Top 10 stories of 2021

While the COVID-19 pandemic and its many residual effects continued to loom this year, other Medina County stories ranging from uplifting to tragic managed to grab the attention of Gazette readers and reporters. Whether through heartbreak or triumph, these are the 10 stories that helped define 2021 in Medina County. 1. Medina native Matt Amodio enjoys record "Jeopardy!" run Medina native Matt Amodio secured his 38 consecutive wins on "Jeopardy!," the second-longest win streak in show history behind Ken Jennings' 74. Amodio answered more than 1,000 questions correctly and amassed over $1.5 million in collective winnings. The Yale University doctoral candidate in computer science offered praise for Medina City Schools during his winning streak and told the Associated Press, "You can't do it without reading. So on a regular basis, I just fall into a rabbit hole of Wikipedia links and every article opens up 20 more things that I have questions about. "This is just how I spend my day or my nights when I'm done working," he said. "I did change one thing for preparation for the show, though, because I don't necessarily find culture to be super-interesting. I'm a historian at heart and I like learning about culture maybe 40 years, 50 years later. I like looking at it in the rearview mirror." 2. Medina High School's Drew Allar named 2021 Mr. Football Medina senior quarterback Drew Allar was named winner of the 35th annual Ohio Mr. Football award by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Allar has committed to Penn State and led Medina to the Division I, Region 1 final, where the Bees lost to eventual state champion St. Edward. "I'm super grateful for the honor and super excited about it, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates and coaches," Allar said. "It wasn't just me. We had a great team and a great coaching staff. That's why we were so successful. "I don't think my teammates got enough credit for what they did. It always got circled back to me, and I don't think that was fair to them. Without them, I couldn't have done anything that I did this year." This past season, Allar completed 305 of 509 passes (.599) for 4,444 yards, 48 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 128 carries for 382 yards and nine TDs as Medina finished 13-1.The Bees broke the 1922 and 1923 program record for victories in a season (10) and won the Greater Cleveland Conference to capture their first league title since 1973. Allar, who plans to begin attending Penn State in January upon completion of his Medina coursework, is the second Medina County player to win the Mr. Football award. He joins Wadsworth quarterback Joey Baughman, who was selected in 2017 and is now playing at Elon University in North Carolina. Originated in 1987, previous Mr. Football winners have included Euclid's Robert Smith (1988, '89), St. Henry's Bobby Hoying ('90), Fremont Ross' Charles Woodson ('94), Westerville South's Andy Katzenmoyer ('95), Warren Harding's Maurice Clarett (2001), Copley's Delone Carter ('05), Mentor's Mitch Trubisky ('12) and The Plains Athens' Joe Burrow ('14). 3. Mass vaccination clinics welcome seniors to start the year Ohio residents ages 70 and older and employees in most school districts became eligible for vaccination in early 2021, opening the door for large-scale local clinics set up by the Medina County Health Department. Long lines were observed at the area's initial clinics held at the Medina County Fairgrounds with patients scheduled in five-minute time slots. Those who offered comments to The Gazette, including 100-year-old Evelyn Byers of Wadsworth, expressed relief over gaining a level of protection against severe COVID-19 symptoms. "Anyone who refuses to take this shot is foolish," Byers said in February. "It will save your life. If you take the shot it will save your life and save others' lives. It isn't just about you. I don't see any reasoning behind not taking the shot. I'm happy to have it and happy people are here to help me get it." Bob Byers, Evelyn's son, said one of her elderly neighbors died from COVID-19 around Thanksgiving 2020. "My mom has religiously gotten flu shots for years and she rarely gets sick," he said. "She's 100 years old, so there's a message in there about preventative care, like today, and just taking care of yourself. People should recognize that. It's stunning to think of people out there who are against the idea of getting this." His wife, Liz, retired from Summa Health in 2019 and worked at its Wadsworth Road facility for more than 30 years dating back to its days as Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital. "Like (Evelyn) said, you don't just get this shot for yourself, you do it for those around you," she said. "You do it so you don't spread it and you do it for your community. That's all there is to it. I had a cousin, 37 years old, who died in the swine flu outbreak. She had an 11-year-old and an 8-year-old who were left without a mother. That makes me think a lot about what families have been going through today." Since wider rollout of vaccine availability, 