Lake Erie algal blooms a worry
Richard Perrins
The Chronicle-Telegram
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that Lake Erie will have moderate harmful algal blooms this summer. NOAA’s forecast was released at a conference hosted by Ohio Sea Grant and The Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory on Thursday. It predicted a moderate to larger-thanmoderate bloom.
Rick Stumpf, an oceanographer for the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), which is part of NOAA, provided the forecast.
Stumpf said harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie will measure a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.5. That’s based on statistical data from 2012 to 2023. The numerical value the NCCOS assesses to the forecast refers to the biomass of the area’s algal bloom. Stumpf said the algal blooms this summer are forecast to register between 4.5 and 6 on the scale, with a small risk of a high-intensity event in July.
A high-intensity event is defined by the NCCOS as an increased likelihood of a larger-than-moderate bloom, which can reach a 7 on the organization’s scale.
When algae blooms become out of control, they can produce toxins that are dangerous for marine life, other animals and even
Monkeys racing on dogs to end at Avon festival
Richard Perrins
The Community Guide
The organizers of the Avon Summer Festival will no longer host the Banana Derby at events in the future after PETA expressed concern over the act.
The Banana Derby is an act that involves capuchin monkeys strapped to dogs and racing around a track, according to videos on its website. The Banana Derby company is based in South Carolina, but travels to festivals nationwide. The Avon Summer Festival, which took place from June 14 to 23 at the Crushers Stadium, held the Banana Derby twice every weekday, and three times on weekends. The festival was hosted by KevaWorks, an event consultant and management company that organizes events across the country.
Happy 4th of July
The Community Guide Amherst has sued the Ohio Department of Transportation in a fight over the financial responsibility for the continued maintenance, repairs and snow and ice removal, on state Route 2 within the city limits.
The lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus against ODOT and its director, Jack Marchbanks, asks a judge to enforce a 1963 agreement between Amherst and ODOT’s predecessor, the Ohio Department of Highways.
The agreement, reached between then-Gov. James Rhodes and Amherst Mayor Frank Janik, requires ODOT to maintain and repair the portions of Route 2 within city limits at state cost, with Amherst paying the state $2,000 annually.
Mayor Mark Costilow said ODOT has been trying for years to get Amherst to renegotiate that 1963 contract.
The cost of maintaining the road was one of the reasons Amherst opposed the construction of Route 2 through the city, Costilow said. The city eventually relented after agreeing the state would maintain it at $2,000 a year.
In December, ODOT notified Costilow that unless Amherst agrees to renegotiate, ODOT won’t plow ice and snow off Route 2 or do roadway maintenance within city limits. Costilow said the 1963 contract has no expiration date and, under a new agreement, Amherst would have to reimburse the state for “whatever they say it cost,” which is estimated most recently at about $175,000 a year. (The charge amount would be formulaic.)
“I think we have a valid contract. We didn’t want the road in the first place and we certainly can’t get our land back.
“Counties and townships don’t have to pay (for maintence of state routes), just cities,” he said.
A trial date has not yet been set.
Mom charged with endangering
Children found on Ohio Turnpike
The Community Guide
An Elyria woman was arrested after her two children were found walking along the Ohio Turnpike in Elyria last Wednesday.
Ashley Mullar, 33, of Lake Avenue was arrested and charged with two counts of endangering children, a misdemeanor, several hours after her 12-year-old and 5-year-old were found by members of the State Highway Patrol.
According to a report from Elyria Police, Mullar called police to a home on the 800 block of Lake Ave. just after noon on Wednesday to report two missing children.
Officer Kevin Palko, who wrote the report, said that Mullar
informed police that she was the mother of both the missing children, and had worked a third shift the night before.
Mullar said that she was sleeping and her fiance, Edward McCarty, had been at work when the 12-year-old had left the home with his younger sibling, the report said.
Another child, a 2-year-old, awakened Mullar at about 11:30 a.m. at which time she learned the other two children were gone.
Mullar told police that she contacted McCarty and another family member and they looked for the children for about 30 minutes before contacting the police.
According to Palko’s report, Mullar also informed police that her 12-year-old had previously gone missing on May 29 and had been found by deputies from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office on
Chestnut Ridge Road near Chestnut Commons.
“Ashley also stated multiple times that (her older child ) would get into vehicles with strangers, which was how the child may have gotten so far away from home the last time the child was reported missing,” Palko wrote.
There was an open case with Lorain County Children Services stemming from that prior incident on May 29 when both children went missing again on Wednesday.
While two other officers began searching the area around the house, Palko began work on a missing person report and put out an alert to all Elyria police units on shift about the missing kids.
The report said that a short time later, Palko learned that both missing children had been found by Highway Patrol troopers along
Missing man found in Michigan
The Chronicle-Telegram
A 90-year-old man reported missing from Amherst Township was found safe on Friday night, more than 200 miles from home.
On Thursday, the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office issued a release asking for the public’s help in locating Robert Igoe, 90, of Amherst Township.
Igoe had left home on Thursday morning to go to a store in Lorain, but his car had been last seen Friday morning in the Toledo area, headed west toward Indiana. The Sheriff’s Office provided a release on Saturday announcing that Igoe had been found by a member of the Nottawaseppi Huron band of the Potawatomi Tribal Police in Michigan.
Tribal police Sgt. Ryan Pedley noticed an apparently disabled car near tribal land, roughly 200 miles and three hours away from Amherst Township, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Pedley notified tribal officer Joseph Sisco
to investigate the disabled vehicle, and Sisco found Igoe with the car.
The release said Sisco could not identify Igoe as a missing person due to a local communication outage, but that he realized that Igoe “did not appear to be coherent.”
Sisco was able to get a family phone number from Igoe and make contact with his family, learning from them that the 90-year-old had been reported missing.
Sisco called an ambulance to check on Igoe, and family members arrived a few hours later to take him home.
“Mr. Igoe was returned to his residence by his sons and is currently reported to be in good health,” Tribal police Sgt. Bryan Barnes said in the report.
Barnes said that Igoe’s son, Robert Igoe Jr., expressed his gratitude to all of the first responders and dispatchers who participated in the search for his father.
“Mr. Igoe Jr. wished for me to express his family’s gratitude for the diligence displayed by all in the efforts to locate his father,” Barnes said. Police across several states assisted.
DETAILS:
and a lawn chair.
How Can You Help: Give folks who knew Kathie the details of this party.
Questions: Call or Text Mary Olsen Dielman at (614) 975-7775
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the Turnpike at 11 a.m. Troopers planned to meet Palko at the Elyria Police Department with the children, along with a representative from Children Services and Mullar.
The report said that before her arrival, police began to type up two charges of endangering children against Mullar because one of the children had gone missing before and the children were “located on a busy Turnpike, where they could have been hit by a vehicle.”
