Coyote sightings up; watch your pets
The Community Guide
For several weeks, local residents have been sharing possible sightings of coyotes throughout Elyria and Lorain County.
Whether it be posting blurry photos and shaky videos in community groups on Facebook or commenting on the possible sightings, some residents have expressed concern.
However, coyote activity is common for this time of year and
Jimmy Carter, in Lorain for a rally at Sacred Heart Chapel in May 1976, reaches out to shake the hand of Ben Franklin (Chester Frederick). Carter is flanked by Lorain Mayor Joseph Zahorec and Leo Koury, a Carter delegate. Frederick of Avon owns the replica liberty bell.
while the animal can be dangerous, it poses a low risk to individuals, wildlife experts said.
“There’s nothing really to fear about having a coyote near you,” said Monika Bowman Bell, wildlife communications specialist for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. “They’re looking for easy food, they’re not typically looking just to harass humans. We are definitely the top predator in this situation.”
While the risk may be low, Bowman Bell did advise to “keep your small children and your small animals inside and away from them.”
Some individuals posting to social media advised similar caution.
“Lots of coyote sightings in Elyria lately,” Rachelle Hadlock posted on Facebook in December.
“Keep your pets close. Small, elderly, or sick dogs are at risk. Go
outside with your dog. Make a lot of noise, chase them away. This isn’t saying coyotes are harmless or friendly. Yes, they will eat your cat.”
Sightings of coyotes always increase this time of year, wildlife experts said, due to mating season and lack of foliage to hide in.
“It is a quite annual thing, especially from January through March,” Bowman Bell said.
“They are mating during this time
When Jimmy came to town
Residents remember candidate Carter’s
Carissa Woytach
The Community Guide
LORAIN — Before President
Jimmy Carter set foot in the Oval Office, he was a Georgia governor and peanut farmer running for the country’s 39th president who made campaign stops in Lorain County.
Carter, who died Dec. 29 at 100, spoke to a crowd of 800 at Sacred Heart Chapel on May 27, 1976, before moving on to a reception at a Holiday Inn in Elyria.
Carter would go on to win, carrying Ohio.
“If we can just have a government as good as our people are, that would be a tremendous achievement,” Carter told those gathered in the south Lorain chapel. He gave portions of his speech in Spanish.
“And when I’m in the White House, I want you to say ‘That’s my friend, my president and I’m proud of him,’” Carter said that day, before continuing on to Cleveland, Akron, Lordstown, Youngstown and Steubenville.
Nearly 50 years later, local residents remembered his visit.
Jimmy Carter’s campaign was far from the first John Hunter worked.
The former Sheffield mayor gave his time to Democratic campaigns starting with John F. Kennedy in 1960. He remembered Leo Koury
and other prominent men in Lorain County politics visiting Carter in Plains, Georgia, at the start of the farmer’s campaign.
And after Carter won the Democratic primary in the spring of 1976, he came back to Lorain County.
Joanne Zelina, 90, of Lorain, was not there on the Friday when Carter came to her city, but her husband and daughter were.
She remembered a call her husband, Bob, received from local attorney Bill McCray about a month before Carter’s visit. As the Zelina family sat down for dinner the day before Easter, McCray told Bob Zelina to pack his bags and hop a flight out to Atlanta the next morning to meet with Carter’s campaign.
“He looked at us at the table and we said ‘Yeah dad, you better go,” Joanne said on Wednesday. “Labor needs it.
Bob Zelina was director of the Lorain County Labor Agency at the time, and McCray a member of the organization’s board of trustees. The two men, alongside Leo Koury and others flew to Atlanta for the meeting.
Bob Zelina, 81, died in 2017. McCray, 87, died in 2012.
Joanne Zelina’s daughter, Deborah, later met Carter when he came to Sacred Heart. Deborah Zelina was Lorain
International Festival Queen in 1975, and posed for a picture with the soonto-be president in May 1976.
“I never had the privilege (to meet Carter) but it made me proud of them,” Joanne Zelina said of her husband and daughter.
After Carter’s four-year stint in the White House, Hunter lauded the late politician for his work with Habitat for Humanity.
The former president and his wife led the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity for more than 30 years, working alongside more than 100,000 volunteers to build, renovate or repair more than 4,400 homes in 14 countries, according to a Habitat for Humanity news release.
“Every opportunity I got to see him was a joy for me,” Hunter said. “... He cared about people and the everyday person.”
He said it was a pleasure to know Carter, his wife, Rosalynn and his family.
Rosalynn Carter came to the Lorain Palace Theatre in March 1979. Rosalynn Carter, 96, died in November 2023. She and her husband were married for 77 years.
“I think he was the smartest, (most loving) president we’ve ever had,” Hunter said and implored others to follow Carter’s example.
period. It’s also winter, of course, so they are seeking food, just like anybody is.”
While sightings may increase in the winter months, coyotes are common to this region and are in the area year-round, wildlife experts said.
To keep coyotes at a distance, Bowman Bell advised individuals not to leave food out and to cut back on brush piles.
Read more about coyotes at tinyurl. com/2dd6r6ed.
Making Oberlin more affordable
City considers rezoning for duplexes
Garrett Looker
The Community Guide
The Oberlin City Council held a public meeting to discuss the potential rezoning of a section of land on East College Street to allow two-family housing.
