Lorain County Community Guide - July 27, 2023

County could see hottest temps of the summer this week

showers, but that is very warm.”

Lorain County is expected to be hit with its first heat wave of the summer this week, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

NWS meteorologist

Alexa Maines said temperatures would peak by Friday.

Temperatures are projected to surpass 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but Maines said that due to expected humidity, the heat index could rise even higher.

“It is going to be very humid as well, so even though those temperatures are gonna be the highs, the heat indexes … are gonna make it feel a lot warmer.”

The heat index is a measure of how hot it feels outside, found by temperature with humidity level.

The weather service issues a heat advisory when the heat index surpasses 100 degrees for two hours or more or an excessive heat warning when it reaches 105 degrees for two days.

“It’s possible by Thursday or Friday that we have heat indexes of 100 or more,” Maines said. “That will depend on the cloud cover, if we get any

She said that the weather will be at least “close” to warranting a heat advisory, that an excessive heat warning was unlikely but possible, and that residents should keep an eye out for either announcement.

This week’s heat wave will come from what meteorologists call a ridge: a wide area of high pressure originating from a higher pressure area.

Such ridges bringing hot air from the south are often the culprit behind heat waves in northern Ohio, and this one is expected to develop over the entire region.

“When that happens, we often get quite a bit of southerly flow with it, which brings all of the hot temperatures into our area,” Maines said. “This happens a few times every summer, but this is the first time this summer.”

Along with the heat, the high pressure system brings a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoons, especially Friday afternoon or early evening, Maines said.

Regardless of whether the weather service put out any warnings, Maines shared a few precautions that residents should be

Oberlin smoke shop offers free naloxone, Fentanyl test

OBERLIN — For the past two months, Doobie’s Smoke Shop in downtown Oberlin has been distributing free naloxone nasal spray and fentanyl test strips according to store manager Brittany Campbell.

The program began when Campbell was approached by a representative from Neighborhood Alliance

who offered to stock the store with naloxone — free of charge.

When purchased overthe-counter locally, a 4 mg two-pack of naloxone nasal spray can cost between $20 and $92, according to GoodRX.com.

Naloxone is used to treat opioid overdoses. It attaches to opioid receptors, restoring normal breathing in the event of an overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Anybody’s welcome to

strips

come in and grab a box,” Campbell said. “No judgment, no anything. Just come in and grab it. We’re just here looking out for people.”

Customers can also get fentanyl test strips free of charge. This type of test strip, which can determine whether drugs have been laced with fentanyl, was illegal in the state of Ohio until this past spring, according to the Associated Press. The strips were previously outlawed under

drug paraphernalia laws dating to the 1970s.

According to a May news release from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, fentanyl-laced drugs have a significant and dangerous presence in the state of Ohio.

“Fentanyl is behind the vast majority of overdose deaths in Ohio — more than 80 percent in 2021, the most recent year we have complete data for,” according to Brown’s

Investigation: Corrections officer used excessive force

A corrections officer violated official Lorain County Sheriff’s Office policies when he physically mistreated an inmate at the Lorain County Jail and then falsified a report of his version of what happened on May 12 that left the inmate seriously injured, an internal investigation concluded.

The investigation by

corrections Lt. Mike Crum found that Corrections

Officer Brian Tellier, 34, violated rules against “falsifying or assisting in falsifying any county record” and “physical mistreatment of a prisoner in an officer’s custody or control.”

Both are considered “major offenses” under the sheriff’s office’s Rules of Conduct, according

to Crum’s investigation, which is dated May 19.

“The documents written by Officer Tellier don’t accurately depict the use of force when compared to the video of the incident,”

Crum wrote in his report, a copy of which was obtained by The ChronicleTelegram through a public records request. “Officer Tellier also was misleading when he verbally reported the incident to his supervisor.”

The incident resulted in serious injuries to Jeffrey Fry, 58, of Elyria, who was seriously injured and possibly paralyzed after his head hit a wall in the jail’s sally port intake area.

The FBI is now investigating the matter for possible violations of Fry’s civil rights, Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson said.

Tellier remains on the job with no duty restrictions,

Sheriff Phil Stammitti said.

A 2007 Firelands High School graduate who had once studied to be an emergency medical technician, Tellier came to the Lorain

County Jail after working at the Lorain Correctional Institution for seven months in 2021, according to his personnel file.

“To be a corrections of-

ficer has been my career goal for a long time now,” Tellier wrote in his application to work at the Lorain County Jail. He said he became interested in law

enforcement at a young age, and his uncle once worked at the prison in Grafton.

Tellier’s first day of work was Nov. 15, 2021. He received positive marks, was called “fair” and “professional” and was said to keep accurate records while also dealing well with inmate complaints, according to multiple performance evaluations in his personnel file.

May 12 arrest

In his report, Tellier wrote that he was doing a pat-down on Fry for contraband after Elyria police arrested Fry on May 12 on a warrant for failure to appear in Elyria Municipal Court.

Fry was “heavily intoxicated and agitated,” Tellier wrote. Asked to remove his glasses and shoes, Fry

DAVE O’BRIEN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

OWEN MACMILLAN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

ALEXA STEVENS CORRESPONDENT

CARISSA WOYTACH | The Community Guide

Boxes of naloxone sit on a shelf in Doobie’s Smoke Shop in Oberlin on July 21. The smoke shop began offering free naloxone and fentanyl test strips after n outreach worker from Neighborhood Alliance contacted the shop.

PROVIDED | The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office

A screen grab from surveillance camera footage of of Jeffrey Fry on the gurney while in custody of the Lorain County Jail.

