Archive for December 29th, 2007
Area natives proud to be ‘losers’
Father and daughter are competing on NBC weight-loss reality show Few people want to be known as losers. But North Ridgeville native Lynn Westphal, 60, and his 31-year-old daughter Jenni, an Elyria native now living in Lakewood, have battled with their weight for years. Now they not only want to be known as losers, they [...]
Police: Robbery suspect came back for thirds
Elyrian charged in two robberies at Subway ELYRIA — Maybe it was the smell of the cold cuts, or more likely the scent of cold-hard cash that drew a man suspected of robbing the same Subway restaurant twice in the past month to try again. Johnie McCormick, 23, of Elyria, was charged with two counts [...]
Pizzeria murder suspect joins penalty suit
ELYRIA — One day after county Common Pleas Judge James Burge released state documents detailing the state’s lethal injection protocols, a murder suspect is asking another county judge to throw out the death penalty as a possible sentence in his case. Simpson Neil Simpson is the only one of three men charged in connection with [...]
Berner filled Avon Lake coffers, lost his job
AVON LAKE — When political novice Rob Berner walked into City Hall many years ago, he knew he faced an uphill battle proving to residents he was not like his predecessors. CHUCK HUMEL / CHRONICLE Outgoing Avon Lake Mayor Rob Berner talks about his accomplishments in his office Friday. Avon Lake could not take another [...]
Boys basketball: Host Elyria set for title game showdown with Sandusky in Lorain County Holiday Classic
ELYRIA — It was the age-old basketball battle: Quickness versus size. On Friday, quickness won out as Elyria advanced to tonight’s Lorain County Holiday Classic final by defeating Vermilion 66-60. The Pioneers, two-time defending champs, will take on their old-time Buckeye Conference and Erie Shore rival Sandusky, a 64-53 victor over Admiral King. This is [...]
Police blotter: Dec. 29, 2007
Elyria police Wednesday, Dec. 26 7:45 a.m. – 100 block West Ave., two propane tanks stolen. 7:50 a.m. – Meadow Drive and Abbe Road, Felix Roldan, 40, Lorain, warrant. 9 a.m. – 100 block Charles Court, storm windows stolen. 9:57 a.m. – 1000 block N. Abbe Road, copper wire stolen. 11:50 a.m. – Horizon Daycare, [...]
Girls basketball: Falls fells Keystone in finals of Wildcat Holiday Tournament
LAGRANGE — Keystone got the opponent they wanted in its holiday tournament final, just not the result it had hoped for. Olmsted Falls routed the Wildcats 61-34 to take the rotating tournament for the second consecutive year. Keystone, which fell to 8-4, also lost to the Bulldogs in last year’s championship game. “We look forward [...]
Cranky Texas cafeteria customer leaves $50,000, car to patient waitress
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — For nearly seven years Melina Salazar did her best to put on a smile and tend to the every need of her most loyal and cantankerous customer. She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands [...]
Police: Team digging up backyard looking for evidence of bodies
MANSFIELD — Police were digging Friday in the backyard of a home where two northeast Ohio people were allegedly killed about eight years ago, a detective said. The search team also was at the site Thursday, when police recovered bits of clothing, fingernails and long blond hair, the Mansfield News Journal reported. “We did a [...]
Browns: DL Robaire Smith playing through pain to give team a lift
BEREA — Shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, coach Romeo Crennel announced that defensive end Robaire Smith would not be practicing so he could rest a strained neck. At 12:45 p.m., Smith took his normal turn in the defensive line drills. “Me and the head trainer (Marty Lauzon) sat there and argued about it for like [...]
Proposal would create alert program for missing elderly
COLUMBUS — Ohio would create a statewide emergency-alert program to locate missing elderly persons or adults with mental impairments under legislation working its way through the General Assembly. The system would allow police to use a statewide law enforcement network to notify other agencies of missing adults who are in danger because they can not [...]
Girls basketball: Firelands loses in title game, Saints win consolation at Clipper Invitational
LORAIN — Chad Miller would like his Meadowdale team to face more opponents like Firelands. Dave Kudela, head coach of Firelands, does not think his Falcons will see too many more teams like Miller’s Lions this season. Meadowdale, from Dayton, used its distinct size advantage to overpower Firelands, 54-43 in the championship game of Friday’s [...]
