Brown, who was born Sept. 7, 1908, at 7 W. Elm St. in Norwalk, was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, according to a news release from Mark Hazelwood, media coordinator for the Paul Brown Birthplace Committee.

The fundraising efforts began in 2022, and the statue as well as a new Ohio Historical Marker commemorating his birth in Norwalk, were unveiled Oct. 21 at Suhr Park, 29 W. Main St. across from the Norwalk Public Library.

The event, hosted by the committee, included Brown’s family members in addition to a large number of citizens.

“The statue is just amazing,” said Norwalk Mayor Dave Light. “I’m just astounded at what a good likeness it is of Paul Brown.

“It’s remarkable, and the whole thing will be a great addition to uptown Norwalk.”

Fundraising by the committee kicked off in September 2022, with a campaign that included corporate sponsorships along with engraved paving bricks and granite blocks.

“I’m pleasantly surprised by how quickly it all happened,” Light said. “I really didn’t think it would go this fast, and a big thank-you to everyone who participated.

“It’s just great.”

Approximately 200 individual donations were collected toward the $100,000 goal to commission the statue and pay for other elements, including the granite wall that lists information about Brown’s career in football, the release noted.

“That, too, is a good-looking addition to the streetscape,” said Kathy Root, chair of the Paul Brown Birthplace Committee. “It provides context and information about Paul Brown that is perhaps not so widely known by everyone.”

Sponsors who donated $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 have their business or name engraved on the front of the stadium wall.

Three of the 23 benefactors wished to remain anonymous for their combined total of $105,000.

Dozens of donors bought a brick paver or a granite square, the release noted.

“We’re so grateful to every single donor for their generosity,” Root said.

The life-size likeness of Brown stands nearly 7 feet tall.

The design was approved by Mike Brown, owner and general manager of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mike Brown is the only surviving son of Paul Eugene and Ida Belle Brown, who lived on West Elm Street.

The likeness of Brown is based on an artist’s rendering created by Norwalk business owners Kevin Hipp of Franklin Monument and Trevor Rood of Foghorn Designs, the release stated.

The granite wall behind the statue lists the coach’s notable accomplishments and innovations to the game of football.

The back side of the wall is etched to look like the façade of a football stadium.

“I think people will really enjoy having this here,” Light said. “I hope that visitors to Norwalk take advantage of the opportunity to see the statue, read about Paul Brown and his impact on pro football, and learn something.

“We want people to come here and see this.”

First coach of the namesake Cleveland NFL team, and a co-founder and first coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, Brown began his Ohio coaching career at Massillon High School before moving on to Ohio State University.

Brown led the Buckeyes to the first of their eight national championships in 1942.

With the Cleveland Browns, Brown was the team’s general manager, head coach and part owner from 1946 until 1962.

During that time, the Browns won four All-America Football Conference championships and three National Football League championships, the release stated.

With the Bengals, he retired from coaching in 1975, but remained as president of that organization until his death in 1991.

The Bengals reached two Super Bowls during his time with the team.

Brown’s all-time coaching record in the NFL stands at 167-53-8 over 17 seasons, with eight league championships.

After a closed executive session that lasted nearly 40 minutes, the regular meeting began starting with election of board officers.

Benjamin Fligner was re-elected board chairman and Don Ortner was re-elected to his spot as board vice chairman.

The board then ratified the recent hiring of five new faculty and staff members: Helen Tagliaferro as the professional practice clinician; Brenda Bergman as assistant professor of health and wellness sciences; Annalise Gatautis as coordinator for the University Partnership Ridge Campus Outreach Learning Center; Bradley Ball as director of the culinary program; and Ariel Powell as program developer for the Engineering Business and Information Technologies department.

The board then voted to approve a policy change regarding rank, tenure and promotion.

The update to the policy permits faculty to provide alternative qualifications when applying for promotion to the rank of assistant professor.

Tracy Green, vice president of Strategic and Institutional Development at LCCC, said this change specifically is for faculty in fields that are not common in the highest levels of education.

“Typically, to move up in rank, a faculty member has to have a doctorate or other academic credentials in their field,” Green said. “We have some fields where there is not advanced education in such as our EMT and paramedic program.”

Green said there are no specifics to what kind of alternative application materials faculty can provide, but they will have to prove how their education or work experience has provided them the necessary qualifications.

The board approved bank depository agreements for nine different banks for the next five years.

It also approved a resolution that will allow for the college’s finances to be received electronically.

The meeting finished with a report from LCCC President Marcia Ballinger.