Communities receive grants from Ohio Arts Council

Factory with $9,159 and Oberlin Choristers received $8,913 in sustainability grants.

Teen competes in world barrel racing contest

OWEN MACMILLAN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

OBERLIN — Speed is in Alyssa Overy’s blood.

Lorain County organizations received a total of 169,144 in grants from the Ohio Arts Council as part of a $21.8 million package announced July 20.

The statewide package of grants is the largest disbursement in the organization’s history.

“Ohio’s arts and culture sector is poised for a strong future as we continue to work together for a full recovery of in-person arts programming, an expansion of arts education to combat pandemic-related learning loss, and restoration and growth of career opportunities for arts professionals,” said Donna S. Collins, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council.

Organizations in Lorain, Oberlin, Elyria and Avon Lake received funding supporting arts education and programming.

In Oberlin, five organizations received a total of $51,390.

Firelands Association for the Visual Arts received $14,686, followed by Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra with $14,239, MAD

Roadwork

HARPA International Music Academy USA received $4,393 in an ArtsSTART grant.

In Lorain, FireFish Arts Inc. received three separate grants totaling $43,163 for the organization that supports community arts workshops and showcases along with the annual fall FireFish festival.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Ohio received a $15,556 grant through the arts council’s Arts Partnership program.

Lorain Preparatory Academy received a grant of $42,000 through the TeachArtsOhio program.

In Elyria, two organizations received a total of $11,035, including $5,913 for Leaders of Today and $5,122 for Spark Theatre Company Inc. Avon Lake’s Music on a Mission Inc. received a $6,000 grant.

The grant announcements come following the passage of Ohio’s biennial budget of which Ohio Arts Council received a $51.1 million allocation for the next two years.

● North Ridge Road between Claus and Sunnyside roads will be closed for a bridge replacement July 31 to Sept. 29. The bridge replacement is expected to cost $139,478, paid in full by the Ohio Department of Transportation.

● The U.S. 20 westbound exit ramp to Grafton Road should reopen today, according to ODOT.

● The U.S. 20 eastbound exit ramp to Grafton Road is closed for pavement repairs, ODOT said. Work should be completed by July 29.The Grafton Road entrance ramp to U.S. 20 east is also closed for pavement repairs. That work should also be completed on or by July 29.

● Route 82, between Hawke Road and the Cuyahoga County line, will have single lane closures for a resurfacing project.

LETTERS

Dear Editor,

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) is exercised that the president of Oberlin College may not “respect” the decision of the US Supreme Court on affirmative action.

Oh, the horror!

The Originalist party swept into a majority on the Court and has since been not only writing new laws but rescinding old ones in such areas as clear air, clean water, LGBTQ rights in commerce, and now race-conscious affirmative action.

These are the behaviors of a legislature, not a court. SCOTUS may expect to get the respect due a panel of politicians.

Respect must be earned.

David R. Burwasser, Oberlin

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Alyssa, 17, is a rising senior at Avon Lake High School and her family has long had a history in racing; her dad builds race cars and her brother is a fixture at the Lorain County Speedway.

She dabbled in cars, but a different kind of racing has her heart.

Alyssa and her horse, Max, will compete in the first round of the National Barrel Horse Association Teen World Championships of barrel racing in Perry, Georgia today.

In barrel racing, a rider takes a horse in a cloverleaf pattern around each of three barrels and then back across the starting line as quickly as possible.

Alyssa decided she wanted to barrel race at around 6 years old, after stumbling across it on YouTube.

She told her dad, Tracey, who had no history with horses, that she was going to be a barrel racer.

Tracey, a welder and fabricator by trade, made Alyssa visit and volunteer at stables to prove that she was ready and willing to take care of a horse.

Eventually, he was convinced enough by her tenacity that he agreed to buy her a miniature horse.

Alyssa participated in all manner of horse events and competitions, showing skill in all of them, but it was always barrel racing that she strived for.

Finally, when Alyssa was 14, Tracey leased a racing horse for her. She was a natural, winning a national championship.

Two years ago, Tracey was able to buy Max for her through a friend.

Max had never barrel raced, but just like his owner he took to it immediately and Alyssa said she is proud of how far he has come.

“He started from the ground up like he knew nothing at all,” Alyssa said.

“I guess I’m excited to be able to say I did this with my horse and not like, brag about it, but even if I don’t place I got him here and he didn’t know anything. It’s just more exciting when you made him do this sport

and made him fall in love with it.”

Alyssa said that to her, barrel racing is “Everything. It’s my life.”

But despite that passion, Alyssa said that between her and Max, he enjoyed it even more than she did.

“He’s really connected to me,” she said. “He’ll be out in the field and I call ‘Max!’ and he runs right up to me. He’s very dedicated to his sport too.”

Tracey said that there just seems to be something different about his daughter when she is racing.

“She is just always trying to get better,” he said. “She has this gleam in her eyes and on her face. You can just tell that she loves doing it.”

Just before leaving for the competition, Alyssa and Tracey were to be found where she is nearly every day: North Coast Stables in Oberlin, run by Jill Carpenter.

Alyssa works there every day except Sunday, and even then she nearly always makes an appearance to visit Max and her other two horses: the massive Dewy and Toby, her miniature.

“If I’m not barrel racing, I’m with these horses,” she said. “I just love the sport, it’s like everyone is connected with you… they’re supporting you even if you don’t know them.”

Despite the intense competition, Alyssa and Tracey said the barrel racing community is tight-knit and

ceaselessly supportive.

Tracey shared a story of how Cathy Gale, a barrel racer from Grafton, noticed at one of Alyssa’s early tournaments she was struggling to grip the reins.