64.2 percent of Medina County residents have had at least one dose while 60.47 percent are considered to be fully immunized. As of Thursday, 49,331 vaccine doses in addition to earlier one- or two-dose cycles had been administered locally, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 4. One death, multiple injuries in Dragway 42 shooting A June 13 shooting at West Salem's Dragway 42 racetrack, 9161 Rainbow Highway, left one man dead and multiple bystanders with injuries. Jonathan Paul Roman Perez of Cleveland has been charged with murder and felonious assault and awaits a 2022 trial in Wayne County, according to court documents. Gunfire that evening took the life of 33-year-old Luis Cuevas, of Cleveland, a bystander who'd reportedly come to Dragway 42 to take part in that night's Import Face-Off series. At least two people injured in the shooting including Cuevas were transported by ambulance in its immediate aftermath. Cuevas died during that trip to the hospital, according to officials. Additional racetrack guests were reportedly taken for treatment or sought medical aid through their own means of transportation. According to investigators and bystanders, the shooting stemmed from Perez driving his truck recklessly in the site's gravel parking lot, kicking up rocks and dirt at those nearby. Perez then reportedly stepped out to confront other racetrack guests and fired at least one shot into the crowd. A widely shared bystander video of the shooting included a cluster of audible gunshots just after the initial one rang out. At least one person in the crowd is suspected to have fired back at Perez. 5. Medina High School cross country coach Milt Place dies suddenly, remembered by community A heart ailment claimed the life of Medina High School boys cross country coach Milt Place, 69, on Aug. 22. One week later, the sudden and jarring loss brought hundreds to the Medina High School gymnasium to honor the beloved 29-year faculty member with stories and musical dedications. Thunderstorms forced proceedings into the gymnasium and away from original event plans at Ken Dukes Stadium, but the smaller venue did not take away from attendance that packed bleachers and overflowed into surrounding hallways. Place died after having an abdominal aortic aneurysm — the rupturing of the largest blood vessel that runs from the heart through the center of the chest and abdomen. Following graduation from Tiffin Columbian High School in 1970, Place returned to campus to establish a girls cross country program and later founded the Tiffin Cross Country Festival. Upon coming to Medina City Schools in 1992, Place started the Medina Cross Country Festival and served as its director every year since. The event now attracts thousands of young athletes from across the region and was referenced by numerous memorial speakers. Place also taught science, math and language arts during his career at Medina Schools. Place's career also included 10 Gazette coach of the year awards and four hall of fame inductions with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Ohio Association of Track & Cross Country Coaches, Adams State University and Medina City Schools. He also received the special "Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award" from the Ohio High School Athletic Association. 6. Joe Tait, "Voice of the Cavaliers," dies in March Joe Tait, voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers for 39 years, died March 10 at age 83, succumbing to liver cancer and kidney disease. He resided on Coon Club Road in Lafayette Township and had manned the public address microphone at Cloverleaf High School basketball games as recently as 2020. Born May 15, 1937, in Evanston, Illinois, Tait became the radio voice of the Cavs during their first season in 1970-71. He had a two-year break when then-owner Ted Stepien got rid of him in 1981-83. However, he returned when Gordon Gund purchased the team and worked through the 2010-11 season when he retired. His name was synonymous with the team, and he called many of the major moments in team history including the "Miracle of Richfield" in 1976, The Shot by Michael Jordan in 1989 and the Cavs' first trip to the NBA Finals in 2007. Tait's last game was April 13, 2011 — the last of 3,100 games in his illustrious career. Section 126 in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will always be known as the "Joe Tait Perch." Before earning the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2010, Tait was elected to the Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1992 and received its C.S. Williams Founders Award for long and meritorious service in broadcasting in 1996 and its Legacy Award in 2004. He was named Sportscaster of the Year in Ohio in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2004. 