After arriving at the station, one of the children told police he had gotten in an argument with Mullar the night before and that upon her returning home from work on Wednesday morning she “told (the child) to leave the house.”
Police also said they were told by the children that one of them had been injured in the face after
ALGAL
From A1 humans.
Stumpf said areas with high concentration of algae can form green scum at the surface of the water through the mixing of the algal bloom through the water that causes it to rise. When that happens, the water is not fit for recreation, he said.
“I can’t emphasize enough — keep your kids, yourself and your pets out of the water when there’s scum,” Stumpf said. “We don’t need sick dogs, we don’t need dead dogs, and that unfortunately does happen.”
According to the NCCOS, harmful algal blooms occur when masses of algae, or microscopic bacteria that live in water, grow out of control. Algae feeds off of phosphorus, which becomes present in bodies of water through pollution or runoff.
Stumpf said the algal blooms this summer are forecast to register between 4.5 and 6 on the scale, with a small risk of a highintensity event in July.
A high-intensity event is defined by the NCCOS as an increased likelihood of a larger-than-moderate bloom, which can reach a 7 on the organization’s scale.
The 2024 forecast predicted a similar severity of algal blooms to those in 2022 and 2023.
Last year, the NCCOS forecast the severity to be between 2 and 4.5 on the scale, though it actually reached a 5.3, Stumpf said. In 2022, the bloom reached
being “pushed down” by McCarty. Palko recorded injuries to one of the children’s face and back.
The report said that Mullar told police she had not gotten into an argument, had not told the child to leave the house and did not know how one of her children had gotten injuries on their face. McCarty told police that he had not caused any injuries to the child.
Children Services turned one child over to Lorain County Turning Point for the time being, while the other was taken home by McCarty with a plan in place to have McCarty’s cousin take the child into their custody.
Mullar was taken to the Lorain County Jail and was released on surety bond.
a severity level of 6.8.
The highest recorded severity of harmful algal blooms in Ohio came in 2015, when it reached a level of 10.5. In 2011, the severity reached a level of 10.
Stumpf said blooms in the last decade have peaked earlier and lasted longer.
This year’s prediction is derived from average to above average loads of phosphorus in the runoff to the lake. Phosphorus occurs naturally, but its presence is often exacerbated by fertilizer and agricultural or urban runoff.
Lake Erie’s algal blooms are largely caused by runoffs from the Maumee River, which runs through Toledo and its watershed — the largest input into Lake Erie.
Laura Johnson, director of the National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University, said the center has been monitoring the watershed since 1975.
This year, Johnson said phosphorus runoff through
the river is at moderate levels compared to recent years, due to a combination of high rainfall earlier in the spring and a dry start to the summer. But blooms usually begin in July, so increased rainfall in the next month could increase the phosphorus load and worsen the blooms.
“April was wet, but overall our stream flow has been pretty average because we’ve had a really dry May and June,” Johnson said. “All our forms of phosphorus, in terms of loads and concentrations, are above our targets we want to get to if we want to only have blooms around 2012’s size.”
The severity of algal blooms in 2012 dipped below 3, the NCCOS’ objective. The severity of blooms has not dipped below that threshold since that year. Johnson said the NCWQR is working to reduce phosphorus levels coming into the lake.
“There’s a lot of momentum happening right now in Ohio in terms of making improvements,” he said.
Idoe
‘We are the International City’
Richard Perrins
The Community Guide
LORAIN — A rhythm of drums rang out Sunday morning down Broadway in Lorain as the International Festival held its annual parade.
Hundreds of organizations, residents and political candidates took to the street in floats and vehicles to celebrate the final day of the festival.
Lorain residents and families congregated around City Hall, eagerly awaiting the parade, and stretched all the way down Broadway. The largest concentration was near the Lorain Palace Theatre, where hundreds huddled next to the street.
The annual International Festival celebrates the different cultures and groups of people in the city. Sunday’s events, kicked off by the parade, marked the 2024 festival’s last day.
According to Mary Alyce Woltman, the festival’s parade chair, this year’s parade had the most entries for participants since COVID-19 limited the festival’s operations in 2020.
Woltman said over 100 organizations signed up to participate in the parade, and said she hoped the diversity of ages and culture that was represented would encourage attendees to go to more festivals in the future.
“We’re spotlighting how different we are but how we all come together,” Woltman said. “Those people
going down Broadway, they represented everyone... I hope everyone saw something they could appreciate.”
The first participants to be seen were flag bearers, proudly waving the flags of dozens of countries.
Behind the flag bearers
was Charlesetta Brown, the parade’s grand marshal, who waved to the crowd in a convertible fringed with bright blue tassels.
Following Brown was the festival’s Royal Court, the members of which were named at the festival’s annual pageant on Thursday.
At the pageant, which took place at Lorain High School, Filipino princess Penelope Amaranto Wallace was named the 2024 Lorain International Festival queen.
Festival parade celebrates Lorain’s cultural diversity
Another Filipino princess, Abigail Mae Ensminger, took first runner-up, with Palestinian princess Noor Deif and Puerto Rican princess Gracie Morell taking second and third runner-up, respectively.
The royal court paraded in style Sunday with its members wearing crowns and sitting on a float decorated with their nations’ flags.
The International Festival’s Royal Court was one of several royal courts. Later, other royal courts from festivals across the state paraded down the street, championing their varying and creative cultural traditions.
2024 queen and her court crowned
LORAIN — The International City has a new queen. Filipino princess Penelope Amaranto Wallace was named the 2024 Lorain International Festival Queen at Thursday’s pageant at Lorain High School. Rounding out her court was first runner-up and fellow Filipino princess Abigail Mae Ensminger, second runner-up Palestinian princess Noor Deif, and third runner-up Puerto Rican princess Gracie Morell. Standing in the same emerald green gown with a gilded “sampaguita” flower on it that her mother wore to pageants years ago, Wallace was shocked at her win when there were so many other amazing young women around her, she said.
“I was very confident of myself, but I know these other girls have the same opportunity as I have,” she said. “I just can’t wait for my next journey and for the rest of the year.” Wallace said her grandmother sent her dress from the Philippines when she found out she was participating in this year’s pageant. It arrived a month later — thankfully in time
for Thursday’s event, she said.
Her sponsor is the Lorain Education Association.
Her court shared her excitement at their own wins, out of the slate of 15 princesses in this year’s pageant.
Ensminger said she loved participating as a princess in the events leading up to the pageant and at first did not realize she was called as one of the court.
“I was not expecting it at all, especially not first runner-up!” she said. “I love being known as the guitar (princess). But I’m really honored.” The guitar comment was in reference to Ensminger’s performance during the entertainment portion of the evening.
