Mostly Sunny but windy in the afternoon - Temps at 57-59°

Mentor's Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, will include the dedication of new Veteran Honor Walls at Mentor Municipal Cemetery. But another memorial originally planned for the occasion will have to wait.

The ceremony begins at 11:11 a.m. at 6881 Hopkins Road, with Revolutionary War historian Todd Brighton delivering the keynote address.

Immediately afterward, attendees are expected to walk to the cemetery's south end for the Honor Walls dedication.

The new memorial features 14 columbaria containing 448 niches, providing a permanent resting place for the cremated remains of eligible military veterans and their spouses.

The city had also planned to dedicate a monument honoring Revolutionary War veterans who settled in Mentor or are buried here. However, production delays have pushed that dedication to Memorial Day 2027.

The connection to local history remains part of Wednesday's program. Brighton's fourth-great-grandfather, Revolutionary War veteran Garrit Brass, settled in Mentor Township in 1812 and is buried at the cemetery.

Everyone is welcome. If weather forces the ceremony indoors, it will move to the Mentor Senior Center, 8484 Munson Road.

⬇️ Planning to attend, or interested in the new memorial? Our website explains where the dedication will take place, who qualifies for the Honor Walls, what the niches cost, and how families can learn more.

Fresh pavement on Mentor Avenue is welcome news, but drivers shouldn't assume the work is over just yet.

During Mentor City Council's November 4 meeting, officials said the final asphalt surface went down October 30 on the city's east-end resurfacing project, from about 500 feet west of Hopkins Road to the Painesville Township line.

So why are some manhole covers still sitting below the new pavement? The city plans to adjust them after paving, using a method that cuts around each cover, raises it to the finished road height and secures it with concrete.

Crews also have valve-box adjustments, pavement sealing and some road markings left to finish. Officials expected that work to wrap up within roughly two weeks of the meeting.

A separate project has its own deadline. Aqua Ohio has finished lining the water main between State Route 306 (Reynolds Road) and Plaza Boulevard. Valve installations, service reconnections and road restoration remain, with a November 20 completion target.

Both timelines are estimates, not confirmation that all work is finished. Drivers should continue watching for crews and temporary traffic changes.

⬇️ Wondering where traffic restrictions may still affect your drive — or whether water service could be interrupted? Our full Mentor Avenue update explains both work zones, the original traffic plans and what happens next.

Mentor City Council approved a $252,600 heating and cooling contract for the Senior Center on November 4, but not before members questioned why the winning bid was so much lower than expected.

The city's original construction estimate was $589,500. Seven contractors submitted bids, with HAVE, LLC winning at approximately 57% below that estimate.

The project will replace 14 zone dampers, one rooftop HVAC unit and the system's controls. City officials said the existing equipment dates back to the building's original construction and is contributing to higher operating and maintenance costs.

During the meeting, council members questioned whether the low bid might have overlooked required work, potentially leading to expensive changes later.

City administrators said the bid had been reviewed, met specifications and came from a qualified contractor. They also suggested the building's relatively accessible equipment could help explain the lower price.

Still, officials could not fully explain the difference from the original estimate and promised additional information.

Council ultimately approved the contract unanimously. The city's original bid notice lists September 3, 2027, as the project completion date.

The big question now: Will the project stay close to its approved price?

➡️ Our full report examines what council members questioned, what city officials said about possible added costs, and what Senior Center members should know about the renovation timeline.

A Local Buzz Original Magazine

Behind every passing freighter is a story. Toledo's maritime museum brings those stories to life—and makes a surprisingly good getaway.

You know that feeling when a huge freighter glides past and barely seems to move? From shore, it looks effortless. Somewhere aboard, though, people are navigating, working and watching weather that can turn rough in a hurry.

That’s what makes Toledo’s National Museum of the Great Lakes such an appealing escape. Instead of cramming a dozen stops into one trip, you can spend an afternoon discovering the stories behind ships we usually see only from a distance.

Inside, the restored pilothouse of the St. Marys Challenger gives you a glimpse of where a freighter was steered. It’s part of a gallery about the people whose lives were tied to the lakes. Other exhibits connect shipping to the growth of towns and industries, while shipwreck stories reveal just how much sailors depended on better navigation and lifesaving equipment. A towering historic lighthouse lens brings that need for a safe way home into focus.

Suddenly, those enormous vessels look a little different. They weren’t simply moving cargo. They were carrying livelihoods, responsibilities and sometimes real danger.

November is a good month for the museum’s indoor stories, with one important catch: regular boarding of its outdoor freighter and tugboat runs May through October. The galleries stay open, but the ships generally don’t. A special, limited-ticket Edmund Fitzgerald tour aboard the freighter is scheduled for November 8; that’s an exception, not normal winter access.

As for the trip itself, you have two good choices. Enjoy the museum, stop for a classic Toledo meal and drive home, or stay overnight so there’s no rush to end the afternoon. Neither requires a packed itinerary.

The nicest surprise may be what you notice afterward: the next freighter you see won’t seem quite so anonymous.

⬇️ Thinking about a Toledo getaway? Compare our day-trip and overnight plans, with museum highlights, admission costs, November visiting tips and a classic Toledo stop for a meal.

Lake Catholic’s volleyball team earned a regional championship Saturday, November 7, while Mentor runners capped their seasons against Ohio’s best at the state cross-country meet.

Lake Catholic — Girls Volleyball

The Cougars won a five-set showdown with Elyria Catholic, 3–2 at Alliance High School, to claim the Division IV regional title and a state semifinal berth.

The victory improved Lake Catholic to 23–4 and settled the teams’ third meeting of the season after they split their two conference matches. This time, the reward was a place among Ohio’s final four teams in the division. www.maxpreps.com

Mentor — Boys Cross Country

The Cardinals placed seventh with 246 points in the Division I state meet at Fortress Obetz, led by senior Carter Schaubert’s 18th-place finish in 15:42.

Sophomore Corbin Ott followed in 64th at 16:17. Juniors Shawn Castiglione (84th, 16:28), Drew Maynard (86th, 16:29) and Cody Klasch (96th, 16:34) completed Mentor’s scoring five. www.ohiovarsity.com

Mentor — Girls Cross Country

Sophomore Carmella Curtis delivered a top-10 state finish, placing 10th in 18:31 in the Division I girls race.

Fellow sophomore BriAnn Carroll finished 90th in 19:53, helping Mentor take 18th with 394 points. For Curtis, the finish put her among the first 10 runners across the line on Ohio’s biggest high school cross-country stage—with two more school seasons ahead.

🐝 Buzz Fact: Driving in another country can be quite an adventure. In some places, they drive on the opposite side of the road. Which is perfectly fine—until you turn on the windshield wipers for the fifth time trying to signal a left turn.

I laughed so hard on this one… Rufus did great at the zoo.

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