Lorain County Community Guide - Feb. 18, 2021

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AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

www.lcnewspapers.com

Volume 8, Issue 7

SEEKING RACIAL JUSTICE

Not a baby boom, but a bust instead Bruce Bishop | Chronicle

Caden Bomback shows his "Falcons for Equality" shirt, part of a campaign for awareness of racial justice.

Students will be selling the shirts and part of the proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Lorain County.

Firelands star launches 'Falcons for Equality' sale JASON HAWK EDITOR

HENRIETTA TWP. — Cool on the court, Firelands basketball star Caden Bomback felt an angry fire growing inside over the past year.

After watching Minneapolis police officers kill George Floyd last May, the flames grew hotter with each new report of brutality against African-Americans.

"A lot of people aren't being treated equally and fairly in this country right now," said the senior, who grew up in Lorain and moved to Firelands in 2015.

Bomback said he was ready to protest in a show of support for Black friends and family members — "I know they're struggling. I've seen it firsthand," he said.

So he told coach Alan Januzzi he wanted

“I told him, listen, you’re going to be remembered for a lot of things at Firelands, but this might be the biggest thing you’re remembered for.”

Firelands Athletic Director Ty Stillman to stay in the locker room during the National Anthem. Firelands staff would have stood by that decision, Athletic Director Ty Stillman said.

But with COVID limiting basketball attendance to just a handful of people, the

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message wouldn't be heard, said Stillman, and Bomback said he feared the statement would be misinterpreted as disrespect.

They put their heads together and hatched a new plan to print T-shirts that read "Falcons for Equality."

The shirts captured the attention of senior twins Megan and Madison Sutton, who anchor the Firelands girls basketball team. They asked coaches to let players spread Bomback's message by wearing the gear during pre-game warm-ups, starting Feb. 1 against the Columbia Raiders.

Coaches were wild about the idea, Stillman said.

So was the Firelands community at large — after announcing last Wednesday that orders were open to the public, his inbox was flooded with requests overnight.

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Locked down last spring with most businesses closed and the world flipped on its head, there wasn't much to do except Netflix and chill.

And make babies.

Or at least that was the joke — the punchline never came.

Instead, Ohio saw a steep drop in births through 2020, down 5,467 from the year before, according to the state health department.

Weekly tallies show just about 11,300 births to date in 2021, a far cry from the big baby boom everyone expected.

"I think we all had that initial thought process when all this started... 'Oh my goodness, what is December of 2020 and January of 2021 going to look like?' " said Dr. Ellie Ragsdale, an obstetrician and director of fetal intervention for University Hospitals.

Most OBGYNs brace for a wave of births nine months after Christmas and Valentine's Day each year, she said. They were ready to do the same after the statewide quarantine.

"But I think the overwhelming fear and uncertainty of COVID, plus the financial constraints that people were under when they lost their jobs, and they were home... I think that sort of put a damper on things," said Ragsdale.

EQUALITY PAGE A3

BABY BUST PAGE A3

Wellington students will make five-day return to in-person classes on March 1 JASON HAWK EDITOR

WELLINGTON — A full return to five-day classes has been set for March 1, following a unanimous Wellington Board of Education vote last week.

After taking a conservative approach with a hybrid model for most of the year, board President Brett Murner said he feels the

health risks are now being surpassed by the loss of educational quality.

"I think the whole time that we've been making these decisions, we've been looking at risk versus benefits, and now we have more information," said board member Jessica Reynolds. "We've read a lot of studies, and we believe that our teachers can go back and be safe."

The small district debated

giving up its hybrid model as early as Feb. 16.

That date was discarded for a number of reasons, including the upcoming vaccination of all willing adult school employees in Lorain County. Some 5,500 are scheduled to get their first shots Feb. 26.

The initial dose provides about 50 percent protection against the virus, while the second, issued three weeks later, raises the effective-

ness above 90 percent.

"You've kept us safe so far, and I think we'll feel so much more comfortable when we have the vaccine," kindergarten teacher Jill Stone told the school board.

Teachers union President Dave Conklin said he'll feel more confident returning five days a week after getting both shots.

IN-PERSON PAGE A3

INSIDE THIS WEEK

Send legal notices to jyoder@chroniclet.com Submit advertising to chama@chroniclet.com

JASON HAWK EDITOR

Amherst

Oberlin

Wellington

La Plaza fire will delay new grocery store • B1

NEXUS pipeline ask again for lower tax share • B1

Rape suspect shoots himself as police serve indictment • B1

OBITUARIES A2 • CLASSIFIEDS A5 • CROSSWORD B2 • SUDOKU B2 • KID SCOOP B6

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Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Wellington First Congregational United Church of Christ, 140 South Main St., will hold "What's Cookin' Wednesday" from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Feb. 24.

The cost is $12 per meal and includes chicken pot pie, salad and dessert. Drive-thru and carry-out only.

Explore skilled trades at LCCC

Learn about a variety of skilled trades in an eight-week introductory experience at Lorain County Community College.

Sessions run from March 22 through May 14 and include two courses delivered in an “online live” format.

This means you can complete coursework on your own time with one scheduled in-person class per week and earn four college credits.

During these in-class sessions, industry experts will demonstrate trades and answer questions on careers as boilermakers, plumbers, bricklayers, electricians and more. Other engineering technology career paths will also be discussed.

The courses will cover available apprenticeships, certificates and degrees that can prepare you for a career in a skilled trade.

To learn more, join an online information session on one of these dates: • Thursday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.

• Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m.

• Tuesday, March 2 at 4 p.m.

Register at www.lorainccc.edu/skilledtrades.

Piping Plovers program

Bob Dolgan will present his first film to the Black River Audubon Society in a virtual meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2.

“Monty and Rose: The Story of Chicago’s Piping Plovers” tells the story of advocates determined to protect a pair of endangered piping plovers who took up residence on a busy Chicago beach in 2019. The film was an official selection of the One Earth Film Festival.

Dolgan is the founder of Turnstone Strategies, a marketing and communications firm with a specialty in nonprofit organizations, and a member of the Chicago Ornithological Society board. He is widely published in newspapers across the nation.

For this and future Black River Audubon Society Zoom meetings, go to blackriveraudubon.org and register at the bottom of the page. A Zoom link will be sent to you.

OBITUARIES DORIS JEAN KING (nee Grimmett), 83, of Elyria, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, surrounded by her family following a lengthy illness. Hempel Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

FREDRICK WILLIAM ZEMANEK, 87, of Amherst, passed away peacefully Thursday morning, Feb. 11, 2021.

Hempel Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

JEANNE PORTER CANTRELL (nee Harvey), 99, of Lorain, passed away Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at Anchor Lodge in Lorain following a long and full life. Hempel Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

SALLY ANN VAGROSKY (nee Peters), 83, a longtime resident of Amherst, passed away Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, while in the care of her family in Amarillo, Texas, following a lengthy illness. Hempel Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements.

BETTY ANN PALLER (nee Bauman), 95, and a lifetime resident of South Amherst, passed away Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at Mercy New Life Hospice Residence Center following a long and full life. Hempel Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

LOUELLA WYCKOFF (nee West), 83, and a resident of Henrietta Township, was called home to be with her Lord Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at her home following a lengthy illness. Hempel Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

CHRISTINE CLAIRE BATES, 61, and a resident of Elyria, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Elyria, while surrounded by her loving family. Hempel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Eastwood students compose music after 'Peter and the Wolf' inspiration FOR THE NEWS-TRIBUNE

OBERLIN — What started out as a learning lesson soon became a lesson in song writing for Margo Trinter's first-graders at Eastwood Elementary School.

In an effort to engage students, she explained how composers express their ideas.

“I began by simply asking the students, ‘How does a composer express their ideas?’” Trinter said.

Students had some interesting answers, she said, such as "By singing, writing a song or if it’s a sad song, they would play it deep and low."

While listening to “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev, students drew pictures of what they imagined happening in the story, and talked about tempo and song dynamics.

Then students read the story to see whether the music's imagery matched up with the plot.

Students made connections between the song's mechanics and

how characters acted, and they realized that composers use different tools to tell a story, Trinter said.

Armed with those tools, students set about composing their own music.

“My students were able to help compose music to express a story,” Trinter said. “We used different instruments, tempos and dynamics to express sadness, dancing, happiness and other actions. It was a very good learning experience as students saw the connections between music and storytelling.”

LCCC faculty go back to school to expand online-teaching skills FOR THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

ELYRIA — Eight faculty members from Lorain County Community College have jumped at the chance to improve their online teaching skills by participating in a 25-week course offered in collaboration with the Association of College and University Educators.

They join more than 150 faculty members from 22 Ohio community colleges as they learn equitypromoting, evidence-based teaching practices shown to improve student engagement, persistence,

course completion and learning.

Considered a graduate-level course, the program consists of 25 modules separated into four blocks: Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Online Learning Environment, Promoting Active Learning Online, Inspiring Inquiry and Lifelong Learning in Your Online Course, and Designing an Effective Course.

Faculty will continue teaching classes at LCCC while taking the course, which began in January, so they will have the opportunity to apply what they learn immediately.

Faculty who satisfy program requirement will be awarded the

Association of College and University Educators Certificate in Effective College Instruction, the only nationally-recognized college teaching credential endorsed by the American Council on Education.

Jack Hershey, president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, said the training will teach faculty ways to keep their online courses fresh and impactful.

“We are working hard to level the playing field to close equity gaps among Ohio students,” he said. “Offering this course to faculty is one more way to do that.”

Efficiency Smart adds up decade of energy savings in two local towns FOR THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

Efficiency Smart is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of helping customers save money in both Oberlin and Wellington.

The company has, through contracts with both municipalities, worked to provide customers with ways to become more energy efficient.

