A grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the white police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri. Within minutes of the announcement, protests erupted in Ferguson with some demonstrators vandalizing police cars and buildings. The prosecuting attorney said the grand jury heard over 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses over 25 days before making their decision.

1. Jim Salter and David A. Lieb
The Associated Press
FERGUSON, Mo. — A grand
jury declined Monday to indict
white police officer Darren Wil-
son in the death of Michael
Brown, the unarmed, black 18-
year-old whose fatal shooting
sparked weeks of sometimes-vio-
lent protests and inflamed racial
tensions between many African-
Americans and police.
Within minutes of the
announcement by St. Louis
County’s top prosecutor, crowds
began pouring into Ferguson
streets to protest the decision.
Some taunted police, shattered
windows and vandalized cars.
Several gunshots also were heard.
Officers used tear gas to disperse
the gatherings.
Prosecuting Attorney Bob
McCulloch said the jury of nine
whites and three blacks met on 25
separate days and heard more
than 70 hours of testimony from
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TUESDAY, November 25, 2014 75¢
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McCulloch
Jon Wysochanski
The Chronicle-Telegram
AVON — Elyria-based Bendix Com-
mercial Vehicle Systems possibly is
eyeing a move to Avon.
Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen said the
company first called Avon officials
Nov. 3 requesting a meeting because
they were interested in learning more
about available land and what the city
has to offer.
Bendix officials were looking for
about 35 acres and expressed interest
in land along Interstate 90 as close to
the Nagel Road interchange as possi-
ble, Jensen said. The city talked with
Bendix officials about three parcels of
land, including one on Nagel Road
and two on Chester Road.
On Nov. 4, Avon officials met with
Bendix officials informally and the
company asked if the city would like
to put together a proposal, Jensen
said.
That first phone call came one week
before Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda first
informed members of City Council
that Bendix was contemplating a
move. On Friday, Avon presented
Bendix with information on the city’s
credit ratings, schools, growth rate
and tax incentives should Bendix
choose to build a new location.
Jensen said Avon typically offers
companies like Bendix 10-year, 75
percent property tax abatements as
an incentive. If Bendix were to come
to Avon, land it is interested in would
include a 15-year, 50 percent property
tax abatement, he said, because land
it is interested in falls under a zoning
category with special tax abatement
stipulations.
Land along Chester and Nagel
roads has been developing at a rapid
pace all year, with multiple busi-
nesses popping up one after another.
There are four projects along Nagel
Bendix eyeingAvonCity makes unofficial proposal to company seeking options for its world headquarters
Jon Wysochanski
The Chronicle-Telegram
LORAIN — A Lorain substitute
teacher tarnished the holiday for a
fifth-grader who still believed in Santa
Claus when she announced to the class
that he wasn’t real.
Superintendent Tom Tucker said it
was a slip by the substitute, Valentine
Garcia, and that she felt terrible about
it afterward.
Amanda Solis said her 10-year-old
daughter, who is in the fifth grade at
Larkmoor Elementary in Lorain, came
home a few weeks ago upset after Gar-
cia was teaching a vocabulary lesson
and trying to explain the word anxious.
According to Tucker, a student
described the feeling of waiting for
Santa Claus to leave presents under the
tree as anxious. That’s when Garcia
denounced the white-bearded guy.
Although Solis said she realizes all
children eventually learn that, she
never expected her daughter to hear it
from an adult in a classroom.
“She was very upset,” Solis said.
“We’ve worked very hard to give her a
magical childhood because not
enough kids get to experience that
kind of magic anymore.”
To make matters worse, Solis’
daughter brought up the subject on the
car ride home after school in front of
her 5-year-old brother. Solis said her
son didn’t hear what was said.
“Her brother still believes, and I was
able to change the subject,” Solis said.
“We went home and talked about it.
(My daughter) was very upset and
cried for almost two hours that every-
thing she has believed is not true.
Some girls in her class also still
believed and were upset, too.”
Tucker said Valentine, a good substi-
tute teacher, made a mistake that day,
and she feels bad about it.
“As soon as she said it, she knew she
shouldn’t have because there were
some fifth-graders in the room that
probably still believed,” Tucker said.
Rachel Wixey and Associates presi-
dent Rachel Wixey, who heads the
company that provides substitute
teachers to Lorain Schools, said she’s
heard nothing but positive things
about Garcia.
“She’s requested regularly and does a
nice job over there from the feedback
we get,” Wixey said.
Garcia could not immediately be
reached for comment.
Contact Jon Wysochanski at 329-7123
or jwysochanski@chroniclet.com.
Substitute teacher lets it slip: There’s no Santa
Steve Fogarty
The Chronicle-Telegram
LAGRANGE — Adminis-
trators and school board
members in the Keystone
school district know they are
facing tough decisions at
next week’s school board
meeting, where the next
round of budget cuts will be
decided.
But before making that
decision, they want the pub-
lic to make their wishes
known.
“We want to hear from
people as to what they want
and what they don’t when it
comes to programs and
classes, and how they will
impact their children,”
Superintendent Jay Arbaugh
said.
While pending cuts were
announced earlier, they
won’t be finalized until Mon-
day’s meeting.
Treasurer Susan Bement
reviewed details of previ-
ously-announced cuts to be
made if voters rejected a
5.95-mill operating levy,
which they did by nearly 200
votes out of 3,837 cast in the
Nov. 4 general election.
The issue would have
raised $1.4 million a year for
five years.
Cuts set to take effect
Jan. 17 are expected to save
the district about $70,000
and include elimination of
five para-professionals, an
in-school suspension posi-
tion and two part-time
cleaning positions.
Doing away with the dis-
trict’s long-time Keycare
program, which provides
Keystone
schools
bracing
for cuts
Lisa Roberson
The Chronicle-Telegram
ELYRIA — Next year, resi-
dents could see an increase in
the amount of money they pay
to have trash picked up at their
homes.
The city is looking to raise
sanitation rates for the next
three years, starting in January.
If City Council approves, the
rate increases will amount to
about 3.5 percent for years
2015, 2016 and 2017.
“The city will pay an increase
in dumping fees to Republic
(Waste Services) at the start of
the new year,” Safety Service
Director Mary Siwierka said.
“And we have a new compost
agreement that will cost the
city significantly more than the
agreement in the past, and we
had a rate study completed to
take into account equipment
maintenance and the Sanita-
tion Department’s needs over
the next three to five years,
which lead to this need for a
3.5 percent increase.”
Most residents pay $23.11 a
month for trash collection.
Those who qualify for a home-
stead exemption on their real
estate taxes through the county
pay $16.18 a month.
The proposed rates are
$23.91 in 2015 ($16.74 for
homestead customers), $24.74
in 2016 ($17.32) and $25.60 in
2017 ($17.92).
The plan was presented
Monday to City Council’s
Finance Committee.
The last set of increases was
approved by Council in 2009
and covered the years 2010 to
2013. It funded the city’s con-
version to the one-armed
trucks that now service neigh-
borhoods.
Sanitation rates did not
increase in 2013 or 2014.
Siwierka said a decision to
eliminate commercial trash
collection kept the residential
rate the same.
Trash
rates
likely
will
rise
ELYRIA
FERGUSON, MO.
See TRASH, A2
See KEYSTONE, A2
See BENDIX, A2
AP
A police car is set on fire by protesters after the announcement of the grand jury decision Monday in
Ferguson, Mo.
NO INDICTMENT
See DECISION, A4
Grand jury will not prosecute police officer in fatal shooting