9-Year Old Donates to United Way of Portage County COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
Ravenna – Provision Honey, a charitable project led by 9-year old, Isaac Waldeck, made a $850 donation to the United Way of Portage County (UWPC) COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. The donation was generated from the sales of the local, Midwest honey. Isaac launched Provision Honey this past Thanksgiving with the goal of raising money for charities targeted toward those...
Crestwood High School Yearbook in Search of “School from Home” Submissions
The Crestwood High School Yearbook staff is working hard to complete the yearbook during the COVID19 crisis. The end of a school year is typically a busy time for the staff, but especially this year when students are not able to go to school. The staff came up with a way to document this difficult time in the yearbook...
County Officials Provide Covid-19 Update
Last Thursday, local media were invited to attend a conference call led by Portage County Commissioner Kathleen Clyde. The call included Portage County Health Commissioner Joseph Diorio and other County stakeholders and provided insight about the status of the County’s response to Covid-19. According to Diorio, County his staff has been working tirelessly during this global health crisis. He noted...
Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard Continues To Fill Area Need
The Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard is thankful for the monetary support and food donations we have been receiving. Your support has allowed us to make a tremendous impact in the JAG community. Working with the Akron Canton Foodbank and local retailers, we have been able to stretch these funds -- every $5 donation we receive pays for 20 meals...
Garrettsville Family YMCA Offers Child Care For Area Essential Employees
Garettsville - The Garrettsville Family YMCA was granted a special pandemic day care operating license and has been able to operate their childcare service for the essential employees in our area. This has provided much needed relief for many parents who are unable to perform their jobs from home. “We are delighted to provide this service to essential employees,” said...
Vacant Building Gets New Life in Mantua
Mantua - If you’ve been in the Village of Mantua recently, you’ve noticed that a variety of projects have been steadily progressing in spite of Covid-19. Those who were saddened at the closure of the Chase Bank branch last May will be pleased that the old space is being renovated for new life. According to Mantua Village Mayor Linda Clark,...
Preserving Geauga County Farmland for Generations to Come – Application Deadline Extended!
The Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP) provides funding to assist landowners in preserving farmland. The program purchases agricultural easements from landowners who volunteer to keep their land in agricultural production in perpetuity. The Geauga County Board of County Commissioners, with assistance from Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), is a Certified Local Sponsor to administer...
2020 OX Roast Fair Cancelled
Mantua - On April 16th, Fr. Ed Stafford, pastor of St. Joseph Church, issued a letter announcing the cancellation of the Ox Roast Fair for 2020. These are not normal times, due to the global impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic, affecting the lives of all people throughout the world. There is so much uncertainty right now that it requires...
Local Families Support Area First Responders
Mike Zamecnik shared that he heard about a shortage of gloves in Portage County from the Ravenna Township Fire Chief and thought, “Let’s see if we can get some for our family.” He and his wife, June, have family members working at fire departments in Ravenna Township, Hiram, Mantua, and Stow, as well as at the Aurora and Mantua...
KSU BSN Graduate to Serve In NYC
Burton - Kent State University Geauga Campus Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program 2018 graduate Bailey Hill has been selected by The Cleveland Clinic as a nurse who will spend the next four weeks at New York Presbyterian Hospital—an area in the COVID hot zone with a shortage of nurses. When Bailey received an email from the Cleveland Clinic...
Annual student art show at Hiram College hosted virtually, winners announced
Hiram - Each spring, Hiram’s Art and Design program hosts a Juried Student Art Show in the Gelbke Fine Arts Center Gallery. With the rise of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and the closure of many public spaces, this year’s show is presented through a virtual space, where visitors can explore the exhibition in full. Featuring the work of students...
Amish Genetic Disease Panel created by DDC Clinic can now test for 160 rare conditions
Middlefield - Dr. Heng Wang, a board certified pediatrician and the Medical Director of the DDC Clinic located in Middlefield, OH, announced today that their Amish Genetic Disease Panel will now test for 160 rare conditions. This important tool allows faster diagnosis of unidentified genetic conditions at a reduced cost. DDC Clinic delivers personalized and life-changing medical care to...
Mantua Gains Green Space
Mantua - Several months ago, Mantua native Broc Benner was having a drink with a friend in Garrettsville, and the topic of conversation turned to the green space that Garrettsville had created in the heart of downtown, in the spot made vacant by the fire of 2014. That conversation planted the seed for Benner to do something similar in the...
Windham Village Mayor’s Proclamation Invokes a Temporary Curfew
Windham - On April 13, 2020 in a council, all committees meeting held through Zoom, Windham Mayor Scott Garrett issued a Proclamation that sets a curfew for the village of Windham. The curfew is from 10 pm until 5am seven days a week and is effective April 14, 2020. According to Garrett, this is a “soft” curfew. This means that...
Maplewood Carpentry Students Work On Schoolhouse
During these difficult times, the Freedom Township Historical Society is thankful for those in the community who have helped us. FTHS is renovating a former one-room schoolhouse and church on S.R. 303 to use as a museum and community center. One of the priorities of our renovation is to restore handicapped access to the building, which had fallen into disrepair...