Her sponsor is the Filipino American Foundation of Ohio.
Deif said she thought her interview went well, but never expected to be part of “such an amazing group of girls.”
She said she was scared when she first started participating as an International Princess this year, but quickly found all her fellow princesses were kind and nonjudgmental.
“I’m just so proud to be here, I’m proud to represent Palestine, I’m proud to represent my people … I’m proud to be one of the first to represent my family,” she said.
Her dress on Thursday, a Thobe with gold embroidery native to Palestinian territories, was made in Canada but the materials came from Jordan. She said her mom made her wear her gold jewelry on Thursday, and was quick to thank her for her support.
“She’s the one who taught me about my culture, taught me about everything that I’m representing today and I really appreciate it,” Deif said.
Her sponsor is the Palestinian American Heritage Society.
Morell teared up, happy to follow in 2023 third runner-up Lily Kniahynyckyj’s footsteps, as she grew up with her. Kniahynyckyj represented her Ukrainian heritage in last year’s pageant. Like Ensminger, she was given the moniker “science princess” for performing a science experiment involving hydrogen peroxide during the evening’s entertainment portion.
Her sponsor is El Centro.
The 2024 International Queen and her court were chosen based, in part, on their knowledge of their heritage and an interview with impartial judges from outside Lorain County.
2023 African-American Queen Madeline Lake said in a recording played before the 2024 court was crowned that the year of appearances and engagements has been an opportunity to share
stories of her ancestors and highlight the diverse tapestry that is Lorain.
She remembered the smiles her crown brought to the faces of African Americans at other cities’ festivals or the joy she felt when a small child could see someone who looked like them in a parade.
“This is exactly what this festival in our community is here to celebrate, the won-
derful differences that make us the International City,” she said.
Lorain’s African American community is this year’s spotlight culture. Lorain International Association President Chris Rewak said, “You don’t need to be the smartest, the coolest, have the most connections, it’s the people that keep showing up that make all the difference.”
Carissa Woytach The Community Guide
From top left, third runner-up Puerto Rican princess Gracie Morell, Filipino princess crowned queen Penelope Amaranto Wallace, first runner-up Filipino princess Abigail Ensminger and second runner-up Palestinian princess Noor Deif are part of the 2024 court for 56th annual International Association of Lorain’s princess pageant on Thursday.
TOP: The Lorain International Festival parade kicks off with a line of the world’s flags along Broadway on Sunday morning.
RIGHT: The International Festival princesses cheer as different groups made the turn from Broadway onto West Erie Avenue.
FAR RIGHT: A member of Lorain’s Mexican community is painted for the parade.
KRISTIN BAUER / CHRONICLE PHOTOS
Black River Schools discusses levy
The Community Guide
SULLIVAN TWP. — As Black River Schools completes reductions throughout the district, the Black River Board of Education briefly discussed a potential new levy for additional funding.
During the Black River Board of Education meeting last week, Superintendent Chris Clark said after sitting through several conversations about the district’s financials, the district needs to think about additional funding.
Clark said there are several scenarios, like an adjustment from the auditor, that could change the district’s finances negatively. He said the district is in a reactionary position now.
Clark said the administration and board need to create hypothetical scenarios to better under-
stand what is needed for Black River Schools. Clark said the board is likely not ready to place a levy on the November ballot, but said it could be possible. The levy discussion follows several cuts made throughout the district over the past few months. Clark previously said the district needed to cut about $850,000 to balance the budget.
In May, the Black River Board of Education approved a reduction in force, leading to the elimination of more than 10 teaching and non-teaching positions for financial reasons.
As Clark and Treasurer Robert Keuhnle worked on making cuts, Clark said the focus was on making balanced changes to avoid burdening one department.
Besides the reduction in force,
Clark said cuts were made through attrition as the district did not fill the positions that were open. He said they also are looking at the district’s contracted services.
The district also moved eighthgrade students to the high school building for the next school year to balance class sizes, Clark said.
Clark said high school class sizes were smaller than the younger grade levels as many high school students leave the building each day for other programming.
Moving the eighth-grade students to the high school building, Clark said, would create the least interruption while filling up the classrooms more.
“We kept the margin tight because we didn’t want to affect support (staff) and teachers,”
Black River Board President Chuck Stiver said. “The least amount of damage as possible. We understand what that does.”
As board members discussed potentially moving forward with a levy, each member said they’d want to get community input to see if there would be support.
Kuehnle said if the board could place a levy on the upcoming November ballot and if it passes, the district would receive funds in spring 2025.
If the district waits until 2025 to place a levy on the ballot, Kuehnle said the earliest the district could receive the funds would be approximately April 2026.
“We made some cuts, and that was painful,” Stiver said. “There’s a part of me that wants to let the dust settle a little bit, stabilize, get on our feet.”
RIDER HURT IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH IN PENFIELD TOWNSHIP
A motorcycle crashed at state Route 18 and Indian Hollow Road in Penfield Township last Monday, sending the rider to a hospital with minor injuries.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Wellington Fire Department and Southern Lorain County
Ambulance Service responded to the crash at approximately 4:30 p.m. Monday. Wellington Fire Chief Mike Wetherbee said the woman’s injuries were “relatively minor” after she lost control of the motorcycle and went off the road.
She was taken to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center for treatment, he said.
A message seeking further information was left with the Highway Patrol’s Elyria post. — from staff reports
The Community Guide
On Thursday, the Black River Board of Education approved hiring Anthony Stretar as the new superintendent of Black River Schools. He will begin Aug. 1.
Thursday’s approval of Stretar followed months of the district’s in-depth search for a new superintendent following Superintendent Chris Clark’s resignation in March. The search was facilitated by the Ohio School Boards Association.
Stiver said if the board waits to move forward, it would allow Stretar to adjust to his new position before taking a more serious look at a levy.
“In the meantime, (we’d) engage the community,” Stiver said. The other board members agreed with Stiver, to which Clark said he would begin reaching out to community members to get a better understanding of their perspectives.
The Ohio Senate has passed Senate Bill 198, which provides adult and youth inmates with resources to rebuild their lives upon release.
The legislation is sponsored by state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, and state Sen. George Lang, R-West Chester. S.B. 198 now goes to the Ohio House for consideration.
S.B. 198 requires the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, or ODRC, and the Department of Youth Services, or ODYS, to provide inmates with an application to receive a state ID card upon their release.
“This law change will give these individuals a critical tool to secure jobs, housing and other needs,” according to a news release Monday by Manning’s office.
“It’s imperative we
prioritize rehabilitation to reduce recidivism in our justice system so people can succeed after they serve their time,” Manning said in the news release.
“Data shows that obtaining employment within 30 days of release is the single most important factor in reducing re-offenses. Senate Bill 198 provides Ohioans with the documentation, work records and other services they need to reenter the workforce, reintegrate into society, and move forward with their lives.”
