Lorain County Community Guide - July 13, 2023

Vance targets Oberlin College, others in letter

U.S. Senator presses colleges’ records policies after Supreme Court’s overturn of affirmative action

A U.S. Senator expressed concerns about universities defying a recent Supreme Court decision on college admissions, including demanding they retain records “in anticipating of future congressional investigations.”

Oberlin College, Kenyon College and several Ivy League institutions were the targets of a letter by Sen. JD Vance, RCincinnati, demanding they comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning affirmative action.

In a statement accompa-

nying the letter, Vance said in the wake of the decision several of the university presidents had issued statements indicating plans to “flagrantly defy the Supreme Court’s rule and continue to focus on the race of students applying for admission to their schools.”

On June 29, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, invalidated admission plans and Harvard

and the University of North Carolina, finding race-conscious admission plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to colleges that receive federal funding, as almost all do.

Hours after the ruling, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar said the decision would not dissuade her institution from valuing diversity on

campus.

“At Oberlin, we have long understood that diversity, in all its forms, is essential to our mission to prepare our students to confront complex issues and spark positive change in the world. Here’s something we also know: Affirmative action is a powerful tool for addressing stubborn, corrosive inequalities and for fostering a campus community that reflects the rich tapestry of our society,” Ambar wrote in a statement June 29. She wrote that Oberlin College valued diversity in all its forms, relaying the story of alumna Mary Jane Patterson, who was the first

Rain doesn’t dampen aviation show

Black woman in the country to earn a bachelor’s degree in 1862.

“Oberlin was the first college in the United States to officially embrace the admission of Black students and the first coed school to grant bachelor’s degrees to women,” Ambar wrote. “The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions, announced this morning, has left me deeply saddened and concerned for the future of higher education. At the same time, it has steeled my resolve to defend Oberlin’s most cherished values: diversity, social engagement, and academic

excellence.”

Vance’s letter to Oberlin College and other universities expressed his concern about the institutions’ “openly defiant and potentially unlawful reaction to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision.”

He referenced Ambar’s June 29 letter on the Oberlin website, writing:

“She assured her students and faculty that rather than dampening her enthusiasm for affirmative action policies, the decision ‘only strengthens our determination to be a welcoming place where diversity is celebrated.’”

He also quoted other

Amherst Schools could place levy on November ballot

AMHERST — Voters in the Amherst school district could see a levy on the ballot this November.

The district is proposing a replacement and increase of its current 2-mill continuous levy on the ballot this fall.

The current 2-mill levy was first passed in 1983, and made continuous in 2013, Treasurer Amelia Gioffredo said. It brings in about $730,000 annually, she said, but its intake is still based on 1983 property values. By today’s valuations it only collects about 1 mill, Superintendent Mike Molnar said.

necessary improvements without always having to go to the voters for a bond issue,” Molnar said. Owners of a $100,000 home could expect to pay an additional $54 a year. Currently, those same homeowners pay about $36 a year, according to previous reporting.

The replacement and additional levy would allow the district to pay debt service on much-needed improvements, Molnar said, including replacing the aging transportation center.

THOMAS FETCENKO |

The Community Guide ABOVE: Alex Campbell, of Amherst, peers over the wing of an aircraft while viewing the different planes out on display with his mother Kelly at the Discover Aviation Lorain County Airplane & Car Show on Saturday afternoon, July 8 at the Lorain County Regional Airport.

LEFT: Gigi Mohammad and her son Khader, 11, of Avon, braved rainy conditions to see many of the aircraft out on display on July 8.

“When that was put in place in 1983 … that was the funds necessary to keep up permanent improvements to the district,” Molnar said.

“Over 40 years that same amount of money is not going to accomplish the same needs in the district, especially when now when a lot of our facilities (like) Nord and Steele are quite old.”

In addition to the replacement, the district wants to increase the levy by 0.5 mill.

In total, the 2.5-mill replacement would bring in $1.7 million annually for the district, if placed on the November ballot and passed by voters.

“The concept was to find other ways to fund other

The garage has a dirt floor, and isn’t big enough for the buses Amherst currently has, he said. They’ve been looking at replacing the facility for the past three years, and have seen estimates for the work rise from $8 million to $11 million.

Gioffredo said the debt for the transportation center and other necessary athletic improvements — like resurfacing the track and replacing stadium seating — would take 25 to 30 years for the district to pay off using the levy replacement’s additional funding.

The Board of Education will vote on July 17 as to whether to place the replacement and additional levy on the November ballot.

If the issue goes to the voters this fall and fails, the current 2-mill permanent improvement levy will remain in place.

CARISSA WOYTACH THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

SEN. JD VANCE CARMEN TWILLIE AMBAR

Kerstetter Memorial 5k returns

Doris Jean Pitts

Doris Jean Pitts, 87, of Wellington, passed away Friday, July 7, 2023 at home under hospice care. She was born April 10, 1936 in Kenton, Ohio, to the late Bryan and Ruth (nee Thompson) Heilman and was a graduate of Oberlin High School.