One of the highlights of the report was a presentation on a program that LCCC has partnered with Midview High School.

The program gives Midview High students experience learning about micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), which is an area of study that has taken off at LCCC after receiving funding through a program by Intel.

Ballinger also highlighted U.S. Congressman Bob Latta’s visit to LCCC to learn about the MEMS program.

She also noted that the college’s practical nursing program was named as the No. 2 program in Ohio by Practicalnursing.org for 2024.

Ballinger concluded the meeting by announcing the creation of the LCCC Hall of Fame.

Nominations can be made until Feb. 28 for the June inauguration.

To be eligible for induction, a nominee must have a degree or certificate from LCCC, have completed one year at the school before earning a bachelor’s degree from another institution or completed 30 credit hours at the college.

“The other part of the application is about how have they have exemplified our mission and values in their community by making extraordinary contributions through their professional career or volunteer work,” Ballinger said.

Mark Adams, commissioner of Lorain County Public Health, told the commissioners during their meeting that the state’s plan to begin inspections of residential septic tank systems has been in the works for years.

The primary concern of not inspecting the septic tank systems can result in negative impacts on local watersheds with the addition of harmful bacteria and pollution, Adams said.

In fact, several counties adopted the new unfunded mandate in 2019 that was handed down by Ohio Department of Health in 2015, but Adams said he decided to hold off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The county has drafted a map of the residences with septic tanks, he said.

A significant number of properties contain the tanks which haven’t been registered with the county, and subsequently, officials have no knowledge of the condition of the septic systems, which is the goal of the new program, Adams said.

The health department has been tasked with verifying each septic tank system in the county, whether it’s contacting the homeowner personally, or via telephone, he said.

“We have to do that,” he said as part of the new mandate.

Homeowners now are required to purchase permits for their septic tank systems, which has brought criticism from several residents.

A handful of residents spoke at the county commission meeting Jan. 16 regarding their opposition and concerns about the new program.

Lorain County Public Health has received about 2,600 voicemails since residents began receiving notice of the new fees.

A one-year fee costs the homeowner $40 and a three-year permit can be obtained for $120, due by April 30.

Adams maintains that the new mandate is not a plan to force people to replace their septic tank systems.

However, if a problem is discovered, it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to correct the problem, he said.

Those homeowners who have abandoned septic tank systems on their property are legally responsible to report them to the health department.

The health department’s goal is to have each system inspected and catalogued, Adams said.

Additionally, the health department will test waterways around the individual septic systems as part of another phase of the project, he said.

While financial assistance is available for those who qualify, the health department thus far only has $100,000 to work with, Adams said.

The health department estimates there are 20,000 home sewage treatment systems throughout the county.

The health board meets at 6 p.m., every second Wednesday of the month, at Lorain County Public Health, 9880 Murray Ridge Road in Elyria.

Lorain County Public Health also can be contacted via email at EH@loraincountyhealth.com or by phone at 440-322-6367.

During the Jan. 18 meeting, the board voted 9-2 against a motion that would have removed the 2006 John Green novel “Looking for Alaska” from the JVS ninth grade curriculum.

Diane Kerecz, the mother of a 14-year-old JVS student, brought up the issue to the board at a meeting last fall after her daughter notified her about sexual content in the book.

Kerecz attended the Jan. 18 board meeting and reiterated her issue with the book for the age group assigned to read it.

“I implore you, please do not give it to our 14-year-olds,” the mother said. “I never said to ban the book. I don’t believe it’s for 14-year-olds.

“If it’s essential to your curriculum, I implore you to give it to the older kids.”

Also in attendance at the meeting was Dick Polen, who echoed similar sentiments to Kerecz.

Polen said his main concern with the book is that he believes it does not provide value to students.

“What we are really asking for, is a better one,” he said. “This book, ‘Looking for Alaska,’ I don’t see the value in it.

“This is the United States of America, and we don’t ban books here; we’re just asking for something better.”

Polen said his stance against the book also is due to his family’s religious background.

“We want something with morals in it,” he said. “Something that doesn’t talk about God in a bad way.”

Lorain County JVS superintendent Glenn Faircloth responded to those concerns by affirming his belief in the school to handle difficult topics in literature in a productive way.

“One of our educational goals at Lorain County JVS is to foster and promote critical thinking,” Faircloth said. “Our students are thoughtful readers who have the intellectual capacity to explore difficult issues.

“Our English and language arts teachers are well trained to foster these conversations in the classroom.”

Faircloth also noted that parents have the right to speak up if they do not want their child to consume assigned material.

