Archive for June, 2009
Woman charged in wreck that injured daughter
LORAIN — A Huron mother was charged Tuesday with failure to yield for an accident that sent her, her 5-year-old daughter and her former husband to the hospital earlier this month. The car driven by LeighAnn Ferguson, 24, was broadsided by a delivery truck June 4 at the intersection of Oak Point Road and West [...]
The queen is crowned at Lorain International Festival
Puerto Rican princess Ciara Gomez was crowned 2009 Lorain International Festival queen Thursday night at the Lorain Palace Theatre. “I couldn’t believe it,” Gomez said backstage. “I was in total shock.” She probably shouldn’t have been. Gomez is extremely active in her Hispanic church, South Lorain’s Sacred Heart Chapel, where her mother is the secretary. [...]
Firelands pursues bonds for high school
SOUTH AMHERST — Given today’s uncertain economy, officials from the Firelands school district know it makes good sense to try to secure available federal stimulus money to offset the cost of a new high school. The Firelands school board decided at Thursday’s meeting to apply for low-interest or zero-percent interest bonds from the Ohio Schools [...]
Duct Out for Prom: Midview students compete in contest for scholarship
GRAFTON — For two Midview High School students, it was a chance to be the unique ones from their school. And by wearing duct tape outfits to their 2009 prom, Rachel Cunningham, 18, and Billy Oliver, 16, certainly were able to achieve their goal. “For the first hour that we got there, we didn’t get [...]
Judge’s former secretary facing home foreclosure
ELYRIA — A judge’s former secretary, who pleaded guilty in March to charges of theft in office and tampering with records, has had her New Russia Township home foreclosed on. Andrea Ritter and her husband, Dan Ritter, will lose their home because they owe more than $203,000 on the mortgage, according to court paperwork. According [...]
Summer program for Lorain County kids
LORAIN — Lorain County Community Action Agency, in collaboration with the Lorain’s Parks and Recreation Department, on Monday will begin holding registration for Summer at Central Park Pool Pass Youth Program. The program for youths age 9 to 19 focuses on character development and swimming fun. There will be 325 children accepted on a first-come, [...]
Bittersweet sweepstakes: Amherst woman wins trip during a difficult time
AMHERST — Laurene Pasztor will forever remember May 13 with a mix of emotions. It’s the day she learned her father, Bart Blaha, a fishing charter captain in Marblehead, was hospitalized with a heart attack. Two weeks later, he was dead at age 71. It was the same day she heard from representatives of the [...]
AP Source: Michael Jackson dead
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says Michael Jackson has died in Los Angeles. The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity, says the King of Pop died at age 50 in a Los Angeles hospital.
Blockbuster: Cavs acquire Shaq from Suns
CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron and Shaq: Two of the NBA’s biggest stars are now teammates. The Cleveland Cavaliers completed a blockbuster trade Thursday, bringing superstar center Shaquille O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns to join current MVP LeBron James. The Cavaliers hope they are creating a basketball duo with the power of Michael Jordan and Scottie [...]
Farrah Fawcett dies at 62
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Farrah Fawcett, whose stunning looks and blinding smile made her a pop icon of the 1970s, has died. She was 62. Her spokesman, Paul Bloch, says Fawcett died Thursday morning in a Santa Monica hospital. Her 2½-year battle with cancer was depicted in the TV documentary “Farrah’s Story.” She burst on [...]
Three area golfers alive at SAP Open in Avon
AVON — Three area boys survived the second round cut and will play in today’s final 18 holes of the American Junior Golf Association’s SAP Open at Red Tail Golf Club. The tourney is one of four regionals being contested nationally this week by the AJGA, an organization which promotes youth golf through yearly tournaments [...]
Judge acquits Smith and Allen in Head Start case
ELYRIA — Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen have proclaimed their innocence in the controversial Head Start child molestation case for 16 years and on Wednesday, a judge finally agreed with them. “I have absolutely no confidence that these verdicts are correct,” Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge said before acquitting Smith and Allen of [...]
