Lorain County Community Guide - Aug. 13, 2020

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AMHERST NEWS-TIMES • OBERLIN NEWS-TRIBUNE • WELLINGTON ENTERPRISE Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

Substitutes could prove the X factor

www.lcnewspapers.com

Volume 7, Issue 33

AMHERST MARCHING COMETS

Already in short supply in past years, subs will be crucial during pandemic JASON HAWK and LAINA YOST

Substitute teachers have been in short supply for years, and this fall they may make or break Lorain County school systems already struggling to open under the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Districts are reaching out to their usual subs, and often finding them reluctant to sign up for duty because of the threat posed by the virus.

"It will definitely be a challenge. I know some districts have looked at raising their rates to try to encourage people," said Franco Gallo, superintendent at the Educational Service Center of Lorain County.

Firelands is among the districts that hasn't always had enough subs to step in, even in good years.

"In a pinch, you would sometimes take a class and break them apart if you couldn't find a sub," said Superintendent Mike Von Gunten. "You would send the students to other classrooms."

That won't be an option this year.

Because of the virus, classrooms must be socially distanced. Desks are spread six feet apart and seats are assigned — adding more kids to the mix would violate health guidelines.

With some families choosing to learn online, there will be fewer students at school, which Von Gunten said should help.

But there still has to be a minimum level of staffing, and that's where the sub shortage makes things dicey, he said.

Firelands has about 100 teachers. Having five or six out on any given day would be a hardship, and being down by 10 would be a disaster, Von Gunten said.

Without more substitutes to fill the gaps, the fall-back plan would be to have a non-teacher step in. "I'd be prepared to do that myself, if need be," he said.

Most substitutes sign up to work at several school districts, and could find themselves at Amherst or Keystone or Elyria on any given day, for example.

But the Wellington Schools plan to hire six "building" substitutes that are exclusive to the district.

Superintendent Ed Weber said he had more than 30 applicants."I'm shocked, because they're not what you'd consider higher-paying positions,” he said.

SUBSTITUTES PAGE A3

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Photos by Jason Hawk | Amherst News-Times

Wearing face masks despite the incredible heat except when playing, the Amherst Marching Comets take the practice field Monday, Aug. 10 next to Steele High School on Washington Street.

Band teens put on masks and brave faces as numbers grow JASON HAWK EDITOR

AMHERST — The thermometer read 91 degrees Monday afternoon, and the heat index put it at 94.

That's normally a piece of cake for the Amherst Marching Comets, who for

years have held day-long August band camps to get ready for the season.

The big difference this year: All 147 members of the band wore face masks as they took the field for band camp.

"You just survived the first day of band camp, COVID-style," Director

Copyright 2020 Lorain County Printing & Publishing Company

As he dismissed his kids with praise for their work, he told them to be back bright and early Tuesday, and not to mistake first-day aches and pains for coronavirus symptoms.

Like other high school marching bands across BAND PAGE A4

Hotel converted to student housing JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — Don't expect to find any room at the inn this academic year.

Students will move into The Hotel at Oberlin, an Oberlin College-owned property, which will otherwise shut down operations through June 2021.

The change was approved last Wednesday by the Oberlin Planning Commission.

"They are now spacing students out, and with the limited dorm rooms they have available, this is one of their only options," said John Mazze of Clark & Post Architects in Lorain.

Every Oberlin College student this year will be assigned to an individual room to "de-densify" the campus and help limit the spread of COVID-19.

City Planning Director Carrie Handy said the hotel will be used for students who become sick and have to be quarantined.

Mazze said that hasn't been decided for sure.

Lisa Hawk | Oberlin News-Tribune

No overnight guests will be able to rent rooms this academic year at The Hotel at Oberlin. Instead, the building will be used for Oberlin College student housing.

The hotel has about 60 rooms, and each will be reserved for a single college student.

The plan will greatly reduce the building's occupancy, which will mean less traffic, he said.

The 1833 Restaurant will remain

open to the public. Mazze said conference rooms can still be used for seminars and other events, but only at about a quarter of their normal capacity.

HOTEL PAGE A2

INSIDE THIS WEEK

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Chris Barbaro said after eight grueling hours in the sun.

Just getting the band out on the grass with instruments in hand was an accomplishment. Barbaro said that at every turn, he thought the camp would be canceled because of the pandemic.

Amherst

Oberlin

Special focus

School reopening plan gets final approval • B1

More college layoffs come, farewell parade planned • B1

High school sports teams wait for fall season decisions • B1

OBITUARIES A2 • CLASSIFIEDS A4 • CROSSWORD B3 • SUDOKU B3 • KID SCOOP B6

Page A2

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

Lorain County Community Guide

OBITUARIES Gary James and Dorothy Ann Wagner The children of Gary James and Dorothy Ann Wagner of Wellington, both 77, announce that they recently passed after being married more than 56 years.

Gary died Monday, April 6, 2020, at home. Born on Sept. 20, 1942, he was the son of the late Leroy and Bernice Wagner. Dorothy (nee Wojciechowski) died Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Laurels of New London. Born on March 4, 1943, she was the daughter of the late Adam and Dorothy Wojciechowski. Both were graduates of Avon High School and moved to the Wellington area in the early 70s.

The couple loved to travel with their family to Mackinac Island and go over the Mackinac Bridge. They also liked visiting Sauder Village, Auburn car museums, flea markets and antique stores together.

Gary retired from the Ford Motor Company in 2019 after more than 50 years. He had the ability to fix anything and was an accomplished wood worker. Dorothy was a homemaker who was an avid gardener, loved to sew and make crafts. Most of all they cherished their family and the time spent with them.

Survivors include their children, Rick (Billie Jo) Wagner of Espyville, Pennsylvania, Peggy (Dan) Goodell of Oberlin, Troy Wagner of Van Wert and Penny (James) Niday of Swanton; grandchildren, Brian Neff, Daniel, Laura and Jasmine Wagner; great-granddaughters, Daisy and Dolly and Gary's sister, Linda Wagner.

Gary was preceded in death by his brother, David Wagner and Dorothy was preceded in death by her brother, Joseph Wojciechowski.

The family would like to thank the Eastman Funeral Home who assisted the family with arrangements, the Laurels of New London, SouthernCare Hospice and Dr. Jeffrey Harwood for the wonderful care they gave Dorothy.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Condolences may be shared online at www.eastmanfuneralhome.com.

Wendy Wood Wendy Wood passed away Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, in Liberty, Missouri, after a long illness. She was 79.

Wendy grew up in Texas and spent her high school years in Springdale, Arkansas, before going to Oberlin, where she lived for 20 years. Later, she also lived in Danbury, Connecticut and the Kansas City, Missouri, area.

A survivor of child abuse, Wendy had a big heart and hated unkindness. Although she struggled with PTSD and other mental health issues, she completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in art history at Oberlin College and her Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University. She published on Northern Renaissance and Ancient Egyptian art, taught at several colleges in Illinois and Ohio and later worked as an interior designer in Connecticut.

Wendy was married to the composer, Joseph Wood (1915-2000), for 18 years and was an attentive mother.

She is survived by her daughter, Lorna Wood (Donald Wehrs), of Auburn, Alabama and by her grandchildren, Sylvia and William Wehrs.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations to honor Wendy's life be made to the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (https:// www.ispcan.org).

Luella Scott Luella Scott (nee Owens), 63, a resident of Norwalk, passed away suddenly, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, at Fisher Titus Medical Center. She was born March 22, 1957 in New London, Ohio.

Luella had made her home in Oberlin for many years before moving to Norwalk where she has resided for the last two years.

Her primary focus in life was that of a homemaker and loved her husband Wilbur and her family with all her heart. Luella was an angel to her family and anyone who knew her was known to be very loving and caring to all her family and friends.

She was affectionately known as MeeMaw by friends and family. Luella was a very Christian woman who loved reading her Bible daily.

Survivors include her husband of 28 years, Wilbur Scott; her daughters, Latasha Lynn Harris of Norwalk, Telyta Marie Owens of Farrell, Pennsylvania; her stepson, Wilbur Rick Scott, Jr. IV; her stepdaughters, Tonya Woods, Sonya Jackson, Delanya Miller all of Georgia and Kiya Woods of Florida; her grandchildren, Nautyca, Jessuh, Damarjae, Cynea, Andre, Jamyis, Anajah; eleven stepgrandchildren; her siblings, Robert Owens of Elyria, Roy Owens, Leon Owens, Donald Owens both of Oberlin, Maggie Aebisher (Hans) of Lorain, Lois Evans of New London and Betty Witherspoon of Oberlin.

She was preceded in death by her siblings, Michael Hall and Lucy Owens and her parents, Robert and Bessie Owens (nee Hall).

Limited public funeral services will be held Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, at 11 a.m. at Hempel Funeral Home, 373 Cleveland Ave., Amherst. Burial will take place at Ridge Hill Memorial Park, Amherst Township.

Please visit the funeral home's website to share a memory and sign the guest register, www.hempelfuneral home.com.

LYMAN L. GAUL JR., 81, of Amherst, passed away Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at Wesleyan Village in Elyria following a full and meaningful life. Arrangements by Hempel Funeral Home.

CYNTHIA MARIE STANZIANO (nee Schneider), 60 and a lifetime resident of Amherst, passed away Friday, August 8, 2020, at Ames Family Hospice in Westlake surrounded by her family, after a courageous 3 year battle with cancer. Arrangements by Hempel Funeral Home LAWRENCE WILLIAM BAUMANN, 93 and a resident of Henrietta Township, passed away Thursday, August 6, 2020 at New Life Hospice in Lorain following a full and meaningful life. Arrangements by Hempel Funeral Home.

Our condolences go out to to families that have suffered the loss of a loved one.

For information about placing an obituary or death notice in the Community Guide, call 440-329-7000.

Nonprofits take part in 12-hour giving event AMHERST TWP. — The Community Foundation of Lorain County will host "Connect to a Cause," a 12-hour fundraising event, on Thursday, Sept. 17 to rally support for nearly 50 area nonprofits.

“Nonprofit organizations are critical to our community during the best of times. At this time, when so many people are struggling, our local nonprofits are more important than ever to help fill the gaps,” said Cynthia Andrews, president

and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Whether it is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting emergency needs or addressing social issues, our vital organizations are trying to meet the increased demand for their services. They need our support."

Connect to a Cause will let residents "shop" an online catalog at www. peoplewhocare.org and donate directly to local charities of their choice.