In such situations, a student may be assigned alternative material without penalty, he said.

Wellington board representative Ayers Ratliff supported the public’s concerns and made a motion to remove the book from the ninth grade curriculum.

The motion would have allowed the book to stay in the school’s library and be taught in other grades.

“There’s nothing in the book that the kids don’t know, I will say that,” Ratliff said. “The thing of it is, we learn to act different in different situations.

“A 14-year-old child that goes to church may do things a certain way. They go to school and things are done a certain way in the classroom. In the hallways or at lunchtime, I’m sure things aren’t the same.”

Ratliff said the material in “Looking for Alaska” is not appropriate for a classroom.

“When you take a book and break it down and start discussing it, then you’re talking about great literature,” he said. “That book is not great literature.”

Other board members spoke up against removing the book.

Oberlin City Schools board member Anne Schaum said many other topics taught in school could be considered sensitive and that is not practical to remove them from curriculums.

“We’re on a huge slippery slope,” Schaum said. “It’s not just going to be books. There could be an article.

“Back when I was in high school, we read ‘Macbeth.’ You’re talking about murder and that could be a sensitive topic to somebody. When you look at literature and art, and all kinds of topics, this is a tough thing.”

Avon Lake City School District board member Gail Soinski-Opaskar said encountering difficult topics in educational material can contribute to the strengthening of a student’s morality.

“I believe it is our job as educators to expose our children to many different issues that they will be exposed to in society and they need to be prepared to confront and understand their morality from their families,” Soinski-Opaskar said. “I believe children need to be strong in their belief system because they are going to encounter many of the issues that are in this book.

“Let’s develop strong individuals in their morality.”

At 3:22 a.m., firefighters responded to the 300 block of Parmely Avenue, according to a news release from Elyria fire Chief Joseph Pronesti.

Upon arrival, firefighters confirmed that all occupants were safe, uninjured and had evacuated the single-family residence, the release stated.

Moderate fire conditions were found on the exterior southeast corner of the residence, according to the release.

The fire was quickly extinguished, and crews checked the interior and attic for extension and none was found, the release stated.

Pronesti requested the state Fire Marshal office to take charge of the investigation.

“Subsequent findings revealed that the cause of the fire was attributed to an occupant smoking inside the residence and discarding the cigarette outside a window,” the release stated.

Damages to the residence are estimated at $3,000, the release stated.

The Elyria Fire Department emphasizes the critical importance of fire safety, particularly regarding smoking materials, the release noted.

Smoking remains the leading cause of fire deaths, making it imperative to share vital prevention measures.

Whether an individual smokes or hosts guests who smoke, the Fire Department recommends smoking outdoors because furniture, bedding and papers inside the home can catch fire from burning cigarettes.

Also, keep a sturdy ashtray or bucket of sand available for smokers, according to the release.

“Smoke only when you are alert; if you take medicine or get sleepy, don’t smoke,” the release noted.

And, finally, never smoke near anyone who uses medical oxygen, the release stated.

If a fire starts, the oxygen will cause it to burn hotter and faster, according to the release.

“There is no safe way to smoke when oxygen is in use,” the release noted.

NEW YORK — Franz Welser-Möst is back on the Cleveland Orchestra’s podium, concentrating again on music instead of his health.

“It was not my best year, the last year,” he said Wednesday. “I feel good. You learn to live with the circumstances, and I’m extremely and grateful that I’m back at work.”

On track to surpass George Szell as Cleveland’s longest-tenured music director, the 63-year-old Austrian returned to his orchestra at Cleveland’s Severance Music Center last week and leads it in a pair of programs at Carnegie Hall this weekend. He will be in Austria for five concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic in late February, then leads that orchestra on a seven-concert tour in early March to New York and Naples and West Palm Beach, Florida.

Franz Welser-Möst to retire as Cleveland Orchestra music director in June 2027

Quite a schedule, given his setbacks in 2023.

He had a slipped disk in his neck while conducting Wagner’s four-opera “Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)” at the Vienna State Opera in June, an injury that caused him to enter an orthopedic clinic in the second half of July and again in August. He was forced to cancel a high-profile new production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” at the Salzburg Festival.

Welser-Möst had surgery Sept. 1 to remove a cancerous tumor from his bladder and came back to Cleveland to conduct the orchestra’s season opener on Sept. 28. After leading two weeks of programs there, he took the orchestra to Vienna and Linz for their 21st international tour together, then had a second operation on Oct. 25.

That was followed in November by six weeks of once-a-week immunotherapy treatment. He is scheduled for additional three-week cycles of treatment in March, July and October.

