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Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

I stood with my dad in the darkened backyard of our home in Mogadore, experiencing a Christmas Eve night like none before: The mercury had plunged to minus 14 degrees, and the several inches of snow that blanketed the yard had frozen to the point that we could actually walk on top of it, the snow crunching loudly with each step we took.

Citing increasing costs, Kent City Council is expected to approve 9% rate hikes for both water and sewer, effective the first billing cycle in January 2023, at its Dec. 21 meeting.

Windham Junior High and High School were placed in a brief lockdown Dec. 16 after Windham police were alerted to a physical altercation in a home across the street.

Kent’s Haymaker Farmers’ Market is open year-round, but it will be moving to new quarters.

The former Southeast High School principal and an academic adviser are no longer employed by the district after a district investigation found evidence of alleged “sexual misconduct” that did not involve students.

Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

Demolition contractors are hard at work removing and transporting debris from the Dec. 2 Kent mill fire, starting on the west side of the structure and eventually moving to the east side, city officials say.

Southeast schools Superintendent Bob Dunn said “professional misconduct” is the reason for the sudden resignations of two district employees, but no students were involved and no further information has been released.

Aurora is ready to put 100 of its now-obsolete traffic lights up for auction as the city’s signalization improvement project nears completion.

Brimfield trustees are focused on expanding the fire station and administration building. It is a two-phase project.

There were three meetings held consecutively Dec. 12: an organizational meeting followed by a committee meeting and a regular council meeting.

Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

County officials have yet to divvy up $1 million in federal stimulus funds to local nonprofits, citing the difficulty of complying with stringent rules for tracking and monitoring the money.

By the time Karen Johnson retires at the end of next year, combined with Suzanne Livengood calling it quits in some three weeks, Portage Learning Centers, located in the KeyBank building in Ravenna, will say goodbye to almost a century of extraordinary work.

The Ravenna High School class of 1957 celebrated their 65-year reunion. It was held in July at the West Main Street Winery in Ravenna and catered by Guido’s. Twelve classmates and spouses attended from as far away as Florida. Another gathering is planned for Dec. 28.

Remembering those we’ve lost in Portage County

The wonderful piece submitted to Round 2 last week by Melissa Morris, who coaches youth soccer for the Ravenna Parks & Recreation Department, about Kent Parks & Rec youth soccer coach Eric Allen and the positive impact he makes on kids’ lives, got me thinking about the youth football and baseball coaches I played for while growing up in Mogadore.

The principal of Southeast High School and an academic analyst for the school district have both resigned, said Superintendent Robert Dunn, who declined to explain the reason, citing an ongoing legal investigation.

Not all “thrillers” are keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat page-turners; some aren’t even that thrilling. This batch has mixed results.