Since the Kent Stage opened in 2002, it has brought in a variety of well-known folk musicians to Kent. Booking acts from folk singer Joan Baez to musician Stephen Stills, the Kent Stage has become known among the folk circuit, Kent Stage booking agent Tom Simpson said. "We’re probably more famous in Nashville than we are in Kent,” Simpson said. “Within the music industry in New York and L.A., the major agencies all know who we are.” Folk music has become a focus for the venue because of its relationship with WKSU 89.7 FM, Kent State University’s local National Public Radio station, Simpson …

It seems many local Ohio politicans have little interest informing their constituents about their stance on gun control policies. Journalism students at Kent State University recently asked 16 Ohio politicians — every member of Ohio's Congressional House delegation — for a simple "yes" or "no" response to four questions about gun policies. Only one, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, responded to all four questions. Others, like Congressman Tim Ryan, issued statements in response to the query but did not respond directly to the questions, which were: Should the U.S. ban the sale of assault weapons? …

In sports today it's become one of the most widely reported and analyzed injuries: the concussion. Injuries to the brain don't just happen to NFL players. High school athletes on the volleyball court to the lacrosse field can experience a concussion. Journalism students in Kent State University's computer-assisted reporting class recently surveyed high schools around Ohio to find out if the schools track concussions, whether there is a formal policy in place for dealing with concussions and if the school trains coaches on how to deal with the injury. In Kent, at Theodore Roosevelt High School…

Megan Rothermel has never let the word “no” stop her from achieving academic success and independence. And she hears the word a lot. No, she can’t learn Spanish because she has Down syndrome. No, she can’t be independent because she has diabetes. But to all the doubters, the short, pony-tailed 23-year-old says, “Watch me.” Academic ups and downs The first trial came in kindergarten when Megan’s mother, DeeOnda, tried to enroll her in the Garrettsville school system. The system’s policy said no students with multiple disabilities could attend. They were instead sent to Ravenna schools, which …

By Megan Moore and Shanice DunningKent State University student journalists Megan Moore and Shanice Dunning recently discovered a computer security issue with Kent State student’s Flashline email accounts.Flashline provides Kent State students, faculty, and staff with a university emailaccount as well as other services.In one day, the journalism students were able to gain access to 10 different email accounts via computers in the newsroom and media lab located in Franklin Hall on campus.They simply typed www.gmail.com into the browser and up popped student email accounts on 10 different …

By Bethany Vietmeier Imagine going to dinner at a nice steakhouse with a group of friends, and when it comes time to pay your $531 bill you are handed a receipt with only a single number on it — the total you owe. This would not sit well for many people, but for some college students, it happens to them every semester. Twelve of 13 universities in the Mid American Conference (MAC) are charging their students either a "student fee" or "general fee," but they do not explain what this fee is actually paying for on the student's bills. And it turns out, a large portion of the fee is funding MAC …

By Courtney Thomas Mid-American Conference university students across Ohio are paying millions of dollars to fund athletics, and chances are they're not aware of it because there's no indication of those charges on the student bill. Kent State University student reporters called 12 MAC division schools and requested an annual budget for the athletic department and a line-item breakdown of student fees. "All of that money goes into one general account. It's pretty much a black hole. What's done from there, we don't know." Jeff Bowman, Assistant Bursar at Toledo State University describing what…