Garrettsville Council Applies for Diesel Grant
Garrettsville – Village officials present at the village council meeting on September 9th were Village Solicitor Michele Stuck, Mayor Rick Patrick, Assistant Fiscal Officer Deb Wordell, and Councilpersons Tom Hardesty, Chris Knop, Jeff Kaiser, Larry Beatty, John Chambers and Tom Collins. Due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements the meeting was held in person with no audience, however Portage County...
GFN Joint Fire District Awarded Grant
Garrettsville - The Garrettsville Freedom Nelson Joint Fire District has been awarded a FEMA grant. This grant was applied for by in-house personnel in March during the request cycle. FEMA has awarded us a grant to purchase new Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). The grant consists of $162,674.29 of federal funds and our share of $8,133.71. The grant will be used...
SR 88 & 305 To Become 4-Way Stop
Nelson Twp. - Starting September 22 ODOT will be changing the traffic pattern at State Route 88 and State Route 305 from a 2-way stop into a 4-way stop. The decision was made after studies using 2014-2018 crash data, verified that it averages 4 to 5 crashes per year, the majority being angle crashes resultant of drivers on SR...
Talk with Portage County Candidates at Face2Face Forum
Voters in Portage County will have an opportunity to talk virtually with county candidates in the general election during a Voters and Candidates Face2Face Forum on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m.-noon. The event sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Kent (LWVK) is free and open to the community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will...
Functional Medicine Helps Patients Revive Health
Ravenna - “For typical doctors, functional medicine just isn’t on their radar,” Dr. Bill Blueter, a certified functional medicine practitioner, explained. “Patients are in the habit of going to the doctor every few months, where they hear their labs look great, but they return home and still feel unwell.” Once people understand that through functional medicine, our approach is...
Independence of Portage County Opens New Facility
Ravenna - We all want to feel respected and valued for who we are as individuals and what we have to offer society. Those with intellectual disabilities are no exception and the new center built and opened on June 24th by the Independence of Portage County, Inc. is specially equipped to help its clients reach their full potential. “We are...
Windham Village Council News
Windham - Windham Village Council met for their regularly scheduled remote Zoom meeting. Anyone interested in attending, contacted the fiscal officer prior to the meeting so she could send out an invitation link to join the meeting. The meeting was called to order with all but one council member in attendance at the meeting’s start. The one council member who...
Blue Jay Orchard Unveils New Look
Troy Twp. - Sandee and Joe Orlowski were interested in buying some land where they could raise their six children, share their faith, and teach them about agriculture. Though neither had experience in cultivation they felt prompted by God to bid when they learned that the Blue Jay Orchard, which is located near extended family, went up for auction....
The 2020 Geauga SWCD Rain Barrel Auction Begins!
The Geauga Soil Conservation District (SWCD) is proud to roll out the barrels of their 2020 Rain Barrel Yard Art Campaign! Through this creative community initiative, local artists transform 55-gallon recycled plastic barrels into beautiful, repurposed rain barrels! By collecting rooftop runoff for watering landscapes, lawns, and flower gardens, these decorated barrels help save water, alleviate flooding, and reduce...
Garfield Grad Earns Two Awards While Completing Marine Boot Camp
A Garrettsville, OH native who excelled in track & field at James A. Garfield High School has translated her skills to rare achievement in her military service. US Marine Corps Private First-Class Mariah Vazquez recently scored the highest in Physical Fitness and Combat Fitness of her company. PFC Vazquez scored 600 out of 600 points, surpassing 161 men and...
Mantua Village News
Mantua - At their last meeting, council met virtually with the two candidates who expressed interest in filling the open seat vacated by David Sluka. Members of Council had the opportunity to pose questions to the two residents, Tammy Meyer and Wes Collins, before convening in executive session to vote on the appointment. Tammy Meyer, who desires to serve...
PCDL on November 3 Ballot- Issue #31
Portage County District Library (PCDL) will be appearing on the November 3, 2020 ballot as Issue #31. The Library is asking for a 1-Mill, 10-year property tax levy to supplement its operating budget. At present, PCDL is one of the only systems in the area that relies solely on state funding. Because it does not currently receive any money...
The Great Geauga County Fair Becomes A Junior Fair For 2020
Burton - The 198th Great Geauga County Fair had a much different look this year as compared to recent years. Due to the governor’s orders, because of COVID, the fair had been scaled back to a junior fair only. This reduction took some of the “greatness” out of the event. Trying to keep it as normal as possible for...
2020 – 2021 Bus Routes – James A Garfield Local School District
Editor's Note: The bus routes are provided by the school for publication. Please DO NOT call the Villager to complain about them. Bus 1 - Dreama AdkinsHigh School / Middle SchoolSTREET TIMESouthwood Apts 7:05Creekwood Apts 7:06South St 7:08Clover Lane 7:10Meadow Run 7:15North St 7:20Village Dr 7:25Vanderslice 7:26South St 7:30 Elementary SchoolSTREET TIMESouthwood Apts 8:00Creekwood Apts 8:02Clover Lane 8:06Meadow Run 8:10North St...
