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“The present fire station is super old. Some of it dates back into the 1920s,” township Trustee Chris Diehl said. “The building is just getting dilapidated. Times are changing, and we need to have better living quarters for full-time firemen with separate bathrooms, showers and all of that stuff.”

Township employees made up the audience. Their annual contracts were unanimously renewed. Holidays for township employees were updated.

Our house has almost literally been turned inside out lately. Since the plumber came and made a lot of our dreams come true, we’ve had our utility room as empty as we could get it. Cupboards that were supposed to be mounted on the walls, but never got that far, now sit on the back porch. They’re joined by nearly everything else we had stashed in hidey-holes. I haven’t been able to find anything in months.

Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

Filing deadlines are coming up for candidates in dozens of local elections, from city and village councils to township offices and school boards. (See all the filing deadlines at the bottom of this article.) Elected officials throughout Portage County and others are urging more people to get involved in local races and to vote in them.

Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

The committee is preparing to roll out the designs in January with a display at the Kent Free Library and a multi-faceted media release.

Housing construction techniques have come a long way since the Paleolithic Period, but that didn’t stop author and anthropologist Bob Kunst from building a Stone Age village in a stand of trees on the Portage County Historical Society’s 11-acre campus in Ravenna. 

By now, most of us have seen the play that has Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin fighting for his life in a Cincinnati hospital.

Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

Ravenna resident Forrest Calhoun — aka Papa June — has always had a passion for cooking and finds joy in watching others enjoy the meals he makes with care.

Our December MSR Youth Community Star of the Month Award goes to Skylar Livengood!

Freedom Township’s Hankee Road project involves repaving the road and replacing a deep culvert.

Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

There were so many big stories in Portage County in 2022. There have been fires and tragedies of all sorts. The kinds that can hit the soul of a community and bring people together. And lots of moving acts of solidarity and courageous leadership.

The meeting was very well attended by the public, and several residents wanted time to address the council. Each was limited to five minutes, and each resident spoke about the same topic: the ongoing investigation of the relationship between Chief Urso and Patrol Officer Brothers.

The Portage County Sheriff’s Office made good on a pledge to adopt body cams this summer, purchasing over 150 body and dashboard cameras with plans to deploy them in January. 

In a letter to Mantua village leaders, Police Chief Joe Urso appeared to push back against an investigation initiated by council into allegations of conflicts of interest in the department.

The owners of the building have hired a historical structural engineer to work out what can be rebuilt and what needs to come down, even temporarily, the owner’s lawyer said.

Kent City Council on Wednesday approved a 9% increase in water and sewer rates, effective the first billing cycle in 2023.