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LORAIN COUNTY
AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
www.lcnewspapers.com
Volume 7, Issue 4
Old TeleTech bought by NOMS for $2.2M JASON HAWK EDITOR
Steve Manheim | Chronicle
The former TeleTech and Lisn building at Park Avenue and State Route 58 in Amherst Township has been purchased by NOMS Healthcare for $2.2 million.
BULLETIN BOARD Thursday, Jan. 23
AMHERST TWP. — An office building once used as a T-Mobile call center has been purchased for $2.2 million by NOMS Healthcare. The Sandusky-based company announced Thursday that "hypergrowth and anticipated continued rapid expansion" led it to buy the property at Park Avenue and State Route 58. The seller was Lake Erie Financial Services, an affiliate of First Federal Savings & Loan Associa-
tion of Lorain, which runs a bank next door. NOMS, or Northern Ohio Medical Specialists, plans to renovate 10,000 of the building's 46,200 square feet. It will move about 30 team members into the space in the coming three months, according to a release from Vice President of Marketing and Communications Lisa Nicolella. The company expects to increase the number of employees there will around 100 by the third quarter of the year. Most of those will be existing employees, Nicolella said, but
there will also be new ones coming on board due to growth. The building will mainly be used to house administrative offices, though NOMS' headquarters will remain in Sandusky, she said. They include information technology, operations, human resources and billing offices. There will also be several "hoteling" spaces that can be used by administrators stationed elsewhere but who need a place to work when on site. NOMS also plans to have an NOMS PAGE A2
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
• ELYRIA TWP.: “Autism Spectrum Disorder: Navigating Insurance and Medical Necessity” will be presented from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Murray Ridge Service and Support Administration Office, 9740 Murray Ridge Rd. Marla Root, founder of the Ohio Autism Insurance Coalition, will speak on private and public insurance benefits for people with autism. In addition to having extensive experience as an administrator in mental health, developmental disability services and program development, Root is a former Ohio Advocate of the Year, and proud parent of a 22-year-old son named Eli who has severe autism spectrum disorder. To register for this free event, call 440-324-2366 by Jan. 21.
Saturday, Jan. 25 • AMHERST: The Firelands Athletic Booster Club will present a comedy night on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Amherst Eagles, 1161 Milan Ave. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include soft drinks, beer and food. There will be raffles, including a 50-50 raffle as well as the comedy show. For tickets, call Traci Newman at 440-669-3676. Money raised will be used to support athletic scholarships, equipment and improvements connected to the Falcons sports programs. • CARLISLE TWP.: Lorain County’s largest inside garage sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Lorain County Metro Parks Carlisle BULLETIN BOARD PAGE A3
U.S. Postal Service Use Only
Classifieds, legals, display advertising, and subscriptions Deadline: 1 p.m. each Monday Phone: 440-329-7000 Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday News staff Jason Hawk news@lcnewspapers.com Phone: 440-329-7122 Submit news to news@lcnewspapers.com Deadline: 10 a.m. Tuesday Send obituaries to obits@chroniclet.com Send legal notices to jyoder@chroniclet.com Copyright 2019 Lorain County Printing & Publishing Company
Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune
Martin Luther King Jr.'s image looks over the crowd gathered Monday at MLK Jr. Park on Vine Street in Oberlin. For more on the ceremony, see page C1.
Miller: Welcome to the death threat club JASON HAWK EDITOR
Calling for gun reform has earned Ohio Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, thinly-veiled death threats. The state legislator tweeted pictures Thursday night showing messages found stuffed into his mailbox. "On this day in 1775, the British demanded we surrender our weapons. We shot them," was written on one page. "Welcome to our group of legislators who have already been given death
threats for wanting common sense gun reform," Rep. Joe Miller, DAmherst, tweeted back to Weinstein. In a phone interview Friday, Miller revealed that he received a death threat shortly after being elected to the Ohio House in 2018. The Ohio Highway Patrol, which is entrusted with state officials' safety, alerted him to a threat made on a pro-gun blog, he said. Troopers didn't find reason to beef up security due to the remark, he said. Miller said death threats are "part of the job," and
Rep. Joe Miller expected by legislators. But he is not afraid. "I think people just get frustrated and they rant, and that's the vitriol that's
accepted today under our current leadership, at the top, and the federal level," he said. "This is Trump's America, where you bully and you threaten if you want to get your way." Weinstein is the sponsor of House Bill 349, which would ban possession of large-capacity magazines. He is also the co-sponsor of HB 316, a red-flag law that would, with a court order, allow law enforcement to temporarily take guns from people who are deemed a threat to themselves and THREATS PAGE A2
INSIDE THIS WEEK Amherst
Oberlin
Wellington
Project Freshwater cleans up trash • B1
New Board of Education leaders sworn in • C1
Fifth Third Bank robber remains at large • D1
OBITUARIES A2 • CLASSIFIEDS A4 • KID SCOOP B4 • CROSSWORD C3 • SUDOKU D2
Page A2
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Lorain County Community Guide
Provided photo
Fifth-grader Finley Sasack will get a chance this summer to explore careers in medicine, criminology and engineering.
Sasack gets a huge STEM opportunity Finley Sasack, a fifth-grader at McCormick Middle School in Wellington, has been chosen to take part in the National Youth Leadership Forum Pathways to STEM. The 11-year-old will participate in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics program this summer at Bowling Green State University and the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Sasack was selected because Principal Nathan Baxendale recognized her as a student who demonstrates exceptional maturity, scholastic merit and leadership potential at her young age. Sasack will have the opportunity to explore a career in medicine, engineering or crime scene investigation. She will also practice medical techniques during a realistic simulation called “When Care is Hours Away.” This special session was created in collaboration with wilderness medicine expert Paul Auerbach and simulation expert Rebecca Smith-Coggins, professors in the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “I was happy and surprised to be nominated,” said Sasack. “I am looking forward to the CSI investigation and exploring the world of medicine.” She is enrolled in the honors language arts class at McCormick Middle School and has participated in events such as the county-wide mock trial hosted by the Educational Service Center of Lorain County Gifted Consortium. Outside of school, Sasack enjoys volleyball, soccer and cheerleading. “I would like to either be an astronomer or a physician when I get older,” she said. “I love space and I also love helping people.”
THREATS
FROM A1 others. "Red flag legislation and expanded background checks are important first steps to reduce the number of mass shootings, but we have to do more," he said following an August shooting in a Dayton bar that killed nine people and wounded 17 others. "Weapons of war have no place in our streets," he said. Miller said he believes in the Second Amendment and owns a firearm himself. While he is not a fan of "extreme" gun reform, he "does not believe we need need militarygrade ballistic-style guns and rifles in our possession unless we're certified to own them." Miller said he supports a bill proposed by Rep. Brigid Kelly, D-Hyde Park, and Rep. Jessica Miranda, D-Forest Park, that would require gun owners to properly lock up handguns away from children. He said he also supports red flag laws — "I think those who have weapons in their household, and who have showed they're a threat to themselves or others, I have no problem with a temporary stay on having those items," he said.
OBITUARIES FREDDIE RAY JONES, 84, of Amherst, passed away Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at Lake Pointe Health Care in Lorain, following a full and meaningful life. KEITH DWAIN SEXTON, 62, a lifetime resident of Elyria, passed away at his home. DOROTHY M. LEHMAN (nee Poprocki), 86, of Amherst, passed away Sunday, January 19, 2020 at Elmcroft Senior Living in Lorain, following a full and meaningful life.Complete funeral arrangements at Hempel Funeral Home, Amherst.
NOMS
FROM A1 exceptionally large conference room that can be used for both internal meetings and public meetings. A second phase is being planned, based on market needs, to include outpatient medical office space, according to the release. Nicolella said there are no plans to move NOMS' nearby family practice and obstetrics and gynecology offices on Route 58 in Amherst, nor the internal medicine office on Park Square Drive in Lorain. The new location was formerly operated by TeleTech, a firm that provides outsourced call center staffing to large corporations. TeleTech took inbound customer service calls for cell phone carrier T-Mobile, and later other companies including Nissan. It closed the Amherst Township operation in 2015, moving to Westlake. Prior to that, the facility was the home to telecommunications firm Lisn, which was formed in Amherst in 1968, purchased by Orius Corp. in 2000 and shut down shortly after. The building is close to the Ohio Turnpike and State Route 2, and is roughly central to NOMS facilities spanning from Toledo to western Pennsylvania. "We're just glad somebody's taking it over and doing something," said Amherst Township Trustee Dennis Abraham. "I'm very glad that they're coming in, that they see that building as a building they can use, that they see the area as a place that will suit their needs," he said. "It's mean jobs for the future, for the people around, and I'm very happy about that." NOMS has nearly 300 providers practicing in more than 30 specialties. The company plans to double or triple its size in the next two to three years, according to Thursday's announcement.
CHINESE NEW YEAR
Provided photo
Second-graders at Westwood Elementary School practice painting primary and secondary color wheels. They're practicing to make dragon heads to celebrate Chinese New Year on Jan. 25.
KOZIK, WACKER LEAD
Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise
Black River's Sarah Kozik gets a steal against Plymouth as the Pirates surge ahead to a 60-27 victory over Big Red on Monday night. She ended the night with 21 points, and Lydia Wacker scored a game-high 22, including a pair of threes.
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SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD ON PAGE C3
SOLUTION TO SUDOKU ON PAGE D2
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Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Lorain County Community Guide
Page A3
BULLETIN BOARD FROM A1 Visitor Center, 12882 Diagonal Rd. You can drop off donations to be sold in support of the Friends of Metro Parks in Lorain County from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19; 2-8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20; and 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23. Not accepted: clothing, shoes, electronics, large furniture and broken items. Light snacks will be available for purchase. • ELYRIA: A free class on situational awareness for women will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the College Center Building, Lorain County Community College, 1005 North Abbe Rd. The introductory class is sponsored by the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office, LCCC and the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office. It will be taught by martial arts expert Ed Yates, who will explain how to be more aware of your surroundings and minimize the chance of an attack. Register by calling 440-329-5452 or emailing tracy. smalley@lcprosecutor.org. • SOUTH AMHERST: Grease back your hair and grab your poodle skirts! A 1950s-style sock hop will be held from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at South Amherst Middle School, 152 West Main St. There will be food, music and fun for $10. Pizza and wings, salad, snacks and beverage will be included. There will also be door prizes, a Chinese basket raffle and 50-50 raffle with the live HooP & Co Band. Tickets will be sold in advance only. Call 440-9868168. Guys are invited to wear roll cuff denims and white T-shirts, while girls can wear saddle bucks and bobby socks. A balloon arch and photo op feature to keep your memory in pictures. This is a no-alcohol event, held on school grounds. It is sponsored by the South Amherst Historical Society. • AMHERST: The Amherst Rotary Club’s 16th Annual Wine Tasting will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Amherst VFW Post 1662, 165 Cleveland Ave. The fundraiser and auction will feature wine from all over the world. Experience 20 wines and craft beers, food from local restaurants, live and silent auctions, a candy bar raffle and more. Tickets are $35. VIP tickets are $45 and include access to exclusive fine wines. Purchase tickets in advance at Giuseppe’s Wine Cellar, 209 South Main St., Amherst. • AMHERST: A community karaoke jam will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Arabica, 254 Park Ave. The event is sponsored by New Beginnings Church. There will be a special award for best dressed-for those dressed like the artist or genre.
Monday, Jan. 27 • WELLINGTON: The Memory Cafe will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27 at New Life Assembly of God, 108 West St. It is a chance for people with dementia to have fun, share food, exercise, enjoy music, and build relationships with others. Caregivers must remain on location with the participants. For more information, call 440-935-3506 or visit www. dflife.org. • AMHERST: “Detox Naturally” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27 at the Amherst Public Library. Chiropractor Jeremy Watson of Watson Wellness will speak. • AMHERST: The Amherst Community Chorus will begin rehearsals for its spring and summer concert series at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27 in the music room at Amherst Junior High School, 548 Milan Ave. Music will be distributed starting at 6 p.m. in the cafetorium. A reading knowledge of music and a commitment to Monday evening rehearsals and upcoming concerts is required. The chorus is beginning its 25th year under the direction of Simone and Steve Gall.
Wednesday, Jan. 29 • HENRIETTA TWP.: Another “community visioning session” will be held to talk about the new Firelands High School. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at FHS. Residents will be able to give their ideas for the new building.
Starting Jan. 30 • WELLINGTON: “Let’s Talk About Metabolic Syndrome” will be presented in January, February, March and April at the Lorain County Community College Wellington Center, 151 Commerce Dr. The first session will be held from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30 in room 119. It will be led by Lisa Augustine, interim dean of health and wellness sciences at LCCC. She will provide information on how to reduce risk factors and enjoy a healthier, more productive life through movement, healthy eating and stress management. There will also be a raffle with a cahnce to win LCCC culinary lessons, a water bottle, T-shirts and a basket of other goodies. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels and which can increase a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke. Presentations are free and open to the public. Registration is required; email Augustine at laugusti@lorainccc. edu.
Saturday, Feb. 1 • OBERLIN: “A History of Race and the Right to Vote in Reconstruction Ohio” will be presented at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Oberlin Public Library Community Room, 65 South Main St.
