in response to ongoing racist police killings and other violence against Black people across our country. Although much of the work to address police violence needs to be done at the local and state level, federal legislation is also urgently needed.
community.
Review: ‘Sunflower Sisters’ Revisits the Civil War
From its title, “Sunflower Sisters” by Martha Hall Kelly sounds like it could be happy-smiley-giggly “women’s fiction,” doesn’t it? Perhaps a lot of fashion, romance and swooning? Nope. I don’t really like those books anyway. This one I couldn’t put down.
Twice as many football teams in the playoffs – is that good or bad?
- Tom Hardesty.
Most of the Covid-19 “new normals” will be tossed onto the trash heap of history when the pandemic is finally behind us.
Some, though, will remain, as adjustments to living with the virus have actually proven more efficient than the way things were done before. Zoom meetings are likely here to stay, for example. An increased focus on cleanliness in restaurants and on airliners was a good idea decades ago. Working remotely from home has in some ways increased employee morale — and companies’ profit margins.
Fearless Femme honors motherhood in return to live shows
Women once again took to the stage to share their stories after more than a year since the pandemic paused Fearless Femme live storytelling shows. While lines once extended out the door of the Zephyr Pub in Kent for Fearless Femme, attendees flocked to a new location, North Water Brewing Co., last Tuesday for the first live show in over a year.
Skeels community holds service to support recovery
About 20 people from the Ravenna’s Skeels community gathered Friday at the United Church of Jesus Christ for a service called Midnight Cry to support those recovering from addiction disorders.
Rivers Garage and Body Shop, a Portage County staple, closes after half a century in business
After more than 50 years of serving Portage County, Rivers Garage and Body Shop has closed permanently.
Lifelong Ravenna residents Halley Rivers Jones and his wife Opal owned and operated the shop for many years until they retired.
Local leaders oppose legislation that could eliminate Kent City Health Department
Kent City Council and state Rep. Gail Pavliga are taking action to oppose a section of Ohio’s 2022-2023 budget bill (HB 110) that could threaten the future of the Kent City Health Department.
A provision in the bill would require small city health departments serving a population of fewer than 50,000 to complete a study to determine if they are efficient and effective enough to operate on their own, apart from their county counterparts. If passed, the law would mandate the Kent health department to merge with the Portage County Health District if it doesn’t measure up against the study criteria.
Outdoor drinking in Garrettsville is nearing approval
There were no comments at a May 12 public hearing to establish the DORA, but one person posted a comment on the village council’s YouTube page: “Does Garrettsville really need more public intoxication? When is the village going to address the drinking and driving that’s happening?”
Township roundup: Charlestown, Atwater, Rootstown, Palmyra
Charlestown will observe Memorial Day with a short parade and ceremony at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 30. Children are encouraged to decorate their bicycles and join the procession. Participants should arrive at the fire station at 10:30 a.m. to get organized for the short parade to the cemetery.
Metal roofing could be coming to Aurora after council grants exception
The sleek metal roofs you normally see in HGTV home remodels are generally prohibited in Aurora — but that might be changing. Monday night, Aurora City Council voted to overturn the Architectural Board of Review’s decision to deny new resident Ron Wolford a permit to install a standing seam metal roof.
Hiram roundup: EMS pays the cost of being a good neighbor, chief says
The Village of Hiram’s EMS staff has been getting a workout, but Fire Chief Bill Byers noted that the service is increasingly one sided, with Hiram providing much more mutual aid than it is getting. “I’m not opposed to helping neighbors, but if we’re supplementing their service, I don’t agree with that,” council member David Smith said.