Archive for July, 2009
Firelands edges South Amherst in Hot Stove district tourney
COLUMBIA STATION — When it was over, Firelands Raptors manager Tom Myers could smile. “This certainly was a good baseball game,” Myers said Monday after his Raptors held on for a tighter-than-expected 9-8 second-round win over the South Amherst Cavaliers in a Class H (ages 9-10) game in Lorain County district Hot Stove tournament action [...]
State budget: Lawmakers strip schools’ ability to ban Pledge of Allegiance
OBERLIN — To pledge, or not to pledge, soon may be up to each teacher. The $50.5 billion state budget bill passed with a provision that strips school districts such as Oberlin of the authority to decide whether they want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. State Sen. Gary Cates, a Republican from the Cincinnati [...]
State budget: Bill would dismantle Family Court
ELYRIA — The Lorain County Family Court is getting a divorce. The controversial merger of the county’s Probate Court and Domestic Relations and Juvenile courts will end in September under a budget bill passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate on Monday and is now awaiting the signature of Ohio Gov. Ted [...]
Vermilion Township crash victim would have turned 18 today
This story corrected on July 15, 2009. VERMILION — A three-car crash late Sunday night in Vermilion Township killed a Vermilion teen and hospitalized three others. David Ryan Kelm, 17, died of injuries from the crash that occurred just after 10:30 p.m. at state Route 60 and Darrow Road in Erie County, according to the [...]
Big sendoff for ‘a firefighter to the end’
For the past 52 years, Edward T. Shepherd devoted a lot of his free time to the Carlisle Fire Department. On Monday, Lorain County’s fire community came out in force to remember the man who was always willing to help others. A procession of fire vehicles followed the antique fire engine that carried Shepherd to [...]
Man in critical condition after spill on motorbike
ELYRIA — Police are still investigating what caused an Amherst man to crash his motorbike on state Route 57 Monday afternoon. Michael C. Kelley, 47, received serious injuries after he flipped the bike about 1:30 p.m. and was taken to EMH Regional Medical Center before being flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. He was [...]
Former court secretary gets year for theft
ELYRIA — A county judge’s former secretary left the Lorain County Justice Center in handcuffs Monday, bound for prison after being ordered to serve a year for stealing from the county. Andrea Ritter, 52, had tears in her eyes as she apologized before visiting Judge Judith Cross imposed the sentence. “I’d just like to say [...]
Corrections for July 14, 2009
The traffic study conducted for the state Route 57 project was done by HNTB Consultant for the Ohio Department of Transportation and not by CT Consultants, as a story Sunday indicated. The recommendations on traffic pattern changes were made by HNTB in the study. CT Consultants prepared the plans and project design based on the [...]
Local roundup for July 14, 2009
Woman found dead inside motel room NORTH RIDGEVILLE — A 59-year-old woman was found dead inside a room she had been living in at the Ridge Motel. County Coroner Paul Matus said he has no reason to suspect foul play but could not provide more information about her death until family has been notified. He [...]
Lorain joins grant-money consortium
LORAIN — A possible consortium of four municipalities, a nonprofit organization and a county agency will apply this week for up to $20 million in federal grant money to help remove blight from neighborhoods throughout the county. City Council passed legislation in a special session Monday night to form the alliance and then to apply [...]
Teens plead not guilty in beating
ELYRIA — Two former Elyria High School students pleaded not guilty last week for the second time to misdemeanor charges stemming from allegations they beat two fellow students at a garage party in March. Elyria City Prosecutor Jay Grunda had dropped the charges in May while he re-examined whether Ryan Nelisse and Nicholas Miranda, both [...]
Death of a landmark: ’20s-era flour elevator coming down in Grafton
You can say one thing about this 1920s-era concrete building that once housed flour mills for Sunshine Biscuits: It was built tough. Demolition crews have been going at the building for days now with heavy equipment without causing it to tumble, said Andy Toth, operations manager of the Grafton grain location of Town and Country [...]
Murder-for-hire suspect takes plea deal
ELYRIA — A state prisoner accused of plotting to kill an witness in a murder case took a plea deal Monday that will keep him behind bars. But the deal in which Angel David pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder doesn’t call for him to testify against murder suspect Ruben Rivera, who allegedly asked [...]