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 news style, length, and clarity. Send your items to news@ lcnewspapers.com. Ric Sheffield, Professor of Legal Studies and Sociology at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, will discuss how African-Americans risked life, limb, and livelihood to claim their places at the polls. The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Oberlin Heritage Center and the Oberlin African-American Genealogy and History Group. • WELLINGTON: A winter hike will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Findley State Park, 25381 State Route 58. • WELLINGTON: Celebrate National Candy Day from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Herrick Memorial Library. Kids ages seven to 12 are invited to make candy to eat or share. To register, call the library at 440-647-2120.
Tuesday, Feb. 4 • CARLISLE TWP.: “Birding Research in Costa Rica” will be presented at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at the Carlisle Reservation Visitor Center, 12882 Diagonal Rd. During this Black River Audubon Society program, Tyler McClain will discuss his experiences and conservation efforts while birding and working in Costa Rica, a trip that was made possible by a partial Black River Audubon grant for a trip organized by National Audubon’s Hog Island staff. This program is free to the public.
Starting Feb. 4 • OBERLIN: A three-part course focusing on the philosophy of mind will be offered at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Feb. 4, 11 and 18 at Kendal at Oberlin’s Heiser Auditorium. Richard Hall, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Michigan State University, will speak. The first session considers the dualist (mind/body) concept dominant in our culture. The second surveys materialist theories of mind, while the third evaluates recent non-dualist views. To register, call Lorain County Community College at 440-366-4148. The fee for class 4102 is $20.
Wednesday, Feb. 5 • BROWNHELM TWP.: The Brownhelm Historical Association will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at the Historic Brownhelm School and Museum, 1940 North Ridge Rd. Doors will open at 6 p.m. A membership meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. A program called “Ohio: Mother of Presidemts,” featuring Eric Rivet, chief curator at the Western Reserve Historical Society, will start at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. • OBERLIN: A national conference call focused on preventing war with Iran and de-escalating hostilities in the Middle East will be held at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at Kendal at Oberlin’s Heiser Building Green Room. A 7:30 p.m., write postcards and discuss current issues. At 8 p.m., join the Friends Committee on National Legislation phone call for background information and updates from U.S. Congress members and experts working to prevent war. The event is sponsored by the FCNL Oberlin Advocacy Team.
Friday, Feb. 7 • ELYRIA: Bishop Nelson Perez will speak at the inaugural First Friday Forum of 2020 on Feb. 7 at the Spitzer Conference Center, Lorain County Community College, 1005 North Abbe Rd. A luncheon buffet will be served at 11:30 a.m. with the speaker at noon. Reservations are $20 and must be made be 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3. You can pay at the door or mail your check to First Friday Forum of Lorain County, 320 Middle Ave., Elyria, OH 44035; call the reservation line at 440-244-0643; or email ffflorain@gmail.com. • OBERLIN: Slow Train Storytellers will host an event at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7 at Slow Train Cafe, 55 East College St. The theme is hibernation. Email kgwaite@gmail.com to secure a place to tell your story.
Saturday, Feb. 8 • NEW RUSSIA TWP.: A Firelands Band Bosters and Firelands Lions Club reverse raffle will be held from 5-11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the New Russia Township Hall, 46300 Butternut Ridge Rd. Each raffle ticket costs $75 and gets an individual admission to the raffle, a chance to win cash and dinner catered by Sterks. There is a one and 300 chance to win $10,000 and a one in 30 chance to win $100 or more. You do not have to be present to win. • WELLINGTON: The Black River Band Boosters will hold a night at the races fundraiser from 6-10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Wellington Eagles, 631 South Main St. Enjoy betting on funny horse names, 50-50 raffle, side boards and basket raffles. Admission is $25 and is for ages 21 and over. It inclueds dinner, dessert, beverages, snacks, keg beer and one drink ticket for the cash bar. It’s
$20 to name a horse that you’ll hear the MC announce throughout the race. Tickets are available from the Black River Band Boosters members or at www.blackriverbands.org. • WELLINGTON: A “Caring Hearts” concert will be held from 7-10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Patricia Lindley Center for the Performing Arts, 627 North Main St. Local musicians will perform to benefit social services for seniors in the Lorain County Office on Aging Southern Satellite Office coverage area. There will be music, raffles and refreshments. The event is sponsored by the Friends of Senior Citizens and Lorain County Office on Aging.
Monday, Feb. 10 • AMHERST: The Amherst Public Library board will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10 at the library. The meeting is open to the public.
Tuesday, Feb. 11 • AMHERST: The C.S. Lewis and Friends Book Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at the Amherst Public Library. Readers will discuss “The Screwtape Letters.” For more information, contact Marcia Geary at mgeary@gearylawllc.com or 440-988-9803. All are welcome.
Ongoing • VERMILION: Grace’s Kitchen provides meals and companionship for those in need in the Vermilion area. Meals are served from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3747 Liberty Ave. Eight local volunteer groups provide assistance in this collaborative outreach. Meals are prepared by churches on a rotating basis, operating under the umbrella of Grace United Methodist Church All are welcome. • WELLINGTON: Coffee with a Cop is held at 11 a.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Wellington McDonald’s on Rt. 58. Stop in and meet village police officers and have a conversation over a cup of coffee. • AMHERST: The Meals on Wheels Program provides delivered meals five days a week between 11 a.m. and noon within the city limits. The cost is $5 a meal. The Amherst Office on Aging can meet most dietary requirements: heart healthy, diabetic, soft. You can receive meals one day a week or multiple days — it’s up to you. Call 440-988-2817. • BROWNHELM TWP.: The Brownhelm Historical Association holds meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at the historic Brownhelm School and Museum, 1940 North Ridge Rd. Doors open at 6 p.m., a business meeting is held from 6:30-7 p.m., followed by refreshments and social time, and programs begin at 7:30 p.m. • OBERLIN: The Oberlin African American Genealogy and History Group offers free walk-in genealogy assistance from 1-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at The Bridge (in the Backspace), 82 South Main St. • OBERLIN: The Connections peer support group for those suffering from mental illness, depression, and anxiety is offered from 7-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each moth at Family Promise, 440 West Lorain St. The group is sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. You must RSVP to office@nami-lc.org or 440-233-8181 ext. 224. • WELLINGTON: St. Patrick Church offers a Helping Hands Food Pantry from noon to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month and from 6-8 p.m. on the following Tuesday. It’s located in the old St. Patrick Church at the corner of Adams and North Main streets. The pantry is available to residents of the 44090 zip code area who meet federal eligibility guidelines of $24,119 annual income for a household of one, $32,479 for two, etc. Identification and proof of residency (a current utility bill) are also required. For more information, visit www.helpinghands.stpatrickwellington.com. • OBERLIN: Oberlin Community Services offers an open food pantry from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday for residents of southern Lorain County who need help meeting their food needs. A large food distribution is held the second Saturday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. OCS serves eligible residents of Oberlin, Wellington, and New Russia, Carlisle, Kipton, LaGrange, Brighton, Penfield, Camden, Huntington, Rochester, and Pittsfield townships. A picture ID and proof of address is requested. For more information, call 440-774-6579. • WELLINGTON: Kiwanis meetings are held at noon each Thursday at Bread-N-Brew, 100 South Main St. • AMHERST: Soup and salad lunches are held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at Amherst United Methodist Church, 396 Park Ave. The low-cost lunch includes soup, sloppy joes, salad bar, hot dogs, and pie. The church also has a community free pancake breakfast from 8:30-10:30 a.m. the last Saturday of each month. All are welcome. • OBERLIN: An Alzheimer’s Association caregiver support group meets at 2 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month at the First Church in Oberlin UCC, 106 North Main St. The group is designed to provide emotional, educational, and social support for caregivers. It will encourage caregivers to maintain their own physical and emotional health while optimally caring for people with dementia. For more information, call 800-272-3900 or visit www. alz.org. MORE ON PAGE A4
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Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Lorain County Community Guide
COLUMNS
Congress must build peace, not destroy it Neither the people of Iran nor the United States generally desire to send their children into continuous and unnecessary war. We desire to protect our civilizations and wellbeing. Diplomacy, friendship, conflict resolution and understanding work in the long run to bring peace and a saner, safer world for our children. Community Peace Builders, a local group involved in peace and justice issues, denounces the recent reckless escalation of violence by President Donald Trump. We call upon our legislators — Sen. Robert Portman, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Congressman Jim Jordan and
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur — to take stands that will improve relations with Iran instead of inciting further violence, be that economic, inflammatory talk, or military action. A full briefing and public hearings on the recent assassination of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani should be demanded by Congress and funding for war prohibited. We urge Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority, and urge cool heads in the military, to stop the march to war and return our nation to the path of diplomatic action and peaceful engagement. President Trump’s earlier action of withdrawing
DAVID FINKE
COMMUNITY PEACE BUILDERS
from the international nuclear agreement, his undermining diplomatic efforts, and escalating economic and military pressure on Iran, have
increased long-standing tensions. When it had the opportunity, Congress did not act to explicitly reject war and insist on diplomacy with Iran. In December of 2019, Congress struck language from a military funding bill that would have denied authorization for War with Iran. The legislative language — which was wisely supported by Rep. Jordan and Sen. Brown — would have repealed the outdated 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force which was used to justify war with Iraq. It has served as a blank check for myriad U.S. military actions ever since. Now, the administration is using
that pretext to provide legal cover for this assassination. The unwise and inflammatory assassination of the military commander of Iran’s Quds Force is a dangerous escalation of the confrontation with Iran that will lead to more bloodshed, further destabilize Iraq, and expand conflict and instability throughout the Middle East. Truly, these escalating acts of war will not end what has been an endless war in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East. This recent assassination can unleash a new cycle of the deadly conflict in the Middle East at the cost of millions of peoples’ lives
and livelihoods. It will be answered with violence and war, not peace. Congress has the power to stop this deadly march to war with Iran and return our nation to the path of diplomacy and international engagement. It must exercise its constitutional authority now. That is the only way to prevent war. May we heed what Martin Luther King Jr. said: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” David Finke is a member of Community Peace Builders, an Oberlinbased group formed after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.
What does climate change mean for your family? You may have heard that the city of Oberlin has adopted a Climate Action Plan and has a goal of becoming a carbon-positive community by 2050. But what does this really mean for you and your family? The Climate Action Plan, or CAP, is designed to be a community plan where everyone has voice and everyone has a part to play. After all, it will take all of us working together to reach our goals to become a sustainable city. By now you have likely noticed that our weather patterns are changing. We are having more extreme
Just recently it was 65 degrees in Oberlin — in the middle of January! This past fall, my daughter carried a sign at the Climate March on Tappan Square that read, “The Climate is Changing, Why aren’t We?” Answers to this basic question and the question of how to make changes that positively affect our environment are the central theme behind this CHANGING BY DEGREES column, which is why I LINDA ARBOGAST chose the title, “Changing by Degrees.” There are a number of events, such as more rain ways that we can change in the spring and longer our behavior that support stretches of no precipitaour reduced emissions tion later in the summer.
goal. Each column will review one topic in more detail. For example, we will cover food waste, and answer questions like how big of a problem is it (spoiler alert: quite big!), what effect it has on our environment and what can each of us do about it. We’ll talk about our homes: Where are the main sources of carbon emissions and what are ways we can all reduce? Let’s discuss transportation: How do we move about in our town and are there ways we can do so that are better for the planet? In addition to reading
this column, which I hope you will look forward to each month, there are a variety of ways to learn how to be more sustainable in your life. Please take a look at the Office of Sustainability’s webpage by visiting www. cityofoberlin.com and clicking on “Sustainability” under the “For Residents” tab. Here you can see whether a solar array might be right for you, read our Climate Action Plan update, find out how to get your home weatherized and also find rebates that may be available to you for efficiency measures in your Oberlin
home or business. You can also call me with questions or ideas at 440-775-7257 or stop by my office in City Hall at 85 South Main St. to chat. In the words of young climate activist Greta Thunberg: “The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change.” Hopefully, with a bit more knowledge, we will all find ways to change by degrees. Linda Arbogast is the sustainability director for the city of Oberlin.
