Editor's Picks: Top Stories of 2012

Editor's Picks: President Obama Rallies Kent

Kent Patch gives you the editor's picks for top 10 stories of 2012.

Editor's note: as a journalist I've covered presidents and presidential candidates before. But the fever that swept Kent this fall truly was something to witness. It started when word broke that President Barack Obama would make a campaign stop at Kent State University. It ballooned when thousands lined up to get tickets for the campaign rally, which packed the MACC. And it ended when 73 percent of the city's voters picked Obama over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. For 2012, this story is one of my picks for top 10 stories of the year. RELATED COVERAGE:

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Obama Cancels University of Akron Rally

Due to the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, President Barack Obama has canceled Wednesday's Akron rally to focus on the storm.

President Barack Obama has canceled his campaign stop at the University of Akron on Wednesday. According to whitehouse.gov, the President will remain in Washington D.C. to monitor Hurricane Sandy, and help coordinate the federal response and relief effort.  Stay tuned to Patch for updates on the President's campaign schedule as he's expected to return to Ohio before Election Day on Nov. 6.

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Obama Rallying at University of Akron Wednesday

President Barack Obama will make a campaign stop in the Rubber City this week.

President Barack Obama will make yet another campaign stop in Ohio when he visits the University of Akron on Wednesday.  According to the Obama campaign, the Commander-in-Chief will take the stage at 12:30 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena.  The event is free and open to the public.  Tickets will be made available starting Monday at 8 a.m. at the following locations:

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Shirley

11:37 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012

Jean - How much food did you donate to the Dayton "relief event". Also, 4 years of not doing what was promised ---- well ---- is that not a lie? Come on........let's call it what it is ........ someone did tell a non-truth about a lot of things since 2008 and they are also cutting either 90mil or 90bil from FEMA and a whole lot of money from Medicare. Enough said......   more ›

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in North Canton: Tweets

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will speak at Hoover High School Friday at 6:30 p.m. Here's what people are Tweeting.

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Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan to Campaign in Northeast Ohio Friday

The pair is slated to speak at Hoover High School in North Canton at 6:30 p.m.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are slated to make an appearance at Hoover High School Friday evening in North Canton, according to their campaign website. The event will kick off at 6:30 p.m., and doors will open at 4:30 p.m. at the high school, located at 525 7th St. NE, North Canton. Click here to get tickets to the free event. The rally comes just days after Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Canton. Check back with Kent Patch for more information as it becomes available.

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Letter: Reader Wants to Help Kids Turned Away from Obama Event

Email your letters to the editor to Kent Patch editor Matt Fredmonsky at Matt.Fredmonsky@Patch.com

Dear Editor;   I very much appreciate your article, "Many Ticket Holders Turned Away from Obama Campaign Stop" in Kent Patch for addressing a problem that has now occurred twice at the Kent State MACC:  the overbooking of available space.  In the first case, the problem took place during a graduation ceremony and left many parents and friends of graduates standing on the outside.  The current problem here occurred with the appearance of President Obama on Wednesday.   I witnessed a particularly heartbreaking moment, one which likely occurred several times, while waiting in line to get into the MAC Center.  I was near the back of the line, immediately behind a young father and his two three- or four-year old boys, who were all enduring a …

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Many Ticket Holders Turned Away from Obama Campaign Stop

6,600 people inside the MACC at Kent State listened to the president campaign Wednesday

Officially, 6,600 people — mostly supporters — listened to President Barack Obama campaign inside the Kent State University Memorial Athletic Convocation Center this week. Untold hundreds more who held tickets to the event were turned away at the door on Wednesday. One Kent resident, who asked not to be identified, said he waited in line for two hours on Monday with his wife and two children when campaign officials and volunteers were distributing tickets for the rally. He then took his two children out of school Wednesday for the rally, and they all stood in the rain on the Kent State campus for about two and-a-half hours waiting to see the president before they were turned away. "My kids handled it OK, but I saw some very upset …

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Obama Visit to Cost Kent $5,500

County commissioner wants to seek reimbursement

At least part of President Barack Obama's visit to Kent State University today is going to cost $5,500. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller said that $5,500 estimated cost of the assistance city police and fire departments will offer to the U.S. Secret Service is mostly staffing. "With nearly $40 million of the president’s stimulus funding at work rebuilding Kent OH, I feel like he’s got plenty of tab to work off before I have to worry about it," Ruller wrote on his blog Monday. "But I also don’t want to come across as making light of our financial troubles, so we ran the numbers and thankfully our local costs (mostly extra manpower) will probably end up around $5,500, which when divided up by the various departments involved should be …

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Obama Supporters Hope to Hear President Address Variety of Topics

President to speak at Kent State MACC Wednesday

The thousands of people who will hear President Barack Obama deliver a campaign speech at Kent State University Wednesday hope to hear him address almost as many issues. Kent Patch interviewed people who lined up early Monday to get their ticket to see the president to hear what they want him to talk about. Here's what some of them had to say: The president is expected to deliver a speech about the state of the economy when he takes the stage around 5:30 p.m. in the Kent State MACC Wednesday. Doors for the event open at 3:30 p.m. University officials issued notice earlier this week about the effect of the president's visit to on-campus programming. Read that notice here.

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