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...
JA Garfield Board Adopts Re-opening Plan
The JA Garfield Board of Education met on Monday evening to approve the reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year.Teams of staff members have worked together to create a reopening plan that will get students back in school with extensive safety measures in place. The reopening plan implements best practices which were recommended by experts including, but not limited...
ODA Asks Ohioans to Send in Unsolicited Seeds
After increasing reports of Ohio citizens receiving packages of unsolicited seeds in the mail, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is again urging the public to report and submit any unsolicited seed packets to ODA. In partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine Office, ODA is...
Local Family Remembers Loved One While Supporting Others
Each year, local quilter Nora Brant has created a beautiful quilt in honor of her daughter, Meghan, who passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 26. Each year, that gorgeous creation is raffled off, with proceeds used to increase awareness, fund education and ovarian cancer research, and provide scholarships. Since 1997, Brant has used her skills to...
PCDL Reopens to the Public
Portage County District Library (PCDL) is pleased to announce that we have reopened our doors to the public. There will be a number of necessary changes to the way that our libraries operate. We will be enforcing time limits for patrons inside our branches, with visits capped at one hour. We will also be limiting the number of patrons allowed...
Windham Residents File Referendum Over Ordinance Changes
Windham - Earlier this year, on March 24, 2020, Windham Village Council passed Ordinance O-2020-3, amending section 505.15. The ordinance prohibits farm animals, exotic animals, reptiles, or other pets, except dogs, cats, household birds, other creatures indigenous to the area or other creatures exhibited as part of a duly recognized circus show. No person shall keep or harbor within...
Program Pairs Local Youth with Local Businesses
Garrettsville - Ty’Shaun Caples and his sisters live with their grandmother in Windham. Two years ago, when his grandmother suffered a heart attack, then 16-year-old Ty’Shaun wanted to get a summer job to help support his family. At an event at Windham High School, where he was a student, he learned about a special job program offered through Portage...
Windham Fire Board News
Windham - Windham Joint District Fire Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting with one board member unavailable. The fire board approved the expenditures, the minutes, and the bank reconciliation before moving on to the Chief’s Report.Chief Rich Gano reported that there were 318 calls to date (06/30/2020). There were 41 EMS calls and one fire call. Three of...
Mantua’s Newest Mural Is Complete
If you’ve driven through Mantua, you’ve no doubt seen the colorful mural taking shape in the heart of the historic village this summer. On a gorgeous evening last weekend, the mural completion was officially celebrated by a socially distant gathering of some of those who helped make it possible. “It’s official. The mural is completed!” marveled local photographer and mural...
Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Report
Karen Bordonaro, assistant district governor for Rotary District 6630, zoomed into the July 13, 2020 meeting of the Rotary Club of Garrettsville-Hiram. Here’s what she was able to see and hear: There was a review of the letter to be going out to prospective ( and long-time reliable) sponsors of the annual Reverse Raffle in light of the current Covid-19...
Red Cross needs local volunteers to help respond to disasters due to COVID-19
While summer is a time to enjoy the weather and spend quality time outdoors, it is also a time for disasters. Here in Northern Ohio, summer means severe storms and tornados. During COVID-19, the American Red Cross has also seen an increase in local disasters, such as home fires, due to more people staying at home. In addition, experts...
