Check the maps
Welcome back, everybody! We'll have a high of 53 today with plenty of clouds that'll clear up overnight for a low of 38. Tomorrow will be sunnier with a high of 61 and some breezes in the morning.
Newsletter archive
Bang for the buck
Good morning, everybody! We have some classic November weather coming this weekend, starting with a high of 51 today and lots of clouds. Some showers will move in overnight for a low of 40. Showers will continue into tomorrow morning, then break for some sunshine and a high of 48. Sunday will be pleasant and sunny with a high of 55.
Portage County flips
Good morning! It'll be cloudy one today with a high of 74, breezes in the morning and some showers in the afternoon. Tomorrow will clear up for a high of 63 and times of clouds and sun. Nighttime temperatures will range from the low-to-mid-50s. In this The Setlist column, Mike D is asking for your own experiences with live music and what it means to you. How important is it to you to hear live music? Check out the column for a full list of events coming up this week.
Introducing The Portager Fund
Welcome back, folks! We'll have a high of 66 today with plenty of clouds in the morning and some sunshine later on. Tomorrow will climb to a lovely high of 74 with times of clouds and sun. Both nights will drop to lows of 54. I'm officially launching our new fundraiser. This year, our goal is to build a strong foundation for 2027. Next year, we'll hold specific fundraisers to enable dedicated news coverage. Want us at every commissioners meeting or a particular school board? We'll make it happen. Read about my thought process. Or go straight to the donation page.
State rep election preview
Good morning, everybody, and happy Friday! We'll have a bit of sun today and a high of 60 with an overnight low of 47. Some clouds will move in tomorrow to lend us some Halloween atmosphere and a high of 57. Sunday will clear up for a partly sunny high of 65. Showing my bias as a runner, but this is very cool. Visit runsignup.com/Race/OH/Kent/SquirrelCity to sign up for the Squirrel City half-marathon, 12-K, 10-K and two-mile races, set for Dec. 5 in downtown Kent. Prices range from $35-$65, but increase at midnight Oct. 31. The Portager will run a full story on the event in a coming newsletter.
Commissioner Q&A
Hello, everybody! We'll have a lovely couple of days before the weather turns more like we're used to this time of year. It'll be sunny with a high of 72 today, dropping to a mostly cloudy 46 overnight. Tomorrow will return to a partly sunny high of 74 with an overnight low of 50. As live music events move firmly indoors, stay warm and dry with some local bands this coming week. Check out The Setlist column from Mike D for all your music plans.
Garfield returns
Good morning, folks! It's a beautiful start to the week today with a high of 71 and a mix of clouds and sun. Tomorrow will be 66 with a sunny morning and more clouds later in the day. Nighttime temperatures will hover around the low-to-mid-40s.
The deer, they eat from the trash
Good moooorning Portage County. We'll have a lovely high of 64 today that will feel more like 66 in the sunshine. Tomorrow will also be gorgeous and 66, and Sunday will be the same, but with a real feel of 69 and a few clouds. Nighttimes will be clear with lows in the high-30s.
Updated: School levies
Hey everybody, I'm resending today's newsletter because, first of all, there was a problem with the Setlist link for some readers. I'm not totally sure what caused this because the link works for me, so if it's still broken please just go to theportager.com and find the story there. And second, there was a problem loading Mike Tinlin's ad, I think because it was too big. This is also updated and hopefully it will work for you this time. Good morning! Welcome to this beautiful Wednesday with a high of 66 and plenty of sunshine. It'll drop to the mid-30s overnight and climb to around 65 tomorrow with just a few clouds. It'll stay clear for tomorrow night's low of 42. In the face of overwhelming technology, Mike D encourages us all to get out and support live artists in this week's The Setlist column. Read it here for a listing of all the live gigs coming to Portage County this week.
South County updates
Welcome back everybody! Including, thankfully, Natalie, who is back from her holiday. It'll be a pleasant day today with plenty of sunshine and a high of 67. It'll drop overnight to the high-30s and climb back to 68 for more sunshine tomorrow.
Update on The Portager
Morning, y'all! Expect plenty of rain for this Rainbow Weekend (see below). Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are likely today with a high near 64 and breezy conditions, with rain continuing into the evening before tapering off after 2 a.m. Saturday starts wet then turns mostly sunny with a high near 51 — and a chilly overnight low around 32. Sunday looks like it will be the best day: sunny with a high near 61. But it's a good week to be indoors between the raindrops — the local music scene is hopping. Brent Kirby and Andy Leach of New Soft Shoe bring their Gram Parsons tribute to the Water Street Tavern Friday night, while Joan Osborne sings the songs of Bob Dylan at the Kent Stage Sunday. Mike D has the full rundown of live music happening across Kent, Streetsboro, Aurora, Freedom and Peninsula. Sorry I'm late today! I was finishing up the column at the top of this newsletter.
