Lorain County Community Guide - Jan. 12, 2023

‘Santas’ pay off $4,200 in cafeteria bills

JASON HAWK EDITOR

WELLINGTON — The new year has started with clean slates for Wellington Schools families, whose breakfast and lunch bills have been paid off by donors.

About $4,200 in combined meal debt was zeroed out for 215 students, district Treasurer Mark

Donnelly said. “People in this community are always surprising me with their generosity,” he said.

Andrea Helton, who runs the Wellington Schools’ cafeterias, launched a “Christmas campaign” in December on the district’s social media accounts.

The gifts poured in — and then some. Donnelly said the full amount received to date is

$6,619, with pledges for more.

Valley Chevrolet, located on Route 18 near the Lorain County Fairgrounds, fronted $4,119 to pay off negative balances.

Owner Brian O’Donnell has a heart for helping children, according to Tracie Fahler, controller for the dealership.

He is “focused on the kids, and that’s why we land toward helping schools and food banks” with

charitable giving, she said.

Wellington Superintendent Ed Weber said Valley Chevrolet has been making donations to the Board of Education for months, helping cover activity costs and other odds-and-ends expenses.

“They said, ‘Let us know what is needed. We’ll make sure all of this gets paid,’ and they did,” Weber said. “How wonderful.”

The start of 2023 marks the

EMA: Close schools for eclipse

JASON HAWK EDITOR

Trying to hammer out the calendar for next school year, one specific date has vexed Wellington Superintendent Ed Weber — April 8, 2024.

That’s the day a total solar eclipse is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to Lorain County, roughly tripling its population.

Busing could be a nightmare that afternoon, due to predictions of clogged roads, Weber told the Wellington Board of Education in a meeting last week.

To head off that problem, the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency is recommending all area schools close the day of the eclipse.

“You don’t want children stranded on a school bus because the bus can’t get through,” said EMA Director Jessica Fetter in an interview.

During the “Great American Blackout” of 2017, students were stranded in buses for hours as traffic came to a standstill in Tennessee, Kentucky and other states that attracted eclipse-seekers, she said.

Fetter said she plans to

work with the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio Turnpike Commission to make sure those problems don’t happen here on April 8, 2024.

Keeping highways open to emergency vehicles is a top priority, she said — but cities and towns are likely to have similar headaches.

Take Avon Lake — the Ohio

Emergency Management Agency has pinpointed it as the top spot in the state likely to draw tourists, because it’s the point in Ohio where the eclipse will be visible for the longest duration.

An interactive map on the Ohio EMA’s website already recommends public parks for viewing the eclipse. Avon Lake’s Blesser Field, Inwood

Park and Belle Road Park as well as the Avon Lake Reservation Metro Park as potential destinations.

Bob Scott, superintendent of the Avon Lake Schools, said his district has already decided to give students the day off.

“It’s going to be an event,”

PAGE A2

Ross gives $4M to fair

JASON HAWK EDITOR

WELLINGTON — A $4 million donation from the Ross Foundation puts the Lorain County Fair a huge stride closer to covering the cost of its new exposition center and equestrian arena.

The gift was announced Monday. In return, the foundation will get naming rights to the new facility, said fair board President Rick Ternes.

“They stepped up,” he said.

“They came to us shortly after the (2022) fair and said, ‘Hey, we want to be part of this project.’ Through several meetings, they said the foundation could do this.”

Last year, the fair board announced it would pursue a $12 million “Fairs Forever” plan to transform its Wellington grounds over the next few years.

The first step is to build an exposition center that can be used year-round, generating revenue by hosting shows, conferences

first time a new calendar year has started with every outstanding cafeteria balance paid in full, he said in a letter to Wellington families.

Other donations came from the Drew Guyer Memorial Foundation, Wellington Eagles, First United Methodist Church, Wellington Women’s League, Weber,

NAACP installs officers

“The ceremony was off-the-hook fantastic,” President Dee Tolbert said. “I am so excited and ready to tackle 2023 with these wonderful people.”

Serving with her during the coming two years are:

• Rev. Calvin Currie, second vice president

• Claudia Jones, first vice president

• Deb Cocco, executive committee

• LaTaunya Connelly, secretary

• Ruth Smith, assistant secretary

• Gregory Fluker, executive committee

• Brenda Davis, treasurer

• Joanne Fitzpatrick, assistant treasurer

• Erica Jackson, executive committee

• Jonette Jackson, executive committee

• Jean Armstrong, executive committee

• Mona Atley, executive committee

• Regina Shockley, executive committee

• Janice Williams, executive committee

• Laleisee Curtis, executive committee

• Ray English, executive committee

• David Hall, executive committee

• Loretta Jones, executive committee

The Metro Central Ohio branch was formed when Oberlin and Elyria NAACP units merged in 2022.

Jeff Barnes | Community Guide

President Ardelia R. (Dee) Tolbert of the Metro Central Ohio Branch of the NAACP, delivers closing remarks during a ceremony Saturday at Unity Baptist Church in Elyria, where new officers were installed.

Courtesy of GreatAmericanEclipse.com

This image shows the staggering number of Americans who live directly in the path of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse that will move across the United States from Texas to New Hampshire. ECLIPSE

Hamlin incident sparks talk about HS athlete safety

JASON HAWK EDITOR

Perhaps the scariest part of what happened to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin last Monday night was that he seemingly wasn’t hit hard, especially for a pro football player.

The 24-year-old at first appeared to be fine after a collision with Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. But just a few seconds after hopping up, Hamlin’s body went limp and he sagged to the turf, where he lay motionless after his heart stopped.

Tim Stried, media spokesman for the Ohio High School Athletic Association, said the hit didn’t look much different from hundreds of others in Friday night football games. It certainly wasn’t as hard as getting hit by a 95 mph softball thrown by some of the state’s best varsity players, he said.

There are national guidelines already in place about the right equipment to ward off hockey slapshots, rough football tackles and hardwhipped lacrosse balls, he said.

But depending what doctors

FAIR

FROM A1

and tournaments.

discover about what happened to Hamlin, Stried said the incident could inform ongoing discussions about how to protect high school athletes.

Lorain County Health Commissioner Mark Adams was watching the game in Cincinnati on television, and recalled being stunned by the sudden emergency.

The stakes were high, he said — every minute that passes during such a cardiac emergency increases the risk of death by about 10 percent.

Hamlin was down for 19 minutes, and an automated external defibrillator was used to restore his heartbeat before he was taken to the hospital, according to the Associated Press.

Wellington Athletic Director John Bowman tuned in when news spread that the game had been suspended indefinitely.

“It’s just a scary situation,” he said, adding that it’s hard to imagine what would happen if one of his Dukes players experienced a similar medical crisis.

In 2013, before Bowman’s tenure in the district, Wellington suffered the sudden death of Mc-

The fair board set aside $1.5 million in seed money, which was matched by the Lorain County commissioners. With Ross’ donation, along with several other big-dollar donors, the fair has raised nearly $8 million toward its goal, Ternes said.

“We’re fortunate to be in a position to help usher in a new era for the Lorain County fair,” said Bill Cromling III, co-chair of the Ross Foundation, in a written statement. “This has always been a special place for our family and will continue to be for many years to come.”

Ross has not formally announced a name for the new exposition center, but Ternes said it will likely pay tribute to Cromling’s mother, the late Maureen Cromling.

Before her death in 2019, she worked for family’s Elyria-based companies — Ross Environmental, Ross Incineration and Ross Transportation — including a long stint as president and CEO from 1992 to 2007.

According to Ternes, Maureen Cromling was a member of one of Lorain County’s original 4-H clubs, riding horses at the fair.

“The family has always been involved with the fair, all the way back through 4-H,” he said, and because of that relationship the Cromlings were dedicated donors down through the years.

To date, the $4 million donation is the largest amount the Ross Foundation has given to any single recipient, Ternes said.

Fair board members have lined up several other meetings with potential donors in coming weeks, he said.

If they go well, it is possible the full $12 million fundraising goal could be met by the time the 177th Lorain County Fair begins on Aug. 20, he said.

Doing so would allow ground to be broken on the exposition center this fall, said Ternes. Engineers are already working on site schematics, and the plan is to put the exposition center project out for bid within the next month.

The bid would not include the equestrian arena portion of the project, nor a new 16,200-square-foot Junior Fair cattle barn that’s part of Fairs Forever, he said.

OBITUARIES

ANDREW

LETTERS

Letters to the editor should be:

• Written to the editor. We do not allow open letters or those to specific residents, politicians, or groups.

• Concise. There is a limit of 350 words on letters.

• Polite. Letters that use crude language or show poor taste will be rejected.

• Opinions. We reserve space for letters that share a unique perspective. Press releases are not letters and will be considered for publication in other parts of the paper.

• Free of advertising, product or service endorsements or complaints, poetry, language that could raise legal problems, or claims that are measurably false.

• Signed. Include your name, address, and daytime telephone number for our records. Up to two signatures.

• The deadline to submit letters is 10 a.m. each Tuesday. They are used on a space-available basis. We reserve the right to edit any submission for length, grammar, spelling, and clarity, or to reject any submission.

Cormick Middle School student Drew Guyer.

The 13-year-old has gone from a school basketball game to soccer, where he collapsed. Guyer died at the hospital in what was later determined to be cardiac arrest due to a previously-undetected congenital defect.

Is that what happened to Hamlin, too? It’s unclear, and not knowing caused a lot of water cooler talk and social media speculation the next day as Hamlin’s condition remained critical.

Adams said the brain and heart are the two organs at most risk in full-contact sports. A prevailing theory was that Hamlin was hit hard enough directly over the heart to cause it to stop — a condition called commotio cordis.

It’s seen mostly in athletes ages 8 to 18, according to clinical research by the University of Connecticut. Commotio cordis has occurred when a player is hit by a ball or bat, for example, without any apparent trauma.

