Wednesday, March 4, 2026 • Vol. 18 No. 20 • FREE
Abundant Life Ministry Saturdays in March, 7 a.m. to noon AYCE buttermilk pancake breakfasts will be served at Abundant Life Ministry Center, 13724 Carlton St., Burton. Plain, blueberry or banana pancakes and sausage are $10. Eggs may be added for $2. Free delivery is available to local businesses with orders of two or more. American Legion Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Burton Middlefield American Legion Atwood-Mauck Post 459 is serving its annual AYCE pancake, sausage and scrambled eggs breakfasts every Sunday through April 19, excluding Easter, at the post at 14052 Goodwin St. in Burton. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-13 and free for children under 6. Berkshire Athletic Boosters Sundays in March, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Berkshire Athletic Boosters are hosting AYCE pancake breakfasts in the Berkshire High School cafeteria, 14155 Claridon Troy Road in Burton. Burton Fire Station Sundays in March, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Burton Fire Station will serve all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfasts every Sunday in March at the station at 13828 Spring St. in Burton. Call 440-834-4416 for info. Geauga Historical Society Sundays in March, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Geauga County Historical Society is hosting all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts in the Lennah Bond Activity Center at the Century Village Museum, 14653 East Park St. in Burton. For more information, call 440-834-1492.
Amish Taxi Driver ‘Knew His Profession Was Illegal’ By Jamie Ward jamie@karlovecmedia.com The Amish taxi driver who had a suspended license when he hit and killed a Middlefield motorcyclist in October received the maximum 18-month prison sentence for vehicular homicide Feb. 20 from Geauga County Common Pleas Court Judge Matthew Rambo. Matthew Claar, 48, of Eagle Creek Road in Leavittsburg, had three active license suspensions and 35 total lifetime license suspensions at the time of the crash, said Geauga County Assistant Prosecutor Nicholas Burling. Claar pleaded no contest to the fourth-degree felony charge Dec. 22. “He was told time and time and time again: you are not allowed to drive, and he disregarded all of that and got behind the wheel and killed someone,” Burling said. “He decided to throw all of his eggs in the basket of being an Amish taxi driver when he knew that profession, for him, was illegal.” The victim, Joseph “Joey” Plotts, loved camping and traveling with his dog, Sweetie. He was a graduate of Cardinal High School and served as a firefighter and
JAMIE WARD/KMG
Matthew Claar, of Leavittsburg, receives an 18-month prison sentence Feb. 20.
EMT for the Middlefield Volunteer Fire Department. He is remembered for his ability to create, build things and solve any problem, and his ability to cook anything. And he is remembered for his tie-dye shirts, which were worn by many of the 16 supporters, family and friends, who were sitting inside the courtroom for Claar’s sentencing. “I’m a Christian man; I will not judge you,” said Joseph’s father, Harvey “Gene” Plotts, who turned directly to Claar. “God will judge you. And I hope he judges you real soon.” He continued: “This was not an accident. You got up that morn-
ing and you decided to drive. This was a crime. You killed my son committing a crime.” Plotts was hit from behind and killed on Oct. 4, 2025, at 11:11 a.m., on state Route 528, as he was about to turn his Honda Gold Wing motorcycle onto Nauvoo Road, a quarter mile from his Middlefield Township home. Claar has been in trouble with the law since he was a juvenile and spent a prison term from 2019 to 2024. In a court document, Burling detailed Claar’s criminal record dating back to 1996. The charges included disorderly conduct, aggravated assault, aggravated menacing, petty theft, criminal trespassing, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, domestic violence, littering and driving under suspension. In a long, winding apology to Plotts’ family, Claar, who was often in tears, told the courtroom he had been abused as a child, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and had substance abuse issues. “It haunts me everyday. I have nightmares every night,” Claar said. “I sleep very little. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of your little boy. I would give my life now if See Claar • Page 3
Cardinal Students are Problem Solvers
Parkman Chamber Pancakes March 8, 15, 22 & 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parkman Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual pancake breakfasts at Parkman Community House, 16295 Main Market Road. Eat-in or drive-through options are available. For more information, call Denise Villers at 216-215-4156. Seldom Seen Farm March 7 and 14, 8-11 a.m. Seldom Seen Farm is hosting pancake breakfasts and tours during the drive-it-yourself Northeast Ohio Maple Tour at the farm located at 10055 Madison Road in Montville Township.
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Community Meetings Listed are upcoming public meetings and executive sessions in Huntsburg, Middlefield and Parkman townships, the Village of Middlefield and Cardinal Schools. Huntsburg Twp.: March 17, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings held at the Town Hall, 16534 Mayfield Road. Middlefield Twp.: March 9, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at Township Office, 15228 Madison Road, unless otherwise noted. Middlefield Village: March 5, 12 p.m., Housing Council; March 10, 6 p.m., Planning Commission; March 12, 5:30 p.m. – Recreation Committee, 6 p.m. – Finance & Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m. – Safety Committee, 7 p.m. – Village Council. All meetings are at the Municipal Center, 14860 N. State Ave. Parkman Twp.: March 17, 7 p.m., Board of Trustees. All meetings are held at the Parkman Community House, 16295 Main Market Road, unless otherwise noted. Cardinal BOE: March 11, 6:30 p.m., regular meeting; March 25, 6:30 p.m., work session. All meetings held at BOE Office, 15982 E. High St., Middlefield, unless otherwise indicated.
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Cardinal fourth- and fifth-graders competed in the GCCTM Problem Solving Tournament on Feb. 21 at JA Garfield Elementary, earning three red ribbons and a trophy award. Participants included fourth-graders Vivian Fetheroff , Violet Motika, Zachary Homa, Hadlei Tingley, Kody Kriynovich, Isabella Chace, Layla Angelo, Ryan Hart, Madelyn Tenney, Elizabeth Klouda, River Davis and Elsie Owens; and fifth-graders Jaxson McCarthy, Maddy Grover, Alayna Knauff and Jonathan Jurgelis.
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