Doris worked alongside her husband, Bob, as an integral part of the family farm. She was also employed as a rural carrier for the Wellington Post Office. Doris was an active member of the Brighton United Methodist Church where she served as treasurer. For many years, she was also the treasurer of the church’s onion ring booth at the Lorain County Fair. She loved flower gardening and enjoyed photographs. Most of all, she found great joy in cooking for and spending time with her family.

Doris is survived by her children, Elaine (Randy) Jameyson and Alan (Keri) Pitts, all of Brighton; grandchildren, Jennifer (Rick) Kinsinger, Marcus Jameyson, Rodney (Lori) Jameyson, Janelle (Ryan) Cairns, Megan (Xavier) Howard and Kyle Pitts; and great-grandchildren, Ella and Samantha Kinsinger and Lucas and Carson Jameyson.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 58 years, Robert ‘Bob’ Pitts; siblings, Betty Leimbach and Ronald Heilman; and her great-granddaughter, Amira Howard.

Family and friends will be received Tuesday, July 11, 2023 from 5 until 7 p.m. at Norton-Eastman Funeral Home, 370 S. Main St., Wellington, where Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Brighton Cemetery.

Donations in memory of Doris can be made to the Brighton United Methodist Church, 21938 State Route 511, Wellington, Ohio 44090.

Fond memories and condolences may be shared at www. norton-eastmanfuneralhome.com.

Francis Britton Bishop, Jr.

Francis Britton Bishop, Jr., 93, of Oberlin, passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on Friday, June 30, 2023. Francis was born September 2, 1929 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of a Universalist minister.

He joined the Merchant Mariners, at the age of 16, shipping horses to Europe. Later that same year, at the age of 17, he went with his father to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps about six months before the end of WWII. He went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, on the GI Bill and earned his BS degree in Education. He later earned him Master’s Degree in Education Administration from the Ohio State University. He was a teacher and then an elementary school principal, serving most of his career in the Firelands School District.

Francis married Norma Jean Cochran of Columbus on June 19, 1949. Francis and Norma were very active in, and life long members of, the Universalist Church. They were married 69 years until Norma’s passing in 2018.

Francis is survived by his brother, Roy Bishop of Raleigh, North Carolina; sister, Elva Bishop of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; his children, Daniel Bishop of Mansfield, Janet Garret and Robin Bishop of Oberlin, Francis Bishop III of Midlothian, Texas; nine grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren.

The memorial service will be at 12 Noon on Saturday, July 15, 2023 in the Unitarian Church, 5050 Porter Rd., in North Olmsted.

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Good Knights ends fiscal year 2023 with sharp increase in beds delivered STAFF

Good Knights of Lorain County announced Friday its deliveries of beds increased to 984 for the 2023 fiscal year, an increase of 400 from 2022.

The volunteer-led nonprofit organization builds and delivers beds to Lorain County children in need. President and Executive Director Roger Dorsey said the organization continues to receive an uptick in requests, averaging more than 90 per month.

“We’d like to recognize and thank all the hundreds of volunteers for building and delivering beds as well as both individuals, companies and foundations for supporting us financially. Without them our all-volunteer group could not do what we do,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey said that the 2023 figures do not include 104 beds delivered to the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority in Cleveland in January.

VANCE

FROM A1

university leaders who expressed concerns about the High Court’s decision.

All received his letter.

Vance wrote that he and his colleagues share concerns that the institutions receiving his letter do not respect the court’s judgment.

He compared their potential defiance to responses after Brown v. Board of Education, when Virginia Gov. Thomas Stanley vowed to resist the decision and “violence and racial animosity ensued,” Vance wrote.

He said the U.S. Senate is prepared to investigate circumvention of the Supreme Court’s ruling, and advised the colleges receiving his letter to retain admission documents, including digital communications between admissions officers and demographic data compiled in future admission cycles.

He also included several questions focusing on records retention, admission policies and how universities will ensure they do not make decisions based on racial preferences,

giving the colleges until July 21 to respond. Oberlin College did not comment directly on Vance’s letter.

In a statement, Director of Media Relations Andrea Simakis said the college is reviewing the Supreme Court’s decision to “fully understand its implications,” and said the college will comply with the law. The college believes it can comply with the law, and still welcome and celebrate diversity, she wrote in an email.

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THOMAS FETCENKO | The Community Guide

from the Elyria Police Department approach the finish line while running in formation at the fourteenth annual Kerstetter Memorial 5k run and walk held on Saturday, July 8 behind the Elyria Police Department. Patrolman James Kerstetter was killed while responding to a disturbance in March of 2010 on 18th Street, in Elyria, and a run has been hosted around his birthday ever since to raise funds for a scholarship at Lorain County Community College in his name.

REPORT FILE

Volunteers from the Nordson Corporation complete a bed build donating 100 beds to Lorain County kids.

Lake Erie algal blooms predicted to be less severe than average

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie will be smaller and less severe this summer than in recent years.

The organization released its 2023 algal bloom forecast for western Lake Erie during a conference last week, predicting lower-than-average severity of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the lake.

HABs are masses of microscopic bacteria or algae that can grow out of control and “bloom” when fed by nutrients like phosphorus being added to a body of water through pollution and runoff.

