Reporting Public Policy

A Reporting Project of the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Author: Mariam Makatsaria

Final project 

Trash-related violations increase in 2014

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Trash complaints increased dramatically in 2014 compared to previous years, according to the Kent Health Department‘s records. The projected number of complaints in 2014 is 315, an 18 percent increase from last year’s. Trash-related complaints were 266 in 2013, 118 in 2012 and 141 in 2011. Public Health Sanitarian Kyle Kelly said the Kent Health Department has noticed the trend regarding the increased trash violations. The department has spent about 882 hours enforcing the local trash ordinance last year, but non-compliance remains frequent, he said. “Complying with the local trash ordinance needs to be a priority for all owners and occupants,” Kelly said. “Many local residents are tired of neighbors

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Candidates for Secretary of State

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Nina Turner Democratic State Sen. Nina Turner competes with Republican incumbent Jon Husted and Libertarian candidate Kevin Knedler in the race for Ohio Secretary of State. Turner is a former Cleveland councilwoman. She served as the mayor of Cleveland’s Executive Assistant for Legislative Affairs, and the Director of Government Affairs for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. According to information on Turner’s website, “in these roles, Nina developed a reputation as a fighter for working families, good schools, and government that worked for all people,” Turner was elected as the first women to ever represent Cleveland’s Ward 1 on city council. She was then appointed to the vacant 25th Ohio Senate

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Kent City Council addresses Ebola, talks five-year capital plan

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Kent City Council met Wednesday to discuss several ordinances on its agenda and address the Ebola scare in Portage County. The meeting began with a moment of prayer for those suffering from the virus globally. Health Commissioner Jeff Neistadt began by tracking the nurse’s steps during her visit to Akron, a process that described as “putting a puzzle together.” “At this point there is no reason to believe that she was in Portage County,” Neistadt said. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done here. The biggest thing that we need to consider now is the accuracy of information. There is misinformation.” To address the misinformation, Neistadt talked

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Party Registration Program’s effectiveness to be determined

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Seven months after Kent City Council voted to approve a party registration program, Lieutenant Jim Prusha of the Kent Police Department said only 14 hosts have utilized the program. Prusha said the effectiveness of the program has yet to be determined. The party registration system is a cooperative effort between the City of Kent and the Kent Police Department. “During my 18 years of work at the Kent Police Department, the party registration program is the first change in the department’s procedures for handling excessive noise,” Prusha said. Shay Little, associate vice president for student affairs, introduced the idea to the Kent Police Department. The Kent Police Department modelled the program

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Inside the Kent Police Department Property Room

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  After the Kent Police Department decides between two sites for its new police station, more than 800 items of evidence that are stored in the Kent property room will be transferred to the new location as well. Inside the Kent Police Department’s property room, rows of evidence gather dust until Detective Dave Marino reviews a list of the items. “Reviewing evidence or cases is an ongoing process throughout the year,” Marino said. The Kent Police Department is guided by the Statute of Limitations for Criminal Offenses, which is codified at 2901.13. The ordinance sets forth the time period after which evidence can be destroyed. According to Ohio Revised Code

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New Body Art Codes to Keep Public Safe

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The State of Ohio passed a new code regarding tattoo parlor inspections Sept. 1, adding new regulations that will be adopted by the City of Kent. “[The change] is a big deal,” said Justin Smith, chief public health sanitarian at the City of Kent Health Department. “It’s the first time [the State of Ohio] reviewed [the code] and made important changes in years.” The new regulations represent the first revamp of Ohio’s tattoo and piercing regulation since 1998. “The new code actually had quite a bit of input from Tattoo Industry experts which may have added extra time in the development phases.” said Jeff Neistadt, health commissioner at the City

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