BULLETIN BOARD FROM A3 • OBERLIN: The Oberlin Business Partnership hosts monthly meetings for residents, business owners, and nonprofit organizations to discuss events around town. “Good Morning Oberlin” is held at 8 a.m. the second Thursday of each month. Meetings are held at CoWork Oberlin, 235 Artino St. • WELLINGTON: The Afternoon Book Discussion Group meets at 2 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Herrick Memorial Library. Pick up the book at the circulation desk and join in on the lively discussions. • OBERLIN: The Oberlin Writers’ Group meets at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Oberlin Public Library. Do you enjoy composing and writing stories, poems, or news articles? Are you apprehensive about writing? Are you a procrastinator? Can you use a new friend or two? If the answer to any of the above is yes, consider participating in the Oberlin Writers’ Group. All genres are welcome. Take something to read aloud, or ask members to read silently, or just attend for a meet and greet for your first visit. • OBERLIN: A free literacy program is offered by Oberlin Community Services and Lorain County Community College from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Mon-
day, Wednesday, and Friday. Anyone interested in signing up should contact OCS at 440-774-6579. • OBERLIN: Interested in genealogy? Francis Stuart will be available at the Oberlin Public Library Ohio room every Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to assist with research tips and techniques for discovering family trees. The event is free and open to the public. Take all family tree materials that have been gathered so far as well as a laptop if you have one. For more information, call the information desk at 440775-4790. • PENFIELD TWP.: The Penfield Historical Society meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at the township hall. All are welcome. Members is $10 per year, $15 for a couple, or $100 for a lifetime. • WELLINGTON TWP.: Wellington Township trustees meet at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Wellington Township Maintenance Facility, 105 Maple St., Wellington. The meetings are open to the public. • OBERLIN: The Oberlin chapter of Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday at Sacred Heart Church, 410 West Lorain St. Attend a free meeting to learn how to lose extra pounds. TOPS is the oldest, affordable, non-profit weight loss support group in the country. For more information, call
440-774-1213. • OBERLIN: A free family support group has been formed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Lorain County and meets from 7-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month at Grace Lutheran Church, 310 West Lorain St. The group meets in a confidential setting and is designed for families and others providing care for loved ones diagnosed with serious mental illness. Caregivers participating may have a loved one with a mental illness diagnosis or be without such formal diagnosis. For more information, attend a meeting or call facilitator Bob Izold at 440-965-2002. • WELLINGTON: A multiple sclerosis support group Meeting of Hope is held at 6:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month (starting in March) at the Sprenger Assisted Living Center. The meeting is sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Ohio Buckeye Chapter. For more information, call Brandi Hatfield at 440-647-2414. • OBERLIN: Oberlin Weekday Community Meals are served Monday through Friday at Christ Episcopal Church, 162 South Main St. Doors open at 4 p.m. and meals are served from 5-5:30 p.m. Meals are free to all.
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LOWREY Oak console piano. $250. Exc. cond. Oberlin 440-775-7976
LEGALS LEGAL NOTICE (Citation by Publication) To: Loretta Neff 14735 Lorain Ave. Lot 106, Cleveland Ohio 44135 You are hereby notified that a Complaint or Motion containing a request for Divorce has been filed in the Lorain County Domestic Relations Court regarding case #19DR086800. A hearing on this Complaint or Motion is scheduled for:
the 9th day of March 2020 at 10:30 a.m. before the Honorable Magistrate Adam J. Bryda of the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division, located at 225 Court St. Elyria, Ohio 44035 You are hereby ordered to appear before said Court on the date at the time listed to show cause why this request for divorce should not be granted by the court. By: Michael C. Neff L.C.C.G. 1/16-23-30; 2/613-20/20 20656664
PUBLICATION OF LEGISLATION The following is a summary of legislation adopted by Lorain City Council on January 6, 2020. The complete text of each item may be viewed or purchased in the Clerk of Council Office @ Lorain City Hall, 200 W. Erie Ave., Lorain, OH, during normal business hours or contact Nancy Greer @ 204-2050 (Nancy_ Greer@cityoflorain.org). The following summary has been reviewed/approved by the Law Director for legal accuracy as required by state laws. Reso. 1-20* Establishing the Rules of Council for the 2020/2021 term of office. 2-20 Recognizing & commending Dennis Flores for 10 years of
dedicated public service as a member of Lorain City Council. 3-20 Recognizing & commending Angel Arroyo Jr. for 4 years of outstanding public service as a member of Lorain City Council. 4-20 Recognizing & commending members of the prior administration and staff for outstanding public service to the City of Lorain. 5-20 Auth S/S Director to waive city sidewalk requirements for the building project proposed for 5431 West Erie Ave. 6-20 Auth S/S Director to apply for, accept and enter contract for construction of Planned Active Transportation Safe Routes to School. Ord. 1-20* Assessing the cost of abating nuisance by cutting noxious weeds during the 2019 Calendar Year. 2-20* Auth S/S Director to solicit bids to sell or lease w/ option to purchase city-owned building & related parking located at 401 Idaho. 3-20* Auth S/S Director to solicit bids to sell or lease w/ option to purchase city-owned buildings & related parking located at 2245 West Park Drive. (*Denotes legislation was passed as an emergency.) L.C.C.G. 1/16-23/20 20656765
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS Please be advised that Lorain City Council will host pub-
lic hearings on Monday, February 24, 2020 @ 6 p.m. in the Lorain City Hall Council Chamber, 200 W. Erie Ave., Lorain, OH, to discuss the following: an application to rezone a one acre lot on the south side of West Erie Ave. Lorain, Ohio (PP#0203-001-108-029) from R-3 to B-1 General Business (ZCA1-2020); and an application to rezone property located at 4125 and 4415 Leavitt Road, Lorain, Ohio from R-3, R-1B and R-1C to B-1 General Business to allow for construction of a credit union and drive thru. (ZCA-2-2020) The Lorain City Planning Commission met on January 2, 2020, and recommend approval of both items to Lorain City Council. Copies of all documentation related to this proposal will be on view for public inspection in the Office of the Clerk of Council, 200 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, Ohio. Please contact Nancy_ Greer@cityoflorain.org for additional information. NANCY GREER, CMC L.C.C.G. 1/16-23/20 20656790
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING In accordance with O.R.C. Chapter 929, notice is hereby given that Lorain City Council will hold a Public Hearing
on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 6 p.m. at the Lorain City Hall Bldg., Council Chamber, 200 W. Erie Ave., Lorain, OH, to consider a renewal application for the placement of farmland (pp#'s 05-00-081-000-035, 05-00081-000-003, 05-00-081-000017) consisting of approx. 60 acres located on the s.w. corner of S. Broadway and Rt. 254, in an agricultural district in the City of Lorain. (Janet Eschtruth, applicant.) A copy of the proposed application and documents will be on view for public inspection prior to said hearing in the Office of the Clerk of Council, Room 103, City Hall Building, Lorain, Ohio. NANCY GREER, CMC L.C.C.G. 1/23-30/20 20657026 LEGAL NOTICE The 2019 Annual Financial Report for the South Lorain County Ambulance District is completed and available for public review at the District Board Office, 179 East Herrick Avenue, Wellington, OH. Amy Szmania, Clerk South Lorain County Ambulance District L.C.C.G. 1/23/20 20656991
INVITATION TO BID 1. Sealed bids for Power Plant 1000kVA Transformer Replacement will be received at Oberlin City Hall, 85 South Main Street, Oberlin, Ohio 44074, at the office of the Public Works, until 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 14, 2020, at which time and place said bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. 2. The proposed Work consists of furnishing the following material and equipment: Replacement of Oberlin Municipal Light & Power System (OMLPS) 1000kVA transformer with a new 1000kVA transformer provided by OMLPS. 3. The contract documents and specifications are available in pdf format and can be sent via e-mail by requesting them from the office of the Engineer, GPD Group, Ashley Howerter, ahowerter@ gpdgroup.com. The e-mail subject shall be: "City of Oberlin - Power Plant 1000kVA Transformer Replacement Bid Specifications". 4. All bids shall be signed and submitted on the forms found in the contract documents. Bids shall be submitted in a sealed envelope marked "Bid for City of Oberlin Power Plant 1000kVA Transformer
Replacement", addressed to the attention of Doug McMillan, OMLPS Director and delivered prior to the stated bid opening date and time. Bids received after the stated bid opening date and time will not be accepted and will be returned unopened to the sender. 5. Each bid must be accompanied by either a Bid Guaranty Bond to the satisfaction of the City, or a certified check drawn on a solvent bank, in the sum of 10% of the amount of the bid, made payable to the City of Oberlin, Ohio, as a guaranty that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and its performance properly secured. 6. The City of Oberlin reserves the right to accept the lowest and best bid, to reject any and all bids, to waive any informalities in the bids received, and to purchase that equipment which, in the sole judgment of the City, will best suit the City's needs. 7. All bidders must comply with the provisions of Ordinance No. 951 AC CMS (Equal Employment Opportunity Reports) and with the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The estimated cost is: $70,000.00 Robert Hillard, City Manager
L.C.C.G. 1/23-30/20 20656934 DATE: February 5th, 2020 TIME: 9:00 A.M. PLACE: Council Chambers ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS AGENDA Disposition of minutes from previous Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission Meetings. B.A. # 1-2020 PPN# 02-03007-000-027 & 05-00-001000-298 Oak Point Rd. Variance requested to reduce wetlands setback from seventy five (75) feet to twenty five (25) feet. Tom Oster, applicant for Perpetual Development LLC. B.A. #2-2020 4601 Andover Ave. Variance requested to build shed exceeding allowable square footage in an R-1 zoning district by 44 square feet. Section 1129.05 (D) max square footage for accessory use in an R-1 district is 576 square foot. R-1 zoning Michael McCartney, applicant. B.A. #3-2020 5430 West Erie Ave. Variance requested to increase apron width to 80 foot on Kolbe Rd. and 70 foot on West Erie Ave. Section 1201.09 (A) Max allowable width of apron is 29 foot at the the sidewalk line and 35 foot at the curb. B-1 and B-3 zoning John Reyes, applicant. B.A. #4-2020 5430 West Erie
Ave. Variance requested to reduce rear yard set back by 10 feet and reduce front yard set back by 7 feet. Section 1163.06 (D) minimum rear yard set back is 20 feet. Section 1167.04 (C ) Minimum front yard set back is 35 feet. B-1 and B-3 zoning John Reyes, applicant. PLANNING COMMISSION Disposition of minutes from previous Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission Meetings. Z.C.A.# 3-2020 Submission for Planning Commissions recommendation to Lorain City Council for the rezoning of the properties located on Oak Point Rd. PPN # 02-03-007000-237, 02-03-006-103-020 and 05-00-001-000-298 from R-1A Residential to R-PUD Residential Planned Unit Development. Tom Oster, applicant for Perpetual Development LLC. Held in abeyance from January 2nd meeting. Richard G. Klinar, ACTING SECRETARY, LORAIN CITY PLANNING COMMISSION AND ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS IF APPLICANT UNABLE TO ATTEND, PLEASE CALL (440) 204-2034. L.C.C.G. 1/23/20 20657290
INSIDE: COMETS HOCKEY WINS 3RD SWC TITLE • B3
AMHERST NEWS-TIMES THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2020 • SERVING AMHERST SINCE 1919
PROJECT FRESHWATER
Schools oppose voucher expansion JASON HAWK EDITOR
Photos by Jason Hawk | Amherst News-Times
Tyler Reavis and Josh Kelley scale the slope of Beaver Creek’s east branch on Tuesday, Jan. 14 to pick up garbage.
Volunteers clean Beaver Creek banks JASON HAWK EDITOR
"There's so much junk here," said Tyler Reavis, his voice bitter last Tuesday as he looked down the banks of Beaver Creek. There were plastic lids and shopping bags caught in the woody vegetation along the water's edge. Cigarette butts lay everywhere, along with soda bottles buried down low, sinking into the mud. Reavis and a small band of volunteers spent about four hours over two weeks picking trash from the waterway next to Aldi on Kresge Drive. They call the effort Project Freshwater. It launched last May with a clean-up at Lakeview Beach in Lorain. Reavis and partners Rachel Lasso and Bobby Hewitt have removed literally truckloads of garbage from commercial areas and parks. "Any household item you can think of, we find it out here, and try to stop it from getting to the water," Reavis said. A few weeks ago, a similar effort near Sherwin Williams on Cooper Foster Park Road filled Hewitt's truck bed three times over. "You'd be amazed how much trash accumulates out here over time," Hewitt said, stopping to wipe his brow. He held a red five-gallon bucket, which after just a few minutes on the steep hill next to the grocery store was full. Hewitt and Reavis said they expected to fill five 30-gallon trash bags in about 90 minutes. Their goal is to tackle litter at the source. They want to stop trash from getting into small streams, then into rivers and Lake Erie — or down the St. Lawrence Seaway and into the ocean. Reavis, 25, is a 2013 graduate of Amherst Steele High School. He enjoys
▲ Bobby Hewitt fills a five-gallon bucket with trash. ◄ Amherst City Councilman Jake Wachholz reaches for plastic in the wooded area next to Aldi on Kresge Drive.