When they reach this level of biomass, the algal bloom can produce toxins that kill fish, birds and small mammals and can even harm humans.

The 2023 forecast was shared by Rick Stumpf, an NOAA oceanographer, who predicted that this year’s algal blooms in western Lake Erie will measure a 3 on the organization’s algal bloom severity scale.

Algal bloom severity refers to the biomass of the area’s algal bloom during its 30 peak days and is measured on a scale of 1 to 10.5.

This year’s severity was forecast to be between 2 and 4.5. In 2022, the severity reached 6.8.

A severity of 5 marks an intense algal bloom, while anything higher than a 7 is very severe and produces the green surface scum that most recognize as an algal bloom.

The worst HABs on record in Ohio came in 2011, with a severity of 10, and in 2015, with a severity of 10.5.

The annual algal bloom forecast is produced by NOAA and was released through the Ohio Sea Grant Fund, based at Ohio State University.

What causes HABs

Algal blooms in Lake Erie are caused by water runoff from the Maumee River and its watershed, which is 4 million acres

and is occupied mostly by cultivated land.

Flooding that usually occurs in that cultivated area carries phosphorus from the fields into the Maumee River and eventually Lake Erie, where it can cause HABs.

Phosphorus is found in nature, caused by waterfowl waste and plant decomposition, or can come from fertilizer, pet waste, agricultural and urban runoff, industrial and domestic sewage, or faulty or overloaded septic systems.

Laura Johnson, director of the National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University, studies the Maumee River watershed extensively. She said phosphorus counts are down due to an extremely dry spring.

The lack of additional runoff into the Maumee has limited how much phosphorus has reached Lake Erie.

“If you compare this to the other years you can see that we’re kind of on the low end of things,” Johnson said. “Not as low as our very minimum, which would be mostly 2012, but nowhere near our maximum and a little lower than what we saw in 2020 and 2022.”

With less phosphorus in the lake, algal blooms will not be able to grow and spread as much as they have on average.

But algal blooms begin in July, so phosphorus runoff in July is most critical to its growth, Stumpf said.

“One part of this is if it rains some, don’t be concerned because it is so dry that a lot of that has to soak into the ground,” he said.

“If we end up getting hit with some more intense storms, then there might be a larger factor of uncertainty.”

If July sees heavy rain and an increase in available nutrients in the lake for algal blooms, that is how the severity could reach 4.5, Stumpf said.

Why the forecast is useful

Videos from elected officials including Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, and Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, were shared in which they spoke about how critical Lake Erie is to the state and how algal blooms can harm it and those who rely on it.

“Lake Erie is the most vital economic, environmental and cultural treasure our state has,” Brown said. “Billions of dollars in commerce, thousands of species (and) hundreds of communities rely on the lake. It really is part of who we are as Ohioans.”

Latta spoke about the severe algal blooms of 2011 and 2015, which blanketed the western edge of Lake Erie and put the clean water supply of thousands of his constituents at risk.

Sarah Kapnick, chief scientist of the NOAA, said that the importance of Lake Erie to those who live along its edges is what makes trying to predict the severity of algal blooms so important.

“The importance of the information we are putting out is critical for making sure that we manage this resource, that we plan for it and that we really support commerce in the region throughout the season so we can make the best use of our Great Lakes,” Kapnick said.

The general forecast provides stakeholders with a broad idea of what the worst of the season’s HABs will look like, and the NOAA provides more specific, continuous forecasts throughout the summer.

OWEN MACMILLAN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

“Lake Erie is the most vital economic, environmental and cultural treasure our state has. Billions of dollars in commerce, thousands of species (and) hundreds of communities rely on the lake. It really is part of who we are as Ohioans.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland

Agricultural drone business starts in Wellington

WELLINGTON — From a film class at Wellington High School to purchasing a drone worth two Toyota Corollas, Ethan Moore is turning a hobby into a budding industry in Lorain County.

Moore, an ICU nurse at Mercy Health - Lorain, is the owner and operator of Lake Erie Drone LLC.

“It’s only until just (June 26) that we were able to get all of our documentation for all of our operating certificates,” he said. It was the last piece of the puzzle for his new business to officially open.

Moore’s interest in drones started as a student in Dave Conklin’s film studies class at Wellington High School, he said. In 2016, there was a large online community of drone builders — people purchasing parts online and piecemealing everything together.

Moore went to his film teacher and pitched the idea to build a drone with a camera on it for the class to use to film with, and after Conklin agreed, Moore and another classmate researched everything and ordered parts before soldering it all together.

They had to learn radio communications and telemetry, he said, but soon after the class ended, life got in the way of Moore’s new hobby.

Moore earned his associate of science degree while still in high school through the college credit plus program, and was

the youngest to enroll in Lorain County Community College’s nursing program.

He graduated that program in 2021, and started work at Mercy HealthLorain’s emergency room.

As he got settled into his career, and began working on his bachelor’s degree online, he looked to get back into his old hobby that started at Wellington High, he said.

“I still had that little

drone thought in the back of my head,” he said. “So I kind of got back into it a little bit — DJI put out this very little, tiny drone that’s prebuilt … I started looking into it more, not knowing there was an enterprise side of it.”

