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📢 Local Events from Mentor & the Area: MentorLocalBuzz.com/Events!

📰 Local News: 📰 Mentor Approves Route 2 Deal With $2 Million for Lighting Replacement

📰 Mentor Approves $90,000 Land Purchase Near Goodwill

🎁 Mentor Senior Center Holiday Sale to Feature More Than 75 Local Vendors

🌿EVERGREEN: Accepting Help Without Handing Over Every Decision

🏈 Sports: 🏈 Mentor Heads to Euclid With GCC Championship on the Line

🏈 Lake Catholic at NDCL: A Conference Title Is on the Line

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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Drivers frustrated by dark stretches of Route 2 finally have a specific funding development: Mentor City Council has approved a regional agreement that sets aside $2 million to replace highway lighting.

At its October 20 meeting, council unanimously passed Ordinance 26-098. The agreement involves Lake County and six cities: Mentor, Eastlake, Painesville, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick. The Lake County Engineer's Office will oversee the lighting project.

The new agreement updates a highway maintenance arrangement dating back to 1973. City Manager Kenneth J. Filipiak told council that replacement lighting was the biggest benefit of the deal, following years of concern from participating communities.

That doesn't mean crews are heading out immediately. Council did not announce a contractor, installation schedule or a list of specific locations to receive new lights. Officials also did not provide a precise amount Mentor will pay toward the work.

➡️ Why can't crews simply replace the bulbs—and when might the lights finally come back on? Our full report explains the $2 million funding plan, an earlier construction estimate, and what still needs to happen before work begins.

City sees possibilities for land along Plaza Boulevard, 7500 Plaza—but no development plan yet.

Mentor City Council has authorized a $90,000 purchase of land near Goodwill on Plaza Boulevard, just south of the railroad tracks.

Council voted 7–0 on October 20 to allow the city manager to pursue an approximately 1.31-acre parcel next to property Mentor already owns. City Manager Kenneth Filipiak said the additional land could prove important for future economic development.

The $90,000 price appears in the city's written ordinance. Other expenses, including survey, title, escrow and closing costs, could bring the final total higher.

Officials have walked the property, and Filipiak said they saw no obvious reason not to proceed. But the land hasn't been confirmed as purchased: the city still must complete its checks and closing process.

No developer, new business or construction project was announced. For now, this decision gives Mentor another option for the future—not a plan to build.

➡️ We examined the city's paperwork to find the exact parcel, why Council made the authorization effective immediately, and what costs may be added to the $90,000 price. Read the full breakdown.

Looking for a little hometown inspiration for holiday shopping?

The Mentor Senior Center Arts & Crafts Sale is coming up Saturday, November 14, with more than 75 local vendors expected, according to the City of Mentor.

Shoppers will find handmade arts and crafts, holiday decorations, quilts, books, gifts and home décor. Concessions will also be available.

The sale runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mentor Senior Center, 8484 Munson Road. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public—not just Senior Center members.

It's a great opportunity to get a head start on holiday shopping while supporting local artisans and vendors.

Official Event Announcement →

Be specific about the assistance you want—and the choices you want to keep.

You would welcome help getting the storage boxes down. You would rather not have someone decide which belongings you should throw away.

Both can be true.

An offer of help can become uncomfortable when two people understand it differently. You mean, “Please handle the lifting.” They hear, “Let’s get this whole closet sorted.”

Before accepting, separate the work from the choices inside it.

Name the task. “Could you bring those three boxes down?” gives someone a clearer job than “I need help getting organized.”

Describe the help. Do you want someone to explain, work alongside you or take care of a particular step? “Talk me through it while I hold the phone” is a different request from “Please do it for me.”

Keep the important choices clear. You might say, “I’d appreciate help moving everything, but I want to decide what stays.” There is no need to justify every preference. Explain what you want the person to do and when you want them to check with you.

A useful sentence brings those pieces together:

“Could you help me with ___ by ___? I’d like to keep deciding ___.”