In Oberlin, Efficiency Smart has provided the technical resources and financial incentives to help more than 50 businesses and organizations complete projects since

2011.

Residents have completed nearly 6,000 energy-saving improvements, resulting in more than $1 million in annual electric cost savings.

In Wellington, the company has helped nearly 30 businesses and organizations complete projects since 2011, and residents have completed more than 4,000 energysaving improvements, resulting in nearly $365,000 in annual electric cost savings Combined, that's the equivalent to the annual electricity needed to power more than 1,800 homes for a year.

“At the end of the day, our job is

about helping people,” said Sean Clement, director of Efficiency Smart. “It’s about making homeowner’s bills lower and their homes more comfortable, helping businesses increase profits, and helping utilities provide power more affordably. Nothing is more satisfying than being part of a team that helps communities thrive.”

For more information about the energy efficiency services available for Oberlin Municipal Light & Power customers, visit www. efficiencysmart.org/oberlin-ohio.

For Wellington opportunities, visit www.efficiencysmart.org/wellington-ohio.

Miller reintroduces bill to end state takeovers of schools Rep. Joe Miller, DAmherst has reintroduced a bill in the Ohio Legislature to end state takeovers of underperforming schools.

Working across the aisle with Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, he introduced House Bill 54, which would return local control to Lorain, Youngstown and East Cleveland schools while

replacing academic distress commissions with buildinglevel improvement plans.

The bill had its first hearing in the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee Feb. 9. Both sponsors noted they have heard from schools in their legislative districts that are in crisis due to the 2015 law that allowed for their initial

takeover.

A previous attempt to overturn state control of schools found Ohio House approval last May, but died in the Senate Education Committee.

The latest “fix” to what many legislators have called a failed takeover model would require buildings that received an overall “F” on

the state report card for at least two consecutive years to create an improvement plan with technical support from the Ohio Department of Education to identify problems or needs within the building and address them.

— Reporting by Carissa Woytach

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.

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• 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.

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD ON PAGE B2

SOLUTION TO SUDOKU ON PAGE B2

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Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

Should we all be double-masking?

CDC now says two is better than one JASON HAWK EDITOR

More contagious COVID variants that have already battered the United Kingdom and South Africa are now spreading like wildfire through the United States.

Ohio is one of the few remaining states that has yet to record a case of B.1.1.7, a more hostile version of the virus.

But as it spreads, so is a debate about whether wearing two masks does any good.

"I think the answer is, of course, the more you put on the more protection you're going to have," said Lorain County Health Commissioner David Covell.

Common sense suggests layering masks would provide a benefit, he said.

In a new report released last Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask has been shown in lab experiments to reduce exposure through the air by 95 percent.

The double-mask idea has been endorsed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been seen double-masking for weeks. So have other high-profile politicians, from former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg to U.S. Senators Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio.

For the first time in nearly a year, as the nation closes in on 28 million COVID cases and 470,000 deaths, the CDC has formally changed its guidance to suggest wearing one disposable mask underneath a cloth mask as an option.

The agency still warns

against combining two disposable masks, since they are not designed to fit tightly, and wearing more than one will not improve fit.

The CDC site also advises not to combine an N95 mask with any other mask.

Addressing the issue earlier in the week, Oberlin College COVID-19 Campus Health Coordinator Katie Gravens said a single mask is the gold standard.

"There is national discussion regarding the use of double masks but there is no clear scientific evidence or recommendation on their use," Gravens wrote before the CDC update. "It is clear that additional layers are beneficial, but this can be achieved with one mask."

She said there is actually a disadvantage to two masks: The wearer may adjust the outer layer, which means touching its potentially contaminated surface.

In a recent post, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer Iahn Gonsenhauser said the limited data that supports double-masking comes from theoretical or modeling studies.

"Hypothetically, though, multiple masks increase the filtration potential of a face covering, similar to why we say cloth masks should be at least three layers," he wrote. "Multiple masks could also help form a better seal around the mouth and nose."

That could make breathing a little more uncomfortable, but not dangerous — double-masking doesn't reduce the oxygen supply, said Gonsenhauser.

According to the American Lung Association, what's important is wearing two or more layers of fabric that snugly fit over your mouth and nose without gaps.

"If wearing two masks helps you achieve these objectives, provides you additional peace of mind

and doesn’t impair your breathing, then wearing two masks may be a good option for you to consider," the organization advised in a recent release.

Covell agreed, saying two masks are great if people are comfortable wearing them.

Strapping on more than two is probably going overboard, he said: "We don't want people wearing 12 masks."

Be sure to wear at least one mask, wash your hands frequently and keep 6 feet from others to "slow this thing down," Covell said.

Ohio recently passed 925,000 COVID cases and is on track to soon reach 12,000 deaths and 50,000 hospitalizations.

All 88 counties remain high-incidence areas for new cases, but the numbers are starting to slope off as vaccines slowly roll out.

Now Covell is warning that another wave of cases is being predicted for late March or early April, and the race is on to vaccinate as many people as possible before it hits.

The new variants of COVID will cause the next wave. They are mutations, just like seasonal mutations of the viruses that cause the flu and require new shots every year.

"Broadly speaking, we know now that this virus not only has the ability to mutate, but we know that it can do so a lot," said Oberlin College Director of Health Promotion for Students Eddie Gisemba last week.

"The likely scenario is that even though more variants mean we won’t be able to eradicate the disease tomorrow, we’ll be able to control it moving forward since we’ve done similar before," he said in a message to the campus community.

The good news, said Gisemba, is that studies indicate the vaccines already in play will be effective against the new variants too.

IN-PERSON

FROM A1

But he also voiced worries about windowless inner rooms at Wellington High School, where he teaches.

Fifty minutes in those conditions, breathing in recirculated air "just is not safe," he said.

The Wellington Schools have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic well, Conklin said, playing it safe and refusing to rush decisions. He asked the Board of Education to continue being vigilant, especially as new, more contagious variants of the virus spread.

District Superintendent Ed Weber said hundreds more plexiglass shields have been ordered to add a layer of protection between students.

For those who prefer to continue learning at home, there will still be a fully online option, he said — and if Lorain County shoots back into purple during another wave experts believe will hit in late March or early April, Wellington will still have the flexibility to close or go hybrid again.

For now, Weber is looking to the successes seen in neighboring Keystone and Black River school districts, and modeling Wellington's next phase after them.

Keystone has reported 25 student cases and 24 staff cases to the Ohio Department of Health this year, while Black River has reported only five total cases.

Conklin said the Wellington Schools have already had their share of teachers out with COVID — 15 staff and 17 student cases have been reported to the state — and he expects more will come.

He asked the school board to extend

COVID leave to prevent workers from feeling they have to show up, even when feeling ill.

There are logistical concerns involved in the five-day return as well.

Weber said school cafeterias need at least a 10-day lead to order food, for example.

Treasurer Mark Donnelly said that lead time is critical because suppliers have slowed production. Now, as more schools reopen and more meals are needed, "our suppliers could find themselves in a bit of a crunch making sure we have everything to feed our kids," he said.

Westwood Elementary Principal Janet Kubasak said some students will find themselves will new teachers as classes go from morning- or afternoon-only sessions to full days.

That means class sizes will be "overflowed" and have to be split up, she said.

Principal Tina Drake said some WHS class sizes would be pushed far over social distancing thresholds, and spacing for at least one lunch period would be a concern.

Weber said at full attendance, Wellington's schools would have room for about 4 feet of social distancing between students, not the 6 feet recommended by health experts.

When it comes to quarantines, however, recent guidance says students need only 3 feet and mask discipline to avoid being considered "close contacts."

That's not the case in the gym during physical education class, or other situations when masks aren't worn, Weber said.

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EQUALITY

FROM A1

Orders can be made by emailing tstillman@firelandslocalschools.org.

The $15 price tag is close to cost. The leftover change from each sale will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lorain County to help children in need.

Bomback, a member of the Teen Leadership Corps at Firelands, said he believes discrimination is not a problem at his school, though he admits it's not a very diverse environment.

The T-shirts are meant as a statement of solidarity, he said, and a warning

that racism has no place among the Falcons.

"We know who we are," Stillman said. "We don't have a lot of diversity, but that doesn't mean it's something we don't care about at Firelands."

Bomback said he intends to study criminal justice at Baldwin Wallace University, and continue fighting for equality as a police officer or FBI agent.

He said he feels a responsibility to make policing better "one police officer at a time."

BABY BUST

FROM A1

Birth rates always go down during disasters, said Greggor Mattson, associate professor of sociology at Oberlin College.

It happened during the 1918 Spanish flu, the Great Depression and the Great Recession, so a bust due to COVID-19 is no surprise, he said.

The Brookings Institution, a public policy nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., backed up that assessment. In December, it predicted a nationwide decline in births by between 300,000 and 500,000 due to the virus.

Pandemic babies, blizzard babies, power outage babies — all are popular myths that have been disproved, the organization said.

Even before the pandemic started, birth rates were declining, said Mattson. People were reporting lower rates of unwanted pregnancy, saying they would hold off on having children and delay marriage.

Ohio's numbers bear that out. The state's birth rate has been on a slow decline for at least 15 years, and despite surging up an odd year or two it's always sunk down again.

The trend holds true in Lorain County as well.

There were 3,666 births here back in 2006, and last year there were just 3,193, a slope downward of nearly 500 per year.

Lockdowns in the spring and summer didn't change anything about the underlying reasons people have been choosing not to have children, Mattson said. Rather, circumstances reinforced their decisions.

"People thought just because couples were cooped up, that they would be having more sex," he said. "What they didn't think is most of us are cooped up with other people," from older kids to parents to grandparents all riding out the storm under one roof.