Vote on income taxes
Morning everyone! Thanks for the day off Monday. I went backpacking completely off grid, which was a lovely reset. As for the weather, rain is the story of the day. Showers and thunderstorms are likely through early afternoon — a 70% chance of precipitation — before tapering off after 2 p.m. Skies stay mostly cloudy with a high near 72. Tomorrow brings a bit of a reprieve: partly sunny and dry with a high near 69, but another round of showers moves in after 8 p.m.
Fun summer program wraps
Good morning, folks. Sunshine to start your Friday, with a high near 70 and just a few clouds rolling in later. It'll dip to 49 overnight, then Saturday warms up to about 72 with sun filtering through high clouds — a good day to squeeze in the Kent Octoberfest if you're headed out, because Sunday's a washout. Rain from Tropical Rainstorm Isaias arrives Sunday morning and hangs around most of the day, with a high of 61. SPONSORED: Mark your calendar for Wednesday, Oct. 21, as we gather for the Bowman Breakfast with a special presentation by Sarah Spinner, J.D., Ph.D. Sarah will share her Kent State story and reflect on the relationships, experiences and connections that have shaped her journey and her work at the Kent State University Museum. Since its inception in 1963, this event has brought together university and city leaders to address important community issues and strengthen the partnership between Kent State and the city of Kent. Purchase your ticket by Oct. 14. Note for next week: Natalie is off today through next week, and I'm going to be off the grid on a backpacking trip. So there's no possible way to send a Portager on Monday. We'll just have to skip a day unfortunately. I'm sorry about that! We'll get you back up to speed on Wednesday.
Is zoning necessary?
Hiya, folks! More pleasant weather on the way today with a high of 70 and mostly sunshine. It'll drop to a low of 48 overnight and climb back to a sunny high of 69 tomorrow. The Setlist columnist Mike D highlights some upcoming events this weekend including two oktoberfests. One in Kent and one in Ravenna. He also gives a good shout to some musician-centered episodes of the HomeSong podcast hosted by Kent’s own Marilyn DeFrange. Read it here.
Out at Sonny & Olive's
Happy Monday, Folks! We'll have a high of 63 today with lots of sunshine. It'll drop to a low of 39 overnight and climb back to 63 tomorrow for even more sunshine.
Chinn hits another snag
Gooooooood morning, Portage County. We've got a high of 62 and some rain coming our way today, but the weekend should be nice with a partly sunny high of 67 predicted for tomorrow and a sunnier high of 71 on Sunday. Nighttime temperatures will range from the mid-to-high-40s.
Voter guide inside
Good morning, folks! We've got a couple of pleasant days ahead of us with a partly sunny high of 75 today and a high of 80 tomorrow with a mix of clouds and sun. Both nights will dip to a low of around 60 with some late night showers on Thursday night.
Death of the landline
Happy Monday! We'll have a pleasant fall day today with a high of 69 and plenty of sunshine. It'll drop to 53 overnight with some clouds and fog affecting visibility. Tomorrow will reach a high of 73 with more sunshine. Acting on a reader tip, we sent reporter Adriana Gasiewski to investigate AT&T's decision to eliminate landlines in Portage County. It turned out to be an interesting and important story about something I had never even thought about before. I'm grateful to the reader who brought it to our attention and to Adriana for her excellent report. Hope you all enjoy today's newsletter!
Urso case dismissed
Good morning, everybody! We're kicking off a lovely weekend today with a high of 69 and plenty of sunshine. Beautiful weather will continue with tomorrow's sunny high of 72 and round out the weekend with a partly sunny high of 70 on Sunday.
Let's hit those food targets
Good morning! We'll have a high of 64 with periods of rain and an overnight low of 47. Tomorrow will clear up for a sunny high of 67 and a clear overnight low of 40. In this week's The Setlist column, Mike D gives a full rundown of the Balloon A-Fair schedule coming to downtown Ravenna and the Portage County Randolph Fairgrounds this weekend. He also covers live music happening around the county this coming week. Read it here. Are you looking to get more involved in your community? Or do you already attend most of your local government meetings? Reach out to me at ben@theportager.com for more information about becoming a documenter. Documenters attend and write summaries of public meetings, helping neighbors stay informed and keeping a public eye focused on our local leaders.
