Maria McGinnis

When Holden Elementary School third grade teacher Garrison Wollam was diagnosed with cancer in October 2019, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to wear the popular “Fuck Cancer” apparel that many people impacted by the disease wear.

The first ever class of volunteer courtroom advocates for Portage County children will be sworn in March 11 to support abused and neglected kids in the county’s Juvenile Court system.

Open United Recovery Place is moving into the house with the red roof across the street from the Kent-Ravenna Walmart, offering resources and community to people in recovery. 

When 7-year old Blake Michel was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a rare form of cancer that mainly affects children, people in the Kent community sprung into action to help his family and raise funds for his treatment.

Late last year, dozens of Kent Theodore Roosevelt High School students walked out of the building during school hours to protest what they believed was the mishandling of sexual harassment allegations against at least one district employee.

As the third-oldest business in Kent (behind The Davey Tree Company and Hometown Bank), it’s likely most people around here have been to Richards Flower Shop, or their grandparents have, and bought flowers from a man named Richards. But after decades of passing the business from generation to generation, Richards said he’s the last person in the family who’s going to run the shop. 

Dozens of students at Kent Theodore Roosevelt High School staged a walkout at noon Friday in protest of “sexual harassment by school employees,” an allegation leveled in an anonymous Instagram story and later shared with The Portager by the student in an email.

The Ravenna Township location of Rivers Garage and Body Shop is going up for auction on Dec. 15 and 16, following the closure of the Portage County staple in May.

The Portage County Board of Elections on Wednesday confirmed the results of two toss-up races from the Nov. 3 election, handing victories to the Portage County District Library and to the incumbent candidate for Charlestown Township trustee, Tim Patrick.

Ravenna’s McElrath neighborhood is getting a new Dollar General at 6650 Cleveland Road, part of a national expansion of the chain that has already met with some resistance in Portage County.

Upcoming fall events and details on local trick-or-treating

Kent State is seeking a property developer to construct a residential complex on the site of the old Allerton Apartments that would provide a new housing option targeting both non-traditional students and the city community. 

The Portage County Community Action Council has been swamped with families seeking housing assistance since the start of the pandemic. And this is just the beginning. Executive Director David Shea said these numbers are “probably going to get worse before they get better.”

With new owners and a vision, the historic Riddle Block 9 Building in downtown Ravenna is poised for a revival. 

Executive Director Lindsey Loftus joined the foundation in May 2020 and wanted to find a way to directly raise money for and promote the organization. He said he wants to showcase their “collective why,” specifically why the foundation exists. From there, the idea for the Ultra ‘21 Society and the 100 for 100 campaign was born.

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.

Facing a deepening financial crisis, Waterloo Local School District is asking Atwater and Randolph residents to pass an earned income tax in Portage County’s May 4 election.

The Crestwood Local School District is looking to pass its first operating levy since 2012 and only the second since 1992 during Portage County’s Primary/Special Election on May 4.