Great to see kids in positive activities

BOUQUETS >> To the organizers of the Lorain Junior Olympics, who gave youngsters a chance to compete in positive sports Aug. 19, just days before the start of the school year.

The activities took place at Leavitt Homes, located near the corner of Leavitt Road and West 21st Street in Lorain.

The young athletes competed for first-, second- and third-place trophies in the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, long jump, obstacle courses, basketball and dancing.

Stacey Charlton, who has lived in Leavitt Homes for 15 years, said the Junior Olympics was much more than a competition.

For several of the men who have lived in the housing complex, the event gave them an opportunity to give back to the community.

Charlton also manned a tent in the middle of the action with his invention 2ONEHOOPS, which he set up for the children to play.

Charlton said, “It’s not about the game, it’s about the community.”

We applaud Charlton and the other men who helped with the successful event.

BOUQUETS » To The Alzheimer’s Association for presenting an open house Aug. 22 at its new Avon location, 37309 Harvest Ave., and announcing an expansion of its services.

The larger site will allow the Alzheimer’s Association to better serve the community with its resources. It was formerly located at 38440 Chester Road in Avon.

The new facility is made up of individual offices for staff members and two conference rooms where support groups can meet in private.

The Alzheimer’s Association also has a 24-hour help-line that is answered locally between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. After hours, a call center in Chicago answers the help-line.

In addition, the Alzheimer’s Association is providing Dementia Care Coaching.

Nancy B. Udelson, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association Cleveland Area Chapter, said Dementia Care Coaching is for those caring for a loved one with the disease.

Udelson said, “We help them through the journey; making decisions, helping them cope with behavior issues, helping them plan for the future.”

We welcome the Alzheimer’s Association to its new location and wish it success in educating the community about the disease.

BRICKBATS » To Trista N. Mussell, the 33-year-old Elyria woman who will spend three years in prison and pay $500 in restitution for starting a fire in her apartment complex Jan. 2.

Mussell pleaded guilty Aug. 14 to single counts of aggravated arson and arson.

Her reason for becoming an arsonist?

She said her apartment in the complex at 6215 W. River Road South was filthy and infested with cockroaches.

Residents at the complex told police they heard Mussell and her boyfriend loudly arguing about 30 minutes before the fire started.

They also told police Mussell, the boyfriend and four children — ages 9, 7, 5 and a 2-month-old baby — fled the residence after the flames were spotted.

Mussell admitted to police she started the small fire in a pile of trash.

No one was injured in the blaze, but it caused $2,000 worth of damage to the complex.

Mussell’s actions put the lives of several people in jeopardy as well as displacing some of the residents.

Hopefully, Mussell will learn from her mistakes that the destructive path she took to address her living conditions was wrong.

BRICKBATS » To Anthony Coats, the 29-year-old Lorain man who was arrested Aug. 22 during a drug raid executed by the Lorain Police Narcotics Unit and SWAT.

Coats is facing charges of trafficking drugs, possession of drugs, criminal tools and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A tipster lead police to executing the search warrant at 220 E. 26th St. in Lorain.

What’s disturbing about this arrest, is police say they found Coats possessing suspected carfentanil, a synthetic derivative of fentanyl that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine.

Officials said an amount the size of a grain of salt can rapidly lead to an overdose or death.

Carfentanil is not approved for human consumption and is primarily used in veterinary medicine to sedate large animals.

While searching Coats, police found about 20 grams of white powder, believed to be the carfentanil, and $845 in cash on his person.

Coats is innocent until proven guilty.

There’s no reason for Coats or anyone else to possess carfentanil. It’s ridiculous.