Students Can Apply Now for Pay it Flash Forward Emergency Funds
Kent - Even before the coronavirus crisis up-ended daily life, college students were already juggling critical demands on their time, careers and finances. Any interruption in their study-work-life balance could threaten their stability. COVID-19 has proven to be that sudden and severe disturbance and now scores of students are experiencing serious setbacks. Fortunately, Kent State University has established the...
GlueTread Innovates In the Midst of Covid-19
While people shelter at home and many businesses have shifted their workforce to their homes, local business GlueTread is quietly and efficiently shipping orders across the country. “GlueTread is a family-owned business that was quite literally started in our garage,” local entrepreneur Dave Auble shared. He explained that he and his family grew up riding ATV’s and enjoying the...
Friends of Melana 5K / 1 Mile Goes Virtual for 2020
The Friends of Melana Foundation was established in honor and memory of Melana Matson, a Garrettsville resident, who lost her battle with brain cancer in 2009 at the age of nine. The foundation holds 5K/1mile fundraisers for childhood cancer research each year during Garrettsville’s SummerFest. Because of the pandemic the foundation is holding a virtual race event this summer beginning ...
Adaptability Equals New Opportunities for Kneaded
Over Easter weekend one entrepreneur was thinking “outside the basket” on how to contribute positivity to the community while still selling her baked goods. Kimberly Nader was excited to host her pop-up shop in front of Immaculate Conception church this past Saturday on West Main street in Ravenna. So much so that she had been up since midnight designing...
Parks Are Open But Practice Social Distancing When You Visit
The Portage Park District (PPD) parks and trails will remain open as an essential outdoor activity to support the physical and mental health needs of the community. As per the guidelines set forth by Governor DeWine, Portage Park District urges visitors to comply with social/physical distancing requirements. Portage Park District has offered these reminders for safely enjoying your parks:...
Windham Church of Christ takes Easter Egg Hunt to local kids
Due to the present Coronavirus situation, the annual Easter Egg Hunt had to be canceled. The Church really wanted to do something special for the local children. Instead, bags of candy filled Easter eggs were delivered to local families so their kids could have an Easter egg hunt in their own home. In this way, social distancing was still...
Covid-19 Relief Options for Small Businesses
Across the country, life has been disrupted by the coronavirus, as schools and those businesses deemed non-essential have been closed and countless individuals have been required to shelter in place. No matter who you are, you’ve no doubt felt the impact of Covid-19. In addition to taking measures to safeguard employees according to CDC guidelines in an effort to control...
Hiram Community Trust Grant Applications 2020-2021: deadline May 29
The Hiram Community Trust is offering our annual round of requests for funding. This is a great opportunity to fund campus and community programs. Funding is competitive. Proposals are due May 29, 2020. Last year, grants receiving funding ranged from $300 to $6,000. The Trust will award over $25,000 in grants this year. The Hiram Community Trust was established in...
Garrettsville Village Goes Digital for April Council Meeting
Garrettsville – Village officials present at the village council meeting on April 8th were Village Solicitor Michele Stuck, Mayor Rick Patrick, Fiscal Officer Deb Wordell, and Councilpersons Tom Hardesty, Chris Knop, Jeff Kaiser, Larry Beatty, John Chambers and Tom Collins. Water Superintendent Jeff Sheehan and BPA member Stephanie Byrne were also present in the meeting. Due to COVID-19 social...
Nursing Program at Hiram College Donates Medical Supplies and Assistance to Area Hospitals
Hiram - During this unprecedented time, Hiram College is supporting surrounding communities and those on the frontlines working to contain and slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). As medical workers and first responders face a critical shortage of much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE), Hiram’s nursing program donated over 5,700 pieces of medical equipment to University Hospitals Portage Medical...
Ohio Six Foot Challenge
Since there isn’t much happening in our tourism and entertainment these days, we thought we might have some “Stay at Home” fun. Be clever or funny or whatever and submit a photo for OhioTraveler.com’s “Six Foot Challenge” (yeah -yeah), 10 feet is even better). Simply incorporate a tape measure and take a clever or funny pic that entails social distancing...
PARTA Issues COVID-19 Recommendations for Riders
The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) has provided its drivers with face masks and is encouraging riders to wear them too. Recently Governor Mike DeWine began urging Ohioans use face masks as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The suggestion concerning face masks is just one...
The WVFD Board Considers Chassis Swap on Squad
The Windham WVFD Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting with all pertinent people in attendance. Abiding by the governor’s orders, social distancing was being practiced. The board approved the minutes, expenditures, and bank reconciliation for both February and March, as the March meeting had been cancelled. Chief Rich Gano reported that there were 67 calls in February with 56...
Deadline Extended for Garrettsville Area Chamber Scholarships For Garfield HS Graduates
The Garrettsville Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that it will be awarding two (2) $1,000 scholarships to college-bound graduates, and two (2) $500 scholarships to graduates pursuing further education at a trade/technical school. The decision of the Chamber’s Scholarship Committee is final and will be based on the following criteria: Student desire/goals GPA School activities, outside interests and community/volunteer activities A...
JAG Alumni Banquet Canceled for 2020
The James A. Garfield Alumni Reunion Banquet scheduled for Sept. 19, 2020, has been canceled. The next alumni banquet will be held on Sept. 18, 2021. The classes of 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 and the classes of 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, and 2001 will be honored at the 2021 banquet. Alumni who would like to receive...