Amherst educators are taking a stand against state vouchers used to send kids to private schools. The Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution on Monday, Jan. 13 opposing Ohio's EdChoice program. Two Amherst buildings — Powers Elementary and Steele High School — have been deemed EdChoice schools in 2020 and 2021. That means students there can choose to have taxpayers foot the bill if they want to attend private or public charter schools. Last year, there were 120 EdChoiceeligible schools in Ohio. Now there will be 10 times that number when a major expansion of the program goes into effect Feb. 1, said Amherst Assistant Superintendent Michael Molnar. The Amherst Schools have an overall B grade on the most recent state report card. Powers and Steele were flagged because of report card grades in 2014, Molnar said. He took aim at the way the state grades reading abilities among kids in kindergarten through third grade. Molnar said that if 90 children excel at reading, but 10 have trouble, the state only measures progress among those 10. And if teachers help five drastically improve, it's still only viewed as a grade of 50 percent. Molnar said Ohio legislators are funneling money from public education to private schools. "It is possibly going to have a devastating effect on the state of Ohio if it goes forward," he said. Amherst receives $4,977 in state funding for every student enrolled. Under EdChoice, that money goes toward private tuition. Over 12 years, that would add up to $59,724 for just one student. If 20 of the district's roughly 3,600 kids use the vouchers, that's nearly $1.2 million. The Ohio Department of Education bills the vouchers as "scholarships," but they're not tied to either performance or need. Private schools, Molnar told Marc Zappa, are not monitored and graded the same way public schools are. The Ohio School Boards Association backs that claim. Private schools accepting vouchers and using public tax dollars are not issued a state report card, are not required to hit the same literacy goals by third grade and are not required to comply with teacher and principal evaluation standards. Private schools that get vouchers are also not held accountable for how they spend taxpayer dollars, the OSBA said. They aren't subject to public audits, and
FRESHWATER PAGE B2
VOUCHERS PAGE B2
Dilly's former teacher remembers his love for the NFL JASON HAWK EDITOR
Eric Watts
Harley Dilly was a huge fan of the Cleveland Browns and loved talking about football, his former teacher remembers. About once a week for two years, Eric Watts would sit down with the Port Clinton teenager for lunch. They'd dissect Sunday's
games and rave about Kansas City Chief quarterback Patrick Mahomes. "He was just a fan of the sport. He loved following stats, following teams, seeing great plays, big catches, big tackles," said Watts. Before taking a job this fall as director of the Amherst Steele High School choir, Watts was Dilly's teacher for three years in Port Clinton. He was also his mentor in
an Ottawa County program that paired adults with students who faced academic or personal challenges. They were close — saying goodbye at the end of the school year was hard, Watts remembers. When Dilly, 14, went missing Dec. 20, it was disturbing, he said. And after weeks of searches, it was devastating to learn that Watts had been found dead, suffocated inside the
chimney of a vacant Port Clinton home. Watts got the news last Tuesday while teaching. Amherst Steele Principal Joe Tellier covered his class while Watts went to his office to mourn behind the closed door. He said he watched the press conference where investigators described the sad end to the hunt for the missing teen. "It was something I was
SUBMIT YOUR NEWS TO: NEWS@LCNEWSPAPERS.COM
not ready to really accept until I knew what had actually happened," he said. "It takes some time to sink in. Anytime something like this happens, there's a certain element of disbelief as you process it all." Watts said Dilly sang in the choir in sixth and seventh grade. He also wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, DILLY PAGE B2
Page B2
Amherst News-Times
SING IT LOUD
Steele has a Scholastic Gold Key winner STAFF REPORT
@SteelePrincipal
Helen Lewis sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" for a packed house to honor veterans Friday prior to tip-off at the Comets varsity boys basketball game.
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Catie Perez artwork will be judged nationally and go on display at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The Amherst Steele High School student won a Gold Key in the 2020 Lorain County Region Scholastic Art Exhibition for her piece titled "The Lace that Binds Me." It is on display along with many other student masterpieces through Feb. 19 at the Lorain County Community College Stocker Arts Center in Elyria. Gallery hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 4-6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 1-3 p.m. on Sundays. Perez and other winners will be presented with Gold Key Awards in a ceremony at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb.
12. The exhibition drew more than 1,700 entries from public and private junior high and high school students in Lorain, Erie and Huron counties. Only 550 were selected. The following Amherst Steele students have won Silver Keys: Jenna Blaus (two pieces), Jessica Faber, Jessica Hamrick (two pieces), Lindsey Heyd, Delaney Kitchen, Eliza Marcano, Nadine Muc (three pieces) and Catie Perez (two pieces). Steele students earning honorable mentions include Eve Andrijowych, Mara Buchs, Danielle Dudziak, Jessica Faber, Jessica Hamrick (two pieces), Katelyn Hazelgrove (two pieces), Bill Koon (two pieces), Iseabail Kuzawa, Alex Moore (two pieces), Emma Oney, Provided photo Catie Perez, Cecilia Sebring "The Lace that Binds Me" was created by Amherst and Olivia Van Niel. Steele High School student Catie Perez.
DON'T LOOK DOWN
SWC changes
The Comets will be getting some new company in the Southwestern Conference next year. The Elyria Pioneers will leave the Greater Cleveland Conference to join the SWC, the league announced last week. Elyria will replace Lakewood, which is leaving for the Great Lakes Conference. North Olmsted and Westlake are reportedly also entertaining the idea of leaving to join the GLC. “It’s great for our kids,” Elyria boys basketball coach Brett Larrick said. “It’s great for us as a school. We have some actual rivalry games and will develop even a few more. It’s just great for the high school atmosphere.”
@SteeleNewsLive
Seniors from the television production class at Amherst Steele High School smile atop the Empire State Building on Saturday, Jan. 18, while on a field trip to the Big Apple.
Concession stand project
A bid of $529,950 from Classical Construction LLC was accepted Jan. 13 by the Amherst Board of Education for a new concession stand and restroom facility at Mercy Health Stadium. Superintendent Steve Sayers said Classical Construction provided the low bid. The school plans to use "Mercy dollars" for the project — about $240,000 from the sale of naming rights to the health care company. The balance will be covered by the district's permanent improvement fund. School board member Ron Yacabozzi noted that no local bidders showed interest in the project, which he called "disappointing." The concession stand will be built on the southeast side of the Comets football field.
FRESHWATER
FROM B1 nature and wildlife photography, and that's where the idea for Project Freshwater originated. "As I was taking pictures of the sunset, I looked down. There was all kinds of people's clothing and plastic," he said. Hewitt likes to fish but gets frustrated by pollution. "You go to a spot, you want to see the water ripple. You don't want to see a mountain of trash. You want to see fish," he said. Most of their clean-ups are in the Amherst-Lorain area. They usually see about 10 volunteers show up, and the help seems to be growing. Reavis said that's great — he'd jump at the chance to take Project Freshwater full-time, and hopes it explodes into a worldwide effort, whether nonprofit or for-profit.
VOUCHERS
FROM B1 they get to choose which kids are accepted or rejected. Amherst Superintendent Steve Sayers said the OSBA asked for districts to draft resolutions opposing voucher expansion. "This is something that's picking up a lot of steam over the past few weeks," he said. The Wellington Schools are among the many districts statewide sharing Amherst's concerns. Westwood Elementary there was named an EdChoice school based on K-3 literacy issues back in 2014 and 2018. Wellington Superintendent Ed Weber said the problems have been fixed, and Westwood would not make the voucher list today. But once a school is on the list, it's there for two years. Every district in Lorain County will have at least one school that qualifies for vouchers this year. Even the highest-performing districts are impacted. Heritage Elementary in Avon made the list, even though the district is normally celebrated as one of the best in the state. "The state's gone a little wild in qualifying schools for these vouchers," Weber said.
DILLY
FROM B1 recapping happenings in the NFL. "He was energetic. He was passionate. His love for sports — you get him started and he'd go as long as you'd let him. The same with video games," Watts said. "It's still not real. It's still a little surreal at this point," he said.
Kristin Bauer | Chronicle
Shea Alltmont, a mother of two from Amherst, draws elaborate lunch bag art on her son Jack's brown paper lunch bags for his school lunches to highlight awareness of the Australian bushfires.
Mom's lunch bag art helps victims of Australia's fires RINI JEFFERS THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM
As she watched Australia burn, Shea Alltmont thought of how she could help. She felt a connection to Australia — while she was attending Wellington High School, she met Donisha Duff, a foreign exchange student who came to Lorain County from Down Under. Duff and Alltmont were friends, double-dating to prom and classmates in art. Being on opposite ends of the earth didn’t stop them from staying in touch over the ensuing decades. Alltmont decided to take what she knew to help her friend’s home country: She would use her hobby to highlight Australia’s plight through her art. For years, Alltmont has been using gel pens and colored pencils and markers to turn plain brown paper lunch bags into miniature works of art. It started about seven years ago when her oldest child, Cait, was attending summer day camps in Delaware, Ohio, where the family lived at the time. After Cait and her younger brother Jack were down for the night, Alltmont would get to work, making their beloved characters or dreamed-
up originals come to life on their humble lunch sacks. “It was a way to let them know I was thinking of them,” Alltmont said. Though Cait, now in high school, has since outgrown the practice, Jack still looks forward to his hand-crafted bags several times a week. They’re popular with his fellow students and teachers alike, who sometimes send home requests for certain drawings. Watching the news out of Australia, Alltmont and her kids both had the same thought: Why not use the bags to “draw” awareness to helping Australia? Alltmont messaged Duff and asked her for tangible ways to help and credible organizations in need of donations. Duff works in health policy management for the Australian government, focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander health, and told Alltmont that the government had cut funding, leaving many fire brigades underfunded and and undermanned. Besides the massive loss of property and life, the country has also lost roughly 1 billion animals to the fires. The ones saved are often in need of rehabilitation and care. “Especially for Jack, this is his thing. He wanted to know, what can we do? He knows I post pics of my bags on social media and he shares
them with his friends, and we didn’t want to ask for money ourselves, but we wanted to direct people to organizations that can use help,” Alltmont said. She began drawing Australia’s indigenous animals — a kangaroo, a koala, a platypus — in her trademark lifelike way. And this time, every shot she posted on social media sites she explained how to help, listing charities vetted by Duff. They include Wildlife Information Rescue and Service, the New South Wales Fire Brigade, and the Red Cross and Salvation Army Australian funds. She also tagged the causes on the bags, and asked her friends to share. Several people immediately made donations, including one friend whose trip to Australia was canceled due to the fires; the woman used the money she would’ve spent on the trip to make donations. “It’s just a little thing, but if a hundred little things add up, people can make a difference. And if what I can do is draw on a bag, then that’s what I’ll do,” she said. For information or donations about the charities Alltmont recommended, visit wires.org.au, salvationarmy.org.au, redcross.org.au and rfs.nsw.gov.au. To follow Alltmont’s art, follow #LateNightLunchBagArt on Instagram.
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Amherst News-Times
Page B3
No injuries in Tuesday house fire Auditor: Unspent JASON HAWK EDITOR
A woman and her dog escaped their burning house before sunrise Tuesday, thanks to a good Samaritan. A person driving by saw flames rising from the roof of a Princeton Avenue home around 6:30 a.m. and knocked on the door, according to Amherst Assistant Fire Chief Brandon Dimacchia. The passerby woke the resident and her pet and made sure they got to safety. "Somebody owes her a hug,"
Dimacchia said. When he arrived at 6:36 a.m., there were five- to eight-foot-tall flames jetting from the roof near the chimney pipe. The fireplace had been in use the night before, he said. It's hard to tell how the blaze sparked, but it's path was clear, said Dimacchia — the flames roared through the attic above the garage and bedroom. There was no smoke detector in the attic, and because smoke rises, the ones below didn't sound any alarm. Dimacchia said residents should
have attic smoke alarms for exactly that reason, though most do not. Firefighters had the flames knocked down in about 15 minutes. They pulled down the ceilings above the garage and bedroom, and tore apart drywall enclosing the chimney to make sure there were no embers left lurking. Wiring inside the house was significantly damaged, said Dimacchia, so the meter had to be pulled. That left the all-electric home without heat and power, unfit for winter occupancy. Dimacchia estimated damages at $60,000 to the structure and $20,000 to personal belongings.
Thomas Fetcenko | Chronicle
Amherst' Nathan Harmych and Avon Lake's Isaac Young battle for the puck.
Comets seal SWC three-peat A 6-0 victory Sunday over a stunned Avon Lake team gave the Comets their third straight Southwestern Conference championship title. Amherst scored five goals in the first period to let the Shoremen know they were in it to win it. Joey Kramer started off the rally, and brother Jacob Kramer followed up with a hat trick. Avery Winkelman scored one more on a power play, with an assist from the Kramers. After a scoreless second period
— the Comets locked down their defense, secure in their 5-0 lead — Jacob Kramer added insult to injury with one more power play goal in the third. Joey Kramer and Nathan Harmych were credited with the assist. Avon Lake battered away at Amherst goalie Brady Grove, who had 18 saves. “When we see the shutout we know we did our part and did everything we could have,” Winkelman said. “This feels really good, especially for me and some of the newer
guys that haven’t been here for all three. It’s really big and now we’re really looking forward to the Baron Cup.” The Comets overwhelmed Shoremen goalie Dillon Aslaksen with 24 shots. “We stress trying to stay within what we can do, and try to do it better every game,” Amherst coach Steve Morris said. “We try to stay very disciplined. If you can stay disciplined at this level, and not take a lot of stupid penalties, you have a tendency to have success.”
