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

📰 Local News: 📰 Lake County Adopts New Senior Plan as It Rethinks How Levy Dollars Are Spent

🧑🏻‍🎨 Mentor Seeks Applicant for Community Arts Commission Opening

🌿 EVERGREEN: There’s Still So Much to Look Forward To

⚾ Sports: ⚾ Guards Clinch Playoffs; Central Comes Down to Final Weekend

🏈 Mentor Hosts Cleveland Heights as Callahan, Cards Look to Keep Rolling

🏈 Lake Catholic Opens Conference Play Friday Night at CVCA

🤔 Trivia Question

🤣 Something Funny

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

Lake County has adopted a new four-year senior-services plan, but the bigger story is what could eventually change: how the county decides where senior levy dollars go and whether those programs are meeting residents’ needs.

When Lake County began developing the plan, officials said levy funds had historically been distributed using fixed percentages among providers. The county wanted to examine a more data-driven approach that considers measurable results, community impact, service gaps and provider performance.

The pressure is growing. Lake County reported in 2025 that 68,715 residents — 29.6% of the county population — were age 60 or older, while approximately $4.6 million in senior levy funding was distributed among 20 organizations.

That has a direct Mentor connection. The Mentor Senior Center is a current levy recipient, while other levy-funded organizations provide services including meals, transportation, home repair, in-home assistance, Adult Protective Services and other support used by older adults throughout Lake County.

For residents, this does not mean the Mentor Senior Center is losing funding or that existing services are being cut.

Instead, the newly adopted 2026–2029 plan gives Lake County a framework for deciding whether future dollars should follow historic funding patterns or be directed more closely toward demonstrated needs and results.

The important part comes next: how those priorities translate into actual funding and services.

Source: Lake County Senior Services and Lake County Commissioners’ Office

The City of Mentor is accepting applications from residents interested in serving on the Community Arts Commission.

The opening is for one Mentor elector to fill an unexpired three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2026. The position is voluntary.

Residents interested in being considered must submit an application and current résumé to the Clerk of Council. The requirement is outlined in Section 115.28 of the Mentor Code of Ordinances.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. For residents looking for an opportunity to become more involved in the community, the opening offers a chance to serve on one of Mentor’s volunteer commissions.

Questions about the position or application process can be directed to Clerk of Council Julie A. Schiavoni at 440-974-5700 or [email protected].

Applications and additional information are available in the City of Mentor’s official notice.

The memories you treasure matter. But there’s still room for new favorites, new traditions and experiences you haven’t had yet.

There’s something comforting about looking back.

The vacations you still talk about. The holiday traditions everyone knew by heart. The friendships that lasted decades. The ordinary afternoons that somehow became treasured memories.

Those experiences deserve to be remembered. But they don’t have to become evidence that the best part of life is over.

One of the quiet opportunities of getting older is realizing that meaningful experiences don’t need to look the way they once did.

A new tradition might be breakfast with a friend once a month instead of a packed holiday gathering. An adventure might be exploring a nearby town instead of crossing the country. A worthwhile goal might be learning to make one great loaf of bread, growing tomatoes, joining a group, picking up an old hobby or finally reading the books waiting on the shelf.

Small doesn’t mean insignificant.

And new experiences don’t compete with old memories. They can sit alongside them.

That may be especially important when life changes. Families grow and scatter. Routines shift. Some friendships fade while unexpected ones begin. The calendar can look different than it did 10 or 20 years ago.

Different, however, doesn’t have to mean empty.

So here’s a simple question worth asking: What is one thing you would still like to create, learn or experience?

Don’t worry about making it impressive. Give it a place on the calendar instead.

Call the friend. Take the class. Visit the place. Start the project. Make the reservation. Try something you’ve wondered about.

Nostalgia gives us wonderful places to revisit.

But life can still give us places we’ve never been.

And somewhere among the ordinary days ahead may be a favorite memory you haven’t made yet.

👉🏻 Continue to the full Evergreen: What might still be waiting for you? In this week’s full Evergreen, we explore simple ways to make room for new traditions, friendships, interests and memories — and one question that can help you decide where to begin.

The Cleveland Guardians are officially headed back to October — but the AL Central is still up for grabs.

