Stacy Turner
Crestwood School Board Approves Surround Care Program
Mantua - At their last regular meeting, the School Board voted unanimously to initiate a program called Surround Care, a before and after school program for district students. The program will run from 6:30 am until 6 pm during the school year, which begins on August 18th. Registration is...
Special Teen Program Aims to Save Lives
Automobile crashes are the number one killer of America’s teens. According to a 2010 AAA analysis of crash data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), statistics show that the danger is greatest in summer, with seven of the top 10 deadliest driving days occurring between Memorial Day...
Tanning Salon Under New Management in Mantua
Mantua - If you’re dreaming of a tropical get-away, but you’re unable to actually leave town, check out Sunscape Tanning and Boutique on East Prospect Street in Mantua. Now, you won’t need to rely on Mother Nature to get or maintain a gorgeous tan. The shop, which is under...
Jake’s Market to Open in Mantua
Mantua - Back in November of 2009, Jodie Fiala and Kim Sumwalt opened the doors of Jake’s Restaurant in Mantua, satisfying the community’s need for a family-friendly, hometown eatery. At Jake’s, they combined not only their passion for food, but also their names (Jodi and Kim’s Eats). As their...
2015 Mantua Potato Festival is Back On!
Mantua - In April it was announced that the State of Ohio Attorney General’s office has opened an investigation due to mishandling of festival funds. It was noted on the Mantua Potato Festival Facebook page that, “Lack of resources to move forward and unpaid debt from 2014 inhibits the...
Critical EMS Training Held in Hiram
Hiram - The Cleveland Clinic Critical Care Transport team and the Hiram Fire Department recently held a Trauma Training Day in Hiram. Over the course of the day, Cleveland Clinic helicopters landed at key locations in Hiram, as flight crew, paramedics and flight nurses trained with local first responders...
Hiram Farm Is Open for the Season
Throughout the year, Hiram farmers cultivate vegetables and herbs hydroponically and in outdoor gardens, selling produce at their roadside farm stand.
Relay for Life Builds Hope in Hiram
Recently, a Relay for Life event was held at Hiram College that raised over $11,000. But it raised so much more than just dollars -- it celebrated the hope of local cancer survivors like Dottie Summerlin.
Celebrate the Cuyahoga on River Day
River Day was created out of a desire to get people out to spend some time along the Cuyahoga and its system of wetlands. This is the first year that the local community will participate in organized River Day activities, offering families the opportunity to experience this local treasure close to home.
4.8 mills Renewal for Crestwood School District on May 5th Ballot
On Tuesday, May 5, the Crestwood School District will be asking local residents for a 4.8 mills, four-year, tax renewal. A ‘yes’ vote on this levy will not result in a tax increase for voters -- it’s a renewal of the levy originally passed in 2012. If this renewal levy passes in May, it will take effect in the fall of 2017. The original levy, passed in 2012, will expire in 2016.
News From Mantua Village
At their last meeting, village council heard from Mary Greer, spokesperson from the Concerned Citizens organization, on the topic of injection well integrity.
New Emergency Alert Sirens Keep Hiram Families Safe
Stressing the importance of this seemingly old-school system, Chief Byers shared, “The 911 outage this January is a prime example of how a battle-tested method is still relevant.” Byers referred to the 911-outage caused when a steam pipe burst, damaging an AT&T switching station. That random event knocked out 911 service in Summit, Portage, Stark and Medina Counties for two-days.
Hiram Fire Department Swears in Assistant Chief
“We as a department, and the community as a whole, are really lucky to have Brandon take Mark's place as our Assistant Chief,” shared HFD Fire Chief Bill Byers.
Crestwood Intermediate School Visits Cleveland Museum of Art
During two special Saturdays in March, Crestwood Intermediate School (CIS) Art Teacher Patricia Timbrook hosted groups of CIS students and their guests on an excursion to the Cleveland Museum of Art on University Circle.
Hero’s Rock Rises from the Rubble
Scott and Trish Snyder of Mantua had a simple idea when they started their part-time business making handcrafted wooden rocking horses for children of all ages. “For every 10 Trott Wood Creations we build, we pledged to give one away,” they explained. As they sold their original rocking horses, dragons, and other creations through local art shows and events, the idea for Hero’s Rock was born, giving Trish and Scott the mission to build tribute rockers for the children of fallen heroes. According to the two self-described hippies, “It was a play on words but it seemed so perfect -- The most important thing to each of these heroes was their family…their rock.” In addition to customized rocking horses for small children, Hero’s Rock also creates Treasured Chests for older children, providing a place to hold treasured keepsakes of their loved one. Each custom piece features a laser-engraved portrait and service title of their loved one, so that their hero will never be forgotten.
