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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Akron is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Firestone Stadium June 14. The stadium was built in 1925 by the founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, according to city officials. -
Akron is celebrating its bicentennial this year, filled with pomp and circumstance surrounding everything from the rubber industry to the abolitionist movement. -
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik announced a hospital-linked violence interruption pilot program and an Akron Police Department comprehensive community engagement plan in his 2025 State of the City address. -
Will Lane of Newton Falls sued Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, two captains with the department and the county for retaliation over a Facebook page Lane created last April, the suit alleges. -
Akron-Canton Airport officials unveiled the airport's new three year strategic plan on Wednesday. Officials began the planning process in December, they said. -
The removal of the Gorge Dam is entering the next phase, with Summit Metro Parks expecting to close areas of the Gorge Metro Park June 2, according to the park system. -
The Ohio Senate passed a bill this week that would ban ranked choice voting. The bill allows counties and cities to still use the election model, but the state would ban them from receiving Local Government Fund money. -
The Fair Housing Resource Center lost about 90% of its funding due to cuts at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to its executive director. -
Requests on the primary ballot for library levies fared well in Northeast Ohio. Every renewal passed, and Akron-Summit County Public Library's capital levy also passed, according to unofficial election results. -
Federal grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services were paused in March when nearly all of the staff were laid off by the Trump administration.
