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.
-
Several lawsuits related to the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio derailment have been filed by local residents, school districts, corporations, the state and the federal government.
-
More than two months into his administration, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik unveiled dozens of action items, including a tracker to follow progress.
-
The president toured the site of the derailment in East Palestine and met with local and federal officials to discuss the progress in the cleanup over the past year.
-
President Biden is expected to make his first visit to East Palestine Friday. Some residents are critical that it's taken more than a year since the Norfolk Southern derailment for him to visit.
-
East Palestine residents and other environmental activists sent a letter to President Joe Biden and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan on Wednesday outlining recommendations for actions in East Palestine.
-
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik unveiled the city's new snowplow tracker and dashboard Wednesday, which shows residents near real time information about the city's snow removal efforts.
-
The president seat opened up when Veronica Sims was tapped to represent the 33rd district in the Ohio House of Representatives.
-
Feb. 3, 2024, marked one year since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine. On the anniversary, survivors of other chemically impacted communities and environmental activists came to town to support residents.
-
East Palestine residents and residents of other areas impacted by petrochemical pollution installed a monument to mark the one year anniversary of the train derailment.
-
In the wake of the train derailment, some East Palestine residents founded the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment to advocate for themselves.