COMETS BRIEFS Ice Hockey • Staving off an Avon comeback attempt and tied 3-3 late in the third period, Amherst surged ahead on a Jacob Kramer goal to win 4-3. The Eagles struck first, as Mike Perusek slid the puck past Comets goalie Brady Grove at 10:12. Kramer returned the favor to close out the first period with the score even, and the Comets started the second period with a Nick Ciura goal. Nathan Harmych made it 3-1 going into the final period. That's when Avon broke loose with goals from Nick Kraszwski and Nick Koepp. Kramer's game-winner came with just a little over a minute to play. Grove made 15 saves on the night. • Avery Winkelman's goal with three seconds left in regulation ensured a trip to the Southwestern Conference finals for the Comets. Taking an assist from Joey and Jacob Kramer, he put Amherst up 4-3 over North Olmsted in semifinals action. The Eagles' Shawn Donovan drew first blood in the back-and-forth contest, answered moments later by the Comets' Jacob Kramer. Eelis Lehtonen put the Eagles up by one,
School donations The following gifts have been accepted by the Amherst Board of Education: • $18,153 from the Steele Home Run Boosters to pay most of the cost of a new baseball scoreboard. • $2,760 from the Amherst Steele Theatre
only to be matched by another Jacob Kramer goal. The Eagles held the lead for most of the second period on a Ryan Benjamin power play goal. But the third belonged to the Comets. Nick Ciura tied the game, and Winkelman finished it off. Girls Basketball • Anna Cairns and Amaya Staton each came up with 13 points to give the Comets the edge in a razor-close 49-47 victory over North Ridgeville. Faith Lewis had 12 points in the win. For the Rangers, Laney Rumancik had 14 points and Mady Rosado and Leia Smith each had 10. • Avon was slow to start, but built speed and intensity for a 44-38 win over Amherst. The Comets' Amaya Staton led all players with 14 points, and Anna Cairns put up 11. Alyssa Peganoff had 13 for the Eagles. Boys Basketball • From the 19-6 opening quarter on, the Comets consistently held an unwavering advantage over visiting North Ridgeville on the way to a 6746 final.
Boosters Club to replenish expenses incurred on behalf of the MLS Theatre Company Troupe 1422. The donation is the amount of ticket sales from the fall production of "Arsenic and Old Lace." • $1,500 from the Amherst Steele Theatre
Christian Pfeiffer scored 17 points for Amherst and Kyle Ferguson had a 10-point performance. • A massive third quarter helped the Eagles en route to a 55-50 over Amherst. Avon went into the locker room with a 25-24 halftime lead. But it was a 20-12 third quarter that made the difference. Christian Pfeiffer was the only Comet to make it to double digits, putting up 11 points. Seth Broadbent led the Eagles with 13 and Cole Warren had 12. Boys Bowling • Amherst defeated North Ridgeville 2,246 to 1,934. The Comets were led by Antonio Rodriguez with a 429 series. Other scores: Logan Stewart 419, J.P. Gregory 383, Zachary Zakrajsek 344, Zachary Dull 312.
cash shows city’s responsibility JASON HAWK EDITOR
A healthy $1.7 million will carry over from last year in the city of Amherst's general fund. That's day-to-day operating revenue that was budgeted but not spent in 2019, and will help pad out the 2020 budget due to go to City Council in March. Unlike the federal government, cities can't run a deficit. But they can come close — it wasn't long ago that, during the Great Recession under Mayor David Taylor, Amherst was stretching every last penny just to make it through the year. That's changed with an uptick in income tax collections and business expansion in the city limits. Last year the carryover shot upward to $1.4 million, according to Amherst Deputy Auditor Gwen Melbar, and this year improved by another $300,000. City auditor Derek Pittak said workers' compensation and unemployment claims came in well under projections in 2019. There were also few major health issues that weighed on the city's insurance costs, which definitely helped. He directed praise for the carryover to Mayor Mark Costilow. "He's steering the ship," said Pittak. Costilow manages the budget tightly, which last year resulted in nearly ever general fund account coming in under budget, he said. At the same time, there were a number of large projects finished, including paving Cooper Foster Park Road and moving North Main Street away from the eroding banks of Beaver Creek. "It's probably a little bit of luck but also managing it well," Pittak said. This fall, City Council adopted a temporary budget to get Amherst through the first quarter of the year. Meetings are just kicking off now to iron out the full 2020 budget, which is due in March. If it falls in line with the 2019 budget, it will be around $47 million.
Engle: Endowment board needs new sense of enthusiasm JASON HAWK EDITOR
The complaint was an odd one, and aimed at friends. The Amherst Schools Educational Foundation, which has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to help local students, "lacks any kind of enthusiasm. It lacks any kind of motivation," Rex Engle told his fellow school board members last Monday. ASEF is the group that gave $200,000 for a sweeping renovation of the old library at Steele High School in 2016. It followed up in 2018 with $120,000 more for a similar project at Amherst Junior High School. But in the Board of Education's first meeting of the year, Engle accused the nonprofit group of sitting on its hands. He said ASEF members seem content for now to hand out scholarships, when they should be raising funds. "I think we need to build some excitement," he said. Valerie Neidert, who minutes before had been sworn in as the new president of the school board, said attendance at ASEF meetings has been low recently. Engle said the group "could be more vibrant" and maybe it should be the school board's job to offer the foundation its help. If the Board of Education gave ASEF a goal or a new project, maybe it would make a difference, he said. District Superintendent Steve Sayers said he is appreciative of what the foundation has done in recent years. "We've got to figure out a way to maybe get more folks involved, to help the folks that are on the board," he said. The Amherst Schools Educational Foundation was established in 1986 with a $500 donation. The endowment has since grown to nearly $2 million, with about 30 funds.
Girls Bowling • Amherst defeated North Ridgeville 1,871 to 1,575. The Comets were led by Makayla Velasquez with a 390 series. Other scores: Hannah Aschenbach 339, Katherine Dull 327, Katelynn Romancak 273, Trinity Miller 273.
Pogie’s Meat & 3 Lunch
Boosters Club for Jennifer Ludwig, an independent contractor used in the winter production by MLS Theatre Company Troupe 1422. • $300 in gift cards from Marc Zappa to purchase items for families in need for Christmas.
• $140 from Nord Middle School staff members to purchase books for the Nord or Powers libraries in memory of Sarah Walker's mother. • $500 from Pastor Josh Smith on behalf of Grow Point Church to pay off student meal debts.
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Page B4
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Amherst News-Times
© 2020 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 36, No. 7
NASA says y that on nlyy out one piece of sp pace er falls to earth each day. y Nearly all of this burns up as it enters the atmosphere.
ave you noticed that all too often people leave litter behind when they go out and about? That causes problems for our planet and living things. Since people started exploring space, we have been leaving litter tter behind. hind And that th spacee litter iss causin ing proble blems.
Space junk is a problem. Orbiting junk travels at tremendous speed, causing damage to working satellites and spacecraft like the International Space Station (ISS). Orbiting Earth there are: 34,000 objects larger than 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter 900,000 objects ranging from .4 inches (1 cm) to 4 inches (10 cm) in size
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ING TRAVEL MILES
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9+4= tools
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*SOURCE: European Space Agency
Sometimes, astronauts drop things accidentally. And sometimess th hey h ey leeeave ave thin things g in space th things thi floating in p on purpose. Which of these hings aree reallyy fl n space? Do the d out. Items that h add dd m h to fifind math d up to an odd nu umber mber are REAL. Those that add up t even n to numbers are science fictttio on! astronaut 23 + 9 = glove 24 + 3 =
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Cleaning Up Space: The European Space Agency (ESA) has developed a four-armed robot which will be launched into space to help clean up the trash in 2025. The robot will gather up debris before diving back down to Earth, where both the robot and the junk will burn up in the atmosphere. Circle every other letter to discover the name of this mission.
ORBITING STRANGE PROBLEM SCIENCE LITTER DEBRIS OBJECT SPACE TRASH ROBOT CLEAN BURNS JUNK REAL SKY
HHundredToss Count different things in i thhe newspaper! For exxample, count the numbers of: w women reporters m men reporters numbers over 100 dogs adjectives in the hheadlines on one ppage
Facing disaster on a global scale, the CatStronauts rally to save the day. Without their chief science officer, and with a broken telescope and a lack of funding, the situation looks dire. Even Pilot Waffles is orbiting Earth in nothing but a space suit. Drew Brockington’s third graphic novel in the series follows these daring adventures in space with imagination and much hilarity.
CatStronauts: K L P O T K D P D B H F K B D M P D B H F
Hour after hour of puzzle fun from Kid Scoop! Like puzzles? Love animals? Then we have the book for you! Order from your local bookstore, Target.com, BarnesandNoble.com or Amazon.com today!
Stan ndards Link: Research: Use the t newspaper to locate information.
Find the words in the puzzle. How many of them can you find on this page?
G O T E C N E I C S
N D U R T C L E A N I E G N A R T S O P
T B F P L S T H R O I R S R I K H O T B
B I N E T Y B O I J
R S R A T L B S U E
O U U L E O N N I C V E B M R R K S E T
Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recongized identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
Living in the Future
This week’s word:
DEBRIS
The noun debris means junk or pieces left behind from something broken or destroyed. The abandoned space ship became debris orbiting Earth. Try to use the word debris in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family.
TTicket to Space
Look through the newspaper to find a scienceed related article that might have been considered science-fiction 50 years ago. Then find an add for a product that wasn’t available 50 years aggo. ANSWER: To get brighter.
Standards Link: History: Compare and contrast everyday life e in different times.
Use the Decoder Ring to discover the name of this fun graphic novel by Drew Brockington, which is available at the library. To fill in the blanks, find the letter on the outer ring, then replace it with the letter below it on the inner ring.
Pretend you could win a ride P innnto space on a rocket. Write a paragraph telling why you should win that prize.
INSIDE: PHOENIX DISMANTLE FIRST PLACE RAIDERS • C3
OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2020 • SERVING OBERLIN SINCE 1930
Erik Andrews | Oberlin News-Tribune
After six seasons, Jay Anderson has resigned as head coach of the Oberlin College football program.
Anderson leaves Oberlin College football team JASON HAWK EDITOR
Jay Anderson, who served as head coach of the Yeomen football program at Oberlin College for the past six seasons, has stepped down. He resigned to return to Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio, where he will become the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Falcons. A graduate of Oberlin High School, Anderson studied at the University of Toledo and previously served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame College. "I am nothing but grateful for having the opportunity to lead the Oberlin College football program for the last six years," he said in a release from the Yeomen athletics department. "Oberlin is a special place and it has been a privilege to positively impact the lives of the young men of this program throughout my tenure." Since 2013, the OC football team went 12-48 with Anderson at the helm. He mentored two of the top three quarterbacks in program history, according to a release from Oberlin College Associate Vice President for Athletics Natalie Winkelfoos — they are current senior Zach Taylor and 2015 graduate Lucas Poggiali. ANDERSON PAGE C2
Photos by Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune
The Rev. Cheryl Lindsay of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Wellington delivers a Martin Luther King Jr. Day address on Monday, Jan. 20 in Oberlin.
King's legacy is a call for justice JASON HAWK EDITOR
Remembered as a preacher and prophet, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was honored Monday by Oberlin residents. Black and white, they huddled shoulder to shoulder in the snow under King's image, which is immortalized in brick in a monument on East
Vine Street. King was "a drum major for peace and a drum major for justice," said the Rev. A.G. Miller of Oberlin House of the Lord Fellowship. "We wonder what a more just world we would have if he had lived," he said. King was killed by gunman James Earl Ray the evening of April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Had he lived, he would have turned
91 last week. "Our world is a neighborhood," King once said. "We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools." "We remember that he called us to love, but that love is not merely how we feel," said the Rev. Cheryl Lindsay of Wellington's First Congregational United Church. "It's who we are, a way of being, so that our KING PAGE C2
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Provided image
"The Ghosts of the Slain Taira Warriors Attacking Yoshitsune and His Men as They Cross Daimotsu Bay" was made around 1850 by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.
Prints return from Japan for major exhibition In 1950, the Allen Memorial Art Museum received a surprise gift of more than 1,500 Japanese woodblock prints featuring actors, courtesans and landscapes of the “floating world” of 17th to 19th century Japan. This bequest became a cornerstone of the Allen’s renowned Asian art collection, and 200 of the works traveled back to Japan last year for a tour of museums in Chiba, Shizuoka and Osaka. Now more than 100 of these prints are on view in "Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection," an Oberlin exhibition that runs through June 14. Mary Andrews Ainsworth (1867–1950) graduated from Oberlin College in 1889 and made her first sea voyage to Japan in 1906. The country had recently emerged from centuries of isolation and was beginning JAPAN PAGE C2
Photos by Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune
Newly-chosen Board of Education Vice President Jason Williams shakes hand with President Albert Borroni on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
New president, VP take oath JASON HAWK EDITOR
Albert Borroni has been chosen to serve as president of the Oberlin Board of Education this year. Jason Williams was tapped to serve as vice president. In the first meeting of 2020, the school board also welcomed newly-elected member Deon Regis. He steps into the seat vacated by Barry Richard, who did not seek reelection and bowed out in December.
The organizational meeting, held last Tuesday, focused on setting meeting dates for the year. Three special sessions were scheduled to focus on topics the board wants to look at closely to gain a better understanding. On March 9, the board will delve into financial matters, including food service. On Oct. 13, it will examine the workings of Ohio's state report card and assessments. And at the request of
New Oberlin Board of Education member Deon Regis is sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 14 during an organizational meeting at Oberlin High School. Ken Stanley, who was re-elected to another four-year PRESIDENT PAGE C2 term, was also sworn in.
