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

📰 Local News: 🏠 20 Dream House Semifinalists Head to Sunday’s Final

📰 Mentor Plans $270K Emergency Power Upgrades at Three City Facilities

🚨 Five Drivers Sentenced in Separate Willoughby Police-Pursuit Cases

🍽️ Dinner Rescue: Better Than Takeout Night: Two Dinners Worth Staying Home For

🏈 Sports: 🏈 Mentor Bounces Back With 63-18 Win Over Brunswick

🏈 Cougars Come Home Saturday for Test Against Gilmour

⚾ Martínez Delivers as Guardians Gain Ground on White Sox

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

The Lake County YMCA Dream House giveaway is down to 20 semifinalists — including two from Mentor — with the winner set to be determined Sunday afternoon.

The YMCA announced the semifinalists following its September 9 drawing. Based on the hometowns released by the organization, eight of the 20 are from Lake County communities, including Mentor residents Peter Drago and Shawn Connors.

Other nearby semifinalists include residents of Painesville, Willoughby, Kirtland, Wickliffe and Perry. Nineteen of the 20 finalists are from Ohio, while Brian Bennett of Artesia, New Mexico, is the lone out-of-state semifinalist.

The group will gather at the Dream House on Jackson Street in Mentor at 2 p.m. Sunday, September 13.

Each house semifinalist will receive a key, with one key opening the front door and determining the 2026 Dream House winner.

The YMCA also announced 10 semifinalists for its separate vehicle giveaway, so the Dream House and vehicle winners should not be confused.

Sunday’s final will be streamed live on the Lake County YMCA’s Facebook page.

👉🏻 Want to see all 20 Dream House semifinalists — plus the separate vehicle finalists? We have the complete YMCA-published lists and everything to know before Sunday’s final on the Mentor Local Buzz website.

Mentor is preparing a $270,000 emergency generator improvement project at two fire stations and the Mentor Civic Amphitheater, with the work scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.

At Fire Station #4, plans call for the existing emergency generator and automatic transfer switch to be replaced. The project also includes a new manual transfer switch and a temporary-generator docking station.

At Fire Station #5, the existing emergency generator will remain in place. Instead, the city plans to add a new manual transfer switch and temporary-generator docking station.

The Mentor Civic Amphitheater is also slated to receive a new manual transfer switch and temporary-generator docking station.

The bid package separately includes a 150-kVA diesel generator in a weatherproof enclosure mounted on a trailer.

Mentor’s project requirements list the total estimated cost at $270,000, including a $25,000 contingency. That figure is an estimate, not a final contract price.

Sealed bids are due by 11 a.m. September 25. The project documents list October 6 as the expected contract-award date, and equipment must be ordered within 30 days after a contract is fully executed. All work, restoration and cleanup are scheduled to be completed by December 31.

For residents, the project represents an upgrade to emergency-power infrastructure at three city facilities.

👉🏻 On the website, we break down the work planned at each site, the portable generator purchase, and why the city’s paperwork includes both $270,000 and $245,000 project estimates.

Five drivers have been sentenced to prison in separate cases involving motorists who fled from Willoughby police between July 2025 and May 2026.

The sentences range from 12 to 30 months. Stephen Fisher received 30 months, Nathaniel Jackson 24 months, Terrell Weatherspoon and Dashaun Moore 18 months each, and Deontre Mcrae 12 months.

Each defendant also faces up to three years of post-release control.

Willoughby police said vehicle pursuits are among the most dangerous situations officers encounter because they can put other motorists and members of the public at risk.

The five cases involved separate incidents, not one pursuit. Police did not include detailed circumstances about how each chase began or ended in the sentencing information released.

The cases carry local relevance for Mentor-area readers because Willoughby borders Mentor and both communities share heavily traveled Lake County roads.

Source: cleveland19.com

Some nights, takeout sounds good before anyone has even decided what to order.

That makes sense. It promises bold flavors, plenty of choices and one less job at the end of the day.

But when you want that same sense of fun without the ordering, waiting and added expense, a simple homemade version can be surprisingly satisfying.

This week’s Dinner Rescue gives you two options.

Sticky Garlic Chicken Rice Bowls deliver the more hands-on choice. Bite-size chicken cooks quickly, then gets coated in a glossy, savory-sweet garlic sauce and piled over rice. Microwave rice is absolutely fair game. Add steam-in-bag broccoli, shredded carrots, cucumbers, green onions or whatever vegetables your household will actually eat. Put a few toppings on the table and let everyone finish a bowl their own way.