It’s the site of Oberlin’s Eastwood Elementary School — 198 E. College St. The school has been vacant since 2021 and Oberlin Schools still owns the property.
Officials said there is a potential deal to hand off the ownership of the land between the school district, the city and Oberlin’s Community Land Trust but nothing can be done until the land is rezoned.
“People in the school district and in the city and the
land trust … they started talking to each other to see how we can do something that best suits everybody,” said Oberlin Councilwoman Kristin Peterson. Peterson said that further developing the East College Street property has the potential of a positive outcome for all parties.
“There could be more senior housing available in town, which we desperately need,” she said. “It would no longer be the school board’s responsibility to manage that. And the city benefits from having that property, you know, in use in a neighborhood.”
No vote was taken on the matter last week, but it is expected to be on an agenda in the near future.
Grandpa killing trial date moved
Dave O’Brien
The Community Guide
ELYRIA — A murder trial in the case of an Elyria man who allegedly beat his grandfather to death with a shovel in February 2024 has been continued to March 24.
Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Rothgery “very reluctantly” granted a continuance requested by defense attorney Chris McNeal to continue the trial of Joseph Ward, 21, in the killing of Malcolm Watters, 72, in the garden of his Augdon Drive home.
Ward, being held in the county jail on $6.5 million bond, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of felonious assault, and one
count each of having weapons under disability, tampering with evidence and violating a protection order, in the death Watters and the assault of his grandmother, Pamela Watters.
McNeal said he was hired just over three weeks ago to defend Ward and still has a “voluminous” amount of evidence to go through. McNeal is the third attorney to represent Ward.
Assistant Prosecutor Matt Kern objected to the continuance. He said McNeal took the case knowing that a trial date had been set since midJune 2024.
McNeal, who said he was planning to seek another opinion from a psychologist about his client’s competence, denied he was trying to delay the proceedings.
OBITUARIES
Joseph Donaldson
Joseph Donaldson, died Saturday, January 4, 2025, at the age of 84, at his home under hospice care.
A son of the late Joseph Viayra and Betty Lou Donaldson, Joe was born in Los Angeles, California Christmas Day, 1940.
Joe spent most of his life working on, repairing and rebuilding machines and heavy equipment. He was a mechanic for the City of Costa Mesa and the City of Irvine. He retired as Head Mechanic for the Water District in Yorba Linda.
Joe was a lifelong race car enthusiast. He spent enormous amounts of time at both drag races and dirt tracks all over Southern California. Later in life he even worked on a dirt track pit crew with his grandson, Tyson. For a time he even had his own Jet Car leading to his nickname ‘Joe the Jet’. After retirement he went to work at Pick’s Racing, building sprint car engines for 12 years.
Upon leaving Pick’s, Joe found his next passion the USS Iowa. Located in San Pedro, this decommissioned WWII Battleship, has been turned into a museum. Joe began as a volunteer spending over a 1,000 hours helping anywhere needed. Recognized for his work ethic, dedication and attention to detail, he was eventually hired as the ship’s welder. His work to restore the ship included installing an elevator for handicapped accessibility.
Joe moved to Bonnie Brae Farms in Wellington Ohio in 2018. A man of faith, Joe was a member of the Rochester United Methodist Church. Often Joe could be found working on machinery or his John Deere tractor. He took pride in mowing his yard. He loved all the animals on the farm and attended lovingly to the cats. He enjoyed the elk, sheep and cattle which many times were visible outside his window. While separated by 2,000 miles, Joe enjoyed watching both his grandson Tyson, and great-grandchild, SadieLee, race at dirt tracks on Facebook
Joe had a magnetic personality that attracted people to him. Whether it was doctors’ appointments or hospitalization, he quickly made friends with his doctors and nurses and soon had them laughing over his jokes and life experiences.
Left to treasure his memory are his loving wife, Maribelle (Murray) Donaldson; children, Joseph Michael Donaldson, of Lake Elsinore, California, and Jeri Lee Donaldson, of Lake Havasu, Arizona; grandchildren, Tyson Talkington, Erin Donaldson, and Cody Donaldson; great-grandchildren, Callie, Travis, SadieLee, Brooks, Henry, Charlotte, Miller, Myra, Wole and Anna; and his brother, Peter.
Joe was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara Lee, in 1997; and his brother, David.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 11 a.m. at the Rochester United Methodist Church, 201 S. State Street, Rochester, with a luncheon following the service.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to www.Pacificbattleship.com. Click Donate + support link, then Click Donate and Choose ‘Ship Preservation and Maintenance.’ Arrangements were entrusted to Norton-Eastman Funeral Home and fond memories and condolences can be shared at www.norton-eastmanfuneralhome.
School software data breached
The Community Guide Multiple school districts in Lorain County use the cloud-based student information system PowerSchool — including Elyria, Lorain, Oberlin, Columbia and Firelands — that was affected by a data breach in December. The administrative software is used to track student data, grades and provides a platform for communication between parents and faculty. The California-based company provides administrative software to thousands of school districts across North America. Several districts told The Chronicle that they did not believe any of their student information was included in the breach; those include Avon, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville, Midview, Clearview, Amherst and Keystone schools.
