Stacy Turner

Mantua - Early last week, students and staff at Crestwood Primary School held a school-wide assembly to show their appreciation for local heroes from the military, as well as local police, sheriff’s office, and fire departments. “The inspiration for our assembly was to welcome Chief Warrant Officer Jason Forson home...

Mantua - At the last meeting, Superintendent David Toth shared that the district did not fare as well as he had hoped on the State Report Card, which was recently published by the Department of Education. The district received an A in the Graduation Rate, a category that measures the...

Mantua - In a time of unrest around the world and around the United States, Crestwood Primary and Intermediate School students joined together to inspire peace and love, one pinwheel at a time. Last week, around 1,000 students and staff converged on the playground on a gorgeous sunny morning to...

Mantua - Dana Heffner from First Energy attended a recent Trustee meeting in Mantua Township to present a check in the amount of $1,500 to Ms. Linda Ehlert of the Mantua Restoration Society. The funds were earmarked to help support renovations and the installation of an elevator at the...

Mantua - This past weekend, the 43rd annual Potato Festival was held in Mantua. The event had plenty of vendors selling maple products, henna tattoos, and fair food, including French fries, of course. This year’s festival also featured Laser Bounce Inflatables, which brought in a laser tag center, along...

Mantua - Once again, on the weekend after Labor Day, (September 9th - 11th), it’s time for Mantua’s 43rd annual Potato Festival. As in years past, this down-home affair will have all the contests and activities you’ve come to expect. But this year, make plans to come down to...

Hiram - Mantaline Corporation, a fixture in Mantua for 50-plus years, has recently opened a new facility in Hiram.  The new facility is called the Thermoplastic Extrusion and Injection Molding Innovation Center; this state-of-the-art facility allows Mantaline to blend a whole new set of materials with state-of-the-art processing techniques. At...

Deaths due to drug overdoses have increased dramatically, not only across the nation, but here in Portage County as well. Beyond becoming a major public health issue, this epidemic has serious consequences on the community as a whole. That’s why the Portage County Health Department and Mental Health Recovery...

After months of planning and countless hours of hard work, Trish and Scott Snyder, founders of Mantua-based charity Hero’s Rock, will be hitting the road. Part of their plan to make good on a promise to deliver hand-made rocking horses that commemorate fallen heroes to Fisher Houses, they’ll depart...

Hiram - In late July, the Hiram Police Department once again held their annual ‘Fill A Police Car’ Food Drive, and just like in previous years, this event was an astounding success. All told, roughly 650 pounds of non-perishable food items, as well as a fair number of monetary donations...

Mantua - Scott and Trish Snyder, the self-described ‘Old Hippies’ of Hero’s Rock, will be embarking on a tour beginning September 1st. But they’re not planning to follow the Grateful Dead or even travel to some far-flung musical festival. They’re heading out west, traveling through 21 states, over 7,500...

As summer break nears its end, you might be tired of hanging out at the local pool. If you’re looking to get back to nature, why not head out to our closest National Park -- the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) -- in nearby Peninsula? This park, which was designated...

Mantua - Congratulations are in order at the Mantua-Shalersville Fire Department, as Christopher Mullins was recently sworn in as the Department’s Assistant Chief. Fire Chief Matt Roosa swore Mullins in at a recent Fire Board meeting while Mullins’ grandfather, Lyle Pittman, pinned on Mullins’ new badge in the special...

As August starts and the beginning of school looms in the not too distant future, now is the perfect time to enjoy a hand-scooped ice cream of frozen custard treat. Who cares about the coming crazy schedule of back-to-school shopping, homework, and sports practices when you can drown your...

Mantua - At the June Crestwood School Board meeting, a group of students, graduates and parents made an impassioned plea urging the Board to reconsider budget cuts to the American Experience Academy curriculum. History teacher Angus McDougall, science teacher Andy Brown and English teacher Drew Pavelek originally designed the...

Mantua - Last week, the Zoller family in Mantua celebrated the life of a soldier, a remembrance that was 43 years in the making. Robert W. Zoller II, US Army veteran, was killed in action at a battle at Fire Support Base Ripcord in Vietnam in 1970 at one...

Mantua - Last Sunday afternoon, the Mantua-Shalersville Fire Department held a ceremony that was over 18 years in the making. That’s when the department presented a fire axe to former Fire Captain Ed Leferink, who retired in the late 1990’s, in a ceremony that day. According to firefighter and unofficial...

Hartville - When most people think of Hartville, they picture the 15-acre Hartville Marketplace shopping complex, Hartville Kitchen or Hartville Hardware. And if that’s all you’ve seen of the small town nestled between Akron and Canton, then you’re in for a real treat. This summer, make time to experience...

Hiram - The Hiram Fire Department recently installed a helicopter-landing pad at the Hiram Township property on State Route 82, but the idea started over a year ago when the Hiram team responded to a severe crash on Asbury Road. At that time, there was no landing opportunity, save...

Mantua - At their last meeting, council welcomed Mantua residents Trish and Scott Snider, local philanthropists behind the Hero’s Rock charity. The couple asked Mayor Linda Clark and council members to help decorate the  horses with red and blue handprints. The Sniders are on a mission to build and...

Hartville - If you’ve ever wished for a place to get in touch with your inner Willy Wonka, then you’ll want to plan a trip to Cocoa Concepts in nearby Hartville. That’s because at Cocoa Concepts, the company behind the Hartville Chocolate Factory, you can roll up your sleeves...