Doug Clarke: Making plans for the new year before and beyond
DATE: Sometime between Christmas and New Year’s. MOOD: Bad. See also; sour, disgruntled, grumpy … PREDICTION: I see a short column in our future. PLANS FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE: Not to leave the house under any condition. BOWL GAMES TO WATCH: None — except for Ohio State vs. LSU in the BCS Bowl. TODAY’S PLAN: Sleep [...]
Boys basketball: Sandusky streaks past Admiral King again
ELYRIA — Sandusky did it three points at a time — and that’s the way to start a run. The Blue Streaks, trailing Admiral King 46-43 one minute into the fourth quarter, scored four consecutive three-point plays — two the old-fashioned way — to ignite a 16-1 run and propel Sandusky to a 64-53 victory [...]
Girls basketball: Host Panthers advance to championship game
ELYRIA — Despite shooting only 30 percent from the field on many missed putback attempts, Elyria Catholic’s overwhelming domination of the backboards led to a 61-50 victory over Brooklyn on Friday night at the Coliseum in the EMH Regional Healthcare Systems Holiday Tournament. The Panthers (5-5) will play Buckeye, a winner over Lake Ridge in [...]
Girls basketball: Amherst loses, Midview wins at Comet Holiday Tournament
AMHERST — With players leaping and diving all over the floor, Amherst staged a gutsy comeback Friday night in the championship game of its own holiday tournament. Unfortunately, the Comets didn’t come back far enough. After trailing by 10 points two minutes into the fourth quarter, they fought back to a one-point lead in the [...]
Tax foe joins county commissioner race
ELYRIA — An Amherst councilman who led the charge to place a 0.25-percentage point county income tax increase on the November ballot is one of five people planning a run for county commissioner. Nick Brusky, 26, filed his petitions Friday to run against Democratic County Commissioner Ted Kalo. Both Kalo and Commissioner Lori Kokoski, also [...]
County Democrats may oppose Lilly
SHEFFIELD TWP. — Democratic Party leaders might find themselves having to take sides in an upcoming domestic relations court race. Attorney Jim Walther, who also serves as an assistant law director in Lorain, filed petitions Thursday with the county Board of Elections to run for a newly created judge’s seat in the county Common Pleas [...]
Boy who saw friend die sues landlord
ELYRIA — The friend of an 8-year-old boy who was crushed by an unstable 600-pound cement slab along the lakefront is suing the property owners. Andrew Flynn watched as his friend Dominic DePaul was killed Jan. 2, 2006, when he and his twin brother and some friends were on a rock pile behind the lakefront [...]
Off the beat: Dec. 29, 2007
One shot left for tickets to Hannah Miley Cyrus, the bubble-gum-sweet pop princess who doubles as Hannah Montana, will be here in just five days for her Cleveland concert for the “Best of Both Worlds” Tour. If you don’t have tickets for the Thursday show at the Q, don’t even think about buying them this [...]
Young voters a political puzzle
EDITOR’S NOTE — This is the first in a five-part series on young voters. COLUMBUS — The fastest-growing voting group is a moving target for candidates. Polls show that young voters are concerned most about the war in Iraq and a host of economic issues, including the ballooning national debt — though they may use [...]
Romoser vetoes pay raises
LORAIN — Outgoing Mayor John Romoser exercised his first veto Thursday on an ordinance that would have given raises to the city’s auditor and treasurer. City Council passed the ordinance in a 6-5 vote last week, but it needed a two-thirds majority — or eight votes — to make the ordinance take effect immediately. Most [...]
Police: Men jump out of van, rob pair at gunpoint
LORAIN — Two Cleveland residents were held up at gunpoint while trying to turn their vehicle around on a dead-end street about 2 a.m. Friday. Mark Davis, 20, and Cherie Leonard, 19, told police they were driving in the area of West 19th Street and Reeves Avenue when a light-colored van pulled out in front [...]
Timothy Masten
Timothy Masten, 70, of Vermilion, died Thursday, December 27, 2007 at his home. He was born May 22, 1937, in Lorain and had been a Vermilion resident since 2002. He was a graduate of Wittenberg University and was also a music teacher at Elyria Public Schools, retiring in 1990. He taught at Southeastern High School [...]
Stella Hewitt
Stella Hewitt (nee Stantion), 99, of Oberlin, formerly of Elyria, died Thursday, December 27, 2007 at the Welcome Nursing Home in Oberlin. She was born May 14, 1908 in Sambor, Poland. She lived in Lorain County for more than 82 years. Mrs. Hewitt was a housewife and a stay-at-home mom. She enjoyed crocheting, crafts, flower [...]