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Former Grafton mayor dies
Garrett Looker
The Community Guide
In his final years when Thomas Smith worked for the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, he would keep extra clothing of all sizes in his locker.
But the hoodies and sweatshirts that he had collected from donation centers weren’t for him. He was saving them for anyone who may need the help.
After all, he had given up his own jacket before to an inmate who didn’t have anything else upon release.
“Tom was a great man. He had
compassion for everybody,” said Cyndy Stiwald, Thomas Smith’s wife.
“When somebody got released from jail, if they didn’t have a coat and Tom had a coat in the car, he gave them his coat.”
Family and colleagues remembered Smith for his generosity and his unconditional love for people in the days following his death Jan. 1. He was 70 years old. Smith, who had served as the
Zurcher, made famous by ‘One Tank Trips,’ dies
Dave O’Brien The Community Guide
Author, journalist, TV host and Lorain County native Neil Zurcher, famous for his decades of “One Tank Trips” segments on Cleveland TV, has died.
Zurcher was 89. WJW-TV Fox 8 in Cleveland, his former employer, announced his death last week.
A Henrietta Township native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Zurcher’s journalism career started with writing and taking photos for the Oberlin News-Tribune newspaper starting in the mid-1950s.
He got his start in radio at WEOL 930 AM in Elyria, owned by The Chronicle-Telegram’s parent company Lorain County Printing & Publishing and was news director there until moving over to television.
Zurcher started working parttime at WJW-TV in Cleveland in 1962, and moved up to full-time in 1967. He interviewed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and also covered Vietnam War protests in the late 1960s.
His “One Tank Trips” segment was a hit for more than 20 years. In it, Zurcher would travel to destinations or sights in the area you could reach without having to stop for gas and discuss them on air.
“His trademark ‘One Tank Trips’ were started during the gas shortage in the 1970s and the segment continues on decades later,” Fox 8 wrote on its website. The segment continues to be on the air to this day with different hosts.
Zurcher only wrote about places that he personally visited, he told The Chronicle in 2006.
Then there were the multiple cars that Zurcher used in photos and promotional materials for “One Tank Trips,” starting first with a 1948 Chevrolet convertible that later was replaced with a 1940 Bantam American Roadster.
Those cars have a Lorain County connection, too: Both were owned by Bill and Bonnie Cutcher of Brownhelm, who “were nice
enough to allow us to use the cars on the series,” Zurcher once wrote on his blog.
Grafton’s mayor from 1984 to 1990, never wanted to see people suffer, a belief that reflected his dedication to community and civic engagement, they said.
“I’ve never seen anybody support the community the way he did,” said John Nold, a coworker at the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office.
After Smith’s six years as mayor, he continued to represent Grafton as a Village Council member until 2011. Dedication to community service ran in the family. Smith’s father, Richard “Dick” Smith, served as mayor of Grafton from 1976 to 1984.
Zurcher
Bonnie and Bill Cutcher’s grandson Ian Cutcher said Zurcher twice interviewed his grandparents on TV. They owned the former Cutcher’s Brownhelm Store at the southwest corner of North Ridge and Baumhart roads from 1969 to 1999, which was known locally as “the Brownhelm Mall.”
Ian’s dad Glen Cutcher said Zurcher would often stop in the store on his way home to Henrietta from work.
“My dad collected antique cars and as Neil was starting the show, they just got talking about it,” he said. “He would borrow the cars once or twice a year, take pictures, and they edited that into each week’s show.”
Ian Cutcher said Zurcher also was kind enough to take his grandparents on a tour of Fox 8’s Cleveland studios. They got to sit behind the news desk and met local TV news personalities including the late Dick Goddard, Robin Swoboda, Tim Taylor and the late Casey Coleman — all of whom signed a photo for the couple, Ian Cutcher said.
Zurcher’s most-famous ride probably was the 1959 Nash Metropolitan convertible he bought and showed on TV and in car shows. It later was put on display at the Canton Classic Car Museum in Canton.
Zurcher retired from WJW twice, he told The Chronicle for a story in 2016. The first time was in 2004, but he returned to TV in 2012 to tell more “One Tank Trip” stories on the “New Day Cleveland” program before retiring again in 2016.
Even after his retirement, Zurcher made the rounds of community groups, libraries and historical societies throughout the region.
Smith
Donaldson
Author from Henrietta Township was 89
Traffic deaths up 26
died in Lorain County through December
Dave O’Brien
The Community Guide
From Jan. 1, 2024, through the first week of December, 26 people died in traffic crashes on Lorain County’s roadways, public health officials have reported.
Lorain County Public Health and partner agencies that track the annual death toll continue to work on reducing the number of preventable traffic fatalities through public awareness, education about and enforcement of traffic laws.
As of Dec. 4, which was the latest review by the county’s Traffic Fatality Review Committee, there were 25 fatal crashes in Lorain County causing 26 deaths.
The Fatality Review Committee is an effort of the county Safe Communities coalition at Lorain County Public Health.
According to Public Health, a number of factors — many of them preventable, such as impaired driving, speeding and not wearing a seat belt — were involved in 2024’s fatal crashes.
