‘Mascot’ dies at 45
Retail relocation
Page 3A
Page 4A
THURSDAY, November 21, 2013
NEWS NOTES
jhawk@civitasmedia.com
The Amherst News-Times offices at 42 South Main St., Oberlin, will be closed Thanksgiving to allow staff to spend time with their families. The office will remain closed to customers on Friday, Nov. 29, though reporters will still be on duty. We wish all our readers a happy holiday. OBAMACARE RULES Some city workers’ hours are being closely watched out of fear of Obamacare repurcussions. Although it’s a grey area, Amherst leaders worry they’ll have to pay hospitalization coverage for any part-time employees who work more than 29.9 hours a week now that the Affordable Care Act is in place. “Nobody knows for sure what the rules are, it seems,” said Nina Lorandeau, who leads the city’s Office on Aging. “We’ve been told to err on the side of caution, which means cutting hours.” Her office runs the local Meals on Wheels program, drives seniors to medical appointments, makes routine checks on those who live alone, gives assistance to those in danger of utility shutoffs, and warns seniors of scams. The elimination of all state and federal funding in 2010 dropped the office from five to just one full-time employee. That means part-time hours now are incredibly important. Limiting her one part-time employee to 29.9 hours means the office simply won’t be able to help as many clients, Lorandeau said. There are about 300 senior citizens who routinely use Office on Aging services every year. There are more in Lorain and Amherst Township that ask for help, but the budget no longer allows it.
DEAL HUNTING?
U.S. Postal Service Use Only
See our classifieds INSIDE
AMHERST, OHIO
ONE DOLLAR
Cops to carry naloxone
By Jason Hawk
OFFICE CLOSED
L c in b in p
In addition to pistols and stun guns, Amherst police will also soon carry a lifesaving drug. Chief Joseph Kucirek confirmed that officers here will be armed with naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan. “We’re in the process of getting it in our cars right
now,” he told the NewsTimes last week. Naloxone fights the effects of opioids. With Lorain County in the grip of a severe heroin addiction problem, it could help save lives. It already has. Since Lorain police began carrying the drug Nov. 1, there have been five overdose deaths prevented. Ohio Sen. Gayle Manning
(R-North Ridgeville) championed a bill to pilot naloxone use. Lorain County is the first in Ohio to give police access. “I’m hoping that they never have to use it. I’m hoping they never get to a situation where someone is almost dying of an overdose,” she said. “If we can save one life, it’s worth it.”
An intranasal naloxone injector as shown by the U.S. Food and Drug
See POLICE | 6A
‘We got really lucky’
Tornadoes devastate Midwest, Amherst suffers little damage Carol Hopple stands in what is left of her living room Monday after strong winds destroyed her home in Jerry City, Ohio. Hopple, and her husband, Joshua, were both in the house when high winds ripped through the home. Dozens of tornadoes and intense thunderstorms swept across the U.S. Midwest on Sunday, unleashing powerful winds that flattened entire neighborhoods, flipped over cars and uprooted trees.
AP Photo | SentinelTribune, J.D. Pooley
By Jason Hawk
jhawk@civitasmedia.com
Storms spawned tornadoes Sunday that killed six people and left a trail of property damage across 12 states. Ohio was among the states hardest hit, but Amherst survived
relatively unscathed. Police dispatch said there were power outages across the city and a couple of reports of tree limbs down, but no major problems. And with the hard rains, there were no reports of flooding called into city hall. “We got really lucky,” said
Amherst assistant fire chief Jim Wilhelm. “We only had four calls due to the storm.” A fallen limb took down power lines on West Martin Avenue. A similar report on Sipple Avenue turned up nothing and there was an alarm malfunction triggered by winds at St. Joseph Church.
Wilhelm said potentially the most dangerous situation was a gas leak on Shady Lawn Drive. Firefighters believe an electronic lighter on the home’s furnace was triggered when the power went out. See STORMS | 4A
Mayor: Marching Comets to get day of honor By Jason Hawk
jhawk@civitasmedia.com
It’s common to see Christopher Barbaro holding a conductor’s baton, but rare to see him clutching a football. The Marching Comets director held tight to the pigskin Monday after his band was honored with an official proclamation by mayor David Taylor. A parchment singing the praises of the state champion Photos by Jason Hawk Steele High band officially Band members Natha Little Crow and Gretchen named Tuesday, Nov. 19 as Lasso are shocked by the announcement that Amherst Marching Comets Day. the band now has an official day celebrating its The honor was bestowed in accomplishments. a ceremony during a meeting The Amherst News-Times SEE OUR COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD on PAGE 2A
of the Amherst board of education. “There are a lot of proud people in Amherst because of the band,” Taylor said. Musicians performed live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Sept. 27 and placed first the next day in back-to-back competitions in Akron and Revere, taking Best In Class and Grand Champion titles. On Oct. 12, the band surpassed another nine schools to take first at Norton. The Marching Comets took second of 11 bands at Brunswick on Oct. 26.
Friend us at www.facebook.com/
At the Ohio Music Educators Association competition Nov. 2, the band earned a superior rating for the ninth consecutive year, something only 14 other AA schools have ever accomplished in Ohio. Assistant coach Mark Kelley gave Barbaro a game ball on behalf of the varsity football team. He lives on Sunrise Drive and said he often relaxes in summer months while listening to band practice for hours on the green beside Steele High. “Over the last 16 years, See BAND | 4A
E-mail news@theoberlinnews.com
Subscriptions: $50 per year for 52 print editions. $26 per year for our electronic edition available at www.theamherstnewstimes.com counter sales: Drug Mart, IGA, Dairy Mart, Amherst Party Shop, Piggy’s Main Street, Convenient Express, Rite Aid, Giant Eagle, and Get-Go.
Open During Construction!
OLDE TOWN PIZZA HOUSE Est. 1986
Don’t miss our weekly
“Hard Hat Specials”
during remodeling. Dine-in only.
195 Cleveland Avenue • 440-984-2468 • www.oldetownpizzahouse.com
L c r