Then he stumbled on videos of the company’s T30 model — with a 30-liter tank, six propellers, six nozzles and a practical solution for row crops for

farmers in Minnesota, he said.

Curious about the possibilities for Lorain County, Moore and his mom signed up to attend DJI’s AirWorks conference in Las Vegas under the name SkyEye, “so it sounded like we were legit,” Moore said with a laugh.

At the conference Moore met Agri Spray owner Taylor Moreland, he said, and was touched by the

Missouri man’s message of using drones to empower rural America.

So, he bought an approximately $50,000 drone — a hard pill to swallow at first, but the way of the future for agriculture, he hopes.

He compared it to the work he does as a nurse to identify a patient’s illness based on unbalanced lab values.

“We have to see an issue,

Unsupported Foot tends to roll inward. The arch flattens, stretching the tissue while bones misalign.

Foot with Powerstep provides foot posture and support to correct bone alignment and prevent pain.

recognize there’s a problem and brainstorm, critically think what’s influencing this level and what can we do to fix it?” he said. “So who hasn’t been exposed to the problem of how expensive food has gotten?

When I was a kid you could go to McDonald’s and get a McDouble for a dollar. So why does a McDouble not cost a dollar anymore? Beef must’ve gotten so expensive. There’s so many price increases in chemical cost, labor cost, water’s costing more. … So that’s the reality that’s affecting us. … Anything we can do to try to eliminate these problems, the better.”

His drone, a DJI T40, required him to get a remote pilot’s license and exemptions from the government — like being exempt from putting a seat belt on the aircraft, he said. But now, after months in the works, he’s ready to survey fields, spray pesticides or fungicides and dispense cover crops.

While it can’t match the speed of a crop duster, he hopes to service smaller fields and farms often overlooked by larger aircraft. He said his service is comparable in price to crop dusters, and his drone can cover about 30 acres an hour.

The size and design of the drone limits overspray — using fewer chemicals and preventing them from damaging nearby trees, or in his family’s case, beehives, he said.

“When I heard the environmental benefits of the drone, that’s what sold it to me too — we can really help the planet, we can really help farmers and we can really have a solution that may be the best solution going forward,” he said.

Ohio State University field specialist and associate professor Elizabeth Hawkins studies Agronomic Systems and said drone use in agriculture is an emerging field.

One of the biggest uses she sees is planting cover crops with drones — as traditional machinery has limitations in getting into fields, or requiring crops to be harvested before the cover is planted.

“Cover crops are where the most excitement is,” she said. “If you have to wait until you’ve already gotten crop off the field … a couple of weeks of can make a big difference.”

She said there is a tradeoff that drones can’t cover as many acres as aircraft, but she said at peak times those same aircraft can be difficult to contract.

And the cost of entry for drones, compared to aircraft, is lower for budding businesses or farmers looking to care for their own fields.

The regulations are still high, she said, but the OSU Extension she works at is starting to see startups like Moore’s provide this as a service, especially for smaller farms.

Those smaller farms are where Moore hopes to focus first, having already been in contact with a coop in Erie County.

But as his business grows, he hopes to branch out into even more emerging technology: using drones to provide solar inspections for solar farms, rather than relying on individuals on foot to inspect panels with thermal imaging cameras by hand. For more information on Moore’s company, visit lakeeriedrone.com.

JEFF BARNES | The Community Guide

Lake Erie Drone LLC owner Ethan Moore, of Wellington, flies his DJI T40 agricultural drone during a test flight on June 28.

Oberlin College grads looks to the future

Editor’s Note: Oberlin College and Conservatory’s May 2023 graduates have a variety of postgraduation plans, from graduate school to fellowships to world travel and beyond.

Contributing writer Alexa Stevens – a fellow Oberlin College ‘23 alumna – spoke to several classmates about their plans for the summer and whether their time at Oberlin College prepared them for their futures in this Q&A.

Answers have been edited for brevity, clarity and style.

Eli Butler

Q: What was your major at Oberlin?

A: I studied Politics and Environmental Studies politics and environmental studies.

Q: What is your current role?

A: I am the Food Programs Outreach Coordinator at Oberlin Community Services, where I am responsible for our partnership with Firefly Farms, running Popup Produce Pantries, assisting with food distribution, and supervising the Food Justice Interns.

Q: Do you feel that your time at Oberlin prepared you for this position?

A: My time at Oberlin taught me a lot of the skills necessary for this job, and gave me a solid foundation for doing food justice work. I do wish I had had more discussions within my coursework about how the theoretical concepts we discuss may be applied in reality, and otherwise had more focus on taking academic knowledge and putting it into practice.

Q: What are you most excited about as you enter this new phase of your career?

A: I am most excited to be doing work that tangibly impacts the lives of others and works to build community.

Students at the College derive so many benefits from living in such an amazing city but still remain very closed off from it; I am really lucky to have the opportunity to become more involved in the city and give back to a wonderful community.

Jack Egan

Q: What did you study at Oberlin?

