Lorain County Community Guide - Aug. 17, 2023

Ballot set for general election

Aug. 8 special election final numbers also will be certified on Aug. 21.

Candidates

The ballot is set for the upcoming Nov. 7 general election in Lorain County, after the filing deadline for candidates and issues to get in front of voters passed Aug. 9

The candidates and issues will be certified at a Lorain County Board of Elections meeting at 3 p.m. Aug. 21, Director Paul Adams said. Issue numbers for the more than 40 separate Ohio constitutional amendments, tax levies, local liquor options and charter amendments will be announced at that meeting.

Adams said the issues are numbered on a rotational basis. This year, the proposed reproductive rights amendment to the Ohio Constitution is likely to be Issue 1 on Nov. 7, followed by township, school district and county issues numbered in ascending order.

Issue 1, a proposed amendment that would have made it more difficult for citizen-led initiatives to make the ballot, was soundly defeated by Ohio voters.

Lorain County residents voted down the measure. Tuesday’s final tally was 53,119 against Issue 1 to 31,489 for Issue 1, according to incomplete and unofficial results from the board of elections.

Adams said there are 1,080 outstanding provisional ballots yet to be counted, along with 771 outstanding absentee ballots — not enough for a change in the final result, though both sides of the issue could gain some votes.

A full list of all candidates is available on the Lorain County Board of Elections website.

The Nov. 7 ballot for Amherst, Oberlin, Wellington and the surrounding townships and villages looks as follows:

Amherst Incumbent Republican Amherst Mayor Mark Costilow is unopposed for reelection, as is Law Director Anthony Pecora, a Democrat.

The Amherst city auditor’s office has two candidates vying for the unfinished term after former Auditor Derek Pittak resigned effective June 5.

Councilman David Janik, D-At Large, will face Republican Brenda Phillips for the remainder of Pittak’s term through 2025. Phillips is the current interim auditor, appointed by the city’s Republican Central Committee in June.

Incumbent Councilman Brian Dembinski, D-1st Ward, will face Republican challenger Kevin DeLong.

Two newcomers will face off for Amherst’s 2nd Ward: Appointed Republican candidate Kristin Dickerhoff and Democrat Becky Harmych.

Pedal power

Incumbent Councilman Jake Wachholz, D-3rd Ward, is unopposed for reelection.

Incumbent Councilwoman Stephanie Smith, D-4th Ward, withdrew from the ballot, prompting the city’s Democratic Central Committee to replace her in the running this November with Melissa Brown.

Brown will face Republican Matthew Nahorn, who held the seat prior to not seeking reelection in November 2021.

Oberlin Incumbent council members Bryan Burgess, Ray English, Eboni Johnson, Michael McFarlin, Elizabeth Meadows and Kristin Peterson will face challengers Frieda Fuchs, Libni Lopez, Jessa New, Joseph Peek and Joe Waltzer for seven at-large seats.

Oberlin City Council is nonpartisan and each council member serves a two-year term.

Kipton

Incumbent Mayor Bob Meilander is running unopposed for reelection, as is Councilwoman Patricia Eschen. The races are nonpartisan and the terms are four years.

Rochester No one filed by Wednesday’s deadline to replace Mayor Cindy Kurpely, who announced in July that she wouldn’t be running for another term when hers expires in December. Incumbent Village Councilwoman Sue Sparks is running unopposed for reelection. A second council seat also is open with no candidates, according to the board of elections.

South Amherst Incumbent South Amherst Mayor David Leshinski will face challenger Scott Jones this November. Jones is currently a member of Village Council. Incumbent council members

Federal lawsuit alleges bribery, extortion in Lorain County radio contract controversy

A federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland by a former county vendor on Aug. 10 accuses two Lorain County commissioners and their county administrator of bribery, extortion and racketeering during the process of canceling its contract to provide county first responders with emergency radios.

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners, Republican commissioners David Moore and Jeff Riddell and County Administrator Jeff Armbruster were sued by Cleveland Communications Inc. of Parma, according to copy of the lawsuit reviewed by The Chronicle-Telegram.

CCI had dismissed a months-old prior lawsuit against the board in Lorain County Common Pleas Court earlier in the day.

The new lawsuit alleges “a course of unlawful and corrupt conduct involving a contract to upgrade a countywide emergency radio communications system for Lorain County to be paid for by millions of dollars in federal grant money.”

Chief Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Dan Petticord, who reviewed the new lawsuit Thursday, said board policy is not to comment on pending litigation.

“Another waste of taxpayer money for a frivolous lawsuit,” Moore wrote in a text message to a Chronicle-Telegram reporter on Thursday. “We will vigorously defend against it.” Moore claimed CCI dropped the lawsuit in common pleas court “because the decisions were not going their way,” then filed anew in federal court.

Riddell said he couldn’t comment on “this obviously frivolous lawsuit” that he hadn’t seen, and questioned how a reporter saw a copy before the commissioners did. The lawsuit is a public record.

Hung said she hadn’t seen the lawsuit and was only informed it had been filed as she walked out of her office at the end of the day Thursday. “I was told CCI’s initial lawsuit was dismissed, then was informed at the end of the day that it had been refiled in federal court,” she said.

