Up, down and all around town
Students decorated lunch boxes to support Feeding Medina County. Submitted photo
Hello Wadsworth.
All too often I hear about good people who lose some of their hard earned money to some sort of phone scam.
These scams can vary. In some cases I have heard of elderly citizens receiving a call from someone posing as a grandchild claiming they are in trouble and need money wired to them and under no circumstances should their parents find out. I spoke with a gentleman a few years ago who fell victim to the scam. He was convinced the caller was actually his grandson because he called him “Grampy.” How would a stranger know that? But thanks to social media it is possible for scammers to easily access some type of personal information to seem more convincing.
Senior citizens aren’t always the targets. Several years ago a friend of mine received a very threatening call from someone claiming to be a New York police officer. The man claimed my friend had a bill that had gone to collections and that he would face criminal charges if he didn’t pay up right away. My friend was terrified and was ready to give the caller his checking account number, but fortunately his wife realized it was a scam and stopped him before it was too late.
Folks from the Wadsworth Police Department also want to be sure citizens aren’t falling for scams. They recently shared a press release from the Ohio Public Utilities Commission about a scam that has been going on in Ohio lately.
According to the press release, the scam is targeting electric and natural gas utility customers, both residential and small business. A caller claiming to represent the utility informs the customer that they owe money from their past bill and must pay immediately or face termination of service. Customers are instructed to purchase a prepaid debit card and then call a toll free number to transfer the money.
But according to the press release, utilities do not ask for prepaid debit cards for payment and will provide ample time for customers to make a payment before service is terminated.
Customers having questions about their account should call the appropriate utility. Customers believing they have been a victim of payment fraud are encouraged to contact their local authorities as well.
“Please be cautious whenever receiving calls where money is being requested,” staff from the Wadsworth Police Department wrote on a Facebook post. “If you are asked to purchase a prepaid debit card in order to provide payment, it is a scam. Do not allow threatening callers to scare you into one of these scams.”
I hope this helps to prevent anyone from falling victim to one of these scams.
Now let’s take a look around town.
Lunch boxes
Wadsworth student artists in grades K-8 recently used their artistic ability to support a good cause.
These young artists decorated lunch boxes in support of Feeding Medina County’s annual fundraiser.
The event will take place at The Galaxy April 1 at 7 p.m. and will feature local student artists who have given their time in support of helping others. Each lunch box will be up for auction generating money for supplying food for local families in need.
Ribbon cuttings
The Wadsworth Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated two ribbon cuttings March 10.
First they celebrated the opening of Jessica Burkheart’s Lifestream Therapy at 730 Broad St. This new business offers a variety of massage and myofascial release techniques.
Later they had a ribbon cutting at Expert T’s at 869 Broad St. This business is owned by Joe and Jodi Kennedy and is a custom screen printing and embroidery business.
Spring concert
The Wadsworth Community Band, directed by Patrick Santelli, will have its spring concert Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. at O.J. Work Auditorium.
Along with the full band, this concert also features small ensembles, brass and woodwind choirs and the percussion ensemble.
Selections include The Magnificent Seven, Pine Apple Rag, First Suite in E Flat by Gustav Hoist and Pines of Rome by Respighi.
A gift card raffle will take place during the concert and admission is free.
Easter basket auction
Members of the Wadsworth Area Chamber of Commerce will don their bunny ears March 29 for their 21st Annual Easter Basket Scholarship Auction.
The auction, along with 50/50 raffle winnings from monthly chamber luncheons, help to fund book scholarships for Wadsworth High School graduating seniors who are pursuing a business-related field of study.
Since its inception, the chamber has raised more than $94,000 for Wadsworth students. In addition to the $500 book scholarship, the chamber awards a $1,000 David B. Hopkins Memorial Scholarship in memory of the late chamber treasurer. This is awarded to a graduating senior who is pursuing a degree in accounting.
Part of the fun is watching Joe McNeill of Westfield Bank auction off 60 baskets in 60 minutes. His banter with Chamber Executive Director Janie Parish will leave the crowd in stitches as always.
Anyone interested should RSVP to the chamber by March 27 by sending an email to business@wadsworthchamber.com or calling 330-336-6150. Lunch is $15 and the event will take place at The Galaxy. A preview of the baskets will take place from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. and the auction will begin at noon.
Wadsworthopoly
For the last few weeks, Wadsworth residents have had the opportunity to win “thousands, hundreds or even less” by playing Wadsworthopoly against WCTV hosts Roger Polk and Tom Stugmyer each Tuesday during live broadcasts.
On March 7, Allison Taylor won $19, Pam Thomas won a $10 Antonio’s Pizza gift card and Terry Miller won a whopping 50 cents plus two passes to Great Oaks Cinema.
Live broadcasts take place every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. on Channel 17 and will continue through May 9.
Contact me
As always, I look forward to hearing from you and I’m always happy to put submissions from readers in this column. Feel free to e-mail me at edean@thepostnewspapers.com or call me at 330-620-1067 to fill me in on an event your organization hosted, an accomplishment by a special person in the city or anything else you think our readers might want to know about.
