Franklin

A “Meet the Candidates Day” will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22 at the Shearer Community Center at 9355 Newton Falls Rd.

The Portage County Emergency Management Agency and Kent Fire Department responded to a chemical emergency at the city of Akron Water Plant in Franklin Township Wednesday. A shelter-in-place order was issued for individuals and businesses within a half a mile of the plant.

Scott Rudlosky offered a proposal to add some disc golf holes at the township parks. He proposed a pilot program that could be started with a $500 grant he recently received specifically for disc golf.

The Rootstown Historical Society, in conjunction with Rootstown Township, is planning a festive celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 4 at Rootstown Park.

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.

The installation of the pickleball courts is on schedule with the installation of fence posts. Akerley met earlier with Tim Perrin of Perrin Asphalt on the Hudson Road repaving project.

The year is winding down, but staff at the Portage Park District remain hard at work.

The Portager is offering a series of articles about the revaluation process. This article focuses on the reactions of city, village and township officials, many of whom hope voters will continue to approve renewal, replacement and/or additional tax levies.

Ohio voters in November approved Issue 2, legalizing recreational marijuana in the state. State officials got busy writing rules and regulations and haven’t finished the job yet.

LoveLight, Inc., has long wanted to acquire land for a headquarters, but has struggled to raise the funds to do so. Its latest dream is to buy a Franklin Township property to establish an intergenerational child development and lifelong learning center.

Palmyra The Palmyra Township Trustees approved the township’s 2024 chip-and-seal project for 5.5 miles of roads. The roads that will be done are Scotts Corners Road, Henderson Road, two sections of Whippoorwill Road and some roads in West Cemetery. Melway Paving will do the job. “It should be done by the end of September,” township Chair Tom Grund said. The two batting cages at Palmyra Park were recently concreted. The batting cages are used by the Palmyra Softball League. “Some […]

Students with Kent Roosevelt High School’s Forestry and Landscape Management program recently received some valuable on-the-job training — and helped Ohio regain a little of itself in the process.

There are several minor roads that show on township maps in the Brady Lake area that do not exist. The trustees are exploring options and will check with Brimfield, which recently vacated a road.

Deerfield Township residents elected Laura Lindberg to its board of trustees, replacing incumbent Mark Bann, according to unofficial results of the Nov. 7 vote.

Voters in Portage County may see some renewal levies on their November ballots.

The construction on Hudson Road is about to enter its fourth phase, but it needs to be rebid before moving forward because the previous bids were more than 10% higher than the Portage County Engineering Office’s estimate. The office plans to reopen bidding at the July 11 trustee meeting; if a bid is approved, phase four construction will begin soon. 

Kent City Council on May 17 officially denied local farmer Eric Kolb’s request to detach his land from the city, with only Council Member John Kuhar dissenting.

Portage County’s Board of Commissioners learned in February that the federal government was cutting SNAP’s Emergency Allotment program at the end of the month. Appalled, they took matters into their own hands.