Stacy Turner

For the second time this year, local folks had the opportunity to shop for clothes, shoes and accessories at a free clothing give-away event last Saturday. Although plentiful inventory rivaled many thrift stores, the free event was held at the Mantua Center Christian Church. At the height of this spring...

The Portage County Regional Planning Commission was asked by the Township to solicit community wants and needs regarding the potential renovation of the Mantua Center School property. The school, which was build in 1914, operated in that capacity until its closure in the early 2000s, at which time Township...

Mantua Twp. - At a recent meeting in Mantua Township, the trustees announced that Spring Clean Up will be held on May 3rd from 7 am to 4 pm. Dumpsters will be available across from the Township Garage on Mantua Center Road for township residents to dispose of any...

Hiram Twp. - At the recent meeting of the Hiram Township Trustees, the trustees discussed a request the three trustees received to meet with the members of the Hiram Village Council to jointly meet and discuss Hiram Township Resolution 2014-3, regarding annexation of a parcel of village-situated property. This...

Mantua - Recently, area leaders were invited to attend a special breakfast meeting at the Crestwood Middle School. The breakfast gathering, lead by  Principal Julie Schmidt, highlighted a variety of educational opportunities at CMS. Leaders and officials included Superintendent David Toth, Treasurer Jill Rowe, School Board Members, professionals from...

This weekend, I had the opportunity to make some homemade mozzarella and ricotta cheeses with some friends, and the results were simply delicious. Although ricotta cheese can be made using basic ingredients most of us have in our kitchens, I chose to use a cheese-making kit, which includes everything...

Mantua - At a school-wide assembly last Friday afternoon, staff and students at the Crestwood Middle School in Mantua gathered to learn the results of the school’s Kindness Challenge. The event, sponsored by CMS’s Rachel’s Challenge student organization, encouraged both CMS and Crestwood Intermediate students to document random acts...

Hiram - At the last meeting of the Hiram Village Council, Hiram Mayor Lou Bertrand acknowledged the Hiram Fire Department’s Save of the Year recipients. The team was honored for the successful resuscitation of a full cardiac arrest victim on Vaughn Road in February. On that snowy morning, the...

Hiram - Around 30 residents from Hiram and Mantua Townships attended a community meeting last Saturday to share their concerns about how a local storage well is affecting their lives, their roads and their families. At the meeting, citizens voiced concerns over the ill affects of the increase in...

Mantua - At this month’s board meeting, Director of Pupil Services, Michael Maglionico made a presentation on behalf of the District Leadership Team (DLT). Mr. Maglionico’s presentation introduced the team, which is charged with analyzing the district’s data, including student achievement and graduation rates, then accessing the most critical...

Portage County - The 2014 Northeast Ohio Envirothon is an outdoor academic competition that provides area high schoolers with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about environmental conservation and sustainability. The event features an “ecostation” format, where students travel to five outdoor stations to answer questions from the content...

It seems that most everyone is Irish, at least on Saint Patrick’s Day. And although my family is truly Irish (just ask Grandma Flanagan!), we haven’t inherited a love of many of the Irish foods typically served this time of year. Sorry, Grandma, but cooked cabbage has been pretty...

Mantua - At Power of the Pen competitions across Ohio, students are given a topic sentence or ‘prompt’ on the spot and have 40 minutes to write a complete short story. While the exact prompts are confidential, coach Marphy shared, “In one round, students were given the topic sentence,...

“Maple syrup is a unique product made in a limited part of the world, and Ohio is fortunate to be located in the heart of it,” explained Nate Bissell, owner of Bissell Maple Farm and board member of the Ohio Maple Producers Association. Bissell and his colleagues at the...

Mantua Twp. - At a recent meeting of the Mantua Township Trustees, the trustees approved a resolution to certify their jurisdiction of 37.09 miles of township roads. In similar news, they have also approved a list of zoning Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in response to the increase in questions...

Mantua - Last week, students at Crestwood Primary School were on their feet, clapping wildly as their school gymnasium was filled with music and dance. Was it simply a cure for cabin fever, or the result of far too many recess periods spent indoors?  It was all that, and...

Mantua - Several months ago, K & K Meat Shoppe owner and proprietor Dennis Kolar, Sr. wanted to retire. So he handed over the reigns, and the 12-year-old Mantua Village landmark business, to new owners, and began life as a retiree. But after a few months in a new...

Garrettsville - As last week’s warmer weather brought melting snow and renewed our hope of spring, it also brought forth a group of Girl Scouts on a field trip to the Weekly Villager office in Garrettsville. The group of Juniors from troop 732 and Brownies from troop 835 came...

Mantua -  The Mouse and the Motorcycle  came to life at Crestwood Primary School last week, as Principal Cindy Ducca appeared, dressed as a mouse at her school’s “One Book, One School” assembly. According to Mrs. Ducca, her attire was a reward to her students, who exceeded their goal...

As we enjoy the competition and exhilaration of the Winter Olympics, cheering on the talented men and women of our US Olympic team, it’s hard to imagine that things haven’t always been so equal for male and female athletes. For example, after the 1964 Olympics, swimmer Donna de Varona,...

Recently, I heard an interview with a writer in Nebraska, who compared this winter’s polar vortex conditions to the ninth circle of hell mentioned in Dante’s “Inferno”. That reference brought to mind a quote by writer Oscar Wilde, who said, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.”...

Mantua -  In his report to the School Board, Superintendent David Toth shared that first grade teacher Natalie Harr was one of only two Ohio educators to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science this year. Harr will receive a $10,000 award from the National Science...