Hiram Village News
Hiram - At their last meeting, Council unanimously passed Resolution 2020-21, by which they declared racism to be a public health crisis. As stated in the resolution, Council agreed that the principals of diversity, equality, and inclusion are central to a healthy community. Several guests joined the online meeting to comment in support of this measure, including Hiram College...
Local Artist, Jim Trombo Holds Successful Photography Show
Recently, I attended a meet-the-artist event and found the artist’s work interesting and some of the pieces quite intriguing. The artist is Jim Trombo, of Jim Trombo Photography. Trombo displayed his work, “Nature’s Graces in Rural Places” at the Geauga Park District’s West Woods Park’s nature center located on State Route 87 on the Newbury/Russell Township line. Trombo was...
Hiram College Board of Trustees announces Dr. David Haney as interim president
The Hiram College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of David P. Haney, Ph.D., an established higher education leader, as interim president, effective September 1, 2020. Dr. Haney comes to Hiram College after serving two years as the President of Centenary University, a private liberal arts university in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Prior to his presidency at Centenary,...
Portage County Girl Scout Earns the Girl Scout Gold Award
Elizabeth Morisak, a Streetsboro resident and senior at Bio-Med Science Academy has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award. Elizabeth has been a girl scout for 11 years. During her time as a Girl Scout she has earned the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. The Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. For a girl to...
K-9 Rotar Retires
Geauga Park District, and Geauga County as a whole, will lose a great asset with the impending retirement of K-9 Rotar, who has served county residents since 2012. The cause is a medical condition called degenerative myelopathy of the spine, for which there is no cure, according to handler and owner Ranger Ed Hunziker. K-9 Rotar, a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd...
Starting a Year Like No Other
The start of a normal school year involves weeks of planning, teams of staff and countless people working behind the scenes to make opening day perfect for our kids. This year, however, has tested the best of us. Teams of employees have been working around the clock to ensure the safest environment for our students, staff and families.As we...
Dixie’s Diner is a Mainstay in Windham
Many say Dixie’s Diner is like going home after a long, extended absence. A family diner, owned by Ashley and John Eisenbarth is located in the old Sparkle Plaza. The day to day operations falls on Ashley’s shoulders, so she named the Diner after her Grandmother Dixie. Dixie is not only an important person in Ashley’s life, she is...
Be A Sidewalk Chalk Artist!
Ravenna’s 4th Annual Chalk Fest will take place on Saturday, September 12th (Sept 13th rain date) from noon- 3pm. The sidewalks of downtown Ravenna will become a colorful canvas created by artists. Painters of ALL ages will be working to create their incredible works of art. Bring your family and friends to create art in the company of others while...
Hiram Township Trustee News
Hiram Twp. - At a recent meeting, township trustees approved a Resolution placing a Road and Bridge 3 Mill Replacement Levy on the November 3, 2020 ballot. It was noted that voters must be registered by October 5th in order to vote in this election. If residents plan to cast their votes by mail, they must request an absentee ballot...
Sidewalk Chalkers Inspire Hope with Messages
Since March we have all struggled, and unfortunately, some have felt the effects of the pandemic more significantly than others. “We are All in this Together” is a phrase that resonates and is meant to encourage comradery. But this is a Catch-22, because how can we support one another if have to social distance for safety? Brandi Smallwood and...
Tips for Parents with Back-to-School Uncertainty
BE A ROLE MODEL Children feel our energy about topics so parents, how is your energy? If you are anxious, they will pick up on your anxious energy. If you are calm, they will take on that calm energy.Model healthy lifestyle choices for coping with stress such as eating healthy, getting in daily physical activity, getting plenty of sleep, and...
AirMail100 Centennial Flight Project to Retrace Post Office Airmail Route on 100th Anniversary
Middlefield - 100 years ago this coming September, the U.S. Post Office launched its riskiest gambit yet: fly the mail coast-to-coast from Long Island, NY to San Francisco Bay in surplus WWI biplanes that lacked even the most rudimentary navigation and blind-flying instruments. The pilots, made up mostly of former Army Air Service instructors, had only two guides: their...
The Bill White Charity Bowling Tournament Donates to United Way of Portage County and Miller Community House
Kent - As a local entrepreneur and bowling champion, Bill White has worked in and owned many of the bowling alleys of Portage County over the years, including Twin Star of Kent (now known as Spins Bowl) and SkyLanes Bowling in Garrettsville. White hosted his 91st birthday in combination with a charity tournament at Skylanes this past February. The...
American Pickers To Film In Ohio
Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and their team are excited to return to Ohio! They plan to film episodes of the hit series American Pickers throughout the area in October. We understand that with the proliferation of COVID-19, we are all facing very uncertain times. We at American Pickers are taking the pandemic very seriously and will be following all guidelines...
Children’s Advantage Opens New Facility
Ravenna – Children’s Advantage formally opened their Family Center on 5968 New Milford Rd. Ravenna on August 7th.The Family Center cost around $600,000 to acquire and renovate and was paid for with help from a $367,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and $125,000 from the Portage County Mental Health and Recovery Board. The...
Corn Maze Opens Early at Derthicks
Mantua - While Derthicks Corn Maze has been in operation for 15 years, many folks have made a tradition of visiting from near and far. This year, the Derthick family is delighted to once again invite visitors to the farm -- something they weren’t sure would happen due to Covid-19. “Being cooped up is no fun,” MaryEllen Derthick Hamlin...
