☁️ Weather: Cloudy, Change of Scattered Showers - Temps 75-77°

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

📰 Local News: 📰 Mentor Awards Wildwood Expansion Contract, Approves Additional Funding

⚡ Mentor Forms Council Committee to Address Neighborhood Power Outages

🫟 Glow-in-the-Dark Paint Night Set for Friday in Madison

🐕 Better Pet Living: Reset Your Pet’s Routine Without Turning Fall Into a Struggle

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Halpin’s 3-Run Homer Sends Guardians Back Into First Place

📰 Mentor-Area Sports: Cougar Soccer Stays Strong, Mentor Golf Falls by Two

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

Mentor's planned Wildwood Cultural Center expansion has cleared two important steps toward construction after City Council approved additional funding and awarded the project's building contract Sept. 15.

Council approved a $435,000 increase to the Parks and Recreation Department's appropriations for Wildwood project costs that city administrators said had not been included in the original 2026 budget.

The action does not necessarily mean the project's cost increased by $435,000. Rather, it provides additional funding authority for costs that had not previously been appropriated.

Council separately awarded the construction contract to Freedom Construction Services, LLC.

City officials said four bids were received Sept. 4, ranging from approximately $1.1 million to $1.3 million, with Freedom submitting the low bid. Officials said the proposal met the project's contract requirements.

The expansion will be built on the north end of Wildwood Cultural Center and will include accessible restrooms serving both the inside and outside of the facility. Officials also said the design was developed to blend with the building's existing Tudor-style architecture.

The expansion itself had already been announced. The Sept. 15 votes move the project further through the funding and contracting process.

👉🏻 Read the full story for how the bids compared with the city's earlier estimate, what the $435,000 appropriation actually means, and what happens next before construction begins.

Concerns from Mentor residents about neighborhood power outages have prompted City Council to form a committee and seek answers directly from FirstEnergy.

Councilman Charles Pinkerman told council Tuesday that the city had received dozens of emails about outages. Council President Janet Dowling formed the committee to help identify the causes of the problems and explore ways they might be reduced.

Pinkerman chairs the committee, with Councilmen Sean Blake and John Krueger also serving.

The group has already contacted FirstEnergy and requested information about what has been causing the outages and the utility's maintenance schedule for planned electrical grid improvements.

The city's agenda for a September 14 committee meeting also called for establishing the group's scope and operating procedures and identifying contacts at FirstEnergy, neighborhood homeowners associations and other stakeholders.

Several important questions remain unanswered. Council has not publicly identified which neighborhoods are experiencing the problems, provided outage-frequency data or announced a specific cause or timetable for improvements.

For residents who have experienced outages, the next key development will be what FirstEnergy tells the committee — and whether that information points to maintenance or grid improvements that could address the problem.

👉🏻 We took a closer look at what the new committee is asking FirstEnergy, what is known so far and the key answers Mentor residents should watch for next.

Silly Llama Art Studio is hosting a Glow Night paint class Friday, Sept. 18, at 136 W. Main St. in Madison.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m. The Facebook event lists it through 9 p.m., while the studio’s booking page describes the class as approximately two hours, so attendees may want to confirm the expected ending time when registering.

Tickets are $32 per person.

One important detail: the event is promoted as an Adult/Teen Paint Night, but the current booking description says it is designed for ages 18 and older. Families considering registration for anyone under 18 should check with the studio before booking.

During the class, participants will paint their canvas black before the lights go down. The group will then use fluorescent paints to create a nighttime landscape and add individual touches such as wolves, other nocturnal animals or even Sasquatch.

Advance online registration is required, and online registration closes three hours before the event. Doors open about 10 minutes before the class begins. Aprons are provided, but the studio recommends wearing clothes that can handle paint spills.

See the Facebook Event here

When: Friday, Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: 136 W. Main St., Madison
Cost: $32 per person
Registration: Book through Silly Llama Art Studio

Fall can quietly throw a pet’s routine off course. Breakfast shifts, daylight disappears earlier, rainy weather cuts walks short, and a pet used to daytime company may suddenly spend more hours alone.

