Abigail Bottar
Reporter/ProducerExpertise: Audio reporting, Akron politics, rail safety
Education: Kent State University - Bachelor of Arts, political science
Favorite spot in Northeast Ohio: Downtown Kent
Experience:
Abigail Bottar covers Akron, Canton, Kent and the surrounding areas for Ideastream Public Media. She started in public radio as a news intern at WKSU. Her reporting on the train derailment in East Palestine has appeared nationally and internationally on the BBC, NPR, “Morning Edition,” “Up First,” “Here and Now,” MSNBC, “Living on Earth” and Vox’s “Today, Explained.”
Highlights:
- 2022, Best Spot News Coverage, Ohio Associated Press Media Editors
- Guest on the “Sound of Ideas” and panelist on the “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable”
Why trust Ideastream Public Media?
The mission of Ideastream Public Media is to be a trustworthy and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Our highest priority is providing news and information that is reliable and accurate, that is gathered with integrity and professional care and that is presented with precision and respect for the intelligence of our audiences. We are transparent about how we discover and verify the facts we present and strive to make our decision-making process clear to the public. We disclose relationships, such as with partners or funders, that might appear, but will never, influence our coverage.
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Youngstown Business Incubator recently received federal grant money to launch the Rising Tides Initiative, which will help small and medium manufacturers in Eastern Ohio adopt and develop advanced technologies. -
The city has decided not to release the name of the officer who fatally shot 15 year old Jazmir Tucker, Mayor Shammas Malik said. Meanwhile, the lawyers representing the family have called on the city to be fully transparent and respond to records requests. -
The shooting is under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The two officers who initially approached Jazmir Tucker have been placed on administrative leave. -
Rep. Emilia Sykes' voter registration was called into question by a challenge in October, right before Sykes' bid for a second term in Congress. -
House Bill 93 bans municipalities from requiring landlords to pay delinquent water and sewer bills, instead requiring cities to go after renters, which Summit County says will lead to higher utility rates. -
People can vote on their favorite painted plow on ODOT District 4's Facebook page. The plows are designed by students from Ashtabula, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit and Trumbull counties. -
The fugitive fired multiple rounds from inside a hotel in Jackson Township when members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force attempted to arrest them, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. One officer was struck and suffered a non life threatening injury, according to the press release. -
Incumbent Bruce Zuchowski was the subject of a national backlash for comments he made on Facebook about immigration that some have called voter intimidation. -
Ohio's 13th congressional district, which covers all of Summit County and parts of Stark and Portage, has been dubbed one of the most competitive races in the country by political analysts. The race may give insight into what more matchups could look like if Issue 1 passes. -
WM defends proposal to build a waste transfer station on Akron's east side. Residents want more timeWM has proposed building a waste transfer facility on Akron's east side. The plan includes closing an aging facility that has long been a problem for the neighborhood around it on Fountain Street.
