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

📰 Local News: 📰 Mentor to Auction Water Barrel Wonders Beginning Aug. 26

👮🏻‍♂️ Mentor Police Promote Alec Berkheimer to Sergeant

👮🏻‍♂️ Mentor Hiring Part-Time Corrections Officer

🐕 Better Pet Living: The Small Household Items That Can Become Big Pet Problems

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Guardians Beat Tigers 6-4 as Jo Adell Homers

⚾ Captains Win Third Straight, Beat Dayton 4-2

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🤣 Something Funny

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Those colorful rain barrels that have been popping up around Mentor this summer are about to get new owners.

The City of Mentor will auction its Water Barrel Wonders through the Public Surplus website beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. The online auction runs through Sept. 9, with 12 decorated rain barrels listed for sale under the City of Mentor.

Water Barrel Wonders was created as more than a public art display. The city and Mentor Community Arts Commission invited artists to turn functional rain barrels into original works of art while drawing attention to water conservation and reducing runoff into Lake Erie. The finished barrels were displayed around Mentor from June through August as part of a citywide scavenger hunt.

Interested buyers can inspect the barrels at their respective Mentor locations between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. by scheduling an appointment through the contact information provided with each auction listing. The city is selling all items as is, without warranties.

Opening bids, payment requirements and pickup details are not included in the city's public notice, so bidders should review each Public Surplus listing carefully once the auction begins.

👉🏻 Want to know the story behind the Water Barrel Wonders—and what to check before bidding? We have the details, including how the project combined local art with Lake Erie conservation and what prospective buyers should know.

The Mentor Police Department has promoted Alec Berkheimer to sergeant, giving the longtime department officer a new role helping supervise and guide officers on the street.

Berkheimer joined Mentor Police on Aug. 6, 2018, and completed his police academy training in January 2019. He became an evidence technician in January 2023 and a field training officer in July 2024, a position that gave him experience helping newer officers learn the job.

During the swearing-in ceremony, department leaders emphasized that becoming a sergeant brings a major change in responsibility. A newly promoted sergeant can go from sitting alongside fellow officers at roll call to supervising those same officers, reviewing their work and helping set expectations for the shift.

That responsibility takes on added importance as Mentor Police continues bringing newer officers into the department. Officials said Berkheimer is the third officer promoted to sergeant this year, along with separate promotions to lieutenant and captain. The department also expects to swear in six additional officers.

Berkheimer took the oath of office before his wife pinned on his new badge.

👉🏻 The promotion is part of a larger leadership transition inside Mentor Police — and department officials explained why experienced sergeants will be especially important as a new group of officers joins the ranks.

The City of Mentor is accepting applications for a part-time corrections officer to help maintain security and support daily operations at the city jail.

The position involves booking and supervising prisoners, maintaining order, keeping records and handling various maintenance responsibilities within the jail. The job requires approximately 25 hours per week and includes some weekend and holiday shifts.

For residents interested in part-time work with the city, the opening offers an opportunity to serve in a public safety role with responsibilities tied directly to jail operations and prisoner supervision.

Applications can be submitted online at workformentor.com. Paper applications are also available through the Human Resources Office at the Mentor Municipal Center and may be returned to 8500 Civic Center Blvd., Mentor, OH 44060.

There is no listed application deadline. The city says the position will remain open until filled, so interested applicants can apply while the opening remains available.

A few ordinary habits—picking up a dropped pill, putting away a hair tie and checking the floor from your pet’s point of view—can prevent surprisingly serious problems.

Pet-proofing a home does not have to mean treating every room like a danger zone. Often, the most useful changes are small habits that keep everyday objects from becoming unexpected problems.

Start with the things that fall. A dropped pill, vitamin or supplement can roll under a table or cabinet before anyone notices. Batteries can be just as easy to overlook, especially when they come from remote controls, toys or small electronics. If chewed or swallowed, they can cause serious injury.