The event will run from 8 a.m. to

8 p.m.

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Community Foundation has committed an additional $40,000 to be distributed among the participating organizations.

“Forty years ago, the Community Foundation was founded on a fundamental belief in the power of community and the generosity and vision of community residents to support each other,” Andrews said.

For more information, call 440984-7390.

First three recycling pick-ups of pandemic JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — Recycling will return to Oberlin this month for the first time since the pandemic began in March, but not at full capacity.

Three recycling "catch-up days" have been scheduled by the city for Mondays, Aug. 17 and 31 and Sept. 14.

"We have had numerous calls from residents who are avid recyclers who have been saving up materials for months," said Public Works Director Jeff Baumann.

"Their garages are getting full."

Oberlin enacted a plan this spring to protect city workers from COVID-19 by splitting them into socially-distanced shifts. With a limited pool of employees, the city was able to keep its garbage trucks rolling but recycling was a casualty.

In the months since, Baumann said the city has encouraged recyclers to hold on to higher-value materials such as aluminum and steel that get more bang for the buck.

Any items that would have normally been accepted can be put in blue-lidded recycling bins for the three special collections.

That includes plastic kitchen, laundry and bathroom bottles such as shampoo or cleaning fluid bottles; food and beverage cartoons such as cereal or milk boxes; glass bottles and jars; aluminum and steel cans; newspapers and magazines; mail; and cardboard.

There are some rules.

Recyclers are limited to what can fit in the blue-lidded bins — no extra bags or containers can be stacked at the roadside.

Materials must be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. on the three Mondays. Residents can sign up to get reminders via the Collection Calendar tool found on the city's refuse and recycling webpage.

Be sure not to toss unacceptable items into the bin.

Workers may rifle through to make sure those materials aren't collected.

The plan is to use two of Oberlin's recycling collection trucks to run all city routes on the special dates. There will be no residential garbage pick-up those days.

Baumann said he doesn't expect the trucks to be filled to overflowing with a backlog of recyclables on the catch-up days. "Anyone who puts out their materials, we see them as recycling advocates. They care and they care enough to do it properly," he said.

Baumann said he hopes Oberlin can return to a regular curbside collection schedule in October.

A return to a full recycling program is the topic of a special City Council work session at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17.

Retreat canceled

The Oberlin Board of Education's summer retreat conference, which had been scheduled for Aug. 15, has been canceled. A new date and time have not been set.

The annual retreat is typically used to set long-term goals for the school district.

HOTEL

FROM A1 The Hotel at Oberlin's website, however, says meetings and events will not be held and those spaces will be converted for classrooms.

For the inn to be used for college residences, security doors will be installed at the ends of hallways where students live.

Mazze said doors will go near elevators to keep restaurant customers or other visitors from wandering into student housing.

"Really no one wants this to be a permanent solution.

They want a hotel," he said."... I don't this is anyone's ideal solution, but they need the space."

Mazze said the intent is for the change to last only a year, but it's impossible to predict how long the pandemic will last.

"It sounds like a very innovative way to use that hotel, and clearly you would prefer to have a hotel that was being occupied by people who were renting it other than students," Planning Commission Chair Matt Adelman told Mazze.

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SOLUTION TO SUDOKU ON PAGE B3

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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

SUBSTITUTES

FROM A1

The building subs will make $15 per hour and will for the first time be eligible for health care benefits. They'll work every day, not just when full-time teachers call off, and when they aren't subbing they'll step into tutoring roles.

Weber said that in the COVID-19 economy, health care was a big motivator for applicants. If more subs are needed, Wellington will reach out to an employment group that specializes in recruiting school workers.

There are two big names in that game for local schools: the Renhill Group in Middleburg Heights and Rachel Wixey & Associates in Maumee.

"We see a lot of our regular substitutes returning. We've been communicating with our sub pool... throughout the summer, and by and large we see the majority waiting to return," said Nekiesha Taylor, director of strategic communications for Rachel Wixey & Associates.

A majority is good, she said, but many are not willing to step into COVID-19 classrooms, which still leaves the supply below normal. And while stronger than expected, new recruits aren't going to make up the deficit.

That could change. With federal unemployment stimulus cash going away this week, Taylor said the firm is starting to see a spike in applications.

At the same time, demand is fluctuating. Some school districts that said in July they planned to start the fall with inperson classes are now reversing course and going all-online.

The Oberlin City Schools are moving classes online until at least Nov. 6 — but they'll still need substitutes, said Superintendent David Hall. Subs aren't unique to buildings, he said.

Even with remote learning, teachers could still get sick, need time off for dentist or medical appointments and take personal days for family reasons.

Oberlin has five building subs lined up and is reaching out more. Those who accept the job will be trained in virtual learning strategies alongside full-time teachers, Hall said.

Midview Superintendent Bruce Willingham remained optimistic about the substitution outlook for the fall. While the district plans to go in-person all five days of the week — while offering an online option — several other school districts will go online only for all or some of the year, including Lorain and Oberlin.

While those districts will still need substitutes, it’s likely that they won’t need as many, which could help out districts that are still in-person.

Willingham said he’s hoping that will free up some in the pool of area substitutes so Midview will have what it needs.

They still plan on doing advertising, but he said it’s possible they may not have a huge issue with daily substitutes.

“I think the shortage is going to be more for our teachers long-term that may have some medical issues or some other underlying health conditions that won’t be able to come back to school,” he said. “... I don’t know that, obviously it’s speculation, but my guess would be that, from a daily standpoint we might be OK, it just might be hard to fill some of those longterm positions.”

The Ohio Department of Education has given a little leeway for school districts, in that teachers with a different certification may be able to teach in an area they wouldn’t usually, which Willingham said also helps a little.

Columbia Superintendent Graig Bansek mentioned during a Wednesday school board meeting that many of the district's substitute teachers are 65 years or older and that “most of those people aren’t coming back.”

Bansek suggested that the district raise the daily rate for substitute teachers from $110 per day to $140 per day and $75 for a half day.

“We have to convince people to pick us,” he said. “We want top-quality substitutes.”

Board member Megan Champagne said that her biggest fear and the biggest reason for schools closing would be the lack of substitutes: “We can’t combine classes, we don’t have any teachers with building requirements. It’s dicey.”

Within the meeting, Bansek mentioned how as of yet he does not have a Spanish or band teacher. He also said that the district had 12 substitute teachers as of July 31, when it normally has between 50 and 65.

The Amherst Schools are also going the building substitute route. "They become a member of the staff. They know they're going to that building every day. They understand the procedures and how everything works," said Assistant Superintendent Michael Molnar.

It's impossible to say how many Amherst will need, though, because enrollment is in flux as parents weigh the changing coronavirus situation, he said.

That means, like in Firelands, school counselors and principals could be called on to step into the classroom and teach at any given time.

"They know it's all hands on deck and this is the role we're going to have to play to educate our kids," Molnar said.

Gallo said the building substitute model makes a lot of sense in 2020. Especially for smaller districts, it will provide consistency and help avoid potential spread of COVID-19.

But it could also cause the shortage of substitutes to deepen, he said. If more subs are exclusive to one district, it will drain the pool available to others.

Brookie Madison contributed to this story.

Lorain County Community Guide

Page A3

USPS vows to deliver fall election mail, denies there is a slowdown JASON HAWK EDITOR

Don't wait to cast your absentee ballot, elections experts warned last Thursday.

Fueled by the battle between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the fall election could have the highest turnout in state history, even with a pandemic raging, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said.

How the U.S. Post Office handles mail-in ballots was the focus of a Ready for November Task Force meeting held virtually from Columbus.

Mail volume typically spikes by 25 percent during a normal election, said LaRose, and that number could go much higher this year, with absentee participation expected to soar.

Traditionally, tens of millions of Americans get their ballots from a postal carrier instead of a poll worker each year, said Tammy Patrick, senior elections adviser for Democracy Fund.

Absentee voting in Ohio is strongest in dense urban and remote rural areas — not the suburbs — and while it's most popular among older residents, it's fast gaining traction with younger voters, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, she said.

State law allows Ohioans to request a mail-in ballot until noon on the Saturday before Election Day. Patrick said waiting that late in the game is a bad idea.

The two-week period leading up to Election day is the worst time to request an absentee ballot, she said, because that's when demand spikes and it's also when elections workers

are busiest.

With First Class mail delivery time at two to five days before the pandemic, her worry is that waiting will result in ballots that aren't counted.

Justin Glass, director of operations for the Postal Service and director of political mail, said there are "proven and robust processes" in place to make sure election mail arrives on time.

The USPS had made contact with Ohio elections officials 532 times as of Thursday to coordinate for November, he said.

He voiced the Postal Service's strong recommendation: Request your absentee ballot no later than 15 days before the election and return it at least seven days before Election Day. The closer it gets to Nov. 3, voters should consider going to the local post office to have their ballot envelope round-stamped with the mailing date, ensuring it will be eligible to be counted, said Patrick.

Delivery delays could be in play, though Glass denied they exist, saying "there has been no slowdown of the mail."

The USPS warned of delays in April, close to the start of the pandemic, and reports of delivery waits have been well-documented through the summer.

In July, newly-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy put out a memo instructing employees they "may see mail left behind or mail on the workroom floor or docks... which is not typical" and acknowledged delays.

Changes under his watch so far include leaving late-arriving mail to the side for delivery the next day, along with cuts to overtime

for hundreds of thousands of postal workers.

The cuts are aimed at reducing the Postal Service's nearly $9 billion in losses in 2019 alone.

But voting and civil rights groups such as the Democracy Initiative coalition have called the slowdown a deliberate attempt to undercut the election. The group's director, Wendy Fields, told the New York Times that Trump is "deliberately orchestrating suppression and using the post office as a tool to do it."

DeJoy, who is also a longtime Republican donor and gave $1.2 million to the Trump campaign, has been called on to testify about his decisions in front of the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 17.

In Thursday's meeting, Glass offered assurances that the post office is going to "make sure we take care of the election mail" and denied overtime has been eliminated.

"The expectation is there's not going to be an impact on service as we move forward," he told LaRose.

Glass said there has been a decrease in First Class and mass marketing mail volume during the pandemic, but at the same time package volume is way up at a "Christmas level" because people are staying home and ordering online.

The USPS processes 180 million pieces of mail per day, he said. It is conducting "all-clear audits" on a daily basis to check for electionrelated mail across hundreds of post offices in Ohio to make sure every piece reaches its destination.

