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Thursday, April 4, 2024
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Volume 10, Issue YY
Countdown to the eclipse Four days to 4 minutes of darkness Christina Jolliffe The Community Guide
Lorain County is one of nine counties in Ohio that is on the centerline of totality with Avon Lake to see three minutes and 52.6 seconds of totality. As a result, county officials are estimating the population to increase to more than 1 million people during the PHOTO PROVIDED eclipse. Suzie Dills, of Avon Lake, director of the Hoover Price Planetarium at the McKinley Presidential Library And for good reason. The last time a and Museum, will be part of the events taking place at Avon Lake Memorial Stadium Monday. total solar eclipse happened in our area was 1806. The next time it will happen is 2099. Eclipse chasers, also known as umbraphiles, will be filling the area looking for entertainment, and our cities plan to deliver. “Two and a half years ago, the city invited the schools, library, police, fire and county safety forces to get together,” said Shea Alltmont, of the Avon Lake Public Library. “They said, ‘Hey, let’s talk about this because it’s coming.’ Since we really do not have a center of town in the traditional sense, the library is pretty much at the center of things, so we were very much on board.” Eclipse-related talks and events began in the fall with a huge “preshow to the big show” held Feb. 15. The library has been offering up information, speakers and eclipse-viewing glasses in advance of April 8. “Since January, we have all seen a
See ECLIPSE, A2
Man indicted in murder of grandfather
Pinning ceremony honors Viet vets mittee, which formed in 1999.” AMHERST — Fourteen The Nathan Perry chapVietnam veterans were ter of the National Society honored during a pinning Daughters of the American ceremony last week in Revolution, or NSDAR, has Amherst in commemoration held pinning ceremonies at of National Vietnam War the memorial for the past Veterans Day. nine years, former Regent Signed into law by Mary Jane Burger said. presidential proclamation “We have done events for in 2017, National Vietnam Memorial Day in the past War Veterans Day is long but since today is specifioverdue, said Don Attie, cally for Vietnam veterans, commander of the Disabled we wanted to honor them American Veterans Chapter with a pinning ceremony,” 20 in Lorain. she said. “On behalf of a “What a better place to very grateful nation, we dedicate Vietnam veterans gather to honor and express than on Vietnam War Veter- our deepest gratitude for the ans Day here at our Lorain brave men and women who County memorial for the served during the Vietnam 98 who made that ultimate War. You answered the call sacrifice,” Attie said. “This of duty with unwavering memorial was dedicated in courage and devotion, you 2007 and was done by the showed remarkable resilVietnam Memorial Comience in the face of great
significant uptick in interest about the eclipse from safely viewing to how it is going to affect our community in particular,” Alltmont said. “It’s going to be a lot of people, a lot of bodies. People are going to want to be here.” The library will be closed Sunday and Monday so that the parking lot can be used for volunteers, police, fire and city staff. “We have a great day filled with activities planned, we have food trucks and vendors in place,” said Avon Lake Parks and Recreation Director Erin Fachs. “We’re going to be on the centerline. You can’t get much closer than that.” The Avon Lake Solar Eclipse Watch Party opens at 11 a.m. with vendors and kids STEM activities and inflatables. Entertainment begins at 11:30 a.m. with the band Audiophile. The eclipse starts at 1:59 p.m. with totality ending at 3:17 p.m., but the total eclipse does not end until 4:28 p.m. At 3:30 p.m., the band Follow the Sun performs. The watch party is over at 5:30 p.m. Each viewer will receive one pair of eclipse glasses and will be able to enjoy a live stream of the eclipse broadcast on big screens as it crosses the country and hear from local astronomer, Suzie Dills, to help prepare for and experience the eclipse. All have access to the observation area.
Lauren Hoffman The Community Guide
Owen MacMillan The Community Guide
BRUCE BISHOP / COMMUNITY GUIDE
Vietnam veteran Tom Temerario reads a poem by Maj. Michael Davis O’Donnell, who was killed in action, during a ceremony honoring Vietnam Veterans Day at the Lorain County memorial in Amherst. The monument honors the 98 Lorain County residents who were killed in the war.
adversity and it is important that we take the time to honor your service.” Fourteen local Vietnam veterans who served between 1955 and 1975 were given lapel pins provided to the Nathan Perry chapter by the Vietnam War Commemoration. Each pin featured an Eagle in the center banded in blue. On either side of the eagle are laurel wreaths
and behind the eagle are stripes and six stars honoring the six allies who fought alongside each other in Vietnam. In addition to the 14 veterans honored, two Vietnam veterans were guest speakers during the ceremony. Tom Temerario shared a poem written by Maj. Michael Davis O’Donnell, who was killed in action
See VIET VETS, A2
Joseph Ward of Elyria has been indicted in Lorain County Common Pleas Court on Friday in the murder of his grandfather and kidnapping and assault of both his grandparents. A Lorain County grand jury handed up an indictment on 21 charges, including 16 felonies, against Ward, 20, stemming from two incidents on Feb. 21. Prosecutors say that Ward menaced his grandparents, Malcolm and Pamela Watters, with a handgun before assaulting them both at the home they shared on Augdon
Drive. Ward allegedly took Malcolm Watters, 72, outside to the home’s Ward back garden and beat Watters to death with a shovel, hitting him eight times, before fleeing to a nearby apartment where he was arrested hours later. Prosecutors have said the attack was at least partially captured on a home security system. Ward has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder and four counts of murder, all felonies, in the death of Malcolm Watters.
INSIDE THIS WEEK Amherst
Arrests in underage sales. A3
Oberlin
Resource Center to get fix up. A4
Wellington
State of the City. A4
FILM FESTIVAL A5 • CROSSWORD A7 • SUDOKU A7 • KID SCOOP A8