According to Public Health, in 2024: Alcohol or drugs were a factor in 52 percent (13) of the crashes; A seat belt was not used in 40 percent (10) of fatal crashes; 40 percent (10) of fatal crashes involved drivers over the age of 55; Unsafe speed was a factor in 24 percent (six) of the crashes.
In 2023, 21 people died in 20 crashes, the exact same number as in 2022.
In 54 percent of fatal crashes in 2023, there was no seat belt in use; alcohol use was a factor in 40 percent; eight crashes involved a motorcycle and five crashes
involved victims under the age of 24, according to the Fatality Review Committee.
Those numbers are a significant reduction from 2021. In the deadliest year on Lorain County roads in at least the last five years, a total of 38 people died in 33 fatal crashes.
A better accounting of accidental causes of death, specifically accidental drug overdoses in Lorain County in 2024, won’t be available for another nearly three months.
As of Wednesday, the county Coroner’s Office had reported 59 accidental drug overdose deaths in 2024. A final tally won’t be available until the end of March, said Kat Bray, population health supervisor at Public Health.
“Reporting is delayed until the Coroner’s Office receives all toxicology reports and can make a final determination,” she wrote in an email.
Safe Communities’ goal is to reduce injuries and deaths on Lorain County roads through community initiatives that involve engineering, enforcement and education, according to its page on Public Health’s website. It encourages motorists to drive sober, buckle up and share the road with pedestrians, motorcycles and cyclists.
Working with police and first responders including the State Highway Patrol, local police and fire departments and schools, Safe Communities also presents the “Buckle Up Bowl,” the “Buckle Up for a Cup” and “Buckle Up for Burgers” giveaways and the annual Zero Proof Mix-Off.
Lorain County Public Health’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan is designed to help stop fatal and serious injury traffic crashes on Lorain County roadways by 2040, according to Public Health.
east side in November.
Go-kart complex zooms along
Carissa Woytach
The Community Guide
LORAIN — Six months
since Kris McCrone held a groundbreaking for the Lorain Ohio Kartplex motorsports park, an asphalt track snakes through the former landfill site.
The 37.5-acre site is well on its way to hosting competition go-kart racing in 2025, McCrone said, with about 20 percent of the project done as 2024 draws to a close.
McCrone broke ground on the site in June, turning what was a landfill and later dubbed a park into a motorsports project on Lorain’s east side.
The $12 million project includes $2 million each in
support from the city and county, with a stipulation that taxpayer dollars are used last in the development.
It will include a 0.82-mile competition track, 0.42mile rental track, 0.35-mile indoor track, esports arena, restaurant and event center and retail store, will employ about 40 full-time employees and another 90 parttimers, McCrone previously told The Chronicle-Telegram, in everything from logistics and hospitality to mechanics and technicians.
The outdoor kart tracks will be open about eight months out of the year, as they are able to comfortably operate above 40 degrees.
“It’s emotional,” Mc-
Crone said of the project moving forward. “You’re seeing a dream that started in January 2020 come to fruition.”
The project seemingly idled while McCrone and his original partner, Dr. Nick Jarmousek, split ways. McCrone took over Xell LLC’s real estate holdings — the 37.5 acres for the Lorain Kartplex.
The remaining acres were transferred to Jarmousek and Riverpark Motorplex, a separate venture from McCrone’s motorsports park.
In late 2024 the city began the process of passing a tax increment financing for the property, Building, Housing and Planning Director Matt Kusznir said.
Active shooter calls likely fake
The Community Guide
AMHERST — Multiple calls were received by the Amherst Police Department last week reporting an active shooter near the Giant Eagle and Aldi grocery stores. After arriving, emergency personnel “determined at that point that everybody was OK at those locations and appeared to be a swatting incident,” Amherst police Detective Sgt. Brian Griffin.
The objective of a swatting call is to produce a
large response from law enforcement, Griffin said.
“They will basically fake an incident to get law enforcement to respond in numbers to a location where there is no active threat,” he said. “It definitely causes some concern for the community and our officers as well.
“We are tracking two separate phone numbers with the assistance of the FBI looking to see if we are able to track these back to anybody.”
“It does appear that the
phone number, or one of the phone numbers, had been used previously in a separate incident elsewhere,” Griffin said.
“Regarding the Amherst Giant Eagle, and I can confirm that, thankfully, no active shooting incident took place yesterday evening,” Jannah Drexler, public relations manager for Giant Eagle, said. “It is unlikely that we will have any additional information to share beyond what was discussed with the police department.”
Wellington water plant work underway
Garrett Looker
The Community Guide
More than two years after Wellington’s water treatment plant erupted in flames, the village is on track to rebuild the structure.
Structural plans are scheduled to be completed in mid-January, the Village Council announced this week. Wellington officials expect the project to be finished in the summer.
Village Council says rebuilding the water treat-
ment plant is the village’s highest priority. Structural plans are ahead of pace and are scheduled to be done Friday. “We have been working on getting that rebuilt and together,” Mayor Hans Schneider said. “We just really have to get that going. … It’s extremely important.”
All construction is expected to be done by June 30, according to Wellington Manager Jonathan Greever.
“It would be a great
thing for our community,” Greever said.
“Especially for our water team. … Getting to a point where they have the tools at their disposal to continue providing it, maybe with a little less heartache.”
Although Wellington is still in the process of finalizing negotiations, Greever estimated that the total cost of reconstruction will range between $1.1 million and $1.9 million.