Ragsdale, who specializes in highrisk and complicated pregnancies, said she's talked to plenty of patients who have decided it's just not the right time to have kids.

Others, facing hard decisions about

having children with birth defects, chose to terminate their pregnancies, she said. She believes many were alarmed at the idea of having babies that would need intense care, often separated from their parents, while hospitals are under COVID visitation restrictions.

Mattson said technology has provided an incredible insight into how people felt about sex and having children during the pandemic. He pointed to the research of University of Maryland sociologist Philip Cohen, who has extensively studied trends in Google search terms.

Throughout 2020, searches about wedding planning, pregnancy advise, sex health and other related keywords all dropped off steeply.

Meanwhile, Mercy Health Lorain Hospital appears to be an outlier. It saw a 15 percent uptick in births over the past year, according to Erin Henry, director of women's services.

She said 770 babies were delivered at the hospital in 2020, and Mercy isn't expecting that trend to reverse anytime soon.

She disagreed with Mattson's analysis, and predicted there will be a nationwide surge in births in the next few months.

"Usually you can look back 10 months and see, 'Oh, we had a big snowstorm,' or there's another significant event that when you're crazy busy you can look back and relate it to what was happening 10 months ago," Henry said.

Mercy has been trying to grow its birthing services, and so far that strategy is succeeding, she said.

Henry also believes it's too early to attribute the bump to the closure of birthing suites at University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center.

Ragsdale isn't as optimistic that the birth rate will suddenly reverse.

She said it could happen, though, with an explosion of economic growth in Northeast Ohio. Jobs that are attractive to young families would go a long way toward another baby boom.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sale of City-Owned Real Estate by the City of Oberlin 230 Lincoln Street, Oberlin, OH 44074 Lorain County Permanent Parcel Number 09-00-095-102-009 Notice is hereby given that sealed bids will be received at the office of the Oberlin City Manager at 69 South Main Street, Oberlin Ohio 44074 until 4:00 p.m. on March 12, 2021 for the purchase of certain real estate owned by the City of Oberlin located at 230 Lincoln Street in Oberlin. The property consists of a vacant lot of approximately 26,029 square feet (parcel dimensions approximately 62.42 ft. x 417 ft. per the Lorain County Auditor). The subject property is zoned “R1-B”/Single-Family Residential District and is a buildable lot per the City of Oberlin Zoning Code.

The property will be sold and conveyed to the highest and best bidderas determined by the City Manager pursuant to written contract. Acertified check payable to the City of Oberlin in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the bid shall accompany the bid. The balance shall be paid within thirty (30) days of acceptance of the bid. The propertyshall be sold and conveyed by quit claim deed in its then “as is” condition without warranty of any kind. The purchaser shall pay for any desired assurance of title, escrow and other costs of closing.

There shall be no bid contingencies and no broker fees will be paid by the City.

Bid acceptance will requirethe approval of the City Manager. The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

The property will be sold subject to all encumbrances and conditions of title.

Bids shall be written and shall contain the full name, address, contact number and email address (if applicable) of the bidder. All bids shall be sealed and endorsed as “230 Lincoln Street Bid” and delivered via U.S. regular mail, UPS or FedEx to the City Manager, City of Oberlin, 69 S. Main Street, Oberlin, OH 44074.

Each bid must be accompanied by a certified check in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total bid price for the property, payable to the City of Oberlin, as earnest money to be applied to the purchase price upon transfer of title or retained by the City as liquidated damages in the event of the Bidder’s failure to conclude the transaction. No escalation clauses will be honored. If the bidder intends to finance the purchase, a lender’s prequalification letter shall be submitted with the bid.

All bidders are responsible for checking the City of Oberlin’s website (www.cityofoberlin.com) for addendums up to and including the bid due date.

All questions regarding the subject property shall be submitted in writing and shall be e-mailed to chandy@cityofoberlin.com or mailed to Carrie Handy at 69 S. Main Street, Oberlin, Ohio, 44074 prior to March 5, 2021.

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Commissioners reimburse $163K to Veterans Services DAVE O’BRIEN THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

ELYRIA — County commissioners approved reimbursing the Lorain County Veterans Service Commission more than $163,000 last week in costs for services rendered to veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money will come from the county's remaining share of federal CARES Act funds.

Commissioner Michelle Hung said the previous board had earmarked $500,000 for veterans assistance pending meeting the standards of CARES dollars, but it was decided in consultation with county Budget Director K.C. Saunders that only $163,035.28 was going to be able to go out by year-end 2020, she said.

"This money is actually coming out of COVID fund dollars?" Commissioner Dave Moore asked. Hung said that was accurate.

Hung said the new resolution was needed to reauthorize the $163,000 payment to the VSC, which previously received $125,000 for food and rental assistance and Thanksgiving food distribution through the CARES fund, and which has now received slightly more than $288,000 directly out of the CARES Act funding.

"Just so the public and the media knows, this came about after I had made the press release for the CARES Act fund distribution," Hung said.

"I had then brought it up to the county administrator and budget director if indeed the veterans has received payment on it. That was when we started unraveling what happened here and came to the determination that the veterans still had funds out there and to get them paid and have their checks cut by the auditor."

Commissioner Matt Lundy said he was glad the bookkeeping was taken care of and that the veterans "are getting the money they need."

"It's good to see, so I'm glad we worked through the paperwork and got it done," he said.

The new board has been at odds with the former board over the spending of general fund dollars on relief projects the former board had said were paid from CARES Act funds. The state Auditor's Office has said the matter will be reviewed in the county's annual audit.

Hung said she wanted to point out that Lorain County has "always been very generous with our veterans funding" and that the VSC "does a good job helping out and working in the county" to "sum up for the community and the Facebook people for the past few years what we've done for the veterans."

NEA awards $25,000 fellowship to Oberlin writer Robin Beth Schaer STAFF REPORT

OBERLIN — A local poet and essayist is among 35 writers who will receive a fiscal year 2021 Creative Writing Fellowship of $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Robin Beth Schaer is the author of the 2015 poetry collection “Shipbreaking,” and her work has appeared in publications such as Tin House, Bomb Magazine, Paris Review and Guer-

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

nica, according to a news release.

Schaer is a visiting assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin College and lives in the city with her husband, writer Anthony Tognazzini, and their son.

This year’s fellowships are in poetry and are designed to enable the writers to set aside time for their work.

“These fellowships often provide writers with crucial support and encouragement, and in return our nation is enriched by their

artistic contributions in the years to come,” said Amy Stolls, director of literary arts at the Arts Endowment, in a statement.

Fellowships are awarded through a competitive, anonymous process and are judged based on the artistic excellence of the work samples that are provided. There were 1,601 eligible applicants this year.

Since 1967, more than 3,600 fellowships have been awarded by the Arts Endowment, totaling more than $56 million.

UH Rainbow Lorain Pediatrics moves office AMHERST — University Hospitals Rainbow Lorain Pediatrics will move its primary office to 590 North Leavitt Road in Amherst this month.

The renovated building, behind Wendy’s and south of the state Route 58 and state Route 2 intersection, improves access and parking for families, the hospital system said in a release.

In addition, UH Rainbow Lorain Pediatrics recently opened an office at 319 West Lorain St. in Oberlin.

A new doctor and nurse practitioner will join the team to offer expanded pediatric services. There are also primary care offices in Elyria, North Ridgeville and Avon. All providers are supported by the specialists of UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.

Also new to the west side for expectant families is University Hospitals Centering Pregnancy, a unique group care model proved to reduce preterm birth rates — a leading cause of infant mortality — and postpartum depression.

Moms who participate in centering report greater readiness for parenthood and increased success in breastfeeding, according to a news release.

Centering Pregnancy is available at UH Elyria Medical Center and North Ridgeville Health Center. Ilana Kresch, certified nurse midwife, will see patients at the new UH Rainbow Lorain Pediatrics in Oberlin next month. Women’s health care provided by UH Westshore Women’s Care is in North Ridgeville, Elyria, Amherst and Avon.

NEED HELP LOWERING YOUR ELECTRIC BILL? Efficiency Smart’s free Electric Bill Advice program can help.

Efficiency Smart’s customer support team can help you understand your home’s electric usage and the steps you can take to save money.

COLUMN

Nothing like a hearty soup while deep freeze is here I sure hope 2021 will be good to all my faithful readers. I wish you good health, love, good memories and most of all wonderful friendships.

I hope this year will give us a world with less crime, violence and hatred, and for this terrible pandemic to end.

I am in my new home, and have lots of plans for when warm weather comes.

I want to plant flowers around my place, have someone build me a frame so I can have my porch swing. I love hanging baskets and my wind chimes.

I love living here, but I do miss my home of 43 years.

For now, it's still cold, so I can make my beef vegetable soup with a large soup kettle my daughter got me — I put so much stuff in my recipe, with both beef roast and hamburger. It's so very delicious!

I also have a ham bone, so I can make ham and bean soup with great northern beans and navy beans.

I also plan to make potato soup soon.

I'll put some soup recipes in this column for you to try. I'd even give you my beef vegetable soup recipe, but I never measure what goes in, so it would be hard to tell you how to get it right. I love to make soup from what I have on hand.

I often guess what to put in along with the seasonings, experimenting to find the right tastes.

I also make soups through the summer, and can eat them all year round.

Soups are easy to fix and you only use one pan. Honestly, cutting up the vegetables is the hardest part.

Until next time, enjoy these recipes!

Italian Vegetable Soup • 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage • 1 medium onion, sliced • 1 1/2 cups water • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil • 2 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4inch slices • 16 oz. whole tomatoes, undrained • 16 oz. garbanzo beans, drained • 12 oz. condensed beef broth Cook sausage and onion in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat for eight to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until sausage is no longer pink. Drain and stir in remaining ingredi-

In a large saucepan, melt margarine or butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil, cooking and stirring for two minutes or until thickened.

Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream. Add potatoes and green onions.

Garnish with bacon and cheese.

PENNY’S PANTRY PENNY CASE

ents, breaking up tomatoes.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about five minutes or until zucchini is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Beefy Broccoli and Cheese Soup • 2 cups chicken broth • 19 oz. thawed chopped broccoli • 1/4 cup chopped onion • 1/4 lb. ground beef • 1 cup milk • 2 tbsp. flour • 4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese • 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano • Salt and pepper to taste • Hot sauce Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add broccoli and onion; cook five minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a small skillet and rain.

Gradually add milk to flour, mixing until wellblended. Add milk mixture and ground beef to broth mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese and oregano, stirring until cheese is melted. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Baked Potato Soup • 4 large baking potatoes • 2/3 cup margarine or butter • 2/3 cup flour • 3/4 tsp. salt • 1/4 tsp. white pepper • 6 cups milk • 1 cup sour cream • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions • 10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for 65 to 75 minutes, or until tender. Cool completely, peel and cube.

One of the energy efficiency initiatives offered in partnership between Village of Wellington Utilities and Efficiency Smart.

Turkey Wild Rice Soup • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 celery ribs, riced • 2 carrots, diced • 1/2 cup butter or margarine • 1/2 cup flour • 4 cups chicken or turkey broth • 2 cups cooked wild rice • 2 cups half and half • 2 cups diced, cooked turkey • 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes • 1/2 tsp. salt • 1/4 tsp. pepper In a soup kettle, saute onion, celery and carrots in butter or margarine until onion is transparent.

Reduce heat and blend in flour, cooking until bubbly.

Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for one minute.

Reduce heat and add rice, cream, turkey, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Penny Case is a lifelong resident of Wellington who loves to cook and share recipes.

FACEBOOK FEEDBACK Gov. Mike DeWine wants to launch a massive marketing campaign asking people to move to Ohio.

We asked our social media followers: What things about Lorain County and Ohio would you show in a commercial telling people they should be part of our state?

Sharla Hassing "Cole's Public House and our downtown area (in Amherst). We love living here."

Kelley Singleton "Ohio: Come for the weather, stay for the 31st ranked education, 38th ranked economy and gerrymandered political system."

Toni Campana Davis "The Metro Parks. The wineries. The small towns and shops."

Call 877.889.3777 or visit www.efficiencysmart.org/wellington-ohio, and select “Electric Bill Advice” to get started

Hearty Hash Brown Soup • 2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes • 4 cups water • 1 large onion, chopped • 3/4 cup sliced celery • 4 chicken bouillon cubes • 1/2 tsp. celery seed • 1/4 tsp. pepper • 4 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted • 4 cups milk • 2 cups fully cooked ham, cubed • 1 tbsp. parsley flakes • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt • 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, combine the first seven ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Mash vegetables with cooking liquid. Add cream of chicken soup and milk; stir until smooth. Add ham, parsley and garlic salt. Simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Garnish with bacon.

Donna Robbins "I left Ohio 18 years ago. No way I’m moving back."

Mike Mikels "I'd include the Lorain County Fair and Cedar Point in any advertisement about Ohio's attractions."

Katherine Katherine "Show them the worst of it so they stay away. Ohio does not need more people.

We have enough."

Michelle Nary "The arts! The food! The water! The people! Four seasons, all in one day!"

Betsy Gray "I'm ready to move out of Ohio. I don't need a 70+ year old man telling me what to do."

Mary Roling "Findley State Park, lots of Metro Parks.

Great Lake Erie. Hall of Fame, Cleveland.

Far too many great things to mention. Plus a governor doing his best to keep it moving in spite of criticisms."

Helen Mittler "The nearest highway out."

Bambi L. Stafirski "Parks, amusement parks, historic towns and cities, small town life, farmland."

Donna Wilson "Lake Erie, Black River Landing, wineries, small towns."

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

Page A5

SCHOLASTIC ART SHOW GOLD KEY WINNERS A treasure trove of amazing paintings, drawings and sculptures by local students is on display at www.tinyurl.com/stockerart as part of the 53rd Scholastic Art Regional Show. Of the 1,000 pieces submitted, 335 were chosen and can be seen in a virtual gallery. Here are just a few of the 56 Gold Key winners:

▲"The Beautiful Game" by Julian Cross, Oberlin High School ▲"Fall Trees"

by Aubrey Gyorfi, Southview Middle School in Lorain

◄"May" by Katrina Ganson, Oberlin High School

►"Self Portrait #1" by Katherine Doane, Oberlin High School

►"Up In The Trees" by Amanda Mitchell, Firelands High School

CLASSIFIEDS LOST & FOUND

LOST: $2000 REWARD 1 1/2 year old Pomeranian Pup named Pipsie, 15lbs. orange, dark eyes with definitive eyebrows.

Missing 1/27/21. 8852 Vermilion Rd., Brownhelm Twp. Any Info call 305-304-9648 or 330-421-0008

LEGALS

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CITY OF LORAIN, OHIO BLACK RIVER AOC REMEDIATION AND RESTORATION PROGRAM – SEEP REMEDIATION SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS In accordance with Ordinance

No. 94-17 passed September 18, 2017, sealed bids will be received by the Engineering Department of the City of Lorain, Ohio until: TIME AND PLACE FOR RECEIVING BIDS: UNTIL - 11:00 AM, March 12, 2021, Lorain time, Engineering Department, Lorain City Hall 4th Floor.

TIME AND PLACE FOR OPENING BIDS: 11:15 AM, March 12, 2021, Lorain time, City of Lorain Council Chambers, Lorain City Hall 1st Floor.

SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION DATE: November 1, 2021 Bids must be accompanied by Certified Check or Cashier’s Check or Letter of Credit equals to ten percent (10%) of the amount bid, or a bond for the full amount of the bid as a guarantee that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and a performance bond properly secured.

Should any bid be rejected, such instrument will be forthwith returned upon proper execution of a contract. Cash deposits will not be accepted. The bid check/bond should be enclosed in the sealed bid, but in a separate envelope clearly marked ‘BID CHECK/

BOND’ with the bidder’s name & address on the bid check/bond envelope.

Bidding documents will be provided via PDF downloads only. Hard copies will not be provided. Requests for bidding documents may be made by emailing LorainSRS@ brwncald.com. Prospective bidders will need to email their company name, address, telephone number, and the name and email address of the specific person in their company that will be the main contact. Only that person will have access to the download and upload links. There is no charge to download the bidding documents. The document package will include one full-size set of Construction Drawings and a Project Manual which includes all Bid Submittal Forms. Reference documents will be included in the document package. Partial sets of Bidding Documents will not be available. Neither the Owner nor the Engineer will be responsible for full or partial sets of Bidding Documents.

Bidders must acknowledge receipt of all items, including reference documents as part of their bid.

An on-site pre-bid conference and site visit will be held at 10:00 a.m. on March 2, 2021

at 2601 W. 28th Street, Lorain, Ohio, 44055 to review the project scope and answer Bidder’s questions. Interested Bidders are strongly encouraged to attend. No other site visits will be scheduled.

This project shall be subject to State Prevailing Wage Rates set forth by Ohio Department of Commerce as stated Section 4115 of the Ohio Revised Code. Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages, as set forth in the Contract Documents must be paid on this project. Each bidder must ensure that all employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, creed, color, sex or national origin.

All bidders must comply with the provisions of the American Disabilities Act. All contractors and subcontractors involved with the project will to the extent practicable use Ohio products, materials, services and labor in the implementation of their project.

The use of small businesses, minority business enterprises and women’s business enterprises is encouraged.

The Director of Safety/Service reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

By order of the Director of

Reservoir public meeting

Safety/Service, Sanford Washington L.C.C.G. 2/18-25/21 20677854

PUBLICATION OF LEGISLATION The following is a summary of legislation adopted by Lorain City Council on Feb. 1, 2021. The complete text of each item may be viewed or purchased in the Clerk of Council Office @ Lorain City Hall, 200 W. Erie Ave., Lorain, OH, during normal business hours or contact Nancy Greer @ 204-2050 (Nancy_Greer@ cityoflorain.org). The following summary of legislation passed has been reviewed/approved by the Law Director for legal accuracy as required by state laws.

Resolution 7-21* Submitting to the electors of the City of Lorain the question of a renewal of a 1.7Mil property tax levy for a period of 5 years to provide for fire service, apparatus, buildings & sites. 8-21 Auth the Mayor to accept the NOPEC Community event sponsorship award. 9-21 Commemorating the life and legacy of Allister Wright. Ordinance 9-21 Auth the Mayor to accept the 2021 NOPEC Energized Community Grant. 10-21* Allowing the

City of Lorain to accept $5k from LC Commissioners for expenditures incurred in the creation of legislation creating a SID. 11-21 Accepting the plat of Cornerstone Farms Subdivision #5. 12-21 Auth the S/S Director to enter into a contract w/ ODOT & auth resurfacing and repair on US Route 58.

13-21* Auth S/S Director to enter into an agrmt to settle and resolve all claims/issues raised in the civil action filed by reps of local property owners known as Winrod, et al v.

City of Lorain. 14-21* Amending Ord. 166-20 auth the S/S Director to enter into an agrmt between the City and the County auth the collection and transport of wastewater to the City's wastewater treatment facility and for the sale of water to a portion of the County.