Gale figured out how to tie the ropes so Alyssa could hold on easily, and has been a crucial mentor ever since, Tracey said.

The cause of Alyssa’s trouble gripping the reins during that event years ago has been with her since before birth, though it has never stopped her.

A born fighter

Before Alyssa was born, doctors worried that she was developing a hole in her chest. That didn’t quite sound right to Tracey, who was poring over the ultrasounds himself, and eventually he got the images into the hands of doctors at the Cleveland Clinic through Mal Mixon, the late founder of Invacare, where Tracey was working at the time.

Tracey received a call to bring in his wife for an emergency cesarean section.

Once she was born, doctors realized that Alyssa had lymphangioma, a rare, noncancerous cyst caused by an overproduction of lymph nodes.

Four days after her birth, Alyssa went in for surgery again and doctors removed the cyst.

Tracey said before the surgery, Alyssa had

weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces and after the surgery she weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces.

Years of intermittent hospitalization followed, including issues that forced doctors to surgically remove the growth plates in Alyssa’s hands and eventually her collarbone.

Through years of hard work in therapy, including the less traditional therapeutic methods of gymnastics and horse riding, Alyssa has maintained 85 percent range of motion in her arms.

It was Tracey who decided to put Alyssa in gymnastics as opposed to the physical therapy she had been in.

“I have never put her in a bubble,” he said. “Then after gymnastics, she started getting into horses and the race cars, and wasn’t afraid to get dirty.”

Off to worlds

Tracey said the same relentless commitment and competitiveness that helped Alyssa qualify for worlds enabled her to overcome her medical issues.

He also said that she gets her competitive streak from him, but that hers is much stronger.

Alyssa will race today. If she qualifies for the finals, she and Max will run again July 29. Wherever Alyssa places, she said she is proud of herself and Max for making it all the way to worlds.

JEFF BARNES | The Community Guide

Alyssa Overy, 17, pets her horse, Max, ahead of their trip to the National Barrel Horse Association Teen World Championships in Perry Georgia.

6-year-old aims to be national Mullet Champ

AMHERST — Tucker Jones’ mullet started as a terrible at-home haircut from his mother during the pandemic.

Following his mother, Tara Jones’ botched scissor job and a buzz cut, he decided to grow out his hair like his friend and two of his favorite country singers: HARDY and Billy Ray Cyrus.

Two years later, his blond hair is “business in the front, party in the back,” and hopefully helping him win this year’s kid’s Mullet Champ contest.

“I saw people doing it last year and I was like I want to do this, it looks fun,” Tucker said.

Tara Jones added, “It really is like a social media contest — we caught wind of that last year. And it was like ‘Well, I’m doing that next year and I want to win.”

The competition started with more than 1,000 kids from across the county vying for the coveted title. Tucker made it to Round 2 — where only the top 100 vote-getters advanced.

To make it through Round 1, Tucker solicited votes via reels on Instagram — garnering attention from Pit Viper sunglasses and the Savannah Bananas exhibition baseball team.

“He wakes up in the morning, he’s like let’s film more videos thanking people and asking for more votes,” Tara Jones said.

He’s also taken an oldschool approach to soliciting support. On Thursday he visited the Amherst Police Department to hand out his business cards with QR codes leading to voting to the officers. His friends and their families have been voting on every device in their households — from smart TVs to smartphones — once a day, every day, Tara Jones said.

“I never imagined being a social media coordinator for his haircut,” she said. The next step will be for Tucker to have his own “mullet page” on Instagram — as everything is currently run through Tara’s pages.

“I keep apologizing like we just have to get through Tucker’s hair and we’ll go back to nothing,” she said with a laugh. “... It is wild how fast it can grow if you put the work in, but it is a full-time job.”

Keeping Tucker’s haircut looking fresh is barber Hector Ayala, of Lorain. Ayala owns Kairos Barbershop on Broadway and sees Tucker every four to six weeks to keep everything in line.

The Jones found Ayala through a friend — after Tara’s botched at-home

State urges school vaccinations

As educators across the state of Ohio are preparing for the start of school, the Ohio Department of Health is reiterating the importance of staying up to date on vaccinations.

ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said in a July 20 news conference that while kindergarten vaccination rates improved during the 2022-23 school year, about 10 percent of Ohio’s 12,000 kindergarten students were either miss-

ing at least one dose of a required vaccination or had no vaccination record on file at all.

Kindergarten vaccination rates declined between 2020-21 and 2021-22, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic before recovering in 2022-23 in what the health department hopes is the start of an upward trend.

However, Vanderhoff said the risks to children remain real. He pointed to

cuts.

“He’s like Tucker’s best friend,” Tucker’s dad, JJ, said.

The pair have bonded over their shared love of baseball and football, Tara Jones said. When Tucker isn’t rocketing to social media stardom, he can be found on the football or baseball fields or basketball court.

For JJ and Tara Jones, it’s been cool to see Tucker’s local following grow and the support he’s gained on community Facebook pages and from local businesses. He’s been recognized when the family’s been out to dinner, Tara Jones said, a local celebrity before he starts first grade.

“We’re just so appreciative — Amherst has been great,” she said. “Our friends and family share it and they know how much it means to him. They’re just along for the ride. We are just kind of at the mercy of a 6-year-old who wants to win a mullet competition.”

Moving forward, Tucker hopes to make a YouTube channel and continue his budding influencer career.

The Mullet Champ competition is also a fundraiser for Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors, a national nonprofit that provides veterans with disabilities with handicapaccessible, mortgage-free homes.

a case of polio last year in New York in an unvaccinated adult and an outbreak of measles in Ohio as examples of preventable childhood illnesses that can continue to affect communities.