SUBMIT YOUR NEWS TO: NEWS@LCNEWSPAPERS.COM
Page C2
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Oberlin News-Tribune
Gibson's Bakery on Jordan's stops LAINA YOST THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM
Congressman Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, is looking at 2020 as a year of victories for President Donald Trump. Jordan visited Lorain County on Friday, making stops at Bendix Commercial Vehicles in Elyria, Gibson's Bakery in Oberlin, manufacturers in Amherst and taking time to meet new Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield. Steve Manheim | Chronicle Jordan represents the Congressman Jim Jor4th District in Ohio, dan speaks on Friday, which includes Elyria, Jan. 17 at Bendix in Oberlin, Amherst and Elyria. several other villages and townships in Lorain County. Recently, Jordan was embroiled in Congressional hearings on impeachment of Trump. Although Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, he still must face a trial in the U.S. Senate. Talk has circulated that Jordan will be sent to the Senate to help represent President Trump. "We don't know yet," Jordan said. "I'm happy to help, but that's up to the president and up to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell." The congressman was a key leader for Republicans during the impeachment hearing in the House of Representatives. On Friday, Jordan called it a "ridiculous case" against Trump. The U.S. Senate's impeachment trial began Thursday. Trump faces two charges: that he abused his presidential power by telling Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden, who's running for president, and that he obstructed Congress' investigation. "We'll see how long a trial lasts," Jordan said. "He'll be vindicated and there will be no conviction... In spite of the opposition, the president's getting things done." Part of the work Jordan cited was the passage of the the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — a reworked NAFTA — on Thursday. And on Wednesday, Trump signed a "phase one" trade agreement with China. Jordan said the quick passage of USMCA through Congress "sent a message" to China about how things would get done and how quickly it can move through. Whitfield, who met with Jordan on Friday, said they had a great meeting and spoke on several issues. He ran and won as an Independent candidate in Elyria. "He committed to helping us with our economic development initiatives, including having discussions with Bendix," Whitfield said. "We talked about my campaign and I shared with him my vision for bipartisanship and the need for a new wave of politics." This year is an election year for both the president and Jordan. Jordan will not face any opposition in the March primary, but he will have at least two opponents in November after the Democratic primary and one Libertarian is running. "It will be a good year for the president and for Republicans," Jordan said. "My job is to tell people I represent I'm doing what I said I would do."
ANDERSON
FROM C1 They rank second and third in career passing yards for Oberlin, and Taylor tied for the most touchdown passes in school history with 48, also setting the Yeomen's record for total offense with 7,557 yards. "Jay did a tremendous job of raising the profile of Oberlin College football," Winkelfoos said. "He was steadfast in his commitment of making this a destination for high-academic students that wish to compete at a high level at a remarkable institution within a quality conference. I am grateful for his leadership. We are better because of him and the athletes he guided." A national search is underway for Anderson's successor.
KING
FROM C1 actions reflect our attitudes and beliefs and our beliefs drive what we do." But Lindsay urged those gathered in Oberlin to remember King as he was, not as the sanitized character some have tried to make him. Yes, he was a dreamer who called for nonviolent solutions to society's problems. But King was also a political radical who was not afraid to criticize U.S. economic policy and the war in Vietnam, who took aim at slumlords and wanted to arm the poor with an economic bill of rights. Quoting King, Lindsay said "our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." "Many of us grew up believing in the ideals of this country, but later became aware — if we had eyes to see and ears to hear — of the disconnect between the promise and the reality," she said. Americans have embraced the words "liberty and justice for all" while accepting liberty and justice only for some, she said. The idea that all people are created equal is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, although the document did not originally treat people of color and women equally, Lindsay said. "If God embraces every living human being, then so too should we. And if God stands for justice, the question for us is what do we stand for?" She used her platform in Oberlin to call for liberty and justice for those who are at the border seeking asylum, those impacted by a justice system that needs reform, for the Sandra Blands and Treyvon Martins and Tamir Rices of the world, for those seeking equal access to educa-
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► Oberlin City Council President Linda Slocum reads a proclamation honoring the late Martin Luther King Jr.
retreat should be a time to examine Oberlin's master plan for facilities. She said the focus should be on phase two of construction on North Pleasant Street. A new PK-5 elementary school will be built in 2020-2021, but the long-term plan has been to build a second building for grades 6-12 there soon, as funding allows. "We need to have a good, healthy conversation about what we want to have in the Oberlin school district that isn't going to be able to be co-funded by the state," Schaum said. In other action, the school board approved the sale this spring of $7.95 million in bonds for construction of the elementary school. The board also voted to buy two new convection ovens for school cafeterias at a cost of $38,917.
2020 MEETINGS • Jan. 28 at 6 p.m., OHS • Feb. 18 at 6 p.m., Langston • March 9 at 6 p.m., OHS • March 31 at 6 p.m., Eastwood • April 28 at 6 p.m., OHS • May 26 at 6 p.m., Prospect • June 16 at 6 p.m., OHS • July — No meeting • Aug. 15 from 8 a.m. to noon, location TBD — Board retreat • Aug. 25 at 5 p.m., OHS • Sept. 22 at 5 p.m., OHS • Oct. 13 at 6 p.m., OHS • Oct. 27 at 5 p.m., OHS • Nov. 10 at 6 p.m., OHS • Nov. 24 at 6 p.m., OHS • Dec. 15 at 6 p.m., OHS
Treasurer Robert Rinehart said right now the district has four ovens and three are out of service.
JAPAN
FROM C1 a period of rapid industrial development. Ainsworth, however, was attracted to an earlier Japan, that of the Edo period (1603–1868). In this more peaceful era, a world of entertainment arose — ephemeral pursuits made even more popular through the wide distribu-
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tion and economic advancement, women who want to make their own health care decisions and the LGBTQ community. A litany read by the crowd at Oberlin's Martin Luther King Jr. Park called for an end to violence in any form, an end to war and a shift away from materialism. Led by Ivra Jackson if Rust United Methodist Church, the throng of people held hands and sang the gospel protest anthem "We Shall Overcome" before departing.
PRESIDENT
FROM C1 board member Ken Stanley, a Nov. 10 session will focus on motivation. "I think it's all about what sorts of things we do to make kids want to come to school, want to learn," he said, as well as what negatives happen in school to discourage learners. Stanley said he wants to talk about keeping students engaged, and how the district measures whether teachers are motivating them. The school board will also hold its annual retreat — which is open to the public and subject to Ohio's open meeting laws — from 8 a.m. to noon on Aug. 15. A location has not been set. Anne Schaum, who ended her run as president but remains a member of the Board of Education, said the
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The Rev. A.G. Miller of Oberlin House of the Lord Fellowship said he remembers the day King was assassinated. "I look back and see how far we have come, and it reminds me how far we have to go," he said.
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tion of color woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world.” “The Ainsworth collection represents the history and evolution of Japanese woodblock printmaking, with high-quality examples of the major subjects, styles, and artists of ukiyoe. Together, they convey much of the richness and complexity of Japan’s print tradition,” said Kevin Greenwood, the Allen’s Joan L. Danforth Curator of Asian Art. “We were approached by one of Japan’s leading ukiyo-e scholars to do this exhibition, which confirms the importance of Ainsworth’s collection,” he said. “In the process of working together, we discovered some impressions not known in any other collections.” "Ukiyo-e Prints from the Mary Ainsworth Collection" is presented in four sections that span the history of the medium. Early prints (1680–1770) were monochrome, often with hand-coloring added; the carbon-black ink was made from pine soot. Around 1745, with the invention of a way to register, or align, wooden
blocks, artists such as Ishikawa Toyonobu began printing in red and green. These benizuri-e prints, or “crimson-printed pictures,” sometimes included a third color: yellow, brown, or indigo. In the 1760s, Suzuki Harunobu was the first major producer of prints using more than three blocks. The second part of the show, "Beauties and Actors (1770–1800)," includes works by Kitagawa Utamaro, Chobunsai Eishi and other artists who helped to popularize the many theaters, tea houses and celebrities of the pleasure district in Edo (now Tokyo). Ukiyo-e artists not only made prints for sale to Japan’s growing merchant class, but also were hired to produce posters and advertisements for theatrical performances. The third section, "Hokusai and Kuniyoshi (1780– 1850)," highlights the rise of landscapes in Japanese printmaking, which was due in part to the introduction of a chemical pigment called Prussian blue. Six prints from Katsushika Hokusai’s series "Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji" are included, along
with Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s prints of bridges, ferries, and heroes from history and legend. The final section (1830– 1858) is devoted to prints by Utagawa Hiroshige I. Works by this prolific artist comprise more than half of the Ainsworth collection. The exhibition presents 36 works by Hiroshige I, including nine from his 1830s series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" and 13 from his 1857 series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" — prime examples of some of the finest woodblock prints ever produced in Japan. “This extensive exhibition and its accompanying catalog have been years in coming to fruition,” said Andria Derstine, John G. W. Cowles Director of the Allen. “We are thrilled to present, for the first time in decades, such a large portion of our Ainsworth collection, both at the Allen and to enthusiastic audiences in Japan.” The Allen Memorial Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. It is closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is free.
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Oberlin News-Tribune
Page C3
Phoenix take down first-ranked Columbia Raiders ERIK ANDREWS CORRESPONDENT
Erik Andrews | Oberlin News-Tribune
Andre Yarber drives the lane late in the second half.
If the first place Columbia Raiders (9-3, 6-2 in the Lorain County League) go on to secure league honors, they won't have Oberlin to thank. While the Raiders' record is 6-0 against the rest of the LC8 competition, they stand at 0-2 when facing the Phoenix this season. With 20 points from junior Trajen Chambers on Friday, Oberlin completed a series sweep with a solid 65-55 win on the road in Columbia Station. The visitors broke fast from the gate, jumping out to a 19-8 lead after one quarter. Unlike the first encounter, when the Phoenix relied on three-point shooting to snag a win, this time they attacked in the paint. Chambers supplied 18 of 20 points in the first half, finishing around the rim with befuddled Raiders defenders wondering how his 5-foot-11
JVS expects to draw thousands to open house this weekend The Lorain County JVS will hold its annual open house from 12:30-3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, and organizers say they expect thousands to attend. Attendees will get an indepth view of the Pittsfield Township-based careertechnical school's program offerings in the building trades, business and marketing, community service, health care, culinary arts, manufacturing, engineering and transportation. Instructors from the JVS Connections Academy will also be available to discuss program options for ninthand 10th-graders in the Career Readiness and Career Exploration Programs. Adult Career Center staff
will also be on hand to register adult students for upcoming classes and talk with those interested in changing careers or upgrading their skills. Visitors will have the opportunity to: • Tour the campus and visit career-technical labs and classrooms. • Talk with teachers, high school students and alumni. • View student demonstrations of industry-specific equipment. • Meet with local business partners about the need for skilled workers. • Apply for enrollment to the high school for the 2020-2021 school year. • Visit adult career-technical labs and view student
LETTERS Still concerned about wetland To the editor: I realize I have burdened you with letters about wetland A for 12 years. You have been very receptive, and once when the EPA was coming to investigate you printed a nice article about my concerns. In 2015, the city finally did something, but it was only a Band Aid, and was no real solution to the problem! Their solution was to place Armor Flex at a topography of 829.25, which is 16 inches higher than the other five tiles under the Ramsey running from west to east. Why would they do that? This cost the city $27,000. I and Mr. Campana offered to place a tile there for free at no cost to the city whatsoever! Why were we rejected? The city claimed a tile would not support their expected traffic in the area. However, the original tiles supported locomotives from 1906 to 1942. What kind of traffic did the city expect? Heavier than a locomotive? I believe the resistance to placing a tile there was all a stonewall by the previous city manager because I as a neighbor adjacent to the Ramsey questioned a lot of his intentions: He supported an inaccurate land survey that would have taken 4,500 square feet of my property. He supported the placement of a 12-inch tile that would have been in direct violation of Ohio drainage law 101. He supported placement of large boulders on my property to prohibit unauthorized traffic. I prevailed in all cases, meaning my concerns were correct! We now have a new City Council, and some of them have direct knowledge of my concerns from the past. Some of them have visited the area of concern. The new city manager is aware of all my concerns, he has proven facts that support my concerns, and I believe if he and Council review the facts, they will understand my concerns. I believe all of them would like to correct this wrong, but of course it's up to them. Trees are dying, the power lines are in danger, and I have to put up with flooding on my property. John Whitman
Younger athletes deserve more To the editor: I feel very strongly about the athletics in the Oberlin school system. Our sports don’t have enough funding, and if it has the money, it goes straight to the senior class. Whenever the seniors get new jerseys or equipment, the old equipment goes to the younger class of seventhgraders at Langston Middle School. I feel that the Oberlin community should know where there money is being spent, and how their younger athletes are being treated. Avery Arnold
demonstrations. • Talk with Adult Career Center instructors about certification and license post-secondary options. • Begin the enrollment process for the Adult Career Center with the assistance of JVS staff members. The Lorain County JVS is located at 15181 State Route 58. For more information, contact the JVS at 440774-1051 or info@lcjvs. com.
frame had eluded their 6-foot5-tall timber. As the Columbia defense added extra support inside, that opened up the long range option, which Chambers found also to his liking for a pair of treys and a total of 12 points in the quarter to pace Oberlin to 36-22 lead. The defense was also clicking. Eleven Columbia turnovers in the first half resulted in 14 of the Phoenix points, matching their lead at the midway point. Oberlin continued to build on its lead, pushing it out to 17 on a Harrell jumper before the Raiders shooters finally began to find their touch. Hitting three treys in each the third and fourth quarters, Columbia whittled down the Phoenix lead to 54-48 before Ty Locklear finished a 360 spin in the lane for a pair, followed immediately by a dagger three from the corner, compliments of senior James Davis, to push the lead back out to double digits. To ice the win, Locklear
converted all four of his free throws in the final minute while Columbia's guns again fell silent. The 55-point total was Columbia's lowest production of the season, and it came in their first loss on the home hardwood. Oberlin head coach Kurt Russell was quite pleased with his team. "The guys played hard tonight, and the result speaks for itself," he said. "Columbia is a very good team — they're in first place for a reason. We wanted to attack the basket today and everyone did a good job of that. Trajen really demonstrated some leadership-by-example tonight. This gym, which is always packed and rowdy, is a very difficult place to win a game, but the team stepped up tonight." Oberlin (8-4, 5-3 LCL) travels to Black River on Friday to square off with the Pirates. Varsity tip-off is set for 7 p.m., following the 5:30 p.m. junior varsity contest.