S.B. 198 also requires the ODRC to help some inmates create resumes and practice job interview skills. The bill allows the department to contract with workforce development reentry organizations to assist in that work.
“Ohio is facing a formidable challenge supplying the increasing workforce needs of our state’s businesses,” Lang said.
Lorain County Pride shows colors
The Community Guide
OBERLIN — Celebration of Pride Month in Lorain County went out with a bang on Saturday, as organizers said their largest crowd ever flocked to Oberlin College for a day of celebration and community.
It was the third annual Pride Month event held by the organization LGBTQ+ Lorain County, and the second held at Oberlin College in partnership with the college’s Multicultural Resource Commons.
Megan Baechle, executive administrative director of LGBTQ+ Lorain County, said she was stunned by the turnout considering the rain and muggy weather Saturday.
“I’m actually really shocked at the turnout,”
Baechle said. “We’ve had way more attendees than last year, we saw a 35 percent increase in vendors over last year and we have well more than double the vendors we did two years ago. Even with the rain, weather and the change of venue it’s still a significantly larger turnout than last year.”
The event initially was supposed to be held outdoors but was relocated to Oberlin College’s Hales Gymnasium due to the rain on Saturday morning.
The gymnasium was packed nearly to capacity with attendees sporting Pride attire, but the main event of the day was the drag show taking place downstairs.
Four drag queens and two drag kinds put on four
free performances throughout the day, with each of them drawing a crowd that filled the room with people and the even the gymnasium upstairs with cheers and music.
Drag queen and singer Kaydence Jayne served as the host for the performances while also performing and singing her own vocals.
Lorain County Pride and its drag show holds a special significance to drag king The Twisted Transitioner, a trans man who saw his first drag event at the same event three years ago.
Last year’s Lorain County Pride was his first time performing in drag in public and The Twisted Transitioner said it remains a special event.
“I am from Texas and I came to Ohio for school … they’re both places where there’s this idea that there aren’t many queer people there,” he said.
“But that couldn’t be further from the truth, there are queer people everywhere and events like this show that. That we aren’t alone and we have this community and support here.”
Baechle spoke about the importance of including drag in the celebration on Saturday because of how central it is to LGBTQ+ culture, but also its place in the community’s history.
“Drag is really such an ingrained part of queer culture,” Baechle said. “We want to use Pride to celebrate the things that make the queer community unique and drag is such a big part of that. But I think a lot of what we’re doing even during the drag and the messaging is (that) Pride is a celebration but also people need to remember the history behind why Pride started and the fact we are still struggling all these years later with our rights and laws and all these things that are going on.”
Pride began on June 28, 1970, with marches in commemoration of the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
The uprising was in response to a police raid at a New York City gay bar called the Stonewall Inn, the latest in a long series of raids on queer establishments in the city.
The series of events lasted six days involving riots, demonstrations and clashes with police and it is viewed by many historians as the beginning of the gay liberation movement.
“Pride started as a protest, not a celebration,” Baechle said. “I think that it’s important to remember our history and to celebrate our community, and Pride does a good job of kind of increasing visibility for our community and all we have going on.”
For The Twisted Transitioner, who asked to be identified by his stage name, drag is an artistic interpretation of life in which anyone can find meaning.
“It’s an art form about how we see and experience gender,” he said.
“Everyone has something they can connect to in drag, whether you are comfortable in your assigned gender or not.
“It’s something we all ex-
perience everyday, whether you think about it or not.”
Upstairs in the gymnasium itself, 55 vendors were selling homemade art, jewelry, signs and crocheted items as well as books, posters and other items.
“The vast majority of our for-profit businesses that are here today are queerowned, we want to support our queer business community and events like Pride give us an opportunity to come and get their name out,” Baechle said.
In addition to those selling items were tables representing Lorain County businesses, nonprofits and other organizations looking to support and connect to LGBTQ+ people in the county. Some of these organizations were sharing information about resources, including Gay Counseling through Energetic Awakenings of North Ridgeville.
BRUCE BISHOP / COMMUNITY GUIDE
OWEN MACMILLAN / COMMUNITY GUIDE Drag king The Twisted Transitioner performs at Lorain County Pride at the Oberlin College Hales Gymnasium on Saturday.
Truck crashes into Elyria house
Three injured in collision; box truck hits Third Street home
The Community Guide
Three people were injured after a box truck involved in a crash went through the wall of a home in Elyria on Wednesday.
Elyria Police said the crash occurred at the intersection of West River Road and Third Street just before 8 a.m. when a Freightliner box truck and Chevrolet Equinox entered the intersection at the same time.
The vehicles collided, and the box truck continued through the intersection and struck the wall of a home at 573 Third St. Melissa Evans, who lives at the home, was getting ready for work while her grandchildren slept when the truck crashed through the wall.
“So I saw the semi truck,” she said. “In my house.”
Evans said that on most days, she and her grandchildren are in that room getting ready for the day, but she let them sleep in a little today.
“They were still in bed and I was in the bathroom,” she said. “Thank the Lord, because we might have been dead.
“Yesterday morning, we were standing right there at that time. Today, I had them sleep a little longer.”
No one inside the house was injured, but the driver of the Equinox was transported to St. John’s Westshore Hospital in Westlake with undisclosed injuries. Their current condition is not known.
A toddler was also in the Chevrolet at the time of the crash, but police said the child was uninjured.
Both the driver and a passenger of the Freightliner were taken to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center with “minor injuries,” police said. crash
As of Wednesday evening, police had not identified either driver and it is not known if any charges have
been filed stemming from the crash.
Police said the crash was first reported at 7:55 a.m. and an initial investigation showed that the Freightliner was traveling northbound on West River Road, while the Chevrolet was traveling eastbound on Third Street.
The vehicles entered the intersection at the same time and the truck struck the front passenger side of the SUV before continuing into the home.
The intersection has a traffic light, and police did not say which driver had the right-of-way at the time of the crash. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Whatever the cause, Evans said that this was not the first time there had been a crash at the intersection outside her home of three years.
She said she regularly finds pieces of headlights and taillights in the street from other crashes.
Lorain County Traffic Fatality Review Committee examines six fatal crashes
The Community Guide
The Lorain County Traffic Fatality Review Committee recently reviewed six fatal traffic crashes that killed six people between April 18 and May 22. Conducted through Lorain County Public Health, the committee meets quarterly to review local fatal vehicle crashes to identify trends and develop possible countermeasures and interventions to prevent similar crashes.
The following factors contributed to the six fatal crashes, some of which included multiple factors: nOne crash involved alcohol.
nOne crash involved high speed.
n Two crashes involved distracted driving.
n Three drivers were over the age of 50.
n Five crashes involved no seat belt usage at the time of the crash.