KRISTIN BAUER | The Community Guide

ABOVE: Students hit the road at Safety Town on a tractor pedal cars as officers from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office and Wellington Police Department taught the students about road safety on Aug. 11.

RIGHT: Kyle Byron-Butler, 5, of Wellington, is fit for a bicycle helmet while at Safety Town by Pam Mazzone, secretary at the Kiwanis Club of Wellington. The Kiwanis provided free bike helmets to all of the students enrolled in the Safety Town program.

STAFF REPORT

Oberlin Kurt Russell comes home ● A5

Local Red Cross director joins wildfire relief effort in Hawaii

Robert ‘Bob’ William Stinson

Robert ‘Bob’ William Stinson, 81, died peacefully at the East Lansing, Michigan, home of his daughter, Jennifer Stinson, Friday, July 7, 2023. He was in hospice there, surrounded by family, friends, love, laughter, and music.

Robert was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, September 12, 1941, to William and Marie McCoy Stinson. He grew up there and in Ridgewood, New Jersey, with brother Stephen ‘Steve’ Stinson; and sisters, Sharon Stinson and Lorene ‘Lori’ Stinson Stone. He also had a half-sister, Carol Stinson.

He is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Margaret ‘Peggy’ (nee Frye) Stinson; daughter, Jennifer; son-in-law, John Baesler; granddaughter, Charlotte; son, Jonathan and daughter-in-law Samantha Stinson; and granddaughters, Abigail, Amalia, and Ariana. He is also survived by siblings, Steve and Lori and their children and grandchildren; as well as brother-in-law and sisterin-law Jerry and Mary Frye.

He is remembered as a warm, wise, funny, and loving husband, father, brother, and uncle-and especially as a doting and delightful grandpa.

Robert graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1960 and from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania in 1964. He fell in love with the life of the mind in Manchester, England, where studied abroad from 1962 through 1963. He fell in love with his wife Peggy while earning his doctorate in American History at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. He fell in love with student activism, politics, social justice, and the ‘sixties’ there, too. Robert and Peggy married at Edgewood United Church in East Lansing, Michigan, June 11, 1966, and he completed his Ph.D. in 1971. Their daughter Jennifer was born in 1971, son Andrew (died in infancy) in 1976, and son Jonathan in 1978.

A dedicated teacher, Robert served as a professor in the History Department at Moravian College, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, from 1970 through 2004. He specialized in the history of historical writing, Progressivism, urban history, journalism history, film history, and the Vietnam War. He mentored future social studies teachers in collaboration with the Education Department, and he helped to coordinate the National History Day competition. Robert was an enthusiastic supporter of Moravian College athletics; he could frequently be heard cheering for the football and softball teams, as well as for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Following his retirement to Oberlin, Ohio, in 2004, he taught part-time at Baldwin Wallace University and Lorain County Community College.

Robert loved music deeply. He sang in choruses and at all-state concerts as a high school student, also acting in musical theater productions. He volunteered as a classical radio host for the Lehigh Valley’s WDIY public radio station in the 1990s and early 2000s. At Christmas, he sang with the Moravian College Choir in Vespers services. His singing in the choir at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity (Episcopal) in Bethlehem, as well as his travels to England and Ireland with that choir, brought him great joy.

He composed songs for family, friends, and local choirs. The notes of Mahler, Mozart, Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, the Bee Gees, and many others accompanied his last days, as they had his whole life.

Robert was also a gifted and prolific writer. He kept a diary from 1954 through 2023, and he wrote memoirs, vignettes, and comics for his family and friends, who were all familiar with his work. His publications include Lincoln Steffens (an eponymously titled biography of the Muckraker journalist), The Faces of Clio (an historiographical anthology), and The Long Dying of Baby Andrew (a medical ethics memoir co-written with Peggy Stinson). He published editorials in the Morning Call and wrote the Ohio Newspaper Association award-winning column ‘A Second Look’ for the Oberlin News-Tribune. Robert penned numerous short stories, including ‘Bringing Rasputin Home for Christmas,’ which appeared in the anthology Crossing Class: The Invisible Wall. In his retirement, he published the novel Love and Death on Public Radio, a musically inspired murder mystery.

A private celebration of Robert’s life will be planned by the Stinson family. Internment will take place at Greenwood Cemetery, in River Falls, Wisconsin, at the Frye-Pedersen plot.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests thanking a favorite professor or teacher or donating to an orchestra, opera company, choir, or other organization that brings music into the lives of children.

Laurene ‘Lori’ R. Pasztor

Laurene ‘Lori’ R. Pasztor (nee: Blaha), 64, and a resident of Amherst, passed away suddenly Thursday, August 10, 2023, at Mercy Regional Medical Center following a lifelong battle with physical illnesses.

Hempel Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Richard John Pekare

Richard John Pekare, 83, lifetime resident of Lorain, passed away Friday, August 11, 2023 at Mercy Regional Medical Center following a 20 year battle with Parkinson disease. Hempel Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Gerald ‘Jerry’ Harvey Eschtruth

Gerald ‘Jerry’ Harvey Eschtruth, 90, of Amherst Township, passed away Friday, August 11, 2023, at his home following a long and full life. Arrangements by Hempel Funeral Home.

