Community Corner

New Stores At The Mall, Spelling Bee Champs & Burglary: The Week In Review

Catch the biggest stories in Mentor this week

1. U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent dismissed the lawsuit that Dragan and Celija Vidovic had filed against Mentor Public Schools in 2010.

Their 16-year-old daughter Sladjana had attended Mentor High School before she killed herself in 2008.

In their lawsuit, the Vidovics claimed the school knew their daughter was being bullied but they did not do enought to prevent it.

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Nugent said he did not see sufficient evidence of the Vidovics' allegations.

"The plaintiffs have made allegations that other Mentor students have committed suicide 'at least partially”'due to bullying, but they have not shown that these cases involved any constitutional violations by the school," Nugent wrote.

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"Further there is no identification of any action the Board could have taken that could have ensured that Ms. Vidovic would not be bullied or that could have prevented her from ultimately deciding to commit suicide. As such, there is no indication that the school’s alleged inaction was the “moving force” behind or constituted a direct causal link to the constitutional deprivations alleged in this case."

Click here for more on the suit and on the life of Sladjana Vidovic.

2. Fourth grade spelling champion Nathan Rolfes outlasted his fifth through eighth grade counterparts to be named the district champion Tuesday night at Memorial Middle School.

Nathan and fifth grade spelling champion Diya Chakraborti -- both of Bellflower Elementary -- went head to head for five rounds.

Nathan finally pulled ahead after Diya stumbled on "succumb" and he spelled "monumental" and "caravan" for the win.

Districtwide champion Nathan will now compete in the Lake County spelling bee, whose winner will compete against the Geauga and Ashtabula county champs in the Tri-County Bee.

3. The new year will bring new retailers to Great Lakes Mall.

Click here to learn more about the mall's newest tenants: .

4.Dominick Alesci managed to accumulate five theft charges, as well as charges of burglary and misuse of a credit card, in a single day.

He is accused of breaking into a house and car on Wednesday and stealing a credit card, television, phone, cameras, check, mp3 player and prescription drugs.

5. The American Cancer Society kicked off its Relay for Life campaign Saturday afternoon at Great Lakes Mall.

Find out more about how you can participate in your local Relay here.


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