Kent schools levy passes; Streetsboro, Ravenna, and JFS all saw losses
- Rachel Abbey McCafferty. The Kent City School District got a decisive win in Tuesday’s election, as its 9.8-mill additional tax levy passed 3,125 to 2,225.
Streetsboro
County roundup: Data centers still top of mind; Aurora, Ravenna, Shalersville and Streetsboro news
- Roger Gordon. The planning commission forwarded a resolution to Streetsboro City Council to put a 12-month moratorium on accepting applications for data centers and/or cryptocurrency centers.
County roundup: Streetsboro radio station hub for emergency alerts; Aurora, Ravenna and Shalersville news
- Roger Gordon. The Streetsboro City School District and the City of Streetsboro entered into a memorandum of understanding to be able to utilize WSTB 88.9 FM, Streetsboro High School’s radio station, as the city’s go-to emergency radio broadcasting center.
Bigfoot sightings take over Portage County
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Bigfoot sightings in Portage County? The Bigfoot Society (yes, there is one) claims it’s true, and points to multiple recent sightings in Garrettsville, Windham, Mantua, Mantua Center and Streetsboro.
County roundup: Aurora firefighters honored; Ravenna and Streetsboro news
- Roger Gordon. Aurora City Council had resolutions of appreciation for firefighter/paramedics Michael Upholz and Michael Gelardi. They recently saved the life of a woman who was in the passenger seat of a car that had just arrived at the Hillcrest Hospital emergency room parking lot.
Marijuana revenue adds unexpected funds to three cities in county
- Wendy DiAlesandro. Three Portage County cities are seeing green, but it has nothing to do with the approach of St. Patrick’s Day.
Documenters: Streetsboro City Schools Board of Education meeting for Feb. 12, 2026
- Julie Erickson. Brett McCann provided a district report card update. In two years, 2022 and 2023, the district closed the gap of -9% to state average math scores.
Streetsboro’s new City Hall will serve as a community hub
- Jeremy Brown. The once-little farming community that has grown to become one of the largest industrial and retail centers in Portage County officially has its first city center.
Documenters: Streetsboro City Council meeting for Jan. 26, 2026
- Noell Wolfgram Evans. Following the acceptance of the Jan. 12 meeting minutes, members of the public were invited to address the council. Ted Hurd spoke with great pride about the new City Hall, which he said “was always my dream to see.”
County roundup: Streetsboro opens city hall, plus news from Aurora, Ravenna and Shalersville
- Roger Gordon. Ravenna City Council voted to extend its moratorium on storage facilities six months before it considers allowing any more to go in.
Streetsboro approves tax abatement as manufacturer expands amid tariff uncertainty
- Amanda Smith. The Trump administration’s tariff policy is designed to reduce chronic trade deficits by making imported goods and materials more expensive. Public policy organizations say it is still too early to tell whether the strategy is playing out as intended, but its effects are already being felt in Ohio.
LayerZero expanding in Streetsboro, adding hundreds of jobs
- Amanda Smith. Outside LayerZero Power Systems, LLC in Streetsboro, graders, excavators, dump trucks and other heavy equipment are hard at work preparing for a major expansion. The work underway will nearly double the workforce and production capacity of the business.
County roundup: Aurora budget request rounds out to $50 million, plus news from Ravenna, Shalersville and Streetsboro
The Aurora Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau Annual Holiday Luncheon celebrating the 2025 Person of the Year and Business of the Year will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5 at the Bertram Inn & Conference Center at 600 N. Aurora Rd. These honors recognize the remarkable achievements and significant contributions made by local individuals and businesses.
Streetsboro City Council appoints new council member after resignation
- Savana Capp.
Streetsboro’s Ward 4 Representative Lisa McDaniel submitted a letter of resignation on Nov. 5, ahead of a move out of the city. At its Nov. 24 meeting, council voted to have a familiar face step into that spot: Justin Ring.
Council approves pay increases for Streetsboro employees
A slew of city employees will be seeing bigger paychecks, thanks to two recent actions by Streetsboro City Council.
Portage County voters pass most levies, choose among crowded fields
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.
County roundup: Aurora breaks ground on Geauga Lake park, plus news from Ravenna, Shalersville and Streetsboro
- Roger Gordon.
Aurora The groundbreaking ceremony for Aurora Park at Geauga Lake took place Oct. 23. The city purchased approximately 47 acres of lakefront property at the former SeaWorld site from Industrial Commercial Properties in 2024. “It was a great event,” Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said of the event that drew 50 to 60 people. Because a section of the park spills over into Bainbridge Township, the Bainbridge Trustees had to approve Aurora’s preliminary design plan for the park, which they did. […]