Armbruster said he hadn’t seen the lawsuit Thursday and couldn’t comment on it. A former North Ridgeville safety service director, Armbruster started as county administrator on Feb. 21 — three months after the contract was awarded and almost six weeks after it was rescinded.

New lawsuit

The civil lawsuit filed Thursday makes a number of serious allegations against current and former county officials.

“Despite the overwhelming support of police and fire emergency responders for CCI to upgrade the radio system with L3 Harris radio products, the co-conspirators and their confederates schemed to steer the contract to Motorola Solutions for reasons other than the public good,” according to the lawsuit.

“Their corrupt methods included trying to extort a second county commissioner into voting for Motorola and against CCI, and making false allegations to initiate criminal investigations against the commissioner and CCI which they leaked to the media and in public meetings,” the lawsuit alleges.

It further alleges violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act, against Moore and Armbruster.

The racketeering claim involves allegations that former county administrator Tom Williams, MARCS Field Operations Manager Dick Miller at the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, and Beachwood police officer Dana Gollner “conspired to participate and participated directly

and indirectly” in trying to “corruptly control the awarding of contracts and the expenditure of state and federal funds for corrupt purposes ... other than the public good.”

According to the lawsuit, Gollner allegedly met with and told CCI staff in June 2021 “that he could gain the support of all three county commissioners if CCI paid Gollner a ‘lobbying’ fee of 10 percent of the multimillion-dollar contract.”

At that meeting, Gollner allegedly provided CCI with confidential communications from Motorola and CCI to commissioners “to demonstrate his real access to Moore, Williams and other decision makers in Lorain County.”

CCI declined to pay the fee, so Gollner allegedly told CCI to submit a higher bid “because there were a number of people to get paid and the higher bid would be accepted.”

The lawsuit alleges that Gollner solicited what amounted to a bribe “at the direction of Moore and other members of the conspiracy to violate the RICO statutes.”

Gollner could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Moore, Armbruster and Williams and others then tried to control Hung’s vote “through acts of intimidation,” including threatening to expose her extramarital affair with former Lorain County 911 director Harry Williamson, the lawsuit alleges.

Moore and Armbruster allegedly threatened Hung during a phone call in July or August 2021 “if she did not support the MARCS System and deny support to CCI,” whose L3 Harris radio system won the

Todd James, executive director of the American Red Cross of North Central Ohio, is joining the ongoing Red Cross disaster relief operation in Hawaii.

James will be serving as an advanced public affairs team member. This is James’ 40th disaster relief deployment.

Dangerous wildfires are burning on the Big Island and Maui in Hawaii, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, some even jumping into the ocean

contract from Hung and Lundy in December.

That’s extortion, CCI alleges. When Hung “failed to submit to the threat,” her affair was exposed in August 2021, Williamson was fired and Moore called for Hung’s resignation.

Having not yet seen the lawsuit, Hung said she couldn’t comment on those statements.

Williams said Thursday that he has been out of county government for nearly two years and claimed Hung is “continuing to make false statements against me.”

“Her hatred and continued retaliation will be exposed in court,” Williams wrote in a statement to a Chronicle reporter.

Commissioners parted ways with Williams and taxpayers had to foot the bill for his wrongful termination lawsuit, Hung said.

“We have moved on” with new county administrators since Williams was fired, she said. “I don’t find relevance in answering or rebutting these types of statements.”

Lundy and Hung fired Williams in August 2021, overriding Moore’s vote of “hell no” to firing him. Williams then won a $450,000 out-of-court settlement from the county in 2022 after suing Hung and Lundy for wrongful termination in federal court in 2021.

Williams himself sued Hung, Williamson, and Williamson’s attorney Brian Bardwell in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in November, alleging extortion, perjury and other claims.

The case was removed to U.S. District Court in Cleveland in February, then sent back to Cuyahoga County Com-

to escape the smoke and flames.

The American Red Cross of Hawaii is providing shelter and comfort to those affected by the massive fires.

The fires are being fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora which is still hundreds of miles away. Buildings have been damaged, roads closed, thousands are without power, and phone and cell service are down, making communications extremely difficult.

mon Pleas Court at Williams’ request by U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent in April, according to federal court records. Moore and others then sent letters to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Attorney General’s office seeking an investigation into Hung’s ties to the radio project, according to the lawsuit.

Late in 2022, Moore allegedly lied and told Riddell that Hung and CCI had an “improper relationship” that made her steer the radios contract to the company, the lawsuit alleges.

That caused CCI to be investigated, “defamatory stories to be published, and defendant Riddell to vote to rescind the contract” in January, according to the lawsuit.

Moore also allegedly obstructed the sheriff’s office investigation and the defendants “did corruptly persuade the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office not to assist the investigation,” allegedly told county employees not to comply with public records requests by the sheriff and allegedly persuaded witnesses not to be interviewed as part of the sheriff’s investigation, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges that Moore, Armbruster and Riddell denied CCI its due process and equal protection in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and breach of contract by the Board of Commissioners when the board rescinded the radio deal, causing monetary damages of more than $1 million.

The lawsuit further demands monetary damages against all the defendants, and that CCI’s contract be reinstituted and paid by the county.

Kicking off the school year

ELECTION

FROM A1

Michele Jeffers and David Troike are both running unopposed for reelection to new four-year terms. All races in South Amherst are nonpartisan.

