Archive for February, 2009
High school wrestling: Comets take down Falls
AMHERST — Amherst senior Brandon Morgan ended his home career in fine fashion Thursday night when the Comets hosted Olmsted Falls in a Southwestern Conference match. Morgan, matched up against Chaz McGrain at 140 pounds, earned a 3-1 decision in four overtimes. Amherst used the momentum from the big victory to build an insurmountable lead [...]
Swimming: USA Swimming suspends Phelps
Michael Phelps was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed the Olympic great inhaling from a marijuana pipe. The sport’s national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective Thursday. “This is not a situation where any [...]
Baseball: Judge may toss evidence against Bonds
SAN FRANCISCO — Prosecutors trying to prove Barry Bonds lied when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs suffered a setback Thursday, with a federal judge saying she might toss some of the strongest evidence against the home-run king. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said her “preliminary thoughts” were to exclude from trial three 2000-2001 positive [...]
Women’s college basketball: Summitt reaches 1,000 career wins
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pat Summitt didn’t bother to brush from her hair the glittering specks left behind by the confetti shower. Her voice wavered as she thanked players, coaches, administrators and fans for their support over the decades she’s spent at Tennessee. The coach known for her searing glare could only smile. She had reached [...]
High school wrestling notebook: Westlake’s Lawrence shooting for the top
When Westlake’s Nick Lawrence finished fifth in the Division I state tournament as a freshman 103-pounder, Demons coach Mike Antonyzyn told him to make sure he moved up the podium each season. “I went from fifth to second (last season) so now I’m looking to get on top,” Lawrence said. Lawrence nearly accomplished the feat [...]
High school roundup: Falcon trio leads WSC girls basketball win
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — With three players in double figures, Firelands beat North Ridgeville, 49-38, in West Shore Conference girls basketball action Thursday night. Megan Kudela (11), Rachel Melendez (10) and Abby Williams (10) led the Falcons (6-5 WSC), while the Rangers (3-14, 0-11) got a game-high 15 points from Kayla Vidoni. FIRELANDS (49): Loosily 3-0-6, [...]
NBA: Lakers snap Celtics’ streak at 12 games
Lamar Odom made a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-109 victory over host Boston on Thursday night and snap the Celtics’ 12-game winning streak. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points with 10 rebounds and Paul Gasol had 24 and 14 for the Lakers, [...]
Kalo stresses economic development in State of the County talk
ELYRIA — County commissioners Wednesday assured local businesses they are trying to spur economic activity, including developing plans to build a new road linking Lorain County Regional Airport to U.S. Route 20 and the construction of a north-south corridor on the county’s west side. All three commissioners spoke during the annual State of the County [...]
LeBron lights up New York: Cavaliers star scores 52 points and records 21st career triple-double in win over Knicks
NEW YORK — Not quite Kobe Bryant. Definitely vintage LeBron James. James scored a season-high 52 points, racked up his 21st career triple-double, joined Michael Jordan as the only visitors with multiple 50-point games at the present Madison Square Garden, and led Cleveland to a 107-102 victory over New York on Wednesday night. Two nights [...]
Just kicking and beaming: Firelands soccer standouts Melendez and Kozlowski taking talents to Division I colleges
HENRIETTA TWP. — You hate to call on clichés, but sometimes they’re the clearest choice a complex language offers. For the Firelands girls soccer program, it was a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence when Rachael Melendez and Elizabeth Kozlowski first ran onto the field together. More like once in a lifetime. It was as though the evil inferno [...]
Big Ten, MAC football coaches call, area athletes answer
It’s almost a holy day for some college football fans. National Signing Day, that is. For those athletes who get to do the signing, it means the next four or five years will be filled with more than term papers and final exams. There will be conditioning drills in the August heat and, if they’re [...]
Ohio State has quantity and quality in football recruiting class
COLUMBUS — This is one high ranking that Jim Tressel welcomes. After losing several top performers off last year’s 10-3 team, Ohio State was listed by several national scouting service as having one of the best recruiting classes in the nation. The Buckeyes locked up 25 players on Wednesday, the first day football recruits can [...]
