District Library Announces Changes to OverDrive Website
Garrettsville - Portage County District Library announces changes are coming to its OverDrive website. The “Next Generation” of Portage County District Library’s digital collection will provide you with a faster, more intuitive way to connect to the books you love. Get to know the new experience before it gets here on Monday, March 11. Visit http://overdrive.portagelibrary.org for more information....
Geauga Lyric Theater Guild 2013 Summer Youth Workshops Announced?
The Geauga Lyric Theater Guild (GLTG), located in Chardon Square, has announced the youth workshops for this summer. There will be opportunities to explore the arts from ages four to seventeen.The GLTG combines youth and educational theater to teach students confidence, team-building, character, voice and artistic concepts within the framework of performing a production. Oh, and fun! The youngest actors...
Windham Board Of Education News
Windham - Windham Board of Education (BOE) met for their regularly-scheduled meeting with all but one board member in attendance, along with Superintendent Gregg Isler and Treasurer Samantha Pochedly Melissa Roubic gave the Maplewood report and reported that the new electricity instructor has done a great job in setting up the electrical lab. She also reported that The Maplewood board...
JAG Book Swap Chili Cook-Off a Success
Garrettsville - James A Garfield PTO recently held their 6th Annual Book Swap and Chili Cook-off at the elementary school on Thursday evening February 21, 2013. The book swap was a way for readers to recycle books they have read for ones they haven’t read. Over 250 folks came out to swap books. While swapping books one could enjoy...
Who is St. Baldrick?
Hiram - On March 23, a head-shaving fundraiser in honor of this fictitious saint will be hosted by the Hiram Fire Department Fire Fighter Association’s (HFDFFA). So why host an event -- especially one where people lose their hair -- for a fake saint? Because more children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other disease and...
Is Fracking Against Your Religion?
Fracking has become a hot political and economic issue in Portage County, as more permits are granted and more wells are drilled. For some, however, fracking has also become a religious issue. Grounded in the belief that calls us to be faithful stewards of our planet’s resources, a group called Faith Communities Together (FaCT) opposes fracking, as it is...
Windham Plans Mayor’s Court
Windham - Windham Village Council met for their regularly-scheduled meeting February 26, 2013 with five of the six council members present, along with the Mayor Rob Donham, Fiscal Officer Lloyd Billman and Solicitor Tom Reitz in attendance. Council woman Deb Blewitt was excused from the meeting. Council approved the minutes from the January meeting and tabled the approval of the...
Middlefield Mayor Ben Garlich to Present the “State of Village”
Middlefield - The Middlefield Chamber of Commerce invites all to a luncheon with Middlefield mayor, Ben Garlich. When Ben Garlich took over as mayor of Middlefield Village on Jan. 1, 2012, his primary goal was to build the economic base of this community. Under Mayor Garlich’s leadership, the Village of Middlefield now offers to residents, a state-of-the-art Web site, is experiencing...
Library Seeking Recipes for Cookbook Fundraiser
Have you got a great recipe that you would love to share with your friends and neighbors? The Friends of the Garrettsville Library are collecting recipes for a fundraising cookbook to be published this spring. Our goal is to publish about 300 recipes. While we are including old favorites, we are also seeking recipes that are low salt, fat,...
Twentieth Century Club News
Members of the Twentieth Century Club of Garrettsville and their guests were recently treated to a program presented by one of their talented members, Pat Amor, on the recently-renovated pipe organ in the Garrettsville United Methodist Church. The opening toccata was just a foretaste of the enjoyment to come. The presentation included interesting information on the technicalities of the...
Literary Club News
On February 13th the Literary Musical Club held their monthly meeting. Margaret Lappert and Betty Hamilton were our hostess and did the tables in Valentine theme with a red rose for everyone. We went over the new membership books and talked about upcoming programs. Sounds good! But to make it all happen, we need all the members to attend the...
Nelson Undecided on Fate of Old Garage
Nelson Twp. - Nelson Township Trustees met on February 27, 2013 for a special meeting originally set up to discuss the possibility of leasing the old township garage to the Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard (NGCC). The meeting drew over 40 interested people and was somewhat heated at times but in the end, resulted in nothing. On February 7, 2013 the...
Pond Clinic Offers Free Advice
Did you know that maintaining a successful balance in your pond starts with picking the right species of fish who occupy it? Do you have questions on selecting the right fish for your pond, or how to cultivate the most beneficial aquatic plants? Would you like to hear from local experts, and have time to ask them your specific...
The Lorax, Literacy and Quilts
Mantua - Nora Brandt makes quilts. Her self-described “addiction” began with a request made by her eldest daughter Meghan, who passed away at age 26 from ovarian cancer. Initially, her first creations were given to the newborn children of Meghan’s friends, so that even though Meghan couldn’t be there herself to hold them, they would have a tangible gift...
Part V: Books or Bytes? Looking at the Library of the Future
I like the way the pages feel and sound when you turn them and the way some books smell warm from decades of paper decay beneath the whorls imprinted from generations of turning, penciled notes in the margin small and fading. (Robert Andropolis) Depending on how old you are, this little excerpt either fills you with the nostalgic memory of...