Wellington Wellington Mayor Hans Schneider is running unopposed for reelection to another four-year term. Incumbent Village Council members Mark Bughman, Helen Dronsfield and Guy Wells and newcomer Stephen Boham will vie for three seats.

Amherst Township Incumbent trustees David Abraham and David Urig, alongside newcomer Heath Baus, will vie for one nonpartisan trustee seat. Incumbent Fiscal Officer Christine Kish is running unopposed for reelection.

All township trustee and fiscal officer races are nonpartisan, for four-year terms.

Brighton Township Incumbent Trustee Kenneth Ziegler is unopposed. No one filed for fiscal officer.

Brownhelm Township Dan DePalma is running unopposed for trustee, and incumbent Fiscal Officer Debra Mastellone is also unopposed.

Camden Township Incumbent Trustee James Woodrum and incumbent Fiscal Officer John Ciarrone are unopposed for reelection.

Henrietta Township Incumbent trustee Howard Born is running unopposed, as is incumbent Fiscal Officer Joseph Siekeres.

Huntington Township Incumbent Trustee Robert Holmes will face challenger Tyler Hanoshofsky. Incumbent Fiscal Officer Sheila Lanning is running unopposed.

New Russia Township Incumbent Trustee Andy Gulish will face challenger Michelle Tyner. Incumbent Fiscal Officer Lisa Akers is running unopposed.

Penfield Township Incumbent Trustee Eric Flynn Jr. is running unopposed. Rachael Duling is running unopposed for fiscal officer.

Pittsfield Township

Two newcomers are running for Pittsfield Township trustee: Walter Brendel and William Forthofer.

Incumbent Fiscal Officer Mandy Cecil is unopposed

in the election.

Rochester Township Incumbent Trustee Kathryn Frombaugh and incumbent Fiscal Officer Laura Brady are unopposed for reelection.

Wellington Township Incumbent Trustee William Spreng is running unopposed for another four-year term, alongside incumbent Fiscal Officer Virginia Haynes.

Lorain County Educational Service Center

Governing Board Incumbents Judy Maldonado, of Lorain, and Deborah Melda, of Elyria, are seeking reelection to the governing board of the Educational Service Center.

Amherst Board of Education

Incumbent board members Rex Engle and Marc Zappa are both running unopposed for reelection. All board members serve fouryear, nonpartisan terms.

Firelands Board of Education Incumbent board members Tom Myers and Michael O’Keefe will face a challenge from Myles Bremke. There are two open seats.

Keystone Board of Education

Five individuals filed for two seats on Keystone School Board: Mark Cadrette, Andrew Hoops, William Robson, Patricia Wakefield and incumbent Kimberly Sturgill.

Midview Board of Education Incumbent Daniel Haight is seeking reelection to another four-year term, alongside newcomer James Onderko. Board member Tom Tomasheski did not file for reelection.

Oberlin Board of Education Incumbent board member Ken Stanley is unopposed for another four-year term. There is a vacant slot on the ballot unless someone files as a write-in by Aug. 28. If no one files, a candidate will be appointed to the November ballot.

Wellington Board of Education

No one filed by the deadline to run for two open seats on the Wellington Board of Education, according to the board of elections.

Black River Board of Education

Three people are running unopposed for three

open seats on Black River School Board: Robin Blake, Michele Powers-Neeld and Charles Stiver.

Mapleton Board of Education

A list of candidates was not immediately available on the Ashland County Board of Elections website Wednesday evening.

New London Board of Education Board members Abigail Fawcett and Tiffany Green filed for reelection. There is still a vacant slot, unless someone files as a writein with the Huron County Board of Elections by Aug. 28. If no one files as a write-in, a candidate will be appointed to the ballot.

Issues

● Ohio constitutional amendment on reproductive rights.

● Amherst School District, 2.5-mill continuous replacement levy with an increase for general permanent improvements.

● Central Lorain County Joint Ambulance District, 2.06-mill, three-year renewal levy with an increase for current ambulance and EMS.

● Erie County General Health District, 0.3-mill, five-year renewal levy for health programs.

● Vermilion School District, 0.68-mill, five-year renewal levy for school safety and security.

● Wellington School District, 3.68-mill, 10-year renewal levy for emergency requirements.

● Mapleton School District, additional 0.75 percent, five-year income tax for current expenses.

● Strongsville City Schools, 5.9-mill, five-year renewal levy for current expenses.

● The “seven district” plan that would replace the three-member Lorain County Board of Commissioners with seven equal representative districts.

● An additional 0.5-mill, five-year levy for Lorain County 911.

● An additional 0.25-mill, five-year levy for the Lorain County Crime/Drug Lab and Lorain County Coroner’s Office.

● A replacement 1.6-mill, 10-year levy for continuing operations for Lorain County Metro Parks.

● Amherst 3-A, Sunday sales liquor option, 5 Points Tavern

● Kipton, 4.0-mill, fiveyear renewal levy for current expenses.

● South Amherst, 1.5mill, five-year renewal for the fire department.

CARISSA WOYTACH | The Community Guide

Lorain County Urban League Board member and volunteer Eva Lee Vickers paints a soccer ball on 9-year-old Kyla Bey's face during the Lorain County Urban League's Block Party on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023.