LaRose said he is eager to see many Ohio voters use absentee ballots for the first time this fall. He also said he was concerned by the reports of a USPS slowdown.

Theater seeking donations

The trustees of the historic Workshop Players Theater in Amherst Township are asking for donations to help the theater survive the pandemic.

Housed in an old sandstone schoolhouse on Middle Ridge Road, the theater has been a local institution for more than 50 years. Social distancing has shuttered theaters, and Workshop Players has closed productions until at least 2021, meaning it has no income. Organizers have eliminated a telephone line, suspended trash services and internet and taken other means to reduce expenses.

Donations can be sent to Workshop Players Theater, P.O. Box 1193, Amherst, OH 44001. Online donations can be made at workshopplayers.com or by calling 440-988-5613.

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Page A4

Lorain County Community Guide

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

50,000 masks Two polling stations move in vote to finalize fall election locations on their way for schools JASON HAWK EDITOR

JASON HAWK EDITOR

ELYRIA — Two million face masks are being shipped all over Ohio for students and teachers to use when school starts.

A shipment of 362,000 masks was expected at the Educational Service Center of Lorain County, located on Lake Avenue in Elyria.

They'll be distributed to districts in five counties, including Cuyahoga, Erie, Huron and Ottawa.

About 50,000 of the masks will go to schools here in Lorain County, said ESC Superintendent Franco Gallo — that's enough for every child and staffer to have one.

"It's a way for the state to say, 'We're helping the districts through this pandemic.' They know everybody has challenges," he said. "If they can provide everybody with one mask, they're doing something."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency donated the masks to the state of Ohio.

At about 12,000 masks per shipping pallet, there were enough to fill eight semi-tractor trailers, according to a joint release from the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio EMA. “With the opening of schools around the corner, we’re delighted these masks will be put to good use by Ohio schools,” said Sima Merick, director of the Ohio EMA. The masks are not medical grade. They are standard N90 models or "dust masks."

They aren't particularly effective in screening out COVID-19, but that has never been the strategy behind Ohio's nowstatewide mask mandate. Instead, face masks are intended to limit the spread of saliva particles that can carry the virus.

Schools are responsible for supplying their own protective gear during the pandemic, and many have been stockpiling it since the spring.

Tom Kelley, director of the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency, said his office is in charge of supplying protective equipment to about 140 entities, including police, firefighters, paramedics, hospitals and nursing home.

The list doesn't include schools.

The EMA would supply masks to schools only in "a dire emergency," Kelley said — "And if we got to that point, we probably wouldn't have school in session anyway."

It will be up to each individual district to decide how to best use the masks — stockpile them, hand them out or use them as backups.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that all students in kindergarten through 12th grade will have to wear masks or face shields while attending school this fall.

Gallo said the FEMA donation is welcome. "If we're going to mandate masks in schools, we had better provide masks," he said.

The requirement was put in place on the heels of a letter from the Ohio Children's Hospital Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Ohio Chapter. It recommended a widespread mask policy for schools, with a few exceptions.

The directive won't apply to kids ages two and under, those who have trouble taking off a mask without help, and kids with special needs directly affected by wearing a mask, severe autism or a facial deformity such that a mask would obstruct the ability to breathe.

"Without a vaccine, we are limited in the ways that we can protect the people of Ohio," said DeWine. "For schools to have a fighting chance to stay open this fall, widespread face coverings for K-12 students will increase the odds that kids will go to school and stay in school."

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PANTS, MORTGAGEES, LESSEES AND ALL PARTIES HAVING AN INTEREST IN THE REAL PROPERTY LISTED HEREIN BELOW: The list of the properties below have been deemed dangerous buildings in the City of Lorain.

As a dangerous building, the building constitutes a public nuisance. City of Lorain Ordinance Chapter 1523 defines these properties as Unsafe Buildings, according to Lorain Codified Ordinance 1523.01.

These properties are considered Dangerous Buildings and according to LCO 1523.03 shall be considered Nuisances to the City of Lorain. Pursuant to LCO 1523.05, the Chief Building Official (CBO) of the City of Lorain has declared the properties listed below as dangerous buildings and by virtue

thereof public nuisances.

A hearing is scheduled on the 3rd Thursday of August the 21st 2020 at 9 AM at Lorain City Council Chambers on the first floor located at: 200 W. Erie Ave Lorain, Oh 44052 before the Lorain Demolition Board (Board) pursuant to LCO 1523.06 for the purpose of presenting the determination of the CBO to the Board for its determination. All parties who have an interest in such parcels are entitled to attend and participate in the hearing.

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Please be advised that Lorain City Council will host a public hearing on Monday, September 14, 2020 @ 5:45 p.m. in the Lorain City Hall Council Chamber, 200 W. Erie Ave., Lorain, OH, to discuss an application to rezone the northern ten (10) feet of PPN 02-01-001-108-026 from I-1 Light Industrial to B-2 General Business, 3 Paisano’s Development LLC is the applicant, (ZCA-7-2020) The Lorain City Planning Commission met on August 5, 2020, and recommend approval to Lorain City Council.

Copies of all documentation related to this proposal will be on view for public inspection in the Office of the Clerk of Council, 200 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, Ohio. Please contact Nancy_Greer@cityoflorain.org for additional information.

NANCY GREER, CMC

L.C.C.G. 8/13-20/20 20667907

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SHEFFIELD TWP. — Two more polling stations have been moved for the Nov. 3 election due to concerns over the coronavirus threat.

The Lorain County Board of Elections chose Monday to use the Knights of Columbus Ragan Hall, 1783 Moore Rd. in Avon, instead of Avon United Methodist Church for the city's 1A and 1B precincts.

"It's a very, very large hall. It can more than accommodate two precincts," said elections Director Paul Adams.

The church was simply too small to allow for six-foot social distancing now required by the state, he said.

All Wellington village voters will now go to Eagles Aerie 2051, located at 631 South Main St. Half of registered voters in the village had previously reported to the Wellington Habilitation Center on Weber Court.

That change was made because senior centers and nursing homes cannot be used for voting this year in Ohio.

In the spring, before in-person vot-

ing was completely shut down, several polling places had to be moved for the same reason. They included The 1907 at Central School in Amherst, Avenbury Lakes Lodge in Avon, The Abbewood in Elyria, Elyria Retirement Community, Wesleyan Village in Elyria, Kendal at Oberlin, O'Neill Healthcare in North Ridgeville and Pioneer Ridge Community Center in North Ridgeville.

None of those sites are being used this fall.

With Monday's decision, the Board of Elections has a list of 75 polling stations finalized.

Once the list is updated online, you'll be able to find your polling location by visiting www.voteloraincountyohio. gov.

Voting machines can be placed and spaced out with no problems at 71 of those locations, Adams said.

Barriers will have to be installed between a few voting machines at the remaining four locations to protect against the spread of the virus. They include Premier Toyota in Amherst, East Recreation Park in Elyria, Elyria Community Church of the Nazarene and House of Zion Fellowship Center

in Oberlin.

Adams said 30 machines will be set up for in-person early voting at the Board of Elections office at 1985 North Ridge Rd. in Sheffield Township.

In other business, board members voted to authorize $6,000 on an advertising campaign to attract poll workers.

In a previous interview, Adams said 1,200 poll workers are needed in Lorain County alone this fall.

Training will roll out differently this year for those hired. They'll spend up to two hours learning online about proper procedures, and spend another hour at the Sheffield Township fire station practicing how to set up, activate and tear down voting equipment.

In another decision, the Board of Elections will now bar loitering or campaigning within 10 feet of ballot drop-boxes.

The goal is to make sure people can deliver their ballots safely. Board member Anthony Giardini said he doesn't think there should be "impediments" near the drop boxes and made it clear he was talking about people that could interfere with the voting process.

BAND

FROM A1

They were sweaty and ready to cool down after eight hours of practice in masks Monday, but the Marching Comets were also full of school spirit.

Ohio, the Marching Comets' season has been turned on its head. There are no competitions, which is a big deal for the long-running state champs, and Friday night football games are in question.

If they move forward with a shortened six-game season under the lights proposed by the Ohio High School Athletic Association — and that's a big if — bands in the Southwestern Conference and beyond have decided to play only at their home stadiums.

"The SWC directors got together before things ever blew up and said, 'We don't see things happening, so let's make a decision now.' It's just too difficult," Barbaro said.

Amherst is also among the many schools that won't suit up in marching band uniforms.

Sweaty uniforms would make it impossible to protect everyone from the virus, and sending them home to be washed isn't an option — not only are they dry clean only, but after "going home in the trunk of a car, they'd come back all moldy the next day," said Barbaro.

Instead, the Marching Comets will wear black shoes and pants with their band shirts, and don raincoats when the weather turns colder, he said.

There are other tough decisions to be made, simple but crucial ones such as where to sit. Leaving six feet between each member would have the Amherst band spread from end zone to end zone four lines deep.

And don't expect any fancy set pieces, which Amherst is usally known for. The goal this year is just to field a band, if it's possible, said Barbaro.

"Not knowing what's going to happen in the future, not knowing what's going to happen tomorrow, to try to plan something extravangant is just not worth it," he said.

On Monday, the band drilled on its "old school" program of big, brassy numbers. They program is reminiscent of the music of famed 20th century marching band director Bill Moffit, who began his career at Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City and went on to lead bands at Michigan State and Purdue.

With safety measures cutting practice times in half, and all focus on fundamentals, Barbaro said he feels for his 27 seniors: "We've talked about making it what you can, leaving a legacy," he said.

But he's also grateful that his band has grown. At 147, it's up by eight instrumentalists over last year, and Barbaro said he had worried about losing as many as 80 kids because of the health crisis.

He said he was moved that they showed up in force, knowing they'd be spending long days with masks on.

"I am proud of them for not being scared away, because I know I myself am scared," Barbaro said. "I see what they're doing to be here, the sacrifice to be here, so it makes me feel like I've got to do a better job than I ever would have."

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

Lorain County Community Guide

Page A5

In depth: Election 2020 prepardness

Costs shoot up due to COVID-19 concerns JASON HAWK EDITOR

SHEFFIELD TWP. — Opening the polls for in-person voting this fall will be no small feat and carry no small price tag, according to Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams.

Preparations for Nov. 3 started the moment the COVID-19-interrupted spring primary ended, he said.

