CITY TO OFFER NEW ALERT OPTIONS

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK Contributing Writer

The North Royalton Police Department is offering another layer of protection to its residents in the form of an alert system. They have partnered with Nixle to provide residents a Community Notification System. The system will alert residents in real time on local emergencies and advisories that are specific to North Royalton. The service does not cost the city, nor the residents to utilize the new system, although message and data rate may apply to residents, dependent upon your cell phone plan.

Residents have several simple ways to regis ....

School District Asks Community to Complete Survey to Guide Refinement of North Royalton City Schools’ Strategic Plan

The North Royalton City Schools is in the process of re-examining its Strategic Plan. The district’s vision of identifying individual student needs and providing support of those needs, as well as the mission of “inspiring and empowering learners” will remain the same. The goal areas of student achievement, communication, community engagement, facilities, finances and collaboration also will remain intact. The district leadership team will be working to refine the action steps and develop timelines to take the district into the next three years.

A survey has been released to t ....

Heart Healthy Indulgences

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK Contributing Writer

Usually, when one thinks of Valentine’s Day, thoughts of chocolate and champagne and roses - great indulgences, come to mind. But think of the other symbol, the heart, which is used as its grand symbol. Of course, the thought of a human heart compared to a valentine heart is somewhat of a stretch, it is still the organ which relates to this holiday. With so many on medical diets or special diets at this time of year, the following are a sampling of some heart-healthy indulgences (substitute fat free, salt free and/or use egg substitutes to your ....

CERT Plans a Year of Training and Exercises

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK Contributing Writer

About 30 leaders and city officials attended the annual North Royalton Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) meeting on Saturday January 24, at the North Royalton High School media center. The annual meeting was scheduled to plan for the upcoming year’s CERT training, exercises and community activities, according to North Royalton CERT Commander, Nick Phillips.

This year, the general meetings are scheduled for February 18, March 25, May 20, September 17, October 14 and November 18. Radio Training is scheduled for April 18 and a CERT E ....

North Royalton City Schools Begins Discussion on Moving Early Childhood Center Students to Three Elementary Schools Beginning Next School Year

The North Royalton City Schools’ administration and Board of Education are in discussions to close the Early Childhood Center and move Pre-K and Kindergarten to Albion Elementary, Royal View Elementary, and Valley Vista Elementary for the start of the 2015-16 school year. Superintendent Greg Gurka presented the idea to board members at the work session on February 5.

The discussion was initiated after review of the Early Childhood Center facilities and greater than usual retirements in the district. In addition, after examining elementary level enrollment for the 2015-2016 school ....

BBB Announces Top Ten Scams of 2014

Phony IRS agents, bogus sweepstakes, illusory government grants, pseudo employers and fictitious puppies are just a few of the deceptions reported by Cleveland area consumers during 2014. Con artists used our phones, email and online shopping habits to trick us into handing over cash and even confidential information that put us at risk for identity theft. “Most of these scams are not new but scammers are learning to appear more legitimate,” said David Weiss, president of BBB Serving Greater Cleveland.

The Top Ten Scams reported locally in 2014 were: Advance Fee Loans - Using n ....

HOUSE FIRE REMINDS US TO HAVE OUR CHIMNEY CHECKED

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK Contributing Writer

The North Royalton Fire Department was called to a fire on Friday, January 16, when a neighbor saw flames and heavy smoke coming from the chimney of a Pamela Drive home. The Fire Department responded about 8:57 p.m. to the one-and-a-half-story home. The fire was under control by 9:15 p.m. No mutual aid was needed, according to North Royalton Fire Lieutenant Mark Pollack. There were eight North Royalton Firefighters on the scene. The fire was extinguished with a dry chemical fire extinguisher from the inside and outside of the chimney. This is th ....

Mayor continues pursuit of deer problem

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK Contributing Writer

Mayor Bob Stefanik has taken his quest to help alleviate the deer population problem on the road. He and four other area mayors traveled down to Columbus on Friday, January 9, for a meeting with Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) officials. The message they wanted to convey is that the deer belong to the state and the problems that the deer have created are the state’s responsibility. The ever increasing population of deer caused and ever increasing amount of damage to vegetation and increased motor vehicle collisions every year, as wel ....

Fire Dept. urges residents to check their electric meters

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK Contributing Writer

While investigating a recent house fire, the North Royalton Fire Department found a possible danger with the outside electric meter, which was pulling away from the house. This is not a new cause in North Royalton. Some years ago, a house on Cedarwood Drive went up in flames. The entire back of the house had burned away, which totaled the house. A second house fire took place on Corkwood Drive. Luckily, the fire was detected early and the damage was not to that great of an extent and no one was hurt from either fire. A YouTube video of one of the ....

Residents tour new city hall during open house

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK Contributing Writer

Residents got a chance to view the new City Hall, located at 14600 State Road, at Memorial Park at an Open House that was held on Saturday, December 13. Mayor Bob Stefanik and his wife, Janice, welcomed those attending, as well as City Council members, various staff members and Department heads.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see so many residents come and take a tour,” said Mayor Bob Stefanik. “They were all very enthusiastic about the City Hall property and very impressed with the new facility. Instead of building a new City Hall ....