In Ohio, immunizations protect students from 10 preventable diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, chicken pox, polio and meningitis.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently unveiled an initiative to crack down on illegal robocall operations responsible for inundating consumers with billions of unwanted calls.

The joint state and federal “Operation Stop Scam Calls,” in partnership with the Federal Trade Commission and other states, builds upon the ongoing efforts of Ohio and other states to combat the persistent problem of robocalls and other unlawful telemarketing, Yost said in a news release.

The initiative targets not only telemarketers and the companies that employ them but also lead generators who deceptively collect and provide consumers’ phone numbers to robocallers, falsely representing that these individuals have consented to receive such calls.

In addition, Operation Stop Scam Calls focuses on voice over internet protocol, or VOIP, service providers that facilitate

FORCE

FROM A1

tens of billions of illegal robocalls annually, many of which originate from overseas.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has been working to disconnect robocallers by targeting every link in the robocall chain. In the past two years since he took office, Yost said he has redoubled those efforts, pursuing numerous legal actions and educating the public.

Yost’s office has sued multiple defendants this year, most recently on July 7 over a massive “car warranty” robocall scheme that generated 1,600 unwanted call complaints to the attorney general’s office. Other lawsuits were filed in January, March and May.

Consumers who receive unwanted calls can complete an Unwanted Call Notification Form at www.OhioProtects. org. That information is directed to the Robocall Enforcement Unit, which uses the reports to identify trends to protect Ohioans.

NALOXONE

FROM A1

release. “In a period of less than four months last year, the DEA and law enforcement partners seized more than 87,000 fentanyl-laced pills in Ohio.”

Oberlin Community Services, located just south of downtown Oberlin, also offers free naloxone and fentanyl test strips. The Oberlin Salvation Army Services Unit, located in downtown at 13 S. Main Street, also offers testing strips. The distribution program at Doobie’s Smoke Shop has been surprisingly popular among college students and city residents alike, Campbell said.

“When the students were still on campus and some kids were like, ‘Oh my gosh, can I take some for my personal first aid

kit?’ And I was like, ‘Take as much as you need,’” Campbell said. “I called (Neighborhood Alliance) again and said, ‘Wow, I have one box left over there.’ And he came in that afternoon and hooked me up with some more. People are really happy to see it.”

As to why the naloxone and test strips have been so popular at the smoke shop, Campbell credits the location of the store. Just across the street from Tappan Square the shop is accessible to both college students and permanent residents.

“A lot of people, a lot of students are coming in here, a lot of town people,” Campbell said. “This is a perfect spot.”

“aggressively removed his glasses and threw them onto the floor of the vestibule,” according to Tellier.

Tellier asked Fry not to do that, told him it “wasn’t necessary” and asked Fry to calm down, he reported.

“Fry continued by kicking off his shoes and calling this officer ‘an asshole,’” Tellier wrote.

Tellier then handcuffed Fry and went to take him for a full-body scan.

“Departmental policy states that individuals are to be cuffed from the back due to both sally port doors and the front security gate being stuck in open positions,” Tellier wrote (The doors have since been fixed).

While walking a handcuffed Fry to the scanner, Tellier wrote that Fry “pulled his left arm away from my hand, leaving a risk of escape” out the open doors all the way to Murray Ridge Road.

“I placed both hands on Fry’s left and right shoulders, gave a directive to not pull away and attempted to place Fry against the wall to our left in order to regain positioning for escort,” Tellier wrote.

“Due to Fry’s inebriated and unstable state, Fry fell from his stable platform prior to reaching the wall and was guided to the floor. With the unexpected and unplaced move from his stable position, Fry’s head fell against where the floor met the wall.”

The event was caught on video, which has no sound.

Tellier called for backup and a nurse. He and another jail staff member can be seen on video lifting a still-handcuffed Fry by the arms and carrying him into a vestibule. A nurse showed up to evaluate Fry and checked his blood pressure, which was reportedly low.

Elyria police Officer

Ali Sabeiha, who had transported Fry to the jail following his arrest, wrote that after Fry’s head hit the

wall “he appeared to have gone limp,” that Fry was “mumbling” and “appeared heavily dazed.”

Fry wasn’t able to walk under his own power, Sabeiha wrote in a Elyria police report attached to Crum’s investigation.

Bleeding from above his left eyebrow and mouth due to the fall, Fry was refused entry into the jail by a nurse “due to intox(icated) state and vital signs” and was transported to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center by LifeCare paramedics.

Tellier also wrote a “use of force” report in which he described using his hands to put the handcuffs on Fry, the attempt to escort him to the body scanner, Fry’s “fall” and the response by jail staff.

“Reasonable response used,” Corrections Sgt. Jennifer Jones wrote on the form.

Jones would later change her stance on the force used after viewing video of the incident, according to Crum’s investigation.

Crum’s investigation

Crum wrote that the force Tellier used was “inappropriate and excessive.”

Tellier’s reaction to Fry pulling his left arm away “is in no way proportionate to the resistance by Fry,” wrote Crum, whose report stated he has 25 years experience in law enforcement, including in self-defense and as a use of force instructor.

As close as Tellier was to him, Fry wasn’t in danger of escaping, Crum concluded. Fry never changed his gait or direction toward

the open garage doors, the lieutenant reported.

The first clue that something was wrong was when Jones watched the video of the incident and saw that what Tellier told her did not match up with what happened. This was after Jones had already reviewed Tellier’s reports, Crum wrote.

“Supervisors should be able to depend on officers to accurately report what happened in any incident,” he wrote.

Tellier had claimed he put his hands on Fry’s left and right shoulders after Fry pulled his left arm away, but Tellier “actually hooks his arms around the left arm of Fry just above the elbow,” Crum wrote.