More Q than A: Browns coach Eric Mangini covers a lot of topics in news conference, but reveals little
BEREA — Browns coach Eric Mangini answered a lot of questions at his post-Super Bowl press conference Wednesday afternoon, but admitted he didn’t have many answers yet. “I didn’t come into the organization with a lot of expectations, so we’re just getting started,” he said. “I did come in with an open mind and the [...]
Girls basketball: Bench brigade makes a big difference for Elyria in win over Stow
ELYRIA — Mike Walsh knows the value of using all the players on his Pioneer roster. Wednesday, after a sluggish start, Walsh found some help from his bench players to roll away from Stow, 59-34, in Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division play. Elyria improved to 13-3 overall and 4-2 in league play. The Bulldogs, who [...]
High school swimming notebook: Maddock, Ward shine for Elyria at Northeast Ohio Conference championships
Senior Courtney Maddock won two events for Elyria on Saturday at the Northeast Ohio Conference swim championships in the Lake Division. The meet was held at the University of Akron. Maddock took top honors in both the 200 IM (2:24.53) and 500 free (5:41.31). EHS senior Jacque Hawes was second in the 50 free (25.97) [...]
Unsealed documents allege Bonds steroid injections
SAN FRANCISCO — Court documents show Barry Bonds tested positive for three types of steroids, and his personal trainer once told his business manager in the Giants’ clubhouse how he injected the slugger with performance-enhancing drugs “all over the place.” Prosecutors plan to use those 2000-2003 test results and other evidence, detailed in documents released [...]
Nancy Smith freed
Woman convicted in 1990s Head Start case out on $200,000 bond, will be resentenced
Head Start case timeline
May 1993 — The first allegations of sexual misconduct are reported to Lorain police, launching an investigation that spans months and draws massive publicity. Nov. 10, 1993 — Head Start bus driver Nancy Smith is indicted on charges of gross sexual imposition, attempted rape, rape and complicity to rape. She is accused of taking 4- [...]
Lorain ministry planning vigil for slain girl
LORAIN — A local ministry group would like to hold a prayer vigil and fundraiser for shooting victim Najia Boone and her family. “It will give the community an opportunity to express their love,” said Imam Paul Hasan with Interfaith Ministries Against Violence. “Kids and colleagues can get a chance to say how much we [...]
Midview district fills school board vacancy
GRAFTON — A Wal-Mart manager and product of the Midview educational system will be the newest member of the Board of Education. Bob Butler, 39, was selected by the board to serve the remaining year of the four-year term left vacant by Robert Callaway, who died in January. Butler has been the general manager at [...]
Mall pet shop is up for sale
ELYRIA — Sam Mazzola, a partner in the sometimes-controversial Animal Zone at Midway Mall, has put the store’s contents up for sale on the classified Web site Craigslist for $35,000. The deal includes the name, inventory worth $30,000 and about 20 animals that remain in the store, Mazzola said. What it doesn’t include is a [...]
Shooting victim dies in hospital; men plead not guilty
LORAIN — Two men charged with attempted murder in an apparent drug deal gone awry pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lorain Municipal Court and were being held in the county jail on $1 million bond each. Andrew Lorenzana, 19, of Lorain, and Avery Taylor, 19, of Elyria, were arrested Tuesday for allegedly shooting Christopher Lundberg, [...]
Irene C. Wissinger
Irene C. Wissinger (nee Staysniak), 85, of Elyria, died Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at her home, following a long illness. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Bauer-Laubenthal-Mercado Funeral Home, Elyria. 440-322-4626.
Kathleen Beal
Kathleen Beal, 81, of Elyria, formerly of Ellerslie, Maryland, passed away, Wednesday, February 4, 2009, at Avon Oaks, Avon. Kathleen was born April 13, 1927 in Hyndman, Pennsylvania. Kathleen was a home maker who enjoyed bowling, golfing and taking walks with her husband. She was a Girl Scout Troop leader for many years. She was [...]
Joyce Byers Antolik
Joyce Byers Antolik, 85, of Amherst, died Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at New Life Hospice, Lorain, following a short illness. Joyce was born in Detroit, Michigan, January 12, 1924 to the late Ben and Ruth Deckerhoff Byers. Following graduation from North High School, Detroit, she attended Wayne University. Joyce moved to Berlin Heights in 1943, [...]