All too often I hear about good people who lose some of their hard earned money to some sort of phone scam.
These scams can vary. In some cases I have heard of elderly citizens receiving a call from someone posing as a grandchild claiming they are in trouble and need money wired to them and under no circumstances should their parents find out. I spoke with a gentleman a few years ago who fell victim to the scam. He was convinced the caller was actually his grandson because he called him “Grampy.” How would a stranger know that? But thanks to social media it is possible for scammers to easily access some type of personal information to seem more convincing.
Senior citizens aren’t always the targets. Several years ago a friend of mine received a very threatening call from someone claiming to be a New York police officer. The man claimed my friend had a bill that had gone to collections and that he would face criminal charges if he didn’t pay up right away. My friend was terrified and was ready to give the caller his checking account number, but fortunately his wife realized it was a scam and stopped him before it was too late.
Folks from the Wadsworth Police Department also want to be sure citizens aren’t falling for scams. They recently shared a press release from the Ohio Public Utilities Commission about a scam that has been going on in Ohio lately.
According to the press release, the scam is targeting electric and natural gas utility customers, both residential and small business. A caller claiming to represent the utility informs the customer that they owe money from their past bill and must pay immediately or face termination of service. Customers are instructed to purchase a prepaid debit card and then call a toll free number to transfer the money.
But according to the press release, utilities do not ask for prepaid debit cards for payment and will provide ample time for customers to make a payment before service is terminated.
Customers having questions about their account should call the appropriate utility. Customers believing they have been a victim of payment fraud are encouraged to contact their local authorities as well.
“Please be cautious whenever receiving calls where money is being requested,” staff from the Wadsworth Police Department wrote on a Facebook post. “If you are asked to purchase a prepaid debit card in order to provide payment, it is a scam. Do not allow threatening callers to scare you into one of these scams.”
I hope this helps to prevent anyone from falling victim to one of these scams.
Now let’s take a look around town.
Lunch boxes
Wadsworth student artists in grades K-8 recently used their artistic ability to support a good cause.
These young artists decorated lunch boxes in support of Feeding Medina County’s annual fundraiser.
The event will take place at The Galaxy April 1 at 7 p.m. and will feature local student artists who have given their time in support of helping others. Each lunch box will be up for auction generating money for supplying food for local families in need.
Ribbon cuttings
The Wadsworth Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated two ribbon cuttings March 10.
First they celebrated the opening of Jessica Burkheart’s Lifestream Therapy at 730 Broad St. This new business offers a variety of massage and myofascial release techniques.
Later they had a ribbon cutting at Expert T’s at 869 Broad St. This business is owned by Joe and Jodi Kennedy and is a custom screen printing and embroidery business.
Spring concert
The Wadsworth Community Band, directed by Patrick Santelli, will have its spring concert Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. at O.J. Work Auditorium.
Along with the full band, this concert also features small ensembles, brass and woodwind choirs and the percussion ensemble.
Selections include The Magnificent Seven, Pine Apple Rag, First Suite in E Flat by Gustav Hoist and Pines of Rome by Respighi.
A gift card raffle will take place during the concert and admission is free.
Easter basket auction
Members of the Wadsworth Area Chamber of Commerce will don their bunny ears March 29 for their 21st Annual Easter Basket Scholarship Auction.
The auction, along with 50/50 raffle winnings from monthly chamber luncheons, help to fund book scholarships for Wadsworth High School graduating seniors who are pursuing a business-related field of study.
Since its inception, the chamber has raised more than $94,000 for Wadsworth students. In addition to the $500 book scholarship, the chamber awards a $1,000 David B. Hopkins Memorial Scholarship in memory of the late chamber treasurer. This is awarded to a graduating senior who is pursuing a degree in accounting.
Part of the fun is watching Joe McNeill of Westfield Bank auction off 60 baskets in 60 minutes. His banter with Chamber Executive Director Janie Parish will leave the crowd in stitches as always.
Anyone interested should RSVP to the chamber by March 27 by sending an email to business@wadsworthchamber.com or calling 330-336-6150. Lunch is $15 and the event will take place at The Galaxy. A preview of the baskets will take place from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. and the auction will begin at noon.
Wadsworthopoly
For the last few weeks, Wadsworth residents have had the opportunity to win “thousands, hundreds or even less” by playing Wadsworthopoly against WCTV hosts Roger Polk and Tom Stugmyer each Tuesday during live broadcasts.
On March 7, Allison Taylor won $19, Pam Thomas won a $10 Antonio’s Pizza gift card and Terry Miller won a whopping 50 cents plus two passes to Great Oaks Cinema.
Live broadcasts take place every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. on Channel 17 and will continue through May 9.
Contact me
As always, I look forward to hearing from you and I’m always happy to put submissions from readers in this column. Feel free to e-mail me at edean@thepostnewspapers.com or call me at 330-620-1067 to fill me in on an event your organization hosted, an accomplishment by a special person in the city or anything else you think our readers might want to know about.