Wellington Schools gears up for Aug. 30 start

CARISSA WOYTACH | The Community Guide

Ryker Sutton, 5, pets a miniature pony at Wellington Schools’ Back to School Bash on Saturday, Aug. 12.

Wellington Schools hosted its third annual back-to-school bash at McCormick Middle School. While the event moved into the gym due to threats of rain, the afternoon was well attended, with hallways packed full of children and parents picking up Chromebooks, schedules, school supplies and information from community partners, including a local food pantry and the district’s Kindland antibullying initiative.

Wellington Schools Communications Coordinator Amy Sword said the afternoon was also a chance for families to meet teachers in person and get excited about the upcoming school year.

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Pantry to open in new location next month

Oberlin Community Services food pantry opens at 500 E. Lorain St. in September

CARISSA WOYTACH

OBERLIN — Oberlin Community Services’ food pantry will relocate to the Cooper Community Resource Center next month.

On Sept. 25, OCS will open its food pantry and warehouse at 500 E. Lorain St.

While renovations will be going on to the office in the upper floor of the former National Association of College Stores building, the expanded pantry will be available for clients with additional hours.

The new choice pantry hours will be 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Fridays. Curbside will be available 1:30 to 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, said Jason Hawk, communications and development coordinator.

The expanded hours will give clients about triple the time to attend the pantry, he said.

And the new location will reduce wait times for individuals at the choice pantry and those waiting for curbside pickup. The new location has 78 parking spaces, compared to the 10 at the OCS offices on South Professor Street.

“People aren’t going to have to wait in line. They’re going to be able to come in and shop like in a supermarket,” said Food Programs Coordinator Suzette Sanchez. “When people come through our doors, I want to be able to say, ‘I’ve got you,’ and get them the food they need.”

The new pantry and warehouse includes a walk-in freezer and cooler and additional space to store food.

That extra space will change everything, volunteer and outreach coordinator Rosa Gadsden said.

“No more worrying about whether there’s enough space for food. No more worrying about whether it will go bad,” she said. “This new warehouse isn’t about looking good — it’s about being efficient and getting more food to people.”

When Oberlin Community Services opened its South Professor Street facility in 2001, the increase in demand the center saw after the housing crisis in 2007 and again during the pandemic, was something OCS never could have predicted, Hawk said.

It now serves about 300 families a week, up from 250 at the beginning of the year, he said.

OCS, via a $1 million donation from Fran and Roger Cooper, purchased 500 E. Lorain St. in 2022 to help address the growing need it’s seen.

Since then, it’s gathered another $2 million in donations from community members to fund renovations to the building, Hawk said, including a matching $100,000 donation from two anonymous donors for the Jaqui Willis Memorial Initiative.

“We’re so grateful to the whole community. People amazed us with so much love and support,” Executive Director Margie Flood said.

Oberlin Community Services will be closed Sept. 18 to 23 to move its pantry and set up for the first distribution that Monday, Hawk said.

Oberlin welcomes Kurt Russell home

OBERLIN — Kurt Russell almost missed out on becoming 2022 National Teacher of the Year because he didn’t want to fill out an online application.

Russell, an Oberlin High School teacher, recounted the whirlwind year he had since receiving the accolade before he returns to the classroom this fall during a “Welcome Home” event Thursday evening.

It all started when he received an email congratulating him on his nomination for Ohio Teacher of the Year in January 2021.

Initially, he thought it was spam, he said, and then he resisted filling out the lengthy online application in the midst of teaching online and other obligations.

But several essays, a

resume and a short biography later, after he was reminded “If someone nominated you, have the obligation to fill it out,” his application was on its way.

First came his award of Ohio District 2 Teacher of the Year; then he received the statewide accolade that June.

When he first accepted the 2022 statewide award, he said the Ohio Department of Education said he needed to be more active on social media, so he tweeted: “I’m proud to be the first black male teacher of the year (in Ohio),” he said. And the first comment it received questioned why it had to be about race.

That question is something he received several times during his tenure as National Teacher of the Year, which saw him testify to the Senate, give

interviews on CBS, NBC and PBS, and attend President Joe Biden’s first State Dinner.

During his address to the nation, Russell’s remarks highlighted the value of representation and diversity, nothing teachers are the backbone of democracy.

When he received his National Teacher of the Year title, he joined three other Black men in the ranks since 1954, he said, later on in the evening noting the importance of representation in his own career trajectory.

As a kindergartner in the late 1970s, he said he didn’t remember everything his teacher taught him, but he remembered when he read the class a book about Martin Luther King Jr. — as it was one of the first times he saw a young Black man like himself reflected on the pages of a book.

He also remembered the first Black man he had as a teacher: Mr. Thomas — and again, the lessons taught in the class may not have stuck, but he remembered what it was like to see himself in the man standing at the blackboard.

Russell will return to Oberlin High this school year to teach one course each semester, as well as mentor staff and students. When asked what he would say to someone thinking of becoming a teacher, he said it is the “best profession there is.”

“You have the opportunity to actually mold and encourage young people, and like I said, I’m not sure there is any profession out there that can say that. You have the pulse of young people in your hand, that if you are a decent teacher, you will greatly encourage and inspire them.”

