Jeremy Brown

Ravenna firefighter/paramedic Zach Thomas, 24, is now the first Ohioan to complete the rigorous, nearly week-long Indiana Smoke Divers advanced training course, a program only the toughest firefighters can achieve.

Kent local, Sinisa “The Sniper” Jovic, has participated in martial arts since he was 7 years old. He started out in karate, boxing and Sambo, a martial art with Soviet origins. Now, at 24, he’s become the 2025 U.S. national kickboxing champion, earning himself a spot on the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) USA National Team.

The Ravenna Elks Lodge #1076 held its second annual chili cook-off fundraising event on Feb. 1, with all proceeds going to Chris Untrauer’s veteran grave-marking project at Portage County cemeteries.

​​A dog named Emma found herself on thin ice shortly after Christmas – right before the ice shattered below her, sending her into the freezing water of a local pond. 

On Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, high winds and rain from Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina with ferocity causing $60 billion in damage and taking over 100 lives in the state.

The U.S. military base in Portage County, what locals call “the arsenal,” has been here since 1940, yet many residents still don’t know what lies within the perimeters of the compound or what goes on there today. 

When Christine Untrauer learned that local fallen Vietnam veteran Willie Ross Dennis didn’t have a grave marker, she was determined to change that.

Shortly before sunset on Aug. 31, several Ravenna Thunderbirds RC Modelers Club members filled the skies with remote controlled aircrafts of varying sizes and models. The meeting continued after dark, thanks to colorful LED strip lighting attached to the planes.

Portage County now has a smart home that is available for residents with developmental disabilities to explore.

The Portage County Emergency Management Agency has officially opened its new command center, which includes state-of-the-art multimedia monitoring and communication technology.

At least 12 different schools throughout Northeast Ohio received social media threats last week, including one directed at Streetsboro City Schools.

Rootstown’s Alexia Van Snick was first introduced to baseball when her uncle gave her a tee-ball set when she was 4. Her love for the game snowballed from there.

Tree City Feed, located at 107 Lake St. in Kent, has permanently closed its doors as of Aug. 30.

Ed Limbach was five when his mom and dad took him to see the circus for the first time: the Cole Bros. Circus in Northeast Ohio. They got there early to see the crew unload the animals and equipment from the train and eventually pitch the big top.

Streetsboro police are investigating the illegal detonation of explosive devices on four separate nights at Trail Lake Park in Streetsboro.

After Covid-19 struck the U.S. in March 2020, the subsequent lockdown and social distancing protocols left many Americans stranded at home. But that didn’t stop one group of Portage Park District Foundation board members from getting together every week to enjoy the many parks Portage County has to offer.

The King Kennedy Community Center in Ravenna built a new gymnasium in 2022 with financial support from the county, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County, Neighborhood Development Services and the First Congregational Church of Ravenna.

A 175-year-old timber frame building that once served as a church, a school gymnasium and, more recently, a general store and a bakery, is in the final phases of restoration before its official opening as Nelson Township’s new wedding and events venue: Bella Dawn Events.