News Briefs Week of 3/29/2021

BBQ fundraiser
Mike Lopinski, of Lake Erie BBQ, is helping with the New Sportsman Club’s annual fundraisers by donating all profits from two fish fry events back to the club.
Fish fries will be held Saturdays, March 27 and April 17 from 3-6 p.m. or until sold out, at the club, located at 1420 Woodville Rd., Millbury. The fish fries will include perch dinners and two sides for $15. There will also be 50/50 and prize raffles.
The club has been open since 1953. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club hasn't been able to have its wild game dinner, which generates the majority of its funds.
For more info, follow Lake Erie BBQ’s Facebook page @LakeErieBBQ and follow The New Sportsman Club on their website, www.nscmillbury.com.

Theatre auditions
Fremont Community Theatre has scheduled auditions for two upcoming shows.
Auditions for “Post-its, (Notes on a Marriage), written by Paul Dooley and Winnie Holzman, will be held Sunday, March 28 at 7 p.m. in person at the theatre, 1559 Dickinson St., Fremont, or via Zoom. The cast includes one male and one female.
Auditions for “A Virtual Whodunnit,” by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus, will be held Monday, March 29 at 7 p.m. in person or via Zoom. The cast includes five males and four females. Visit https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/a-virtual-whodunnit to view a synopsis or read an excerpt.
Performance dates for both productions are May 21, 22 and 23.
In-person auditions will be limited to 10 people. Masks must be worn and social distancing guidelines will be observed. Those interested in auditioning online may email their name, phone number and preferred email address to Tim Bolton at f.c.t@att.net.

Sheehy applauds
committee passage
of Line 5 Resolution
State Rep. Michael Sheehy (D-Oregon) on March 23 announced the passage of House Resolution (HR) 13 from the House Transportation and Public Safety Committee in a 12-0 vote.
HR 13 urges Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Director of Natural Resources Dan Eichinger to make all efforts to keep Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 operating.
“I am pleased the Transportation and Public Safety Committee has passed HR 13. Enbridge Energy has already been working to replace the section of Line 5 that lays on the lakebed of the Mackinac Straits with a new line enclosed in a tunnel hundreds of feet below the water. Line 5 services two refineries in Oregon, Ohio that employ over 1,000 people and hundreds more contractors. The closure of Line 5 prior to the tunnel’s completion will disproportionately affect working class families and communities who rely on good-paying union jobs,” Sheehy said.
In November 2020, Gov. Whitmer terminated the 68-year-old easement that allowed Enbridge to operate and maintain the Line 5 pipeline, and ordered its closure by May 2021. Critics of the move say the closure of Line 5 will disrupt the transportation of fuels throughout the region. Northwest Ohio houses a major source of jet fuel for several regional and international airports, particularly Detroit and Cleveland.
HR 13 will move to the House Floor for consideration.

Easter Extravaganza
S.T.A.R.S (Standing Together Against Real Slavery), in collaboration with Unity United Methodist Church, will hold the 8th Annual Easter Extravaganza Saturday, April 3, from 2-4 p.m. at 1910 E. Broadway, Northwood.
“We are looking for sponsors to partner with us in making this event a success,” said EleSondra “Ele” DeRomano, S.T.A.R.S. executive director. “Due to COVID-19, normalcy as we know it is starting to come back, but we feel very strongly that we need to step up and make this year very special and still safe for the children.”
Organizers are looking for donations of hot dogs, chips and juice, which will be provided to children attending the event. The Easter Bunny will also be on hand for photographs. COVID-19 safety practices will be in place.
Other donations being sought are candy, coloring books, crayons, balls, cupcakes and cookies, $10 restaurant gift cards for distribution to kids ages 13-17.
In addition, volunteers are sought to decorate their vehicle trunks and to pass out Easter candy.
Monetary contributions may be sent to S.T.A.R.S., 1910 E. Broadway, Northwood, OH 43619.
Drive-up drop-off for donations will be held Wednesday, March 31 and Friday, April 1, at 1910 E. Broadway.
For more details, call DeRomano at 419-280-2451 or Pastor Jim Nevel at 567-938-9816.

School funding
is still unfair,
senator says
State Senator Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, released the following statement on the 24th anniversary of the landmark Ohio Supreme Court ruling that deemed Ohio’s school funding system unconstitutional.
“It has been nearly a quarter of a century since the first court ruling in DeRolph vs. the State of Ohio. Fixing Ohio’s unconstitutional school funding system is long overdue and should be our top priority in the budget. Our schools simply cannot wait any longer for sufficient funding, especially as they try to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Adequately funded public schools are the key to ensuring equal educational opportunity for all students. I urge the leadership of both the House and Senate to swiftly pass House Bill 1 to finally provide fair, adequate and equitable funding to Ohio schools.”
HB 1 has had one hearing in the House Finance committee since its introduction in early February.

