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-Canton Airport partners with a local apiary to take care of more than 90 bee hives on airport property while two local farmers tend to the airfield. -
The proposed charter amendment would give residents relief from rising property taxes without hurting the county's critical services, Summit County officials said. -
The addition to the jail will be able to house more people in better conditions, Stark County officials said, shifting from linear housing pods to a pod style layout. -
Megan Keleman was shot and killed in the drive-thru of a Stow Taco Bell on Aug. 14, 2024. Her parents are now championing legislation to add safety lanes to new and updated drive-thrus. -
An Akron police officer fatally shot Michael Jones, a 54 year old Black man, last summer. Officers were investigating a stolen U-Haul that Jones was driving. -
Mayor Shammas Malik swore in 29 new police officers and two fire department arson investigators Friday upon their graduation from the Akron Police Academy. The graduating class's training had an emphasis on community engagement, according to police officials. -
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, Police Chief Brian Harding and Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich gave updates on violence intervention and prevention initiatives at a Wednesday press conference. -
Summit County did not reinvest $2 million in Israel Bonds that matured Aug. 1, according to the fiscal office. Pro Palestinian activists have called on the county to cease investments in foreign bonds in response to the Israel-Hamas War. -
The Positivity Spectrum legal clinic will answer families' questions about special education, advocate for Individualized Education Programs and set up special needs trusts, Executive Director Sarah Kovit Hanna said. -
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost conditionally approved the sale of Summa Health, Akron's largest health system, to Health Assurance Transformation Corporation, a venture capitol firm, in June.
