Renovations complete on former grocery store in Kent’s South End
- A hundred year old building in Kent’s South End neighborhood is ready for new life, thanks to a rehabilitation effort by the Hometown Foundation.
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Captain Brady Day will return in July 2026
- Captain Brady Day is back. Last held in 2007, it was a small neighborhood festival: local residents selling homemade crafts from card tables, a grainy slideshow of the village’s heyday as a tourist destination and other low-key attractions.
Documenters: Kent City Council committee meeting for Dec. 3, 2025
- Hall presented the 2026 operating budget, which was approved by the council. Kent is not in a deficit and has been able to put several million dollars into a rainy day fund for emergencies. The 2026 operating budget was approved by council.
The Battleground will close and reopen as a new restaurant next year
-Wendy DiAlesandro Kent’s iconic South End Mexican restaurant The Battleground is slated to close Dec. 31, the leadership announced in a weekend Facebook post.
Documenters: Kent City Council meeting for Nov. 19, 2025
-Margaret Lennox
After public comment concluded, Amrhein and council members honored Sue Nelson of Sue Nelson Designs for her contributions to Kent’s community. Nov. 19 was declared Sue Nelson Day to honor her retirement.
Documenters: Kent City School District Board of Education meeting for Nov. 19, 2025
-Noell Wolfgram Evans
Errera was unanimously elected and immediately sworn in. Errera thanked those in attendance and quickly cast his first vote, which was an approval to move the board into executive session.
New PBS documentary explores devastating 1913 Ohio flood
-Tom Hardesty
A day that was forecast to have “generally fair” weather ended up as the worst weather disaster in Ohio history.
Kent City Council rejects video surveillance contract with Flock
-Margaret Lennox
Kent City Council voted against permitting the Kent Police Department to enter into a contract with Flock Safety at its regular committee meeting Nov. 5.
Portage County voters pass most levies, choose among crowded fields
-Rachel Abbey McCafferty
About a quarter of registered voters in Portage County — 26,525 individuals — cast ballots in the Nov. 4 election. Here’s a look at some of the candidate races and issues that were decided this Election Day.
Kent plans safety improvements for some state Route 261 intersections
-Wendy DiAlesandro
Concerned with the volume of traffic accidents at two intersections along state Route 261, Kent city leaders hope two changes will save lives and property.
Election preview: Crowded races fill the ballot in Portage County
-Wendy DiAlesandro
Development is a major concern for candidates running for trustee in Brimfield Township, while communication is a hot topic in Hiram Village.
Planting will start soon in South End Tree Project
-Wendy DiAlesandro
Phase Two of Kent’s Historic South End Tree Project is set to start soon with the addition of over a dozen trees.
Documenters: Kent City School District Board of Education regular meeting for Oct. 21, 2025
-Bethany Ulrick
Treasurer Erin VanMeter updated the board on changes to the state budget that will result in $319,000 less in funding for the district. However, the school will be receiving a merit-based bonus of $180,000 for their district report card rating. This bonus is part of a new state program.
Ravenna man held on weapons charges after No Kings rally incident
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A 20-year-old Ravenna man was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon and receiving stolen property at the No Kings rally on Oct. 18 in Kent after a scuffle broke out over the Trump flag he was carrying, police said.
Thousands rally in Portage County against Trump; protesters restrain armed man
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Protesters flooded the streets of downtown Kent on Saturday during the nation’s second No Kings rally to oppose the Trump administration.
Kent City Council appoints Jack Amrhein to finish late mayor’s term
-Margaret Lennox
President Pro Tem and Ward 2 council member Jack Amrhein was appointed as the mayor of Kent and president of City Council at the regular council meeting on Oct. 15. Amrhein will finish out the remainder of the late Mayor Jerry Fiala’s term.
Ways to celebrate Sustainability Month in Kent
-Wendy DiAlesandro
Proclaiming October as Sustainability Month was one of the late Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala’s last official acts before he passed. The proclamation affirms the city’s commitment to implementing policies and practices designed to preserve and protect the community and underscores council’s April 2023 adoption of a Community Action Plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Restoration of VANTAGE employment funding a relief for local nonprofits
-Wendy DiAlesandro
The loss of a single employee can make a huge difference. So when a handful of federally subsidized employees returned to their workplaces Oct. 6, their bosses indulged in a collective sigh of relief.