Leaf Thursday, January 30, 2025 Vol. 31 No. 5 • Chardon, Ohio www.geaugamapleleaf.com $1.25
Portage County Commissioners Sue Geauga for $292,649 By Allison Wilson wilson@karlovecmedia.com Portage County officials filed a lawsuit against Geauga County Commissioners Jan. 22 regarding the commissioners’ decision to pull out of a cost-sharing contract with the Portage-Geauga Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Center. The complaint lists three claims against commissioners — one for declaratory judgement, one for breach of contract and one for unjust enrichment/breach of implied contract. Commissioners voted to withdraw from the agreement in September of last year in an effort to save tax dollars, former County Administrator Gerry Morgan said at the time. Geauga County was responsible for a percentage of the overall operational costs of the facility, with the amount paid each year determined by the percentage of bed-nights used by each county the previous year. See Lawsuit • Page 6
Berkshire Schools
Failed PI Levy Puts District in Red in 4 Years
20 Arrested in ICE Raids Total 52 Held at Geauga Jail Staff Report Twenty people arrested Jan. 26 by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement are currently being housed at the Geauga County Safety Center, said Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand. “ICE called (Sunday) and asked if we can house 20 detainees,” he said in a phone interview Jan. 27. “They brought them in the same day.”
Chief Deputy Tom Rowan said Jan. 28 over the last couple of weeks, there have been 30 to 40 ICE detainees brought to the center and the count, as of Tuesday morning, was 52 of a total jail population of 151. The facility has 182 beds, he said. “Five, (who are suspected of entering the country illegally) were released last night and one the day before,” he said of the de-
tainees, adding ICE picked them up without any reason being given. He suspects they may have been taken for deportation. The number of people arrested in Geauga County is pretty small, he said, confirming six of the recent 20 came in following the raid of a Mexican restaurant in Cleveland Heights. Sometimes, ICE collects the detainees and other times they See ICE • Page 3
A Downpour of Local Talent Artists Repurpose Rain Barrels for Geauga Soil & Water By Emma MacNiven macniven@karlovecmedia.com Cornfields in Geauga County might seem mundane to most, but they sparked inspiration for artist Beth Halasz’s piece in the 2024 Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District rain barrel yard art campaign. Surrounded by cornfields in Hambden Township, Halasz, a medical illustrator and associate professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art, said her painted barrel, titled, “Summer’s Sweet Signs,” was her way of contributing to the beauty around her. “I think (of) the closeness to the resources around us,” she said. “Geauga County is so filled with natural, beautiful resources.” See Barrels • Page 3
See Berkshire • Page 4
pages 14-15
Commissioners Adopt Public Comment Policy page 6
New Rectory Construction Underway at St. Mary Parish page 7
Chuha Attorney Files Motion to Suppress Evidence page 8
Obituaries pages 16-17
By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com When Berkshire Schools’ voters rejected a 40-year-old, 2.5-mill permanent improvement renewal levy in November, it was one more blow to the district’s financial position. Superintendent John Stoddard outlined several changes in state funding over the last two years during a special Berkshire Schools Board of
Sports
Sheriff’s Sales & Legal Notices pages 20-22
Classifieds Rain barrels have to reflect a natural, cultural, agricultural or historical resource of Geauga County. From left, “Out to Pasture,” by Byron Leffler is a view from behind his mothers house in Mantua. According to artist Bob Kolcum, “Off Season” represents “a sugarhouse during the summer season.” On the far right, Julie Bell used real leaf prints for “The Guardian,” which conveys “the dynamic relationship people have with trees.”
pages 23-24 Single Edition $1.25