Crestwood School Board News
Mantua - Items sent to parents over the last few weeks: Crestwood has contracted with Akron Children’s’ Hospital for nursing services for school clinics. Together with ACH, they’ve developed protocols for students and families during the pandemic. First and foremost, they are asking parents and staff to complete a daily health check each morning before coming to school or sending...
Sunshine Shop Closes
Burton - After 52 years in business, it is with much gratitude and some sadness we announce the Sunshine Shop Thrift Store in Burton is closing its doors permanently. We are grateful to the Geauga Fair Board for providing us the space we called home for over 20 years. To the volunteers who faithfully donated their time to help run...
Garrett’s Mill & Brewing Co. Gives Presentation at G-H Rotary Meeting
Shelli Buchanan was the presenter of information at the August 31, 2020 meeting of the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club, via Zoom. She described the ongoing relationship with the folks from Restaurant Impossible who had come to Garrett’s Mill & Brewing Company earlier to assist in the reorganization and renovation which has brought the establishment to its current operating success. There have...
Hometown Church Explores Online Outreach and Rises to New Challenges
Ravenna - In every community across America there are small hometown churches representing a community of love and support for those in need of God’s word. You put on your Sunday best, shake the preacher’s hand, and take your seat at the pew to hear the morning message. Perhaps you go home and prepare a family dinner, as is...
Hiram Village News
Hiram - At their last meeting, Council unanimously passed Resolution 2020-21, by which they declared racism to be a public health crisis. As stated in the resolution, Council agreed that the principals of diversity, equality, and inclusion are central to a healthy community. Several guests joined the online meeting to comment in support of this measure, including Hiram College...
Local Artist, Jim Trombo Holds Successful Photography Show
Recently, I attended a meet-the-artist event and found the artist’s work interesting and some of the pieces quite intriguing. The artist is Jim Trombo, of Jim Trombo Photography. Trombo displayed his work, “Nature’s Graces in Rural Places” at the Geauga Park District’s West Woods Park’s nature center located on State Route 87 on the Newbury/Russell Township line. Trombo was...
Hiram College Board of Trustees announces Dr. David Haney as interim president
The Hiram College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of David P. Haney, Ph.D., an established higher education leader, as interim president, effective September 1, 2020. Dr. Haney comes to Hiram College after serving two years as the President of Centenary University, a private liberal arts university in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Prior to his presidency at Centenary,...
Portage County Girl Scout Earns the Girl Scout Gold Award
Elizabeth Morisak, a Streetsboro resident and senior at Bio-Med Science Academy has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. Elizabeth has been a girl scout for 11 years. During her time as a Girl Scout she has earned the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. The Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. For a girl to...
K-9 Rotar Retires
Geauga Park District, and Geauga County as a whole, will lose a great asset with the impending retirement of K-9 Rotar, who has served county residents since 2012. The cause is a medical condition called degenerative myelopathy of the spine, for which there is no cure, according to handler and owner Ranger Ed Hunziker. K-9 Rotar, a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd...
Starting a Year Like No Other
The start of a normal school year involves weeks of planning, teams of staff and countless people working behind the scenes to make opening day perfect for our kids. This year, however, has tested the best of us. Teams of employees have been working around the clock to ensure the safest environment for our students, staff and families.As we...
Dixie’s Diner is a Mainstay in Windham
Many say Dixie’s Diner is like going home after a long, extended absence. A family diner, owned by Ashley and John Eisenbarth is located in the old Sparkle Plaza. The day to day operations falls on Ashley’s shoulders, so she named the Diner after her Grandmother Dixie. Dixie is not only an important person in Ashley’s life, she is...
Be A Sidewalk Chalk Artist!
Ravenna’s 4th Annual Chalk Fest will take place on Saturday, September 12th (Sept 13th rain date) from noon- 3pm. The sidewalks of downtown Ravenna will become a colorful canvas created by artists. Painters of ALL ages will be working to create their incredible works of art. Bring your family and friends to create art in the company of others while...
Hiram Township Trustee News
Hiram Twp. - At a recent meeting, township trustees approved a Resolution placing a Road and Bridge 3 Mill Replacement Levy on the November 3, 2020 ballot. It was noted that voters must be registered by October 5th in order to vote in this election. If residents plan to cast their votes by mail, they must request an absentee ballot...
Sidewalk Chalkers Inspire Hope with Messages
Since March we have all struggled, and unfortunately, some have felt the effects of the pandemic more significantly than others. “We are All in this Together” is a phrase that resonates and is meant to encourage comradery. But this is a Catch-22, because how can we support one another if have to social distance for safety? Brandi Smallwood and...
Tips for Parents with Back-to-School Uncertainty
BE A ROLE MODEL Children feel our energy about topics so parents, how is your energy? If you are anxious, they will pick up on your anxious energy. If you are calm, they will take on that calm energy.Model healthy lifestyle choices for coping with stress such as eating healthy, getting in daily physical activity, getting plenty of sleep, and...
AirMail100 Centennial Flight Project to Retrace Post Office Airmail Route on 100th Anniversary
Middlefield - 100 years ago this coming September, the U.S. Post Office launched its riskiest gambit yet: fly the mail coast-to-coast from Long Island, NY to San Francisco Bay in surplus WWI biplanes that lacked even the most rudimentary navigation and blind-flying instruments. The pilots, made up mostly of former Army Air Service instructors, had only two guides: their...