A: I majored in Sociol-

State Highway Patrol: 11 dead on Ohio roads

over July 4th

Eleven people died in nine traffic crashes over the Fourth of July holiday, from Monday, July 3, through Tuesday, July 4, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Alcohol or drug impairment was a factor in two of those crashes and a safety belt was not used in three of those crashes, according to a patrol news release. Statewide, troopers made 133 arrests for impaired driving and 96 for drugrelated charges.

ogy and I have minors in Computer Science and Writing and Communication.

Q: What is your new position?

A: My job is to be a project manager at a company called Epic. Epic is a large software company. Their claim to fame was developing electronic health records which really revolutionized the world of hospitals and transformed paper charts into something that’s on the computer. My job as project manager is to be an implementer. I will do things such as presenting to hospital leadership (installing) Epic, coordinating end user training, and giving healthcare provider all the tools they need to make sure their switch over to Epic is as successful and smooth as possible.

Q: How do you feel Oberlin prepared you for this role?

A: I was prepared pretty well by Oberlin, if I’m being honest. I definitely am a lot better at writing, speaking and being rhetorically appealing to people through the classes (I took) — especially the Writing and Communication minor. During my interview process, I had to give (Epic) staff members a presentation on any topic to assess my public speaking skills ... I did my presentation on cooking which is one of my big hobbies, and I had a really fun time developing that presentation and I totally used a lot of my skills like picking out rhetorically interesting information and starting with a catchy hook and using good transitions.

Q: What challenges do you anticipate facing as you enter this new phase of your career?

A: I’m going to be moving to a new city and I don’t really know a ton of people in this new city ... It’s also a big company and things move fast and I know they have a lot of support for new staff but I’ll also have to certainly pull my weight and be in a place where there will be a lot of other people like me. So it’s not like I’m so special that I can sort of breeze by. But I’m looking forward to seeing what challenges it presents me with.

Q: What are you most excited about?

A: I’m really excited to just be working in the tech industry. It’s something that I’ve really wanted to do for a long time because I think that being a part of technology’s revolutionary ability to change and modernize our society is really great.

But also working at a place like this I will have a

good perspective on making sure those changes are as harmless as possible. In learning about sociology, it’s very interesting to see how technology changes society. Sometimes those changes aren’t always good, but by being a part of a company that is creating that technology, I’ll have more input in what the conesquences are.

I’m also really looking forward to working at Epic because when the product is working well, it saves tie for doctors and nurses and makes their lives easier.

Leo Hidy

Q: What did you study at Oberlin?

A: I studied American Studies, Economics and I had a concentration in Business.

Q: What are your plans for this coming year?

A: This summer I’m working as an urban planner for the city of San Francisco as a summer intern. And through that I’m doing a public life research study about third spaces.

Third spaces refer to where people spend time outside of their home (first space) and work (second space), according to the Brookings Institute.

So I’m doing research on the efficacy of outdoor public parklets because a lot of them feel commercial or are commercially sponsored by coffee shops. And in San Francisco and in the pandemic, they were a pandemic-era emergency response of parklets.

The study I’m doing is to try to figure out whether or not parklets are accessible to people of color because there are a lot of theories that say third spaces ... are really cool for white people to congregate in, but if you’re low income, houseless or a person of color, if you congregate together in the public eye or in the semi-public eye, it’s seen as a threat.

So I’m doing demographic research on that.

And then the other part of my job this summer through the Urban Plan-

ning Commission is I’m helping distribute arts and culture grants and technical assistance permitting grants to commercial businesses that want to do some kind of public shared space activation. So that would include street closures, city farmers markets, adding art installations to walls that they own and city alleys, things like that.

And then the last thing I’m doing for the city before I head off for my next thing ... is I am supporting the Tenderloin Community Action Plan, which was created in 2021 as an emergency response to Covid in San Francisco.

The Tenderloin is a lowincome neighborhood in San Francisco that has a lot of pedestrian deaths. So I’m also doing shared spaces stuff there — shutting streets down, creating more public parks, things like that.

On Aug. 26, I’m headed to Japan with the Oberlin Shansi Fellowship and I’ll be teaching at J. F. Oberlin University, which is in Machida, Tokyo.

It’s about 40 minutes from Tokyo by train and I’ll be there for two years with my co-fellow Risa Beddie, who also graduated from Oberlin.

Q: In your current role, do you feel like your time at Oberlin prepared you for what you’re doing?

A: Oh, 100 percent. UIt’s the liberal arts degree that got me the urban planning internship.

I never did anything specifically focused on urban planning. ... But I took economics that I think gave me a background in understanding economic policy and then by extension, urban economic policy, as well as just being able to get a loose grasp of how research works ... I think that’s what got me to the interview stage — is having the more typical degree and in some sort of STEM field. But what actually got me past the interview stage into a job was majoring in American Studies.

... And I wouldn’t be doing the Oberlin Shansi program without the support of Oberlin’s Scholarship Office.

Jory Teltser

Q: What did you study when you were at Oberlin?

A: I was a Biology major. And I have always been interested in wildlife and conservation — and specifically birds.

Q: What are you doing this summer?

A: Currently, I’m employed by Massachusetts Audubon, and I’m working on a remote island off the coast of Cape Cod surveying nesting shorebirds and other nesting beach birds.