15-21* Appropriation. 16-21* Auth the S/S Director to enter into an agrmt w/ for the acquisition of real property @ 400 & 346 W. 23rd St. 17-21 Est. a Sewer & Water Advisory Board for the City of Lorain. 18-21* Auth the S/S Director to enter into a contract w/ Seitz Builders for the Distribution Building Renovation project not to exceed $1,172,270. (*Denotes legislation was passed as an emergency.)

L.C.C.G. 2/11-18/21 20677587

Review preliminary design plans for the transformation of the Morgan Street reservoirs at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

The Oberlin Recreation and Open Space and Visual Environment commissions will go over plans. The session is free and open to the public.

To take part in the meeting via Zoom, visit www. tinyurl.com/MorganReservoir. To simply watch the meeting, go to www.oberlinoh.swagit.com/live.

Learn about Lewis G. Clarke

“When Owing a Shilling Costs a Dollar” will be presented at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23 by the Oberlin Heritage Center.

Author and educator Carver Clark Gayton will speak about his ancestor, Lewis G. Clarke, whose life both in slavery and freedom informed parts of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The discussion will address the continued legacy of Clarke, slavery and racial injustice.

Gayton is a retired academic administrator, corporate executive and museum chief executive who will speak from his home city of Seattle.

This free, 40-minute Zoom program will end with a Q&A session.

Advance registration is required at www.tinyurl.com/ LewisGClarke.

Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the meeting.

-Advertorial-

Local Business Spotlight: Gutter Cover Co. Jim Carbone Elyria’s Gutter Cover Company

Gutter Protection products have many different designs, but the goal has always been the same- Keep the Leaves out and let the rainwater in.

Here are some strategic details to look for when choosing a gutter cover and who to call to install it. A good gutter cover needs to perform in certain areas in order to be successful: • Must allow debris like small leaves, needles, spinners, seedpods and roof shingle grit to naturally slide off the cover.

• Must handle heavy amounts of rainwater without overflowing.

• Must be wind resistant and strong enough not to “cavein” under heavy snow loads.

• Must not require any trips up the ladder to maintain performance.

• Cannot have vertical openings like screens or filters that can clog easily.

Don’t be fooled…All screens can clog!

The Gutter Cover Company has been installing Gutter Topper for almost 23 years.

Gutter Topper is proudly manufactured right here in Ohio and made to withstand our wicked weather. It is a smooth, solid aluminum cover that has no holes or gaps on top. A sloped, self-shedding design prevents spinners, pine needles, shingle grit or

seedpods from clogging the gutter. Gutter Topper can handle heavy downpours of up to 22 inches of rain per hour and 110 mph winds. It also features a lifetime transferable performance warranty. Many competing gutter guards require full replacement of both gutters and downspouts.

Gutter Topper installs over your existing gutters, and each installation includes cleaning, tightening, resealing and properly aligning your gutters. New seamless gutters are also available.

The Gutter Cover Company also offers a safe and effective way to stop big icicles and ice damming. An optional add-on product called Heater Cap can be installed with or without Gutter Topper that gently heats the gutter area with a self-regulated heat cable. Heater Cap can be installed on most existing gutter covers.

Hiring the right company to install the cover correctly is very important. The Gutter Cover Company has a proven track record of success in Northeast Ohio and the locals have been referring their friends and neighbors for years.

“Our company takes pride in solving gutter problems the right way. Our product, experience and attention to detail really make us stand out from the big box stores and other competitors. Free estimates are always punctual and

professional, but still friendly and casual.” -Jim Carbone, Owner You can reach The Gutter Cover Company at 440-3660688 or 1-800-335- 4367.

View short videos of Gutter

Topper and Heater Cap at: www.gutterguard1.com.

The Gutter Cover Company is your locally owned and operated source for the ultimate in gutter protection.

Schedule a free estimate by March 25, 2021, and receive a $400 discount on Gutter Topper or Heater Cap when you mention this story.

Additional discounts available for seniors and veterans.

Jim Carbone is the owner of Elyria’s Gutter Cover Company,

Shop Local and See the Difference!

SAFE & SOCIALLY DISTANT ESTIMATES!

INSTALLS OVER EXISTING GUTTERS

• Smooth, sloped and self-shedding profile works great for maple spinners, pine needles, roof grit and other small leaves.

• Lifetime Performance Warranty.

• NOT a screen or filter that can clog.

• Installation Includes: - Gutter & Downspout Cleaning - Resealing Seams & Tightening - Proper Slope Alignment

• Proven to handle heavy rains and 110mph winds.

• Patented “Bird Guard System” and comes in 14 colors.

• Proudly located in Elyria and locally owned since 1998.

FREE ESTIMATES • SENIOR DISCOUNTS • VETERAN DISCOUNTS

WINTER SPECIAL

$400 OFF

Your Order (Minimum footage required) Offer Expires 3/25/21

Always On-Time, Friendly and Professional

440-366-0688 gutterguard1.com

Heat Available For Open Gutters & Most Existing Gutter Covers

Page A6

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

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Hot Dog Heaven rezoning gets City Council thumbs up JASON HAWK EDITOR

AMHERST — Concerns about crosswalk shortcomings didn't derail a rezoning vote last week allowing Hot Dog Heaven to be rebuilt.

Six parcels at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Washington Street were designated as commercial land, paving the way for owner Chris Russo to rebuild his restaurant.

The beloved Amherst landmark, which operated from inside a century-old converted home, was destroyed by fire the night of Aug. 31.

Russo has pledged to keep the look and feel of Hot Dog Heaven true to the old building, while making it larger, adding a drive-thru and expanding parking.

In a public hearing, Greenlawn Drive resident Alicia Nicely raised concerns about how people cross busy Cleveland Avenue from Hot Dog Heaven to the Hastee Tastee ice cream stand.

"Everyone jaywalks there. It's very dangerous," she said.

The intersection lines up at an odd angle, making it hard to see traffic lights, and no one uses the crosswalks on other corners,

Workshop makes village a ‘preservation destination’ JASON HAWK EDITOR

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WELLINGTON — A hands-on historic renovation workshop featuring Lindsay Jones of Blind Eye Restoration is being planned by Main Street Wellington this fall.

Main Street managers from all over Ohio plan to convene in the village Sept.

22 to learn about preserving old buildings that lend character to downtown shopping districts.

The purpose is to educate Main Street members and the public about "how important it is, if you have a historic building or a historic home, to restore it instead of replacing it," said Jenny Arntz, who heads Wellington's Main Street organization.

Heritage Ohio, which

administers the Main Street program, typically does quarterly training sessions, said Arntz. Wellington was to host a large gathering this past summer, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a vaccine rolling out now, Heritage Ohio is looking to the September workshop as a way to learn about plaster, masonry, window repair, paints and finishes through the lens of historic preservation, she said.

Arntz envisions booths with contractors, preservationists and architects, as well as financial experts who can talk about historic tax credits, "So it can be even more economical to restore than replace," she said.

She also hopes to attract some contractors who want to learn about historic reno-

99

We Reserve the right to Limit Quantities Not Responsible for Typographical Errors

vation methods. They can be hard to find in Lorain County, Arntz said.

There will be demonstrations of preservationist techniques on Wellington buildings, she said — close-up looks at tuckpointing bricks and replacing windows are high on the priority list.

Blind Eye Restoration, based in Central Ohio, specializes in reviving aged art and architecture.

Jones boasts a deep knowledge of historic building methods, life cycle and practicality of historic materials and affordable ways to tackle preservation.

"She's what I'd call a dynamo in the renovation of old buildings. She very impressive," said Arntz, who met Jones a couple of years ago via an online seminar.

Fraudulent claims suspected in Ohio unemployment spike STAFF REPORT

New unemployment claims in Lorain County and statewide jumped for the week ending Feb. 6, with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services flagging the activity as suspected fraud.

In Lorain County, 2,953 residents reportedly filed initial claims during that time period — more than double the week prior.

Statewide, 140,444 Ohioans allegedly filed initial compensation claims during that same time, almost three times the number of claims the week prior.

Local police reports have been rife with examples of fraudulent activity in the past month. Residents tell officers they have received bank or government notices in the mail saying accounts have been opened or moneys deposited using their personal information.

In a news release, ODJFS said the claims filed between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6 marked a 194 percent increase from the week prior, with 44,000 of those filings flagged under suspicion and even more suspected fraudulent.

Snow sculpture contest

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Nicely said.

Councilman Jake Wachholz agreed with Nicely that a fix is needed.

"Yes, it is possible for pedestrians to cross safely, but quite frequently I see students and other residents just running across the street from Hastee Tastee to Hot Dog Heaven because it is the shortest path," he said. "So it's definitely on our radar."

Engineers recommended a crosswalk in front of the restaurant when putting together Amherst's most recent Safe Routes to School plan, said Councilman Brian Dembinski.

Mayor Mark Costilow said Cleveland Avenue is set for a major repaving project in 2022 using federal dollars.

"So that whole area is going to get reworked," he said. "All those things will get looked at again."

Russo said he took concerns about traffic on the road seriously. He's proposed building a fence at the corner to prevent people from cutting across the parking lot and to make sure they use sidewalks.

"We took pretty much every consideration we could to make this work, not just for Hot Dog Heaven but for the city of Amherst, even acquiring (nearby) houses to make it easier to rezone," he said.

ODJFS fraud report The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services established a toll-free number for those suspecting their information was used to file a false claim. Call (833) 6580394 or visit unemployment.ohio.gov and click on “report identity theft.” A spike in unemployment claims is expected fraud, according to the state.

All of the claims will be reviewed, creating delays in processing legitimate filings, it stated.

The state has seen an increase in identity theft resulting in fraudulent traditional unemployment and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, Jobs and Family Services said.

