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

📰 Local News: 💰 Lake County Property Tax Deadline Extended to August 5

🛟 Mechanical Problems Force Temporary Closure of Walsh Spray Park

📰 Lake County Confirms First Rabid Bat Since 2022

🛣️ Next Stop / Sunday Drives: Amish Country and Mohican Make an Easy Ohio Weekend Escape

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Guardians’ Offense Falls Silent Again in 3-0 Loss to Rays

⚾ Lively’s Rehab Start Goes Awry as Captains Fall 14-4

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

Lake County property owners have until Wednesday, August 5, to pay their second-half tax bills after recently enacted Ohio property-tax legislation delayed the county’s billing schedule.

The extended deadline applies to second-half 2025 real estate taxes payable in 2026 and second-half 2026 manufactured-home taxes. Printed bills were mailed July 10, and bills are available through the Lake County Treasurer’s online payment portal.

The legislation created an inflation cap for certain property-value increases. The effect will vary by community, but qualifying credits or reductions should appear on July 2026 bills. Most residential, agricultural and business properties that qualify do not need to submit an application. Property owners who already paid in full will have any resulting credit applied to their parcel account.

Residents enrolled in semiannual AutoPay will have their payment withdrawn on August 5. Monthly AutoPay schedules will continue without a change.

Bills can be paid online, by mail, through a bank’s bill-pay service, at the Treasurer’s Office or through the county drop box. Online fees are 50 cents for an electronic check and 2.35% for card or digital-wallet payments.

Property owners who have not received a bill should call the Treasurer’s Office at 440-350-2516. Not receiving a bill does not remove responsibility for payment or potential penalties.

👉🏻 For a closer look at payment options, AutoPay and escrow guidance, late-payment penalties, and available assistance, read the full story on our website.

Walsh Spray Park at 7221 Bellflower Road in Mentor is temporarily closed because of mechanical problems, according to the city.

The park will remain closed until repairs are completed and the facility can safely return to service. The city has not announced an estimated reopening date.

Residents should watch for an update from the City of Mentor before planning a visit.

Source: City of Mentor Facebook page

Lake County health officials are reminding residents what to do after a bat found inside a Painesville home tested positive for rabies.

The Ohio Department of Health confirmed the case, which the Lake County General Health District said is the county’s first known rabid bat since 2022. Officials did not report whether anyone in the home was exposed.

Rabies can spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal. Exposure can also occur when infected saliva enters an open wound or comes into contact with the eyes, nose or mouth.

Anyone who finds a bat inside a home should avoid touching or releasing it before speaking with public-health officials. That is especially important when someone may have had direct contact with the bat or when a bat is discovered in a room where someone was sleeping.

Residents should call the Lake County General Health District at 440-350-2543 to discuss whether the bat should be captured and tested.

Health officials also urged families to confirm that dogs, cats and ferrets older than 4 months are current on their rabies vaccinations, including pets that remain indoors.

The confirmed case is not a reason to avoid spending time outside. Residents should remain aware of wildlife, keep pets nearby and prevent them from approaching bats or other wild animals.

👉🏻 Read the full guide for signs of possible exposure, safe bat-capture steps and practical ways to protect your family and pets.

Some Ohio getaways work better when two nearby destinations share the weekend.

Amish Country and Mohican are a strong example. Holmes County brings rolling farmland, locally made food, cultural stops and small-town shopping. Mohican adds forest trails, river scenery and enough outdoor space to make the second half of the trip feel completely different.

The order matters.

Plan Amish Country for Saturday, when shops, restaurants and cultural attractions are more likely to be open. Begin around Berlin, then leave time for Walnut Creek, Millersburg and the countryside between them. One cultural stop, one good meal and an unhurried afternoon will create a better experience than racing through a long shopping list.

Save Sunday for Mohican. Choose one main activity: a manageable hike, a seasonal river trip or a visit to nearby Malabar Farm. Trying to complete all three can turn a relaxing getaway into another schedule to manage.

A two-night trip gives this pairing the right pace. Stay in Holmes County Friday and Saturday, or move closer to Mohican after the first full day.

This is not a weekend built around one enormous attraction. It works because food, craftsmanship, rolling farms, wooded trails and river scenery create a getaway with enough variety for couples and families—and enough flexibility to still feel restful.

👉🏻 We mapped out the best order for the trip, a realistic two-day itinerary, estimated costs and the stops worth prioritizing before you pack the car. Plan Your Weekend!

A 13-run outburst against Minnesota about a week ago offered hope that the Guardians’ offense was beginning to wake up. That performance now feels increasingly distant.

Cleveland managed five hits and failed to score Saturday night in a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The defeat was the Guardians’ fourth in a row and continued a difficult stretch for a club tied for the second-fewest runs in Major League Baseball, according to the provided game notes.

Nick Martinez controlled the Cleveland lineup for six innings, allowing four hits while striking out five and walking none. Three Tampa Bay relievers completed the shutout, with Bryan Baker earning his 27th save.

All-Star rookie Travis Bazzana accounted for two of Cleveland’s five hits.

Tanner Bibee kept the Guardians within reach, but Tampa Bay broke a scoreless tie in the fifth. Junior Caminero delivered an RBI double, and Cedric Mullins followed with a sacrifice fly. The Rays added another run in the sixth when Hunter Feduccia’s sacrifice bunt scored Victor Mesa Jr.

Bibee allowed three runs on nine hits over six innings, striking out five and walking two. The Guardians will try to avoid a sweep Sunday when left-hander Parker Messick faces Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen.

For Cleveland, the question is no longer whether the lineup can produce an occasional breakout game. It is whether the Guardians can turn that production into something consistent.

See highlights at espn.com

The Lake County Captains fell into a 12-run hole over the first three innings Saturday and could not recover in a 14-4 loss to the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Parkview Field.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Ben Lively made a rehabilitation start for Lake County as he continues working his way back from Tommy John surgery and a right flexor tendon repair.

Lively was charged with eight runs on seven hits, including two home runs, while recording three outs.

Fort Wayne scored six times in the first inning. Justin DeCriscio came home on a balk before Rosman Verdugo launched a three-run homer and Luke Cantwell added a two-run shot.

The TinCaps scored three more runs in both the second and third innings, building a 12-0 lead before Lake County reached the scoreboard.

Anthony Martinez drove in the Captains’ first run with a sixth-inning double that scored Jonah Advincula.

Lake County added three runs in the seventh. Advincula tripled home Logun Clark and Tommy Hawke before scoring on an error during the same play, cutting the deficit to 12-4.

Fort Wayne responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to complete the scoring.

The loss was Lake County’s second straight and dropped the Captains to 15-12 in the second half. They are 4-6 over their last 10 games but remain 2½ games out of first place after Great Lakes also lost Saturday.

Lake County will try to earn a split of the six-game series when the teams meet Sunday afternoon in Fort Wayne.

👉🏻 See how Fort Wayne seized control so quickly, what Ben Lively’s difficult rehab outing means in his return from surgery, and where the loss leaves the Captains in the second-half race.

🐝 Buzz Fact: Early baseball equipment had very little standardization, which meant players sometimes arrived with gear that looked less like a team uniform and more like everyone had dressed during a power outage.
Answer: Google

Jeff Gordon (former NASCAR driver) pranks car salesman…. LOL!!!!