No matter where we look these days, the information media is overwhelming us with red flags about the impending disruption of data centers throughout our county and our state.
Shalersville, Ravenna, and now Streetsboro have all passed moratoriums on data centers, but a moratorium is only a delay. One hyperstructure built in a neighboring county on the scale of Utah’s recently approved 62 square mile data center (read that number again) will overshadow any local ban or moratorium.
The people of Kent send a big THANK YOU to the citizens of Ravenna, Tallmadge and Streetsboro for not passing your school levies. With our freshly approved levy, we will be attracting your young families and their children.
At a time when civic engagement matters more than ever, our community has a unique opportunity to come together for an inspiring and timely event. We are pleased to invite the public to a free screening of the acclaimed musical SUFFS, a powerful production that tells the story of the women who fought tirelessly for the right to vote, on Friday, May 8, 2026 in the Hayden Auditorium at Hiram College.
I would like to respond to certain points in the Letter to the Editor regarding the Streetsboro School Levy, as well as make a few additional ones.
Despite two consecutive rejections of property tax levies and recent home value reappraisals that have generated nearly $1 million from unvoted tax bill increases, the Streetsboro City School Board is again asking tax payers for to shoulder an even heavier tax burden.
We want to thank the Portage County Commissioners for their recent decision regarding the future of our community. By choosing to review renewable energy projects on a case-by-case basis rather than passing a blanket ban, the commissioners are standing up for local workers and the economic health of our community.
Right now, Ohioans are facing a difficult political landscape where our civil rights are constantly under attack by our own state legislature. But we have a powerful tool to fight back and protect our communities: the citizen-led ballot initiative.
The citizens of Portage County are struggling with their energy utility bills. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Banning solar and wind farms is not the answer.
I wish to express my deep concern regarding the increased possibility of building a “data center” on the Geiss development property (Turnpike Commerce Center). I verbally expressed my concern at a meeting last year and I now wish to express formally.
Either we are going to ban commercial scale renewable projects in much of Portage County, or not. I would urge the county commissioners to take a more measured approach. Do not ban these projects out of hand, take the time and effort to investigate the possibilities and develop a plan.
Kent’s board of education is considering an issue that should alarm district residents as well as good people across Ohio. Board members are studying whether to oppose a benign-sounding but actually pernicious piece of legislation in Columbus: Ohio House Bill 42.
Thank you to The Portager (and Kent State Today) for the sad news of Jerry Lewis’s passing. Many in the Kent community knew Jerry as a colleague as well as for his tireless work documenting and preserving a record of the shooting by members of the Ohio National Guard on May 4th, 1970. I also knew him as a friend.
Regarding the recent letter supporting the termination of former Mantua Police Chief Joe Urso, several of the stated claims are factually incorrect and contradicted by publicly available records, state administrative rules, and Mantua’s own documented history. For the sake of accuracy and community understanding, I want to clarify the record.
After reviewing a recent public statement, I believe it is necessary to correct several inaccuracies and clarify factual information.
I think that the Village of Mantua Mayor and Council made the correct decision regarding ex-Police Chief Joe Urso. The following are some of the reasons I agree with the five council members who voted to terminate Chief Urso:
When you break the news that the school levy failed to your 17 year old daughter & the tears fall. You try to lessen the blow by reminding her she will be in college next year & won’t feel the cuts that will be necessary. Her response is “I’m not sad for me but for all the other kids”. When she asks what more could we have done? “We worked so hard.”
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 […]