Q: Do you feel like your time at Oberlin prepared you well for this role?

A: I do think that Oberlin provides me a very well-rounded education. However, most of the preparedness I had for this job came outside of the formal education and it rather came from experience.

Q: What are your plans for the fall?

A: My plans for the fall are to travel around southeastern Asia for about half a year and work and explore various different countries in that region, mostly looking for wildlife and birds.

Q: Why did you choose to attend Oberlin?

A: I chose Oberlin because I felt that it was a very nice environment for me to explore different interests I have, as well as be exposed to lots of music and really interesting people from very different walks of life.

Q: What’s your favorite bird you’ve seen this summer?

A: Arctic turns. Arctic turns have the longest distance migration of any bird on earth and I believe that they migrate the distance of the moon and back seven times during their lifetime.

They go from Antarctica to the Arctic and back every year, and I’ve seen a bunch of them on Cape Cod.

Q: How is this summer going for you so far?

A: I really like Cape Cod. It’s nice to be on a beach all the time and get paid to be here. It’s kinda idyllic in many ways. It is a bit monotonous, but it is beautiful here.

ROGER SOMMER |

The Community Guide

Black River Maurer Photography finished its season 18-0, taking home the 2023 Ohio Hot Stove Softball League Class B State Championship. at JB Firestone Memorial Park in Spencer on Sunday, July 9.

Fellow Black River Girls Windridge Farms took home the championship in the 7-8-yearold class on Sunday as well.

LEFT: Black River Pirates shortstop Brooke Englehart snags a line drive during the Softball Class B State Championship at Firestone Park in Spencer Sunday.

ABOVE: Black River Pirates pitcher Heidi Clark keeps a tight grip on the 2023 Ohio Hot Stove Softball League Class B State Champions plaque as teammate Savanna Landrum looks on. The team beat the Sheffield Cardinals 12-1 to take home the season title.

ABOVE: Pirate second baseman Haley Jackson scoops up a ground ball during the Softball Class B State Championship.

RIGHT: Pirate third baseman Jillian Ezell throws to first during the State Championship at Firestone Park in Spencer Sunday.

Oberlin, Wellington Electric customers can recycle

appliances

For a limited time, Efficiency Smart is offering Oberlin Municipal Light & Power and Village of Wellington Utilities customers a $100 reward for responsibly recycling an eligible refrigerator, freezer, window air conditioner, or dehumidifier.

Oberlin and Wellington electric customers can schedule a free pickup of their appliances through September 30. All units must be in working condition to be eligible for pickup.

In addition to the $100 reward for each unit responsibly recycled, residents will also save on their electric bill from no longer running an older appliance.

Oberlin and Wellington electric customers can schedule their free pickup by calling Efficiency Smart at 877-889-3777 or by visiting www.efficiencysmart. org, choosing their community, and selecting “Appliance Recycling Rewards.”

Midview High School reunion

Midview High School classes from 1959 to 1962 are invited to a potluck picnic 1-5 p.m. Aug. 6 at Grafton VFW Post 3341, 783 Huron St., Grafton. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share, their own table service and beverages. Alcohol is not permitted.

BULLETIN BOARD

Spouses and guess are welcome.

For more information contact Pat (Forrest) Flipiak at (440) 371-6837; Marge (Tran) SayersRafter at (440) 926-3449; Carol (Sprague) Timchuk (440) 647-3943; or Judy (Krosky) Skinner at (440) 353-1696.

United Way of Greater Lorain County

United Way of Greater Lorain County is calling on the community to support its annual Fill the Bus school supply drive campaign to provide essential supplies to local schools.

Donations are being accepted at the United Way's downtown Lorain office, 642 Broadway Ave., or through an Amazon Wishlist link that can be found online at uwloraincounty.org/fillthebus, through July 28. The United Way will distribute the collected items to schools in the first week of August.

The effort "aims to ensure that children have the tools they need for academic success and to alleviate the financial burden on teachers who often purchase supplies out of their own pockets when students don’t have their own supplies," the United Way said in a news release.

Last year's Fill the Bus drive saw nearly 30,000 school supplies distributed to 11 school districts in Lorain County, made possible by 47 businesses hosting collection drives and individuals donating from the community.

THEME: IDIOMS

1. Nebraska city on Missouri River 6. Not her 9. Earnhardt of racing fame 13. Sea near Australia 14. Slippery when cold 15. Printer cartridge contents 16. *Title of this puzzle, sing. 17. Congressional title, abbr. 18. Title holder 19. *Run around in these and not make progress 21. *Cut these to skip steps 23. He had

Nicholas II, e.g. 25. Jack-in-the-Box restraint 28. Subway in U.K. 30. What washing machine does

Egyptian goddess of love

Crescent point

Hot rod sticker, e.g.

40. Org. in Brussels

41. Impede

43. Parks or Luxemburg

44. ____’s, once Canada’s famous department store

46. *One of these in beans lacks importance 47. Barrel-counting org.

