A 'Jeopardy!' champion — and Sandusky's too

While the nation might have been surprised to see a former Sandusky resident not only appear but dominate on America's highest-rated syndicated game show this past week, those who knew Susan McMillan were not. McMillan, who reported for the Register from 2008 to 2011, cruised to victory during her initial appearance on March 26, scoring $35,600, which included a successful $10,000 wager on the Final Jeopardy! question. The episode's second-highest finisher had $201. And despite leading for most of Monday's episode, McMillan incorrectly answered the Final Jeopardy! question, which plummeted her positioning from second to third. She still received $1,000 as a consolation prize. McMillan showed off some of her best character traits while on TV: a calm demeanor, vast knowledge and astuteness when responding to a variety of questions. She goes down in the records books forever as a "Jeopardy!" champion. And she once again made Sandusky proud of her accomplishments. Great job, Susan. Excellent Easter egg hunts Last year at this time — coinciding with the onset of COVID-19 — local governments, area organizations and regional institutions hosting Easter egg hunts needed to cancel those events. It was disappointing, for sure, but necessary to protect people from spreading the deadly disease. But this year, they're back, with various health guidelines, like mandates for masks and social distancing. And the ones taking place this past week have gone off without a hitch. We're so happy that children and their relatives can participate in these events, which often become milestone moments when flipping through the family photo album. These are important times in a young person's life. Save us some candy, though. We're especially partial to peanut butter-filled eggs. End the bullying now There's no room for bullying at any time or at any point. Period. As the allegations and accounts of what transpired this past month with a 12-year-old girl and the Sandusky Schools system come to light, we want to emphasize that a school is a place where everyone — teachers, staff and, most importantly, students — need to feel comfortable. If they feel threatened — or worse, attacked — then they're less likely to learn or retain the knowledge necessary to succeed in the classroom and later on in life. An empty feeling No stage. No seats. No chandelier. No amenities. Upon re-reading a news story printing in last weekend's Weekender edition, March 27-28, we were floored to see an empty Sandusky State Theatre. Since the June 10, 2020, windstorm — which ransacked through this illustrious and iconic structure in downtown Sandusky — crews needed to empty damaged areas of the venue. It's a necessary precursor before design-related tasks can start and, then eventually construction work. In the near future, the theater's board will seek out the community's input on the rebuilding process. "We want to make sure we have a thorough assessment of the community's needs and make sure we are addressing those as we move forward," theater executive director Chris Parthemore said. And, in turn, we hope the community supports the theater — through donations, ticket sales or just positively talking it up during a conversation with others. It's absolutely imperative this theater comes back stronger than ever. A strong theater means a strong city, a strong region and a strong draw for entertainment acts to visit Sandusky.