As of June 5, 11 people have died in 11 crashes on Lorain County roads in 2024.
The Traffic Fatality Review Committee and the Safe Communities Coalition remind Lorain County residents to:
n Always buckle up: Without a seat belt, the chance of dying in a crash doubles, according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.
“Every trip, every time — make sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled up,” Lorain County Health Commissioner Mark Adams said.
n Drive sober: Before celebrating the Fourth of July or any other upcoming holidays, make a plan to safely travel to and from gatherings. Ask someone to be your designated driver or order an Uber or Lyft.
n Offer a zero-proof drink option at gatherings. You can download “Party Drinks for Designated Drivers” from past Zero Proof Mix Off events at LorainCountyHealth.com/
Two nutrition programs for seniors launch
The Community Guide
The Lorain County Office on Aging has launched two nutrition programs for Lorain County’s senior citizens.
For nearly 20 years, LCOOA has operated a lunchtime restaurant voucher program, and effective Monday, a new breakfast voucher program began.
Participants will receive up to eight vouchers per month valid for breakfast at participating restaurants, which include Nancy’s Diner in Grafton, Hazel’s in Elyria, and Pickett’s Place in North Ridgeville. The Office on Aging hopes to add an additional option in Lorain.
As the summer produce season picks up, the Office on Aging also has partnered with local farmers for Produce Perks. Produce Perks provides eligible seniors with a voucher for purchasing fresh fruit, vegetables, honey and herbs from participating vendors. Current participating vendors include Fenik’s Sweet Corn, Grobe Fruit Farm & Fruit Farm Express, and Solidarity Urban Farms. Qualified participants must be age 60 or over with an annual income less than 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Line, or $45,180 for a single person. Funding for these programs was pro-
vided by a grant of the Ohio Department of Aging at the authorization of the Lorain County Board of Commissioners.
Those interested in these programs can receive more information by calling (440) 326-4800 or sending an email to info@lcooa.org.
The Lorain County Office on Aging is a nonprofit operating with the mission of providing support, resources and advocacy for older adults to age successfully in Lorain County. Services include benefits assistance, specialized information and referrals, long-term care planning, assisted transportation, in-home supports, home modifications, nutrition services, kinship support and volunteer placement.
“We are proud to support the nutrition needs of Lorain County’s seniors while also supporting local small businesses,” Office on Aging Executive Director Nicolle Bellmore Pierse said. “With an ever-expanding need, it is essential that the community collaborates to support those who have supported the community for so long.”
20 Lorain County projects selected for OPW funding
The Community Guide
The Ohio Public Works Commission has released 564 project agreements for the most recent annual round of infrastructure funding.
These local government projects are selected by the state’s 19 district integrating committees based on various factors including health and safety, age and condition, and number of users.
trafficsafety.
Safe Communities is preparing for the 2024 impaired driving national enforcement campaign “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,’’ which will run Aug. 9-23.
The coalition will host the kickoff at this year’s Lorain County Fair to encourage fairgoers to drive sober, coordinate a designated driver or order an Uber or Lyft before enjoying the festivities. During the campaign, Safe Communities will place drive sober reminders on alcohol bottles at Discount Drug Mart locations in Lorain County.
Cleveland man may plead self-defense in Amherst shooting
The Community Guide
A Cleveland man who allegedly shot at a car in April in Amherst is now facing one felony and one misdemeanor charge in Lorain County Common Pleas Court, and court records indicate he may claim self-defense in the April 2 incident.
In total, 564 projects were awarded to communities in all of Ohio’s 88 counties for roads ($202.5 million), water supply ($52.8 million), wastewater ($27.7 million), bridges and culverts ($28.3 million), and stormwater ($12.5 million).
The list of Lorain County municipalities, projects and the amount of money they received includes:
n Amherst: Park Avenue rehabilitation, $500,000 n Amherst Township: Moss Canyon Drive concrete replacement, $30,273; Middle Ridge Road resurfacing, $117,600
n Avon: Chester Road Heider Ditch culvert replacement, $422,480 n Avon Lake: Walker Road rehabilitation phase 5, $550,000 nBrownhelm Township: Brownhelm Station Road reconstruction phase 2, $119,647
ad, East Broad Street to University Avenue pavement improvements, $336,150.
n Elyria Township: Dellefield Road resurfacing, $140,900
n Grafton: Novak Road reconstruction phase 2, $400,000; Vivian Drive, Shelby Court, Jamie Court improvements, $183,661. n LaGrange: Loperwood Drive improvements, $322,282
n LaGrange Township: Webster Road resurfacing, $137,337
n Lorain: City streets rehabilitation 2025, $1.1 million
n Lorain County: Baumhart Road resurfacing, $118,977; Lake Avenue safety improvements, $343,242; Chestnut Road Bridge replacement, $307,944; West Ridge Road resurfacing, $538,244. n Oberlin: North Park Street reconstruction and intersection improvements, $390,000 n Sheffield: North Abbe Road widening and traffic signal improvements, $712,448
n Vermilion (Erie County): Edgewater Drive waterline replacement phase 1, $325,000; Water Pollution Control Facility improvements, $325,000.
A firearms specification to his felonious assault charge could add three years to any
Lavelle Lewis, 29, of West 150th Street, was indicted Friday by a Lorain County grand jury on one count of felonious assault with two specifications and one count of criminal damaging or endangering, a misdemeanor, according to court records.
sentence Lewis receives and a forfeiture specification will require him to forfeit a 9 mm Taurus PT 111 G2 handgun to the state if convicted.
Lewis is free on a personal bond, and the case has yet to be assigned to a judge, according to court records.
Lewis has not yet been arraigned in Common Pleas
Court and defense attorney Denise Wilms didn’t have a comment Monday.
Lewis was charged by Amherst police after he allegedly shot an occupied vehicle near Lincoln Street and Cleveland Avenue around 6:30 a.m. April 2.
No one was injured in the shooting, police said.
n Columbia Township: Root Road resurfacing, $426,855
n Elyria: Furnace Street, Lake Avenue to West River Road pavement improvements, $140,625; Midway Boulevard, West River Road to Tillotson Street pavement improvements, $167,166;
In addition, the committees send unfunded projects belonging to communities of 5,000 or less in population to compete in the OPWC Small Government Program.
“We are pleased to announce another round of grants and loans awarded to Ohio’s local governments for needed infrastructure,” OPWC Director Linda Bailiff said in a news release.
“We thank the district committees for their work.”
BRUCE BISHOP / CHRONICLE PHOTOS
Elyria firefighters move a metal light pole off the road as they clean up after a crash at Third Street and West River Road in Elyria. The truck in the background was one of two vehicles involved in the crash.