48. Nova ____, Canada

50. Mess up

52. Bugling ungulate

53. Modeling material

55. Robinson in “The Graduate”

57. *Resting on these stops one from trying

61. *No use crying over this milk

65. Money in the bank, e.g.

66. Certain frat house letters

68. Little dear 69. Like a disreputable neighborhood 70. College assessment test, acr. 71. Fairy-tale oil lamp dweller 72. Hawaiian tuber 73. “Oui” in English 74. The Three Musketeers’ swords

DOWN 1. Ear-related 2. Skirt length 3. Gulf V.I.P.

4. Moonshine 5. Cloth armband

6. Kaa’s warning

The Lorain County Community Guide Bulletin Board is for local nonprofit and not-for-profit events. Items are published on a space-available basis and will be edited for style, length, and clarity. Send your items to news@lcnewspapers.com

Amherst Public Library

7/15 - Stem Activity: Make Your Own Ice Cream!

7/19 - Summer Reading Fun Fair

7/27 - Alcohol Alternatives Tasting

7/28 - Summer Singing in the Library

7/29 - Adapted Storytime

7/31 - Couponing/Savvy Shopper

Amherst Historical Society

● The Amherst Historical Society is having a 50th anniversary celebration 1-4 p.m. Aug. 5 at Sandstone Village, 763 Milan Ave.

Enterance is free, and the event includes hands-on history and trades displays, baked goods, crafters, animals, balloon artists, face painting, raffle baskets, a 50/50 raffle, shaved ice and tours of the historic buildings.

For more information, contact the Amherst Historical Society at (440) 988-7255 or office@ amhersthistoricalsociety.

org

● The Quigley Museum is open for tours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays in July.

The museum is at 702 Milan Ave., Amherst, with the parking lot entrance off South Lake Street.

Herrick Memorial Library

Registration is required for most programs. Call (440) 647-2120 to register or for more information.

● READ to PUTTER from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays.

● Summer reading program through July 31

● Monday Kindness Crafts at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

July 17: Felt heart pocket hug

● Summer Story Times through July 1

● Family story times are 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays

● Baby lap-sit story times are 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays

● School-age programs are 11 a.m. Thursdays

Today: wire and bead balloons

July 20: Summer Reading finale

● Open Tech Help is 1:30-3 p.m. July 12

● Glass charms craft is 6 p.m. July 18

● Intro to Canning is 6 p.m. July 20

South Amherst Alumni Banquet

The South Amherst alumni banquet is July 15 at the New Russia Township Hall. The class of 1973 will be honored. Invitations have been sent out and must be returned by July 1. t. If you haven’t received one, please call

Jerry Bozicevich at 440773-5546.

Any senior who’s parents or grandparents have graduated from South Amherst is eligible to apply for a $500.00 scholarship. Please call Jerry for an application. Donations for the scholarship fund are always welcome. For more information, call Raynelle Bozicevich (440) 2421283, raynelle187@oh.rr. com or Jerry Bozicevich (440) 773-5546.

Nord Center

The Nord Center will host its third Mind over Miles race on Sunday, Aug. 13 at Black River Reservation Bur Oak, 6150 Ford Rd., Elyria. The 5K walk/run is $25, the 1-mile walk is $20.

Avon/Avon Lake Republican Club

The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club will present state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, and Sen. Matt Dolan, RChardon, on the new state budget and news from the statehouse at 5 p.m. July 15 at the Knights of Columbus Ragan Hall, 1783 Moore Rd., Avon. Dolan will also discuss his campaign for U.S. Senator. Members are free and guests are $5.

Avon Democratic Club

Join the Avon Democratic Club for its annual baseball fundraiser at 7 p.m. Aug. 10 at Mercy Health Stadium, 2009 Baseball Boulevard, in Avon, as the Lake Erie Crushers face the Washington Wild Things. Tickets can be purchased by going to: https:// secure.actblue.com/donate/ adcbaseball2023

Proceeds will benefit the Avon Democratic Club, local Democratic candidates and voter outreach.

NAMI Lorain County

NAMI of Lorain County will host its miniature golf outing 5:30-9 p.m. Aug. 3 at Sportsville in North Ridgeville. Check-in for the outing kicks off at 5:30 pm with play beginning at 6:00 pm. The participant fee is $25 for a single player, while the fee for a foursome is $100. Registration fees include food, beer and wine, and a fun time!

Oberlin Heritage Center

● The Heritage Center’s summer camp registration is now open.

Architecture Camp is 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 7-11. It is for children ages 8 to 13.

Members (including children and grandchildren of members) $110

Non-members $125

● Atronomy and antiquity camp is 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 14-18. It is for children ages 10-15.

Members (including children and grandchildren of members) $110

Non-members $125

For more information, please email our Museum Education and Tour Manager at tourinfo@oberlinheritage.org or register online at oberlinheritagecenter.org

● The Oberlin Heritage Center presents its pitcher perfect event at ESP Brewing in Amherst at 6 p.m. July 25. The event is $35 per person, and includes two drinks and food. As part of the evening’s festivities, Mark Lesner, architect of the former Lorain County Visitor’s Bureau building and 170 Pyle South Amherst Road in Oberlin, will take guests for a walk around the outside of the visitor’s bureau building and answer questions about its construction and design. Additionally, there will be a 50/50 raffle and prize baskets.