First Book – Portage County Accepting Book Grant Applications
Ravenna – First Book – Portage County announced today it is accepting book grant applications from community groups and nonprofits. This spring, First Book – Portage County plans to grant out approximately 1500 new books to programs in Portage County. Teachers and directors of local preschools, day care, after-school, tutoring and mentoring programs are encouraged to apply on behalf...
Rotary Report
The last meeting involved gearing up for the district Four-Way Speech Contest coming up on March 23 at Aurora High School. Local high school speakers are urged to sign up to participate…cash prizes and good practice for real-world situations. The local competition will take place on March 18. Speak up, kids! The G-H Rotary Club also voted to make a...
Excavation at Cleveland Museum of Art Brings The Last Days of Pompeii to Life
Cleveland - Working in conjunction with the Theatre Ninjas, a Cleveland-based theater troupe committed to creating “experiences that are out-of-the-ordinary, unforgettable events”, the Cleveland Museum of Art is bringing the tragic history of Pompeii to life. Located within the Cleveland Museum of Art’s exhibition titled The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection; on select days visitors to the...
Hiram Village News
TOWN HALL MEETING WITH STATE SEN. JOHN EKLUND On Friday, March 1, 2013 AT 8:30 A.M., State Sen. John Eklund will be at Koritansky Hall to exchange ideas and discuss the state’s new proposed 2014-2015 budget and any other matters of concern to our community. Koritansky Hall is located in the heart of Hiram at the intersections of SR 700,...
Navigators USA announces Chapter opening in Streetsboro, Ohio
Streetsboro - Navigators USA, a co-ed, youth-adventure organization committed to opening minds and creativity through direct contact with nature, announces the formation of a new chapter in Streetsboro, Ohio. Robin Bossert, Executive Director, Navigators USA, welcomed the new chapter in an email sent to the founding committee members. “Pack your backpacks! You can now go camping as Navigator Chapter...
WVFD Joint Fire District News
Windham - The WVFD Joint Fire District Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting on February 14, 2013 at the fire station. The entire board and fiscal officer were in attendance. The board approved the minutes, the expenditures, yearly appropriations of $623,413 and the monthly bank reconciliation before moving on to the chief’s report. Fire Chief Mike Iwanyckyj reported that...
Hiram Township Happenings
Hiram Twp. - As of January, 2013, Kathy Schulda was voted Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Steve Pancost was voted Vice Chairman and Regional Planning Commission Representative. Meeting minutes from the past two meetings were approved, and are now available to view downloaded at the Hiram Township web site, hiramtownship.org. The meeting continued as Chief Byers gave the...
Fate of Garrettsville’s Design Review Board up for Debate
Garrettsville – Village Council met on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting. The public hearing that had been scheduled at last month’s council meeting to discuss proposed restructuring of the Design Review Board (DRB) was postponed due to an error in publishing the announcement. Instead, proposed Ordinance 2013-01 was presented for second reading. The...
New eBook Service: Axis 360
If you got a new tablet during the recent holiday season or already had a tablet and want to get free eBooks, get your library card out and visit the Portage Library Consortium’s new eBook service, Axis 360. The Portage Library Consortium, a partnership between Kent Free Library, Portage County District Library, and Reed Memorial Library, makes this service...
Special Meeting Scheduled In Nelson Twp. to Discuss NGCC
Nelson Twp. - Currently, more than 140 families in the Garrettsville area rely on the Nelson Garrettsville Community Cupboard (NGCC) for supplemental groceries. In the one year that they have been open, NGCC has distributed over 34,000 food items to those in need. “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support we have received from the community during...
Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures: How to Respond to an Active Shooter
Portage County - What if a violent intruder showed up at your workplace or school, intent on shooting to kill? What would you do? In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. With Teddy Roosevelt’s empowering quote...
Canine Classes Recently Held
The Garrettsville-Freedom-Nelson Joint Fire District recently played host to area police canine units, holding a joint continuing education class. Firefighters and EMS providers were instructed on working at multi-disciplinary scenes involving canine units, how to operate around them, and how to help them in an emergency. Many thanks go to the canine officers, their partners, and Dr Kartley, DVM...
The Problem with Print in a Digital Age: A Five-Part Series
“Wherever there is change and uncertainty lies opportunity, if you’re willing to take risks.” -Mark Cuban, owner of Dallas Mavericks Undoubtedly, for newspapers to survive in this new environment of 24/7 digital information streams, they need to be nimble, flexible, experimental and bold. Ultimately, the newspaper of the future may bear little resemblance to the newsprint you now hold in your hands. Newspapers have already become hybrids: part-print and part-internet. Eventually, they seem destined to become internet-only manifestations. Meanwhile, the transition from the printed page to its next embodiment is challenging, both for the newspaper industry and for its consumers.
“I’m considering donating blood. Are there any restrictions?”
“I’m considering donating blood. Are there any restrictions?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff knew that the American Red Cross is the local organization which sponsors blood donation collections, so we accessed their website to see if we could find the information needed by our patron. At www.redcross.org, we selected Give Blood and then For First Time Donors. There is...
“This Is How We Roll”
What’s better than good youth bowling scores to report? Two weeks’ worth of good scores! On January 19, Gavin Dunfee had a great 123 game in the 11:00 PeeWee League. Milo English rolled games of 117 and 110, and Brooklynn Horner and Memphis English each had games of 94. Sophia Shaffer rolled a 96 game. Ryleigh Gough’s 120 game was...