Tellier also “stated that he attempted to place Fry against the wall and due to Fry’s inebriated state he fell before reaching the wall,” he wrote.

“Officer Tellier actually hooks the left arm of Fry then lowers his body weight and turns Fry 90 degrees toward the wall and propelled him in a downward angle toward the wall causing Fry’s head area to strike the base of the wall as a result of the takedown maneuver,”

Crum wrote.

Crum noted that Fry couldn’t break his own fall because he was handcuffed.

Tellier also lied when he said he “guided” Fry to the floor, according to Crum’s report.

Corrections Sgt. David Kish also reviewed the video and use of force reports and agreed with Crum, according to the internal investigation. Kish has 15 years experience in self-defense and use of

force instruction, Crum wrote.

Fry “should not have been moved from where he fell before being checked by the nurse,” Kish wrote in a one-page report. “Fry was then forcefully placed onto the gurney and forcefully flipped onto his back when LifeCare arrived for further medical care. This should not have occurred if there was a suspected head or neck injury.”

Sabeiha later told Crum that while Fry was “verbally resistive,” Tellier “could have done something differently” to regain control and put Fry up against the wall, according to the investigative report.

According to the video and Crum’s investigation, Sabeiha didn’t react like Fry was trying to escape, “and common sense dictates he would have reacted in some manner if he felt Fry was trying to flee,” Crum wrote.

Tellier later told Crum during a May 17 interview in which his union representative and another corrections sergeant were present that “what he wrote might have been wrong,” according to Crum’s report.

Tellier didn’t argue when Crum told him he did an “uncontrolled takedown” on Fry, and didn’t “guide” him to the floor.

“Officer Tellier did not refute my statement,” Crum wrote.

Tellier also agreed that “someone could construe that as excessive,” when shown the video, according to Crum’s report.

In the only other disciplinary matter on his record, Tellier was issued a “record of instruction and cautioning” for “unsatisfactory work performance — an inability to perform or complete a reasonably assigned task” on May 15 after an inmate he was guarding during a medical treatment was able to steal two syringes from the jail infirmary on April 29.

“Supervisors should be able to depend on officers to accurately report what happened in any incident.”

Lt. Mike Crum

Yost, FTC, states join forces to squash illegal robocalls

Bikes with a kick: E-bikes becoming the rage

Gas prices and improvements in technology and prices are fueling a sales boom for e-bikes.

“We are selling more and more e-bikes every day; they are getting more and more popular, especially with gas prices being high,” said Randy Houston of the Oberlin Bike Shop. But when it comes to buying an e-bike, making the selection comes down to more than the color and frame type.

Marty Hasenstaub of Marty’s Cycle Center in Avon Lake said there are three classes of bikes, and it can make a difference where you are allowed to ride.

“There are classes of e-bikes. Class one and two are both 20 mph units. The difference between the two is that class two would have a throttle, which you can use like a moped or a motorcycle. Class three also has a throttle but it is a 28-mph bike,” Hasenstaub said.

For some perspective, a child on a class three e-bike is faster than the average speed of a Tour De France racer on flat ground (25-28 mph) and destroys their speeds on a hill.

In Lorain County, people with class one or class two e-bikes can ride on any of the roughly 120 miles of bike trails operated by the Lorain County Metro Parks. Metro Parks Director Jim Ziemnik said under Ohio Revised Code, the bikes are permitted on the trails and so far they haven’t been a major

prepared to take to stay safe through the heat.

“If we do end up sending out any heat advisories or anything like that, people should try to stay in air conditioning as much as possible,” Maines said.

“The main point is just stay cool and hydrated, and one of our biggest concerns is never leave pets or children under 10 in the car, even when it’s not this hot.”

Because of the potential for storms mixed in with higher temperatures, Maines said that residents should have a plan in place if they lose power in a storm and are hit with excessive heat the following day.

The office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region Five, which serves most of the Great Lakes region including Ohio, issued a release on July 24 warning of the heat.

The release said that this week was expected to bring some of the hottest days of the year to the region, and urged residents to be aware and ready.

“Extreme heat is responsible for the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards,” FEMA Region 5 Regional Administrator Tom Sivak said in the release. “Taking simple steps to protect yourself isn’t just smart, it could save your life.”

FEMA recommended people wear light clothing, stay hydrated, cover windows, limit time outdoors and stay in air conditioned spaces when possible and take cool baths or showers.

The release also urged residents to check on how their friends and neighbors are handling the heat, particularly seniors and

problem.

“We get a smattering of complaints about them going too fast; I’m not hearing a lot from our rangers about them, but a lot of it is governed by the trails. If you’re going too fast, you’re going to go off the trail and smack into a tree.”

Ziemnik said personally he doesn’t have any issues with the e-bikes.

“It’s a nice way for people with mobility issues who couldn’t pedal more than a mile or two to get out to enjoy the trails. In that way, we support it; we just ask people to be respectful of other people on the trails.”

people with chronic medical conditions, and to know the signs of heat-related illness.

Symptoms of heat-related illness include extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees Fahrenheit), red and dry skin with no sweat, a rapid pulse and dizziness.

Summer cooling help

Lorain County residents who are struggling to pay for, acquire or maintain air conditioning can contact the Lorain County Community Action Agency to apply for its summer crisis program.

The program runs through Sept. 30.

The Summer Crisis Program provides eligible households with a onetime benefit to assist with electric bills, central air conditioning repairs and air conditioning unit and/ or fan purchases. The primary qualification for the program is a gross an-

The e-bikes are mostly unregulated, their speed being the significant restriction, and bike shop owners see things going the way the mopeds did in the 1980s.