Akers hired as Admiral King’s new football coach
LORAIN — Lorain athletic director Bryan Koury admitted to being caught off guard when he got the news he was losing his head football coach at Admiral King. Mark Campo, who turned the program around during his tenure with the Admirals — capped by a 7-3 season in 2008, accepted the head coaching position at [...]
Smith: ‘I just go … and live my life’
LORAIN — Just hours after a county judge acquitted her of the child molestation charges of which she was convicted in 1994, Nancy Smith said Wednesday she’s ready to move on with her life. “I go find a job and just live my life finally, after all these years, with my children, my grandchildren and [...]
Indians all bad in lopsided loss to Pirates
PITTSBURGH — Carl Pavano didn’t give his offense a chance to turn another big ninth inning during the Indians-Pirates interleague series into a potentially huge comeback. Zach Duke allowed one run in six innings, Adam LaRoche drove in three runs and the Pirates didn’t wait to get into Cleveland’s slumping bullpen to start scoring, roughing [...]
1990s sex abuse hysteria helped fuel Head Start allegations
When horrific allegations of sexual abuse were leveled against Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen in the early 1990s, it was a different time. There had been a wave of hysteria across the nation as cases with names like McMartin Preschool in California, Fells Acres in Massachusetts and Little Rascals in North Carolina were pressed against [...]
Man acquitted in carjacking case
ELYRIA — A jury acquitted a 24-year-old man on charges he helped his brother take part in a carjacking near Midway Mall that turned into a high-speed chase. Douglas Rivers, who listed addresses in Cleveland and Bedford Heights, was found not guilty Tuesday of robbery and two counts of theft in connection with a carjacking [...]
CORRECTION: June 25, 2009
Ross Incineration Services Inc. burns about 400,000 pounds of waste per day. The waste they were burning that turned the facility’s steam pink was in a 30-gallon drum weighing 240 pounds. The information was incorrect in a story Wednesday.
Turnpike worker accused of stealing tolls
ELYRIA — A Westlake man was indicted on charges he took money from the Ohio Turnpike Commission while working as a collector in a toll booth. James T. Travis, 37, turned himself in to the Lorain County Jail on Tuesday night and was released on $4,000 bond a short time later, according to a booking [...]
BLOTTER: June 25, 2009
Lorain police Saturday, June 13 8:30 p.m. – 5300 block Leavitt Road, Super Kmart, Quentin Scott, 18, and Daniel Oquendo, 19, both of Lorain, were issued summons for the theft of KY Intense lubricant and condoms. Saturday, June 20 10:20 a.m. – Cooper Foster Park Road, near the Sears Plaza, Nelson Rodriguez Jr., 20, of [...]
Cavs could trade up in today’s NBA Draft
INDEPENDENCE — One of the few certainties tonight in the NBA Draft is that there will be a ton of uncertainty. Several trades have already occurred and more are likely before — and after — the draft, with the Cavaliers actively looking to move up from the No. 30 pick. Cleveland, which also owns the [...]
Shaquille O’Neal headed to Cleveland?
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers are close to acquiring center Shaquille O’Neal in a trade with the Phoenix Suns, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday. The teams have reached an agreement in principle on the deal, which would unite O’Neal with Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, the NBA’s MVP. [...]
Vigil tonight for Lorain teen
LORAIN — A candlelight vigil will be 6 p.m. today in memory of an 18-year-old Lorain teenager gunned down in a drive-by shooting Monday. Marquis McCall was shot in the chest and killed as he was walking with a group of six or seven other young men at West 13th Street and Long Avenue, police [...]
Parade today for EHS girls softball team
ELYRIA — A magical season will end with a victory parade in downtown Elyria today for the Elyria High School girls softball team. The parade will include a police escort, followed by the EHS drumline and the team coasting by adoring fans on the Lorain County Transit trolley. The Elyria school board and Superintendent Paul [...]
County sues strip club for unpaid taxes, assessment and penalties
ELYRIA — The county sued the owners of the Club 57 strip club for foreclosure, contending the club has $63,578 in delinquent taxes, assessment and penalties. David Shapiro, the club’s manager, said he was unaware of the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday. “I’ll have to look into that,” Shapiro said. The lawsuit lists as defendants [...]