Crestwood School Board News
Mantua - At their last meeting, Superintendent David Toth showed a plexi-glass tri-fold, sharing that every student and teacher desk within the district would be equipped with one at the start of school. In addition, thanks to hard work by teachers and custodians, every classroom has been set up to ensure 6-feet space around desks in each classroom. Classrooms...
Garrettsville’s South Street Water Main Project Gains Momentum at Council Meeting
Garrettsville – Village officials present at the village council meeting on August 12th were Village Solicitor Michele Stuck, Mayor Rick Patrick, Assistant Fiscal Officer Deb Wordell, and Councilpersons Tom Hardesty, Chris Knop, Jeff Kaiser, Larry Beatty, John Chambers and Tom Collins. Due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements the meeting was held in person with no audience, however the meeting...
JAG Historical Society Cancels the 2020 Christmas Walk
Garrettsville - With the uncertainty of the destination of the Covid-19 pandemic, the James A Garfield Historical Society has reluctantly decided to cancel this years’ Christmas Walk. This would have been the Society’s 20th Walk. The slogan was to be “We Celebrate Our 20th in 2020”. Now the twentieth celebration will be postponed until the year 2022. (“We Celebrate Our...
Garrettsville Gangsters Are Hot Stove Class EE State Champs
Congratulations Garrettsville Gangsters the 2020 Class EE State Champions.Kneeling from left to right: Jacob Baczkowski, Ryan Stoller, Ethan Cmunt, Elijah Hatfield, Lenny Veccia, Coach Mike Paes.Standing from left to right: Coach John Demma, Coach Howie Moore, Anthony Demma, Aaron Craver, Brody Swigonski, Noah Eggert, Jake Britton, Kaiden Spade, Joseph Perrine, Scotty Hatfield, Coach Randy Ward.
Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Report
Just dying to get in? The Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club met on August 10, 2020 at the Old Baptist Cemetery on Maple Ave. in Garrettsville, as Tim Foor of Hallowed Ground Cemetery Preservation presented a Zoomed program about this historic location and the work he is doing there. Much of the neglect found in cemeteries everywhere is rooted in budgetary concerns...
Windham Township Approves Tentative 2021 Budget
Windham Twp. - The most recent Windham Township Trustees meeting was held outdoors with social distancing practices in play. The trustees first approved the tentative 2021 budget. A discussion was held on the particulars of the budget. The trustees did a 3% increase across the board, with the exception of healthcare. The trustees believe there will be a significant...
Forage + Feather in Mantua Now Open
Mantua - The waiting is over -- Forage + Feather Artisan Marketplace opened it’s doors on Wednesday, August 12th at the historic Mantua Grain building (4690 East Prospect). “We are SO EXCITED to open!” marveled shop co-owner Hedy Laverdiere. The shop features natural bath and body products from Laverdiere’s 3 Bees in a Hive company, as well as Blah to...
Giving it Our All helps Ravenna Businesses “Rise Up!”
Ravenna - Ryann Kuchenbecker, Executive Director for the Ravenna Area Chamber of Commerce took it to heart when she got phone calls from distressed business owners during the pandemic shutdown. Their financial livelihoods were being traumatically impacted, which in turn was a great disruption of the economic development of Ravenna, where in just the last five years many new...
Portage Development Board Distributes PPE Toolkits to Portage County Small Businesses
Ravenna - The Portage Development Board is assisting in the final distribution of the PPE Safety Toolkits, donated by JobsOhio, to our local small businesses! The donations will provide businesses of 100 employees or fewer the much-needed PPE in order to continue to operate within the state’s safety guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPE Safety Toolkits contain 100...
Hiram Township Trustee News
Hiram Twp. - At a recent trustee meeting, Anne Spicer from the Charles E. Harris Company presented the findings from the Fire & EMS Contract Audit for the years 2016 through 2018. According to Spicer, the accounting would be simplified if all monies for the township and village-funded entity be collected in either a Fire or EMS Fund. She...
Mantua Village News
Mantua - At a special meeting held on July 29th, council heard from video producer Mark Hamer from the Garage Creative Studios based in Brecksville. Hamer approached council to ask whether the village would be amenable to allowing his company to shoot video for an upcoming project in the village. He noted several sites around town that would be...
Windham BOE Unveils School Re-Opening Plans
Windham - In these trying times, we are seeing a new normal in almost every aspect of our lives, and school systems are no different. After months of working on a plan with the county health department, CDC and other Portage County school districts, Windham Board of Education (BOE) unveiled their plan at a special board of education meeting,...
School Fluoride Program
The Ohio Department of Health is no longer able to provide supplies for administering Fluoride in the school setting. Students previously were able to participate in the SWISH program for weekly dental fluoride treatments during the school year. As a result, James A. Garfield students will not be receiving this service beginning with the current school year. Please take this...
JAG School Reminder For Immunizations
Summer is moving quickly and we are nearing the beginning of the school year. Students are reminded to have their required immunizations before school begins. Kindergarten students are required to have all of the shots mandated by the State of Ohio prior to entering school in the fall. Documentation must be provided to the school by a parent prior to...