For the 2020 tax year, ODJFS issued 1.7 million 1099-G forms for individuals who were paid unemployment benefits during that time, but many of those individuals were never paid benefits and did not know their identity was compromised until they received the tax form, according to the department’s news release.

Nationally, unemployment filings fell slightly.

Student Council at Amherst Steele High School has been working hard to create spirit and unity during these unprecedented times.

Now it's inviting the Amherst community to show its Comets spirit by participating in a snow sculpture contest. The only rule: Your snow sculpture must be school-appropriate. Send a picture of your snow sculpture to MLS_news@amherstk12.org with the subject line "snow sculpture contest."

Submissions are due by March 1. A prize will be awarded to the snow sculpture voted the best.

B

OUR TOWNS

Lorain County Community Guide • Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

La Plaza fire ‘nothing that can't be repaired’ Flames take toll on former Amherst IGA renovation JASON HAWK EDITOR

Bruce Bishop | Chronicle

Amherst firefighters rip away metal sheeting on Thursday, Feb. 10 as they try to get at the fire inside the front of the former IGA on Milan Avenue in Amherst.

AMHERST — Workers remodeling the former Amherst IGA on Milan Avenue as a new La Plaza grocery store fled Thursday, Feb. 10 as fire engulfed a section of the building.

When firefighters arrived just before noon, flames were shooting from the front door of a former beauty salon, which has been vacant but is attached to the supermarket, said Amherst

Assistant Fire Chief Brandon Dimacchia.

"That whole part of the business was on fire," he said.

The flames climbed into the roof, eating through layers of commercial-grade decking, he said, and threatened both La Plaza and Lorain Music, which is also attached.

Lorain Music owner Marc Zappa said his wife's grandfather built the commercial strip on Amherst's west side about a halfcentury ago.

When he arrived on the scene,

AMHERST STEELE HIGH SCHOOL

crews closed off access to the building.

"We got into the first office and we couldn't even see. That was as far as we were allowed," Zappa said.

Workers cleaning the empty salon may have accidentally started the fire, said Dimacchia. The exact cause was under investigation, but there was no reason to suspect foul play, he said.

La Plaza owner Adrian Ortega said the cause may have been LA PLAZA PAGE B2

WELLINGTON

Bruce Bishop | Chronicle

Police investigate outside a Dickson Street home in Wellington on Friday, Feb. 12, where a man ended his life.

Bruce Bishop | Chronicle

Jacob Robinson of Amherst poses with some of his art after winning a scholarship for the work he’s been doing.

Art scholarship winner Jacob Robinson sees light in darkness Provided photo

JASON HAWK EDITOR

AMHERST — Just as ancient mariners used the stars to navigate through the night, Jacob Robinson is relying on his art to traverse a difficult year.

A freshman at Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst, he's watched the pandemic, racial injustices and depression affect people all around him.

Robinson said he wasn't necessarily thinking about those heavy issues in November, when he snapped a photo of his hand reaching out through the darkness toward a light outside his door.

But as he edited the picture, working with it over the days that followed, he saw it held special meaning — the ability to reach through a

◄ Jacob Robinson said his photo represents determination in the face of racial injustice, the COVID-19 pandemic and depression.

mad world and find hope.

"I want (people) to see and feel that everything's going to be all right, and there's going to be something better than what we're dealing

with right now," Robinson said.

Marsalis Hammons and a panel of judges felt that message when they saw Robinson's photo and awarded him the Leaders of Today Public Art & Culture Scholarship, which is offered in partnership with the Elyria Arts Council.

Hammons, of Elyria, and CEO of Leaders of Today, said Robinson was the only applicant to submit photography, and the piece immediately stood out.

He said the picture conveyed a promise that is needed by "people in this day and age, in this time, who ROBINSON PAGE B2

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WELLINGTON — A 71-year-old man who was being served a four-count indictment on rape charges out of Medina County shot and killed himself Friday in his Wellington home.

Four Medina Police Department detectives, with support from Wellington police, were trying to serve an arrest warrant on Frederick J. Miller, of 216 1/2 Dickson St., when Miller took his own life, police said.

Miller, formerly of Medina, was indicted on four counts of rape by a Medina County grand jury. The alleged crimes date back to 1998 and 1999.

The victim of the four alleged assaults was a juvenile girl at the time. Miller was a neighbor and a family friend.

He had since moved to Wellington.

Now an adult, the victim “came forward and reported the crimes,” Medina police Chief Ed Kinney said.

A Medina detective uncovered a pattern of activity from SUSPECT PAGE B2

NEXUS asks for $83M property tax valuation decrease JASON HAWK EDITOR

440.776.8379

Scott Beriswill Daniel Beriswill

Suspect takes his own life as police serve rape charges

Now located in the Chuang Medical Center

Doctor of Audiology Joshua Bowyer, Au.D.

OberlinHearingCare.com

The NEXUS pipeline's owners are trying to lower its property tax valuation from $127 million to just $44 million, once again asking the state to drop the amount owed to counties, townships and school districts along its path.

"They just don't want to pay," Lorain County Auditor Craig Snodgrass told county Board of Commissioners in a briefing last week as budget hearings got underway.

The Ohio Board of Tax Appeals has already agreed to scale back the pipeline's valuation to $111 million, he said — but that apparently isn't enough.

Snodgrass said he's reached out to officials in the city of Oberlin and the Firelands, Keystone and Midview school districts to notify them of two recent appeals by NEXUS. "It's broken promises again," he said. "This is now two years in a row... and again, their numbers are substantially

SUBMIT YOUR NEWS TO: NEWS@LCNEWSPAPERS.COM

NEXUS PAGE B2

Page B2

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

Issues to appear on the May 4 primary ballot SUSPECT The following issues will appear on primary ballots across Lorain County: • Avon Lake: five-year renewal of 2.0mill ambulance and EMS levy.

• Avon Lake Public Library: five-year renewal of 2.8-mill operating levy.

• Central Lorain County Ambulance District in Oberlin: three-year renewal of 1.15-mill ambulance and emergency medical service levy.

• Lorain: five-year renewal of 1.7mill Fire Department levy.

• Lorain Public Library: five-year renewal of 5.95-mill operating levy.

• Oberlin: five-year renewal of 1.2mill current expenses levy.

• Oberlin: five-year renewal 3.0-mill garbage collection and disposal levy.

• Oberlin Public Library: five-year renewal of 3.25-mill operating levy.

• Sheffield Lake: five-year renewal

of Domonkas Library 2.95-mill current expenses levy.

• Sheffield Lake: City Charter Amendment Article VII, Section 1(a) Voting Status.

• Sheffield Lake: City Charter Amendment Article VII, Section 2(a) Voting Status.

• Sheffield Lake: City Charter Amendment Article VII, Section 3(a) Voting Status.

• Amherst Township Road District: five-year renewal of 1.0-mill streets, roads and bridges levy.

• Brighton Township: five-year renewal of 1.0-mill road improvement levy.

• Camden Township: five-year renewal and increase, 2.0-mill fire and EMS levy.

• Camden Township: five-year

renewal and decrease, 1.5-mill road improvement levy.

• Columbia Township: five-year renewal and increase, 1.3-mill road improvement levy.

• Sheffield Township: five-year renewal of 2.25-mill fire and EMS levy.

• Sheffield Township: five-year renewal of 2.5-mill EMS levy.

• Sheffield Township: five-year renewal of 0.35-mill current expenses levy.

• Sheffield Township: five-year additional 3.0-mill fire and EMS levy.

• Clearview School District: 10year renewal of 2.86-mill emergency requirements levy.

• Southern Lorain County Ambulance District in Wellington: five-year renewal of 3.25-mill ambulance and emergency medical services levy.

NEXUS

LA PLAZA

FROM B1 electrical "in conjunction with something used for cleaning."

He said three workers escaped unharmed.

They have been steadily remodeling the interior of the former IGA since the summer, and Ortega said the plan had been to open a convenience store portion at the front on Monday.

Now that opening will be pushed back at least a month.

The grocery store, which

FROM B1 Miller through an investigation in Lorain County, which included a same type of behavior. Kinney said the detective was “tenacious.”

“It was the same pattern and the same M.O.,” he said. “The behavior continued in Lorain County with a different victim. “(The detective) used different methods to corroborate her story. He talked to a Lorain County woman and put the pieces together. He did a good job of tracking it down.”

The indictments, four counts of first-degree felony rape, were to be served about noon Friday at Miller’s house. The detectives wanted to arrest him and bring him to Medina County Jail, pending an arraignment.

In 2010, Miller appeared in Oberlin Municipal Court for violating a protection order, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Miller also had a handful of traffic violations across Lorain County and Medina County courts.

Wellington Police Lt. Josh Poling said Miller shot himself while police were trying to make contact.

The Southern Lorain County Ambulance District responded, but Poling said they were unable to revive Miller.

was going to open to the public sometime in the spring or summer, will be delayed about three months due to the fire, he said.

"It's nothing that can't be repaired," Ortega said in a phone interview.

He was able to go inside the building Friday to inspect the extent of the damage, and said smoke and water likely did more damage than the flames.

Other than a rancid

smell, he said the grocery portion was largely untouched. Merchandise in the convenience store will be replaced through insurance, a hole in the roof will have to be repaired and drywall torn apart by firefighters will have to be replaced.

"When they called me in the morning, I thought it was much worse," Ortega said. "It could have been worse. Thank God they were able to come early

and stop it."

Dimacchia said fire crews worked for about five hours to knock down the fire and make sure it couldn't flare up again.

South Amherst, Vermilion, Lorain, Florence Township and Sheffield Township fire departments provided mutual aid.

Amherst police shut down Milan Avenue for the duration of the emergency, reopening it around 5 p.m.

ROBINSON

FROM B1 are dealing with so much."