85 SOUTH MAIN STREET OBERLIN OHIO 44074 JANUARY 23, 2020 BOARD AND COMMISSION MEETING DATES ALL MEETINGS WILL TAKE PLACE AT 85 SOUTH MAIN STREET JANUARY 28, 2020.....RESOURCE CONSERVATION & RECOVERY 7:00 P.M. CONFERENCE ROOM 1 JANUARY 28, 2020.....OPEN SPACE COMMISSION 5:00 P.M. CONFERENCE ROOM 1 NOTICE: DISABLED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CALL 775-7203 OR E-MAIL: banderson@cityofoberlin.com NOTICE REQUIRED: TWO (2) WORKING DAYS IN ADVANCE OF MEETING (48 HOURS) CLERK OF COUNCIL’S OFFICE.
THE OSCARS ACROSS 1. Cracked open 5. Protrude 8. *”Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood” supporting nominee 12. Eggnog time, traditionally 13. Pol request 14. Capital of Senegal 15. *Jo Van Fleet won for her role in “East of ____” 16. Augmented 17. Shoemaker without shoes, e.g. 18. Ones full of desire 20. VSCO girl’s shoes 21. New Zealand native 22. “The Nutcracker” step 23. Boiled bread product, pl. 26. Guarapo de jagua fruit 30. Edith Wharton’s “The ____ of Innocence” 31. “____ ‘er ____!” 34. *1935 Best Picture nominee “A ____ of Two Cities” 35. Plant a.k.a. golden buttons 37. *Dustin Hoffman was nominated for role in “____ the Dog” 38. Does like Matryoshka 39. Narrative poem 40. Brunch drink 42. Gumshoe 43. 10-sided polygon 45. Qatar native 47. Greek R 48. “Friends” favorite spot? 50. Fodder holder 52. *Oscar winner for “The Revenant” and 2020 nominee 55. Uses a paring knife 56. Twelfth month of Jewish civil year 57. Whirlpool 59. *The first to refuse his award, for “Patton” 60. *He was nominated for “Lost in Translation” 61. Sunburn aid 62. Negative contraction 63. Chi precursor 64. *”The Marriage Story” nominee DOWN 1. Reply to a captain 2. *Renée Zellweger’s role 3. Away from wind 4. Dub again 5. *Movie with most 2020 Os-
car nominations 6. First cradles 7. *Oscar-winners Gore, Fonda and Cameron did this talk, pl. 8. *South Korean black comedy thriller 9. Image in an Orthodox church 10. Soaks in rays 11. The old college one 13. With numerous veins 14. Backless sofa 19. Campaign trail gathering 22. Coach’s talk 23. Diminished 24. Open-mouthed 25. Relating to a gene 26. Garbage in, garbage out 27. Primo, on Italian menu 28. What tailor shops do 29. *He won an Oscar for role in a Scorsese movie 32. *Oscar-winning writer Julius
Epstein to Oscar-winning writer Philip Epstein 33. Ewe’s mate 36. *She’s nominated in 2020... twice 38. Civil rights org. 40. Jersey call 41. Sudden increase in wind 44. *Whoopi Goldberg scored an Oscar for this movie 46. *”Phantom ____,” 2018 nominee 48. Locomotive hair 49. Round openings 50. Cul de ____, pl. 51. *Meryl Streep won for “____ Lady” 52. Mortgage, e.g. 53. Not in action 54. Skunk’s defense 55. Tire measurement 58. Japanese capital
SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE A2
Page C4
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Oberlin News-Tribune
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INSIDE: MAIN STREET VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR • D2
WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2020 • SERVING WELLINGTON SINCE 1864
Lt. Shelton retires after 25 years Outrage after
McCormick lunch fiasco
JASON HAWK EDITOR
As he prepared to spend Friday on road duty, Lt. Jeff Shelton was hoping his last day as a Wellington police officer would be a quiet one. "I'm here. I'm not leaving early. I'm working my full shift until 6 o'clock," he said. After 25 years, he decided to retire. But Shelton said that retirement might not last long — "I have some irons in the fire," he said with a chuckle. A resident of Wellington, he said he'll still spend plenty of time around town. He'll miss heading into the station every day to help people in the community, though. Shelton helped keep the peace in the village, but he also served the county. He was a member of the Lorain County SWAT team for 12 years, including nine as a hostage negotiator. And he served 22 years with the Lorain County Drug Task Force. In addition to wearing the badge, Shelton was an EMT for the South Lorain County Ambulance District for 16 years, and was a Wellington firefighter for three years, trained as an advanced fire investigator through the Ohio Fire Marshal's Office. The work he is most proud of? In 2016, he and Detective Robert Avilles rescued 16 kids being held at gun-
Cafeteria worker on leave during investigation over seized meal JASON HAWK EDITOR
Kristin Bauer | Chronicle
Wellington Police Lt. Jeff Shelton is retiring after 25-years on the force. His last road patrol was Friday, Jan. 17. point during a First Baptist Church youth group campout. Justin Fronek of Pittsfield Township, who was then 31 years old, was disarmed and eventually sentenced to prison. Shelton said knowing he had saved the lives of children was the greatest
feeling he could get from his job. Shelton also recalled winning FBI awards for his efforts in solving two bank robberies in Wellington. After the Sun Center Federal SHELTON PAGE D3
Bank robber still at large
Bruce Bishop | Chronicle
Wellington Police search the area around Fifth Third Bank on East Herrick Street last Wednesday.
Police and FBI asking for leads JASON HAWK EDITOR
Detectives and FBI agents are still hunting for the masked man who robbed Fifth Third Bank last Wednesday, Jan. 15. No arrest had been made as of press time Tuesday night, and an FBI spokeswoman said there was no new information to share. The culprit wore a dirty yellow ski mask and brandished a silver revolver when he struck at 3:43 p.m., according to surveillance camera stills released by the Wellington police. Investigators described the suspect as a single white man wearing a leather coat over a plaid
Provided photo
A suspect is seen at Fifth Third Bank with his face covered. shirt, with jeans. A witness called police while the robbery was in progress, but the man was in and out of the bank in only a few minutes, said
Police Chief Tim Barfield. No one was hurt during the robbery, police said. The amount of cash taken was not disclosed. Police dogs were used
in an attempt to find the suspect, and Wellington police searched residential properties around the East Herrick Avenue bank with assault rifles at the ready. “We will not allow anyone to terrorize our visitors, employees or residents,” police said on social media, sharing pictures from the bank’s cameras. “You will see the suspect is armed and threatened the men and women in the bank at the time. We are following up on numerous leads and have additional witnesses who are helping to provide solid information.” If you have a tip — no matter how small or inconsequential you think it ROBBERY PAGE D2
A cafeteria worker's actions are being investigated after she confiscated a McCormick Middle School student's lunch over a $6 debt. "Not only took it while he was eating. Did it in front of the whole cafeteria," said the student's parent, Brian Babb, in a social media post that led to outrage among Wellington residents. "So then I go to pay it. And ask why they thought that was appropriate. And they want to smirk and smile about it," he wrote. There were no denials, no excuses, no dodges offered up by school district Superintendent Ed Weber. "This is not the kind of organization we want to run. It is outside our operating procedures and we will make sure appropriate action is taken," he said. "My heart's broken over it." Weber confirmed that Babb's complaint on social media was accurate. Babb later posted that he met with school staff and saw a video of the incident occur. Weber said a McCormick cafeteria cashier let “This is not the student get a lunch on the kind of Jan. 15 and head toward a table. organization That's when another we want employee committed what Weber called "a flato run.” grant violation" and took Superintendent the food out of the child's hands, he said. Ed Weber "She shouldn't have taken the lunch and she shouldn't have responded to other students about another student's finances," said Weber. "Sometimes employees do things by accident and you can coach them through it. But in this case, I'm totally disappointed in how the staff member acted." The Wellington Board of Education adopted a policy two years ago that allows students to incur $20 in cafeteria debt. When that happens, the student is supposed to get three additional meals, and then there's a reserve fund that can be used to help them cover the cost of lunch, Weber said. At that point, the principal is supposed to step in and find out what can be done to help. Weber said the food policy was not followed. All cafeteria workers get a copy of the meal policy at the beginning of the year, he said. An investigation into the cafeteria worker's conduct was launched last Wednesday. Weber said the following day that he anticipates disciplinary action for the employee. That could be anywhere from a letter of reprimand to termination, he said. Principal Nathan Baxendale reached out Friday and said the employee had been put on administrative leave. He would not say whether it was paid or unpaid leave. "The staff member acted against the school district policy regarding student lunch account balances and I am investigating the full scope of the incident," he said in a written statement. "The academic, social and emotional growth and safety of all of my students is the paramount mission for the entire faculty and staff," he wrote. "I will continue to diligently address any action that goes against that LUNCHES PAGE D2
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Page D2
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020
Wellington Enterprise
Jason Hawk | Wellington Enterprise
Kat Byrnes was honored for her volunteer work at Main Street Wellington's annual meeting on Jan. 13 at the Elms Retirement Village.
Volunteer of the Year JASON HAWK EDITOR
Kat Byrnes has been named Main Street Wellington's Volunteer of the Year for 2019. A part-time employee at Wellington Music, she started giving her time to the nonprofit Main Street organization in July. Byrnes threw herself into promoting summer and fall festivals, as well as the newly-launched First Fridays. "I just want to bring more stuff downtown so we don't all have to travel 30, 40 minutes away," she told a crowd that gathered last week for Main Street's annual meeting. Byrnes said her mission is to draw more local businesses to town and provide more opportunities for people to shop in Wellington. First Fridays are a way to highlight the best of what the downtown area has to offer. From 4-8 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, businesses turn out the red carpet with specials, crafts, games and entertainment. The theme for the Feb. 7 event is chocolate, wine and roses. You can also make valentines for local veterans. "So tell everybody. Tell your family," Byrnes said. Main Street Director Jenny Arntz said Byrnes has gone door to door, getting business owners on board with promotions. "When we started putting together First Fridays, she was the first one to get really excited about it," she said — Byrnes saw the concept work in her native Wadsworth and needed no convincing that it could help Wellington. "We knew this was going to be a challenge, because sometimes Wellington doesn't want to do things until it knows they're going to work," Arntz said. "She has really been there to get people excited and assure them our events really will work." Another award is in the works. The Morris Furcron Outstanding Citizenship Award was not given this summer. Artnz said the honoree has been chosen and she hopes he will be available to receive the award in the next month or two.
MAIN STREET NEEDS YOUR HELP
Year starts with budget concerns JASON HAWK EDITOR
This year's financial picture "definitely does not look good" for Main Street Wellington, according to Director Jenny Arntz. The bleak outlook was discussed at the nonprofit's annual meeting on Monday, Jan. 13. Arntz said scrutinizing the budget was a "bit of a depressing but necessary" way to start the year, especially following a banner 2019. This past year, Wellington won the America's Main Streets grand prize of $25,000. Part of the award helped rejuvenate the Horr-Warner Cheese Company building on West Herrick Avenue. Main Street Wellington also awarded 20 mini-grants to help business owners spruce up their storefronts. There were also "Paint the Town Proud" events to give fresh coats of paint to downtown buildings. The village also welcomed a number of new businesses, including On Track Nutrition, Scent Depot, Mad Batter Pastry Emporium, The Saunders Place and Essential Kneads Massage Therapy. While Wellington launched a weeklong community Christmas celebration and started First Fridays events, it has also faced some hardships. "We've had some unplanned expenses," Arntz said. Main Street spent extra money on supplies and advertising to get its new events moving, she said. But the nonprofit's budget remains more or less fixed, and grants are getting harder and harder to get. With $68,111 in expenses and $47,225 in income for 2020, Arntz is asking for help. She is hunting for new members, both businesses and individuals, to pay dues and reap the benefits of being part of Main Street. Arntz and company are also making some changes to limit spending. Main Street's "Wine About Winter and Beat Winter Blues with Brews"
Jason Hawk | Wellington Enterprise
Main Street Wellington celebrated outgoing board member Christina Jordan at its annual meeting. She has been involved with downtown revitalization efforts for nearly 20 years, serving two terms on the board and one as president of Main Street.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
• David Arcuri, co-owner of Scent Depot. "I want nothing more than to see Wellington be a go-to destination for the surrounding area and beyond," he said. "I want Wellington to be where everyone wants to be, both residents and businesses." • Elyse Coker, realtor and owner of 215 Main. "When Ron Drake of 'Flip This Town' came to Wellington, he encouraged me to get involved, especially being a building owner, so I did," she said. • Paige Landes, realtor at King Realty. "Being a part of a small business in town shows me how much Main Street Wellington does for local businesses and the community," she said. event has been canceled after losing money in 2019. The Dog Days of Summer festival has been moved to June 14 in search of cooler temperatures. And several events — Fall in Love with Wellington, the Antique Car Festival and the town's Home Tour — have been combined on Oct. 17 and 18 "to be more nimble," Arntz said. "The trick is this year we're going to have to figure out how to make a little bit of money while we do those
events to help with our budget," she said. There are also more signs of economic growth on the horizon in 2020. Already Arntz expects Mechanic Street Brewing, a Mexican restaurant tentatively named Los Broncos, Legro Flooring, O'Reilly Auto Parts and two more pizza restaurants to open. Anyone with interest in opening a business should call Main Street at 440-647-3987.