JVS to promote assistant superintendent to head position
PITTSFIELD TWP. — The Lorain County Joint Vocational School has a tentative agreement to promote the school’s assistant superintendent, John Nolan, to the top job, School Board President Kathryn Karpus said Monday. The board also has a tentative agreement to hire Corey M. Thompson of Buckeye Lake as JVS treasurer, Karpus said. He has served [...]
Paper Moon Vineyards a little bit of Tuscany in Vermilion
VERMILION — Just west of downtown Vermilion sits a little bit of Tuscany wine country. While the outside structure may not reveal its mysteries, Paper Moon Vineyards is an oasis onto itself. “People still come in and say, ‘Wow! We had no idea this was here,’ ” said Adam Cawrse, winemaker and son of the [...]
Amherst, Vermilion & South Amherst notebook: July 14, 2009
Be heard about the bus Vermilion Mayor Jean Anderson will hold two more public hearings to gauge interest in a circulator bus serving major points in the downtown area and throughout the city. The second public meeting will be 6 to 8 p.m. July 22 at Kingston of Vermilion, 4210 Telegraph Lane. Women and the [...]
Amherst, Vermilion & South Amherst calendar: July 14, 2009
Wednesday Grief support group meets at 7 p.m. at Amherst Congregational United Church of Christ, 379 S. Main St., Amherst. Call (440) 988-9148. Thursday LifeShare community bloodmobile will be at Amherst Public Library, 221 Spring St., Amherst, between 5 to 8 p.m. Call (440) 322-5700. Saturday Infant and child CPR classes, 9 a.m. to 4 [...]
Amherst police log: July 14, 2009
Amherst police Sunday, July 5 9:08 p.m. — State Route 2 near Crosse Road. Travis Gray cited for window tint and driving in marked lanes after police patrolling Route 2 noticed a vehicle with dark windows crossing the center line. Monday, July 6 11:55 p.m. — Middle Ridge Road. Jessica Shenker, 20, charged with underage [...]
Obituaries for July 14, 2009
Helen Kathleen Thompson Kurt Weil Arnold Jordan Read the full obituaries on The Chronicle E-edition at: http://www.chroniclet.com/ChroniclEdition/
BREAKING: Motorcyclist taken to EMH after flipping bike on 57
A motorcyclist was taken to EMH Regional Medical Center with serious injuries after he flipped his motorcycle about 1:30 p.m. today. The bike, a black scooter, came to rest in the eastbound lanes of state Route 57. The accident closed the eastbound lanes of 57 between Furnace Street and West River Road. No additional information [...]
BREAKING: State budget takes pledge choice away from schools
COLUMBUS — A final version of the Ohio budget strips school districts of the authority to determine whether pupils should say the Pledge of Allegiance. The plan also removes a provision that would have allowed natural gas drilling in Ohio state parks and clarifies Gov. Ted Strickland’s authority to put slot machines at Ohio’s horse [...]
VIDEO: Sotomayor called ‘justice for all Americans’ as hearings kick off
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats praised Sonia Sotomayor as a Hispanic pioneer well qualified for the Supreme Court today, but Republicans questioned her impartiality and President Barack Obama’s views as well at the start of confirmation hearings. Despite Republican misgivings, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Sotomayor, “Unless you have a complete meltdown, you’re going to get [...]
BREAKING: Judge’s former secretary gets a year for stealing more than $14,000
ELYRIA — A county judge’s former secretary was sentenced to one year in prison today for stealing more than $14,000 from the county. Andrea Ritter tearfully apologized for her actions before Visiting Judge Judith Cross imposed the sentence, saying the public demanded that government workers be trustworthy. Ritter resigned as Lorain County Common Pleas Judge [...]
Vermilion teen killed, three taken to hospitals after crash
An three-car accident Sunday night in Vermilion Township claimed the life of a Vermilion teenager and sent three others to local hospitals, according to the Sandusky Post of the State Highway Patrol. David Ryan Kelm, 17, a passenger in a 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, died as a result of the accident about 10:30 p.m. at [...]
Elyria police looking for individual who fled accident scene
Elyria police were looking for an individual who fled on foot from the scene of a morning crash and may have been in one of the vehicles involved. The two-vehicle crash, about 6:15 a.m. today at state Route 57 and Gulf Road, involved a Ford Ranger pickup truck and a van. The individual who fled [...]