October 12, 2018
Ten local candidates answered questions from community members at Community Candidate Night on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The event was organized by Oberlin’s League of Women Voters chapter, and encouraged residents to interact with candidates and learn about their platforms. Candidates for Ohio State Senate, Ohio House of Representatives, local judges, county commissioners office, and the county auditor’s office were in attendance.
Republican State Senator Gayle L. Manning currently repres...
October 12, 2018
Editor’s Note: This article contains mention of sexual assault.
Oberlin students rallied in Cleveland in a series of protests against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court last week.
The demonstrations began Thursday, Oct. 4 with a sit-in at Senator Rob Portman’s Cleveland office, and ended with a march through downtown Cleveland Saturday, hours before Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
“It would be a complete atrocity and a perversion of the ...
Jenna Gyimesi, News editor
October 12, 2018
Filed under Community News, NEWS
The Oberlin Community Youth Scholarship Fund recently changed its name to the Ruby N. Jones Community Scholarship Fund to honor its founder, who passed away in January of this year. The scholarship has been providing funds to make higher education more accessible for students from Oberlin for 20 years, raising over $200,000. According to the Chair of the scholarship board, the fund has awarded 43 scholarships and currently supports 16 students.
Ruby Jones, better known as Ms. Ruby, worked in the Oberlin Public School system for 25 years as a teaching aide. Jones received the Distinguished Community Service Award at Oberlin College Commencement in 2003 and the Sojourner Truth Award from the National Associa...
Nathan Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief
October 5, 2018
Filed under Community News, NEWS
A group of Oberlin parents is calling for an investigation into Oberlin City Schools teacher Sharyle Strayer, citing allegations of bullying dating back to 2002. In a Sept. 25 email addressed to OCS Superintendent David Hall and members of the Oberlin Board of Education, the group said Strayer has had many complaints filed against her over her 16-year career with OCS.
Strayer, who taught sixth-grade math during the 2017–18 academic year, is currently working as an intervention support instructor at Oberlin High School. The position will be re-evaluated at the end of the 2018–19 academic year.
A 49-page document was attached to the email, which was signed by Oberlin residents Jeanne Lee Singleton, R...
October 5, 2018
Three Oberlin students attended a demonstration at Kent State University to protest an “open carry walk” across campus on Saturday, Sept. 29. The walk attracted a large counter-protest from leftist groups, whose members outnumbered those of the far-right. College senior Maxim Mathee-O’Brien was arrested along with three other counter-demonstrators; all four were charged with misdemeanors, and one was charged with a felony. More police were in attendance than demonstrators.
The demo...
September 28, 2018
Oberlin residents will vote this November on Issue 11, a controversial proposed levy that would consolidate Oberlin City Schools into a single building by winter 2025. If approved, residents with a home value of $100,000 will see their taxes increase by $133 per year over the bond issues’ 37-year term, according to the school district.
The proposal was motivated by declining enrollment in OCS, as well as concern over the state of existing facilities. Currently, the district comprises four sch...
Jenna Gyimesi, News Editor
September 21, 2018
Filed under Community News, NEWS
Democratic Congressional candidate Janet Garrett visited Oberlin Sept. 14 to speak with members of the community and drum up support for the upcoming election. Oberlin students are encouraged to vote in this election in particular because of the potential for upset.
Garrett is running against Jim Jordan, who has represented Ohio’s 4th Congressional District since 2007. Jordan is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus — the farthest-right group in the Republican Party — and has recently announced his intention to run for Speaker of the House.
This campaign represents Garrett’s third run at Jordan’s seat.
College sophomore Ilana Foggle works on Garrett’s campaign and is confident that Garrett would b...
September 14, 2018
Sergeant Steven Chapman of the Oberlin Police Department entered Agave last Friday night and engaged in what sources say was discriminatory behavior toward Black customers.
An anonymous male called the Oberlin Police Department on Friday to report a group of people in the alley between Agave and Lorenzo’s the night of the incident, claiming he suspected the group of dealing drugs. Chapman advised OPD to dispatch two police units, both of which arrived at the scene before 11 p.m with a K-9 unit. ...
Anisa Curry Vietze
September 14, 2018
Filed under Community News, NEWS
Medical marijuana dispensaries are still inactive in Lorain County even though they were expected to be fully functional by the target date of Sept. 8.
Ohio legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes in House Bill 523. The bill detailed that the program should be up and running two years after it was approved. More than two years after its passage, medical marijuana is still not available in Lorain County — or anywhere else in Ohio.
State Representative Dan Ramos helped craft House Bill 523 and expressed concern about the delay.
“I’m very worried from a public health perspective,” he said. “We didn’t write a law that said ‘develop a medical marijuana program,’ we wrote a law saying ‘develop a ...
Roman Broszkowski, Staff Writer
September 7, 2018
Filed under Community News
After failing to stop construction of the NEXUS pipeline, protesters and environmental activists are regrouping and planning for what comes next. Some are looking specifically at how to protect Oberlin, some argue that the way forward lies in regional coalitions, and others believe that only radical restructuring, such as creating a landfill gas pipeline, can produce a desired outcome.
Pipeline construction was completed over the summer. On July 25, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected a request for a rehearing of the construction approval. The request was filed by multiple groups, including the City of Oberlin and Communities for Safe and Sustainable Energy.
Reverends Steve Hammond and John Elder founded CSSE in 2012...
September 7, 2018
Filed under Community News
Face Your Fears at the Oberlin Firewalk
Come see what Oberlin has to offer at the 12th annual Gregg Gilder Memorial Firewalk at Common Ground in Oberlin Saturday, Sept. 8th from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. After a demonstration by Dave Tuscany, a certified firewalker, you can test your gumption on the firepit. Participants of all ages are welcome. Children may walk with parental consent and supervision. Registration is $49 per person.
Former Oberlin Exco Teacher Sentenced to Prison
Robert Roche, a former instructor in Oberlin’s Experimental College program, has been sentenced to four months in prison and a fine of $77,097 for laundering more than $77,000 from a Native American Aid foundation. At the time of the theft...
May 11, 2018
All Things Great, a consignment and vintage store, will open tomorrow on Main Street in the location formerly occupied by Ade’s Place.
Co-owners Laurel Kirtz and Kate Harvey hope that the store will help students and community members repurpose their unwanted items and reduce waste, while acting as an outlet for the community — especially for artists.
“I hope to reduce trash because I know that the students throw a lot of stuff away, and they don’t want to, but they don’t really have a l...