“The doctors are very happy. So am I, that it seems to work. It has been in my family, so it’s genetic,” Welser-Möst said. “Both my brothers had the same thing a couple of years ago. Both are very well now, so there’s every reason to be optimistic.”

Welser-Möst has been Cleveland’s music director since 2002-03 and has appointed 69 musicians, including 52 of the current 105 members.

“One of the keys to Franz’s success is his incredible discipline. He’s like a great athlete in that way,” said André Gremillet, the Cleveland Orchestra’s president and CEO. “He’s very focused, very disciplined in the way he approaches everything, and I think that has served him well also in facing his health challenges.”

His name at birth in Linz, Austria, was Franz Leopold Maria Möst, and he switched it in 1985 to Welser-Möst in honor of Wels, a nearby city he grew up in. The change was made on the advice of a benefactor, Baron Andreas von Bennigsen of Liechtenstein.

Welser-Möst spent a decade studying the technique of Herbert von Karajan, the Berlin Philharmonic’s chief conductor from 1954-89. He was 19 when he was brought to Karajan in 1979 by Albert Moser, then general director of Vienna’s Musikverein. Welser-Möst was among the 10 finalists of the Karajan International Conductors Competition, though he failed to win.

“I’d been to a lot of rehearsals in Vienna, in Salzburg and Berlin, and that made a huge impression on me because Karajan was highly efficient in rehearsals,” Welser-Möst recalled. “He would just say one sentence and the sound of the orchestra changed completely. And in those days, of course, I was like: How on earth is he doing that?”

Welser-Möst first conducted the Cleveland Orchestra in 1993 and became music director for the 2002-03 season. On the afternoon of his return concert on Jan. 11, he announced he will retire as music director at the end of 2026-27, his 25th season. Welser-Möst maintained he wasn’t focused on topping Szell’s reign, which stretched from 1946-70.

“I’m not into that game. It just happened,” he said.

Welser-Möst’s New York concerts are part of Carnegie Hall’s “Perspectives” series and its focus this winter and spring on the fall of the Weimar Republic.

“It is something that is so important to him and so important to his life,” Carnegie Hall executive director Clive Gillinson said. “I remember doing one Zoom call where he was in his library and he showed me all the books he’s got on Weimar.”

Welser-Möst is proud of extending the orchestra’s flexibility by programming semi-staged operas, with Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)” next this May. He already has scheduled Janáček’s “Jenůfa” for next season, Beethoven’s “Fidelio” for 2025-26 and Strauss’ “Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow)” for 2026-27.

“I’m an old dog when it comes to opera,” he said. “I’ve conducted about 90 different operas in my life. When I was in Zurich for nearly 14 years, I conducted 43 opening nights of a piece.”

His retirement creates another coveted U.S. podium vacancy. Riccardo Muti stepped down from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in June and Gustavo Dudamel shifts from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to the New York Philharmonic for the 2026-27 season.

“Every institution needs once in a while new input and new ideas,” Welser-Möst said. “I’m not saying I’m running out of ideas, but I always tried to live that philosophy here, that music comes first, the institution second, the individual third.”

At 9:09 p.m., troopers from the Elyria Post responded to a one-vehicle fatal crash on Lake Road, also known as U.S. Route 6, near Vineyard Road, according to the release.

Blayney was operating a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 west on Route 6 and went off the right side of the road, striking two utility poles, the release said.

Blayney was not wearing a seat belt, according to the release.

A news release from the Avon Lake Police Department stated officials determined that excessive speed led to the crash.

Route 6 was closed for three hours while troopers investigated the crash, the release said.

The Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by the Avon Lake Police Department, Avon Lake Fire Department, Avon Lake EMS, L&M Towing and Ohio Edison.

The crash remains under investigation.

The church will be open at 4 p.m.. so members can begin the guild’s project of making quilts and pillowcases for the Snuggle of Hope program, according to a news release.

Members are encouraged to bring fabric, cutting supplies, and patterns that can be used to make these items for campers in the program. Also, a few people may want to bring sewing machines.

This project will continue in the March meeting.

The regular business meeting, complete with show and tell, will begin at 7 p.m.

For information on the quilt guild, contact Sandy Neiding at 440-967-4190.

Smith started OSV Studios, located at 29605 Lorain Road in North Olmsted, as a small offshoot of his father’s video rental franchise.

Since then, he has worked on motion pictures, won multiple awards for his commercials and digitized millions of family photos.

“I basically learned by buying equipment and figuring out how it works,” Smith said. “We still do thousands of film transfer orders every year.”

