Kent's Most Read Stories of 2012

2012 Most-Read: No. 7

Kent Patch is counting down the top 10 most read stories of 2012 with the story that had the most readers to be announced on New Year's Eve

Editor's note: In our second year reporting on Kent, Kent Patch produced 2,000 news articles — excluding events and announcements — about everything from lost pets to the city budget. But only 10 of those stories were the most read on our site after having received thousands of individual readers each. Counting down to New Year's Eve, Kent Patch will announce the top ten most-read stories of the year with the story that received the most readers announced on Dec. 31. Today we're revealing story No. 7, which originally appeared April 19, 2012, and broke the news about a crash on River Bend Boulevard involving three students at Theodore Roosevelt High School. The original story received more than 200 Facebook recommendations. Click on the …

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State Court Upholds Local Ruling on River Bend Park

11th District Court of Appeals says park is not detrimental to neighborhood

The Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals has issued a ruling upholding the decision of a Portage County judge allowing the River Bend Park canoe and kayak access point on the Cuyahoga River. The state appellate court issued a ruling this month affirming a decision by Portage County Common Pleas Judge John Enlow, who determined in January that the park was not a detriment to the surrounding neighborhood. The state court ruling stemmed from an appeal filed by Kent residents Jim and Diana Sumner, whose property stands across the river from the park on River Bend Boulevard. The Sumners filed appeals in February 2011 in Portage County to decisions by the Kent Planning Commission, Kent Board of Zoning Appeals and Kent Board of Building …

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PHOTOS: New Canoe, Kayak Access Points Open Downtown

Canoe and kayak portages improve river access in downtown Kent

New access points to the Cuyahoga River for canoe and kayak enthusiasts are open in downtown Kent. The Kent Parks and Recreation Department added canoe and kayak portages to Kent's Heritage Park and River Edge Park as part of an effort to increase access to the river. The work included new stairways leading to the river, railings for easy canoe and kayak transportation, and stone pathways along the water's edge. The new access points were built this fall in conjunction with a new park and access point to the river in River Bend about 2 miles north of downtown.

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Projects Expand Access to Cuyahoga, Encourage Boating

Downtown, River Bend parks increase waterway access with state grant

Two of Kent's parks will offer increased access to the Cuyahoga River before the year's end for canoe and kayak enthusiasts. Projects under way at Kent's Heritage Park and a new park located in the River Bend subdivision are expected to be finished by mid December and will add new put-in and take-out areas for canoe and kayak use along the river. Both projects were paid for largely by a Ohio Department of Natural Resources Cooperative Boating Facility grant. Downtown, two new access points were added to the river; one is just north of the Main Street Bridge and the second is a few hundred feet south of the Stone Arch Dam. Kent Parks and Recreation Director John Idone said the take-out spot with canoe rail just north of the bridge will …

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