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

📰 Local News: 🚧 Mentor Avenue Resurfacing Contract Approved; Most Work Expected Overnight

🛟 Mentor Pool Slide Project Moves Forward, But Cost Questions Remain

📰 United Way of Lake County Tops 214,000 Meals in Yearlong Relief Effort

🐕 Better Pet Living: The Truth About People Food for Pets

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Guardians Drop Late One to Twins as Minnesota Walks Off 6-5

⚾ McCausland Leads Captains Past Lansing, 6-1

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

Mentor City Council has approved a $2.57 million contract for the first phase of the Mentor Avenue resurfacing project, setting up road work on one of the city’s busiest corridors.

The contract was awarded to Geauga Highway Company for $2,572,385. The project will run from the Painesville Township corporation line west along Mentor Avenue to about 500 feet west of Hopkins Road.

The work includes a 3-inch mill and resurfacing, full-depth pavement repairs, curb repairs, manhole and inlet repairs, restriping, and traffic signal detector upgrades. The city also plans to replace loop detectors affected by construction with radar detection to help reduce signal issues during the project.

City Engineer Dave Swiger said most of the work is expected to take place overnight between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., with traffic maintained during construction. The scheduled completion date is Oct. 31, 2026.

The city received about $800,000 in Ohio Public Works Commission funding for the project, covering roughly 27% of the cost.

Council members also raised concerns about traffic maintenance in what they described as one of Mentor’s most congested areas. The contractor’s traffic-maintenance bid came in well below the city’s estimate and other submitted bids for the same item. City officials said the project will remain a nighttime job.

For more on what is known so far — including the biggest unanswered questions — read the full story on our website.

Mentor City Council voted to keep the Civic Center Pool slide project moving this week, but the debate left residents with more questions than answers about delays, disputed costs, design problems and whether taxpayers may ultimately be left paying for mistakes.

Council was originally asked to approve a change order of about $355,000. After a long discussion, members amended the ordinance to remove $137,112 in delay-related costs and approved funding not to exceed $218,000 so needed work can continue.

The disputed delay amount included a supervisor-related charge of $108,800, which drew concern from council members.

Councilman Sean Blake summed up the frustration, saying he wanted to vote no but felt council was “over a barrel” because the city needs the project finished and children back in the pool next year.

City officials said the project ran into utility and design problems, including utility items that were omitted from drawings. Officials also said the city intends to seek available legal remedies, but details remain limited because the issue could involve claims or litigation.

For now, the project moves forward. But the larger questions remain: Who is responsible, can the city recover money, and will the pool be ready next year?

👉🏻 The vote keeps the project moving, but the bigger questions are far from settled — including who may be responsible for the delays and whether taxpayers could be left with the bill. Read More.

United Way of Lake County closed its fiscal year with a major boost to local hunger relief, distributing enough food to provide an estimated 214,282 meals across the county.

The organization’s June 25 distribution alone supplied about 12,418 meals and supported more than 33 local food pantries. Over the fiscal year, 48 food providers received assistance through United Way’s purchases, donations, grants, and community support.

The effort was strengthened by 126 community food drives and the 34th annual Spring Feed Lake County Food Drive and Fundraiser, which raised $52,000. Buyers Products Co. in Mentor contributed $25,000 by matching cash donations. Additional support came from the Jerome T. Osborne and Georgeanne S. Osborne Charitable Trust.

Top food donors included Component Repair Technologies, Mentor High School, and Marous Bros. Construction. Volunteers from Steris, Teen Challenge of Greater Cleveland, and Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers helped unload and distribute food.

United Way officials said food purchases were guided by pantry needs and included items such as cereal, peanut butter, pasta, canned meats, fruit, dry milk, and juice.

Donations can be made at uwlc.org/give or by contacting United Way of Lake County in Mentor.

Better Pet Living: The Truth About People Food for Pets

Most pet owners have done it: slipped the dog a blueberry, shared a tiny bite of chicken, or let the cat sniff around the dinner plate.

And around Northeast Ohio, the temptation is everywhere — backyard cookouts, graduation parties, summer picnics, holiday dinners, and family barbecues where pets are never far from the food table.

The good news is that not all people food is dangerous. Some plain, simple foods are generally safe for many healthy pets in small amounts, including cooked chicken or turkey, carrots, green beans, blueberries, apples without seeds, pumpkin, and plain rice.

The key words are plain and small.

Foods with butter, salt, grease, sauces, garlic, onion, or heavy seasoning can turn a safe bite into a problem. Plain chicken may be fine. Chicken Alfredo is not.

Some foods should never be shared, including chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, xylitol, alcohol, cooked bones, and macadamia nuts. Cats also have different needs than dogs, so smaller portions and extra caution matter.

Treats, including table scraps, should generally make up no more than about 10% of a healthy pet’s daily calories unless your veterinarian recommends otherwise.

👉🏻 This week’s website guide breaks it all down, including a simple “Can I Share This?” refrigerator cheat sheet you may want to save before your next cookout.

The Guardians let a late lead slip away Wednesday night in Minneapolis, falling 6-5 to the Twins on Alan Roden’s game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning.

Cleveland had built a 5-3 lead in the seventh after Kahlil Watson walked, stole second and scored on Chase DeLauter’s single. Steven Kwan later scored on Brayan Rocchio’s sacrifice bunt.

The Twins answered in the bottom of the inning without needing a hit. Minnesota drew three walks, including bases-loaded free passes to Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens, to tie the game at 5.

Cleveland’s offense got early power from Rocchio and Rhys Hoskins, who homered back-to-back in the fourth inning. Hoskins has now homered in two straight games.

The loss carries some added weight in the AL Central. Cleveland sits at 47-46, one game behind the White Sox, while Minnesota improved to 46-47 and moved within a game of the Guardians.

Up next: Gavin Williams is scheduled to start Thursday for Cleveland against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober.

See Highlights at espn.com

The Lake County Captains got a strong start from Will McCausland and pulled away late Wednesday night in a 6-1 win over the Lansing Lugnuts.

McCausland earned the win after throwing six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out five. Lake County’s bullpen protected the lead from there, holding Lansing to one run.

The Captains opened the scoring in the second inning when Tyler Howard hit a ground-rule double to center, bringing home Esteban González. Lake County added another run in the third when Jace LaViolette scored on a Dean Curley lineout and a throwing error.

Lansing cut the lead to 2-1 in the seventh, but the Captains answered quickly. Aaron Walton singled home Howard before LaViolette delivered the biggest swing of the night — a two-run homer to right, his 13th of the season. Tommy Hawke added an RBI single in the eighth.

Lake County improved to 10-6 and remains two games out of first place. The series continues today at Classic Park. The Lugnuts’ schedule lists Lake County home games against Lansing continuing July 9-12.

See the boxscore and more here

🐝 Buzz Fact: Some fruits are surprisingly buoyant, which is a polite scientific way of saying they have better pool behavior than most adults at a backyard barbecue.
Answer: Google

Oh, my …. these are hilarious!! 😂