A special celebration

Joseph V. Regano was considered a stalwart supporter of the community and a visionary in the field of education. As superintendent for 33 years, he led the Solon City School District as it doubled in size and became one of the top-rated districts in the nation, consistently rising to the No.…

This is part three of an occasion series about the history of the Chagrin Valley

Pardon us if we go all Pollyanna on you, but the times we are living through right now are not all that bad. And there is a payoff because in the end, we will be stronger and more resourceful and our country will be better for having survived it all.

It’s no secret that residents of Geauga County are passionate about parks. Some subscribe to the belief that parks should be passive land preserved in perpetuity so native plants and animals can thrive.

Sitting in an airport in mid-June with my husband, Brent, I peeled an orange, and then cleaned my hands with hand sanitizer for the umpteenth time that day. It turns out that, after many applications of hand sanitizer, anything you eat with your hands will taste like hand sanitizer. It was o…

Saturday is the birthday of our country. But this Fourth of July will be different. There will be no large gatherings for concerts or baseball games. Old Glory Day was canceled in Chardon as was the bike parade in Chagrin Falls and fireworks in Solon.

This beloved country of ours has everything you could ever want and a lot of what we do not need. We have got too much stuff and the containers and wrapping they come in.

We are living in a time when the limits of American power are being severely tested. Our adversaries are watching closely. They see us withdrawing from our longstanding leadership role. Eager to fill the vacuum, they are looking for ways to gain leverage, to challenge our strengths and explo…

Watching lightpole issue

This is part two in an occasion series about the history of the Chagrin Valley.

Though summer just started, families are wondering how their school districts will conduct classes for the 2020-2021 academic year. It is a fair question to ask since August, the traditional start date for many area public school districts, is just weeks away.

Residents are breaking the rules again. Townships in Geauga County are seeing their recycling centers littered with garbage, mattresses, old furniture and other junk dumped at the collection sites, sometimes in the dark of night.

In honor of “Short Attention Span Day” – a week or month would be too long – we here at Window Central’s Pane in the Glass Division have scoured the news to bring you an assortment of newsy “things” requiring little or no concentration.

I was 23 years old and had just returned to Cleveland after finishing graduate school. A lifelong dancer, I immediately sought out the best program in town. That led me to the Karamu Concert Dancers, a diverse performing group housed in the famed settlement house on Cleveland’s East 89th Str…

Commissioner crosses line

“Oh, say does that Star-Spangled banner yet wave,

Is the Bull house in Solon turning into a money pit? The house on Bainbridge Road built in 1835 and the city are both named for Lorenzo Solon Bull, son of Isaac Bull, one of the early settlers from Connecticut.

This is one in an occasion series about the history of the Chagrin Valley.

OK, so where do we go from here? Just about everyone with a heart, a brain and a mouth has had their say about the Black Lives Matter rally in Riverside Park two weeks ago and how downtown Chagrin Falls merchants prepared for it.

Ohio House Republicans had no problem some years ago when former Gov. John Kasich appointed his turnpike director, a former marketing and building industry person with no medical training, as state health director.

The protests continue in Chagrin Falls, Pepper Pike, Solon and across the country. Momentum behind the Black Lives Matter movement marches on as people young and old speak out against racism and social injustice. People worldwide took to the streets after 46-year-old George Floyd, a black ma…

Don’t sign petition

Open hearts to God

It was a bitter-sweet gathering last week when cars lined up for a final drive past the stadium and buildings of the Newbury Local School District off Auburn Road.

Prescription for the pandemic

Several weeks ago we asked folks to loan us their memories of life in Chagrin Falls. They were to be quirky, funny, touching little stories of around 200 words. We named the feature “Only in Chagrin Falls.”

Ohio’s best chance for a successful November election is a robust and closely monitored vote-by-mail system. The general election is sure to have a number of important local government, school and county issues. But the presidential race will no doubt draw the spotlight as Republican incumbe…

There is a little pit bull named Shandy at the Cleveland Kennel. He’s all white except for a sprinkling of black spots at the tips of his very tall, very expressive ears. At just 2 years old, he’s described as “full to the brim with excitement” and “a bright dog who picks up well on learning…

Call it a symphony to honor first responders. Church bells tolling. People cheering and a percussion section of spoons clanging rhythmically on pots and pans. That is the plan this year for the Chagrin Valley for the annual First Responders Appreciation Day at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Ray Gaiduk, my 91-year-old father-in-law, grew up during the Great Depression in Cleveland and served in the U.S. Navy before becoming a firefighter. He retired as deputy chief of the East Cleveland Fire Department.

The Chagrin Valley stepped up. Even during a global pandemic, when daily life around the state has been put on pause as we work to contain the contagious coronavirus, area residents managed to raise enough money to save a historical house.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made it clear earlier this week that he is in charge when it comes to policies related to keeping residents safe during this coronavirus pandemic.

Mother’s Day on Sunday will be marked with the traditional cards, candy and flowers, and this year with untraditional virtual celebrations.

Residents against rezoning