No dry dock in revised plan for Lorain maritime facility

CARISSA WOYTACH

THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

LORAIN — An updated plan to service Navy submarines would no longer see a dry dock built in the International City. Bartlett Maritime Corp. released an update to a plan it originally pitched to the Navy in early 2022. While the original plan would have seen a naval submarine dry dock built in Lorain — bringing an estimated 3,000 jobs with it — the update would instead see construction of a ship component overhaul, repair, remanufacturing and testing facility to be built on a brownfield. The component repair center, or CRC, would bring 500 to 1,000 jobs, Bartlett Maritime CEO and retired Navy Capt. Ed Bartlett said via email Thursday evening.

When Bartlett Maritime submitted its original proposal, it received feedback the Navy wasn’t comfortable bringing a submarine up to the Great Lakes, Bartlett wrote, in part because the St. Lawrence Seaway is not deep enough for modern vessels and would require additional measures to bring them to Lake Erie. Additionally, submarines cannot do submerged sea trials in the freshwater of the Great Lakes, as it requires different ballasting.

“Based upon this Navy feedback, we changed our plan in mid-2022, focusing on selecting another shipyard location, but have not publicly announced this change until now,” Bartlett wrote.

The CRC in Lorain would be joined by another in Lordstown for constructing ship components and material stocking and a foundry in an unspecified location.

The updated proposal includes the option for a fifth naval shipyard in Charleston, South Carolina. The new shipyard would be at the Naval Weapons Station in Goose

Creek and could begin construction as early as 2024.

Bartlett said he originally looked at the Midwest as it already had skilled trades personnel who do not want to move to the ocean coasts for work, but addressed what may be a labor shortage in South Carolina by bringing in rotating crews transported from where they live to living quarters to work for a period of time, before going home.

He compared it to rotations on offshore oil rigs and said workers from Northeast Ohio could work an extended time in South Carolina before returning home.

The shipyard in Charleston would be completed after the facilities in Lorain and Lordstown.

“The bottom line is that with our company being headquartered in the Cleveland metropolitan area, we are still going to become a significant Northeast Ohio employer — even if the work location for some of our employees will be at the other end of I-77,” he wrote.

If the Navy approves the updated plan, about 30 skilled trades trainees would be hired two months after Bartlett Maritime is contracted, and receive 16 weeks of paid training to be able to then work at a temporary facility while the others in Lorain and Lordstown are being built.

Once the builds are underway in the two Rust Belt towns, Bartlett estimated crews would move into the new facilities about 18 to 24 months later.

All the facilities would be under a longterm lease-purchase agreement with the Navy.

The updated plan has received continued support from the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department — which has thrown its weight behind the project since its inception, including at an April 2022 rally in Lorain.

In a news release Aug. 8, James Hart, president of the Metal Trades Department said the plan is an “innovative, actionable solution the U.S. Navy needs to address its ongoing shipbuilding backlog, capacity and capability.”

“If we do not act with a sense of urgency to address the current shipbuilding crisis, we risk our nation’s security during an increasingly precarious time,” Hart said in the release, noting the plan is also an opportunity to bring good-paying, skilled, union jobs to Lorain and Lordstown.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, also still supported the Navy’s consideration of Bartlett’s proposal.

“Ohio workers have the talent and the skills to ensure we have a modern Navy, stronger than any in the world,” Brown said in a statement. “I hope the Navy will give

this proposal full and fair consideration.”

Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley said he was disappointed the updated plan would not provide as many jobs as initially proposed for Lorain, but “On the other side of the coin, it maybe gives Lorain a better chance for having a facility built here.”

“We have probably one of the best locations in the country as far as climate and the ability to undertake this type of an operation,” Bradley said Thursday.

He referenced a June 22 congressional research service report detailing the Navy’s maintenance backlog, noting “there is a definite need for getting these submarines back into operational deployment.”

That report states about 37 percent of the Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarines sit in or await depot maintenance — up from 23 percent a decade prior.

CARISSA WOYTACH THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

CARISSA WOYTACH | The Community Guide

2022 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell speaks during a “welcome home” event in Oberlin on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023.

Amherst Comets ready for regular season

RUSS GIFFORD |

The Community Guide

RIGHT: Members of the Amherst Girls Soccer team say ‘hi’ before the start of action at Hathaway Brown on Aug. 10. This was the team’s final scrimmage before the regular season. The team won its first game on Aug. 14 against Central Catholic.

BELOW LEFT: Amherst’s Kamille Coleman battles for the ball at Hathaway Brown.

BELOW RIGHT: Amherst’s Isabella McGee gets past a Hathaway Brown midfielder.

BOTTOM LEFT: Amherst’s Julia Ciura brings the ball out of the back at Hathaway Brown.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Amherst’s Abbey Cooke heads the ball clear at Hathaway Brown.

Olde Wrestling

Olde Wrestling will celebrate a decade of performances with the 10th Extravaganza in Norwalk on Aug. 27 at the Huron County Fairgrounds Pickworth Building, 940 Fair Road. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and the first bell is at 3 p.m. The all-ages event celebrates vintage wrestling with characters plucked right out of the roaring ‘20s. Witness stupendous strongmen, crooked politicians, motorcycle daredevils, imposing gangsters, and high flying acrobats. Partial proceeds benefit the Norwalk Area United Fund.

