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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Six libraries in Northeast Ohio will be asking voters to renew existing levies, according to the Ohio Library Council. Akron-Summit County Public Library will be asking voters to pass a 1 mill capital levy, according to the library. -
Communities in Huron and Wayne counties are mourning the deaths of firefighters John Saunders and Paul Mickolick. Saunders served with the Tri-Community Joint Fire Department for 15 years, and Mickolick served with the Town and Country Fire District for five years. -
Town and Country firefighter Lt. Paul Mickolick was fatally struck by a car April 18 while assisting a driver stuck in a ditch, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol. -
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland asked firms in the district how tariffs may impact them in a February survey. Companies are expecting to raise costs. -
Leaders in Mansfield have long been working on improvements and development in the city, and now, they say they're prepared to fully reap the benefits of development in Central Ohio. -
Organizers decided to hold their own town hall on Saturday in Geauga County after they say they did not hear back from their representative for weeks. -
The Ohio House version of the two-year budget changes the way public libraries are funded by eliminating the Public Library Fund and instead earmarking a flat line item amount for each year. -
Signs of spring are already popping up at Akron Cooperative Farms, a community garden that mainly serves Bhutanese immigrants. -
The move to hire the university's Department of Criminal Justice Studies comes after Akron City Council rejected Mayor Shammas Malik's plan to hire a national consulting firm last month, citing the $640,000 price tag. -
The fiscal office did not reinvest $1 million in Israel Bonds that matured Feb. 1. The decision was mainly based on the bond market, the deputy fiscal officer said.