Oven-Baked French-Bread Pizzas are the easier night. Split a loaf, add pizza sauce, mozzarella and favorite toppings, then let the oven do most of the work. Different sections can become different pizzas, which is often easier than getting everyone to agree on one order.

The tradeoff is simple: the chicken bowls require active stovetop cooking but offer a complete, customizable meal in one bowl. The pizzas need less attention and lean heavily on prepared ingredients, making them a strong choice when energy is running low.

Either dinner can also stretch farther than one meal. Extra chicken and rice make an easy lunch bowl, while leftover pizza reheats well in the oven, toaster oven or air fryer.

Takeout is not the enemy. Sometimes it is exactly what the evening needs.

But when you would rather stay home, dinner can still feel like something everyone was hoping for.

See which dinner fits your evening, where the smartest shortcuts save the most effort, how to customize both meals and how tonight’s leftovers can make tomorrow easier.

Mentor didn’t just bounce back Friday night. The Cardinals answered one of their toughest losses in recent memory with their most convincing response of the young season.

One week after falling 51-7 to St. Ignatius, Mentor defeated Brunswick 63-18 at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium, improving to 3-1 overall and opening Greater Cleveland Conference play with a win.

Brunswick scored first, taking a 6-0 lead midway through the opening quarter. Mentor’s response came almost immediately.

According to The News-Herald, junior running back Braylon Callahan broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown on the Cardinals’ first offensive play. He added three more rushing touchdowns before halftime, finishing the first half with four scores.

Mentor kept piling up yards on the ground. Ryan Orsog scored twice, Braylen Littlejohn added two rushing touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Corbin Bissett connected with Sebastian Bartulovic for a 53-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Sophomore kicker Daniel Kristo made all nine extra-point attempts.

For Mentor, the bigger takeaway was how quickly the Cardinals responded after a difficult week.

👉🏻 There was more behind Mentor’s turnaround than the final score. Read the full recap for how the Cardinals responded to an early Brunswick lead, what changed after last week’s loss and why this win mattered heading deeper into conference play.

Two straight Lake Catholic games have come down to a single point. Saturday, the Cougars finally get a chance to play one of those important early-season games at home.

Lake Catholic hosts Gilmour Academy at noon Saturday, Sept. 12, with the Cougars entering at 1-2 and the Lancers at 2-1. Lake Catholic has followed its season-opening loss at Cardinal Mooney with a 14-13 win over Avon Lake and a 14-13 loss to Buchtel — two games decided by a combined two points.

Gilmour brings momentum to Mentor. After opening with a loss to Benedictine, the Lancers shut out Holy Name, 7-0, and defeated Hawken, 26-21, for consecutive victories.

For Lake Catholic, watch the ground game. Returning All-Ohio running back Danny Zmorowski anchors a physical offense, while junior quarterback Max Pisano gives the Cougars experience behind center. Defensively, Brady Moran and Michael Barnes are key returning leaders.

Saturday is special beyond the matchup. It will be only the third varsity football game played on the Lake Catholic campus, and the school will recognize its 2001 state championship team at halftime.

Kickoff: Noon Saturday
Location: Lake Catholic High School, Mentor

👉🏻 Can Lake Catholic turn two razor-thin games into a home victory? Our full preview breaks down the matchup, three keys for the Cougars and everything fans should know before heading to campus Saturday.

The Guardians picked up another important September win Friday night, and Angel Martínez was right in the middle of it.

Martínez homered, doubled and helped ignite a three-run ninth inning as Cleveland rallied past the Minnesota Twins 5-2. The victory pushed the Guardians two games ahead of Toronto for the American League’s third wild-card spot and just a ½ game back of the White Sox for the division lead.

Cleveland was held scoreless through six innings before Martínez changed the game with a two-run homer in the seventh, his 15th of the season.

Minnesota tied it later in the inning, but the Guardians answered when it mattered most.

With one out in the ninth, Martínez doubled and sent Travis Bazzana to third. Bazzana raced home on a wild pitch for the go-ahead run, then Brayan Rocchio ripped a two-run double to give Cleveland a 5-2 cushion.

Parker Messick gave the Guardians a chance to stay close, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings. Hunter Gaddis followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Cade Smith worked a clean ninth for his 36th save.

With the wild-card race tightening, every September win carries extra weight. Cleveland gets another chance Saturday, with Daniel Espino expected to open and Joey Cantillo slated to handle the bulk of the innings.

See highlights at espn.com

🐝 Buzz Fact: The salad’s name came from a restaurateur, not the toga-wearing Roman guy — which is probably good, because “Et tu, crouton?” would have been hard to put on a menu.
Answer: Google

Dad shaved his beard and what a commotion that makes… LOL!