A house at the corner of Third Street and West River Road was damaged by a box truck following a twovehicle crash Wednesday morning.
Wall damage is shown at the house at Third Street and West River Road after the two-vehicle crash Wednesday morning.
Five female heroes come to the rescue
How is it possible that five women with wildly different careers, skills, personalities and styles became passionate animal advocates, all pursuing a similar goal — saving the lives of abandoned, frightened, homeless, injured or sick dogs and cats across Lorain County and securing funds for their medical and day-to-day expenses while getting them into foster care, train-
Connie
Field, Love-a-Stray
Love-a-Stray’s Field leveraged experience in sales and marketing to propel that organization forward. “You need to sell it and market it whether an event or getting a dog adopted.” In Field’s current position as General Manager of a Westlake-based manufacturing company, it also means selling thermocouples to clients in the aerospace, chemical and aluminum industries.
Field said managing people — finding their talent — is critical and applies equally to her work in manufacturing and rescue. She has worked in manufacturing 40 years and rescue more than 20.
She acknowledged that Lovea-Stray, located in Avon Lake, is fortunate because residents rarely abandon their dogs, although the organization has experienced two back-to-back abandonments recently. Most often, police and Love-a-Stray work vigorously to reunite a lost dog with its owners. However, a number of resi-
Tory Becker Mittler, Friends of Lorain County Dog Kennel
Mittler is lead volunteer for Friends of Lorain County Dog Kennel. She’s also Senior Systems Consulting Specialist for Velera, a financial services company whose primary clients are small credit unions. In her job, she works with other Valera staff as they prepare to assist new client companies establish policies and procedures. Training of in-house staff is also part of her work. With 30 years experience, Mittler often uses her organizational and governance experience in her volunteer work at the kennel. For one, she is the person who serves as a link between kennel staff and volunteers. It’s important that new volunteers understand how the kennel operates and their roles within the operation. She also fields inquiries from the public about dogs at the kennel.
Mittler looks back at her first volunteer experience at LCDK to guide how she addresses vol-
Brandy Randolph, Lorain TNR
On the other hand, Randolph hits the books — the law books, that is. Ten years ago, the Lorain resident was working as Deputy Clerk in Lorain Municipal Court when she decided to do something about feral and homeless cats that, left unfixed, were producing multiple litters each year. She reviewed state law and local ordinances to determine how she could legally trap cats so they could be spayed or neutered. Lorain’s Clerk of Courts and a council member had a similar idea. They invited Friendship Animal Protective League to discuss a TNR program being implemented in Elyria. When Randolph and friend Tina Pultrone heard about the meeting, they decided to attend. From that Lorain TNR came to be with a goal of safely trapping, neutering and returning cats to places they’re found, as long as a resident pledges to feed and provide them shelter in inclement weather.
Randoph noted she has to
ing and, ultimately adoption.
Love-a-Stray’s Connie Field is general manager of a Westlake-based manufacturing company that produces thermocouples for the aerospace industry, among others. Tory Becker Mittler with Friends of Lorain County Dog Kennel has worked 30 years as a senior systems analyst and trainer in the financial services industry. Brandy Randolph with Lorain TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) is
dents surrender their dog to Love-a-Stray due to a move where the dog is not welcome, death of an owner or financial struggles, among others. They also pull dogs from Lorain County Dog Kennel when it becomes overcrowded and owners refuse to claim their dog or cannot be found.
As a result, Field needs fosters who are willing to provide a temporary home for dogs in their care. Finding a foster that is a good “fit” for a dog isn’t a slam
unteer engagement and melds it with kennel operations. More than 10 years ago and, after following the kennel on social media, she offered to take photos of dogs available for adoption. She went to the kennel weekly to take photos for posting on the kennel’s social media sites. She also watched how things were done. Over time, she developed positive working relationships with staff and other volunteers. However, during that first
turn down calls for help when the cats are not in a caller’s yard, but a neighbor’s or elsewhere. She’s determined not to run afoul of the law by entering any property without prior permission. She must balance the demands of trapping with her job as Sheffield Lake City Council Clerk. As a result, it’s not unusual for her to spend evenings, weekends or holidays trapping or taking cats to a vet for a health checkup, shots and, if old enough, fixing.
Sheffield Lake City Council Clerk. Fido’s Companion Founder Michelle Reichlin owns Contour Tool, a precision machining company. Candi Rogers with Lorain County Pit Crew is a surgical assistant at Mercy Hospital. As diverse as their careers are, each has taken aspects of their work experience and applied it to rescue work with great success. They are compassionate and fierce. They make people who work hard look
dunk either. Because the background of a stray dog, like those at the county kennel, is largely unknown, great care is given to assessing a dog’s placement.
Some get along with other dogs, some don’t. Ditto with cats and young children.
Field said she has lost great fosters when they fall in love with their foster dog, adopt it and decide they can no longer foster. Because there are so many good dogs looking for homes, she’s constantly searching for fosters and raising money to cover vet bills, training and expenses fosters incur for food, treats, beds and other day-to-day needs like pee pads.
“There’s really no difference between running a rescue and running a company,” she said, which suggests she’s always trying to figure out how to do more. How to do that would be a challenge for many but Fields laughs while explaining she is able to manage the demands of both organizations because she requires so little sleep.
“A few hours and I’m golden,” she said.
year, Mittler experienced the one thing she feared most and was not sure she could handle.
On her birthday, four dogs she’d photographed in an effort to get them adopted were put down because the kennel was overcrowded. She’d volunteered in the first place because “I wanted to change their world.”
This incident was crushing. She approached newlyappointed head dog warden Tim Pihlblad. “Together, we were able to ramp up our connections to local rescues and the public,” she said. Within a year, no dogs were put down due to overcrowding. That was nine years ago.
She said communication has been key to developing and maintaining relationships – both at the kennel and her job.
“People learn differently and communicate differently so it’s important to adapt to each person you work with,” she said.
Placing a trap effectively is not even her biggest challenge. It’s getting friendly adult cats and litters of kittens placed in a rescue where they can be adopted.
“The last thing we need is more cats and dogs,” she said, noting rescues, shelters and kennels are filled to bursting.
She noted that most communities have ordinances to charge owners with misdemeanors if they allow their pet to roam.
In her dream world, offenders would actually be charged — they rarely are — and fees collected from those convicted would be sent to rescues to further their work.
Meanwhile, she takes advantage of the organization’s IRS 501(c)(3) designation to host online auctions and other fundraisers to pay for the surgeries, follow-up care and daily needs cats require while awaiting adoption or, in the case of feral cats, return to the place where they were trapped.
like slackers. Combined, they save thousands of animals each year. Some have been in animal welfare 20 years or longer. Imagine the total number of saved lives that is — Hall of Fame stuff.
