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LORAIN COUNTY
AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021
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Volume 8, Issue 5
OBERLIN ELEMENTARY CONSTRUCTION
Schools think solar farm is bright idea JASON HAWK EDITOR
OBERLIN — A cash-saving solar array could be built next to Oberlin's new elementary school on North Pleasant Street. Third Sun Solar has proposed a $218,000 sun farm, and the idea seems to have Board of Education members energized.
Ground-mounted panels, when combined with more that will already be installed on the new prekindergarten through fifth grade school's roof, would provide 100 percent of the power needed for the building each year, said Brad Gellert of ThenDesign Architecture. "Obviously, it wouldn't happen every day because the efficiency varies greatly by the amount of
sun," he said. In a Jan. 26 meeting, Gellert said the array could go in the far northeast corner of the school district's property, next to Oberlin High School. He pointed to an area long used by the Oberlin Marching Band. Land closer to the school would also put the solar panels near a baseball diamond — and foul balls. Gellert said the south side
Breyley gets Main Street Volunteer of the Year honor
of the property has too much shade. The Board of Education has not approved Third Sun's contract. First, the district plans to meet with city officials and apply for clean energy grants from Oberlin's Sustainable Reserve Fund. Linda Arbogast, Oberlin's sustainability coordinator, said the grant application would ultimately go to City Council for
approval. "What everybody hopes for these funds is they get used to support all of the community, and who better than the public schools when you're talking about that kind of benefit?" she said. The district has also discussed using city green energy funds to SOLAR PAGE A3
LCCC VIRUS EXPERT
A brutal year without festivals has the Wellington nonprofit watching finances JASON HAWK EDITOR
WELLINGTON — Denise Breyley was named the Patricia Lindley Volunteer of the Year Award winner Tuesday by Main Street Wellington. Breyley, owner of Beriswill Insurance, was a founding member of the nonprofit that supports the downtown business community. She is known for showing random acts of kindness around town, supports 4-H events and is a driving force behind the Helping Hands food pantry at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Wellington, said newly-elected Main Street President Richard Denise Breyley Saccardi. In Main Street's annual business meeting, Saccardi was elevated to the leadership role along with Vice President Teresa Bosela. Reese Dunton will continue to serve as treasurer in 2021 and outbound President Anthony Savage was chosen as secretary. Two new members, Greg Jones and Amy Kiley, were also named to the Main Street board. They will be faced with difficult decisions this year. MAIN STREET PAGE A3
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Kristin Bauer | Chronicle
Harry Kestler, professor of microbiology at Lorain County Community College, speaks about the COVID-19 vaccine in an interview on Thursday, Jan. 28.
Kestler talks about how science is making newest vaccines safer
JASON HAWK EDITOR
ELYRIA — As a child, Harry Kestler remembers drinking a polio vaccine. "It was like an orange-flavored candy, basically. It had a virus in there, and I got sick from it," he said. He's lucky he did. Kestler, a microbiologist who is now teaching a new generation of students during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the uncomfortable after-effects of a vaccine mean the body is mounting an immune response. In a discussion Thursday, Jan. 28 near his lab at Lorain County Community College, Kestler shared his thoughts on the rollout of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that will help
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What is a vaccine? Vaccines are like the "lite" version of a disease. They usually involve injecting either a live or dead specimen into a person, helping the body's defense system a chance to learn how to effectively fight it off. Kestler, in teaching mode, said vaccines have been around a long, long time — they've successfully eliminated smallpox and a lot of other childhood diseases. The two vaccines being used in the United States to fight COVID are RNA vaccines, and Kestler called them "revolutionary." RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is present
in all living cells and carries instructions around the body about how to handle proteins. "This vaccine is just a naked piece of RNA that's wrapped in fat," Kestler said. "We take that and inject it in your arm." Like two soap bubbles merging together, RNA dumps what it's carrying into the body's cells then melts away. But are they safe? The new vaccines are not only safe, said Kestler, but also unbelievably effective compared to older vaccines. The biggest danger they carry is allergic reaction, which is exceedingly rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the KESTLER PAGE A3
INSIDE THIS WEEK
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end the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which has killed more than two million people worldwide in the past 10 months.
Amherst
Oberlin
Wellington
Council approves $500K for sidewalk repairs • B1
Shooting on South Park hospitalizes one • B1
Lindley stage prepares for ‘Middle School Manifesto’ • B2
OBITUARIES A2 • CLASSIFIEDS A4 • CROSSWORD B2 • SUDOKU B2 • KID SCOOP B6