7. Wadsworth Township man rescued from frozen pond On Feb. 4, a 22-person rescue team saved the life of 67-year-old Wadsworth Township resident Timothy Yarman, who'd fallen through the ice about 75 feet from shore while fishing at River Styx Park in Guilford Township. The Medina County Sheriff's Office Communication Center received a 911 call at 10:59 a.m. that morning about a male yelling for help at the park. Initially, the caller was unable to see from where the man was yelling, but suspected he was an ice fisherman who had fallen into the water. As the good Samaritan ran toward the pond, he discovered Yarman had fallen through the ice roughly 75 feet from shore. Seville-Guilford fire and EMS was dispatched to the scene, along with the Medina County All Hazards Team, Medina County Park Rangers, Medina County Sheriff's deputies, Montville police and Seville police. When first responders arrived, they saw Yarman in the pond clinging to the ice. Law enforcement officers first deployed throw ropes in an effort to bring Yarman to shore. Due to his condition, that was not possible. Members of the Seville-Guilford Fire/EMS Department arrived on scene wearing rescue suits and immediately entered the water, with the assistance of law enforcement on the shore manning the rope lines, ready to pull them all in. Within four minutes of the rescuers entering the ice, Yarman, who by this time was screaming as heard on the 911 call, was brought to shore. He later was flown to Akron General Hospital by helicopter within 38 minutes of the call and released soon thereafter. Yarman got the chance to meet and thank his Seville-Guilford fire and EMS rescuers later in 2021. The incident was the third recorded locally inside of a week that involved an individual falling through ice. 8. Tensions grow at area school board meetings COVID-19 safety measures including students' use of face masks and remote learning periods inspired fierce debate at school board meetings across the county, spelling multiple-hour sessions and instances of visitors being escorted out. Upon surges in virus infections and quarantines in August at the start of the academic term, student mask mandates were handed down in districts including Wadsworth, Medina and Cloverleaf before being replaced with individual building absence thresholds. Those opposing mask mandates have filed federal lawsuits against school administrators in districts including Medina and Cloverleaf. 9. Medina man gets life sentences for murder of wife, mother-in-law Robert Dick, of Medina, was sentenced to two life sentences amounting to at least 50 years in prison Aug. 6, exactly one year after murdering his wife and mother-in-law. Dick, 53, fatally shot his 46-year-old wife, Pamela, and her 84-year-old mother, Lillian Cox, on Aug. 6, 2020, at the family's home, 605 Lafayette Road, Medina. He avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty. Medina police learned of the shooting when Dick's 17-year-old son, who had fled the house and hid behind a nearby warehouse trash container, called 911 that day at 4:37 p.m. and calmly detailed what went on inside the home to a 911 operator. The Medina County SWAT team responded to the crime scene and entered the home, where the two women were found dead. However, Dick was nowhere to be found. A call was issued for Dick's 2016 white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, which was soon found abandoned in West Salem. While on foot, he enlisted the help of a passing motorist who gave him a ride. Police say an argument ensued, leading to Dick pulling a .38-caliber revolver on the man, who managed to get away. Investigators also learned that two children were traveling with the driver when he encountered Dick. After a lengthy search, Dick was found hiding in a wooded area near Dragway 42 and was taken into custody without incident by Wayne County sheriff's deputies. Officials said that Dick's heavy alcohol use also played into the murders, also citing multiple domestic violence arrests in Wadsworth that occurred between 2004 and 2015. 10. Brunswick Schools passes emergency operating levy After multiple failed ballot attempts, Brunswick City Schools passed a 10-year, 5.9-mill emergency operating levy that helped avoid stated fiscal pitfalls. Beginning next school year, when the district will begin collecting on the levy, it will bring in $3.76 million in fiscal year 2022, with $7.53 million projected for 2023, 2024 and 2025. The forecast projects the district's revenues to exceed its expenses in 2022, 2023 and 2024, with 2025 being the nearest year where expenses could outpace revenues. Funding from the levy also is estimated to help increase the unreserved funds the district has at the end of each fiscal year, beginning in 2022 ($13.04 million) and going into 2023 ($15.24 million) and 2024 ($15.73 million). The fund is expected to see a slight decrease in 2025, going to $14.07 million. Had the levy not passed, the reality for the district would have been drastically different. As part of the financial "Plan B" that was submitted to the state should the levy have failed, the district would have needed to cut $3 million in 2022 and $3.5 million a year in 2023-25. The closing of an elementary school, cutting busing to 2-mile state minimums and laying off dozens of staff members would have been needed to make those cuts, according to officials. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.