“The athlete will typically stumble forward for a few seconds, which is followed by unconsciousness, no breathing and

ECLIPSE

FROM A1

he said, voicing worries about the risks bus riders, car riders and walkers would experience that day if classes were held as normal. “… I think it will be better to work with the city and make sure that everybody can stay home and be safe.”

Some of the district’s buildings will be used as sites for safe eclipse watch parties, Scott said.

Avon Lake Schools have offered to allow the city to use its buses to block off roads, he said. That’s because planners are expecting “a crush of people” to try to drive to Lake Erie shoreline.

“And we’ve done enough events to know that’s not good,” Scott said.

The district has also already ordered enough eclipse glasses to give to its 4,000 students and their families. The extremely dark disposable glasses allow people to look directly at the solar event without damaging their eyes.

Just to the south, the Avon Schools have already preemptively moved to cancel classes the day of the eclipse, said Superintendent Ben Hodge.

Spring break, which was already on the calendar, has been extended by a single day to make it work, he said.

Midview Schools, one of the most rural districts in the county, relies almost entirely on busing.

Even though it doesn’t like on a major highway, and he doesn’t anticipate heavy traffic, Superintendent Bruce Willingham said he does not want to take unnecessary risks. He’ll probably err on the side of caution and ask the school board to close for the day.

Amherst Schools are on the far west side of the county, but will still likely be bombarded by traffic from Route 2 and the Turnpike.

Superintendent Michael Molnar confirmed the district has not decided to cancel school. Unlike some of his peers, he said the eclipse could

no pulse,” says a UCONN page dedicated to the phenomenon.

“An (automated external defibrillator) will indicate the athlete is in ventricular fibrillation.”

High schools across Ohio are equipped with defibrillator, often called AEDs, for just that type of emergency, and not only for sports.

Amherst Athletic Director Casey Wolf knows AEDs can save lives.

He recalled an emergency about two years ago where they were used to save the life of a player’s grandparent who had a cardiac issue at a Comets tennis match. A quick-thinking trainer grabbed a nearby AED and resuscitated the victim.

The OHSAA has learned from past medical problems in professional sports, Wolf said. Take concussions — high school athletics personnel now are required to learn protocols for ensuring student athletes are cared for after traumatic head injuries.

Those rules aren’t taken lightly, Bowman agreed. If there’s the slightest suspicion of a concussion, coaches must pull students from the game completely to

be a “very important and educational event” for students to tackle in classes.

That might mean having a nontraditional day that revolves entirely around the eclipse, with kids outside skygazing. Or, Molnar said, it could also mean a shortened school day. Either way, he said Amherst will rely on advice from state and local authorities to make its final decision.

Michael Zeiler, an eclipse cartographer who runs GreatAmericanEclipse. com, said he agrees with the EMA’s advice to close schools.

Traffic will be heavy, but his opinion is that families should enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime event together.

“During the 2017 eclipse, some schools were, in my opinion, overly cautious about allowing students to observe the eclipse,” he said. “Because of the fear of litigation, some administrators chose not to allow any students the opportunity to see totality, the most amazing sight anyone will ever see in the sky. Families can and should make that decision instead of an administrator and by following simple and common sense guidelines, children can safely see this spectacle which will impact them positively for life.”

The Ohio Department of Education is urging schools statewide to begin making plans.

“Millions of tourists are expected to descend on the state with a likely side effect being serious traffic congestion and supply shortages,” it said in a 2022 release notifying districts of the eclipse. “Mark the date and begin planning now for opportunities to participate in this historic event.”

Fifty-five of Ohio’s 88 counties will experience “totality,” falling entirely within the shadow of the moon as it passes in front of the sun in the midafternoon on April 8, 2024. Outside

ensure they’re not rushed back on the field.

Bowman said he won’t be surprised if there are similar changes to local sports rules because of Hamlin’s brush with death.

Those kind of tweaks are made to the rule book all the time, Bowman said. Some are even voluntary — a decade ago, face protectors weren’t commonly worn by softball players, but now pretty much everyone in the Dukes infield chooses to wear them, he said.

There is also an increasing push to require heart screenings for student athletes, said Adams. Preventing cardiac deaths begins with detecting arrhythmia.

“We have found there are professional football players who had a heart condition and just didn’t know it,” he said.

Some medical emergencies can’t be prevented, though. Adams said Hamlin may have had a blood clot or aneurysm totally unrelated to anything that happened in the game.

The Bills announced Monday that Hamlin had been released from the hospital.

that 124-mile-wide band of complete darkness, Ohio’s remaining 33 counties will have a partial eclipse.

“Viewers should be prepared for unusual events like noticeable temperature drops and unexpected animal behavior,” the Education Department warns. “Bats may emerge, spiders break down their webs or animals stop daytime activities to return to resting places.”

The eclipse is 15 months away, but the Lorain County EMA isn’t waiting that long to start preparing.

Fetter is putting together a planning team to brace for the worst the eclipse traffic could bring. Its first meeting is tentatively slated for March.

Working from state guidance, it will focus on curbing traffic and directing tourists to public areas such as parks. Fetter said she wants to market the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington as a prime viewing location, though she hasn’t yet pitched the idea to the fair board.

In the months to come, she plans to roll out a tabletop exercise designed to go through every scenario that could cause problems during and around the eclipse date. For example, a major spring storm could cause havoc if it were to move in and take down power lines that day, Fetter said.

“It’s April in Northeast Ohio. So who knows what it’s going to be like,” she said.

The 2024 eclipse will cross 13 states from Texas to New Hampshire, with the moon’s shadow entering Lorain County just before 2 p.m.

It will be the first total solar eclipse for Ohio since 1806. The next won’t happen until 2444.

Viewers in Northeast Ohio got to see about 80 percent of the sun’s surface blotted out during the 2017 eclipse, which was fully visible across 16 percent of the United States’ area.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY GUIDE (USPS 673-960) is published every Thursday, 52 weeks per year by Lorain County Printing & Publishing Company, 225 East Ave., Elyria OH 44035.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $40 for 52 weeks in Lorain County; $45 in Erie, Huron, Ashland, Medina, and Cuyahoga counties; $50 in all other Ohio counties; $55 outside Ohio. Periodical postage paid at Wellington OH.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Lorain County Community Guide, PO Box 4010, Elyria OH 44036.

“ANDY” ALBERT LISZAK was born Jan. 6, 1941, and passed away peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, at the age of 81 after complications from pneumonia. Hempel Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Ohio’s new voting law is already under fire

JASON HAWK EDITOR

Democrats are furious over an “antivoter” bill signed into law Friday by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

House Bill 458 bars voters from using utility or phone bills as identification at the polls. It eliminates voting the Monday before Election Day and shortens the deadline to request mail-in ballots.

It also bans most curbside voting, eliminates August special elections unless they involve a town or school district in fiscal emergency and blocks counties from having more than one ballot drop box despite court decisions saying the restriction is unnecessary.

DeWine said he worked with state legislators to prevent more restrictive proposals from being included in the final bill.

"I believe with the enactment of the new election integrity provisions in House Bill 458, this matter should be settled and I do not expect to see any further statutory changes to Ohio voting procedures while I am governor,” he said.

Elizabeth Walters, chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, called HB 458 “one of the worst anti-voter bills in the country.”

The new rules punish working Ohioans by making it harder for families who rely on absentee or early voting to have their voices heard, she said.

“Ohio Republicans know that their outof-touch agenda and anti-worker policies are betraying Ohio voters, and they don’t want to be held accountable,” Walters said.

Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams, a Democrat, said it’s difficult to know exactly what ramifications the changes will have for local voters until more information is released by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office.

Election officials from across Ohio will gather later this week for their annual conference. Adams said LaRose is sending a delegation to explain how elections will change under the new law.

The secretary of state issues directives and advisories that interpret election law. Adams said he expects LaRose to do so as the May primary approaches.

In the meantime, Adams was not at all surprised by the news Monday morning that several groups representing teachers, the homeless, veterans and retirees have already filed suit seeking to overturn new voting restrictions.

That lawsuit primarily targets expanded voter identification laws. Ohio has required voter ID since 2006, but now alternative forms such as utility and phone bills will no longer be accepted.

The vast majority of Lorain County voters won’t be affected by that change, said Adams. Most show their driver’s licenses to poll workers.

But he worried that older residents with mobility issues, homeless people and residents who move to new homes will be heavily impacted.

For example, it can be difficult for an elderly, disabled resident to get out and have their driver’s license renewed, Adams said. Many don’t drive at all because of their physical condition.

College students may also have transportation issues that prevent them from getting acceptable photo ID, he said. A large number of Oberlin College students have used utility bills as legal ID over the past 16 years.

Utility bills have also been popular among transient voters, said Adams. South Lorain has a large Hispanic population that tends to move between residences more often, for example.

“I have not seen any of those cases becoming situations of potential voter fraud”

CAFETERIA

FROM A1

“I’m just happy for our families,” Weber said. “January is when all the holiday bills roll in, and they don’t have to worry about a school bill.”

The federal government made school breakfasts and lunches free for all students for two years during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which took some financial weight off parents’ shoulders.

That era is over now, and Weber said it’s probably never coming back, though about one-third of Wellington students still qualify for free and reduced meal prices.

At the same time, there are still a lot of families struggling financially, especially in southern Lorain County, he said. Parents are working, but are being slammed by inflation and making just enough that they don’t qualify for government assistance.

since Ohio implemented its original voter ID law, Adams said.

Marilyn Jacobcik, a Republican who chairs the Lorain County Board of Elections, said most people favor voter ID laws.

“I do think anytime we make any change, people complain,” she said.

LaRose issued a statement defending the new law.

“Ohioans are clearly supportive of strict photo ID for voting and we have found a common-sense way to make it happen that ensures voters are not disenfranchised,” he said. “No piece of legislation is a silver-bullet solution, but we are once again showing Ohioans that we take their concerns seriously and are dedicated to continuously improving our elections.”

Jacobcik said House Bill 458 is not an anti-voter bill, and ranked Ohio among the states with the most liberal access to the ballot.

However, she is concerned about barring people from voting the Monday before Election Day, which she said is bound to cause confusion.

Many election directors across the state say they need that short breather to prepare for heavy in-person voting, according to Adams.

“I understand the argument. I know where they’re coming from,” he said.

“However, I believe it’s our responsibility to provide that day of voting for the voters.”

It’s especially important for certain professionals who may not be able to rely on Election Day voting, he said — pilots whose flight schedules change at the last moment, or nurses and doctors who get called to emergency surgery.

Connie Pillich, chair of the Ohio Democratic Party’s Veterans and Military Community Caucus, and a veteran herself, condemned HB 458 for cutting the time military service members’ absentee ballots can arrive by 60 percent.

Any ballots arriving after the shortened deadline will be thrown out.

Doing so will “actively disenfranchise our men and women in uniform,” said Pillich.

“I have met with veterans and military family members in virtually every county in Ohio. No one ever suggested that Ohio make it harder for military voters’ ballots to be counted,” she said.

Jacobcik said she shares some of those concerns. She said absentee ballots will still be mailed to overseas service members before they are given to any other voting group.

Yet she said giving extra time for those ballots to be returned draws out the election certification process. This past November, it delayed the final count in the Lorain County commissioner’s race between Democratic incumbent Matt Lundy and Republican challenger Jeff Riddell, which had remained too close to call.

Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said the new rules create “deliberate barriers to voting.”

She said the restrictions go hand-in-hand with gerrymandered voting district maps created by Republicans. Those maps were used even though they were deemed unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court.

HB 458 was rushed through the Ohio House Government Oversight committee with limited testimony, said Russo. She said DeWine shouldn’t have signed it.

“I’m extremely disappointed that countless pleas to veto the anti-voter bill were ignored,” she said. “One of Ohioans’ most sacred rights has now carelessly been trampled on and the will of the voters has been brushed aside. A democracy that works for us must include all of us.”

School meals are not costly — $1.85 for breakfast and $3 to $3.25 for lunch, varying by grade level — but Weber said those expenses can add up, especially for families with multiple children.

About two-thirds of students with meal debt owed less than $10, according to Donnelly. For a few, the amount had soared well past $100.

“It’s not the kids’ fault. Mom and Dad might be working, but struggling with things. Who knows what situation they might be in?” he said.

The Wellington Schools want to make sure every student is fed, said Donnelly.

While he expects parents to pay for meals in good faith, he said the district had $2,525 in reserve from the holiday donation drive. That money will probably be used to pay off balances again toward the end of the school year.

Board of Education President Jessica Reynolds and several residents.

Oberlin musicians to play famed New York City venues

OBERLIN COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS

Some 250 Oberlin musicians will perform this month at New York’s fabled Carnegie Hall.

The Oberlin Orchestra, joined by three conservatory choral ensembles and four professional vocal soloists — among them two Oberlin alumni — will present a program featuring the masterwork of one of Oberlin’s own: “The Ordering of Moses,” the 1932 oratorio by celebrated composer R. Nathaniel Dett.

In 1908, Dett became the first Black double-major graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and went on to forge an exceptionally distinguished career as a composer, performer, educator and choir director at Hampton University and other institutions.

The concert will be held Friday, Jan. 20 at Carnegie’s Stern Auditorium.

Oberlin’s upcoming performance marks the second time in as many months that its conservatory ensembles will have graced the historic Carnegie Hall’s Perelman Stage. The Oberlin Orchestra and choral ensembles performed before the United Nations General Assembly there on Dec. 2.

That engagement served as the symbolic kickoff of a new partnership between Oberlin and the United Nations, aimed at improving access to education and musical training for students all over the world.

The Jan. 20 program features works by Johannes Brahms, Ivan Enrique Rodriguez and Dett.

“This repertoire gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to high-level musical training, our commitment to new music, and our commitment to expanding the classical music canon, all wrapped around a theme of social justice — a theme that is central to the values of our institution,” said conductor Raphael Jimenez. “What is indeed a diverse and seemingly eclectic program has been curated with a sense of drama in mind — a drama that we all love to revive over and over: the journey from darkness to light.”

The trip to the Big Apple also includes two Jan. 19 sets by the Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble, an eight-piece combo of standout conservatory musicians, at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the intimate venue that is part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center complex.

Members of the ensemble will arrive in New York early to begin a series of performance-visits with area schoolchildren and music programs in New York and New Jersey.

Northeast Ohio audiences will have opportunities to experience preview performances happening on campus prior to their departure for New York.

The Sonny Ensemble will appear at The ’Sco, the student-run concert club on the lower level of Wilder Hall, at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15.

The complete Carnegie Hall program will be previewed at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at Finney Chapel.

Ticket information can be found at www.oberlin.edu/ NYC2023.

School board leadership

Jessica Reynolds was sworn in Jan. 3 as president of the Wellington Board of Education for a second consecutive term.

Kevin Stump’s role as vice president of the board was also renewed. Ayers Ratliff will remain the district’s representative to the Lorain County JVS board for another three years, through 2025.

Adult winter reading

The Amherst Public Library’s adult winter reading program is underway through Friday, Feb. 24.

Pick up a reading activity sheet at a first floor information desk and get started. Return your sheet for a small prize and entry into a grand prize drawing.

2015-16 Oberlin ex-soccer star charged in bloody Oregon attack

JASON HAWK EDITOR

A former Oberlin College soccer star has been charged with assault after allegedly biting off an elderly man’s ear in a suburb of Portland, Oregon.

Koryn Kraemer helped lead the Yeomen to a combined 24-11-2 record with 9 shutouts during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, when he was a freshman and sophomore at Oberlin.

Now 25, he faces a second-degree felony count stemming from an incident around 2 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Police in Gresham, a city of about 114,000 on Portland’s east side, said they responded to a reported possible stabbing at a light rail platform.

Witnesses said they’d seen a significant amount of blood, according to a news release.

Officers and a Multnomah County sheriff’s deputy said they found Kraemer, “who was still on top of the victim, continuing the attack.”

A statement from District Attorney

Mike Schmidt’s office said Kraemer allegedly approached a 78-year-old man and bit off his ear, as well as facial skin.

cannabis and fentanyl pills.

According to Oregon Judicial Department records, Kraemer is being represented by a court-appointed attorney.

He was arraigned last Wednesday, and a reading of his indictment is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 12.

twenty-eight (28) days after the last publication of this notice, which will be published once each week for six (6) consecutive weeks. You are required to file an answer by February 10, 2023.

1/12/23 20714102

STAFF REPORT

Just over 200 years ago, on Dec. 26, 1822, the Ohio Legislature officially formed what is now Lorain County.

The Lorain County Bicentennial Committee recently was established to research, promote and celebrate important milestones in Lorain County’s early history.

An 18-month celebration is planned to "highlight how Lorain County’s 30 political subdivisions — townships, villages, and municipalities — worked together to make the county successful across Ohio’s early history, two World Wars and today’s period of growth," the Bicentennial Committee said in a news release.

Working with the Lorain County Historical Society and the Lorain County Visitor’s Bureau, the committee plans to release special events on the calendar in the near future, and much of what it can do will depend on fundraising and financial support, Chairman Andrew Lipian wrote.

"There are several community partners who are energized to engage on this important initiative; high-level meetings are being planned and held … We want to get it right to honor Lorain County’s past, present and future," Lipian wrote.

"This bicentennial will allow us to reflect on the past to appreciate the journey and accomplishments of those who have come before us," committee member and county Recorder Mike Doran said

photo Surrounded by family and friends at his Cedarville home, Gov. Mike DeWine took the oath of office Sunday night to begin his second term. His son, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine, administered the oath. A ceremonial swearing-in was held Monday at the Statehouse.

Kraemer said he believed the victim was a robot trying to kill him, based on how the victim smelled, according to the district attorney’s office.

Koryn Kraemer

“Kraemer further stated that he spit out the flesh of the victim that he had consumed and that the responding law enforcement had saved his life by separating him from ‘the robot,’” the DA’s statement said.

Gresham police said the injury was so severe that responders could see the victim’s skull.

They said Kraemer at first gave a fake name, El Baker, but fingerprints revealed his true identity.

Schmidt’s release said Kraemer allegedly admitted to using alcohol,

At the request of the district attorney’s office, he remains in custody with no bond while awaiting pretrial hearing.

Kraemer is a native of Westfield, New Jersey. Gresham police said he had just moved from Georgia to Portland.

Kraemer was a goalkeeper for the Yeomen soccer team at Oberlin College, according to the college athletics website.

During his two-year tenure with the men’s team, he racked up 166 saves and allowed 43 goals against.

"We are saddened by this tragedy and extend our sympathies to the victim of this violent attack," said Oberlin College spokeswoman Andrea Simakis when asked for comment on the incident.

County prepares for bicentennial

The state refused to organize a new county until Dec. 26, 1822, when the Ohio Legislature, with Joseph Richardson as Speaker of the House of Representatives and Allen Trimble as Speaker of the Senate, finally acted on Heman Ely's wish and formed the new county of Lorain from parts of Cuyahoga, Medina and Huron counties.

of the coming milestones.

The committee plans to celebrate each of the important milestones in the county's history, with the festivities culminating on May 24, 2024, with hopes to have the Lorain County commissioners meet on that date, 200 years on from the first board of commissioners meeting in county history.

"We'll have many exciting announcements to come in the new year, and are hoping to secure the backing of the community to make this a truly special celebration, but it can’t happen without the support of our community partners and residents," Lipian wrote.

In a statement, Commissioner Michelle Hung, a Republican, said she was "elated" to join in the celebration.

"For nearly 200 years, Lorain County’s Commissioners have passed the torch of excellence, leading our county through dedication and service to our residents," she wrote. "I’m elated to join in celebrating these important historical dates, and ringing in the new century

with spirit and optimism for our future."

Documents in the collection of the Lorain County Historical Society provide evidence that the establishment of the county was not a fast process, according to the Bicentennial Committee.

Less than two years after Heman Ely settled Elyria in 1817, a letter dated Jan. 13, 1819, from his brother Justin Ely mentions Heman Ely's intent to make Elyria a county seat.

Another letter from Justin Ely, dated Jan. 29, 1820, consoled Heman Ely on the Ohio Legislature's refusal to name Elyria a "County Town."

In March 1820, Justin Ely advised Heman Ely to sell water rights to increase Elyria's population and to construct adequate buildings to improve Elyria’s favorability.

Additional letter writers confirm that Heman Ely actively sought the formation of a new county with Elyria as the county seat in 1820 and 1821. Heman Ely even took trips to Columbus on horseback to campaign for the act.

The Lorain County Bicentennial Committee was formed to ensure this milestone was properly researched and celebrated and met for the first time Oct. 13.

Besides Lipian and Doran, committee officers include Vice Chairman Garry Gibbs, Secretary Theresa Upton and members Kerri Broome of the Lorain County Historical Society and Jacob Smith, executive director of the Lorain County Veterans Service Commission. The committee meets every month.

Anyone interested in getting involved with county bicentennial celebrations may contact Lipian at alipian@loraincounty.us or call (440) 326-4866.

For updates and information on coming events, visit: lchs.org/events, facebook.com/LorainCountyHistoricalSociety.

The Lorain County Historical Society will host its first monthly bicentennial speaker series at 3 p.m. Jan. 22, featuring a presentation about the history of the Western Reserve by Eric Rivet, chief curator at the Western Reserve Historical Society.

The talk is online and free, but registration is required. To register, visit lchs.org/events.

Commissioners rescind radio contract

DAVE O’BRIEN and KEVIN MARTIN

ELYRIA — Lorain County's contract with Cleveland Communications Inc. to provide a new radio system favored by county fire chiefs, the sheriff and his deputies was rescinded by the Board of Commissioners during a contentious meeting Monday.

The three Republicans on the board were divided, as Commissioners David Moore and Jeff Riddell voted to rescind the resolutions passed last month to spend nearly $8 million.

Commissioner Michelle Hung was the lone no vote to keep the contract with CCI intact.

Moore and Riddell publicly questioned how the bid was awarded to CCI, a Parma-based company that provides L3 Harris public safety radios already used by four cities and a village in Lorain County.

Lorain County first responders learned Friday morning that the resolutions were back on the board's agenda to be rescinded. They roundly criticized commissioners in public comments Monday.

Attorneys for CCI also put the county on notice that the company may sue.

Hung and former Commissioner Matt Lundy voted to spend the millions, all from American Rescue Plan Act dollars, on the project in December. Moore did not attend that meeting, held on Dec. 21, due to illness.

Between then and Monday, Riddell was sworn in to replace Lundy after triumphing over him in the November election.

Moore — who was elected president of the board for 2023 in a 2-1 vote Monday, with the support of Riddell — said county consultants Mission Critical Partners promised to be neutral and unbiased, but the bid process didn't work that way.

"As one of (three) county commissioners, I could turn a blind eye and allow the issues of (Dec. 21) to pass and just blame the others for the problems coming with the inappropriate way the bidding was handled," Moore wrote in a news release he said was to combat "misinformation."

"However if I did that, I would not be doing my job as one of the budget authorities for the county. My vote to rescind the radio resolution is simply to now engage the local elected officers of each community affected by the requests for one system over another and the costs associated that come with that," he wrote.

Saying he supports public safety, Riddell questioned the bid process that benefited CCI.

"I have a wealth of experience in contracts and bidding and this one is not right," he said Monday. "If this is so important to spend four years on, then another couple of months to make sure we do it right and to spend the taxpayers' money, well, should not be that big of an issue," Riddell said.

"The issue that we're not safe going forward, that we're not safe today, I don't believe that," he added.

Explaining her vote, Hung said her colleagues were "willing to add further delay" to the radio project "without legal basis."

"Without a doubt, further delays continue to risk the health, safety and welfare of our first responders and the residents of Lorain County," she said. "I stand behind and remain steadfast with the decision to move forward with the resolutions passed."

First responders who packed the board room on Monday applauded Hung several times.

First responders cry foul

The proposed decision angered public safety employees who spoke prior to the board's vote.

Elyria Fire Chief Joe Pronesti, who backed the L3 Harris radio system, lit into Moore and Riddell.

"All things being equal, are you for this radio system, for utilizing the relief act money, for using this money for the overall theory of it?" he asked Moore, while

criticizing Riddell for comments he made about safety forces "playing the violin" in self-pity.

"I'm not playing the violin," Pronesti told Riddell. "We play the bagpipes, that's what we play when we bury somebody."

"The way our radios are working now, it's only a matter of time before they get played at a funeral," said Adam Shaw, president of the Lorain County Deputies Association, whose union wants the L3 Harris system to replace its aging communications system.

If a deputy dies due to radio issues, "their blood is on your hands," Shaw told Moore and Riddell.

First responders cheered and clapped in support of Pronesti and Shaw.

Wellington Fire District Chief Mike Wetherbee, acting president of the Lorain County Fire Chief's Association, told Moore and Riddell it was "both ironic and sad that you sit here today and turn your backs on the voters who chose you to represent them and their safety."

Avon Lake Fire Chief Jeremy Betsa, whose firefighters have L3 Harris radios — so, too, do the Avon, Sheffield, Sheffield Lake and North Ridgeville fire departments — criticized Moore for not being present at meetings in August and December 2022 when Hung and Lundy first moved ahead with bidding, then awarded a contract to CCI.

Betsa said Moore ignored his and other chiefs' attempts to meet and criticized Riddell for campaigning on a platform of "progress not politics" while "halting progress" on Monday.

"You are doing the opposite of what you campaigned against," Betsa said. "You campaigned on stopping wasteful spending. This will cause more wasteful spending for the county."

It is "unfounded speculation" that the bidding process won by CCI was tainted, Betsa said, and that Riddell didn't give him a straight answer for his vote.

Another option for radios, the Multi-Agency Radio Communication System, has its critics at the sheriff's office and among Lorain County fire chiefs. MARCS radios do not transmit well enough indoors without additional, expensive antennas to boost their signals and would cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in up-front costs, county fire chiefs have said.

"We've tested MARCS, we've tested the CCI system, and what's right for Lorain County is CCI building up the L3 Harris system," Betsa said.

He said he doesn't care about Riddell's opinion on the matter, only the fact that the L3 Harris radios work.

"You have a room full of subject matter experts telling you this was the right way to go," Betsa told Riddell. "We don't use opinion, we use educated facts to make decisions."

Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti told Riddell he was "disappointed" the new commissioner had apparently "already made up your mind."

"I think you forgot your oath of office is to serve and protect the citizens of Lorain County," Stammitti told Riddell. "I fear you will not be your own man and stand on your own feet."

Several of his deputies asked commissioners which one of them was going to call their family or tell their children their father or mother wasn't coming home because they couldn't call for help.

"Our guns and our vests are not the most important piece of equipment we carry. It's our radios," said Deputy Adam Trifiletti, vice president of the deputies association and a school resource officer for the Firelands district.

Sheriff's night shift supervisor Sgt. Gary Howell told the board he is not only responsible for the lives of the deputies and citizens on his shift, but is a coach in the community "and most importantly" a father of four.

"If you can look my kids in the face because this thing fails, all power to you because I couldn't

do it for yours," he said.

Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio staff representative Lucy Dinardo also delivered a message to the board: She told them to be on the lookout for a police union grievance over health and safety concerns.

More supporters weigh in It wasn't just police officers and firefighters who spoke up Monday.

"You, Mr. Riddell, and anyone who supports this position is not an authority on these radios," said Jerry Donovan, a Ford retiree and father of Lorain City Councilwoman Mary Springowski, pointing to the gathered first responders. "There's the authorities, sitting right there, the people who use them every day."

"If I ask them to protect my safety, then by God I have an obligation to make sure I'm protecting theirs. It's that simple," Donovan said. "I think you have an obligation to consult the people whose lives are going to be on the line in using these radios before you make a decision on these radios and what you want to do about them."

Sheffield Mayor John Hunter and Sheffield Lake Mayor Dennis Bring praised the L3 Harris radios in use in the village and city, respectively.

"Which one of you two are going to call a family if somebody dies and they don't have the proper communication?" Bring asked the board. "Are you going to take the time to do that, because I want to know who's going to do it because I personally wouldn't like that phone call from you because you didn't take the time to do this."

A fired-up Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield dramatically called out Moore, lambasting the board from the podium, incensed over how he said Pronesti was treated.

"I watched how you treated my chief. I didn't appreciate that as well. But I am very impressed with you. Because I have never seen someone get this much feedback and be able to ignore it the way you have,” Whitfield said.

He called the vote an example of why elections have consequences and urged the board to change the dynamic.

“This is just one issue and if this is (how) things are going to be for the next four years or next two years, we need to do whatever we can to change this dynamic with you up here and with others if they're going to support you because this is the sort of toxic governing that we've seen where things … I truly believe if the cure for cancer would’ve got approved by Hung and Lundy you would be against it,” Whitfield said.

The mayor then went after Moore directly.

"Here’s the difference between you and I: I was making a difference before I was mayor and I'm going to afterwards. This is your only relevance sitting in that seat and you rode on the 'Trump train' with one letter next to your name. My reputation is based on work and I care about the people you can look at the value so yes, we're gonna go to our city, we’re gonna advocate to put resources into this. We want to have skin in the game,” Whitfield said.

Elyria was pegged to receive 51 radios, making it the largest recipient in the plan. Pronesti said last week that if Elyria were to fund the radios out of the city coffers, it would cost approximately $350,000.

Elyria City Council's finance committee on Monday pulled from its agenda a contract with CCI for the monthly maintenance fees on the radios.

North Ridgeville Police Chief Mike Freeman was the lone chief in the room Monday who didn't speak directly in favor of L3 Harris radios.

Freeman said the radio issue was about "getting the best deal for the county."

"That's my concern, my concern is the process in place," whether the money was being spent "wisely" and the process was "fair across the board," he said. "If CCI wins the bid process, I respect it."

Freeman was heckled and booed by first responders and their supporters.

Commissioners detail concerns

Hung said the current analog radios offer no reliable countywide coverage, can't handle large-scale emergencies, aren't encrypted enough for law enforcement, and can't be upgraded to meet future demands.

Motorola, backing the MARCS system, couldn't put together a viable bid in time even after being granted an extension to do so last year, Hung said.

"I am comfortable that Motorola was fully informed (and) the bid process was handled properly," she said. "Legal signed off every step of the way. I have performed my due diligence and I'm satisfied that Mission Critical performed its due diligence."

Moore told The ChronicleTelegram the contract was not discussed with the mayors or trustees of Lorain County.

"I have received calls from officials that are concerned with fees associated with every radio and the additional steps that will increase the monthly fees over the years of this contract, and who are going to pay for these fees?" he wrote in his news release. "One would hope the local elected officials would need to be informed and have buy-in prior, not after the December 21st vote."

The contract went out for bid but only CCI was allowed a 45day extension, "basically Lundy and Hung ignored MARCS request for an extension and (MARCS) did not bid," he wrote.

"Technically the bidding window closed and it should have been re-bid since there were none that came in on time," Moore wrote. "I am not claiming we should use MARCS or CCI (L3 Harris radios). I do believe we should have a bid that is fair and equitable to all vendors that bid on projects. I do not support bid-rigging or steering contracts.

CCI and Hung both have denied steering contracts or rigging bids in CCI's favor.

Riddell said he didn't "have a dog in the hunt as far as brands or whatever," and admitted needing to do more research to get up to speed, but claimed re-

scinding the contract now won't cost CCI.

"Anybody can sue anybody any day," Riddell said in response to CCI's legal threat. "There are times we're going to do the right thing and we're going to get sued anyway. I'm committed to doing what I believe is the right thing to do."

"I don't see everyone dying because of where we are today," Riddell said.

Assistant Prosecutor Dan Petticord, the board's legal counsel, said CCI's bid was the only "complete" bid as scored by the county's consulting firm, while an incomplete bid came from Vasu Communications in Avon.

Petticord said his office would have to recuse itself from investigating any allegations that contracts were steered or interfered with by commissioners because the board members are its clients. Such an investigation could be done by Auditor Keith Faber's office, the Ohio attorney general or a special prosecutor, he said.

Petticord said a lawsuit like that promised by CCI is "always" a concern, but "I don't believe there's a substantial risk for serious liability."

Lundy — now the safety service director for the city of Elyria — said Monday that public safety "should never be political."

"The prosecutor’s office provided oversight and approval every step of the process," he said. "Thorough research and field tests were conducted. The right decision was made. There is no reason to reverse course. Public safety will be jeopardized. We must stand with and support our first responders to keep them and our residents safe."

Post-vote reaction

Following the vote, Pronesti said it would go down as a sad one for all Lorain County safety forces.

The fire chiefs who attended Monday's meeting said they were disappointed and frustrated but determined to push forward.

“I would say we're highly disappointed in the process that they're claiming was incorrect was fully vetted through the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office. I think that due diligence was made clear through actions the board has taken today and nothing is done without an all-in review. So it's disappointing for sure," Betsa said.

Betsa said the decision directly impacts first responders. ARPA funds were made available because of the COVID-19 pandemic and rescinding the contract takes away an investment in the people who responded to COVID.

The board "made motions to spend more money than was asked for this radio system on documents that every member of this board fully stated they didn’t have the chance to review. So it's disappointing to see that specific things are put under more scrutiny than others, but it's disheartening for us knowing this is sort of the greater good of Lorain County, the public safety agency needs," he said.

Wetherbee said the chiefs who showed up did so with the understanding that rescinding the deal was a foregone conclusion, but the show of support from first responders was important and represented how much the issue weighs on their minds.

He said rescinding the contract was a stain but he hopes the critical issues brought to light will lead to further investigations and solutions. He said he didn’t foresee any formal action by the fire chief's association, and that it would take time to regroup.

Lorain County fire chiefs meet regularly and will continue advocating for the L3 Harris system as the best option for the county, Betsa said.

“We will continue to fight for this. We're very passionate about issues that are sensitive to our needs. Communications is certainly one of the big ones and we will continue fighting for the communication system for all of Lorain County,” Betsa said.

Kristin Bauer | Chronicle Elyria Fire Chief Joe Pronesti taps Elyria Mayor Frank Whitfield on the shoulder after Whitfield spoke to a room filled with first responders after Lorain County Commissioners Jeff Riddell and David Moore voted to rescind a multi-million dollar contract for portable radios.

Nord Center opens behavioral health urgent care

CARISSA WOYTACH

SHEFFIELD — Those in need of mental health care can now walk into an urgent care clinic just like they would for a physical ailment.

The Nord Center has opened Lorain County’s first behavioral health urgent care in Sheffield, seeing about 30 patients in its first four weeks.

CEO Don Schiffbauer stressed the importance of parity between mental and physical health behind the urgent care idea — and breaking down the stigma associated with seeking behavioral health treatment.

“There’s physical medicine urgent cares out there — it’s very hard to go several miles without having one,” he said. “The whole premise behind the behavioral health urgent care is those same scenarios pop up… to provide the same resources that people have when they’re experiencing physical medicine issues.”

The first clients have been a mix of regular Nord patients in need of walk-in services, those with other health care providers who need same-day appointments, or individuals seeking behavioral health care for the first time, said Melissa Fischer, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic project director.

“This just allows us to get clients who may or may not be con-

nected to the Nord Center right in the door for urgent needs,” Fischer said.

While the office is small, it is fully staffed with a licensed clinician, a licensed practical nurse, a nurse practitioner, a care coordinator and a front desk staffer.

Similar to how urgent cares operate for physical health needs, the behavioral health clinic is available to patients who may have had a change in mood, or run out of a prescription before

Oberlin library meeting

The Oberlin Public Library board will meet at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12 for its 2023 organizational meeting, followed by a regular meeting. Both will be held at the library and are open to the public.

Make ‘tiny art’

Registration for the Amherst Public Library’s Tiny Art Show will open at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 13.

Using a provided kit, artists of all ages are invited to create a tiny work of art that will be displayed in the library. Each kit includes a 4-by-4 canvas, paint brush, palette and a selection of acrylic paints. Artists are also welcome to use their own supplies to create their mini masterpiece.

A limited number of kits will be available by registration.

Registered artists will be able to pick up their kits beginning Friday, Jan. 20. Completed works should be returned to the library no later than Monday, Jan. 30 to be included in the art show.

The Tiny Art Show will be displayed in the library throughout the month of February. Artwork will be returned to artists the first week of March.

Get your fill of fish

A fish fry dinner will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 at Pittsfield Community Church, 17026 State Route 58. The cost is $14. All are welcome.

MLK Day ceremonies

Oberlin’s “Rededication to the Dream” ceremony will be held at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16 via Zoom. Join the Metro Central Unit of the NAACP for this annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony. The free event can be accessed at tinyurl.com/MLKRededication or via the Oberlin Heritage Center page on Facebook. No registration is required. Support for this event is also provided by the Bonner Center at Oberlin College.

Intrafaith Ministries of Lorain County and Lorain Interfaith Association will sponsor a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at 1 p.m. at Christian Temple Disciples of Christ, 940 W. Fifth St., Lorain. Speakers will address the availability of jobs, especially to people of color, and how it relates to health, education, crime and community. The program is intergenerational, multicultural and interfaith. It will be in person and virtually via Zoom. Doors for the in-person event open at noon. The Zoom meeting ID is 642 0732201 and use the password ‘moore’ or join by calling (312) 626-6799 and enter the password 620310.

Read to therapy dogs

Canine reading buddies will be at the Amherst Public Library at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Take along your favorite book or choose one from the library’s collection.

Wellington school board

The Wellington Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at the McCormick Middle School cafeteria. The meeting is open to the public.

Time change in New Russia

New Russia Township trustees will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 46300 Butternut Ridge Rd. Regular monthly business meetings will be held at the new time of 6 p.m. throughout 2023.

Murder mystery auditions

Auditions for the Friends of the Lorain County Metro Parks’ annual murder mystery will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at the Carlisle Visitors Center, 12822 Diagonal Rd., Carlisle Township.

being able to see their regular practitioner. Patients could be referred to the clinic by Nord’s crisis hotline or mobile crisis team, or another provider, or just walk in during regular business hours.

“If they need someone to talk to right in that moment, we have the licensed counselor or social worker who’s here that can provide some brief, short-term therapy for that,” Fischer said.

The model is relatively new to

Northeast Ohio, Schiffbauer said, with two others in Cuyahoga County, but is based on others throughout the country.

Front desk staffers are able to triage patients, prioritizing those with the most critical needs. And those with needs higher than the clinic is able to provide for can be referred to local hospitals for services.

“That’s happened three times so far where someone has come in and we’re not able to help

BULLETIN BOARD

them at this level, but we helped them get to the hospital,” Fischer said. “But the team’s prepared. Because this was new, we didn’t know who would walk through the door.”

The urgent care is about a year in the making, first pitched in November 2021. It was ultimately co-located in the Nord Center’s outpatient facility in Sheffield both as a cost savings measure instead of building a new site, and because of its location off state Route 254 and Interstate 90.

And prior to opening to the public, Nord trialed its model with its own staff acting as “mock patients” — working out what order patients would see clinicians and other issues.

Services at the urgent care are available regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, and a digital translation service is available for those needing Spanish, ASL or other language services.

Once the county’s crisis care facility opens in Lorain, the urgent care will continue to exist in the midst of behavioral health care in the county, Schiffbauer said.

“I foresee these two care delivery models co-existing, just like they do in our physical medicine world,” he said.

He added later, “If you feel as though you need urgent care services centered on behavioral health, come to 5425 Detroit Rd.”

Discussions will involve 2023 and 2024 elections and Democratic candidates.

Backstage passes

Volunteers are needed for help building sets and running technical crew positions for “Barefoot in the Park,” the classic Neil Simon comedy to be performed at Workshop Players Theatre in Amherst next month.

No experience is necessary. Auditions will involve a cold reading from the script. Show dates will be April 28 and 29 and April 6 and 7, with a matinee on Sunday, May 8.

For more information, call (216) 544-3865.

Paint a magical forest

An art class designed for tweens and teens will be offered at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20 at the Amherst Public Library.

All supplies will be provided for registered attendees to create a painting of a magical winter forest. This workshop is intended for ages 10 to 17. Registration is required at www.amherstpubliclibrary.org. Be sure to register each child separately.

New Russia employee reviews

New Russia Township trustees will meet at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 46300 Butternut Ridge Rd. for the purpose of conducting employee reviews.

Scanning Saturdays

The Oberlin Heritage Center will hold “Scanning Saturdays” from 10:30 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. on Jan. 21 and 28 at the Oberlin Public Library.

Do you want a high-quality digital copy of your grandmother’s high school graduation photo? Or maybe of a snapshot of your uncle when he was in the service? Or a slide from that memorable vacation? The Heritage Center can help you preserve and share your photographs. Collections Manager Maren McKee can also share ideas for storing and labeling your photo collection. Participants are asked to take a flash drive to take copies home

Appointments for this free service to scan up to 10 items are not required but are highly recommended. Make an appointment by contacting Maren at history@oberlinheritage.org or (440) 774-1700.

OHC is also looking to expand its collection of Oberlin images from the recent past. If you have photos that document community events, church history, neighborhoods, families and businesses from the 1960s on, consider making an appointment during Scanning Saturdays.

Metro Parks fundraiser

The annual Friends of the Lorain County Metro Parks Winter Indoor Rummage Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 and Sunday, Jan. 29 at Henry’s Barn, 46223 U.S. Route 20, Oberlin.

Donate household items in a drive-up drop-off format from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22; 1-7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 23; and 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25. No clothing, shoes, large furniture, Christmas trees or electronics.

All proceeds benefit the county park system.

Music to soothe the soul

“Chasing the Blues Away with Music” will be presented at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Amherst Public Library.

Music therapist Hannah Gonzalez will lead children ages 9 months to 6 years old in musical activities. Registration is suggested. Sign up at www.amherstpubliclibrary.org.

Democrat club meeting

The Avon Democratic Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9 at the Avon Senior Center, 36786 Detroit Rd.

Performances will be Feb. 23 to 26 and March 3 to 5. For information, call (440) 634-0427.

Miller to narrate screening of film ‘The Big Year’

Greg Miller, who inspired one of the main characters of the 2011 comedy “The Big Year” with Jack Black, will speak at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the French Creek Nature Center’s Ewing Hall, 4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield.

The film is a “birding classic,” according to the Black River Audubon Society, which is sponsoring the event with the Lorain County Metro Parks. Miller will narrate the movie in a screening, sharing behind-the-scenes and “fact vs. fiction” insights.

Tickets are limited. They are $5 and may be purchased at www.loraincountymetroparks.com. If not sold out, tickets will be available at the door. Concessions will also be open.

“The Big Year” stars Black playing Miller. The big-name cast also includes Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, Rosamund Pike, Rashida Jones, Drian Dennehy and Jim Parsons. It is based on the 2004 nonfiction books “The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession” by Mark Obmascik. Miller was a consultant on the movie when it was filmed in 2010.

“It is interesting to learn how the book and movie came about, get a first-hand account of the making of the movie, and explore what is fact and what is fiction in the film,” said Black River Audubon Society President Rob Swindell. “Miller is an engaging story-teller and popular tour guide.”

With more than 50 years of birding experience, Miller has been a senior leader for Wildside Nature Tours and now lives in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

Jeff Barnes | Chronicle

Staff of the Nord Center's new Behavioral Health Urgent Care office in Sheffield include Anansa Hinton, Amber Smith, Dana Santo, Don Schiffbauer, Glen Morse, Tava SloaneYoung, Jennifer Seelie, and Melissa Myers Fischer.

Provided photo

Actor, comedian and musician Jack Black poses with birding expert Greg Miller of Sugarcreek, Ohio. Black played Miller in the 2011 movie “The Big Year,” which is considered a classic among birdwatchers, according to the Black River Audubon Society.

Council eyes $100K for Oberlin nonprofit’s HQ

JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — City Council is poised to gift $100,000 to an Oberlin nonprofit that provides food and financial relief to struggling residents in southern Lorain County.

Officials plan to pull the cash from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding. A vote is tentatively set for Tuesday, Jan. 17.

The money will be used to offset the $1 million purchase of Oberlin Community Services’ new headquarters on Route 511, according to Council President Bryan Burgess.

OBERLIN HIGH SCHOOL

OCS closed on that deal in December. Executive Director Margie Flood told Council last week that the nonprofit aims to raise at least $3 million to pay for the building and extensive renovations.

“We’ll probably have to go beyond that to finish the project,” she said.

So far, OCS has raised about $2.7 million, including a pledge of $100,000 in ARPA funds from the Lorain County Board of Commissioners.

Flood said she believes Oberlin’s contribution will spur other towns and townships in southern Lorain County to open their coffers as well.

That broadly means it can be used to give assistance to lowerincome residents, and Flood made a clear case that there is increased need, he said.

After consulting with outside legal counsel, Clark said there is “no question” that financially backing a nonprofit that provides relief is justified.

In late 2022, the city’s Human Relations Commission

Attacks across U.S. have village talking security

JASON HAWK EDITOR

WELLINGTON — Alarmed by attacks on electrical substations across the nation, Village Council is now asking whether it should “harden” its own facilities.

“What might we be able to do to prevent the most easy, elementary vandalism-slash-attacks on the system we’ve got?” Councilman Guy Wells asked in a meeting last week.

Wellington has three substations positioned around the village, each surrounded by chain link fence, Electrical Superintendent David Bealer said in the public meeting. He agreed that more security may be needed.

The concerns rise from a strange trend of attacks in recent months that show how vulnerable the power grid is.

Two men were arrested after an alleged Christmas Day strike that shut down four substations in Washington state, leaving thousands of people without power.

Matthew Greenwood and Jeremy Crahan have been charged in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to damage public energy utilities. Greenwood faces an additional court of possessing an illegal short-barreled rifle and shotgun, according to the Associated Press.

Attacks on two electric substations in North Carolina put more than 45,000 customers in the dark in December, leading federal regulators to launch a review of security protocols, the AP reported.

And in November, several power transformers and substations were targeted in Oregon.

Alumni panel explores what college life’s like

FOR THE NEWS-TRIBUNE

OBERLIN — A lot has changed in the last seven months for five Oberlin High School graduates from the Class of 2022.

On Thursday, Jan. 5, Caleb Peterson, Cam Thompson, Maggie Shuck, Ryley Steggall and Emerson Freas talked with current OHS freshmen and seniors about what life has been like since enrolling in college fulltime.

Guidance counselors Jennifer Bracken and Suzanne Nock invited former students to discuss college life.

“Students enjoy hearing from their

peers, students they have played sports with and grown up with in Oberlin,” Bracken said. “Current students know that members of the panel have been in their place, they have recently walked the halls and had the same teachers and classes. They are able to relate to them and find the information about studying, potential roommate issues and living away from home for the first time to be helpful.”

The alumni panel told the students about the adjustments they made with newfound freedom, learning in a lecture hall with 100 other students and sharing a tight living space with a stranger.

“The amount of freedom is crazy because no one is asking you where

you are or where you are going, but you have to be accountable and stay on top of your studies,” said Thompson, who is studying business at Cleveland State University.

One of the biggest adjustments for Freas was figuring out what to do with her spare time without losing sight of what going to college really means.

“You need to go to school even in college,” she said. Freas plans to double major in education and Spanish while attending Ohio Wesleyan University.

Shuck, who is studying criminology at Lorain County Community College, noted that if you miss a day

Oberlin to honor Martin Luther King

JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — A proclamation honoring “our nation’s greatest champion of civil rights and human dignity,” Martin Luther King Jr., was read last week on the floor of City Council.

King had personal and professional ties to Oberlin, and visited the city a number of times.

In 1965, he was awarded

an honorary doctorate by Oberlin College.

King’s commencement address that June day was explicitly “woke,” entitled “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution,” according to the Oberlin College archives.

“There are all too many people who, in some great period of social change, fail to achieve the new mental outlooks that the new situation demands,” he said.

“There is nothing more tragic than to sleep through

a revolution. There can be no gainsaying of the fact that a great revolution is taking place in our world today. It is a social revolution, sweeping away the old order of colonialism.”

King went on to tell the

Class of 1965 that scientific advances had made the world a neighborhood, its most remote areas more accessible than ever, and “we must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools.”

Oberlin first observed a holiday in King’s honor in 1971, just three years after he was murdered.

Congress did not establish Martin Luther King Jr.

After the North Carolina incident was covered by national media, Bealer met with Wellington Village Manager Jonathan Greever to talk about possible security upgrades.

Security cameras are at the top of the list, Bealer said. Adding more fencing is another option.

“It sounds like we’re building a fort, but if this becomes the norm in America, we might be having to do something like that,” he told Council.

Wellington could opt to go as far as installing concrete walls and metal plating, he said — but that’s likely overkill.

It would also be expensive. But Bealer said every remedy would be costly.

Councilman Mark Bughman said he worries that FirstEnergy’s 138-kilovolt substation on Jones Road is particularly vulnerable.

“That’s where they would go,” he said, shaking his head.

Later in the meeting, he added, “I could sit back there and hit that thing a zillion times, and they’d never know who it would be.”

Bealer said the 138-kilovolt transmission line is what feeds power to Wellington most of the time. There is

Oberlin Law Director Jon Clark said ARPA funds can be used to respond to public health issues and economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jason Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune

Oberlin Community Services has purchased the former National Association of College Stores building on Route 511, and aims to partner with other nonprofits under the same roof after extensive renovations are made this year.

Provided photo

Oberlin High School alumni Cam Thompson and Caleb Peterson share a funny story with senior Nate Malakar on Thursday, Jan. 5.

Martin Luther King Jr.

OHC is taking 2023 award nominations

The Oberlin Heritage Center is accepting nominations for its Community Awards Program, which celebrates people, organizations and businesses that serve the community.

COLLEGE

FROM B1

Award categories include:

• Community Historian

• Heritage Guardian

• Volunteer of the Year

• Community Teacher of the Year

• History Teacher of the

in college you have to basically teach yourself the lesson.

All five panel members agreed that taking as many English and writing courses as possible in high school is the best way to prepare for college. They also advised taking classes from Oberlin history teacher Kurt Russell, who is currently on sabbatical after being named the 2022 National Teacher of the Year.

“When I am working on a paper in college, I think about what Ms. (Josie) Martin would say if she were reading it and then I make adjustments,” said Peterson, who is studying communications at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. All agreed that taking courses offered by Russell prepared them for real-world conversations in a

ARPA FUNDS

FROM B1

recommended giving Oberlin Community Services between $50,000 and $75,000.

On Monday, Councilwomen Elizabeth Meadows, Kristin Peterson and Eboni Johnson all voiced support for increasing that amount to $100,000.

The city has the money, according to Finance Director Sal Talarico.

Oberlin received $862,282 in ARPA funding from Congress, he said. So far, Council has committed $200,000 to Lorain County Transit for additional busing services through the end of 2023, and $51,000 to Lorain County Commu-

college setting.

Year

• Keep Oberlin Beautiful

• Business Leader Service

• Youth Community Service

Nominations are due by Jan. 15. The nomina -

The former students also admitted the college party scene isn’t a big deal, but that if you do attend one, it’s best to go with a friend or your roommate.

“Just be smart,” Peterson said.

Steggall is studying psychology, law and society while attending Oberlin College. She said that while it is important to stay on top of your studies, college is also where you have the chance to find out who you really are.

“You get what you put into it,” she said. “You can go to a party, but there is no pressure to attend. You have the chance to make new friends. You can find your true passion.”

For current Oberlin High School seniors Brookelyn Anderson and

nity College for a workforce development pilot program.

Talarico said $255,000 is being held in reserve, should Council want to extend that pilot for five years.

Flood previously said the purchase of the former National Association of College Stores building on Route 511 was meant to provide more space to the nonprofit in a time of unparalleled demand for help.

The plan is to welcome cooperating nonprofits under the same roof, creating a “community resource hub” so clients

tion form can be downloaded at tinyurl.com/ OHCawards2023.

Winners will be recognized at OHC's annual meeting on Wednesday, April 12.

Nate Malakar, it was eye-opening to hear about the different perspectives of college and dorm life.

“My biggest takeaway from the panel was to follow my heart to do what I love,” Anderson said.

Malakar said hearing about struggles with roommates and the amount of writing required that made him understand college is a new world.

“I never realized that living with a roommate required a level of maturity because you have to learn to respect others,” he said. “And I never knew there would be so much writing in college!”

Shuck told the audience of seniors to value their time at Oberlin High School.

“Don’t rush it. You will miss it,” she said.

will have easy access to a wide range of assistance, she said — health services, clothing and help reducing energy bills, for example.

Food remains a high priority, though. Flood said that during the pandemic, OCS has welcomed long lines of cars to contactfree food distributions at its current Professor Street location.

That service isn’t going away, she said. The new headquarters will ease traffic and wait time burdens during food giveaways.

The building will also make a choice food pantry possible, allowing clients to “shop” for essential in-

gredients to feed their families. The nonprofit’s current facility is too small to have a choice pantry set up.

The new headquarters will also have loading docks and large walk-in coolers, increasing the amount of nutritious food OCS can keep on hand, Flood said.

Her pitch won over Councilman Michael McFarlin, who threw his support behind the city’s proposed $100,000 contribution.

“It sounds like this is an opportunity for Oberlin to lead, not just here in the city but the county,” he said.

New year’s resolution: Cut stress by quitting nicotine

Lorain County Public Health is encouraging people to make health a priority this New Year by starting your journey to quit nicotine.

Nicotine is more addictive than heroin or cocaine, so LCPH suggests coaching to help achieve a nicotine-free lifestyle. Adults can call (800) 784-8669 for a free quit coach. Teens can text "Start My Quit" to 36072 for a free, confidential quit coach that specializes in vaping.

“Mental health is such an important part of overall health, especially in today’s world,” said Lorain County Health Commissioner Mark Adams. “Quitting nicotine can be tough and you deserve support to help you through it.”

Peer-reviewed studies show troubling links between nicotine and worsening symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as higher odds of having a depression diagnosis. Here are three ways vaping and nicotine use affect mental health:

• E-cigarette users are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression compared to those who have never vaped.

• Vaping can worsen symptoms of depression.

• Nicotine use is significantly associated with higher levels of conditions such as ADHD.

SECURITY

FROM B1

also a 69-kilovolt line from the east.

“There is no way to inevitably make everything impervious. It’s just not going to happen,” he said. “We’ll do what we can do within our means and be aware of it.”

Wellington is not alone in its anxiety over infrastructure security.

Greever said he and other representatives from across the state also discussed how to protect their facilities at December a meeting for members of American Municipal Power Ohio.

The nonprofit corporation supplies wholesale power and related services to its members.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has been pushing for more than a decade for power providers, especially in rural areas, to increase security by installing walls, alarms and cameras at vulnerable points.

The order to increase security was handed down by FERC after a 2013 sniper attack on a Pacific Gas & Electric Company transmission substation near San Jose, according to the Associated Press. The culprit caused mass power outages, but was never caught.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has long warned that the power grid is a prime target for domestic terrorists.

About a year ago, it issued a report claiming extremists were developing “credible, specific plans” since at least 2020 to damage electrical infrastructure, the Associated Press reported.

It also tracked white supremacist and anti-government groups allegedly plotting to attack energy facilities in the U.S. to “sow mayhem and division among Americans.”

FROM B1

KINGDay as a federal holiday until 15 years later.

In its first meeting of 2023, Oberlin Council accepted the proclamation that said King “gave his life for the cause of true justice in our land, and for his ‘dream’ that all people of all colors and conditions could live in peace and in harmony, and could treat each other and all others with respect.”

The proclamation included some incorrect information, however: It claimed that each year, residents gather at the Vine Street park named in King’s honor to celebrate his life.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those gatherings did not happen at the park in 2021 or 2022, but Martin Luther King Day ceremonies were instead held online.

That’s the case again this year. The Metro Central Unit of the NAACP, comprised of former Oberlin and Elyria chapters that have merged, will hold its “Rededication to the Dream” ceremony via Zoom again at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16.

The free event can be viewed at tinyurl.com/MLKRededication or via the Oberlin Heritage Center page on Facebook.

Kids litigate mock trials based on real-life cases

ELYRIA — Instead of regular classes, students from across Lorain County got their day in court on Friday, Dec. 9.

The Educational Service Center of Lorain County held its annual mock trials, giving students the chance to role play through court cases.

They gave opening arguments and elicited witness testimony that led to verdicts at the Lorain County Justice Center. Students acted as attorneys, lawyers, witnesses, bailiffs, jury

members and defendants.

Scenarios were taken from real past court cases.

For example, “Cavanaugh v. Cup of Joe” was based upon the famous McDonald's hot coffee trial.

One of the highlights of the experience is that actual judges, magistrates and attorneys preside over the trials, said Cathy Fischer, gifted supervisor at the ESC.

“Not only do they act as judges, but also as instructors, explaining all aspects

of the trials,” she said.

Mock trials have been a staple of ESC programming for more than 15 years.

“Many of the students indicated that they learned a lot, not only about courtroom protocols, but also about the extensive amount of preparation and planning necessary within a trial,” Fischer said. “Some have even entered into legal professions as a result of exposure to this program, which is an exciting bonus.”

Red Cross puts Super Bowl tickets on the line

The need for blood and platelet donations hasn’t faded with the end of the holiday season, according to the American Red Cross.

The organization is teaming up with Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning during National Blood Donor Month to rally people to give.

In partnership with the National Football League, those who donate blood, platelets or plasma through Jan. 31 will be automatically entered to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.

The Red Cross runs donation centers in Cleveland, Parma and Akron.

It is also sponsoring blood drives in Lorain County on the following dates:

• Thursday, Jan. 19 from noon to 6 p.m. at VFW Post 9340, 25742 Royalton Rd., Columbia Township.

• Friday, Jan. 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Elyria Public Library’s West River Branch, 1194 West River Rd. North.

• Monday, Jan. 23 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Ritter Public Library, 5680 Liberty Ave.

• Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 1-6 p.m. at the Penfield Township Community Center, 41012 State Route 18.

• Sunday, Jan. 29 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fr. Mosovsky Hall, 410 Lear Rd., Avon Lake.

• Tuesday, Jan. 31 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Avon Isle Park, 37080 Detroit Rd. Visit redcrossblood.org/superbowl for contest terms.

WHS senior Maya Feron earns national recognition

WELLINGTON — Maya Feron, a senior at Wellington High School, is one of 62,000 students from across the country to earn academic honors from the College Board’s National Recognition Programs.

The programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and connect students with universities, helping them stand out during the admissions process.

Colleges and scholarship programs use these honors to

Wellington Schools since kindergarten, is involved in Student Council, Drama Club, is the president of the Wellington Class of 2023 and plays the tuba in the WHS band.

She is applying to several schools, including Boston University, University of California at Berkeley, Miami and Georgetown.

Possible majors include international law or political risk analysis.

Feron earned recognition by excelling on her PSAT/ NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP exams and in the classroom.

Oberlin students ‘Shop With a Cop’ for holiday

OBERLIN — The 2022 holiday season was a little brighter for 35 students from the Oberlin City Schools as they participated in the “Shop With a Cop” program in late December.

Police officer Billy Neadham, who is assigned to patrol the district, took students shopping at Walmart.

“This is the 11th year I have put the ‘Shop With a Cop’ program together, and each year it brings me such joy to see the reactions of young children,” Neadham said.

Walmart provides Oberlin police with

a $5,000 grant. Each year, two students from each grade are selected to meet Neadham at Walmart to receive a $150 gift card.

“I am forever grateful to Walmart for allowing me and my fellow officers to help make the holiday season a bit brighter. It’s fun to walk around the store to see what items are selected,” Neadham said.

This year, he received extra help from “The Grinch,” who found it in his heart to spread holiday cheer as well.

JVS teens collect pajamas for kids at Blessing House

PITTSFIELD TWP. — Students collected 116 pairs of pajamas at a recent fundraiser to benefit children in need through the Blessing House of Lorain County.

Members of the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America chapter at the Lorain County JVS held a pajama party to help the Elyria-based shelter.

Sarah Francis, an early childhood education junior from Firelands, said there were two opportunities to collect pajamas.

“The first was a pajama party for Lorain County JVS preschoolers to attend and the cost for that event was a pair of paja-

mas,” she said.

The second opportunity was at Powers Elementary School in Amherst, where early childhood education students volunteered at a Secret Santa Shop event, accepting donations.

“We have students here at LCJVS that have been supported by the Blessing House, and together as a class we felt it was a good cause to support,” Francis said.

“It feels really good knowing that we are helping people out,” said Chloe Parsons, another early childhood education junior from Firelands. “Being able to give pajamas to kids that don’t have any, or need new ones, makes you feel good.”

Provided photo

In December, 35 students from the Oberlin City Schools had the opportunity to “Shop With a Cop.”

Provided photo

Aubrey Duffala of Amherst gets pampered at the Lorain County JVS salon during a pajama party fundraiser.

Provided photo

Kids fill a Lorain County Justice Center courtroom to litigate in “Cavanaugh v. Cup of Joe,” based upon the famous McDonald's hot coffee trial.

Provided photo

Quarterback Peyton Manning played in the NFL for 18 seasons and led the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl title in 2007 and the Denver Broncos to the championship victory in 2016.

identify students from

underrepresented groups through College Board’s Student Search Service. Feron, who has attended

Maya Feron

And that makes 150

Fetcenko | Amherst News-Times Firelands' Ruben PinaLorenzana (LEFT) has done what few high school wrestlers can: He earned his 150th career victory. Last Thursday, he pinned Columbia’s Nicholas Oleksiak in 17 seconds in the 126-pound class for win No. 149 before downing Keystone’s Domonik Warner in 59 seconds for No. 150. The feat happened on the Falcons’ home turf, with wrestlers from across the Lorain County League cheering him on.

BELOW LEFT: Firelands' Waylon McCutcheon puts Columbia's Ethan Valentine in a tough spot during a 126-pound class match.

BELOW RIGHT: Keystone's Sage O'Brien wrestles Oberlin's Isaiah Jackson in the 138-pound class.

CRUTCHER CRUSHES IT

Send sports news to news@lcnewspapers.com. Deadline for all submissions is 10 a.m. each Tuesday. Printed as space is available.

Jeff Barnes | Oberlin News-Tribune

Jayden Crutcher of Elyria gets fouled as he goes to the hoop against Chris Walker of Oberlin on Friday at Elyria High School. Crutcher hit seven 3-pointers and ran up 26 points en route to a 67-33 rout of Oberlin in non-conference play. Omario Hopkins led the Phoenix with 12 points.

Photos by Russ Gifford | Amherst News-Times

Bella Simmons put 14 points on the board and Lexi Schrader added 10 to push Firelands to a 36-31 win after four incredibly tight quarters of competition. The Falcons upended Keystone’s previously-perfect record, and also moved into a first place tie in the Lorain County League. The Wildcats were led by Delaney Peters with 13 points.

ABOVE: Firelands' Bella Simmons runs the offense against Keystone.

Thomas

THOMPSON SHOW HIS POWER

PHOENIX GET CLIPPED

Photos by Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise

Savannah Gundert led the Dukes to an easy 56-13 victory over Brookside in Lorain County League play last week. The Cardinals hit the court without shooters — Bella Diaz led the team with 7 points. Brooke Lehmkuhl put up 10 for Wellington, which had eight girls score. The Dukes shot out to a 17-4 first quarter total and went on to outpace the Cards 22-1 in the third period.

ABOVE: Wellington's Savannah Gundert gets a layup.

Photos by Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise

The Pirates’ Cayden Hinderman and the Dukes’ Sean Whitehouse each had a 22-point night when the neighboring Lorain County League rivals met last week, but otherwise the game was lopsided. With a 19-0 first period, Black River had the win in the bag early and finished 71-44. The Pirates had a 17-point performance by Ridge Martin, with 12 more from Eric Groesser and 10 from Evan Ladina. Wellington had Whitehouse but not the backup — Deakan Wirth was the only other player to cross into double digits, with 11 points. LEFT: Black River's Blake Hopkins celebrates with Eric Groesser afer hits the final shot of the first half at Wellington. CENTER: Wellington's Landon Whitehouse and Black River's Chase McKenzie battle for a rebound.

RIGHT: Black River's Cayden Hinderman-Powell gets points.

Erik Andrews | Oberlin News-Tribune

Phoenix senior Isaac Thompson led Oberlin's sprint from the opening tip to 25 first quarter points, easily outdistancing an outmatched Clearview squad 74-51. The senior post contributed the majority of his game-high 20 points in the blistering start. The Phoenix moved to 4-6 overall, 4-2 in Lorain County League play, and are tied for second place in league play. ABOVE: Oberlin's Josiah Bowen Pride dribbles past the Clippers’ Zavior Castillo.

Erik Andrews | Oberlin News-Tribune

The Oberlin girls were unable to keep up with Clearview last week, as the Clippers sailed off with a comfortable 44-13 victory. The Phoenix were led by Sanayah Wilborn's 6 points. The Phoenix (0-10, 0-7 in LCL) are back in action this Saturday at Open Door. ABOVE: Oberlin's Deatrice Barnes puts up a short jumper.

The words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped to change the world. His words still inspire people today. He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was the minister of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, as was his father before him. Because Martin and his father had the same name, the family called him M.L.

When M.L. was young, he played with all the children who lived in his Atlanta neighborhood.

Use the code to nd out what M.L.’s mother told him.

But when they reached school age, the white children went to a school for white children only, and M.L. was sent to a school for black children. After the first day of school, M.L. and his white friends were never allowed to play together again.

M.L. was very sad when his friends would no longer play with him. He asked his mother why they couldn’t.

She talked about why the family didn’t ride streetcars, why there was a WHITES ONLY sign on the elevator at City Hall, why there were restaurants that refused to serve black people, and theaters that allowed blacks to sit only in the balcony. She said that it was simply because some white people didn’t understand that we all deserve equal treatment.

For more than 20 years, Martin Luther King spoke out against _______ and segregation. During these years, he was arrested, had his ______ bombed, and was accused of being “un-American.”

In 1963, Dr. King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. “I have a dream that one day in Alabama little black boys and black girls will _____ hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and __________.”

In 1964, the ______ Rights Act was passed, granting equal rights to black Americans and Dr. King received the Nobel Peace _______. Sadly, just four _______ later, Dr. King was shot and killed in Memphis, Tenn. But his words live on.

Find where each of these words belong in this story.

Choose your favorite Dr. King quote. Make a poster illustrating the quote and display it in your home or classroom.

1. 3. 2.

4. 1. 3.

M.L. decided right then and there that someday he would try to change the world. He wanted to make it a place where white children and black children could play together and enjoy the same rights.

Quiz a friend or family member with the following statements. If they don’t know the answers, you can use today’s Kid Scoop to be the teacher! All the answers can be found on today’s Kid Scoop page.

Where was Martin Luther King born? From which college did Dr. King receive his Ph.D.? In 1964 Dr. King was awarded an important prize. What was it called?

In what year was the Civil Rights Act passed? What was the name of the famous speech Dr. King gave in Washington D.C.?

As M.L. grew up, he saw more and more examples of segregation. He also saw his father and others speak out against hatred and segregation. These people taught M.L. about the power of words. He learned that words could heal or hurt

“When the history books are written, someone will say there lived black people who had the courage to stand up for their rights.”

2. 4. –

Select a headline from today’s newspaper and rewrite it to say just the opposite. How many more ways can you rewrite that headline. How does the impact of the words change when you write the headline different ways?

Give at least one example, recounted in today’s Kid Scoop page, of Martin Luther King’s courage. In what year was Dr. King shot and killed? Words were one tool Dr Martin Luther King used to bring about social change.

True. (He did use actions, too. He helped with the bus boycott. He was arrested. He led protests.)

1968

Continuing to speak for civil rights even after being arrested and having his home bombed.

“I Have a Dream”

1964

Nobel Peace Prize

Boston University

Atlanta, GA

Standards Link: Sentence Structure: Students are able to write complete sentences.

Dr. Martin Luther King

Standards

Standards Link: History: Students understand the importance of individual action.

Standards Link: Mathematical Reasoning: Students use strategies, skills and concepts in finding solutions. Standards Link: Character Education: Students identify character traits in others.

“Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”

“In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”