Cleveland clinched its third consecutive postseason appearance Thursday night with a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Angel Martínez provided the only run with his 18th homer of the season.

Joey Cantillo delivered five scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit after Daniel Espino worked the opening inning. Cantillo has now thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings since moving out of the rotation. Cade Smith struck out the side in the ninth for his Major League-leading 41st save.

Now the focus shifts to the final weekend.

The Guardians enter their last three games 83-76, one game ahead of the 82-77 Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. Cleveland finishes with three games at Kansas City, while Chicago hosts Colorado.

Chicago owns the season-series tiebreaker, so Cleveland must finish with a better record than the White Sox to win the division. There would be no additional tiebreaker game.

A Guardians sweep would clinch the Central regardless of Chicago’s results. If Cleveland goes 2-1, one White Sox loss would be enough. If the Guardians go 1-2, they would need Chicago to lose twice.

The stakes are significant. Winning the AL Central would give Cleveland the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye into the American League Division Series.

If Chicago overtakes Cleveland, the Guardians are still safely in the postseason and would move into a wild-card position.

October baseball is guaranteed.

Now Cleveland has three games to decide whether it also gets another AL Central championship — and a much easier path into the postseason.

See highlights at espn.com. Reporting sources: MLB.com and Associated Press game coverage.

Mentor returns to Jerome T. Osborne Stadium Friday night with a chance to remain unbeaten in Greater Cleveland Conference play when the Cardinals host Cleveland Heights.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. Mentor enters at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the GCC, while Cleveland Heights is 1-4 and 1-1 in conference play.

The Cardinals have responded strongly since their Week 3 loss to St. Ignatius, beating Brunswick 63-18 and Riverside 35-14.

One of the biggest reasons to watch Mentor's offense Friday is the emergence of running back Braylon Callahan. According to the News-Herald, Callahan has recorded three straight 100-yard games after beginning the season sidelined by injury, rushing for 373 yards and eight touchdowns during that stretch. He ran for 113 yards and three scores against Riverside last week. Yahoo Sports

That running threat complements quarterback Brogan Jones and leading receiver Logan Berwald. The News-Herald credits Jones with 1,303 passing yards and Berwald with 29 catches for 502 yards entering Friday.

Cleveland Heights shouldn't be dismissed because of its record. After scoring in single digits in each of its first three games, the Tigers have averaged 29.5 points over their past two, according to the News-Herald.

For Mentor, watch the start. Controlling the line of scrimmage, continuing to establish Callahan and preventing Cleveland Heights from finding early offensive confidence could be critical.

There's a postseason angle, too: Mentor enters Week 6 No. 1 in Division I, Region 1 in the first OHSAA computer ratings.

A victory would move the Cardinals to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in GCC play before next week's road game at Strongsville.

See what to watch Friday night as Mentor looks to stay unbeaten in GCC play.

Source attribution: Mentor Athletics, OHSAA, MaxPreps and the News-Herald.

Lake Catholic begins North Coast Conference play Friday night with a challenging road test against defending conference champion Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.

The Cougars (2-3) and Royals (3-2) kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at Royals Stadium in Cuyahoga Falls. Both teams also compete in OHSAA Division III, Region 9 this season, giving the matchup significance beyond the conference standings.

Lake Catholic has spent most of the season playing on a razor-thin margin. After a 41-7 opening loss to Cardinal Mooney, the Cougars beat Avon Lake 14-13, lost to Buchtel 14-13, defeated Gilmour 14-7 and fell to Benedictine 6-0. That means Lake Catholic’s last four games have been decided by a combined 10 points.

CVCA brings a different profile. The Royals have scored 132 points while allowing 50 through five games and enter Friday on a two-game winning streak after beating Garfield 34-0 and Boardman 28-7. Against Boardman, CVCA rushed for more than 200 yards among four primary ball carriers and scored all four touchdowns on the ground.

The matchup is also a rematch of last year’s conference opener, when CVCA won 28-21 at Lake Catholic. The Royals eventually completed an undefeated regular season, won the NCC and advanced to the Division III state semifinals.

What to watch: Lake Catholic’s defense has kept the Cougars within striking distance, but the offense has scored 14 points or fewer in every game. Finding enough offense while slowing CVCA’s physical running game could determine whether the Cougars can open conference play with a road win.

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Answer: Google

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