Destination Imagination Competition at Hiram College
Hiram - This past weekend, 60 student-led teams from 12 area schools converged at the Hiram College campus for the District 15 Destination Imagination (DI) Competition. DI is an educational program where student teams solve open-ended challenges, then present their solutions at regional, state, and global tournaments. Competitors range in...
A Great Day for Goodnight’s
Hiram - “This is the next phase of our 36 years in the business,” shares Goodnight’s Kitchen & Bath, Inc. owner Jerry Goodnight, Junior. And it’s a great day in Hiram Village, as the family-run business relocates from their long-time home in Garrettsville. The Goodnights were unable to find...
News From Mantua Village
Mantua - According to Clerk-Treasurer Jenny August, Village Council has cancelled a public hearing that was originally scheduled for March 17th to discuss amending the zoning map of the Village, as specified in Ordinance 2015-01. Upon further consideration, Council voted to table the proposed ordinance, which will be reviewed...
Hiram Village Report
Hiram - At the last meeting of the Hiram Village Council, Police Chief Ed Samec reported that his Department received three grants in February. The first grant, from Ohio Criminal Justice Services, will outfit Hiram PD patrol cruisers with two in-car digital dash camera systems. The second grant, from...
Students Collect Change to Make A Change
Mantua - American author Margaret Mead said, “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” Crestwood Intermediate students Emmy Grebb, Aspen Baynes and Lilly Kuchenbecker were inspired to make a positive change in their community. They decided to become...
News From Mantua Township
Mantua - Alex Forristal, Crestwood High School freshman from Scout Troop 575, led the Pledge of Allegiance to open a recent trustee meeting in Mantua Township. Next, Frank Horak reported on behalf of the Veterans Memorial Committee, that the time capsule of memorabilia relating to its installation has been...
Nature Treks Grants Students Special Access
Mantua - While many kids used their time off school on Martin Luther King Day sleeping in or hanging around the house being bored, several CIS students used that day to have an adventure back to the canal era of the mid 1800’s. During this special Nature Trek, led...
Crestwood School Board News
Mantua - At their last meeting, the School Board voted to approve the revised District calendar for the 2015-2016 year. In the revised calendar, the first day of class for students will be August 18th, 2015, with the last day of first semester ending on December 22nd. Classes for...
An Owl, a Mouse & Ballroom Dancing Help Foster the Love...
MANTUA - On a recent Friday evening, CPS students and their families had the chance to visit to Dimwood Forest, stepping into the pages of this year’s One Book, One School story, ‘Poppy’ by Newbury medal-winning author, Avi. Students and their teachers spent a total of 53,036 minutes over an eight-day period to read the book. Through the process, the story came to life in the classrooms, in the hallways lined with story-themed artwork, and more importantly, in the students’ minds.
Local Groups Meet to Connect Communities Along Headwaters Trail
This was the third meeting of the group, which includes a collaboration of local mayors, city and township officials, and community organizations from Aurora, Garrettsville, Hiram Village, Hiram Township, Mantua Village and Mantua Township. Their mission is to connect these contiguous communities via improvements to the Portage Parks District Headwaters Trail, which runs through each locality.
Local Man Takes Epic Journey Along Appalachian Trail
“Through it all, I want to be a blessing to those who suffer from the havoc of Parkinson’s by walking the over 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail,” Garrettsville native Don Havener said. “It’s my goal to try and raise $100 per mile for the Ohio Parkinson Foundation, an organization that has been such a blessing to my brother during his five year struggle with the disease”.
How State Funding Effects Local School Districts
Given reductions in state spending on education, the State of Ohio has implemented state-guaranteed transitional aid to districts with declining enrollment. This “guarantee” means that the State of Ohio offers a promise to pay each district the amount of state funds the district had received in the previous year. “On the flip side,” remarked Jill Rowe, Crestwood District Treasurer/CFO, “it also means that the state feels that the district should not be getting 36% of the revenue it received in the previous year, but that the state will pay or “guarantee” the district these funds in good faith.”
Hiram Township News
At the last meeting of the Hiram Township Trustees, Assistant Chief Mark Kosak thanked village and township residents for their votes in support of the Fire Department’s latest ballot issue. Kosak announced that as of January 1st, the department will begin 24 hour staffing, with two firefighter/EMTs on staff around the clock. Due to the increase in staffing, response times should see a reduction.
Crestwood School Board News
Mantua - At the last meeting of the Crestwood School Board, a brief discussion occurred at the start regarding the proposed 2015-2016 school year calendar. The proposal put forth recommends that the first day of instruction for students begin on August 19th, with the last day of instruction held...
Local Students Experience Holiday Performance on Wheels
“It’s important for our children to experience life outside of school, within their global community. It’s a nice opportunity for them to get dressed up and enjoy something wonderful with their peers.”
- CPS Principal Cindy Ducca











