Thursday, July 18, 2024
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Volume 10, Issue YY
Home values to take leap Required 6-year reappraisal predicted to see county properties go up 31percent State law requires every county parcel to be reappraised every six years. Lorain County residential property valCounty Auditor Craig Snodgrass said ues will rise an average of 31 percent this multiple factors, including the housing year after the 2024 sexennial reappraisal market and regional housing and land process, according to the county auditor. sales, affect property values. The sexennial — every six years — reapThat does not necessarily mean an equal praisal is a house-to-house, parcel-to-parincrease in taxes, he said. cel effort to determine the value of 171,000 “That does not mean your taxes will go residential, agricultural, commercial and up 31 percent,” Snodgrass said. “It might industrial parcels in the county. be 10 percent, it might be 12 percent. Dave O’Brien The Community Guide
Some will be higher and some will be lower. We’re looking at conditions that may affect the value. Sales are the largest factor, but we look at other things as well.” The reappraisal numbers can be found at auditor.loraincounty.com/auditor. He will then take his presentations and data on the road. Homeowners starting with those in Elyria, Elyria Township and North Ridgeville will get letters offering them the chance to register for an in-person
explanation of their valuation. The letter will include instructions on how to register for a 15-minute appointment Aug. 5-8 at the Lorain County Community College University Partnership Ridge Campus, 32121 Lorain Road, North Ridgeville. “And if they (homeowners) don’t believe it’s correct, it’s higher or lower, they can bring in any evidence they have of
See HOME VALUES, A2
Former EC QB gets 6 months Charged in abduction, assault The Community Guide
BRUCE BISHOP / COMMUNITY GUIDE
Anchor away And, that’s no easy task when the anchor is in your Sheffield Township front yard and it weighs more than four tons, its owner, Gary McCombs, discovered. Here, Ken Lane, a retired Navy chief and service officer for Lorain County Veterans Services, helps guide the 9,300-pound anchor onto a flatbed truck to be hauled for cleaning and painting. The anchor will ultimately be placed at the Lorain County Veterans Services office in Elyria. Story on A2.
ELYRIA — Brady Cook was led out of a Lorain County Common Pleas courtroom Friday in handcuffs to begin serving a six-month sentence in the Lorain County Jail for sexually assaulting a 16-yearold girl at an after-prom party in May 2023. The incident for which he was sentenced happened just two weeks before he graduated. It was at a party on Tail Feather Drive in North Ridgeville. Many there were drunk or high, according to court records. The victim told police she woke up early on the morning of May 13, 2023, to pain in her genitals and she said she saw Cook nearby. North Ridgeville police began an investigation. Cook was charged in October with two counts of rape and one count of tampering with evidence. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. In a plea agreement approved by the victim, the now 19-year-old North Ridgeville man and former Elyria Catholic High School quarterback pleaded guilty May 14, 2024, to felony charges of abduction with a sexual motivation, gross sexual imposition and tampering with evidence,. After his jail term ends, Cook must serve six months under house arrest, and will be on probation for five years. Cook also is now a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to register his address with the sheriff’s office every 180 days for the next 25 years. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Melissa Kobasher also ordered a substance abuse evaluation and said he is to have no
contact with the victim. Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Tina Kishman said the Cook sentencing agreement was made with the approval of the victim. In an emotional impact statement, the victim told Kobasher she was traumatized by questions and jokes at her expense in school. She said she felt taken advantage of, and can’t sleep. “I hope that you get what you deserve, and that maybe me reading how broken I am will break you, too,” she told Cook. Cook also read a brief statement in court. “I’m extremely sorry for any pain and suffering that I’ve caused you and your family. I’m aware of how my careless actions have affected others and the ones that I love. I hope one day forgiveness can be granted because I am truly sorry for the horrible acts that I’ve done. I’m so sorry,” he said, addressing the victim by name. Cook’s attorney filed a lawsuit in December on behalf of Brady Cook and his mother, Stephanie Cook, against Nathan and Jennifer Tarorick, the couple who hosted the after-prom party. The lawsuit alleges that if the Taroricks hadn’t hosted an underage drinking party and “hadn’t gotten Brady drunk and wasted,” the crime would not have happened. Through their attorney, the Taroricks have denied the allegation.
INSIDE THIS WEEK Amherst
Fighting with state about Rt. 2. A3
Oberlin
K-readiness program turns 10. A4
Wellington
McCormick gets new principal. A5
SPORTS • A6 CROSSWORD A7 • SUDOKU A7 • KID SCOOP A8