● This July, OHC is offering its downtown Architecture walking tour on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. Enjoy a leisurely stroll on this 1 hour-long tour which explores Oberlin’s architecture with a focus on such individuals as Walter Blythe, Cass Gilbert, and Minoru Yamasaki. This walk provides an opportunity to view an array of historic buildings that feature various styles, including Gothic Modernist, Neo-Classical Revival, Romanesque, Late Victorian, and Queen Anne Revival. The tour is $6 for adults and free for children, students, or members. Advanced registration is strongly recommended.

Oberlin Public Library

The Oberlin Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting at the library at 5 p.m. July 13. The meeting is open to the public.

7. *Break it to start a conversation

8. Synchronizes, for short

9. Pillow filler

10. “Green Gables” character

11. Suggestive look

12. Blunders

15. Full of tribulations

20. Derive

22. Dinghy propeller

24. Bear witness 25. *Read between these for real meaning

26. Writer Asimov 27. Likewise 29. *Don’t beat around it 31. Claudius’ successor 32. Breadth 33. Oil holder 34. *Cut one some of this and don’t be critical

36. Dirt on Santa’s suit?

38. Gallup’s inquiry

42. Like Raphael’s cherubs

45. Polite social behavior

49. How many of the President’s men?

51. *Cross it when you get to it

54. Investigative report

56. Count sheep

57. Bringing up the rear, adj.

58. Between ports

59. Consumer 60. Overhaul

61. Tennis scoring term, pl. 62. Pool path 63. Great Lake 64. Henna and such

67. *One up your sleeve gives advantage SOLUTION

Peopleuse their lungs to getoxygen from the air. Afirefly has small holes on its abdomen that let in oxygen.

Afirefly is an insect, but it is not afly.Itisa beetle.

Beetleshave twopairs of wings. The front pair is stiffand protects thesoftback wings, which are usedfor flying.

Fireflies need fourthings to glow.Threeofthoseare chemicals it hasinits body.Circle every third letter to discover thefourththing it needs to glow

Areyou an eagle-eyed reader?

Read the article below and circle the seven errors you find. Then rewrite it correctly on the lines below the article.

Fire ies Around theWorld

Fireflys can be found on every continent except Antarctica. About 2,000species areknow to scientists, and probably many more await disco very

In Japan, thereisamyththat sez fireflies arethe tears of the Moon Princess. One NativeAmerican legend says fireflies created fyre In ancient times in Mexico, a fireflywas consideredthe Queen of the Stars.

In Malaysia there is a nature reserve forfireflies. Many village in Japan holdfireflyfestivals.

In Asia, one kind of fireflygathers withothers of itsspecies in a trees. They starttoblink together until the entire treeisblinking on and offatthe sametime

Use alight stick, often found with sporting goods, to demonstrate howchemicals can mixtogether to create light without giving offany heat

An adult firefly canmakeits lightblink on andoff.Eachspecies or kind of firefly has itsown blinkingpattern.Males andfemales usetheir flashestofind matesfromthe same species.

Some species flash short, quick flashes. Others stay litlonger.Others have longer dark times betweenflashes.

The male flies around flashing his light.The female staysnearthe ground andflashes“answers” to themale’s flashing messages as he flies above her Fireflies also use their flashing lights to scareoff predators andto warn other fireflies of danger

More Than OneSpells Confusion

What areglowworms? Hold this page up to amirrorto nd out!

In some tspar of the ,rldwo anucyo see little glowing critters climbing on branches and hey.Tgrasses alledecar wglo nve,ermswo though they otenar hey.Trmswo ear re y aervla

Like all beetles, re ies have four stages or p to their live These are e larvae, pu and adult

FIR BE GL LI L B W C Use thecodetodiscover another common name com y lights up the n twoof parts esof ycle , Do the math label this dia parts es. egg, pa, 6+2= 9+2= 8+4= 7+3= LARVAE PUPA ADULT EGG 8 11 10 12

One fireflyisspelled f-i-r-e-f-l-y.More than oneisspelled f-i-r-e-f-l-i-e-s To makefirefly plural you change the y to i and add es Look through the newspaper forfive nouns thatend in y Change each from singular to plural. Then,lookfor five plural nouns, and change them to singular nouns.

Standards Links: Grammar: Use adjectives in written compositions; Writing: Use avariety of forms in writing. ANSWER: A er y hawit tshor circuit Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns. REFLIES EETLES LOW GHTS LASHES BDOMEN INGS CARE NSECT OOK URT MALE OUR OLES EAT F F N E M O D B A S L S I N S E C T T E G W S E L O H H L I O T A E H T G A F L A S H E S I M E G F J N W C L S L F T E I T A O I O I O N R G R O E C B G U I I E K K W S H Y R H F

Standards Link: Life Science: Know that differences exist among individuals of the same kind of animal.

…lighting up when youlearn something new!

This week’sword:

ABDOMEN

One meaning of the noun abdomen means therear part of an insect’sbody

Tryto use the word abdomen in asentence today when talkingwith your friendsand familymembers.

WriteWords Wonder fully

An alliteration is aseriesof words thatstart with the same letter. Can you comeupwith one or morealliterations?