When it is complete, the newly constructed space
will tie into the existing building that was not destroyed.
“Being as cost-efficient as possible, utilizing the parts that were saved to reintegrate this new build — that’s kind of the bulk of what those new plans are doing,” Greever said.
The fire broke out at the water treatment facility on a night in late September of 2022 after a vehicle caught fire in the lower levels of the building, said Wellington Assistant Fire Chief
Wishing for some ice fishing?
Ice forms on bushes behind St. Anthony Catholic Church in Lorain where the lake isn’t frozen.
The Community Guide Frigid temperatures in Northeast Ohio could give way to a lakefront pastime this winter.
The ice on the shallowest of the Great Lakes could be enough to support ice fishers, as prolonged periods of below-freezing weather will help solidify the water.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes ice analysis, updated daily, estimates the westernmost portions of the lake in the Sandusky Bay area is already 2-6 inches thick with ice.
Troy Pitts. “It consumed probably 30 percent,” Pitts said. “It got the laboratory, the garage and offices. … It was a very big deal.”
However, the treatment side of the facility was not heavily damaged. Operations were able to continue, Greever said, albeit with some changes.
Until a new facility can be built, Greever said individuals on the village’s water team have had to work in difficult conditions — like
working in a trailer — yet their quality of service to the community has not wavered.
“They’re doing all of their work — especially during these cold months — in a very subpar condition facility, and they’re keeping all of their output and quality of service maintained at the same level. I’m extremely proud of them for that,” Greever said. “But the time has come to make sure that we get that done.”
Invacare HQ to stay in Elyria
MacMillan
Owen
The Community Guide
Invacare has plans to relocate some manufacturing jobs, but it will maintain its North American headquarters in Elyria.
Invacare’s North American operation was sold to MIGA Holdings LLC in November, and on Thursday a spokesperson for MIGA provided an update to the company’s plans for its Elyria headquarters at 1 Invacare Way.
“Invacare’s headquarters will remain in Elyria,” spokesperson Alexa August said in an email. “To better align with changing business needs and improve efficiency, we will be relocating some of our manufacturing to other facilities.”
The company did not provide a time line for that relocation or an estimate of how many manufacturing jobs would be relocated prior to deadline on Thursday.
Invacare manufactures mobility products, primarily wheelchairs, scooters and accessories for those products.
MIGA said at the time of the sale in November that operations at Invacare in Elyria would continue as normal. MIGA is itself owned by C+A Global, a manufacturing, marketing and retail company based in Edison, New Jersey.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses radar data to monitor ice thickness, cover and type in the Great Lakes, according to its website. Its seasonal ice outlook anticipates ice continuing to thicken through February.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources reminds those who walk on, fish, or snowmobile across Lake Erie that “there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice.”
It recommends a minimum 4 inches of new, clear ice for traveling on foot,
Patrick Saunders, National Weather Service Cleveland meteorologist, said locals can expect to see decent ice growth in the next couple weeks, as temperatures remain mostly at or below freezing, including dipping into the teens the latter half of this week and early next.
at least 5 inches for snowmobiles and ATVs and 8-12 inches for cars or small trucks.. Ice conditions can change quickly, especially during fluctuating temperatures. Warmer weather and flowing water beneath the ice can weaken it.
Those planning to ice fish are reminded to dress in layers, wear a life jacket and carry ice picks, rope and a throwable floatation device, and check ice conditions and weather forecasts before venturing out. She also reminded recreationists to avoid alcohol consumption while on the ice, as it can impair judgment.
To view up-to-date ice forecasts and information, visit www.weather.gov/cle/GreatLakesIce.
Man pleads guilty to stabbing girfriend The Community Guide A Columbia Township man has pleaded guilty to stabbing his girlfriend in April.
Shawn Poe, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault charges, all felonies. He also admitted to five misdemeanors, including three counts of aggravated menacing and two counts of domestic violence.
Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook found him guilty and scheduled a sentencing hearing for Feb. 24.
LCCC displays
John Benson The Community Guide Teen artists never disappoint.
That’s exactly the takeaway from visitors touring the 57th annual Lorain County Region Scholastic Art Exhibit, which opens Monday and runs through Feb. 11 at Lorain County Community College’s Beth K. Stocker Art Gallery.
“The show itself has such a great reputation,” Stocker Arts Center Operations and Gallery Coordinator Beth Bryan said.
“It’s the only nationally recognized art contest, per se, in the United States, so it’s very prestigious to get your work in the show and be awarded and recognized.
“I’ve had lots of conversations with students over the years — going way back to people who are now retired.
“They remember getting their work in the show, where their work was, what the work was and what it received. So it’s a very special thing.”
Sponsored by Nordson Corp., the exhibit draws from public, parochial and private middle, high schools and homeschoolers (ages 12
BRUCE BISHOP / COMMUNITY GUIDE
PHOTO PROVIDED
The exhibit includes works from public, parochial and private middle, high schools and homeschoolers (ages 12 to 18) from Lorain, Erie and Huron counties.
The latest Disney On Ice production combines old favorites, Micky and Minnie and Goofy, with new friends from “Frozen” and other movies.