Then leave room for an honest answer. The other person may have twenty minutes rather than an afternoon, or be comfortable carrying boxes but not climbing a ladder. Ask, “What part would work for you?”

For recurring help, add a check-in: “Let’s try this twice, then see whether it works for both of us.”

You can also correct an arrangement after it starts. “I appreciate this. I’d like to handle that part myself” can clarify something you did not discuss earlier.

Think of one task you have been reluctant to ask about. What help would make it easier—and which choice matters most to you? Start the conversation there.

➡️ Use our help-and-choice conversation guide to turn one everyday task into a clear request—with practical scripts, a fill-in worksheet and words for resetting help that has gone further than you wanted.

Cardinals face a crucial Friday-night finale with a conference title and playoff positioning at stake.

The Mentor Cardinals return to the football field Friday night with a possible Greater Cleveland Conference championship — and a valuable playoff advantage — on the line.

Mentor (7–2) visits Euclid (4–5) on October 23 at 7 p.m. at Euclid Community Stadium.

The Cardinals enter the regular-season finale tied with Strongsville and Riverside atop the GCC standings at 5–1. A Mentor victory would guarantee at least a share of the conference title. An outright title would also require both rivals to lose.

There is one significant challenge: leading running back Braylon Callahan will miss the game because of injury, according to The News-Herald. Senior Ryan Orsog is expected to assume a larger rushing role.

Quarterback Brogan Jones has thrown for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns, with Logan Berwald and Jeremiah Claridy providing Mentor's leading receiving threats.

Euclid presents a challenge of its own. Penn State commit Kei’Shjaun Telfair is a versatile playmaker capable of contributing on offense, defense and special teams. The Panthers are coming off a 34–13 loss to Riverside.

Mentor hasn't played since beating Shaker Heights 42–3 on October 9. Last week's Lorain matchup was canceled by a stadium power outage; the OHSAA subsequently awarded Mentor a forfeit win, reflected in its 7–2 official record.

The playoff picture adds another layer of importance. Mentor is currently third in Division I, Region 1. Finishing among the top four teams in the final regional rankings would give the Cardinals a first-round playoff bye.

Mentor has won nine consecutive meetings with Euclid. Friday offers an opportunity to make it ten — with much more than bragging rights at stake.

➡️ Want the bigger picture? See our full game preview for the three-way GCC championship scenarios — including what happens if Mentor loses — Mentor's offensive matchup, and exactly what a first-round playoff bye would mean for the Cardinals.

Cougars can earn a share of the NCC championship Friday night in Chardon.

Lake Catholic has a championship opportunity in its regular-season finale. The Cougars travel to Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin on Friday, October 23, for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Lion Stadium in Chardon.

Lake Catholic (6-3, 3-1 North Coast Conference) can claim a share of the league title with a victory. NDCL (8-1, 4-0 NCC) can secure the outright championship with a win.

The Cougars have won three of their past four, most recently beating Holy Name 28-7. Quarterback Max Pisano has thrown for 973 yards and eight touchdowns, while junior running back Giovanni Magistrelli has rushed for 600 yards.

NDCL has won seven straight. Lions quarterback Brady Capel presents a dual-threat challenge, with 11 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns this season.

Both teams have clinched Division III, Region 9 playoff berths, but the final seedings are still unsettled. Lake Catholic ranked seventh and NDCL fourth in the October 20 ratings.

The schools will also honor the late Coach John Gibbons in a moment of silence before kickoff.

Our full game preview explains the three keys for the Cougars, how the championship and playoff scenarios work, what common-opponent scores reveal, and where to find tickets and live coverage.

What will it take for Lake Catholic to bring home a share of the conference crown? Our full preview breaks down the three keys to victory, the players who could decide the game, what's at stake in the playoff race, and everything fans need to know before kickoff. Read the full preview →

🐝 Buzz Fact: Being young and inexperienced means making mistakes and learning from them. Being older and experienced means recognizing the mistake immediately, knowing exactly how it's going to end, and watching the new guy do it anyway.
Answer: Google

Gotta love those Golden Retrivers… too funny!