SCHOLARS HANNAH LEMKE of Wellington has been named to the provost's list for the Fall 2019 semester at Capital University. ALEXIS POJMAN of Wellington has been named to the president's list for the Fall 2019 semester at Capital
University. TAYANA FOWLER of Wellington has been named to the dean's list for the Fall 2019 semester at Cedarville University. HANNAH DUNLAP of Welling-
ton stands among a distinguished group of students at Baldwin Wallace University who have been inducted into the Dayton C. Miller Honor Society. A graduate of Wellington High School, she is majoring in early childhood education.
ROBBERY
FROM D1 might be — call the Wellington Police Department at 440-647-2244 or the FBI’s Cleveland office at 216-522-1400. A reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Tips can remain anonymous. This is not the first time a Wellington bank was robbed. In July 2014, James
Wingard robbed the LorMet Community Federal Credit Union on Route 58, close to where he lived. No gun was spotted, but Wingard allegedly reached behind his back and told a teller he didn’t want to hurt anyone, according to Wellington Enterprise archives. He left with about $900, led police and the FBI on a four-day chase and was
eventually arrested in Cleveland. Wellington resident Aaron Fortier robbed the Sun Center Federal Credit Union on Patriot Drive in October 2012. Brandishing a semiautomatic handgun, he stole more than $11,000. In 2013, Fortier was sentenced to six years is federal prison. Timothy Tuttamore of
Bellevue pleaded guilty to three holdups in 2002, including one at Fifth Third Bank in Wellington. News accounts of a bank robber who would leave his weapon and clothing behind as he made his getaway eventually pinned Tuttamore, who according to U.S. District Court records was sentenced to 18 years behind bars.
concerns that mirror lunch incident should contact him at 440-647-2343 or nbaxendale@wellingtonvillageschools.org. "I felt terrible. I met the (student) for lunch today, apologized to him and went up to the lunch line with him to clear his account," said Weber. Someone had beaten him to it — the child's $6 debt had been zeroed out already. "He's an extremely nice young man. Kids are quick to forgive, which is the great thing about kids," said Weber. But when the boy tried to assure him the situation was OK, Weber replied that it wasn't — that the schools let him down, and the adults in the situation had been wrong.
Offering a full mea culpa, Weber said many other parents' complaints posted to social media after Babb's post were sadly accurate as well. Carissa Nelisse is the mother of a Wellington fourth-grader, and said he also had his lunch taken away this week over a debt of about $10. She said she sent her son to school with $4 to partially pay down his debt. But McCormick cafeteria staff allegedly took the money and told the student he was eligible only for a carton of milk and a cheese sandwich. Nelisse said he took the milk but refused the sandwich "for obvious reasons." He asked to call his mother to get either the
money to cover the rest of the debt or a lunch from home, but was told he could not leave the cafeteria, Nelisse said. "I don't think there's ever an excuse to deny a child a meal," she said. "I'm human. I'm a mom of three. I forgot my son was negative on his account. That's not his issue or his fault, and the school could have handled this in an entirely different way that would not have had him go hungry the entire day." Nelisse is a former Wellington student. She said she remembers lunches being taken away from students when she attended middle school there in the early 2000s. "So this isn't a new policy. This is an ongoing issue," she said.
LUNCHES
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Wellington Enterprise
Page D3
SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise
Two free throws in the final 10 seconds handed Clearview a 62-60 win on Friday, in a reversal of the one-point win the Dukes eked out the last time the Lorain County League foes met. Joseph Norris' trip to the line killed Wellington this time. It capped a back-and-forth thriller — the Dukes started with a 15-7 advantage in the first quarter as Noah Diermyer and Mason McClellan got heated up, then the Clippers struck back in the second period, going 20-11. The second half was a dead heat. McClellan finished the night with 12 points and Ben Bliss had a 19-point performance that in any other game would have likely led all players, except for Diermyer's 27 points. Norris and Jordan Reed each landed 19 points for the Clippers. ◄ Wellington's Mason McClellan gets a shot against Clearview.
Photos by Jason Hawk | Wellington Enterprise
Getting an escort from state troopers, a former one-room schoolhouse that has more recently been used as a barn is moved Thursday, Jan. 16 from its longtime home on Foster Road to the Penfield Township Hall property.
Old Penfield schoolhouse gets a second life in new location JASON HAWK EDITOR
An old red barn was lifted into the air on hydraulic jacks last Thursday and hauled from a Foster Road farm to its new home on State Route 18. The structure, which experts said is in remarkable shape for being nearly 180 years old, was long ago used as a one-room schoolhouse. It will be restored to its former glory and opened to tours where it now sits, on a corner of the Penfield Township Hall property. "Hopefully this will be its final resting place," said Bill Kies, president of the Penfield Historical Society. Built in the 1840s, this marked the fourth time the building has been uprooted and moved. It's never gone far, but it has traveled a lot, first in the 1870s, then again after the school closed in 1918. Kies said it was later moved to the Hart farm owned by Charles Shaw, who donated it to the historical society. It had been used for many years as storage at the farm. This time around, Klier Structural Movers waited until school buses were off the road and traffic thinned, then was allowed to move the barn onto the roadway. The oversized load was slowly transported north on Foster Road and then west on State Route 18, a distance of about 2.5 miles with an Ohio Highway Patrol escort all the way. Jim Klier has a great deal
of experience moving historical buildings, including jobs in Pittsfield, Oberlin, Huntington and Chatham. He said it took four days to get the old schoolhouseturned-barn ready for the trip — that and getting all the necessary permits were the hard parts. "The actual move only takes an hour or so, God willing," he said. The move cost about $7,000 and Kies said the historical society plans to put as much again into renovations. It's incredibly rare to find an old schoolhouse in such good condition, he said. Penfield at one time had eight, each positioned about a mile and a half away from each other so children wouldn't have to travel too far. "A lot of the kids would walk that mile and a half to school, so they were placed where kids could get to them — never too far, but that meant a lot of schools were needed," Kies said. Many former schoolhouses across Ohio have been torn down, gutted, or converted into homes, churches or storage spaces. This one was treated extremely well, Kies said. The siding and windows are largely intact. "The interior here is the original ceiling and side walls from when it was built," he said. The roof still had all the original wood shingles, but they'll be replaced with a metal roof with the help of a grant from the LorainMedina Rural Electric Cooperative's People Fund. Kies said he has flooring from the 1800s that will be
Burglary detailed in search warrant, Young charged DAVE O’BRIEN THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM
A Cuyahoga County man is facing charges he and an alleged accomplice broke into a Wellington Township residence in December and stole four guns before the homeowner confronted them. Cory Young, 23, of Olmsted Falls, is free on bond but facing felony charges including burglary and grand theft of a firearm along with misdemeanor Cory Young criminal damaging, according to Oberlin Municipal Court records. The charges later were bound over to a Lorain County grand jury, according to court records. In a search warrant affidavit written by Lorain County Sheriff's Detective Jason Aschemeier and approved by Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Miraldi, the detective sought to search Young's cellphone and the data inside after it was seized during his Dec. 17 arrest. According to the affidavit, on Dec. 10 two deputies were called to a residence in the 21000 block of Hawley Road in Wellington Township by a resident who reported a possible burglary. The resident told deputies he arrived home just before 2 p.m. that day to find a red Ford F-150 with Ohio plates parked in his driveway and two white males he did not know at the open back door of his residence. Confronted by the homeowner, the men told him they were there to install new gutters, but "he told the two men he already had new gutters," according to the search warrant. The suspected burglars fled in the truck, but the homeowner took pictures of it with his cellphone as it sped off north on Hawley Road and managed to capture the license plate. The plate returned to a truck belonging to Young. In the meantime, the resident discovered four guns had been stolen from a bedroom closet, according to the affidavit. Young was arrested Dec. 17 and when questioned, reportedly waived his rights and spoke with Aschemeier and Detective David Lottman. He told them he got a ride on Dec. 10 with a man named "Justin Biachi" to do a gutter job at the alleged victim's residence, and denied stealing any guns. Young said he drove "Justin" to the house and waited in the truck while "Justin" knocked on the back door, but they left when the homeowner pulled up. He then helped detectives identify the man as Justin Fout, "a known burglar around Lorain County," according to the affidavit. Fout, 33, of Elyria, has not been charged in the burglarly but has warrants out for his arrest for failure to appear in court on felony theft, forgery and heroin possession charges in at least four open cases in Common Pleas Court, according to court records. The warrants were issued in November when he failed to show up for scheduled court dates.
SHELTON
FROM D1
Bill Kies, president of the Penfield Historical Society, shows how the former schoolhouse has moved several times during the past 180 or so years. used to renovate the inside with an authentic feel. The Bob Gordon family had an chalkboard tucked away that will be returned to the schoolhouse, and the historical society has an original outdoor swing, a couple of wooden desks and the old hand pump used to get water from a well at the school. Kies thanked township trustees Richard Conrad, Eric Flynn and Duane Johnson, as well as LMRE, the Bob Gordon family, Linda VanMeter and many others for helping to make the schoolhouse project happen. He hopes to have the schoolhouse restored in a little more than a year. The goal is to show the public — but especially children — how students learned a century and more ago, Kies said. The Penfield Historical Society is still looking for donations to help cover the cost of the project. You can help by sending checks to 41012 State Route 18, Wellington, OH 44090.
Credit Union was robbed in 2014, and after the LorMet Community Federal Credit Union was robbed in 2012, Shelton's work led to the arrests of suspects — both times within six days, thanks to leads from the public. Just days before he retired, Fifth Third Bank in Wellington was robbed by a masked man. "If anyone has information on this one, don't just think it's stupid. Call in. It can lead to something," Shelton said.
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BONELESS BEEF
$ 99
LB.
1
LB.
3
$ 99
$ 99
CUT FREE
$
BEEF STEW
FLAT BONE
SIRLOIN CHOPS
IDAHO
PORK LOIN
$ 19
LB. BONELESS PORK
7
WHOLE BONELESS
GROUND CHUCK
99
1
Full Side 380-400 lbs. $299
ALL OUR FRESH MEAT IS CUT BY ONE OF OUR “ARTISAN MEAT PROFESSIONALS”
SEMI-BONELESS
$
Front Qtr. 200-220 lbs. $279
99 5 LB. BAG
FRESH
SALAD MIX CANTALOUPE MUSHROOMS GRAPEFRUIT GREEN BEANS
1
¢ $
12 OZ. BAG
MAXWELL HOUSE WAKE UP ROAST
COFFEE
4
$
99
VEGETABLE OIL
1
CAT FOOD
DISH LIQUID
Full Service Carry Outs For ALL Customers
$
IDAHOAN ASSORTED
BOX POTATOES 4 OZ.
AJAX SELECT FLAVORS
2 1
5/$
Each
8 OZ.
LIBBY'S
SAUERKRAUT
10 69
14.5 OZ.
SNYDER'S
CHEESE CURLS OR POPCORN
2/$
28 OZ.
8-10 OZ.
We Carry A Fine Selection of Beer, Wine & Tobacco at State Minimum Prices
2 LITER ASSORTED
7 UP
4 1
99
Fligner's Gift Cards and Gift Certificates Available
VIGO
YELLOW RICE
1
¢ $
$
2 QT.
10
48 OZ.
Play Ohio Lottery and Mega Millions Here
ALWAYS SAVE
1 1
8 OZ.
ICE CREAM
Each
1
19 lb.
DAIRYMEN’S
GRANULATED GALLON DRINK SUGAR FRUIT DRINKS PACKETS
5/$
PIERRE'S HOMESTYLE
ATM Available Money Orders 69¢ Each
KOOL-AID ASSORTED
19
09 3/$
We Accept Debit, Master Card, Visa, Discover & American Express.
99
¢ $
29
99 10/$
$
30.65 OZ.
9 LIVES ASSORTED
5.5 OZ.
ALWAYS SAVE 48 OUNCE
1
99 $
$
DOLE ASSORTED
JUICE
59 OZ.
4 LB.
BORDEN SMALL CURD
COTTAGE CHEESE
5 2
2/$ We Carry Ohio Beef From Ohio Farmers
59
$
99 24 OZ.
You Can Now Pay Your Gas, Light, Cable And Many Major Credit Card Payments At Fligners!
1
$
29
NO LIMIT
Not Responsible for Typographical Errors
We Reserve the right to Limit Quantities
©The Chronicle-Telegram
99
WHOLE OR SLICED