Anna Huntsman
Reporter/ProducerExpertise: Government, Akron politics, health care, audio editing, podcasting
Education: Kent State University - Bachelor of Science, journalism
Favorite spot in Northeast Ohio: Franklin Mills Riveredge Park in Downtown Kent
Experience:
Anna Huntsman covers Akron, Canton and surrounding communities for Ideastream Public Media. She reported on health news during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, Anna was a Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellow at Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, where she traveled the country reporting on natural disaster recovery. Her work has appeared nationally on NPR, and in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Associated Press. She began her career in public radio as an intern at WKSU.
Highlights:
- 2023 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors, Best Reporter
- 2023 Cleveland Press Club, First Place In-Depth Coverage - “Is Akron following the rules in homeless encampment sweeps? Advocates raise concerns”
- Akron Press Club board member
- Kent State University adjunct professor
- Panelist and moderator for debates and forums, including 2023 Akron Mayoral Debate & Canton Mayoral Debate
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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Dozens of people asked questions and gave input on Mayor Shammas Malik's proposed 2025 operating budget in a community forum Tuesday night. -
Eric Weisburn was elected to the position in November, defeating incumbent George Maier. This is the first time Stark County has a new sheriff in 12 years. -
The board wanted to spend nearly $1 million in 2025 to hire new personnel and purchase new software, but city officials reduced that ahead of council's budget hearings. -
Malik's proposed 2025 operating budget is a two percent decrease from last year's $815 budget. -
'Journey is not yet over': Wooster woman shares barriers deaf immigrants face in citizenship processA Wooster woman recently became a U.S. citizen despite not having an American Sign Language interpreter at her test interview or naturalization ceremony. -
Originally constructed in 1893, the building had a storied history and was a mainstay in the community. -
Rubber City Rescue is renting out a building in Akron's Kenmore neighborhood for its dog rescue operations. Summit County animal shelters are almost always full, officials say. -
Mayor Shammas Malik proposed spending $640,000 to hire a national consulting firm led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Council has debated the proposal for two months and several members have concerns over the price. -
The officer involved was previously under scrutiny for punching a man in the face during an arrest in 2023. The city recently settled a federal civil rights lawsuit involving that case. -
Akron Public Schools says it's been two year since a joint board with the city on school construction funding met, and it's waiting on city officials to discuss using unspent funds meant to refresh all of the district's school buildings.
