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

📰 Local News: 💰 Two Lake County School Districts Turn to Income Tax Levies

🗓️ Mentor City Council to Hold April 21 Public Meeting at Municipal Center

🦆 Mentor Firefighters Rescue Ducklings Trapped in Sewer

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Home Front: 🏠 7 Spring Home Tasks Mentor Homeowners Should Do Before Summer Hits

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Paredes Powers Astros Past Guardians With Two-Homer Night

🏀 Mitchell, Harden Power Cavaliers Past Raptors for 2-0 Series Lead

🥎 Mentor Softball Stays Perfect in Conference with 22-0 Victory

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

Contact Mentor Local Buzz - [email protected] - 440-256-6115

A growing number of Ohio school districts are asking voters to approve income tax levies instead of property tax increases as they seek additional funding this May. The Ohio School Boards Association says 65 school funding issues are on ballots statewide, including 33 income tax requests.

In Lake County, Wickliffe City Schools and Painesville City Local Schools are among the districts pursuing that option. Officials say the earned income tax model avoids taxing retirement benefits and fixed incomes.

Wickliffe City Schools is seeking a 1% earned income tax after two failed levy attempts last year led to a state-required deficit reduction plan. More than $2.3 million in cuts are planned next school year, including staff reductions, loss of full-day kindergarten, reduced busing and electives, and pay-to-play athletics. Leaders say further cuts would significantly hurt student opportunities.

Painesville City Local Schools is asking voters to approve a 1.25% earned income tax, its first request for new money in 14 years. District leaders say recent state budget changes reduced funding by more than $2 million. If approved, the levy would raise about $3.4 million to help balance the budget after staffing and program cuts.

Both districts say the ballot measures are necessary to preserve programs and services for students. Mentor Public Schools is asking voters to approve a 4.9-mill operating levy, listed as Issue 1 on the May 5 ballot.

Source: news5cleveland.com

Residents will have an opportunity to attend the next Mentor City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will take place in Council Chambers on the third floor of the Mentor Municipal Center.

The session is open to the public, giving community members a chance to follow city discussions and decisions firsthand. For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will be broadcast live on the Mentor Channel through Spectrum Channel 1024 and U-Verse Channel 99.

Viewers can also watch through the city’s app, available on Roku, Apple, Android, and Amazon Fire devices. Rebroadcasts of the meeting will air several times during the following week.

Agenda materials and supporting documentation are available through the city’s official source.

Source: cityofmentor.com

A group of ducklings is safely back with their mother after an unusual rescue by the Mentor Fire Department.

Firefighters responded after several ducklings fell through a sewer grate while following their mother. As the ducks crossed the grate, the young birds slipped through one by one and became trapped below.

Mentor firefighters quickly stepped in, retrieved the ducklings, and reunited them with their waiting mother.

The department shared the heartwarming rescue online, noting that spring has officially brought the start of duckling rescue season.

Source: Mentor Fire Department Facebook page

Spring in Northeast Ohio is more than flower season—it’s your best chance to catch small home issues before summer heat, storms, and humidity make them expensive. Here are seven smart tasks worth doing now.

1. Check Downspouts, Not Just Gutters
Many homeowners clean gutters but forget downspouts. Make sure water exits at least 4–6 feet from your foundation. Short runoff paths can lead to basement seepage and cracked foundations.

2. Look for Shingle “Granules” Near Downspouts
If you see sand-like grit near the bottom of your downspouts, your shingles may be wearing faster than expected. Catching roof aging early can help avoid leaks later.

3. Test Exterior Faucets for Freeze Damage
Turn on outdoor spigots and look for weak flow or dripping inside the basement wall. Winter freeze cracks often go unnoticed until spring.

4. Seal Tiny Foundation Gaps Now
Small gaps where pipes, wires, or siding meet masonry invite ants, moisture, and higher cooling bills. Exterior-grade caulk or foam can solve problems cheaply.

5. Clean Your Dryer Vent Line
Not just the lint trap—the full vent line. A clogged vent wastes energy, shortens dryer life, and increases fire risk.

6. Check Your AC Before the First 85° Day
Replace the filter, clear debris around the outdoor unit, and schedule service early if needed. Waiting until the first heat wave often means longer waits and higher emergency costs.

7. Walk Your Yard During Heavy Rain
One of the best inspections happens during a storm. Watch where water pools, where gutters overflow, and whether runoff heads toward your home. This can reveal drainage problems no sunny-day inspection will show.

For Mentor homeowners, spring maintenance is less about chores and more about preventing summer headaches. A one-hour inspection this month could save thousands later.

The Cleveland Guardians fell 9-2 to the Houston Astros on Monday night, missing a chance to build on recent momentum after winning three of their previous four games.

Cleveland briefly pulled even at 2-2 before Houston broke the game open with a four-run fourth inning. Isaac Paredes started the rally with a leadoff home run, and Carlos Correa added a two-run single as the Astros took control.

Brayan Rocchio led the Guardians offensively, going 3-for-3 with a walk. Cleveland managed five hits but struggled to slow Houston’s lineup after the early innings.

Starter Slade Cecconi dropped to 0-3 after allowing seven runs, six earned, over five innings.

Houston’s Christian Walker hit a two-run homer in the first inning and finished with three hits, while Paredes added a second home run in the eighth.

The Guardians will try to even the series Tuesday night when Parker Messick takes the mound after carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning in his last start.

Read More, See Highlights at espn.com

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 on Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 30 points, while James Harden added 28. Evan Mobley scored 25 points with eight rebounds as the Cavaliers again showcased balanced scoring.

Cleveland controlled the game from the start and never gave up the lead. The victory extended the Cavaliers’ playoff winning streak against Toronto to 12 straight games, tying an NBA record for consecutive postseason wins over one opponent.

The streak began in the 2016 Eastern Conference finals and includes sweeps in 2017 and 2018.

Toronto stayed within reach behind Scottie Barnes, who scored a playoff career-high 26 points. RJ Barrett added 22 points and nine rebounds.

The Raptors cut the deficit to nine midway through the fourth quarter, but Mitchell answered with seven straight points to seal the win.

Harden also moved into seventh place on the NBA’s all-time playoff assists list with 1,139 and finished with five steals.

The series shifts to Toronto for Game 3 on Thursday night.

Read More, See Highlights at espn.com

The Mentor Lady Cardinals stayed hot Monday with a 22-0 softball win over the Euclid Panthers.

Mentor took control immediately, scoring seven runs in the first inning and never slowed down. The Cardinals finished with 18 hits, while Euclid had three hits and six errors.

Ireland Rainey went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Maddie Beam-Jones also finished 2-for-2, scored twice, and drove in three runs. Syd Cahill added three RBIs to lead the offense.

Cahill earned the win in the circle, throwing three scoreless innings and allowing three hits. Allie Dugach added two shutout innings in relief.

After losing four of their first five games, Mentor has turned its season around and now sits at 8-6 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

The Cardinals return to action Wednesday, April 22, at Cleveland Heights with first pitch set for 5 p.m.

The plan was just to “relax”… well… (laugh)