Smith’s father and grandfather owned Merle Smith Auto Service in Lakewood from 1939 to 1989.

In 1983, Merle Jr. purchased a video rental franchise to diversify his holdings.

After an injury ended his football career at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Smith began working in the store.

Part-time work quickly branched into a $30,000 investment in equipment to do film transfers and photograph weddings.

Then, Smith shot a wedding for an ad executive.

That connection led to hundreds of regional and national spots for Family Dental Centers, Discount Drug Mart, Invacare, LeafGuard, NASA, several area car dealerships and many more.

Smith also works regularly with Cleveland’s professional sports teams and shot both the Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association’s All-Star games.

“Over and over again, I’ve had to adapt this business,” he said, recalling recessions as well as rapidly changing technology. “We use the best audio and the best camera equipment available.”

OSV Studios’ current client list runs over 200, and Smith and a staff of eight produce 50 to 60 commercials each month, with occasional help from subcontractors and freelancers.

Smith also rents equipment and his studio space which includes a fully equipped sound stage, a green screen and more.

Motion picture production companies sometimes rent his equipment to supplement their shoots.

Today’s cameras provide much better images than what Smith started out using.

And, equipment is much lighter and less expensive. Editing has improved as well from tapes that physically had to be cut to digital tools used on computers.

The next wave of changes comes from the much-discussed AI or artificial intelligence.

But, Smith is cautious about how AI is used.

“I like technology that advances the product,” he said, “not that takes away from writers or artists.”

Smith also frequently works to advance his profession by sharing what he knows with the next generation.

He taught in Berea City Schools for 10 years and frequently employs interns.

“For over 35 years, both nationally and in Cleveland, we’ve amassed an impressive client list that we’re proud to have won many awards for,” according to its website. “Our versatile production capabilities cover all bases.”

Smith also would like to offer classes for local business owners since technology to capture video now is ubiquitous.

“We’re excited for the next decade,” he said, adding that he is currently hiring. “It’s been a great 40 years, and I’m looking forward to 40 more.”

In addition to OSV Studios, Smith owns the building he occupies and rents space to several businesses — such as a full service salon.

After raising his family in Westlake, he now lives in Willard where he and his wife operate Sweet Smitty’s ice cream shop, 302 Walton St. East.

The pantry’s hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. for shopping convenience, especially those who work, according to Anne Marie Wojton, coordinator.

The pantry item list includes products like toilet paper, multi-purpose cleaners, detergent, bar soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, baby wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, deodorant, feminine hygiene and adult briefs, according to Wojton.

The most needed items include body wash, conditioner, deodorant, detergent, shampoo, toilet paper and toothpaste, she said.

Upon arrival, guests fill out a survey with information, including where they heard about the pantry from, Wojton said, which is a main part is word of mouth and Facebook.

“The word has gotten out,” she said. “Getting the word out has been a big thing for us this year.”

Donations can be made to the church, as well as cash gifts which go toward purchasing pantry items, according to Wojton.

Community engagement also has played a part in donations, especially with the holidays and the recent donation drive, she said.

“We recently had a drop-off drive over the holidays, and some of the stores in Vermilion had drop-off boxes,” Wojton said. “That was a big help.”

When the pantry is open, there will be a snack table, coffee and seating area with tables for guests to feel comfortable, she said, as well as a resource table for different programs and organizations in the area.

“We try to make them feel at home,” Wojton said. “We want to be friendly and like we’re inviting people into our own homes.”

The sense of community has been felt among the volunteers who work the pantry, Wojton said, but also among those who frequent and those who visit occasion.

“It’s kind of brought a sense of community,” she said. “Not everyone come every month; there’s some that come once or twice because they just needed a little help.”

Inspiration came to Wojton in January 2022 with the realization she said that there are little to no pantries in Northeast Ohio for essential and hygiene items, as compared to food pantries, which are more common.

“I’ve been taking these little steps of faith, and by August, we had our pantry open,” she said.

A main driving force was the fact that food stamps don’t cover items such as toothpaste or laundry detergent, Wojton said, which is something people might not know.

With visitors from places like Huron and Lorain, the Essentials Pantry has been striving to provide to those in need year-round, she said.

“People come in with tears in their eyes, and they thank us for doing this,” Wojton said. “It’s been a blessing to us (volunteers) as well.”

Information on the pantry can be found on the Essentials Pantry – Vermilion Facebook page or visit https://www.discoververmilion.org/news-and-events/news/params/post/4167670/essentials-pantry-offers-free-essentials.