Steele Principal Joe Tellier said social media users reacted much the same way, resonating with the teen's outlook.

Art teacher Tony Trunzo has also raved about his talent, Tellier said.

Through Robinson isn't in his classes this trimester, he often sends Trunzo his pieces for critique and puts to work the advice he receives back.

Robinson said his art this year has helped him express his feelings about unity, mental health and especially racial equity.

Some of his inspiration came from joining a Black Lives Matter march through Amherst last June to protest police brutality against people of color.

"At the time, that made me feel really bad that myself, as a kid, have to deal with it. But it can only get better," he said.

Robinson, who is Black, said he's personally dealt with racism. He's seen friends and families be victimized by it, too.

The natural urge, he said, is to help — but that's not always possible, so Robinson tends to turn to his pencils,

paintbrushes and faith. A deep belief in Jesus Christ can be found in every sketch and painting, he said.

As a freshman, Robinson still has more than three years left at Steele, where he plays football, wrestles and runs track for the Comets. With the scholarship in hand, he's looking ahead to college, though, and eyeing Ohio State, Louisiana State University or possibly culinary school in New York as options.

He said he may major in the visual arts, but he's leaning toward expressing his art through food.

MATH 101 ACROSS 1. À la mode 5. Westminster broadcaster 8. Lamb’s momma 11. Depression drifter 12. Alternative to truth 13. Like a Druid, e.g.

15. Verify 16. Flair 17. Avoid paying taxes 18. *Same as power in math 20. Surrender territory 21. Mini, midi or maxi 22. Longnosed fish 23. *Round #23 Down 26. Adverb derived from zone 30. Miner’s bounty 31. Curved like a foot 34. Mother Earth to Ancient Greeks 35. Truck amounts 37. “____ the land of the free...”

38. Hitler’s Third 39. Capri, e.g.

40. Walked 42. Grande, e.g.

43. Remove scales 45. Accustomed, two words 47. Like arctic air 48. More capable 50. Tibetan priest 52. *Part of a whole number 55. Grinding tooth 56. Stare amorously 57. Hoofbeat sound 59. Garlic mayo 60. Kick out 61. Gossamer 62. *Pi’s second digit 63. High ____ 64. “Brave New World” drug DOWN 1. Half a particular dance 2. Past tense of heave 3. Type of mountain goat 4. Body six feet under 5. Harvest helper 6. Small goose 7. Abe’s coin 8. Exclamation of surprise, archaic 9. Do like fly fisherman

10. Between northeast and east 12. One who denies 13. Popular pie nut 14. *Sum divided by count 19. Southern cuisine pods 22. Apollo to ancient Greeks 23. *Three-dimensional object 24. Not poetry 25. Mends 26. *Whole number between -1 and 1 27. Scottish landowner 28. In accordance with law 29. Search engine pioneer 32. Pigeon’s home 33. H in British HMS

FROM B1 lower than what they had represented to everybody."

Robert Rinehart is the vice chair of the Ohio Schools Pipeline Coalition and treasurer for the Oberlin City Schools. He said he's been counseling Oberlin Board of Education members not to rely on NEXUS taxes for construction of a new school for grades six to 12, which has been on the district's wish list for decades.

"That's not guaranteed money," he said. "Some schools did go out and make decisions contingent on that money, and now it's just not there."

One of President Joe Biden's first acts in office was to revoke the permit allowing construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Rinehart said that may drive up natural gas prices, which would actually increase the NEXUS pipeline's value.

"That's what NEXUS has hinged its arguments on, that low gas prices made the pipeline worth less," he said. "Their formula didn't work, but that's not our fault that they guessed wrong."

The 256-mile-long pipeline also crosses through Medina County on its way from the shale fields of eastern Ohio to Michigan. Medina County Auditor Mike Kovack said the Cloverleaf Schools were banking on big NEXUS bucks, but he cautioned the district and others not to count that money until they had it in their hands.

Through similar big projects in the past three decades, Kovack said he has called for a conservative interpretation of the promises developers put forward.

NEXUS was unable to show him the numbers behind their estimates, he said, "so I shouted that alarm here early and often," he said.

"We've seen this happen before, unfortunately, and in fact this is a way of business for a lot of these large corporations," Kovack said.

If the appeal is successful, most of the NEXUS tax rollbacks in Lorain County would affect schools.

County government stands to take a roughly $692,000 hit, according to County Administrator Tom Williams. Granted, that would be a loss of just $87,000 to the general fund. But Williams said line items such as 911 and courts add up.

"It hurts. We're already in deficit spending," he said. "We have a budget of $65 million and on average, the projection is to bring in $61 million in revenue."

Lorain County is looking at a budget carryover of about $25 million from last year. That number got a $12 million bump from one-time federal aid for COVID-19 relief.

Williams said he is less angry about the NEXUS pipeline than he is about the former commissioners voting to roll back an unpopular quarter-percent sales tax, which he blamed for budget problems.

It would have been his recommendation to keep the sales tax, Williams said — but he wouldn't say it should be reinstated, either.

In the meantime, he said he's trying not to be angry about the NEXUS appeal, because it's out of the county's control.

Snodgrass said NEXUS can appeal to lower its tax responsibility again and again, with no cap.

"This can go on for years," he said, referencing another Ohio county that dealt with seven years of appeals over pipeline property taxes.

"That doesn't fly. Pay your fair share," he said. "We expect home owners, businesses, to pay their fair share. Why should they not be held to that standard?"

36. *Kind of point 38. Set to zero 40. Cunning 41. Pleasing to the ear 44. Ticks and mites, taxonomically speaking 46. Short for Fredericas 48. Lock horns 49. Popular craft wood 50. Under a fig leaf?

51. Gel producing plant 52. *0.3048 meters 53. Pasta with ____ and alio 54. “Cheers” regular 55. Cultural Revolution leader 58. Money in Myanmar

SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE A2

SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE A2

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

SPORTS

Page B3

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

Phoenix make double trouble for Dukes ERIK ANDREWS CORRESPONDENT

Wrapping up Lorain County League play over the weekend, the Phoenix bested the Dukes in both ends of a home-and-home series by identical 72-54 scores.

Oberlin fashioned a solid seven-game winning streak heading toward the post-season.

In the first contest, the uptempo aggressive defensive style coach Kurt Russell preaches served his team well.

The Phoenix forced nine turnovers in the opening quarter, jumping out to a 16-2 lead after five minutes and riding that advantage to a 37-26 halftime lead.

Oberlin extended the lead after the break behind the hot shooting of Trajen Chambers (24 points) and Ty Locklear (15), who each finished with three long-range jumpers.

Joining them in double figures totals were Isaac Thompson (14) and Marius Harrell (11).

The Dukes were led by Jay

Roberts, who tallied 15 on the evening.

In the second game, a special milestone arrived midway through the second quarter as Oberlin senior Trajen Chambers buried one of his trademark three-pointers, pushing his career total over the 1,000-point mark.

In a classy move, Wellington coach Dan Gundert paused play to recognize the achievement.

"Very special," Chambers described the moment. "Something I've always dreamed of. I look forward to celebrating this with my teammates and coaching staff."

His teammates again provided Chambers (22 points) with ample support as they built a 15-point lead at the break and cruised to victory. Locklear chipped in 15 and Harrell added 11 for the Phoenix as nine players put points on the board for Oberlin.

Leading the Dukes were Riley Reyna (13 points), Roberts (10), Drew Unangst (8) and Sean Whitehouse (8).

Erik Andrews | Oberlin News-Tribune

◄ The Dukes’ Cole Standen drives to the hole as Oberlin’s Andre Yarber looks to defend.

OBERLIN SENIOR NIGHT

1,000 CAREER POINTS

Photo by Craig Enos

The Phoenix's three boys basketball and five cheerleader seniors were honored Feb. 5. They are (front) Nancy Minnich, Jenna Tatum, Tierra Barbra, Selena Hayes, Ophelia Ortiz, (back) Mikah Jones-Smith, Darreon Barnes and Trajen Chambers.

Loss to Rocky River kills Comets hockey four-peat Top-seeded Rocky River destroyed Amherst's ambitions of winning a fourth straight Baron Cup II tournament.

The Pirates delivered a 7-2 gut punch Saturday, starting with a power play goal by Alex Parnel and ending with a hat trick from right wing Hayden Weaver.

The Comets' Nathan Harmych and Joey Kramer scored consolation goals.

But Amherst was able to otherwise put little pressure on Rocky River goalie Christopher Cogan, who had to handle just six shots the entire game.

Meanwhile, the Pirates wore out Amherst netminder Brady Grove under an

avalanche of 47 shots.

The loss dropped Amherst — a perennial powerhouse in the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League — to 16-4 on the season (3-3 in league play).

The Comets had come off a 3-0 win over Benedictine on Feb. 10, with two goals

by Kramer and one from Thomas Hall.

85 SOUTH MAIN STREET OBERLIN OHIO 44074 FEBRUARY 18, 2021 BOARD AND COMMISSION MEETING DATES ALL MEETINGS WILL BE Live Streamed @ http://oberlinoh.swagit.com/live

Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise

Oberlin's Trajen Chambers gets the game ball as he crosses the 1,000 point milestone in play this weekend at Wellington.

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Page B4

Two in a row for Comets bowlers

Lorain County Community Guide

FALCONS CLINCH TITLE

The Comets girls bowled their way to first place on Valentine's Day, marking the second straight year they have dominated the OHSAA Northeast District sectional tournament.

In action at Buckeye Lanes in North Olmsted, Amherst was led by Makayla Velasquez, the tournament's top individual scorer, with a 620 series (199, 189, 232). She outpaced Laney Makayla Velasquez Fouts of Berea-Midpark by 10 pins.