“Legislation caught up to the product later on, and obviously people weren’t buying mopeds to pedal them; they were buying them for the gas engines, and as they got more popular, kids were riding them, getting hurt on them, and they started to regulate them,” Hasenstaub said.

“It’s the same thing we are seeing in the e-bike world; trails and municipalities are limiting the use

nual income at or below 175 percent of the Federal Poverty Line ($52,500 for a family of four in 2023).

Residents at that poverty level qualify for help if they also meet at least one of the following criteria: At least one household member is age 60 or older.

A household member has a documented medical condition worsened by extreme heat.

Their electric service has been disconnected or they have received a disconnect notice.

They are trying to establish new service.

They are enrolling in PIPP Plus (percentage of income payment plan) for the first time.

They are an existing PIPP customer in default.

Benefits remain at levels expanded during the pandemic. Customers of regulated utilities can receive up to $500 in assistance. Customers of unregulated utilities can receive up to $800. Eligible clients can also receive up to $500 for

of class two and class three to street use, and I see down the road they are going to start limiting or licensing them. You can’t have a 10-year-old riding a 28 mph bike on the street.” Concerns about future regulations, liability, and to some extent the purity of the bike shop culture mean the two bike shops in Oberlin and Avon Lake currently sell only the pedal-assist class one e-bike.

“We educate people when they come in; we sell bicycles. I don’t want to sell electric vehicles,” Hasenstaub said. “What we are seeing is people aren’t using all the features on the

central air conditioning repairs.

Residents who have not received an air conditioner from LCCAA in the last three years can request a unit. The cost of the unit will be deducted from the amount of assistance they receive. The remainder can be applied to their energy bill if needed.

Electric box fans will also be distributed. Residents who have received air conditioners in the past three years may be eligible for a fan.

Distribution of air conditioners and fans will be subject to availability.

Appointments are required for this emergency program. All appointments must be made online and will be conducted over the phone. Make your appointment by going to lccaa.net/ programs/energyservices/ summer_crisis.

In person services are being offered for seniors only in partnership with the Lorain County Office on Aging. An LCCAA Energy

in the $1,400 to $1,600 range in local shops. The other style is the mid-drive, where the motor is built low into the frame where the pedals are. That one is significantly more money, but it’s a smoother ride, has more sensors, and the already quiet motors are a whisper but all of that comes at a price — ranging from $2,500 to as much as $4,000.

For new riders, Houston said he tells them to start off like it’s a normal bike, then kick in the pedal assist. Even on the lowest setting, the e-bikes move faster than most people would normally pedal, and the feeling of extra speed without effort is like walking up a moving escalator.

Following the ride, it wasn’t more than a minute before Houston’s words about the bikes selling themselves were put to the test.

unit; most of them are just using them to supplement their ride. When it comes to hills or at the end of a long ride, that’s when most riders get the most use out of the assist from the bike.’’

Houston of the Oberlin Bike Shop said there is no substitute for just letting people take them out for a test ride. “They sell themselves,” he said.

To prove it, Houston selected two bikes for a short trip through Oberlin; the less expensive of the two was a hub-style bike, the motor is mounted on the back wheel hub. Those bikes generally start

Services employee is stationed at the office on aging in Elyria from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those 60 and older who are not comfortable making an online appointment may walk in during those hours.

Secure drop boxes are available at both the office on aging at 534 Abbe Road South in Elyria and at LCCAA at 936 Broadway Ave. in Lorain for required documents.

Required documentation

Carol Lasser of Oberlin is an avid rider, but she’d been sidelined after shoulder surgery about a year ago. She visited the shop to just look at the e-bikes, and took one for a ride at Houston’s suggestion.

A short 15-minutes later, Lasser was back in the store with a wide smile.

“I want it,” she said. “I can just ride it out of here and off into the sunset?”

For Lasser, the choice to move to the e-bike from a traditional bike was easy.

“I thought it was fabulous; it does everything I wanted it to do. I felt safe, I felt stable, and it gave me that little boost of power,” she said. “It had more power than I thought. I wasn’t sure I wanted a cruiser, but it’s just great.’’

includes:

● Income information for all household members 18 years of age or older for the last 30 days.

● Any member reporting “no income” must complete a no-income form.

● Proof of citizenship for all household members.

● Most recent electric and gas bills.

● Proof of medical condition if applicable (documentation signed by a licensed physician or registered nurse practitioner).

BRUCE BISHOP | The Community Guide

Carol Lasser gets instructions from Randy Houston owner of Oberlin Cycle Shop on how to operate the controls on a class one e-bike as she gets ready for a test ride.

BRUCE BISHOP THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

Amherst bests North Ridgeville in Summer Classic

JAMES BRADY FOR THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

AMHERST — The game was secondary July 24, though Adrian Abrahamowicz likely would never have said that.

The namesake of the Adrian Abrahamowicz Summer Classic loved the game of baseball and excelled at it as a player and coach. The Lorain Catholic graduate and longtime area high school and Oberlin College coach died in August at age 50 after battling cancer. The Amherst Summer Baseball Classic, entering its fifth season, was then renamed in his honor.

Andrew Abrahamowicz, his son, an Elyria Catholic graduate and Lorain County Mr. Baseball honoree who went on to play for Nebraska and Bowling Green State, threw out the first pitch before the opening game between Amherst and North Ridgeville.

“Today shows his impact in baseball, not just here, but in all of Ohio,” Andrew, now an assistant coach at Hiram College, said of his father. “Having this tournament in memory of my dad is really a big deal and shows just how much hard work he put into the game. The kids can now look at his name and do some research to see just what he did for baseball in this county.”

