Amherst News-Times, 2000-08-30

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Back to work
Students returned to school in Amherst last their posts early while moms, dads and kids
week without a glitch. At Harris Elementary make their final walk of the summer of 2000 be-
School, the members of the Safety Patrol take to    fore starting class.
by JASON TOMASZEWSKI
News-Times reporter
There was a time when the sight
of a police officer in a high school
was a telltale sign of trouble. However, if you ask Les Carrender, it is
a sign that all is well
Carrender is the new School Resource Officer for the city of Amherst and will have a permanent office in Marion L. Steele High
School.
The School Resource Officer, or
SRO, is a new position that was
created to provide a liaison between
the schools and the police department It is part of the department's
community policing action.
Carrender has been an Amherst
police patrolman since 1993 and has
been head of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program
for the last four years. His new position will be an extension of the
DARE program, which targets
younger children.
"With DARE we try to get kids to
resist drugs and violence. But when
you get to high school kids already
know what's right and wrong," Car-
render explained
The SRO will focus more on the
consequences of such actions. "We
will address the legality of these actions and what could happen to you
if you do them," Carrender said.
One point that Carrender is quick
to point out is that he is not part of
the school administration. He welcomes the kids to come to him with
questions but adds that he is not a
counselor.
"I win have an open door rJbHey
with the kids, but they must remember that I am a police officer," Car-
render said.
Many schools are instituting an
SRO program in light of the recent
school shootings, such as the one in
SRO Les Carrender talks to Marion L. Steel High School principal Fred Holland during class change last week.
Columbine, Colo. While concerns
have grown since these tragedies,
Carrender was reassuring when he
said, "We have not had any problems like that in AmhersL This
program is totally proactive rather
than reactive."
The goal of the program is to
build a good rapport between the
schools and the police department.
That rapport has been started with
the DARE program and will now
continue with the SRO.
The kids will be formally introduced to Carrender during the televised morning announcements
sometime in the next week. THe
student-run television program will
conduct an interview with Carrender
in which they will discuss why he is
there and what his role within the
school wiD be.
While Carrender has yet to speak
with many of the kids, he did say
the few he has spoken#to have expressed their support. "Everyone
I've talked to has welcomed the
idea," Carrender said. "The school
is behind us 100 percent, and the
kids seem to be supportive. This is a
totally positive thing."
The main point that Carrender
wants the kids to understand is that
be is not a disciplinarian.
"I'll let the school do its job and
they will let me do mine," Carrender
said. "If a child needs to be suspended then that is the school's decision, I don't get involved. But if
the matter is criminal, mat's when I
step in."
Carrender's main job is to work
with the kids to help them understand just what is at stake when it
comes to drugs and violence. He put
it best when he staled "I'm just there
for the kids."
Fifty years of doughnuts
and the end isn't in sight
by JASON TOMASZEWSKI
News-Times reporter
Fifty years is a long time to be
working at any job. It is even longer
when you are operating your own
business. It is even longer than that
when you have to compete with corporate giants.
But Bob Smith wouldn't change
all that hard work for anything.
Smith, of Dewy Road in Amherst,
has been the operator of Bob's
Doughnuts in Lorain for the past SO
years and was recognized by the
City of Lorain with a proclamation
declaring Aug. 24,2000 Bob Smith
Day in the city of Lorain.
"I don't really go for the publicity, but this is nice," said a humble
Smith.
The festivities saw tie mayor, police chief and local media surprise
Smith at his doughnut shop to present him with the award. Niel
Zurker was also on hand to add
Bob's to his list of "One Tank
Trips."
Smith first got into the doughnut
business working for Spang's Bakery in Lorain over 60 years ago. At
the time Spang's was the largest
bakery in tbe Cleveland area. However, after 10 yean Spang's experienced some financial difficulties.
Smith jumped at tbe chance to buy
the establishment
Tbe first order of business for
Smith, after acquiring tbe business,
was to get rid of the "ready made"
recipe and replace k with his own.
"It's just like Kenny King's, it's
my secret," said Smith.
In his 50 years Smith has had to
relocate four times in the city of
Lorain The shop on Broadway was
built by Smith after he was forced to
move from across the street Smith
believes that it was the first drive-
through doughnut shop anywhere.
When asked if he was contemplating retirement any time soon
Smith gave a chuckle and replied,
"They'll probably carry me out of
here feet first"
After being in business for so
many years, naturally you are going
to build a solid customer base. But
Bob's has reached a legendary status. "I have third generation customers coming in now," said Smith.
And it's not just in northeast Ohio.
"My doughnuts have made it all
over the world," said Smith. "Hawaii, Europe, Arizona. People move
away from Ohio, but they still want
my doughnuts."
Smith is very familiar with the
area of Lorain where his shop is lo-
CONTINUED on page 3
Psychic gives reporter run for his money
Editor's Bote: Prompted
by advertisements for a
local psychic, we sent reporter Jason Teaaaasewski to
tavestigate. TUs story is his
first-penes, account of hit
viett By ao means It this
to debauk the psychic
of othars~bat then,
yoa kaew that already.
Powerful leaders throughout
history have sometimes relied
oo the supernatural to aide
them in their decisions.
bis known that Adolf
Hitler had a personal astrologer wham he often consulted.
President Ronald Regan sad
his wife Nancy abo visited
with an astrologer. Now, with
the new millennium upon us,
more and more people are
going to psychics and astrologers to see just what the future holds in store for them.
Hem in Lorain County,
there is a plethora of psychics
and astrologers who are offering their services. Some of
them are very reputable and
take their fhotw! profession
seriously. Others seem to be
out of a bad Ed Wood
movie.
The News-Times sent me
to investigate a local psychic
to see just what is in my
future.
As I drove to the location
I had already formed sn im
age of what the place would
look like. I figured it would
be dark with incense burning
and beads covering all of the
doorways. I pictured a room
full of mystic symbols and
ancient texts with a central
table upon which a crystal
ball would be placed.
But when I solved I was
diiefnirdntnil to find none of
these things.
I drove up to a very ordinary bouse where I was
fieeted by a young woman. I
was told to wait on the porch
and that I would be sum-
mooed when fee psychic was
ready. To be honest, my
fenptkism was aroused as I
thought to myself "While I'm
waiting out here, they're setting up the smoke Tttrfrinf
snd plugging in the crystal
ball.''
After about five minutes I
was brought into the house
which resembled i¥MMng like
I had imagined, ft was a typical living room wife a gigantic 72-inch television acting
as fee main decor. I was seated in one of fee many
leather couches diet lined the
room next to a woman dad
la a purple house dress sod
pink fussy suppara.
She was sipping coffee.
b the neat room I could
hear die voices of fhiMrrm
aad fee sounds of the televi
sion. The place was more like
that of the happy homemaker,
and not at all the speli-
wesving gypsy I had
Immediately she wont into
her price list Whoa I had
called, a week earlier. I was
told feat fee basic reeding
was $20. Now fee was demanding $35. I was told to
place fee money oa fee table,
clear my mind, place my
a wish about dm forth-
I did so aad
fee reeding began.
with a die-
going to tell me fee truth as
she read it and that any bad
news was not her fault
She started by saying that I
put too much time and effort
into my work sod that I was
very stressed because of it
She told me feat I liked my
job and that I came from a
food frmily. All of this could
have been easily deduced by
any two bit gumshoe, given
fee fret that I was wearing a
slfet sad tie and I had aa sir
of confidence about myself.
*mY
gry wife her if ate
to deliver bad
She then went into my
loveBfe. She told me feat she
did not see anyone of any
CONTMUiO on page •
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