Every week, Critter Chronicles features some of the dogs and cats available through these organizations. You can check their Facebook pages for info on other pets waiting for someone to love and give them a permanent home. Linda Seabold contributed to this report.
Michelle Reichlin, Fido’s Companion
Reichlin teamed up with her dad, Paul, at Contour Tool in North Ridgeville in 2003, the same year she and then-husband, Mike Sherrill, started Fido’s Companion. She had graduated from Baldwin-Wallace and worked for two companies gaining experience in human resources and organizational development before joining Contour.
The screw machine industry was experiencing great change from computerization to competition from overseas companies. When the country plunged into a devastating financial downturn in 2008, Contour lost 60 percent of its business as customers decided to do work themselves to keep their employees working. Contour clawed its way back, literally re-tooling its work to fit customers’ needs. For example, Contour makes parts to specification for safety testing equipment, in this case crash dummies, for the auto industry.
Meanwhile, she and Sherrill saw a dog available for adoption at the Lorain County Dog Kennel. By the time Reichlin got there to adopt it, the dog had been euthanized because the kennel was overcrowded. Fido’s focus was on placing purebred dogs stuck at the kennel with purebred rescues.
The further challenge was finding help for mixed breed dogs. Reichlin recruited a volunteer group to foster these dogs until they could be adopted.
The first year some 50 dogs were saved. Last year, Fido saved 500 dogs from the county kennel as well as other public kennels.
After a vet visit, immunization and spay or neuter surgery, if needed, they go to shelters with Fido’s partners to be
Candi Rogers, Lorain County Pit Crew
Rogers has worked as a surgical assistant at Mercy Hospital since 1995. Currently she works on call to assist with emergency surgeries involving pregnant women and/or newborns. Those incidents can range from a pregnant woman involved in a car crash to a breech birth to a number of issues affecting newborn babies, whom she calls “neonats” and for which her training in pediatric advanced life support can help save a tiny life. She assists surgeons with tasks like retraction, suctioning, suturing and providing support needed throughout a procedure.
“I’ve lived the surgical life and love it,” she said.
She also loves working for a nonprofit religious hospital because no one is turned away, which ties directly to her work with Lorain County Pit Crew.
“It’s so very sad to me that pets can’t get help,” she said, recalling times when a sick or dying animal could not get service until a bill was paid before service was even rendered.
It happened to her on Christmas Eve many years ago. Her dog, Sissy, collapsed and Rogers rushed her to an emergency clinic. They wanted the bill paid upfront, but on Christmas Eve no banks were open. She applied for CareCredit, which provides funds to pay for vet services once the owner is approved for credit.
Because she had just purchased her first home and was making car payments, she was declined. In a last ditch effort, her mom came to the clinic, applied for, and got credit. But after X-rays were taken, the vet on duty told Rogers surgery would not be done because the dog had tumors throughout her body. He recommended Sissy be euthanized.
Following that Christmas heartbreak, Rogers made up her mind that others who faced similar circumstances were not going to suffer the experience she had. The funds Pit Crew raises are typically spent on vet check ups, vaccinations,
placed for adoption. Dogs needing medical care above and beyond wellness checks and immunization remain with Fido’s fosters while undergoing medical treatment, whether for heartworm, surgery for a broken limb, training or socialization.
Reichlin cited two things of vital importance to the work at both Contour and Fido’s. First is to have standard operating procedures in place. This allows for logical, not emotional, decision making.
The other is to treat people well and meet them where they are at — her 22 employees and 45 fosters. Figuring out the best way to communicate clearly is key.
“Some need hand holding and others need tough love,” she said.
medications and spay or neuter surgery. When a member of the public calls to beg for assistance for a dog needing an expensive surgery or treatment, she often falls back on the relationships she’s forged with other rescues to secure funds. It’s not always possible. A part of Rogers’ medical training is triage and she applies those principles to rescue work — handle the most critical first. She also has a kennel for boarding and runs it like a hospital. It is staffed 24/7.
Because she’s been at this for decades, people know they can call Rogers with tough cases. In one instance, a call came at 3:30 a.m. to assist firefighters and police at a working fire where five pit bulls were trapped. The owners had tried to rescue their panicked dogs but suffered smoke inhalation and were enroute to a hospital. Rogers and her overnight staff, plus another volunteer, scrambled to the house and got the dogs. Granted, it wasn’t pretty as she explained one terrified dog had to be carried out and tried repeatedly to bite them. This story has a happy ending, however, as the dogs were treated for burns and smoke inhalation, stayed with Rogers for a few months and ultimately were reunited once their owners secured new housing.
As for Reichlin, she never takes anything personally whether in the world of animal rescue or manufacturing. Here’s how you can help Each of the organizations led by these incredible women is 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All need donations in order to carry on with their work. Let me emphasize none of these women get a paycheck for their rescue work so donations go directly to helping the cats and dogs in their care. If you would like to help or donate, please contact them: n Fido’s Companion (Michelle Reichlin) www.facebook.com/fidoscompanion n Lorain County Pit Crew (Candi Rogers) www.facebook.com/LorainCountyPitCrew n Lorain TNR (Brandy Randolph) www.facebook.com/groups/271130167031747
n Love-a-Stray (Connie Field) www.loveastraydog.com n Friends of Lorain County Dog Kennel (Tory Becker Mittler) www.facebook.com/friendsofLCDK
Michele Murphy
MLS Class of ‘74 to hold 50th reunion
The Marion L. Steele class of 1974 will be having its 50th reunion the weekend of July 26.
We are looking for the following classmates: Debbie Green, David Jones, Jerry Pinson, Terry Lyman, Jerry Mattney, Frank Sabo, Patty Singleton, Brenda Smith, Craig Smith, and Tim Watson. If you have not received your invitation or know where any of the missing classmates are, please contact Raynelle Wasem Bozicevich at (440) 242-1283 or raynelle187@oh.rr.com.
EHS class of 1969 to hold reunion
The Elyria High School Class of 1969 will host its 55th class reunion at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at Greyhawk Golf Club/ The Nest, 665 U.S. Grant St., LaGrange.
Reservations are $25 per person and are due by July 15. Make checks payable to Harry Tulk and mail to 240 Stanford Ave., Elyria, Ohio 44035.
Include name of graduate and guest. There will also be a get-together at 6 p.m. Aug. 16 at Smitty’s in Elyria. Join the class Facebook group page, Elyria High School Class of 1969.
For questions, call Sandie Toth Hamby at (440) 3665248.
Title office extends hours on Tuesdays
The Auto Title & Passport Division of the Lorain County Clerk of Courts has launched extended operating hours on Tuesday evenings in the Elyria Branch office.
The extended operating hours -- the office is open until 6:30 p.m. -- will continue every Tuesday unless it’s a holiday.
