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Black Bear from Canada brings delight to NR Bears

Each day at North Royalton Middle School, a 250-pound Black Bear stares out at students walking through the atrium to their next class. Her large display case offers a much different view than the deep woods of Quebec, where she once roamed 50 years ago. Some students give her a glance as they hurry by, while others pay no attention to the beast that, in her lifetime, likely mothered cubs and used her long claws to tear apart food, climb trees, paddle through freshwater and trek the dense Canadian wilderness. From her sturdy atrium display case, she now stands guard over a different sort of B ....

Apr 20, 2021

Bennett house demolition makes way for all-purpose trail

A house on Bennett Road was recently demolished to pave the way for a project that will ultimately link the Elek Springs property to another Metroparks property. The demolition of the 1,800+ square-foot house took place the week of March 29. This was the next step towards the development of the Elek Springs property project. The City of North Royalton is partnering with the Cleveland Metroparks on the project. Elek Springs is located near the area of Royalton and Bennett Roads. Isaac Smith, Conservation Program Manager for the Metroparks, said that the project allows for connectivity of the B ....

Apr 20, 2021

City Council passes Food Truck legislation

The North Royalton City Council adopted legislation regulating food trucks at their April 6 meeting. The issue has been discussed in the Building and Building Codes Committee since last spring and has been on their agenda until the last meeting, which took place on March 16. Owners of the Blue Monkey Brewery and 3 Spot have addressed Council during the discussions, speaking to both sides of the issue. On one hand, the owner from the Blue Monkey would like to see food trucks allowed, in order to subsidize his business. The owner of the 3 Spot also addressed Council, stating that the bars and r ....

Apr 20, 2021

New elementary school prepares to welcome students

The last day of school is just five short weeks away, and for North Royalton’s youngest students, it’s the last time they will ever be in their respective buildings before the new elementary school opens Aug. 30 for the start of the 2021-22 academic year. “It’s been a great run for all of us at each of our three buildings,” said Royal View Elementary School Principal Kirk Pavelich. “The buildings are in good shape considering the age of each of them, but they are limited in what they can do. They have served their purpose and it is time to move on to a state-of-the-art facility th ....

Apr 20, 2021

No early release for man who attacked a NRPD Officer

There will be no early release for the North Royalton man who attacked North Royalton Police Officer Alexandra Bell in 2019. This ruling comes after two early release hearings in the court of Common Pleas Court Judge Daniel Gaul. John Pugnea had served nine months of his four-to-six-year sentence at the Lorain Correctional Institution, in addition to serving about nine months in jail. The 58-year-old Pugnea was arrested on August 18, 2019 and indicted in March, 2020, when he pled guilty to one count of Felonious Assault on a Peace Officer and three counts of Aggravated Menacing. According to ....

Apr 20, 2021

New school superintendent replaces retiring Greg Gurka

The North Royalton Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of Michael K. Laub, Jr. as the new School Superintendent of the North Royalton School District at a special Board meeting that took place on Friday, April 16. He will take the place of Greg Gurka, who will be retiring at the end of this school year, on June 30. The appointment of School Superintendent is effective July 1, 2021 through July 31, 2024, at a base salary of $135,000. “On behalf of the North Royalton City Schools Board of Education, we are looking forward to having Mr. Laub join our school community as the ....

Apr 20, 2021

Boys’ Basketball looking for a new Head Coach

Big changes are coming to the North Royalton Boys Basketball program. Nick Lapsevich, who was the head coach of the Boys Varsity Basketball team since the 2015-16 season, has announced his resignation to become an assistant men’s basketball coach at Baldwin-Wallace University. Coach Lapsevich was around the NR basketball program for 17 years both as an assistant coach and as head coach. Lapsevich cited a number of highlights during his time with the Bears.  “Back-to-Back Suburban League championships are at the top of the list.  We made it to the districts a couple of times, and ....

Apr 6, 2021

Check the city ordinance guide before starting spring projects

As in any city, North Royalton has a list of ordinances that may dictate how you handle your renovation or yard project.  Ordinances are laws that are set by governments.  In these cases, the City of North Royalton has created the ordinances that have been passed by City Council. If you wonder if there are regulations regarding a project you may be considering, you can access the North Royalton Ordinances online by going to the city’s website, northroyalton.org,  clicking on the Government tab, the Council Office tab, then, on the right side of the page, midway down, the Code of Ordina ....

Apr 6, 2021

Youngsters enjoy return of Easter Egg Hunt

It wasn’t a good weather day on Sunday March 28.  It was rainy.  It was cold.  But, hundreds of North Royalton families came to Memorial Park for an Easter Egg Hunt. In the midst of a pandemic, families came to the Park, wearing masks and social distancing to gather and have their children participate in an Easter Egg Hunt. Only 25 children were allowed at a time inside the fenced in playground area at the Park.  Parents stood around the fence watching their child gather up their 10 Easter Eggs,  filled with candy, chocolate and other goodies. Long-time North Royalton residents ....

Apr 6, 2021

Residents are warned to beware of current scams

As has been the case in the past, criminals continue to create new types of scams that they inflict upon the public. There are several that have become popular of late;  two involving unemployment and two that are Covid-related. The Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs (CCDCA)  is warning residents to ignore an email or text that notifies them of an error in their unemployment claim.  “The text is a scam,” noted CCDCA officials.  “Clicking on the link takes people to a spoof website that prompts people to input Social Security numbers and PINs.  The scam site was design ....

Apr 6, 2021