As for the game, Amherst scored a dozen runs in the first two innings then rode the pitching of Harrison Schneider and Alex Laker for an easy 12-1 win.

DAVID SANDS |

The Community Guide

ABOVE: Amherst’s Logan McCrone makes it into home safely before North Ridgeville catcher Sean Murphy can make the play Monday, July 24, 2023, during the opening game of the Adrian Abrahamowicz Summer Classic at Amherst High School.

LEFT: Amherst’s Cole Marquez gets around North Ridgeville catcher Sean Murphy to score a run in the Comets’ 12-1 win.

Hot Stove: Midview Maniacs take third straight title

ALLIANCE — Midview is on its way to completing the whole alphabet of Hot Stove state championships.

The Midview Maniacs completed a perfect season in Class F (ages 13-14) with a 6-2 win against Clo-

verleaf in the final at Butler Rodman Park on July 16.

Midview finished the season at 24-0, which was the second straight undefeated season for many members of the team who were also part of Midview’s 26-0 Class G team last season.

The same players also won their third straight Hot Stove state championship,

having also brought home the title in Class H in 2021.

“We worked probably the hardest ever,” said Sawyer McMillin, who was named MVP after hitting a triple and allowing just two runs in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. “It’s so good coming back here and bringing home a third title.”

Cloverleaf led 2-0 after the first, but Midview quickly rectified that with a three-run third in which Kellen DeSimone, Brendon Kitts and Landon Taylor all scored. McMillin also settled in, sitting down nine straight over the next three innings.

The Maniacs got their ace a few more insurance runs

THOMAS FETCENKO | The Community Guide

in the third, pushing their lead to 6-2. Troy Helbig started it off with a one-out double and Joey Bernard blasted a two-out, two-run home run. DeSimone drew a walk and scored on Kitts’ ensuing single.

recorded the final four outs to bring home the title. “This team all year when we get down they don’t get down,” Midview coach Doug Bernard said. “They get mad and they want to get back in the game. They want to play like the winners that they are and keep pouring it on and motivate each other.”

LEFT: Sawyer McMillin turns in an MVP performance in leading the Midview Maniacs past Cloverleaf to win the Hot Stove Class F state title Sunday, July 16, 2023, at Butler Rodman Park in Alliance.

RIGHT: Midview’s Brendon Kitts fields a ball while Cloverleaf’s Gavin Jenkins heads for second base during the Hot Stove Class F state final. CHRIS SWEENEY FOR THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

Oberlin, Wellington Electric

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”.

Lorain Community Music Theater

The Lorain Community Music Theater, now in its 45th year, will present GODSPELL at 7:30 p.m. July 27-29 and 2 p.m. July 30 at the Lorain Performing Arts Center, 2600 Ashland Ave., Lorain. Tickets are available at loraincommunitymusictheater.org or at the door.

BULLETIN BOARD

Adults are $18, students and seniors are $16. Online tickets are subject to a handling fee.

Pittsfield Community Church

Rummage Sale: Aug.

2-5. Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with reduced prices. Household items, books, pictures, puzzles, games, jewelry, Bedding, clothing for adults and children, toys and small furniture will be available.

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.

Amherst Public Library

The Amherst Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting at the library on Monday, 5:45 p.m. Aug. 14. The meeting is open to the public.

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

FINISH THE LYRICS

ACROSS 1. *”Back in ____ I hit the sack”

Arctic floater

Revered Hindu

Three, to Caesar

Poison ampules, e.g.

Neckwear option 17. *”Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman, giving ____ your love to just one man”

18. Most populous country

19. *”It’s going down, I’m yelling ____”

21. *”Sugarpie honeybunch, you know that I ____ ____”

23. Act on IOU

24. Spanish sparkling wine

25. Mel ____, Giant Hall-ofFamer

28. Garbage in, garbage out, acr.

30. *”If everybody had an ocean ____ the U.S.A., then everybody’d be surfing”

35. Less than average tide

37. All’s opposite

39. ____, Wind & Fire

40. Gas station brand

41. Bottom-ranking employee

43. *”The future’s not ours to see, que ____”

44. ____ Coffee, whisky drink

46. African river

47. Part of a sweatshirt, sometimes

48. ____-____-tat, drum roll sound

50. Please get back to me, acr.

52. 007, for one

53. Impulse

55. Consume food

57. *”I’m going to ____, I’m gonna mess around”

61. *”And I will ____ love you”

64. Do penance

65. Melvin Purvis’ org.

67. High school balls

69. Goes with shaker

70. Cardinal, color

71. Lock horns

72. Eurasian duck

73. Pop-ups, e.g.

74. Earp of the Wild West

DOWN

1. Undergarment

2. Catalog

3. Fungal spore sacs

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

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.

Avon/Avon Lake Republican Club

● The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club Friends’ Breakfast is 8 a.m. Aug. 2 at Sugar Creek Restaurant in Sheffield Village Plaza. This month will feature Brian Hoagland, who will speak about the proposed seven district plan for county government to appear on the November ballot.

Attendees are responsible for their meals.

● At 5 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Knights of Columbus Ragan Hall, 1783 Moore Rd., Avon the Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club will present Dakota Sawyer, a radio host, Ohio House Bill 163 supporter and former candidate for Ohio State Representative. Sawyer will speak on digital currency, and the problems

he sees with a potentially cashless society. Members are free, guests are $5.

CS Lewis and Friends

CS Lewis and Friends Book Group will meet at the Amherst Library at 7 p.m. Aug. 8. We will discuss Chapters 9 through the end of Lewis’s The Great Divorce. Please contact Marcia Geary at 440-988-9803 or mgeary@ gearylawllc.com with any questions you may have about the group. All are welcome!