Mickey, Minnie, Moana — and skater Morgan say:
‘Let’s
Dance’
John Benson The Community Guide
There are Disney fans and then there is Morgan Johnson’s Buffaloarea family.
As a child, the professional skater — who performs in Disney On Ice’s “Let’s Dance!” appearing through Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — would travel around following the Mickey Mouse-friendly skating productions.
“I started skating when I was 4, so I’ve been to a lot of Disney on Ice shows — visiting Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh,” Johnson said.
“Sometimes we’d go to three in the same year.
“Now to come full circle, it’s crazy. I just can’t believe this is my life. I’m so excited all my family and friends from home are going to drive out to Cleveland to come see me in the show.”
“Let’s Dance!” marks Johnson’s fourth Feld Entertainment Disney on Ice show.
The new production boasts an all-star cast led by Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy with special appearances by favorite Disney characters from “Frozen 2,” “Wish,” “The Lion King,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Moana.”
“We feature ‘Frozen 2,’ which really hasn’t been shown on too many Disney on Ice shows yet,” she said.
“Elsa and Anna are big fan favorites with Olaf. What’s really cool is we also dive into the movie ‘Wish.’
“I know some people aren’t as familiar with it, but it’s a beautiful story with beautiful elements that
come to life. It’s really magical.”
In fact, the entire show finds familiar stories told in an allnew state-of-the-art fashion with cuttingedge figure skating, high-flying acrobatics, unexpected stunts, thrilling special effects, eye-catching costumes and stunning set designs.
Portraying one of Triton’s daughters from “The Little Mermaid,” Johnson said she even gets aerial with Ariel.
“Something that’s really cool is they’re really upping the performance value and the ‘Wow’ factor,” she said.
“We have a lot of aerial acts. We’re literally taking Disney on Ice to new heights with people on bungees and people flying in the air while still preserving the Disney magic.”
The most difficult part of the gig are the physical demands, Johnson said.
She admitted they take their toll on her body and mind but one thing always helps her press through, knowing that she’s creating aweinspiring memories for a new generation of skaters.
“You see how excited these kids are to be there, so I want to give them the best performance that I can.
“Some days maybe when I’m tired or not feeling it, that’s the motivation to get me through. Even if I just inspire one kid on that day, I hope I can do that.”
Reach John Benson at ndiffrence@att.net. IF
Johnson
GEO RITTENMYER PHOTOS
Keystone beats Firelands
Keystone started off fast and Firelands couldn’t get a shot to fall.
All of that added up to a Keystone lead of 22-4 after the first quarter.
The game was never in doubt as Keystone gets a 63-46 win over Firelands.
Keystone beats Wellington
Wellington hosted Keystone in their first meeting this season.
Keystone pressured Wellington’s Brooke Lehmkuhl all game, limiting the times she could get the ball.
Keystone led 14-7 after the first quarter and extended its lead to 22-12 at the half.
Keystone blew the game wide open in the the third quarter and finished the quarter with a 44-17 lead.
Keystone won the game 54-22.
Keystone’s Zach Shackelford gets to the basket past Firelands’ Rylan Copan.
Keystone’s Brooklyn Barber gets the basket and the foul against Wellington’s Grace Knapp.
Keystone’s Zach Shackelford drives to the basket past Firelands’ Rylan Copen. Firelands’ Ayden Fortner gets two points past Keystone’s Emory Fedor.
Keystone’s Mady Sokolowski fires for three points over Wellington’s Mackenzie Jerousek.
Keystone’s Liam Goran tries to move past Firelands’ Elijah Zidar.
Mallory Pickering geets a fast break past Sophia Clarico.
Wellington’s Brooke Lehmkuhl tries to get past Keystone’s Rylee Jedrzejek.
Photos by Russ Gifford The Community Guide
Amherst Historical Super Bowl
Its Super Bowl Fundraiser will be held Feb. 9 at the Amherst Historical Society Hall, 113 South Lake Street, Amherst. Doors open at 5 p.m. Kickoff is at 6:30. It is $10 per person.
The game will be shown on a 10-foot screen. There will be tailgate food and a 50/50 raffle. BYOB with pop and water available; RSVP by Feb. 1 at (440) 988-7255 or office@amhersthistoricalsociety.org
Amherst Library hosting school supply drive
The Friends of the Amherst Public Library group is hosting a monthlong drive in January to collect supplies to benefit students at Powers Elementary, Firelands Elementary, and St. Joseph School.
The most-needed school supplies are crayons, pencils, thick and fine-tip dry erase markers, glue sticks, 2-pocket folders with no prongs, colored pencils and thick and fine-tip markers. Supplies can be dropped off in the drop box just inside the Amherst Public Library front door, and monetary donations to go toward supplies can be made at tiny.cc/100DayRestock.
Amherst Board of Education to meet
The Amherst Board of Education will hold a special session Friday at 7:30 a.m. to discuss financial, personnel and business recommendations at 550 Milan Ave., Amherst.
Learn about the deadly 1916 train crash
Amherst historian Tom Jewell will give a presentation on the tragic train wreck that took place in Amherst, one early foggy morning on March 29, 1916. Three trains collided, resulting in 27 people being killed and 47 injured. Countless people heroically assisted that day. This crash even has a connection with silent movie actress Mary Pickford.