With less than three months to go and a pandemic causing headaches, manpower is proving to be one of the biggest obstacles.

There are simply not enough workers to run the polls on Election Day, Adams said.

"At this point, we've reached out to about 50 county organizations to ask them to relay information to their members about serving as poll workers," he said.

Lorain County alone needs about 1,200 and Ohio, according to Secretary of State Frank LaRose, needs about 35,000.

Adams said his office has sent surveys out to potential poll workers and is awaiting the results. "A good number" have already declined to help because of coronavirus concerns.

Even if the vast majority say yes, they will show up in the name of democracy, there needs to be a large reserve prepared in case of illness, he said.

Poll workers are paid $150 for the day, which runs from 5:30 a.m. until the last person in line at closing time has voted — usually around 8:30 p.m.

Adams said most don't do it for the money: "The reason they're

doing it is because they believe in democracy and they want to stand up and defend it."

Polling locations are also a problem.

Senior centers and nursing homes that have traditionally been part of the picture were forced to close in the spring before all in-person voting was shut down. Adams said they are prohibited from reopening as polling stations this fall, and he doubts they'll reopen again in the spring.

New polling stations had to be chosen.

Teams were sent to scout for possible locations to ensure they are accessible and, most importantly, have enough space to meet six-foot social distancing requirements between voting machines, said Adams.

Part of the $250,000 provided to Lorain County elections officials by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — or CARES Act — will File photo be used to spread the word voters Paul Adams, director of the Lorain County Board of Elections, shows the new electronic about changes in polling locapoll book that will streamline things for the poll workers as well as the voters. tions.

It will also educate them how The good news is that he couraged to wear masks as well. "expensive but necessary in this to vote early or absentee. believes the uptick in absentee However, a directive from the new world of COVID." Adams said he expects voters voting could keep wait times secretary of state bars boards of They are being installed this to cast the largest volume of for in-person voters down. election from requiring them, week at the Board of Elections mail-in ballots in Lorain CounWhen you arrive at a polling according to Adams. office in Sheffield Township. ty history. location on Election Day, workIf a voter refuses to wear a The county has also helped A typical presidential elecers will hand you a sanitized mask, poll workers will have provide shields for every single tion sees about 40,000 cast. He stylus to sign in, then a ballot to find a way to let them vote, table at polling locations — believes the 2020 election will card for the voting machine. which may mean providing a total cost, $27,000. easily double that number.

Workers will wipe down madistanced area for anti-maskers.

Adams said all of the CARES Much of the CARES Act chines after each person votes.

Adams said no decision has Act money for elections in money has been set aside to Those workers will be wearbeen made to take temperatures Lorain County has already been help handle extra mailing costs ing masks and gloves, also paid or symptom screenings at the allocated. associated with absentee balfor with CARES Act funds or door.

More may be needed to enlots, as well as equipment to through LaRose's office.

There will be plexiglass sure public safety on Nov. 3, he help process it all, said Adams.

Voters will be strongly enshields, which Adams called said.

LaRose says he won't purge Ohio voter lists before Nov. 3 JASON HAWK EDITOR

COLUMBUS — Voter records will not be purged until after the November election, according to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

The state routinely rips voters off the rolls if they're registered but haven't cast ballots in several years — a practice that has been challenged in court as target-

ing minorities and urban residents who typically vote Democrat.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2018 that such purges are constitutional.

LaRose said Friday that he is taking "unprecedented" steps to keep voter registrations active. In short, anyone who is tagged as an inactive voter will be kept registered if they vote this fall.

Normally, they'd have to fill out a form mailed by the

Secretary of State's office.

In a release Friday, LaRose took credit for finding "a creative way to make it is as accurate as possible and encourage people to become active voters again.”

But holding back on a purge isn't a voluntary act.

It's part of an agreement in a long-running suit by the A. Philip Randolph Institute.

It halts the removal of any voter who casts a provisional ballot in an Ohio lo-

cal, state or federal election through 2022.

Voter purges in Ohio are ostensibly aimed at removing the eligibility of people who are deceased or have moved out of state. But the American Civil Liberties Union has argued that voting is not a “use it or lose it” right.

"Ohio’s practice violates the National Voter Registration Act — sometimes called the Motor Voter law — which expressly prohib-

its removing voters solely because they did not vote in an election or return a piece of mail," the ACLU argued in 2018.

"The right to vote includes the right to decide whether, when, and how to exercise that right," it said.

LaRose's non-purge announcement didn't acknowledge the A. Philip Randolph Institute settlement, instead chalking the situation up to a "policy of transparency."

It said the preliminary list of "do not cancel" names includes about 119,000 voters.

Anyone who has not voted in six years or the past 12 elections, and who does not vote in November, will be de-registered on Dec. 7.

LaRose is also calling for centralization of all voter registration to his office instead of being handled by Ohio's 88 boards of elections.

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Lorain County Community Guide

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

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The pandemic caused chaos for the March primary election, but Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has pledged that voting in November will be safe and polls will be open.

"You're going to see your neighborhood polling locations open, staffed by a dedicated group of Election Day workers," he said in a virtual town hall meeting held last week.

With presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden battling on the ballot, LaRose expects the November election to have the highest-turnout in state history While COVID-19 has upended daily life, it has not changed that every vote matters, he said.

The goal is to make sure that voting is "an opportunity to see something familiar, something that many of us have been accustomed to for many years," he said.

To pull off in-person voting this fall, an army of 35,000 poll workers will be needed.

Volunteers are critical because many who typically work the polls are older, and are more vulnerable to the virus.

LaRose called on young people to help.

"It's time for a new generation to step up. We know that a lot of our seniors are concerned about the impact that the virus could have," he said.

He also called on typical voters to be "evangelists" for voter registration and try to drive up the number of people who take part in the democratic process. The deadline to register to vote in Ohio is Monday, Oct. 5.

LaRose vowed there will be early voting for the four weeks prior to Nov. 3.

Vote-by-mail numbers are expected to shoot through the roof this year, he said.

The Ohio Secretary of State's office plans to send an absentee ballot request form to every registered voter — that's 7.8 million Ohioans — with arrival around Labor Day weekend.

The mailing will be done with federal CARES Act money, not state tax dollars.

LaRose's office will not simply send a ballot to all registered voters, even during the pandemic. You must still complete and return the application, wait for a ballot to be mailed to you, complete it and send it back to the state.

In-person voting will move forward unless there is a superseding public health order. LaRose said in-person voting is "not optional" in his mind, and promised it will be both safe and secure.

"Ohioans have expected that for many years, and (it) should always be a choice that's on the table for them," he said.

"Safe" is the key word. Money has been pushed to Ohio's 88 boards of election to help buy masks and gloves, plexiglass shields and signs warning people to taking precautions when voting.

Before the virtual town hall, the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition released its recommendations to make in-person voting safer, with the endorsement of more than 200 public health professions from across the state.

“It appears that about two out of every five Ohio voters have an underlying condition that makes them at risk for the most serious complications of COVID-19 if they get infected,” said Michael Lederman, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University. “The measures we have proposed will reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection to voters and poll workers alike.”

The recommendations include enforcing six-foot social distancing inside and outside of polling stations, mandatory masks or face shields inside, requiring voters to wash their hands when entering and

leaving, plastic barriers erected wherever there will be more than a minute of interaction between poll workers and voters, and assurances that voting locations will be well-ventilated and well-filtered if supplied by recirculating air.

“It is imperative that the in-person voting process for this November be structured to be safe and uniform for the 88 Ohio counties. Poll workers usually work a 13 to 14 hour day. Regardless of their age, they must be protected, as should be the voters,” said Alice Frazier, a retired family physician and professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Ohio State University.

LaRose said more money is being used to make the polls as accessible as possible, including Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades.

He also said everything possible is being done to prevent voter fraud in Ohio, though there is no evidence voter fraud is a threat.

In elections in 2012, 2014 and 2016, there were only 336 cases referred for prosecution out of nearly 14.4 million ballots cast — that's about .002 percent.

A bigger deal is cybersecurity. An attack, traced back to a Russian company, tried to compromise the Ohio Secretary of State website, and LaRose said his office is on alert for another attempt.

LaRose also trumpeted the local integrity of Ohio's elections, which he called a "thoroughly bipartisan enterprise" with Democrats and Republicans watchdogging each other.

That said, he took a swipe at a Democratic Party lawsuit that seeks to allow absentee ballot applications to be made via email, fax or other electronic means.

LaRose said applications by email would create a security vulnerability, but he wants to eventually offer online absentee ballot requests via a secure web portal.

The secretary of state also defended his office against a League of Women Voters lawsuit that takes issue with the way signatures for absentee ballot applications are verified.

“Ohio’s confusing, inconsistent signature match process too often results in eligible Ohio voters incorrectly having their absentee applications or ballots rejected,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “Without clear notification or an efficient way to address questions about their signatures, too many voters are disenfranchised by this process, especially those with disabilities, senior citizens, young people, and naturalized citizens. Especially during a global pandemic, Ohio voters must be able to efficiently secure absentee ballots and have assurance that their votes will count.”

LaRose said signature-matching is "a safeguard that proves you are who you say you are."

In a question-and-answer session, LaRose addressed Trump's unfounded attacks on absentee voting, which the president has said will lead to fraud across the nation.

"Because of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, 2020 will be the most RIGGED Election in our nations history — unless this stupidity is ended," Trump tweeted in late June.

LaRose said Ohio has gotten good at handling absentee voting over the past 20 years, though "the concerns he raises are not without merit in other states, perhaps," he said.

Absentee voting is secure in Ohio because accurate voter lists are maintained with regular purges, he said. Ohioans must authenticate who they are before getting a ballot, and you can track your ballot with a code, just like shipping a package, and know it's been received by the state elections board.

LaRose said Ohioans shouldn't wait to send absentee ballot request forms back, because the U.S. Post Office is experiencing delays.

B

OUR TOWNS

Lorain County Community Guide • Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

More layoffs, farewell parade at Oberlin College JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — When the phone rang late last week, Bridget Maldonado didn't expect to hear she was being laid off, that it was her last day and she had to turn in her keys.

A phone operator at Oberlin College the past 23 years, she

wasn't on the list of more than 100 dining services workers or custodians told this winter that their jobs would be outsourced.

So the news was an unwelcome surprise.

Maldonado was one of five United Auto Workers members at the college blindsided by the decision.

"For us, it was definitely a shock. We didn't expect that," she

said.