Hannah Aschenbach rolled a 554 series (203, 204, 147) for fifth place. Other Comets scorers included Sabrina Stawicki with 479 (161, 159, 159), Allison Taylor with 448 (184, 123, 141), Rachel McDerment with 268 (134, 134) and Amanda McElheny with 127.

Trailing after three regular games, Amherst was saved

by Baker scores totaling 1,065.

COMETS SCORES Boys Bowling • Amherst finished eighth in sectional tournament action Sunday at Buckeye Lanes.

Comets scorers included Antonio Rodriguez with a 574 series (224, 172, 178), Logan Stewart with 543 (159, 183, 201), JP Gregory with 486 (173, 166, 147, Zack Zakrajsek (161, 164), Chandan Weinsier (156, 171) and Thomas Heider (202, 165).

Girls Bowling • Amherst defeated Black River 2,177 to 1,446 to secure the North Shore Bowling Conference championship on Feb. 10.

Hannah Aschenbach rolled a 414 series (213, 201) and Makayla Velasquez bowled a 412 series (205, 207).

Other Comets scorers included Sabrina Stawicki with 398 series (194, 204), Allison Taylor with 324 (150, 174) and Amanda McElheny with 234 (111, 123).

Black River was led by Amanda Mycek with a 326 series (176, 150) and Lillie Wacker with a 320 series (148, 172).

You can submit game scores, photos, athlete achievements, team pictures and other local school sports items! news@lcnewspapers.com

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Photos by Kristin Bauer | Chronicle

Clearview's Olivia Romes tries to recover the ball while Firelands' Madison Sutton blocks her on Wednesday, Feb. 10. The Falcons dominated the entire night, soaring to a 55-39 win and their second straight Lorain County League championship title. Twin sisters Madison and Megan Sutton were a big part of that equation, sharing a team-high 14 points each. Lauren Valerius put 11 more on the scoreboard for Firelands and Abbey Schmitz contributed 10. The Clippers' Brooke Rebman had an 18-point performance, but was hurt from missed attempts from the outside. Her teammates struggled to find offensive windows.

CLAIMING THE CONFERENCE Photos by Russ Gifford | Amherst NewsTimes

It was a slow start, but Amherst had the goods Friday to clinch its first share of a boys basketball conference title since 1992.

George Gotsis sank to free throws in the final 10 seconds as insurance on a 51-46 victory over North Ridgeville in Southwestern Conference action. Out of the gate, the Comets had trailed 15-12 after one period and 28-26 at the half — Austin Bray kicked off an explosive 16-8 performance in the third that made all the difference. Gotsis finished with a team-high 12 points.

The Rangers' R.J. Schneider led all scorers with 16.

▲ Amherst's George Fayer tries to get past a North Ridgeville defender in heavy traffic during a heated game that gave the Comets at least a share of the SWC title. ► Amherst’s Torre Weatherspooon gets airborne for a highflying shot against the Rangers. ▼ George Gotsis drives for the lane, looking for key defensive openings to give the Comets an edge against their SWC opponents.

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

FOUL PLAY

Page B5

13 DUKES GIRLS SCORE

Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise

Russ Gifford | Wellington Enterprise

Single digit offenses in the first two quarters gave Black River a 14-11 lead at the half Saturday, but a third period breakaway ensured the Pirates would end up with a 47-37 win over neighboring Wellington. The Dukes' Tori Paramore led the team on the strength of foul shots, racking up nine from the line. The Pirates Riley Kubitz found a similar success, sinking 14 from the foul line in a 30-point performance. ABOVE: Black River’s Riley Kubitz and Wellington’s Savanah Gundert fight for possession of the ball.

Surging to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter, the Dukes went on to stomp Oberlin 63-20.

Wellington's defense was on fire, holding Oberlin to just four points in the first half and five in the final period. Though none broke the double-digit barrier, 13 Dukes girls put points up on the board. Amanda Spiekerman had eight to lead the pack. Meanwhile, Mar'khila Holloway and Elizabeth Conseco each scored seven to lead the Phoenix. RIGHT: Wellington's Jill Laposky gets past Oberlin's Elizabeth Canseco.

ROUTE 58 RIVALRY

SCHMITZ MUSCLES AHEAD

Erik Andrews | Oberlin News-Tribune

The Phoenix completed their regular season last week with a 63-32 loss to Wellington in Lorain County League play.

Oberlin entered the district tournament looking for an elusive first win.

Meanwhile, following a mid-season break due to COVID protocols, the Dukes bounced back with a three-game winning streak. Amanda Spiekerman led the Wellington line-up with 16 points, and Karlie Frenk had 10.

Mar'khila Holloway and Sanayah Wilborn each put up nine points for the Phoenix. LEFT: Oberlin's Sanayah Wilborn shoots over Ally Zvara

Russ Gifford | Amherst News-Times

A third quarter breakaway helped the Falcons climb out of a defensive stalemate Feb. 11 and overcome Vermilion 37-26 in non-conference play. Abbey Schmitz scored nearly half of Firelands' points, with 18. RIGHT: Firelands' Bella Simmons drives with the ball past Vermilion's Audrey Peterson.

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Page B6

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021

Lorain County Community Guide

© 2021 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 37, No. 12

B L A C K

H I S T O R Y

Born Free

M O N T H

Mary Ann Shadd was born to free parents in the slave state of Delaware.

While Mary Ann’s parents were not slaves, they devoted their lives to helping other African Americans to be free from slavery.

hat would you like to be when you grow up? If you are like Mary Ann Shadd, you might end up doing many different things.

Her parents were abolitionists. Their home was a stop (or “station”) on the Underground Railroad. Mary Ann learned about the importance of helping others from her parents.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary lived in both the United States and Canada. In her lifetime, she was an anti-slavery activist, journalist, newspaper publisher, teacher, and lawyer.

When Mary Ann was a child, it was against the law for Blacks to go to school in the state of Delaware. The Shadd family moved to Pennsylvania in 1833 where Mary Ann could go to school. When she finished school, she spent the next 12 years teaching Black children in Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania.

Abolitionist: A person who supported Abolition, or the ending of slavery before the American Civil War. To abolish something means to get rid of it.

Abolitionists wanted to get rid of slavery.

You are the journalist! When journalists report on the news, they answer a list of questions to write an article. These questions are: Who is the news about?

What happened?

When did it happen?

Where did it happen?

How did it happen?

Why did it happen?

Read today’s Kid Scoop page about Mary Ann Shadd and then answer the journalist questions.

Who is this page about?

What did she do?

Circle the two identical school houses.

When did she do these things?

Move to Canada Return to the U.S. During Civil War In 1851, Mary Ann moved to Canada.

There were more opportunities for Black people in Canada at that time than in the United States. She started writing booklets about the advantages of living in Canada, encouraging Black people in the United States to move north.

Journalist

Mary Ann wanted to tell the story of Black people living in freedom in Canada. She started a newspaper to do just that. She was the first Black woman in North America to publish her own newspaper.

How and why did she do these things?

Cut out the strips and paste them in the correct order on another sheet of paper.

On March 24, 1853, Mary Ann published the first copy of her weekly newspaper.

Use the code to discover the name of Mary Ann’s newspaper.

26 = A 25 = B 24 = C 23 = D 22 = E 21 = F

20 = G 19 = H 18 = I 17 = J 16 = K 15 = L

14 = M 13 = N 12 = O 11 = P 10 = Q 9=R

8=S 7=T 6=U 5=V 4=W 3=Y

Later in Life: Another First

7 19 22

Later she moved to Washington, D.C., where she once again worked as a teacher.

Years later, Mary Ann pursued law studies at Howard University. She was the first Black woman to attend Howard University.

In 1883 she became one of the first Black women to complete a law degree.

11 9 12 5 18 13 24 18 26 15

Mary Ann was born in 1823. How old was she when she completed her law degree?

21 9 22 22 14 26 13

Mary Ann’s Family

Mary Ann was the oldest child of a large family. Add up the numbers on the correct path of the maze to find out how many children were in the family.

Where did she do these things?

years old.

PUBLISHER ABOLITION ACTIVIST SLAVERY FREEDOM DEVOTED TEACHER CANADA HOWARD CIVIL BLACK HARD SIGN STOP LAW

Picture Details

Good writing includes lots of interesting details.

Practice being a detail detective by carefully studying a photograph from the newspaper.

Then make a list of all of the details you observe. Can you list 25 or more?

Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.

Use these answers above to write a Black History Month article about Mary Ann Shadd.

Children are born curious.

From their earliest days, sensory exploration brings delight and wonder. New discoveries expand their minds. When they unlock the joy of reading, their world widens further.

Magic happens.

Kid Scoop opens the doors of discovery for elementary school children by providing interactive, engaging and relevant age-appropriate materials designed to awaken the magic of reading at school, at home, and throughout their lives.

For more information about our literacy non-profit, visit kidscoopnews.org

R D E T O V E D A R E A H K C A L B C E

This week’s word:

C D A C W L N L I S

The noun activist means a person who campaigns to bring about change.

H S T O P S O A T H A R R O I A M A V I

E A D T D V R W I L

T H I A I E I D S B

M O D E E R F L T U N G I S S Y H E D P

Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

ACTIVIST

The school activist spoke at the town hall meeting about the need for safer playground equipment.

Try to use the word activist in a sentence today when talking with your friends and family members.

Fact and Opinion

A good journalist knows the difference between fact and opinion. Look through the newspaper and underline five facts in green.

Underline five opinions in red.

ANSWER: They’re hoping to get a scoop.

Standards Link: Reading Comprehension: Understand the difference between fact and opinion.

If you could invent something new and useful, what would it be? What would your new invention do?