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

Oberlin Public Library

The Oberlin Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting at the library at 5 p.m. Aug. 10. The meeting is open to the public.

Oberlin Farmers Market

The market season will run on Saturdays through Oct. 14, starting at 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

The market is located in the parking lot of Oberlin Public Library and Oberlin City Hall across from the post office at 69-85 South Main Street, Oberlin, OH 44074.

Westwood Cemetery

Stone cleaning at Westwood will be 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. the first Saturday of the month, May through October. Cleaning techniques are easy and supplies are provided. Please bring any small gardening tools, gloves, and/or brooms to help remove debris.

Please note that all participants will complete a volunteer form which will be provided once you arrive.

Cities get state Safe Routes to School funding

Elyria and Lorain school districts received more than $400,000 each in Safe Routes to School funding from the state.

The funds, which help improve sidewalk infrastructure around schools, are part of $9.8 million distributed throughout the state.

Elyria received $470,000 to fund sidewalks where none exist or replace those in disrepair, remove trees and stumps inhibiting safe walking or install high-visibility crosswalk markings.

Lorain Schools received $498,000 to replace nonADA-compliant ramps, new sidewalks, striping and signage and speed signs along Fairless Drive, Tacoma Avenue and Goble Drive for students attending Southview Middle School and Helen Steiner Rice Elementary.

The state also awarded funds for several non-infrastructure-related projects in Lorain County.

Those include $120,000 to Lorain Schools for driver safety campaigns near buildings and in-school campaigns to promote safer routes to school. Cycling instructors will receive stipends to provide safety programs, and the funds support arrival and dismissal monitors, walk and bike events and distribution of reflective gear and incentives for participation.

Clearview Schools received $40,000 to increase community and school awareness, provide supplies for student safety patrols, walk-to-school promotional items, distribution of reflective gear and incentives for participation and a Safe Routes to School page on the district’s website.

Elyria Schools received $80,000 for driver safety campaigns, after-school programs, summer camps, arrival and dismissal equipment for a student safety patrol and school crossing guards, walk-to-school promotional items and distribution of reflective gear.

Oberlin Schools received $40,000 for community and school communication campaigns, a bike and pedestrian education curriculum, walkto-school days, equipment for a student safety patrol and school crossing guards, walk-to-school promotional items and distribution of reflective gear.

Safe Routes to School provides resources, technical assistance and project funding to help students in kindergarten through 12th grade walk or ride their bike to school.

4. “____ at the bit”

5. Soldier’s knapsack

6. Pinocchio, e.g.

7. Be unwell

8. Pancho’s last name

9. Like certain print

10. *”Here’s a story of a lovely ____”

11. Assortment

12. Genesis twin

15. Fast and lively, in music

20. Giving a once-over

22. Spermatozoa counterparts

24. Reassert

25. *”Believe it or not, I’m walking ____ ____”

26. Sailor’s cry: “____ firma!”

27. Like an implied agreement

29. *”You’re here, there’s nothing I fear, and I know that my heart will ____ ____”

31. Possible allergy symptom

32. Black and white treats

33. Leather razor sharpener

34. *”Will the real Slim ____ please stand up”

36. Well-mannered Emily

38. Adult elvers

42. Live it up

45. Mooring rope

49. Though, shortened

51. Another name for papaw

54. Below, prefix

56. Be a slowpoke

57. Jellies’ seeded cousins

58.

Hi! I’mLily I love soccer!

I’mMason.Iloveto play and watch soccer!

I’mZoe.And Iloveto READ about soccer!

These three friends put togeth

put puzzlestogethersoccer and fun facts

KidScoop page about the FIFAWOMEN’S WORLD CUP!

Australia andNew Zealand

By Lily

The2023 FIFA Women’s WorldCup tournament will takeplace from July 20 through August 20.The teamswill play in Australia and NewZealand. It takesa month to play all the matches that will lead to onecountry taking home the trophy!

Women’s World Cup Teams

By Zoe

The FIFA Women’s World Cupsoccer championshipbegan in 1991.Itisheld everyfour years. Soccer teamsfrom countriesaround the world competefor achance to be one of the 32 teams that make it to theWomen’s WorldCup

Idrew flagsofthe countriesthat have hostedthe Women’s World Cup tournament over theyears.Do the mathtolabel each f lag correctly.

Interview afamilymember abouta sporttheyplayed Write their answers on the lines undereach question.

What wasyourfavoritesport(s) to playasa kidorteenager?

What wasyour favorite thing aboutthatsport?

Howdid youreactto winning agame?

Howdid youreactwhen youlostagame?

Id th th ht iti here ace.

I drewa map toshow the cities wh Women’s WorldCup matches will takepla

The Awesome Trophy

The Women’s WorldCup trophy is really cool. Itried drawing apicture of it, but it tookseveraltriestoget it right. Find thetwo that are exactly thesame.

Use thecode to learn some facts about thetrophy Trophy height: _. inches

What advice would you give young people playing that sport?

It takes alot of practicetobuild the skills needed to compete aWorld Cup. Which soccerb belongs to each player?

Howmany soccerballs canyou ndonthis page?

Standards Link: Read

ing Comprehension: Follow simplewritten directions.

Weight: _. pounds

With hundreds of topics,every KidScoop printable activitypack features six-to-seven pages of high-interest extra learning activities forhomeand school! Getyour free sample todayat:

My sisterwill compete in the annual City Chess Tournament next Saturday.

Trytouse theword compete in asentence todaywhen talking with your friends andfamily members

forthisspecial