Erik Villar, chair for UAW Local 2192, said the five new layoffs are related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of Yeomen and Yeowomen athletics for the season.

With the North Coast Athletic Conference suspending play this fall, the college won't need all hands on deck, he said, including people to wash uniforms or hand

out equipment to players.

"I had to call these individuals and let them know Friday was their last day. It was really emotional," Villar said.

The UAW has negotiated three months severance pay and the option to buy health insurance through the college until June 2021, he said.

There's a mandatory waiting period before those health ben-

efits kick in, he said. That leaves folks like Maldonado, who has an MRI scheduled for Aug. 21 for an ongoing health condition, wondering whether they'll be covered in the interim.

The UAW is also trying to hammer out a contract with AVI Fresh, the company hired to take over dining services at Oberlin LAYOFFS PAGE B2

Cuyahoga teams suspend sports, local schools wait

TEEING UP THE SEASON

Kristin Bauer | Chronicle

â–ş Wellington's Will Palmison watches his tee shot during Friday's Oberlin Cup at Forest Hills Golf Course in Elyria.

A

JASON HAWK EDITOR

Division III state qualifier last year, Will Palmison shot an 84 for the Dukes Friday in the Oberlin Cup. “I don’t feel any pressure this year at all," he said. "I’m just going to go out and play golf, hope for some good scores and whatever happens, happens.�

The tournament featured 12 golfers from the Lorain County League and other schools, and was organized

by Oberlin Athletic Director John Carter. “I want to grow golf at Oberlin. We want to grow from an individual to a team, and the more we can publicize that we have these types of opportunities, more kids will come out to play," he said.

The Phoenix were represented by sophomore Anthony Jackson, who shot 94.

Keystone junior Ian Morgan and Columbia senior Evin Elliott each shot 80 to finish tied atop the leaderboard at Forest Hill Golf Course.

Practices are underway, but many Lorain County high school athletes are still waiting for word on whether they'll be able to take the field.

Some of their biggest rivals have suspended the fall sports season due to the COVID-19 threat.

A slew of teams threw in the towel last week on the advice of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, including Bay Village, Berea-Midpark, Brooklyn, Fairview, Lakewood and Rocky River.

Some have since reversed course and are allowing athletes to practice again. The list at first included 49 schools across the region that suspended sports — that was down to 33 as of Monday.

The Westlake Demons are letting golf and girls tennis to move ahead, since they're socially-distanced by nature. Football, soccer and cross country are all sidelined.

Others are waiting to see whether the public health crisis gets better in the next few weeks. Strongsville, for instance, is allowing teams to practice, with no decision yet on whether to play games.

The situation is putting the Southwestern Conference in an unprecedented position.

It means teams like Amherst may find huge gaps in their schedules. Comets Athletic Director Casey Wolf said it's common for spring rain-outs to wreak havoc on game dates, but it's rare to deal with fall changes.

"We're going to compete against and participate with the teams that are available to us on our schedule," he said.

The Comets are moving forward with plans for as normal a season as possible, and so far Wolf said there have been no issues at all with conditioning and practices.

He said students need a sense of normality: "I want our kids to have the opportunity to compete if that's the FALL SPORTS PAGE B2

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AMHERST — A plan to start school Aug. 27 with about threequarters of students reporting to Amherst school buildings and the remainder learning at home was approved Monday by the Board of Education.

"No one has a crystal ball in terms of how this thing will unfold," Superintendent Steven Sayers said, briefing board members.

He promised to make 2020-2021 a "positive and productive" year for students despite the hardships imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sayers said he is impressed by how teachers and staff are operating in the face of adversity.

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Lorain County Community Guide

Yoder leads the way

Amherst's Ryan Yoder announced his presence on the boys golf scene in a big way Thursday in Ravenna.

The freshman shot a five-over 75 to lead the Comets to first place at the Windmill Lakes Classic at Windmill Lakes Golf Club while claiming individual runner-up honors. Tallmadge's Darin Hudak took the individual title with a 71.

Austin Bray shot a 77, Joey Kramer 80 and Brent Baumgartner 85 for the Comets, who shot 316 as a team to top Mogadore by four strokes.

Amherst finished at 316, edging out Mogadore at 320, West Branch 333, Rootstown 338, Tallmadge 345, Nordonia 346, Coventry 349, Keystone 351, Akron Firestone 371 and Woodridge 379.

Purdue Pharma settlement

The Amherst Schools will seek compensation from Purdue Pharmaceutical as part of a large, nationwide settlement over the impacts of the opioid epidemic.

Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, declared bankruptcy last year and must resolve claims in thousands of lawsuits about its culpability in hooking Americans on painkillers.

Cities and other public bodies have signed on as class action plaintiffs against the drugmaker.

LAYOFFS

FROM B1 College.

Villar praised AVI Fresh for offering to rehire union workers at their existing pay rates — "They didn't have to do this," he said.

It's unclear how many workers will be rehired, but demand for help seems to be up because of food delivery service AVI Fresh is taking on during the pandemic. Villar said at least five former college custodians have been offered jobs with the company as well.

With those questions still unresolved, a farewell parade has been planned for Saturday so workers can say their goodbyes.

It's being held "for our neighbors and friends who are losing their jobs and health insurance," according to

an email from Marc Blecher, a politics and East Asian studies professor at the college.

Line-up will start at noon in the area of Professor and Lorain streets and the parade is scheduled to begin at 12:15 p.m.

UAW members will wear masks and stand six feet apart. The community is invited to decorate cars with signs and balloons, place the name of employees on their vehicles, hand out flowers, wave and honk.

Because of the pandemic, an on-campus gathering isn't possible, said Maldonado, who is helping to organize the parade.

"This is the only way so many could say goodbye," she said.

She said many of those losing their jobs have been at Oberlin College for two or three decades. Custodians especially grew close to students, taking them birthday cakes and growing into ersatz family members.

Taking care of students was more than a job — it was a calling that often grew into friendship, said Maldonado.

The parade isn't intended to be a protest or a platform to denigrate the college's decisions, she said. It's only to acknowledge that those leaving or uncertain of their employment will be missed.

"They were so hurt, so I want their last memory from the college to be something positive and happy," she said.

FALL SPORTS

FROM B1

First day of school

An opening date has been set for the Oberlin City Schools. All students will log in for remote learning on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

RESTART

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

FROM B1 They'll be expected to model optimism and hope in a tough time.

"There's enough doom and gloom out there. And in my opinion, we don't need any more of that," Sayers said.

Staffing for the district's in-person and online offerings was set to be completed Tuesday, with new teacher orientation today.

Amherst is getting an earlier start than many other area school districts. Workers will report for meetings Aug. 17 and 18, with seminars on how to teach online courses running from Aug. 21-24.

Building, department, grade level and team meetings will follow the next two days.

The school doors won't open this year for open houses in Amherst — instead, virtual open house videos will be released to the community Aug. 21.

Kindergarten screenings will be held Aug. 20, 21 and 24.

Chromebooks will be handed out to all Nord Middle School and Amherst Junior High families on Aug. 20 and 21, and to Powers Elementary and Steele High School students on Aug. 24 and 25.

That's the plan for the moment, but as Molnar said, with the pandemic "everything is a moving target" and subject to change.

He said district officials realize there's a possibility that at some point this year all classes will have to move online if coronavirus cases explode.

Schools are leaning on Lorain County Public Health Commissioner David Covell for guidance about how to avoid spread of the disease.

Sayers said he is grateful for Covell's weekly briefings that have informed decisions on everything from school nurses to sports.

"It is so much appreciated," he said. "We're educators.

We're not public health experts. We're going to defer, it makes sense for us to defer to the Lorain County health commissioner for guidance on health issues."

There are still plenty of questions to answer before the first bell rings.

Among those voiced Monday was how special education students will get the support they need this year, especially those learning online.

Sarah Walker, director of student services, said intervention specialists and therapists are lined up to help both remotely and in person.

"While services look a little different in the virtual world... we're going to be meeting with families and find out what works best for them, and we're going to make that work," she said.

The Board of Education voted on contracts to continue offering before- and after-school programs despite the pandemic. Powers Elementary Principal Brian Teppner was tapped to oversee the Comet Kids Club.

School security was also a concern for board member Ron Yacobozzi.

"This whole crazy world we're living in" has had a psychological impact on some people, he said, asking for school staff and Amherst police officers to be on heightened alert this fall.

safest thing for them."

"Safe" is the key word in 2020.

Cuyahoga County health officials have urged schools to go all-online for the start of the academic year in the name of safety, and cancel sports, band, choir and art extracurricular activities.

David Covell, commissioner at Lorain County Public Health, said he's not convinced that's the right course here — yet.

He's advised local teams to keep practicing as though there will be a fall season, but to expect guidance from the state over the next week.

It could come as early as Friday.

Covell also told schools this week they should put a halt to scrimmages.

"There's no such thing as zero risk," Covell said. "As schools open, they're trying to balance the risk of having schools open."

Lorain County was still at "orange alert" as of press time Tuesday, and Covell said he expects it to move back and forth into the red zone over the coming weeks. The coronavirus new case count is high right now, though hospitalizations are low.

Still, he doesn't believe the risk is high enough to ask schools to shut down sports programs or classes.

If hospital admissions suddenly spike, or if there is massive spread of new cases in school, Covell said he'll make that call.

The Lorain Schools aren't waiting for the health commissioner to sound the alarm.

The district has moved classes online for the first quarter, and all school activities including sports were placed on hold just two days after practices had started.

The Lorain school board voted Monday to formally cancel the season for all contact sports.

"I'm not convinced there's a way we can do it safely," said CEO Jeff Graham.

Lorain County League schools don't seem to see the same sense of urgency.

There has been no talk in the LC8 of suspending the fall season, nor should there be, said Firelands Athletic Director Ty Stillman.

"I think a lot of people went knee-jerk and canceled everything when they went online," he said.

Moving ahead with sports is

Not just high schools

Colleges are pulling the plug on fall sports too.

The Mid-American Conference, which includes schools like Ohio University and Kent State, has postponed fall contests until the spring.

“Clearly, we are charting a conservative path – and it is one that has been recommended by our medical advisory group," said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. "It is a decision that affects roughly 2,500 studentathletes who live for the moment to compete. Those opportunities and moments are fleeting, and our student-athletes have a limited window in which to showcase their talent, passion, and drive for excellence. I am heartbroken we are in this place."

