Dance good for preserving local families

BOUQUETS >> To the Ambassador Brothers of Lorain County for presenting its second Father and Daughter Dance on June 17.

Fathers and their daughters walked the red carpet as they entered the Lorain County Community College Spitzer Conference Center in Elyria.

Event coordinator T.J. Staton said the event originated in 2016 after Ambassador Brothers members said they wished they had something like this when they were growing up.

Staton said, “It was something that was brought to the table and we did it, because there was nothing like this around. It was kind of an event where we would just see how it goes.”

The dance received a great reception last year, even causing a venue change to accommodate its growth.

This year, about 200 fathers and daughters participated — 60 more than last year. The daughters ranged in ages from 5 to 40 years old.

The guests enjoyed dancing, food and prizes.

Aric Bowens, president of the Ambassador Brothers, accompanied his 10-year-old daughter, Aris.

Bowens said, “This is such a great experience for fathers and their daughters.

“I’m looking forward to having some fun with my own daughter.”

We applaud the Ambassador Brothers for helping to build and maintain strong fatherdaughter relationships.

BOUQUETS»To the volunteers who maintain the Moises Velez Memorial Garden, 2900 Pearl Ave. in South Lorain.

What’s remarkable about this group of men and women are they grow fruits and vegetables and then donate the produce to residents at no charge. That’s correct, free. Hollie McGuire said the initiative started in 2016 with a desire to enrich the space known as the Moses Velez Memorial Garden.

The garden is in memory of Moises Velez, a 22-year-old Lorain man who was murdered in July 2011.

Featuring 10 beds that are 20 feet long, this year, the group is growing peppers, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, summer squash and cantaloupe.

The organizers are seeking more volunteers and donations for equipment.

They especially are in need of mulch and soil to make the garden’s base more nutrientrich to allow their produce to grow.

McGuire said the garden was her opportunity to shed some light on the city and hopes the project will bring the community together.

We applaud the commitment of McGuire and her volunteers who are providing healthy food for some of the residents and memorializing a man who tragically lost his life.

BRICKBATS » To Emil J. Bayus, the 54-year-old Amherst man who Lorain police say robbed the Northwest Bank branch at 3660 Oberlin Ave. on June 2.

Police said Bayus was apprehended June 17 in Pensacola, Fla.

Bayus has been on the lam since the Lorain bank was robbed.

The U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task force had named Bayus a Fugitive of the Week.

But now, Bayus finds himself in more trouble.

According to Pensacola police, Bayus was driving a blue Chevrolet Equinox that matched a description of a vehicle used in the armed robbery of a Sun Trust Bank branch.

Pensacola authorities said the suspect in that robbery, Louis Martin Cillo, 60, was taken into custody at a residence in Milton, Fla., and was charged with armed bank robbery.

Pensacola police Sgt. Greg Stone said Cillo also is a suspect in the bank robbery that occurred in Ohio, and could face charges along with Bayus in that case.

Bayus needs to find better friends.

BRICKBATS » To Milous Keith of Columbus, after he was sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 35 years, for fatally shooting his young niece and wounding his nephew when he tried to “quiet them.”

A judge sentenced Keith, 60, on June 15 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Keith pleaded guilty to a murder charge for killing 12-yearold Cheyenne Stewart and felonious assault for wounding 10-year-old Thaijaun Green. Authorities say he shot them July 17, 2016, at his mother’s Columbus home.

The prosecutor says Keith shot them “to quiet them down.”

Keith told the judge he had too much alcohol.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Keith’s attorney, Dustin Blake, said Keith was extremely intoxicated that day, “but that didn’t make it right.”

Blake is correct in his assessment, and the judge, in our opinion, also made the proper decision by sentencing Keith to life in prison with no chance of parole for 35 years.