The free comunity presentation will be held at 7 p.m. March 18 at the AHS Hall, 113 South Lake Street, Amherst. Donations are gratefully accepted.
Please RSVP at (440) 988-7255 or office@amhersthistoricalsociety.org.
Fundraisers
St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church nut roll sale, noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays in January at 2711 W. 40th St., Lorain. Frozen nut rolls can be purchased for $20 each. Cash or check accepted.
Amherst Historical Society’s Super Bowl fundraiser, doors open 5 p.m. Feb. 9 at Amherst Historical Society Hall, 113 S. Lake St., Amherst. Ten-foot screen, tailgate food, 50/50 raffle, basket raffles and more. BYOB — pop and water will be available. Cost is $10 per person. Super Bowl squares are also available for $50 per square and include free entry to the event. Squares are limited. For more info or to RSVP by Feb. 1, (440) 988-7255 or office@amhersthistoricalsociety.org.
Our Lady Queen of Peace Church reverse raffle, doors open at 5:30 p.m. Feb 15 at 708 Erie St., Grafton. Dinner will begin 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 and include dinner, open bar and a chance
THE GRAMMYS
BULLETIN BOARD
Avon High School football coach Mike Elder, left, accepts a state championship sign from Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen during a City Council meeting Monday at which the football team was honored for winning Ohio’s 2024 DII championship.
at the grand prize ($1,500). There will also be sideboards, a 50/50 raffle, and basket raffle. Tickets available after Mass and at the church office, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. For additional information, contact Joanna at (440) 926-2364 or Chuck at (440) 225-4644 evenings and weekends. Lorain County 4-H Endowment dinner and auction, doors open at 5 p.m.; buffet begins at 5:30 p.m. March 1 at German’s Villa, 3330 Liberty Ave., Vermilion. Buffet includes honeyglazed ham, lemon pepper chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, tossed salad and dinner rolls, coffee and iced tea. Tickets are $35 per person, must be purchased by Feb. 14 and available from any 4-H Endowment Board member, at the OSU Extension Lorain County, 42110 Russia Road, Elyria. Must be 21 and older. VFW Post 1662 Auxiliary remembrance and honor bricks sale, bricks will be placed by the post flagpole. Bricks are $40 each, cash or check and can be personalized with or without a graphic. Brochures with more information and order forms are available at VFW Post 1662, 165 Cleveland Ave., Amherst. North Ridgeville Lions Club annual Night at the Races, doors open at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at St. Clarence Pavilion, 30106 Lorain Road, North Olmsted. Dinner buffet, beer and soda with a donation of $35 per person. There will also be 50/50 sideboards, raffle baskets and door prizes. For more details or to order tickets, please go to northridgevillelions.org or lionsclubofnr.square.site.
Friends of Metro Parks of Lorain County garage sale, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 25 and 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 26 at Carlisle Visitor Center, 12882 Diagonal Road, LaGrange. Donate your unwanted items 1-4 p.m. Sunday; 1-7 p.m. Jan. 20 and 4-7 p.m. Jan. 22. Clothing, shoes, large furniture, Christmas trees, electronics, car seats and strollers not accepted. For info, call (440) 213-4173 or SkipThePenguin8@gmail.com Elyria Evening Lions Club flagpole fundraiser: Americanmade telescoping flagpoles and flag sale, available sizes are 17 feet or 21 feet for $295 and $350 installed. Call Lion Kerry at (440) 670-7746 for information. Fundraiser supports projects of the Elyria Lions Club. Elyria-area Parade of Flags sponsored by Elyria Kiwanis Club. Elyria Kiwanis will provide, install, remove and properly store the flag for $30 per calendar year. Visit www.elyriakiwanis. net for information.
Food distributions Sandstone Community Church food pantry, 9-10:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 201 W. Main St., South Amherst. Call (440) 986-2461. Firelands school district and/or Amherst residents only. Oberlin Community Services drive-up service, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 500 E. Lorain St., Oberlin. Indoor choice pantry 1:30-4:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 1:303:30 p.m. each Friday. Call (440) 774-6579. Pathways Enrichment Center, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday, 2505 Leavitt Road, Lorain. Call (440) 282-1109. Vermilion Salvation Army, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday and
Friday of
and 5-7 p.m. the
at
and
Suite H. Well-Help food pantry, 10 a.m. to
every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday at 127 Park Place, Wellington. Call (440) 647-2689. Elyria Hospitality Center, 10 a.m. to noon every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday (except holidays), 244 Third St., Elyria. Call (440) 323-9409. First Evangelical Lutheran Church food pantry, 10-11:30 a.m. second Thursday of the month, 1019 W. Fifth St., Lorain. Call (440) 244-6286. Weekly front door ministry, 10-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Greater Victory Christian Ministries food pantry and community meal, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. first and second Saturday, 559 Reid Ave., Lorain. Call (440) 363-1040. Lorain Lighthouse United Methodist food pantry, 1-2:30 p.m. the fourth Thursday of the month, 3015 Meister Road, Lorain. Call (440) 282-2383. Pet Pantry of Lorain County, 10 a.m. to noon the third Saturday of each month at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 300 Third St., Elyria. Contact (440) 721-7531 or ThePetPantryOfLorainCounty@gmail.com. Brookside High School drive-thru mobile pantry, 4:30-6 p.m. Wednesday at Brookside High School, 1662 Harris Road, Sheffield. Call (440) 960-2265 for more information. Oakwood Park drive-thru mobile pantry, 2-4 p.m. Jan. 23 at Oakwood Park, 2047 E. 36th St., Lorain. Call (440) 960-2265 for more information. Ely Stadium drive-thru mobile pantry, 4-5:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Ely Stadium, 1915 Middle Ave., Elyria. Call (440) 960-2265 for more information.