Oberlin College and the North Coast Athletic Conference have also canceled.

“We do not believe that we can create a safe framework to conduct fall sports because of the high contact required in almost all of the sports," the college said in a July letter. "We found the risk that this would place on our student-athletes to be unacceptable."

The Ohio Athletic Conference — which includes Marietta College, Heidelberg University and Baldwin Wallace University among others — has put competition on hold through the end of 2020, and plans to move fall sports to the spring. what's best for the social and emotional development of young athletes, Stillman said.

Falcons players have been receptive. They're are wearing masks when appropriate, and understand that added safety measures are needed to have a season, he said.

"I'm really proud of the kids.

They've done an awesome job and have great attitudes," he said.

Unquestionably the most popular and best-attended sport around is varsity football. It's also at the heart of a lot of questions about safety.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association has put a stop to scrimmages until further notice.

“We are waiting for more guidance from the governor’s office and department of health on when school vs. school competition can begin and are hopeful of that permission being granted for our normal contest dates later in August,” the OHSAA said.

Stillman said he understands apprehension over how close football players crowd on the field, particularly kids on the line who are nose-to-nose on every play.

But they aren't in close contact for long. Stillman said tackles and guards are in each other's faces for "12 seconds of play."

"They're not sitting there breathing on each other for 10 or 12 minutes at a time," he said.

The Falcons' season won't be affected by the decision of Cuyahoga County teams to sit this one out.

That's not the case for neighboring Oberlin. In week one, the Phoenix football team is set to play Wickliffe, which has suspended contact sports, and volleyball and soccer have similar concerns on the radar.

"There could be some holes in our schedule," said Oberlin Athletic Director John Carter.

Wellington is also among those moving ahead with fall sports. Athletic Director John Bowman sent a letter to Dukes families urging them to weigh the risks presented

by COVID-19 and decide whether to take part.

"The pandemic has presented interscholastic athletics with many challenges," the letter said.

"The spectrum of emotions and viewpoints on this topic are vast.

Though we are highly motivated for a return to high school sports this year we must change our approach and behaviors."

Even if they choose to play, players must still keep their distance from each other and wear masks when not on the field or court of play. There are daily temperature and symptom checks before team time starts, and locker rooms are closed.

There are also decisions to be made across the state about whether spectators will be able to watch games in person.

"There may not be fans in the stands, but at the end of the day, as long long as the kids get to compete, I'm happy," Stillman said.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association released a proposal Friday that would shorten the football regular season to six games and expand the state tournament to allow every team to participate. The OHSAA’s board of directors approved the measure 9-0, impacting only the 2020 season.

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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

Lorain County Community Guide

Page B3

Shortened census count period stuns officials CARISSA WOYTACH

THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

The U.S. Census Bureau will end counting efforts a month earlier than expected, leaving local Complete Count Committee members scrambling to get Lorain County’s 10-year headcount as close to 100 percent as possible.

On Monday evening, the Census Bureau announced plans to stop all counting efforts, including collecting responses in person, online, over the phone and by mail, Sept. 30.

“It totally came out of left field,” Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy said. The count was slated to run through Oct. 31.

Normally, the U.S. Census Bureau would stop counting efforts at the end of July to be able to make the Dec. 31 deadline to have data to the president. But in April the count was extended to Oct. 31, until the rapid change announced in a statement from Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham.

Lorain County’s response rate is about 72.5 percent — better than the statewide response rate of 67.3 percent.

The time loss is substantial for families to be able to respond, Lundy said. Those who were self-motivated to respond probably have already done so, meaning the last roughly 28 percent uncounted in the county are always the most challenging to reach. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated

the issue. But in low-tomoderate-income areas in Lorain and Elyria, there are more uncounted residents than those who have responded.

Lorain Chief of Staff and city Complete Count Committee Chairman Rick Soto said committees will readjust plans, and redouble efforts to reach parts of south and central Lorain — historically hard tracts to count, along with newer pockets on the city’s east side.

Soto expects the shortened timeline will impact the number of “boots on the ground,” those doorto-door workers identifying residents that haven’t yet completed the census through the internet, mail or phone. Shortening that makes him worried about the accuracy of the city’s count.

Lorain has an overall self-response rate of 61.6 percent, trailing about 5 percent behind the state’s rate. But the lowest response rates cut through the heart of the city, dipping as low as 42.5 percent. Similarly low numbers are in Elyria, with two downtown tracts hovering just below 50 percent response rates.

Lower-income areas within cities have always been a struggle to count, and Lorain’s higher population of undocumented residents means it has a uniquely uphill battle to combat those residents’ fears surrounding government workers and giving them personal information. And there may be fewer of those on-theground workers working against those fears, as the federal budget for the 2020 census is lower than

Pool closing

This is the last week of operation for the Anna Schmauch Memorial Pool at Maude Neiding Park in Amherst. The city announced that the pool will close at the end of the week. That's fairly typical — it usually closes in August as lifeguards prepare to return to high school or college.

School travel plan

Lorain County Public Health is looking for resident feedback to help draft Oberlin’s Safe Routes to School travel plan. Find a worksheet at Lorain County Public Health, the Oberlin school board office and Oberlin Community Services or on the city of Oberlin’s Facebook page. Fill it out and return it by Aug. 31 to help make student trips to and from schools a better experience.

Heritage Center board

Five new members have accepted positions on the Oberlin Heritage Center board of trustees. They will serve for three years, with terms ending in 2023. They are Meisha Baker, Lori Ebihara, Jiyul Kim, Edward Wardwell and Fr. Brian Wilbert.

it was in years past.

“No pun intended, but it’s basically knocking down doors,” Soto said.

“We have to knock down barriers, and that’s the tough part is we’re actually trying to knock down that barrier between our citizens and the government and especially within this important issue.”

To help, Soto said the city’s Complete Count Committee members have turned to local faith and community leaders, along with nonprofits, and have had workers set up at City Hall completing forms for walk-in residents.

Normally, organizations would host large census response-centered events, but COVID-19 has stalled many in-person gatherings.

El Centro de Servicios Sociales Executive Director Victor Leandry is one of the trusted leaders tasked with moving the needle closer to 100 percent. El Centro provides social services to English and Spanish-speaking communities throughout the city, with a focus in South Lorain.

“If we don’t do anything, it will be devastating,” Leandry said.

“When you think about the numbers in the nation and the state and locally, there’s some communities that are still only at 60 percent, like Elyria and Lorain are two in our county that are still at 60 percent, so closing the census in two months from now. ... Not only is that so much money on the table that’s not coming to our community, it’s also about future lines of

politics and all that is determined by the census.”

Without an accurate count, it’s not just individual cities that lose out. Local, state and congressional districts are redrawn based on the data submitted by the end of the year, as well as allocations for federal funding at state and county levels. It affects health care funds, nutritional programs for low-income children and families, fire and police allocations and a bevy of other programs.

It is one shot every 10 years to capture the population. The Community Surveys conducted on odd years in between are to capture trends, but are not used to redraw political districts or radically redistribute funds.

“There may have been a lot of people who thought ‘I’ve got plenty of time, I can wait until the kids go back to school and then maybe I can work on

Response rates of cities and villages Amherst: 80.8 percent Avon: 80.8 percent Avon Lake: 81.3 percent Elyria: 67.7 percent Lorain: 61.6 percent N. Ridgeville: 82.9 percent Oberlin: 68.3 percent Sheff. Lake: 72.5 percent Vermilion: 68 percent Grafton: 78.9 percent Kipton: 68.5 percent LaGrange: 80.3 percent Rochester: 63.3 percent Sheffield: 80.3 percent S. Amherst: 73.1 percent Wellington: 75.5 percent The average response rate for townships in Lorain County is 76.6 percent. The best rate is from Brighton Township residents a 83.9 percent, while the worst is in Sheffield Township at just 58 percent. finish at a 60 percent or 70 percent that would be such a disservice for our community,” Leandry said.

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NOTICE: DISABLED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CALL 775-7203 OR E-MAIL: banderson@cityofoberlin.com NOTICE REQUIRED: TWO (2) WORKING DAYS IN ADVANCE OF MEETING (48 HOURS) CLERK OF COUNCIL’S OFFICE.

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23. Lads’ girlfriends 26. Meal 29. Morsel 30. *Labor Day, always 33. International Civil Aviation Org. 35. She turned to stone, Greek mythology 37. Quaker grain 38. Same as gnarls 39. Toothy wheel 40. Capital of Canada 42. Homer Simpson exclamation 43. Russia’s plain 45. Zoroastrian archives 47. Simon & Garfunkel member 48. Sheik’s bevy 50. Goes with sushi 52. *Part of labor force 56. Jewish folklore creature 57. European sea eagle 58. Millimeter of mercury 59. Impolite dinner sound 60. “Dark” movie 61. Armor chest plate 62. Cupid’s action 63. Type of evidence 64. “By ____ of” or “by means of” DOWN 1. “____ ____ no good” 2. Bohemian, e.g.

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SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE A2

the census at that point,’ but now the reality is this window is closing very fast and we have a very short period of time for people to respond,” Lundy said.

Leandry and his staff participated in the 2010 census, helping push the city’s overall response rate that year to about 80 percent. But the 2010 census didn’t have census workers forced to social distance, or an uncertain timeline causing confusion.

Soto said he has “hit the hurry button.” For Leandry, it’s time to panic.

“When you think about (Lorain and Elyria) being the biggest cities and the money that comes to those cities for Head Start Programs, food pantries, free clinics, road construction — when you think about the money that comes to our cities depends on the population and if we were to

8. Minute opening 9. “For Pete’s ____!”

10. Belonging to it 12. Not aria nor recitative 13. Open a beer bottle 14. *Union responsibility 19. *Labor Day is this puzzle’s ____ 22. Beyoncé, a.k.a. Queen ____ 23. *Like Labor Day weekend 24. Ovine sign of the zodiac 25. Type of weasel 26. “Pro” follower 27. Oodles 28. Fortune-teller’s card 31. Sol, or la, or ti 32. Digital audiotape, acr.

34. *Health and safety org.

36. *Strike____ 38. Courtroom silencer 40. Choose 41. One who bends out of shape 44. Groom one’s feathers 46. Used an emoji, technically 48. Long-necked wader 49. Embryo sacs 50. One-pilot flight, pl.