Icahn employees on
FirstEnergy board
FirstEnergy Corp. has announced it has entered into an agreement with Icahn Capital to add two new members to the company's board of directors.
Following the additions, FirstEnergy's board will have 14 directors.
Under the agreement, FirstEnergy has appointed Andrew Teno and Jesse Lynn, both of whom are employees of Icahn Capital, to the board effective March 18.
FirstEnergy has also agreed to include Teno and Lynn on its recommended slate of nominees for election at the company's upcoming annual meeting of shareholders.
The appointments are subject to regulatory approvals. Consequently, until regulatory approvals are received, the two Icahn Capital directors will not have voting rights.
The agreement also includes provisions regarding voting and other matters, and also provides that Icahn and his associates will not exercise substantial influence or control over FirstEnergy or any of its subsidiaries.
The agreement will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Turnpike work
season starting
The Ohio Turnpike starts its 2021 construction season this month with a $205 million capital improvement program that includes projects throughout northern Ohio.
“We’ll be making significant progress this year constructing much of the infrastructure necessary to modernize our toll collection system,” said Executive Director Ferzan M. Ahmed. “Customers have been asking for a modern toll road and we’re excited that our plan is now underway. In 2023, our new Open Road Tolling system will debut with all gates removed for our E-ZPass customers, Ahmed added.”
Infrastructure improvements include pavement replacement and resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation and construction of a new Toll Plaza in Swanton. The plaza at exit 49 will be one of four new or reconstructed plazas that will serve as the linchpin of the new system.
In Sandusky County, overhead bridge deck removal and rehabilitation is planned at the turnpike ramp over State Rt. 53 - exit 91; Fangboner Road, and the ramp over the turnpike at exit 91.
The work is scheduled to start April 6 and involves the removal of the turnpike ramp bridge over Route 53; replacing that ramp bridge and the Route 53 interchange with a roundabout; the deck replacement of the ramp over the turnpike mainline at exit 91; and the deck replacement of the Fangboner Road bridge over the turnpike mainline at milepost 91.
Traffic will be maintained on all roads, bridges and the turnpike mainline. A contract for $4.8 million for the work was awarded to Kokosing Construction, Inc.
The estimated completion date is Oct. 31, 2021.

Refuge to hire
maintenance
employees
The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge has been selected to hire three new maintenance positions funded through the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law in 2020.
The act uses revenues from energy development to provide funding for maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure at national wildlife refuges, national parks, forests and recreation areas.
The Ottawa refuge was one of the national wildlife refuges chosen to host a group of maintenance professionals that will utilize heavy equipment for earthwork activities and conduct basic carpentry, masonry, plumbing and electrical work to improve infrastructure facilities across the refuge system.
The new maintenance positions will be based at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, in Oak Harbor, Ohio and support projects across the upper midwest.
The positions will offer a competitive salary and full federal benefits, including paid annual leave, sick leave and federal holidays. Applications for these new positions will be accepted in early April through USAJobs, the federal government hiring website.
For information call Karl Fleming 419-343-6793.

Farm assistance
program revamped
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the department of agriculture is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.
The new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers—will reach a broader set of producers than in previous COVID-19 aid programs. The department is dedicating at least $6 billion toward the new programs. The department will also develop rules for new programs that will put a greater emphasis on outreach to small and socially disadvantaged producers, specialty crop and organic producers, timber harvesters, as well as provide support for the food supply chain and producers of renewable fuel.
The department will re-open sign-up for CFAP 2 for at least 60 days beginning April 5.

Drug, weapons sweep
The Ohio State Highway Patrol made 21 arrests for illegal weapons and 246 arrests for drug offenses during a recent multi-state enforcement operation.
In all, the five law enforcement agencies participating in the operation conducted 539 drug arrests and 78 for illegal weapon violations.
State troopers from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and W. Virginia participated in the effort, which began March 11 and ended March 13.
In Ohio, troopers stopped a vehicle on I-80 in Sandusky County and a search uncovered 63 pounds of marijuana. In Hancock County, a traffic stop on I-75 uncovered 66 pounds of marijuana. Meth and firearms were found in stops in Galia and Scioto counties.
Ohio led the states in drug arrests and Michigan led in illegal weapon violations with 28.

Pipeline resolution
State senators Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, have introduced Senate Resolution 41, urging the Governor of Michigan to keep the Enbridge Line 5 open for business.
Line 5 is an oil pipeline connecting Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. A shutdown could trigger the loss of more than 1,200 refining jobs at PBF Energy Toledo Refining Co., and BP-Husky Toledo Refinery and a $5.4 billion in economic impact