Tickets are $18 in advance or $20 day of the show. Children 10 and under are $5. For tickets and information, visit oldewrestling.come/tickets.

Pittsfield Township Historical Society

The Pittsfield Township Historical Society will host an ice cream and pie social event from 12-4 p.m. Sept. 10 at 16889 State Route 58. Premium ice cream and homemade pies will be offered by donationg.

There will be games for children and “cow pie squares” with a live cow. Bets on a square are $10 for a chance to win a 50-50 raffle. A basket raffle will be available, with several $50 cash prizes.

There will also be antique cars on display and the 1830s chool house will be open for tours, as well as the plans to build a museum. A live band will provide music.

Walk to end Alzheimer’s

Lorain County’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s is 9 a.m. Sept. 9 at Lorain County Community College, 1005 Abbe Rd., Elyria. Registration is available on alz.org./ walk.

In Ohio alone, there are 220,000 people aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s – a number that is expected to reach 250,000 by 2025. Throughout the U.S., thousands walk in memory of mothers, fathers, grandparents and loved ones who are impacted by the disease. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.

North Pointe

Ballet

North Pointe Ballet in the Park is 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at Lakeview Park, 1800 W. Erie Ave., Lorain. The concert, presented in partnership with the Lorain County Metro Parks, will feature classical ballet alongside contemporary jass and hip hop works, marking the launch of the company’s eighth season. The free concert will be outdoors near the rose garden at Lakeview Park.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair for lawn seating.

Amherst

Public Library

Registration is required for regular programming by calling (440) 988-4230.

● Amherst Library’s 19th annual Scavenger Hunt is now open. Stop by the second floor of the library to pick up a form, then

BACK TO SCHOOL

BULLETIN BOARD

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

spend the month of August visiting local businesses to look for some of our favorite sweet treats. Match the treats at each location on your own of as part of a team. Each participant will receive a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream from Sugar Buzz. Correct answers will be entered into a prize drawing. Entries must be received by the Youth Services department by 8:30 p.m. Aug. 31.

● Help clean out the craft closet at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28. Attendees can complete a craft project they missed or use supplies to create something new.

● Music and Movement is 11:15 a.m. Aug. 18. It is designed for children ages 2-6 and their caregivers.

● Baby playdates are open every Monday through Aug. 28. Ageappropriate toys and books will be available for babies and their caregivers to play and socialize at the library.

● Tai Chi for balance and fall prevention is 10:30 a.m. Thursdays today through Sept. 21. Beach Glass 101 is 6:30 p.m. today.

● Celebrate the life and legacy of Elvis Presley at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 and Aug. 24. Learn all about the life and music of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and listen to selections from Elvis’ extensive catalog.

● Tokusatsu Club meets at 6 p.m. Aug. 22. It is for ages 15-and-older to learn

about, watch and discuss Japanese Tokusatsu films and television like Ultraman, Godzilla, Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. It meets the fourth Tuesday of the month.

● Adapted storytime is 10:15 a.m. Aug. 26. Children with varying learning styles and abilities are invited to come together to participate in stories, songs and activities. The program will last 15 to 20 minutes, followed by social time. Content is designed for ages 3-7, but all ages are welcome. Parents and siblings are also welcome.

Amherst Historical Society

● The Amherst Historical Society will present “Murder She Rhymed,” a 1920s murder mystery dinner theater this September.

Written by Jack Pachuta and directed by Valerie Farchman, it is set in 1928 Moose Jaw, Sashatchewan, a haven for Al Capone and a place of vice and corruption.

Tickets are $40 per person, $35 for AHS members. Dress for a 1928 party with prizes, a buffet and raffles.

This year’s performances are 6 p.m. Sept 16 and 23 and 2 p.m. Sept. 17 and 24. Reservations are required by Sept. 8. For more information or to reserve tickets, call (440) 988-7255 or email office@

amhersthistoricalsociety. org

● The Amherst Historical Society would like to interview individuals with ties to the sandstone quarry – either those who worked there or had a family member who worked there. Interviews are being planned to begin in September or October.

Team reunion

Teammates from the Marion L. Steele classes of 1974-76, as well as coaches, trainers, cheerleaders and managers associated with the 1973 football team are invited to join for a celebration of the 50th anniversary on Sept. 15 at the Marion L. Steele vs. BereaMidpark home game. Attendees will meet at the high school gym lobby, the former senior lounge, at 6 p.m. The team will be recognized at half-time. An informal social gathering will follow at 9 p.m. at Ziggy’s. For information, contact Kris Diaz at (216) 315-0605 or kris.diaz74@ gmail.com

Herrick Memorial Library

To register for programs, call the library at (440) 647-2120

● How-to water bath canning class 1-5 p.m. Aug 19. Fran Blank will teach a hands-on class in canning tomatoes using the waterbath method. All materials will be provided. This class will be held at the United Church of Huntington, 2667 State Route 58, Huntington Twp. This class is for adults.

● How-to pressure canning class 1-5 p.m. Aug. 26. Fran Blank will teach a hands-on class in canning green beans using the pressure cooker method. All materials will be provided. This class will be held at the United Church of Huntington. This class is for adults.