51. Reunion attendee 53. Jellystone Park denizen 54. Joanie of “Happy Days” 55. At a previous time, archaic 56. Geological Society of America 57. *Unofficial ____ of summer

SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE A2

Page B4

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

Lorain County Community Guide

Learn about suffrage

"Ohio Women Vote: 100 Years of Change" will be presented from Sept. 8-19 by the Oberlin Heritage Center.

The free exhibit features 12 informational banners, and was curated and designed by the Ohio History Connection and funded by Ohio Humanities. These banners feature photographs, quotes and biographies of Ohioan leaders in the suffrage movement along with stories of political victories, racial barriers within the cause and to the ballot box and the ongoing fight for equal rights.

The exhibit will be on view in Heritage Center's Monroe House, 73 1/2 South Professor St., along with other displays and takeaways that tell more Oberlin-focused stories about women’s suffrage.

Visitors will be able to stop by during the center's open hours — however, only one family or visiting group will be allowed in the building at a time, so there may be a brief waiting period.

The Oberlin Heritage Center is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. To reserve a visit, call 440-774-1700 or email tourinfo@oberlingeritage.org.

This traveling exhibit is free to see, but donations are appreciated. Masks are required.

Help name new K-9

A new K-9 will soon be chosen as Sgt. Jeff Mecklenburg’s new partner, and the Wellington Police Department plans to let Facebook fans help pick the crimefighting dog’s name.

Mecklenburg will offer up a few suggestions, and you’ll be able to pick the winner.

His former K-9 partner, Argos, died this spring due to cancer. A post by police this weekend said Argos was incredibly helpful — he helped locate a knife, take drugs off the street and was able to track missing people and suspects. His friendly demeanor also helped police build relationships with the people of Wellington.

A donation will help pay for the cost of the new K-9 and training. There are other expenses however, such as vet bills, food and medicine. Anyone who wants to help offset them can reach out to Mecklenburg at jmecklenburg@villageofwellington.com or Chief Tim Barfield at tbarfield@villageofwellington.com.

History Fund grant

The Oberlin Heritage Center has received a $3,000 Ohio History Fund COVID-19 Emergency Grant from the Ohio History Connection.

This temporary grant program helps history organizations address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Heritage Center plans to use the funds for expenses incurred between March 14 and Nov. 30 of this year. Awardees can use the money to cover operational expenses that cannot otherwise be met because of COVID-19 related losses of revenue and increase in expenses, or to adapt or create programs for audiences affected by stay-at-home and social distancing orders.

The Heritage Center plans to use the grant to enhance virtual offerings for its members, and to ensure the safety and well-being of the staff with increased cleaning and workspace safety measures.

Auditor of State Award

The city of Oberlin has received the Ohio Auditor of State Award upon completion of a clean financial audit.

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Stretch of state Route 2 in Amherst will be named a ‘safety corridor’ LAINA YOST THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM

Drivers on State Route 2 will begin to see more troopers patroling from the Interstate 90 interchange in Amherst Township through the Amherst city limits to Baumhart Road in Lorain.

The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Highway Patrol declared the section a "safety corridor" Friday.

As a result, there will be new signs alerting drivers when they enter and exit the corridor and increased patrol.

Lt. Alan Dunbar, commander of the Elyria Post, said the purpose of the corridor is to ensure safety of drivers and reduce the number of crashes.

He said that area on Route 2 is one of Lorain County's problem sites.

From 2015 to 2019, there were 588 crashes along the corridor, resulting in five fatalities and 109 injuries. The statistics are what got the Highway Patrol's attention and brought them to approach ODOT. Bob Weaver, ODOT District 3 deputy director, said he was on board

“Sometimes people think they can go faster in certain areas, which is our concern. All we want to do is make sure people get to where they’re going safely.”

Lt. Alan Dubar, Ohio State Highway Patrol

with the idea of a safety corridor along the road. He said that particular section in Lorain County had a higher number of crashes.

A contributing factor to most of the crashes are following too close, changing lanes improperly and speeding. Dunbar said the approach to patrolling the area is mostly based on the data.

"Sometimes people think they can go faster in certain areas, which is our concern," Dunbar said. "All we want to do is make sure people get to where they're going safely."

He said the Highway Patrol will launch several initiatives like focusing on distracted driving or aggressive driving, depending on what the data says. Many of the crashes have been either age-related — both

young and elderly — or speedrelated, according to Highway Patrol data.

And most of the crashes have been either in the morning or afternoon, with a smaller percentage in the evening.

Throughout the state, there have been 646 traffic deaths, 18 more than at the same point last year despite lower traffic volume.

Signs along the new safety corridor were uncovered Friday morning.

"We want to get ahead of it," Dunbar said. "At the end of the day, dad wants to see Johnny play baseball and we want to make sure he gets from point A to point B safety. And that's our job, at the end of day, to preserve life and make sure everybody gets to where they want to go."

Oberlin Council president talks about sidewalk expansion goals JASON HAWK EDITOR

OBERLIN — Making streets safer for pedestrians is a "long-lingering, unsolved, unfinished project," Oberlin City Council President Linda Slocum said.

In a report last Wednesday to the Planning Commission, she talked about expanding sidewalks throughout town.

Code requires sidewalks to be installed along the frontage of all new construction, such as a new house, store, factory or an addition to an existing building.

The policy has resulted in "sidewalks to nowhere," Slocum said.

"We didn't think about connectivity of sidewalks when we wrote that ordinance," she told Oberlin planners.

City Council may consider a moratorium on its Aug. 17 agenda that would temporarily halt the requirement for property owners to install walkways in tandem with new construction.

The once-ambitious goal was to expand sidewalks to every street in the city, Slocum said.

One of several problems is that there are none in front of many existing homes, and no real leverage to require owners to foot the cost of installing them.

Slocum said not every street needs sidewalks — some are fine just the way they are.

Her proposal is to prioritize where sidewalks are needed most.

City workers have drafted a map showing the areas they think are critical. Highlights include Route 58 from the center

Linda Slocum of Oberlin south to Reserve Avenue, as well as along Pyle-South Amherst Road, Slocum said. The industrial park at East Lorain and Artino streets is also on the radar, she said.

What hasn't been remotely decided is how to pay for what could be miles of sidewalks. Typically, property owners are assessed on tax bills for the cost of infrastructure improvements along their

frontage, but Slocum said there may be more creative ways to cover costs.

Planning Commission Chair Matt Adelman said paying to install and maintain sidewalks is a civic obligation.

"It seems to me that it shouldn't be too much time spent trying to figure out who's going to pay for them when you consider the fact that everyone else who owns property in town is required to pay for and maintain the sidewalks they already have," he said.

At some point, the city plans to ask residents for feedback on where sidewalks should be placed.

A public meeting date has not been scheduled.

"In the end, it's the people who live in the neighborhoods who know where they want sidewalks in the neighborhoods," Slocum said.

Oberlin candidates night questions needed The 2020 Oberlin Community Candidates Night will look different than in years past — it will be a series of virtual sessions recorded via video chat and called "Candidates in Conversation," to be released via social media and on Oberlin Cable Co-op.

The change was made due to concerns about COVID-19 and public gatherings.

Organizers are asking voters to submit questions for candidates. You can do so at tinyurl.com/occn2020

or by postal mail to The League of Women Voters, P.O. Box 543, Oberlin, OH 44074.

The deadline to submit candidate questions is Friday, Sept. 4.

All candidates in contested races who will appear on the ballot in Oberlin precincts will be invited to take part. They include candidates for U.S. Congress 4th District; state representative to the 56th District; Lorain County commissioners, prosecutor and recorder; and judge for

the 9th District Court of Appeals. There will also be a session to discuss ballot issues.

Oberlin Community Candidates Night is a nonpartisan coalition of community groups that has sponsored the event for more than 25 years. In years past, it has been held in local venues; for 2020, the goal is to post candidate interviews by the end of September.

Members on the planning committee include representatives from Community Peace

Builders, First Church in Oberlin United Church of Christ, Kendal at Oberlin, League of Women Voters Oberlin Area, Oberlin College Voter Friendly Campus Coalition, Oberlin Community Services, Oberlin Friends Meeting, Oberlin National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Oberlin Pastors Prayer Fellowship and Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Social Justice Team.

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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

OPINION

Lorain County Community Guide

Page B5

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

2020 census too important to ignore Health insurance options during the pandemic The most important thing about the 2020 Census is for you to fill it out so that you and your household will be counted.

One person in each household must submit it for all of you who lived there on April 1. Be sure to include everyone: aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, roommates, mothers, fathers, teenagers, children and especially babies.

For some reason, people forget the babies.

The other most important thing is that all forms are due by Sept. 30. This deadline has changed a couple of times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results of this census will determine our fate for 10 years — how much federal funding we receive for schools, Head Start, free clinics, fire departments, food banks, school lunches and more.

The babies will soon need childcare, doctors and school, so count them in. Each person included brings up to $2,000 per year to Lorain County.

Multiplied by 10 years, that equals $20,000. The better the count, the better the services that will

NANCY FINKE

COMMUNITY PEACE BUILDERS

be available to us.

Victor Leandry, director of El Centro de Servicios Sociales in Lorain and a leader of the 2020 Census Complete Count Committee formed by the Lorain County Commissioners in January, spoke with me a few days ago. He stressed that census information for individuals is absolutely confidential for 75 years. He said that there are no questions on the form about financial matters like bank accounts, Social Security or citizenship. It's strictly a count of people.

In 75 years, it will be of great interest to genealogists and historians, but until the year 2095, we

are just statistics.

The population reported in the census also decides the amount of governmental representation we have — local, state and federal. Ohio is likely to lose one congressional district as a result of population reported in this census. Let's make our count complete so that we will have as much representation as we possibly can.

Kristin Peterson, a member of Oberlin City Council and co-chair of the Oberlin subcommittee of the Lorain County 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, shared a chart of the County's response as of Aug. 5. It lists each city, village, and township — the whole county has a 72.5 percent response rate.

This is good compared to the state at 67.3 percent, but it means that more than one-fourth of us are not included. We can do better!

There are three ways to submit your census form: • At www.2020census. gov.

• By calling 844-3302020 (English) or 844468-2020 (Spanish).

• Wait for the census

taker to ring your doorbell to interview you. Doorto-door visits started in Lorain County on July 31.

Both website and phone service are available in many languages. Almost every house has received an ID number in the mail.

But on the first question on the website response form, you can follow the link: "If you do not have a Census ID, click here."

