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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The U.S. Route 30 broadband project got $20 million in funding in the recently passed state budget. The project will increase broadband access along all of Route 30. -
Josh Campbell, of Crestline, thought he'd never skateboard again after losing his right leg to bone cancer at 14, but after seeing his son pick up the board, he's back at it. -
Sarah Kovit Hanna said she struggled to find an all day, all summer, inclusive camp for her son Jacob, so she started her own nonprofit to help meet the needs of families with kids with autism. -
Summit County officials have earmarked $7.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars for the Peninsula sewer project, but they're still looking for more funding for the project. -
The port authority was established earlier in June, and officials hope it will attract new development to the county. -
Green officials and community members celebrated the opening of a new field at Kleckner Park. The field better fits the needs of kids with disabilities by having shorter turf, inlaid bases and larger dugouts, officials said. -
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.