Harvest of the Arts

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17 is the 40th annual Wellington Harvest of the Arts, a juried fine and folk art festival at 101 Willard Memorial Square. There will also be a handmade quit raffle and lunch at the Friends of the Library Cafe. The fundraiser provides for community programming for the Herrick Memorial Library. For more information, call (440) 647-2120.

Oberlin Community Services

Oberlin Community Services will be temporarily changing its food pantry schedule.

Drive-up hours will remain from 1:30-5 p.m. Mondays.

Drive-up food distributions on Wednesdays will be from 1:30-5 p.m. There will be no morning food pick-up.

Fridays will be reserved for the indoor choice pantry only from 1:30-4 p.m. There will be no drive-up distribution on Fridays.

Avon/Avon

Lake Republican Club

The Avon/Avon Lake Republic Club Friend’s breakfast is 8 a.m. Sept. 6 at Sugar Creek Restaurant. Deb Wagner, Curator of the 103rd Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry Museum will discuss the Sheffield Lake community on five acres along Lake Erie. The OVI site contains cottages owned by direct descendants of local Civil War veterans, outdoor exhibits, libraries, photos and a museum with Union Army materials and artifacts. Attendees are responsible for their meals.

Oberlin Heritage Center

● The Civil War to Civil Rights historic walking tour is 11 a.m. Saturdays in August. The 90-minute tour higlights historic events surrounding Oberlin’s progress and setbacks in race relations from early Oberlin to the 21st century. The tour meets on the front steps of First Church UCC, the corner of Routes 58 and 511. The tour is $6 for adults, children, students and members are free. Advanced registration is highly recommended.

● Root beer and yesteryear is 1-4 p.m. Sept. 23. This event will feature live music, historic portrayals, old games, exhibits and root beer floats for everyone. Throughout most of its history, Oberlin was a “dry” town, meaning alcohol couldn’t be served within city limits – but root beer was available. The floats are generously provided by Oberlin IGA, while free popcorn is made possible by the Oberlin Athletic Boosters Club and Bethany Hobbs.

*Academic planners

*High predecessor

Passé

Barnyard honker

Rooftop contraption 52. *Meal container

Emerald or aquamarine, chemically speaking

Trans-Siberian Railroad city

Venus de Milo’s are missing

*Plural of #51 Down

Comments from prompt box

DOWN

1. Actress Ryan

2. Larry David’s “____ Your Enthusiasm”

Bizet’s

9. Morays

Abdominal pain cause, acr.

Plunder

Dirty one

*One of 3 Rs in grade school 19. Genuflected 22. Letter-writing friend 23. *M in LMC, educationally speaking 24. Circular gasket 25. Big Dipper’s visible shape 26. Biblical gift-givers

27. Propelled a boat

28. Angler’s basket

29. Part of an act

32. Rare bills

33. Chewbacca’s sidekick

36. *Word in thesaurus, e.g.

38. Mennonite’s cousin

40. *Gym class prop

41. *Art class cover ups

44. Old fashioned contests at dawn

46. Lower value, as in currency

48. Plug a pipe, e.g. (2 words)

49. Beginning of ailment

50. Exceedingly

51. Bob of boxing world

52. Bonkers

53. Shamu, e.g.

54. Dec. holiday

55. Capture

58. Porky’s or Petunia’s home

Would youeatseaweed?

Seaweed is atype of plant thatgrows in theocean and other bodies of water all over the world

It’s not likethe plants yousee on land because it doesn’t have roots.Itcan oat andmove through the water

Seaweed comes in di erentshapes, sizes and colors.Some seaweed looks like long ribbons.Some look likebig,leafy plants

Unscramble the letters to discoverdi erent seaweed colors

WORBN

What’sinaname?

Usually,wethink of weeds as something we don’t want in the garden. Butseaweed is actually very good forthe planet.Itcan help end hunger and maybe even slowdown climate change

Seaweed has so many good uses thatsomescientists think we should call it something di erent. Howabout a“sea vegetable,” “sea forest,” or “water food”?

PLUEPR

DER

Manykinds of seaweed areso nutritious that the United Nations estimates that farming only 2% of the ocean could feed as manyas 12 billion people!

Seaweed Means Survival

Replacethe missing words.

Seaweed is importanttomarine ______. Animals such as sh, sea turtles and even whales on seaweed forfood and ________. Small sh use seaweed as a_ placefrompredators Sea_ eatseaweed.

Burger Lovers Need Seaweed

Even meateaters can be helped with seaweed. It makes an excellentanimal feed!

Work with afamily memberto do themathto discover five of themost popular types of edibleseaweed. 10

What do youthink?

you think?

Wind Stopper

Feedinglivestock seaweed also cuts down on their wind(also known as toots). Acow’s “wind” adds methane gas to the air.

Methanegas is part of what is causing climate change.

Earth is My Happy Place

Ourplanet is amazing! Earthhas an abundanceoftruly wonderful natural resources!

Look throughthe newspaper for pictures and wordsthatidentify the parts of nature that you like. Cut these out and glue them onto a piece of paper. Under or nexttothe newspaper clippings, write what youlove about each kindofnature.

Standards Link: Use descriptive writing.

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

The adjective edible describes something that is safeto

Would you liketolive underwater? Why or why not?