If you have not already submitted the form, please go to the door and spend a few minutes answering the questions in person.

The census taker will be clearly identified and wearing a pandemic-mask for health safety.

The census may seem like paperwork or red tape, but it affects us every day: for example, whether our roads and bridges get fixed, if we can get an ambulance or a fire truck, if our sewers work, whether our congressperson has answers, if our kids get lunch at school.

For yourself and all of us, fill out the form!

Nancy Finke lives in Oberlin and is a member of Community Peace Builders.

Fashion choices have ripple effects Jane Goodall once said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

In this column, I want to focus on something as seemingly simple as the clothes you wear and how your choices have a direct impact on our world.

Statistics from the United Nations Environment Programme state that it takes 3,781 liters of water to make a pair of jeans, from the production of the cotton, to the delivery of the final product, to the store.

That equates to carbon emissions of approximately 33.4 kilograms for one pair of jeans!

Now let’s look at the bigger picture of the entire fashion industry with statistics from UNEP and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation: • Every year, the fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water — enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people.

• Approximately 20 percent of wastewater worldwide comes from fabric dyeing and treatment.

• Of the total fiber used for clothing, 87 percent is incinerated or disposed of

CHANGING BY DEGREES LINDA ARBOGAST

in a landfill.

• The fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of annual global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

• Every year, a half million tons of plastic microfibers are dumped into the ocean, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles. Microfibers cannot be extracted from the water and they spread throughout the food chain.

Americans alone throw away about 10.5 million tons of clothing per year. Less than 100 years ago, clothing was considered an investment. In the 1950s, people spent about 20 percent of their income on clothes.

Generally, people would buy a few items of clothing per year and would take extremely

good care of them to make sure they lasted as long as possible.

Today, the opposite is true — the fashion industry, instead of putting out new clothes and designs four times a year like in the past, are putting out new clothes every single week.

The amount of clothing produced has dramatically increased while clothing prices and quality have gone down. We are buying four times as much clothing as we used to, but are spending 17 percent less because we buy clothing that quickly falls apart or goes out of style or both, so the clothes get thrown in the trash to buy something new.

Studies have shown that 60 percent of the clothes made worldwide are made from synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon and acrylic, also known as plastic.

When thrown away, they often sit in landfills for hundreds of years, if not forever.

While the problem is daunting, there are several things that we as individuals can do to make an impact on this issue: • Before buying, ask if the manufacturers used sustainable criteria to make the clothing.

• Be creative in combining garments and recycle them after they

wear out.

• Repair clothing or make alterations.

• Donate what you no longer use.

• Buy only what you need.

• Consider quality over quantity. Every additional year a garment is worn means less pollution.

• Buy second-hand clothing.

• Be a smart laundry manager: Wear clothes more than once before washing, wash full loads in cold water and use non-abrasive, environmentally friendly detergents.

• Hanging clothes to dry not only saves energy, but reduces wear and tear on your clothing as well.

Research by Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production found that by extending the average life of clothing by just three months per item – from 26 months to 29 – would lead to a five to 10 percent reduction in carbon, water and waste footprints. This would help to keep clothing out of landfill and prevent some of the production of new clothing items.

So let’s all do our part and be responsible consumers of the clothing we wear.

Linda Arbogast is the sustainability director for the city of Oberlin.

LETTER Help from POWER did the trick To the editor: This letter is in appreciation for the work of Providing Oberlin With Efficiency Responsibly, or POWER, and the city of Oberlin.

Greg Jones from POWER arranged for an energy audit by Columbia Gas. The audit took a couple of hours to complete and

identified a significant need to increase the sealing and insulation of the attic. Greg arranged for one of the local insulation companies listed with Columbia Gas that reviewed the audit, did another assessment and prepared a plan. Then, working with Greg, we found that the rebates that were

available from the city's sustainability fund significantly reduced the cost of the work.

We were glad to hear that other households could possibly benefit from the rebate programs even possibly not having to bear any out of pocket costs.

Lloyd Moore

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a record number of Ohioans have lost their jobs and for a number of them that has resulted in loss of their health insurance. Other Ohioans that were uninsured may now want to sign up for health insurance.

Obtaining insurance can be a stressful and confusing experience, but the Ohio Department of JILLIAN FROMENT Insurance can help. Here STATE OF OHIO are some of the health insurance options and tips on how to secure coverage.

Possible health insurance options for Ohioans who had employer-provided health insurance: Enroll in your spouse's plan If you recently lost coverage and are married, consider requesting special enrollment in your spouse’s group health plan. Losing coverage qualifies you and your family for an opportunity to enroll in many employer plans.

To qualify, you must request enrollment, typically within 30 days of losing eligibility for other coverage. Check with your spouse’s plan on the required timeline, as some deadlines have been extended due to COVID-19.

Special enrollment opportunities Employees who've lost coverage may be eligible for special enrollment beyond their spouse's group health plan. This includes any individual health insurance plan already available to them in the market, enrolling through the federal government’s health insurance Marketplace at healthcare.gov or COBRA plans.

Federal Marketplace Ohioans who had health insurance coverage but lost coverage due to unemployment may qualify for special enrollment into a Marketplace plan on the federal government’s health insurance exchange.

During the application process, you’ll find out if you are eligible for income-based savings on your monthly premiums and out-of-pocket health care costs. Your family may qualify for coverage as well.

You usually have 60 days to enroll in the Marketplace from the time your employer-sponsored coverage ends.

This option may not apply to people who didn't previously have health insurance.

COBRA If you lost coverage through a job and depending on your employment situation, you may be eligible for COBRA continuation coverage.

Under COBRA, a federal law, you can pay to stay on your employer’s health insurance plan, after your employment ends, for about 18 months. Your dependents may be eligible for COBRA coverage too, whether or not you sign up yourself.

COBRA is typically more expensive than Marketplace coverage and enrolling in it can change your eligibility for Marketplace financial assistance. You are responsible for payment of the full COBRA premium, and sometimes an additional administrative fee. This means you could pay more than the full premium cost. Make sure to compare the Marketplace plans and COBRA plans to ensure you’re signing up for the best plan for your family.

Medicaid If you’ve lost your job or had a reduction in work hours, the sudden change in income might make you eligible for Medicaid.

Medicaid eligibility is based on monthly income (adults with an annual income up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level), so you may qualify even if you earned too much to qualify earlier in the year. Children may be eligible for Medicaid even if their parents are not (children in households with an annual income up to 160 percent of the federal poverty level). Visit Medicaid.ohio.gov for more information about Ohio’s Medicaid program.

If you didn’t have health insurance before The period that consumers can generally enroll in coverage without a qualifying change, known as an open enrollment period, typically occurs in the fall.

However, consumers are eligible for special enrollment periods for many different reasons, such as marriage, moving, or even a significant change to income. Ohioans can call the Ohio Department of Insurance with questions about how these specifics may apply to their situation.

Ohio Department of Insurance This is certainly a difficult period for many Ohioans and shopping for health insurance can be an overwhelming undertaking. Anyone with an insurance question or concern can contact the Ohio Department of Insurance at 800-6861526 and consumer.complaint@insurance.ohio.gov.

I urge you to take your time and compare coverage along with costs to determine the plan for you and your family’s unique health care needs. And, remember the Ohio Department of Insurance is here to help.

Jillian Froment is director of the Ohio Department of Insurance.

Page B6

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020

Lorain County Community Guide

© 2020 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 36, No. 36

HERA

JUNO

Juno and Peacock: An Aesop’s Fable Peacock was proud to be the goddess Juno’s favorite bird.

But he was unhappy with his rough, unpleasant voice.

Peacock went to Juno asking for a voice like a nightingale, “The nightingale’s song,” said he, “is the envy of all the birds; but whenever I utter a sound others cringe.”

Juno refused his request.

Peacock asked again and again.

He said, “I am your favorite bird!”

Juno said: “You have not, it is true, a beautiful song. But you are one of the most beautiful.

Your neck flashes like the emerald and your splendid tail is a marvel of color. Be content with what you have. You don’t have to be the best in everything.”

These two mythical goddesses were a lot alike.

They were also different in some ways.

Read about each goddess and look at the drawings of each of them. Then complete the VENN diagram above to show how they are the same and different.

HERA

Aesop’s Fables teach lessons.

Discuss this story with an adult.

What is the lesson taught with this fable?

• Queen of the Greek gods • Had two children • Wife of Zeus, King of the Greek gods • Had a jealous personality • Protector of women and marriage

Color Hera and Juno.

JUNO

• Queen of the Roman gods • Wife of Jupiter, King of the Roman gods • Had four children • Protector of women and marriage • Had a calm and encouraging personality • The month of June is named after her

Favorite Animal

Animals in the News

Both Hera and Juno had the same favorite animal: the peacock.

Look through the newspaper and make a list of all of the animals you see pictured or talked about in today’s newspapers. Select two of the animals and make a VENN diagram showing how they are the same and different.

Color this peacock.

Did you know?

Peacocks don’t start growing their beautiful, colorful tail feathers until they are about three years old. In this bird species, only males are called peacocks and females are called peahens.

Another myth that scans many different tales and legends throughout the world tells the Greek story of Hera’s golden apple tree. It was given to Hera by Zeus and the apples were said to be made of gold. It was guarded by a dragon called Ladon. How many apples do you see?

Standards Link: Use the newspaer to locate information.

GODDESSES JUPITER SAME APPLES DRAGON GOLDEN GREEK ROMAN JUNO HERA BIRD CALM VENN ENVY SONG

T A L N O G A R D G

E S A M E P D R O J

N L E A P G I D N U E E V L S B D N U P

PERSONALITY

The noun personality means all of the qualities that make a person different from others.

O G N S O V M L F E

The teacher had a very calm personality.

E S W O R C N L D S

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

L S N U S N O S M T

G R E E K Y A T H R

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

My Big Achievement

ANSWER: It can look round.

Standards Link: Use the newspaper to locate information.

This week’s word:

D D E O H E R A J I

Compare and Contrast

Look through the newspaper and select two people who are in the news. Make a VENN diagram comparing the two people. Show how they are the same and how they are different.

Step-by-step instructions show you how to draw more than two dozen animals in Kid Scoop’s A Kid’s Guide to Drawing Cartoon Animals.

Available now on amazon.com, target.com or at foxchapelpublishing.com

Tell about a time you did something really great— something you didn’t think you could do, but you tried it anyway and succeeded.