Then look at the things pets like to investigate. Ribbon, string, thread, hair ties and sewing supplies may invite chewing or play, but swallowing them can create a medical emergency. Food wrappers, snack bags and trash can be tempting because they still smell interesting. Socks, small laundry items and children’s toys may also become accidental chew targets.

Puppies, kittens and especially curious pets deserve extra attention because they are more likely to explore with their mouths. A pet that has ignored an object for years may also become interested when routines change.

A simple habit can help: do a 30-second floor-level scan after sorting medication, wrapping gifts, unpacking groceries, doing crafts or cleaning up children’s playtime. Look beneath chairs, around counters and beside furniture for anything small, chewable or newly dropped.

If you think your pet swallowed something potentially harmful, contact your veterinarian or an animal poison resource promptly rather than waiting for symptoms. Have the package or product name ready if possible, along with your pet’s species, approximate weight, what may have been swallowed, how much and when.

The goal is not a perfectly pet-proof home. It is a home where a few ordinary habits make it easier to notice the small things before your pet does.

👉🏻 Think your home is already pet-proofed? The most useful check may take only 30 seconds. See the full Better Pet Living guide for where overlooked hazards tend to appear, what a missing household item can tell you and the simple safety routine you can use after medications, laundry, playtime, groceries and more.

The Cleveland Guardians continued their dominance of Detroit on Wednesday night, holding off the Tigers 6-4 to snap a three-game losing streak.

Jo Adell delivered the biggest swing, putting Cleveland ahead for good with a two-run homer in the fifth inning. Angel Martínez added three hits, including an RBI double, as the Guardians improved to 59-62.

Cleveland is now 7-1 against Detroit this season and has won 12 of the past 14 meetings between the AL Central rivals.

Rookie left-hander Foster Griffin earned the win after allowing three runs, only one earned, over five innings. Griffin improved to 13-4 overall and 1-1 in two starts since joining Cleveland in a trade-deadline deal.

The Guardians added two important insurance runs in the seventh. Angel Genoa doubled home Martínez before Austin Hedges followed with an RBI single for a 6-3 lead.

Detroit cut the deficit to two in the eighth and put two runners aboard in the ninth, but closer Cade Smith escaped the threat to record his 31st save.

Cleveland and Detroit finish the three-game series Thursday afternoon. Left-hander Parker Messick (9-6, 2.57 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Guardians against Tigers right-hander Keider Montero (8-7, 3.38).

See Highlights at espn.com

The Lake County Captains are building some momentum.

Lake County defeated the Dayton Dragons 4-2 Wednesday for its third straight victory, with Jose Pirela delivering three RBIs and the Captains bullpen shutting down Dayton after the fourth inning.

The Captains struck first when Pirela drew a bases-loaded walk in the second, bringing home Luis De La Cruz for a 1-0 lead.

Dayton answered in the fourth. John Michael Faile hit his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot that gave the Dragons a 2-1 advantage. Captains starter Aidan Major finished his outing after four innings, allowing two runs on four hits.

That was all Dayton would get.

Lake County tied the game in the sixth when Anthony Martinez scored on a balk. An inning later, Pirela delivered the decisive swing, hitting his first home run of the season with Garrett Howe aboard to put the Captains ahead 4-2.

The bullpen protected the lead without allowing a run after Major’s departure, and Jogly García earned his third save of the season.

Lake County improved to 20-22 in the second half and remains five games out of first place. The Captains have now won three straight as they try to climb back into the second-half race.

The series continues Thursday with a doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. It’s also DAWG Night, featuring free admission for dogs, a Golden Retriever celebration, Mokoro the Bat Dog and the Captains’ Strikeout the Stigma initiative with the Radical Hope Foundation.

👉🏻 Three straight wins have given the Captains some momentum — but with Lake County still five games back, Thursday’s doubleheader carries added importance. We break down what Wednesday’s win showed about the Captains and what to watch next.

🐝 Buzz Fact: Some animals have winter survival plans so extreme they make “put on a sweater and complain about the thermostat” seem wildly underprepared.
Answer: Google

Golf has be rough on all of us kid… hang in there.