2020 may be a year many would like to forget, but it was still filled with news for Brookfield, Masury and Yankee Lake. What follows is a recap of some of the events NEWS On the Green covered for you.

January

Brookfield Board of Education hired Julie Sloan as district treasurer.

Brookfield Elementary School teacher Megan Rodgers was awarded the Smart-Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teachers Award for her work in promoting citizenship and patriotism in the classroom. She later was named the national winner.

Ohio Investigative Unit, an arm of the Ohio Highway Patrol, charged two people with gambling offenses after gambling devices were found at Mo’s Place in Masury. Bar owner Mo Hejazi pleaded guilty to two counts and an employee successfully completed a prosecution diversion program.

February

Brookfield firefighters Russell Vereshack, Julian Janoviak and Capt. Mike Hagood received the Brookfield Fire Service Medal for Meritorious Conduct for their actions at a Dec. 16 mobile home fire in Vienna.

Brookfield High School wrestlers Bailey Hackett and Miranda Nicholson participated in the first Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association wrestling tournament for girls.

Brookfield United Methodist Church and Six-Fourteen Church in Masury discussed merging, but decided to stay separate congregations.

March

Gov. Mike DeWine ordered schools to close and banned large gatherings as the COVID-19 pandemic reached an early peak. Brookfield trustees moved all meetings to virtual formats, either Facebook Live or Zoom.

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency signed a settlement agreement with Yankee Lake Inc., Yankee Lake Truck Night Inc. and John Jurko resolving a state enforcement action over sanitary and storm water flow in the village.

Brookfield Middle School Principal Craig Boles held a public meeting to address bullying.

Walrus Subs, an Austintown business owned by Brookfield native Alie Ruhiem, was destroyed by fire. Ruhiem announced plans to rebuild.

April

Brookfield trustees imposed permit fees for work done in roadways.

Fire Capt. Mike Hagood retired after more than 40 years with the Brookfield Fire Department.

Brookfield school teachers and administrators introduced the concept of “The Field,” a representation of the district’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports program required by the state.

May

Brookfield High School held a graduation ceremony in which graduates and their families entered the school auditorium one group at a time and graduates received their diplomas and accolades for their accomplishments.

Brookfield Township held a virtual Memorial Day ceremony: a video composed of prerecorded addresses and events, created by Bob Vaia.

Brookfield High School’s Class of 2020 placed a Spirit Rock outside the school entrance.

Brookfield Board of Education approved an energy project to replace lighting and upgrade plumbing fixtures to save money.

Jill M. Paskowski, 50, of Masury, was found dead in woods not far from her home.

Brookfield Police Chief Dan Faustino announced that he had promoted Aaron Kasiewicz and Cody Dean to the rank of sergeant.

June

A parking ban in the Valley View, Stevenson Heights and Yankee Hills residential developments took effect.

Brookfield trustees announced they had been awarded a grant from the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District to hold neighborhood cleanups. They have not, yet, been held.

Christian and Audrey Weber reopened Monarch Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Masury after buying it from previous owners.

July

Brookfield trustees received the deed in a land donation from Tim Taylor for a pocket park that will be built in Masury in the spring.

Joey Clark, 24, of Brookfield, died in a motorcycle crash in Brookfield.

Brookfield Trustees Gary Lees and Ron Haun approved a new electric aggregation program with AEP Ohio that locks in energy rates for participating residents for three years. Trustee Dan Suttles opposed.

S&R Concrete of Masury removed a section of the Brookfield Middle School hallway and a classroom, and poured new concrete, a temporary fix to remove trip hazards caused by shale under the surface that had lifted.

The Brookfield township electronic sign that had been wiped out by a wayward pickup truck in December was replaced.

Beautrice Snow, 98, of Masury, died of injuries she suffered in a two-vehicle crash in Masury

August

Brookfield Local School District began a new school year with a mix of in-person and remote learning.

Lenisa Scutillo opened Dot Lou’s Wings of Time Part 2, a store of natural and earth-based products, in Masury.

Brookfield Fire Capt. James Williamson began work after his promotion and lateral move from Howland Fire Department.

Brookfield trustees approved three-year contracts with employees of the road, fire and police departments.

State, county and local officials dedicated a section of Route 7 in Brookfield in honor of Ohio Highway Patrol Tpr. James Fredericka, of Niles, who died in a traffic crash in 1953.

Ohio Department of Transportation announced that it had secured more than $2.5 million to improve the Route 62 intersections at Broadway Avenue and Bedford Road, both long-term safety concerns for local officials and residents. The work will be done in 2022 or 2023.

Kelli J. Johnston, 23, of Masury, was killed in Sharon. Her boyfriend and the father of her two children, Ezra E. Daye, 20, has been charged with murder.

Brookfield trustees filed a motion in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to enforce a settlement agreement seeking the cleanup of property at 8085 Warren Sharon Road.

Joseph S. Rosario, 25, was arrested in New York on Brookfield police charges of murder in the July 27, 2018, shooting death of Jason C. Drummond Jr. in Masury.

September

Trumbull County Metroparks closed on a grant from the Clean Ohio Fund to buy 40 acres of woodlands and wetlands at Everett East and South Albright McKay roads in Brookfield to open it to the public as Trock Forest Nature Preserve.

Brookfield Trustees Ron Haun and Gary Lees approved a project to post surveillance cameras at Brookfield Township Community Park to monitor social distancing. Trustee Dan Suttles opposed.

Brookfield Board of Education approved a settlement agreement in which Hudson Construction Inc. of Hermitage agreed to fix what the board said was defective work that has allowed water leaks at the school. Hudson denied liability.

Brookfield Board of Education sued Timmerman Geotechnical Group Inc. of Akron alleging breach of contract and other civil offenses concerning building problems at Brookfield Middle School.

Taub’s Lawn Care, Brookfield, ceased operation after 19 years.

October

Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, Masury, celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding.

PI&I Motor Express of Masury began its 70th year of operation under the leadership of the Kerola family.

Brookfield Township Road Department began preparing a new section of Brookfield Township Cemetery for burials.

Frankie, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever owned by Brookfield High School teacher Ken Iser, began working as a therapy dog in the school district.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources ordered the owners of Coalburg Lake dam to fix long-standing deficiencies. The dam is in Hubbard Township but the lake stretches into Brookfield.

Brookfield Board of Education hired Rien Construction of Brookfield to repair the bus garage on Grove Street and improve storm water drainage.

November

Brookfield turned red in the general election, favoring Republicans such as Donald Trump for president, Christina Hagan for U.S. Rep. and other GOP candidates for state and county seats.

Girl Scout Troop 80010 spruced up the trail at Brookfield Township Community Park.

Brookfield trustees finished allocating $485,000 in CARES Act funds it had received to address COVID-19-related expenses.

Jones Chiropractic Clinic marked its 100the anniversary under the leadership of three generations of the Jones family.

Brookfield Local Schools ended in-class learning for the calendar year due to a staffing shortage related to the COVID-19 pandemic and then to comply with the recommendations of the Trumbull County Combined Health District.

Penn-Ohio Electrical Contractors donated the material and labor to put up new lights and motion sensors in the Brookfield Police Department garage.