Heather Campbell Reich Community Meals, 6-6:30 p.m. Monday and Jan. 20; Wednesday, Jan. 22, at St. Andrew’s Church, 300 Third St., Elyria. Mother Cabrini Food Pantry, 8:30-10:30 a.m. the second, third, and fourth Saturday of each month, 2143 Homewood Drive, Lorain. Photo ID required.
LifeSpring Church food pantry, 9-11 a.m. every third Saturday of the month at 1638 Lester, Valley City.
LCCAA Produce Center ordering windows, are open 8 a.m. Monday through 11 p.m. Sunday or until all appointments are full. Pickup is Wednesday and Thursday, 204 W. 10th St., Lorain. Service is available weekly on a first-order, availableappointment basis to anyone in Lorain County living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Visit www.lccaa.net/ programs/produce_center to order or for more information. St. Elizabeth Center hot meals: breakfast, 9-10 a.m. second and fourth Saturday of every month; lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; dinner, 5-6 p.m. Wednesday at 2726 Caroline Ave., Lorain. Call (440) 2420056 for more information.
First United Methodist Church community breakfast, at 9:30-10:30 a.m. every Sunday, 312 Third St., Elyria. Carryout packages are handed out at the Holly Lane kitchen entrance. Free senior lunch bunch, beginning at noon every fourth Tuesday of the month at Cornerstone UMC, 2949 West River Road. N., Elyria.
Metro Central NAACP installs its new officers
The Community Guide
The Metro Central NAACP held its installation of officers on Saturday at Jones Chapel AME Church in Elyria.
The theme for the new term running through 2027 is “the fight continues.”
New officers are: President Ardelia “Dee” Tolbert; First Vice President Claudia Jones; Second Vice President Rev. Calvin Currie; Secretary LaTaunya Conley; Assistant Secretary Kim Black-Brown;
Treasurer Erica Jackson; Assistant Treasurer Janice Williams; and at-large executive officers Mona Atley, E. Jean Armstrong, Pastor Bobby Calloway, Deborah Cocco, Ray English, Joanne Fitzpatrick, Gregory Fluker, Elizabeth Meadows and Regina Shockley. The Metro Central Ohio Unit began in 2021 through a merger of the Elyria and Oberlin NAACP units. The Elyria unit was chartered in 1955 and the Oberlin unit in 1917.
DAVID RICHARD / COMMUNITY GUIDE
AVON HONORS STATE CHAMP EAGLES
Why are sunny winter days COLD, while sunny summer days are HOT? Kid Scoop’s winter expert Dr.I.Cicle explains it all!
Trythis experiment to understand the difference between indirect and direct sunlight
Keep track of your work onaseparate sheet of paper like the Scientist’sNotebook. •2metal pie tins or flat pans •a sunny winter day • watch or clock •a rock
1. Lay one pan flat on the ground in the direct sunlight (Fig. 1)
2. Tilt the other pan on its side. Lean it against arock or a shoe. This pan is being hit with indirect sunlight. (Fig. 2)
3. Wait three minutes.
4. Which pan is warmer?
Question
Which pan do you think will feel warmer after three minutes in the winter sun?
The sun is covered with spots! Use the spots to solve the mystery questions.
How far is the sun from the Earth?
How long does it take the sun to make one complete rotation?
What is the diameter of the sun?
One important thing to understand when you read is cause and effect
For example, in the legend of Groundhog Day,when the groundhog sees his shadow,he goes back in his burrow.Inthis case, the effect is thatthe groundhoggoesback in his burrow.That is what happens. What causes him to go back in hisburrow? Getting frightened by his shadow
1. With a parent or learning buddy at home, selectan article from today’s newspaper.Read the headline. Discuss what you think caused the news reported in the headline.
2. The headline usually tells what happened. This is called an effect Read aloud to your learning buddy the first paragraph of the article. Does this tellyou the cause? Read the rest of the article aloud. After each paragraph, stop and discuss what you have learned about what caused the news reported in the headline.
Completethe following:
HEADLINE (effect):
SCIENTIST’S NOTEBOOK
Hypothesis
What do you think the answer to the question is?
Observation
Which pan was warmer in threeminutes?
Conclusion pan in direct sunlight pan in indirect sunlight pan in direct sunlight pan in indirect sunlight
Wasyour hypothesis correct? What did you learn from this experiment?
CAUSE(s):
Without the sun we wouldn’t have newspapers because newsprint is made from trees and trees need the sun to grow Look through the newspaper for other things that need the sun to exist.
NAME:
NAME OF LEARNING BUDDY:
Neverlook directly at the
your eyesight!
HYPOTHESIS
Theclasswas
Tryto
©2025byVickiWhiting,Editor Je Schinkel,Graphics Vol. 41, No.7