LATEST LOCAL NEWS

Bentleyville, Chagrin Falls, Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills, Orange & Pepper Pike

City voters will decide on Nov. 4 whether to rezone land next to City Hall allowing Pepper Pike officials to build a new police station.

Issue 87 would rezone 1.6 acres of city-owned land on 28150 Shaker Blvd. from single-family housing to public buildings. Residents must approve all rezoning issues in the city, according to Pepper Pike's charter.

The decision to build a new police station is part of a master plan for City Hall that was commissioned by City Council, Akers said.

The existing police station, which is currently at the east end of City Hall, 28000 Shaker Blvd., is the first priority in the master plan, Mayor Bruce Akers said. The department's quarter's are cramped because of an increase in personnel and communications equipment.

David Kutner, new consul general of Israel to the Midwest Region, will be the featured speaker when the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland holds a community forum at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 16) at The Temple-Tifereth Israel, 26000 Shaker Blvd.

Kutner will share his views of current affairs in Israel and the Middle East. He will be interviewed by David Adler, chair of the Federation Community Relations Committee's Israel Action Committee, and questions will be taken from the audience.

A native of Argentina, Kutner emigrated to Israel in 1973. He has held several positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Center for Political Research.

A dessert reception will follow the program. The cost is $10, and reservations are required. Call (216) 566-9200, Ext. 502.

Chagrin Falls has been selected as one of the state's "best hometowns" by Ohio Magazine.

The village will be featured on the cover of a special collector's edition of the November issue.

To determine the honorees, Ohio Magazine solicited nominations and conducted site visits across the state. The editors chose five communities based on six criteria: community spirit, education, entertainment, health and safety, business and culture and heritage. The four other honorees are Athens, Troy, Dublin and Perrysburg.

To celebrate this honor, Chagrin Falls will host a Best Hometown Reception from 1-3 p.m. Nov. 2, at Town Hall, 83 N. Main St. Mayor Thomas Brick will receive the Ohio Best Hometown award from Publisher and Editor Richard Osborne.

Chagrin Falls couldn't stop the Aurora offense all night as the Tigers lost to the Greenmen, 49-27, Friday night at C.S. Harris Stadium.

The victory puts Aurora into sole possession of first place in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division. The Tigers fell to 6-2, 4-1 while the Greenmen are 6-2, 5-0.

Chagrin Falls fell behind 13-0, but pulled within 13-6 on a 4-yard touchdown run by Sean Kuenzig.

Aurora answered with a 69-yard touchdown pass from Brendan Gallagher to Steve Snyder for a 21-6 lead.

The Tigers got right back in the game when Chris Trinetti hit Matt Geraci on a 7-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-13.

However, Aurora scored the next three touchdowns to take a commanding 42-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Trinetti finished 16 of 24 for 207 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also had a 10-yard touchdown run.

Geraci caught six passes for 86 yards and one touchdown.

Gallagher led Aurora with 11 of 14 passing for 251 yards and three touchdowns. Steven Yung rushed 14 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

Applebee's Neighborhood Grill is hosting a "Coupons for a Cause" fundraiser this month to benefit The Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Applebee's guests can purchase $1 raffle tickets to win an autographed jersey from LeBron James or Joshua Cribbs or a $5 coupon book. The 38 Applebee's restaurants in Northeast Ohio are hoping to raise $84,000, which will help grant the wishes of 14 children in Northern Ohio. On the east side, Applebee's has restaurants in Garfield Heights, Lyndhurst, Macedonia, Solon, University Heights and Willoughby.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants around 150 wishes each year to Northern Ohio children with life-threatening medical conditions. The wish requests range from meeting professional athletes to traveling to Walt Disney World.

City voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to amend the commercial sign regulations in Pepper Pike's planning and zoning code.

Issue 86 will spell out specifics for sign regulations in commercial districts and remove the ambiguity that is in the code, said Councilwoman Paulette Morganstern, who introduced the legislation.

The proposed amendment would define general regulations for all signs and specific regulations for office-building signs and retail-building signs.

The general regulations would ban the use of any type of flashing, blinking or moving lights. No temporary signs or cloth or paper signs would be allowed.

The proposed amendment would also ban billboards or other advertising signs, sign boards and directories.

Area residents can enjoy a spook-tacular October by visiting a haunted house at the Chagrin Falls Township Hall, 83 N. Main St.

The Chagrin Valley Jaycees are hosting "Main Street Terror" from 7-10 p.m. on three weekends this month. The haunted house will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 10-12), Oct. 17-19 and Oct. 24-26.

Tickets are $5 per person. The haunted house is only open to ages 10 and older. Call the Jaycees at (440) 247-1004.

It's here.

An alien species has come to Northeast Ohio, choking out all natural life around it.

The invaders aren't little green men in flying saucers, but an invasive plant species with beautiful purple flowers.

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) has been spotted along Shaker Boulevard in Pepper Pike and Beachwood. The plant, which can destroy Ohio's natural wetlands environment, is classified as an invasive species by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Each year, workers remove purple loosestrife from Beachwood City Park, said Chris Arrietta, superintendent of public parks and grounds.

"We manually eradicate it every year," he said. "It's a highly invasive species and if we don't keep track of it can really take over the wetland areas in our park."

Loosestrife thrives in wet areas and it can easily take over marshes, streams and river banks, said Greg Schneider, a botanist with ODNR's division of natural areas and preserves. Loosestrife chokes out all the natural plants in a wetlands environment and reduces habitat for native waterfowl.