Home Care In Elyria, OH

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - An animal shelter in Elyria is bursting at the seams, after 102 pets were rescued just this week, including 82 animals from just one home.

Friendship Animal Protective League of Elyria received a phone tip about animals that needed help, and humane agents were able to get a search warrant for a home on Tuesday. They have not disclosed the location because charges are pending at this time.

19 News has learned the animals included 56 live rabbits, 4 hampsters, 11 rats, 3 roosters, 2 pigeons, and a cat that were all found living in unsanitary living conditions according to humane agents, and they had no access to food or water.

Vicky McDonald is a Humane Officer and Animal Care Manager for the Friendship Animal Protective League (APL) in Elyria, “There were multiple violations found. None of the animals were in safely habitable living conditions. They were living on thick layers of their own excrement, some of which were 6 inches in depth. Most of them did not have wholesome food or water. A few did have some dark-colored, unclean liquids that I’m assuming at one point was clean water.”

There were also several animals that didn’t survive, “Not all of them were alive. There were 5 deceased animals,” McDonald said.

Sadly, some of the animals were unhealthy. At least one rabbit had grotesquely overgrown teeth that had to be removed. According to humane agents, another rabbit had what’s called torticollis or a tilted head, and some even had matting over their eyes that had to be pulled apart to see if their vision was salvageable underneath, according to humane agents.

Even more disturbing there were horrific living conditions for the caged animals, according to the APL, “None of the animals were in safely habitable living conditions. They lived on thick layers of their excrement, some of which were 6 inches in depth. Most of them did not have access to clean food or water.”

Many of the animals are now up for adoption at Friendship APL in Elyria, others will be available to adopt once they’re spayed or neutered, “Currently we’re more than full. We’re not set up to house several dozen small animals. We are primarily a dog and cat shelter.”

Sadly, the hoarding of pets is a growing problem where living, breathing animals are victimized, and have no voice to cry out for help, “In terms of the influx of humane cases, we are seeing them occur more and more frequently. Even nationally, humane investigations and humane seizures are up, especially since the pandemic,” McDonald said.

Friendship Animal Protective League in Elyria is a non-profit always in need of donations of food and crates for the animals. Cash donations are also welcome to help pay for the cost of spaying and neutering the animals.

If you are interested in adoption contact the humane department at (440) 322-4321, ext. 225.

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The bakery on 4th Street in Elyria officially reopened at 5 a.m. on Friday.

ELYRIA, Ohio — After more than nine months, Expresso Bakery in Elyria reopened its doors Friday morning.

In February, a car crashed into the building, crumbling walls and destroying equipment, and leaving an employee pinned behind the counter.

“It was just a nightmare,” said Expresso Bakery owner Keith Black.

The bakery was forced to close, initially planning to undergo repairs and renovations that would last four to six months. However, delays pushed the opening back more than nine months.

At one point, Black said he wasn’t sure if he would be able to reopen. However, his dedication to the business pushed him forward.

3News' Carmen Blackwell was there as the bakery reopened Friday morning, which you can watch below...

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“I had a passion for it, and I just wanted to keep going,” he said. “I’m going to try to win. I’m not going let someone going 60 miles per hour ruin my goals and my dreams.”

Ward 1 Elyria city councilman Andrew Lipian helped set up a GoFundMe after the crash, aiming to support the bakery through their recovery.

“They didn’t give up, and they kept with it,” Lipian said. “I’m hoping the community will reward them for that tenacity by patronizing them even more than they did before.”

Lipian called small businesses the “bread and butter” of communities, and said the temporary loss of Expresso Bakery hit the community hard.

“It’s like the warm fireplace around which people in Elyria gather, and it’s a great community business,” he said.

Now fully repaired, the business is ready to be back up and running, hopefully coming back even stronger than before.

“I’ve been closed 9 months and 19 days, so I learned a lot,” Black said. “We got a new POS (point-of-sale) system, a new credit card system, we kind of worked out all our bugs.”

Black said they also used the last months to get even more organized, and develop new donut flavors he hopes to roll out over time.

In preparation for Friday’s grand re-opening, Black plans to work through the night to bake about 450 muffins and 3,000 donuts, all fresh for customers.

“I think I said before that we’ll be back, well, we’re back, and we’re ready to go,” Black said.

PREVIOUSLY: Car crashes into Expresso Bakery in Elyria; owner looks to future

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to come to Northeast Ohio on April 8 because many communities fall within the path of totality.

LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — The Elyria Township Fire Department is asking residents to stay home for the total solar eclipse on April 8.

Captain Thomas Elliott told 3News they're expecting thousands of visitors in their area and are planning ahead.

"It's not going to be normal," Elliott said

Last week, 3News' Neil Fischer reported on Summit County's preparations, which included officials advising residents to stay home.

"It's great that this is happening," Elliott admitted, but safety is a top priority.

The department typically staffs three people per day, but plan to increase that by 500% for the eclipse.

"We're looking for around that weekend, and especially the day of, to try to go to as many as 15," Elliott said. "May be a little bit overzealous in that, but we're going to try to get as many people staffed as we can."