The rest of the week remains unchanged with the office open from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is closed on weekends.
The Elyria Branch office is located on the first floor of the Lorain County Administration Building.
Wellington plans 41st Harvest of the Arts
Wellington’s 41st annual Harvest of the Arts will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 15.
There will be about 60 fine art and folk art vendors, a handmade quilt raffle and lunch in our Friends Cafe. Come visit us in historic Wellington at 101 Willard Memorial Square. Free parking and admission.
For more information, call 440-647-2120. This is a fundraiser for community programming at Herrick Library.
Christmas in July vendors sought Christmas in July will be held at the Lorain Community Senior Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 13, at 3361 Garfield Blvd., Lorain. Vendors wanted; $25 per table. Call (440) 288-4040 or email lorainseniorcenter@outlook.com for more information.
BULLETIN BOARD
Oberlin history walks continue this month
The Oberlin Heritage Center will offer a history walk centering on civil rights throughout July.
The center, a nonprofit that seeks to highlight and preserve the history of Oberlin, hosts a monthly themed walk June to August. The theme for July’s tour is “Civil War to Civil Rights.”
The tour will highlight historical events that detail the city’s progress and setbacks relating to race and civil rights and covers early Oberlin to the 21st century, according to the center’s website.
The center will host the walk on the four Saturdays in July — July 6, 13, 20 and 27 — and will meet on the front steps of First Church in Oberlin. The90-minute tours start start at 11 a.m. each Saturday, according to the website.
The tour is $10 for adults and free for children and college students.
People interested in registering for the tour should visit www.oberlinheritagecenter.org, email tourinfo@oberlinheritage.org or call (440) 774-1700.
Frank and Dean to perform
Frank and Dean are coming on August 4 from 2-4 p.m. to the Amherst Historical Society Hall, 113 South Lake Street, Amherst. Enjoy a lovely afternoon listening to the songs we all love.
Tickets are $20, and include coffee, tea, pop, water, and appetizers. BYOB adult beverages.
To RSVP, please contact the Amherst Historical Society at 440-988-7255 or office@amhersthistoricalsociety.org
Fresh produce at Keystone-LaGrange Library
The Keystone Empowers You Collaborative will host a pop-up produce stand at the Keystone-LaGrange Library, 133 E. Commerce Drive, on the second and fourth Thursday of July, August and September from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Reserve a bag of fresh fruits and vegetables online at bit.ly/KEYProducePickUp.
If you do not have internet access, you can leave a voicemail for your reservation at (440) 409-7460.
Bags of fresh fruits and vegetables are $12. You may pay ahead via Venmo (@Donna-Pycraft), or pay upon pickup with cash or Venmo.
Fruits and vegetables are provided by Pycraft Farm
Market and availability will vary based on what is in season.
For example, last July, customers received two halfpints of red raspberries, one bunch of green onions, one bunch of Swiss chard, one bunch of beets, one quart of pickles, one head of cabbage, two yellow squash and two zucchini.
Keystone Empowers You (KEY) is a community-based group funded in part by the United Way of Greater Lorain County, and facilitated by Lorain County Public Health.
WWII re-enactment in August
Camp Maxey, Texas 1944, which is a WWII 99th Infantry Division Living History Event, is on Saturday, August 3, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This event is free to attend at Sandstone Village, 763 Milan Avenue, Amherst Ohio 44001, with free parking available at Sandstone Village.
Reenactors will be portraying WWII soldiers of the 99th Infantry Division at Camp Maxey, Texas, during final stateside training and maneuvers before their deployment overseas to France in 1944.
Witness soldiers of the 99th Infantry Division during final stateside training and maneuvers before their deployment overseas to France in 1944
Learn about life for military and civilians on the Home Front.
Sandstone Village Shops and Village Buildings will be open.
For more info, please contact the Amherst Historical Society at 440-988-7255 or office@amhersthistoricalsociety.org
Lorain County tax bills are due July 12
More than 133,500 real estate tax and special assessment bills have been delivered to the U.S. Postal Service and are due back to the county by July 12, Lorain County Treasurer Daniel Talarek said.
Payments will be accepted in person at Talarek’s offices on the second floor of the County Administration Building at 226 Middle Ave. in Elyria, in a drop box in the vestibule of the administration building, by mail or online through the taxpayer’s financial institution.
Taxpayers who choose to mail their checks will be considered to have paid on time if their payment is postmarked on or before July 12.
Ohio law requires a 10 percent penalty fee to be assessed to all payments postmarked after the closing date. Property owners with payment questions may call (440) 329-5787. Questions about property values should be directed to (440) 329-5488. Current agricultural use value (CAUV) program, owner-occupancy and homestead exemption questions can be answered by calling (440) 329-5212.
Petri dish gel
17. Noble gas
18. *Post-1919 drinking establishment
20. Not hit
21. More than a scuffle
22. “That is to say”
23. Jewish village
26. One’s full DNA sequence, pl. 30. Interesting person, acr.
31. Cord made from animal intestines
34. Type of tide
35. No such thing as a free one?
37. Credit card rate
38. Boatload
39. St. Louis’ Gateway, e.g.
40. Cast-off skin
42. U.N. working-conditions agcy.
43. *”Unsinkable”?
45. Violent protester
47. Golfer’s goal
48. Puts behind bars
50. Samoan money
52. *Armed conflict (3 words)
56. *Famous Bolshevik
57. Storm centers
58. Bob ____ of boxing world 59. Neural transmitters
1968 hit “Harper Valley ____”
Grassland
Trousers DOWN
They’re often described as disc-shaped
Freudian error 3. *Roald Amundsen’s southern destination
The Muppets’ street
Lake scum
Razz
FUNDRAISERS
*____ Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart” of silent film era
Comforting gestures
After-bath powder
General Post Office
*”Little Tramp” portrayer
Chef Julia ____
Address for
Parade Puzzle
Canyou nd theletters L-I-B-E-R-T-Y hiddenhere?
OnJuly4, 1776, people living in the American Coloniesdeclared their independence. They wantedtobe independent,orfree, fromthe rulesof KingGeorge IIIofEngland.They wanted to formtheirown country
Theywroteadocument to send to King George.Itwas calledthe Declaration of Independence, signed on July4, 1776.Thisfamousdocument saysthat allpeopleare created equal and with certain rights.
Unscramble thewords to discoverthe rights mentioned in the DeclarationofIndependence.
How manystars canyou nd below?
BONUS:
How manystars canyou ndonthis page?
Onomatopoeia describeswords that sound like the sound they makewhen yousay them. For example, when you say,“Pop!”itsounds a bit likeapop. Look through the newspaper.Can you find three to five examples of onomatopoeia?
Number of people who signed the Declaration of Independence: Percentage of Americans who ownanAmerican ag:
