Lorain County Community Guide - Jan. 30, 2020

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AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020

www.lcnewspapers.com

Volume 7, Issue 5

Ohio voters could see $13 minimum wage on fall ballot JASON HAWK EDITOR

A proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution seeks to raise the minimum wage to $13 by 2025. The Ohio Attorney General's office announced Tuesday that a petition Ohioans for Raising the Wage had both 1,000 valid

signatures to be considered and a "fair and truthful" summary of the ballot language that would go before voters. Now the backers of the amendment need to get 422,958 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters by July 1 to place the issue on the November ballot. It must also pass scrutiny by the Ohio Ballot Board. The minimum wage in Ohio for

BULLETIN BOARD Thursday, Jan. 30 • OBERLIN: An “Outside the Box Shoes” sale will be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30 at the main lobby of Mercy Health Allen Hospital. It is sponsored by the Mercy Health Allen Auxiliary.

Starting Jan. 30 • WELLINGTON: “Let’s Talk About Metabolic Syndrome” will be presented in January, February, March and April at the Lorain County Community College Wellington Center, 151 Commerce Dr. The first session will be held from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30 in room 119. It will be led by Lisa Augustine, interim dean of health and wellness sciences at LCCC. She will provide information on how to reduce risk factors and enjoy a healthier, more productive life through movement, healthy eating and stress management. There will also be a raffle with a cahnce to win LCCC culinary lessons, a water bottle, T-shirts and a basket of other goodies. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels and which can increase a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke. Presentations are free and open to the public. Registration is required; email Augustine at laugusti@ lorainccc.edu.

Saturday, Feb. 1 • OBERLIN: “A History of Race and the Right to Vote in Reconstruction Ohio” will be presented at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Oberlin Public Library Community Room, 65 South Main St. BULLETIN BOARD PAGE A3

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most workers who don't get tips is $8.70 per hour. It was just raised by 15 cents on Jan. 1. With voter support, the amendment would gradually ratchet up the minimum wage for four years, then it would continue to rise each year to match inflation. The $13 per hour being sought falls short of the demands of the "Fight for $15" movement, which

calls for a national strike on behalf of about a third of workers in the United States who would benefit from a $15 per hour minimum wage. But it would still make a significant difference for Lorain County and others. The median household income in Lorain County is $58,613, according to data from the 2018 Census.

That works out to $28.18 per hour for a single-income household or $14.09 for a two-income household. A full-time worker making the minimum wage in Ohio takes home $18,096 per year — that's $3,234 under the federal poverty line, according to Policy Matters Ohio. Ohio doesn't rank in the top WAGES PAGE A2

Cleveland Catholic Bishop Nelson Perez returning to Philadelphia STAFF REPORT

Nelson Perez's stay as bishop of Cleveland turned out to be a short one. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced Thursday morning Perez was named archbishop-elect of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He will replace Archbishop Charles Chaput, who is stepping down after reaching the traditional retirement age of 75. Perez will be formally installed as archbishop Feb. 18. There is no word yet on future governance of the Cleveland Diocese, which serves about 677,000 Catholics in an eightcounty area. "I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for this appointment and his confidence in me," Perez said in a statement. "It is with great joy tinged with a sense of sadness that I accept the appointment — joy that I will be returning to serve the archdiocese in which I was ordained to the priesthood, where I served as the pastor of two parishes and where I held several leadership positions within the archdiocese, and sadness that I will be leaving an area and the incredible people in Northeast Ohio I have come to love deeply.” Perez was born in Miami, but grew up in New Jersey, earning a bach-

Steve Manheim | Chronicle

Bishop Nelson Perez of Cleveland speaks to students during Mass at Elyria Catholic in 2017, shortly after his installation. elor's degree in psychology from Montclair State University and after teaching at Colegio la Piedad, a Catholic elementary school in Puerto Rico, he received a master's degree and doctorate from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. After he was ordained, Perez served as a parochial vicar at St. Ambrose Parish in Philadelphia. He was also

assistant director of the Office of Hispanic Catholics, founding director of the Catholic Institute for Evangelization and pastor of St. William Parish in Philadelphia. He then became pastor of St. Agnes Parish in West Chester, Pa. Perez was installed as bishop Sept. 4, 2017, tapped to replace Bishop BISHOP PAGE A2

Need tax help? AARP offers free assistance STAFF REPORT

Tax season is here, and if you're looking for a little help then the AARP Tax-Aide program may be able to provide it. It enlists volunteers to provide free income tax preparation assistance for senior citizens and people with low to moderate income in Lorain County. Volunteers will offer help from Monday, Feb. 3 through Wednesday, April 15. They can help prepare your individual federal, state and school

district tax returns. No farm, rental or business returns. Volunteers took classes in early January and were required to pass an Internal Revenue Service test. Assistance is given by appointment only. You must call ahead to the site you plan to visit. There are 11 AARP Tax-Aide sites in Lorain County: • The Amherst Public Library, 221 Spring St., 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call 440-9884230. • The Avon Senior Center, 36786 Detroit Ave., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays. Call 440-934-2417.

• The Avon Lake Public Library, 32649 Electric Blvd., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Call 440-933-8128. • Cornerstone Church, 2949 West River Rd., Elyria, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Call 440324-1202. • The Lorain County Office on Aging, 320 North Gateway Blvd., Elyria, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Call 440-3264800. • The Grafton Library, 983 Main St., 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays. TAX PREP PAGE A2

INSIDE THIS WEEK Amherst

Oberlin

Wellington

FBI agents search home on Cleveland Avenue • B1

Have a spare million bucks? Schools seek donors • C1

Archibald Willard Masonic mural being restored • D1

CLASSIFIEDS A2 • KID SCOOP A4 • CROSSWORD B4 • SUDOKU C3


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