The department released the following statement on its website:

"On Monday, April 8, 2024, at approximately 3:15 p.m., people within a 124-mile band in Ohio will experience a Total Solar Eclipse. An event such as this has increased the population of this area by 300,000-600,000 people. The entire eclipse will take about two hours. Yes, we will be dark for about three minutes, but folks will be here early and will be looking up from 2 p.m. until after 4 p.m. It will be crazy especially after the event is over.

"Elyria Township is responsible for protecting our residents and visitors to our community. Therefore, we have joined forces with our communities to maintain our services during this event. We are still in the planning phase, which will continue until the day of the event.

"To properly prepare for this event, it is essential first to prepare our residents. In these early stages, we can pass along information that we have.

"Past events have shown spectators will trickle in throughout the weekend of April 5th, 6th, and 7th. This may or may not cause traffic congestion.

"Spectators will be utilizing stores, restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and other small businesses, showing a significant increase in business. All hotels within 100 miles have been reported as completely booked.

"The number of spectators to attend this event depends on the predicted weather.

"With an increased population, cell phones, the internet, and other services may be overwhelmed. We anticipate our most significant problem to be on April 8th following the eclipse. History has shown that most spectators will immediately attempt to leave the area. This event, given good weather, will bring traffic to a crawl. This will increase response times and possibly block our crews from responding to emergencies involving our residents and their homes. For this reason, we are attempting to add extra manpower for the duration of this event.

"It is in the best interest of our residents to prepare for this event in the weeks prior. This includes stocking food, picking up prescriptions the week before, keeping your cell phone battery charged, and scheduling all appointments before or after the event's weekend.

"PLAN TO STAY HOME IF POSSIBLE!

"If you plan to view this event, please get the best eye protection for you and your family. Solar eclipse glasses are available online and may be available at local retail outlets as we get closer to the event.

"Like most Fire Departments in this area, we will plan for the worst and hope for the best. We would rather over-prepare than explain to our residents why we were underprepared. We will always exhaust all measures to keep our residents and visitors safe. I encourage our residents to research this event online and its effects on local communities in the past."

[Editor’s note: The video above highlights similar advice out of Summit County.]

ELYRIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WJW) – The list of local communities asking residents to ‘stay home’ during the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse is growing.

Elyria Township in Lorain County posted a message on its website telling residents that while the rare phenomenon is expected to last only a few minutes, the area is anticipating an infiltration of out-of-town guests putting a potential strain on emergency services for several hours.

“It will be crazy especially after the event is over,” warned the Elyria Township Fire Department.

According to the fire department’s message, officials anticipate the ‘most significant problem’ to occur immediately following the eclipse.

“History has shown that most spectators will immediately attempt to leave the area. This event, given good weather, will bring traffic to a crawl. This will increase response times and possibly block our crews from responding to emergencies involving our residents and their homes,” read the fire department’s message.

According to township officials, the department is attempting to add extra manpower.

Officials in Summit County released a similar warning last week and also asked residents to stay home during the event.

Experts suggest that people should stock up on three days worth of food, fuel and water as the increased population could also put a strain on grocery stores, gas stations, and cell phone services.

For more on how to prepare, you can find FOX 8’s complete Total Solar Eclipse coverage, HERE.

ELYRIA, Ohio — A discovery uncovered by a crew installing utilities in Elyria is providing a glimpse into Northeast Ohio’s prehistory.

Workers from DiGioia-Suburban Excavating, Inc. were digging a sanitary mainline for a new development near Indian Hollow Road Friday when their machinery struck a solid object.

“We came across something hard in the ground and we started exposing it. And it was this 12’ by 12’ rock,” explained foreman Nelson Mooney.

It wasn’t until the workers shared a photo of the large boulder on social media that they realized it was a unique find.

“Once in a while you’ll run into a boulder in the ground. But that’s beyond a boulder. That’s massive,” Mooney said. “It’s prehistoric, I guess.”

“We call those rocks glacial erratics,” explained Bev Walborn, the outdoor experiences manager for Lorain County Metro Parks.

Unlike the naturally forming rocks found in Lorain County, she said glacial erratics were deposited by glaciers that formed elsewhere.

“Here in this area, we’re going to find sandstone, which is more of a sedimentary rock. And these igneous or these granite-type rocks are found up in Canada,” Walborn said.

An ODNR geologist estimated a boulder like the one found in Elyria may have been deposited around 15,000 years ago. It was a time when Northeast Ohio was covered in thick layers of ice. Over several thousand years, the glaciers receded and created several glacial lakes before what we now know as Lake Erie was created.

Evidence of the ancient period still exists in Northeast Ohio.

“Here in Lorain County a lot of folks know our North Ridge Road, our Middle Ridge Road and our Butternut Ridge Road. Those were all the ridges left from these lakes formed by the glaciers,” explained Walborn.

The massive glacial boulder will need to be relocated so crews can finish their work in the neighborhood.

“Everybody else loves it, but we’re just here to do a job,” Mooney laughed. “Wish we’d find some money [instead].”

But naturalists believe it’s a natural treasure and one that can give us clues about the area’s history.

“I think what this shows is where we are on this planet and the fact that these rocks tell wonderful stories.” Walborn said. “The next time you look at a rock, try to figure out - what story is that rock trying to tell us?”

Crews plan to remove the boulder from the work site this week, but it’s not clear where it will end up. Some have proposed giving it to a local school or making it a permanent fixture in the new neighborhood.

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