Stacy Turner

“As a community, we believe in coming together to support each other in times of need,” Sherry Timm, JAG Academy teacher at James A. Garfield High School noted. “What better way to show support than by joining in a delicious pancake breakfast?”  To that end, several classes and student groups...

Locals may remember Terri Vechery as the lucky winner of the Queen of Hearts drawing at SkyLanes in Garrettsville back in 2016. With her single ticket, she won the jackpot of over $3 million. Often, winnings of this size tend to negatively impact the prize winner, but Vechery has...

Last week, Village officials and Portage County community leaders celebrated a win on Main Street in Mantua. Thanks to months of hard work on the part of local organizations and individuals, a project is now underway to repair the 100-year-old crumbling steps in front of the stores on the...

Top Tier Pastry is no stranger to Mantua, as many locals have enjoyed Top Tier pastries at local farmers markets and at R44 Coffee and Butcher & Baker. In fact, it’s that two-year relationship helped Top Tier Pastry chef and owner Tracey Garrett forge solid connections in the Village,...

In a recent Council meeting, Councilman Chris Szell accepted the nomination to serve as Council President. Police Chief Brian Gregory presented the Department’s monthly and year-end reports. In his report, Fire Chief Bill Byers provided the Fire Department report as well. In addition, Mayor Anne Haynam conducted her first...

Although the Rotary Club of Mantua was founded in 1946, the organization continues to be an active force for good in the community almost 80 years later. For example, during the first week in December, the Rotary hosted their first Merry Christmas Tree fundraising event during a busy holiday...

For avid readers, there’s nothing more exciting than getting the chance to meet an author you love. On Wednesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm, you can meet Amanda Flower, a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author at the Middlefield Library. Flower, who has written of over thirty cozy mystery...

It’s hard to miss the new restaurant that opened at the busy corner of State Route 82 and State Route 44 in Mantua in December. You may not have known that the location is the third Los Venados location that’s popped up in Northeast Ohio in as many years....

In the 30 days that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, 134,000 Americans enlisted in the military. The attack that prompted the United States to enter the war had a profound effect on Ravenna resident Vernon Roen, who at the time was a high school...

Do you have formal dresses or men’s formal attire you no longer need? The team at Maggie’s & More has a solution that will help you clean out the clutter and can help a local young person have a magical prom, homecoming, or winter ball. And if that weren’t...

At their first meeting of 2024, Fiscal Officer Katie Hoffmeister conducted a swearing in of the newly elected and re-elected board members, after selecting Dan Tillet as Board President and Kristen Cavanaugh as Vice President in the annual organizational meeting. Once the organizational meeting began, Tillet addressed the board...

Last summer, two Scout Troops from Mantua took on the challenge of Philmont High Adventure at Philmont Scout Ranch in the rugged northern New Mexico wilderness. One well-known motto of scouting is to ‘Be Prepared,’ and the Mantua Scouts really took this sentiment to heart. A trip of this magnitude...

If you’re looking for salon services in Mantua, there’s a new, old option in the village. The new business is located in the historic Granary building. It’s an expansion of an existing business, Lulu Tru Holistic Salon & Spa in the square in Burton. According to Brittany Meeks, the manager...

At their last regular meeting in December, Hiram Village Mayor Lou Bertrand was present to conduct a swearing in ceremony for Township Trustee Jack Groselle and Fiscal Officer Eric Hankinson. Groselle has been re-elected, and Hankinson was newly elected to continue in the role to which he was appointed....

Over 40 people from six local communities gathered to witness the swearing-in ceremony of elected officials at Koritansky Hall on Hiram College’s campus last Friday evening. Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals Judge John Eklund officiated the event;  other notable guests included Portage County Commissioners Anthony Badalamenti, Sabrina Christian-Bennett,...

On Saturday, December 9th, the Hiram and Garrettsville Police Departments teamed up to help make the holidays a little brighter for some local families. “We had a total of 29 children participate this year,” Hiram Village Police Chief Brian Gregory noted. “That’s the largest number we’ve ever hosted during...

If you missed the arrival last weekend of Santa and Mrs. C in Mantua, don’t fret. The holidays have just begun in this festive Village. On Thursday, the Village will once again host an evening holiday event with enough Christmas magic to expand even the grinchiest of hearts. It’s...

This Veterans Day on a crisp afternoon, a small crowd gathered to witness the dedication of an artifact from World War II. The event took place on the lawn in front of Mantua Village Hall and Police Department on Saturday but was one year in the making. The idea to...

Cincinnati-based artist Robert Kroeger returned to Portage County to see the fall foliage and scout out potential subjects for future works. No stranger to the area, Kroeger has visited multiple times in recent years to tour local barns with the help of local barn scout and Mantua resident Heather...

Research shows that children are better able to learn when they’re well-nourished and not distracted by grumbling tummies. Furthermore, eating healthy meals has been linked to higher grades, better memory and behavior, and faster information processing. During the school year, many local families rely on the daily breakfasts and...

As student enrollment declines across the area, one of the downside’s is the reduction of participants in high school music programs. According to Crestwood’s Scarlet Guard Band Director Angela Adkins, “CHS’s marching band enrollment has gone down the past 4 years, but at 49 students (around 15% of enrollment),...

This fall, there is plenty to do in the Village, as people get out to enjoy the glorious autumn leaves and bright blue skies. On Wednesday, October 25th, Crestwood Schools will be hosting a Career Day. The event takes place from 12:30 pm until 2:30 pm at 1088 John...

In September before the leaves began to turn, a Garrettsville institution with a long history changed hands, moving from one family to another. The Charles Auto Family, the Chevrolet dealership in Garrettsville, Ohio became a part of the Akron-Canton based Sarchione Auto Group. Charles Auto Family has been in business...

Cincinnati-based painter Robert Kroeger has made several trips to Northern Portage County to document local agricultural buildings with oil paint. That’s because Kroeger is on a mission to create impasto oil paintings of historic barns before the structures succumb to time. In the course of his visits with barn...

It all began back in 1972, when there were a little over 400,000 women-owned businesses in the United States. It’s surprising that until 1988, women needed a male relative to co-sign if they wanted to apply for a business loan. That same year, the SBA’s Women’s Business Ownership Act was passed, providing financial assistance to organizations that assisted women-owned small businesses.  As a result, by 2019, women-owned businesses represented 42% of all U.S. businesses, generating an impressive $1.9 trillion worth of revenue in the US. And today, there are over 13 million women-owned businesses across the country. That trend continues on a local level.  In the Village of Mantua, just on the main drag alone, there are four women-owned businesses worth a visit.

Another Garrettsville institution, the Carlson family has owned Carlson Funeral Homes for 37 years. “Garrettsville has gotten bigger,” Dr. Mike Carlson noted, “but it has maintained the ‘small town’ atmosphere.” Dr. Mike noted that he and his three brothers purchased the business, which includes locations in Brunswick and Medina,...