The Oberlin Review

Third-Party Candidate Ends OH-4 Campaign After Contractor Presents Invalid Signatures

June 13, 2020

Chris Gibbs, an Independent candidate running for US Congress in Ohio’s 4th district, announced on May 17 that he is suspending his campaign. The announcement came after the Lorain County Board of Elections determined he did not collect the requisite number of signatures to appear on the November ballot. Last spring, Gibbs announced that he would run as an Independent against Republican Representative Jim Jordan, a vocal supporter of the president and a founder of the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Gibbs voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election but grew dissatisfied with Trump’s policies over the last few years. As a farmer, Gibbs is especially frustrated with Trump’s trade war with China, which has d...

Slow Train customers place their orders at the cafe's rear entrance. Many of Oberlin's downtown businesses have changed the way they operate to allow for social distancing.

Oberlin’s Small Businesses Face Slow Summer

June 13, 2020

Small businesses in Oberlin continue navigating challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, despite Ohio moving forward with its gradual reopening plan. Local businesses were hit hard by the state-wide stay-at-home order issued March 22, which curtailed business in Oberlin and sent students home. As part of his Responsible RestartOhio plan, Governor Mike DeWine reopened restaurants and bars for outdoor dining on May 15 and dine-in service on May 21. However, many of Oberlin’s businesses rel...

Kim’s Grocery & Carry-out has stayed open during the COVID pandemic.

Struggling Downtown Businesses Receive Financial Assistance, Support

May 9, 2020

Since Ohio announced its stay-at-home order on March 22, most of Oberlin’s small businesses have lost their steady sources of revenue. Many are currently unable to pay rent or compensate their employees. In an effort to temporarily cover expenses, some businesses have taken advantage of a new loan program instituted by the City of Oberlin, while others are looking to the federal Paycheck Protection Program. “Our business dropped almost 90 percent. We used to get a hundred tables, almost 120...

Graph of projected hospital bed capacity needed to combat the COVID-19 outbreak in Ohio. Data is displayed for April 20, the projected statewide peak date. Graph courtesy of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Ohio Generally Prepared for COVID-19 Outbreak, Data Models Suggest

March 31, 2020

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread across the country, statistical models produced by public health professionals show that, in comparison to other states, Ohio is well-prepared to weather the pandemic. While statewide testing rates continue to lag behind national averages, Ohio’s capacity of available hospital beds is projected to be sufficient to handle the peak of the outbreak. As of Monday afternoon, 27,275 COVID-19 tests had been conducted across the state, with 1,933 positiv...

Ben Franklin & Mindfair Books’ window displays a banner to inform customers of their reduced hours and new delivery options in response to COVID-19. “My message is, ‘Let's stick together while we stay apart,’” said Ben Franklin’s owner Krista Long. “I think everyone, all the business owners in Oberlin, … have that also at their heart.”

DeWine Issues Stay-at-Home Order; Oberlin Businesses Struggle with Consequences of Coronavirus

March 23, 2020

Oberlin business owners are worried that they will need to lay off workers after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Sunday announcement that the Ohio Department of Health is issuing a “stay-at-home” order for all of Ohio. The order is meant to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which — as of Monday afternoon — had hospitalized 104 people in Ohio, with 442 confirmed cases in the state overall. Even before the formal order, local businesses in Oberlin were battling the financial impact of the pandem...

College, Local Officials Continue to Respond to COVID-19 Outbreak

Nathan Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief

March 20, 2020

As more cases of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, are confirmed daily in the United States and around the world, local Oberlin leaders — both College administrators and City officials — continue to respond to the pandemic. Currently, the only publicly confirmed COVID-19 case in Oberlin is an employee in the College’s Campus Dining Services. This case was announced to the campus community in an email sent by President Carmen Twillie Ambar late Sunday night. According to Interim Chief of Staff David Hertz, Lorain County Public Health and the College are in regular contact, and LCPH is conducting an ongoing investigation into the confirmed case on campus. Hertz added that LPCH stresses that people who feel ill sho...

Local Congressional Candidates Respond to Primary Delay

Nathan Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief

March 18, 2020

Editor’s note: Voters wishing to request an absentee ballot, including students at home, can find instructions for how to do so by following this link: www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/absentee-voting/. Voters can view their current registration address by following this link: lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/lorain/vtrlookup.aspx#. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced late Monday night that Ohio would delay its primary election, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of voters as the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic continues to spread across the state. After recommending the same action earlier Monday afternoon and being turned away by a Franklin County judge, DeWine directe...

Kendal at Oberlin hosts the Oberlin Chapter of the League of Women Voters’ monthly Legislative Luncheon, where Ohio State Representative Joe Miller discussed issues he dealt with in the opening months of his first term.

State Representative Speaks at Kendal at Oberlin

April 19, 2019

Ohio State Representative Joe Miller came to Kendal at Oberlin Friday, April 12 to discuss women’s rights, the so-called “heartbeat bill,” and the challenges he faced in the first four months of his first term. Miller was hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Oberlin Area at their monthly Legislative Luncheon. The audience included Kendal at Oberlin residents; members of the League of Women Voters of the Oberlin Area; Moms Demand Action, a gun control advocacy group; and Lorain Count...