That can show up as early wake-ups, pacing, accidents, restlessness, or demands at the old mealtime. Rather than changing everything at once, start with the biggest differences between your pet’s old routine and the schedule your household now needs.

Write down meals, walks, bathroom breaks, playtime, alone time, and bedtime. If possible, shift flexible parts of the day by about 10 to 15 minutes every few days. Keep a few dependable anchors, such as breakfast after the first bathroom trip, a walk when someone gets home, or a final trip outside before bed.

For dark or rainy Northeast Ohio days, keep leashes, visibility gear, waste bags, and a towel together. If weather shortens a walk, add a food puzzle, treat search, short training session, or supervised indoor play instead.

If your pet will be alone longer, practice shorter departures first and increase the time gradually. Watch for repeated pacing, vocalizing, accidents, destructive behavior, appetite changes, hiding, or disrupted sleep.

Medication schedules and medically necessary feeding routines should not be changed without veterinary guidance.

👉🏻 Read the full article for a seven-day reset plan, plus tips for bathroom breaks, sleep, caregiver handoffs, and knowing when a behavior change may deserve a call to your veterinarian.

The Guardians are back on top of the AL Central after Petey Halpin delivered the biggest swing of Wednesday afternoon.

Halpin hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning as Cleveland rallied past the Chicago White Sox, 6-3, at Progressive Field. The win gave the Guardians two victories in the three-game series and moved them into sole possession of first place for the first time since July 3.

Cleveland improved to 78-75 and holds a half-game lead over Chicago at 77-75 as the Guardians continue their push for a third straight division title.

The White Sox took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on Tommy Pham’s three-run homer, but Cleveland answered in the sixth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Halpin drove an elevated sinker into the right-field stands for a 5-3 lead. José Ramírez added an RBI double later in the inning.

Ramírez finished with two doubles, tying Nap Lajoie for second in franchise history with 424 career doubles.

Starter Parker Messick struck out eight and allowed three runs over six innings. Cade Smith recorded the final four outs for his 37th save.

Cleveland gets Thursday off before opening its final home series of the regular season Friday against the Athletics. With the division race entering its final stretch, the Guardians now hold first place in the AL Central.

See the highlights at espn.com

Three local high school sports stories stood out this week: Lake Catholic boys soccer added another shutout, Mentor’s golfers were separated from Shaker Heights by just two strokes, and a pregame football tribute honored the legacy of longtime Cougars coach John Gibbons.

Lake Catholic beat Holy Name 5–0 on Wednesday, September 16, improving to 5–1–3.

It was the Cougars’ fifth shutout in their reported results this season and their second 5–0 victory in eight days. Lake Catholic also blanked Benedictine on September 8 before playing consecutive 2–2 ties against Aurora and West Geauga.

That makes the shutout total one of the clearest themes of Lake Catholic’s season so far.

The Cougars are scheduled to visit Shaker Heights on Saturday, September 19, at 2 p.m.

Before Saturday’s football game, Gilmour Academy senior Bruno Cook presented Lake Catholic coach Marty Gibbons with a flag honoring Marty’s father, longtime Cougars coach John Gibbons, who died in April.

The tribute took place at the John Gibbons Outdoor Athletic Complex. Four of John Gibbons’ grandchildren who attend Lake Catholic also joined family members on the field.

Lake Catholic later defeated Gilmour 14–7.

Mentor boys golf fell 173–171 at Shaker Heights on Wednesday.

Andrew Engler led the Cardinals with a 41. Aiden Curtis, Eric Biro, Matt Andres and Zac Reilley each shot 44, while Nathan Deflorio recorded a 45. Shaker Heights’ Cole Vondriska posted the match’s low score with a 39.

The close result came two days after Mentor defeated Gilmour Academy 161–165.

👉🏻 For the complete Mentor scorecard, Lake Catholic’s recent soccer results and the family story behind Gilmour’s tribute to John Gibbons, continue to the full sports roundup on the website.

🐝 Buzz Fact: Some cats can naturally have two different-colored eyes — basically proving that even nature sometimes says, “Eh, matching is overrated.”
Answer: Google

Now you’re speaking my language… woof!