Archive for July, 2009
BREAKING NEWS: Overnight fire forces Lorain family from home
LORAIN — A fire overnight in Lorain has forced a family of five from their home. At 12:11 a.m., the Lorain Fire Department responded to a call of an explosion in the basement of the home at 419 E. 34th St. The fire, which was contained to the basement, may have been started by a [...]
Betancourt traded to Rockies for prospect with power arm
CLEVELAND — With the July 31 trading deadline approaching, the Indians took the proactive approach Thursday, dealing reliever Rafael Betancourt to the Colorado Rockies for minor league right-hander Connor Graham. The move was made with an eye to the future. Cleveland is out of contention with the American League’s worst record (37-58), Betancourt is in [...]
Indians 5, Blue Jays 4: Gimenez, Huff give Tribe a lift
TORONTO — Making his first career start as a catcher was just the thing to keep Chris Gimenez from fret-ting about his lost passport. After his RBI grounder helped Cleveland beat Toronto, Gimenez just hoped he’d be able to join the victory party as the Indians’ took off for the West Coast. Rookie David Huff [...]
LeBron James book: King struggled with sudden fame
CLEVELAND — LeBron James struggled with sudden fame after appearing on Sports Illustrated’s cover as a 17-year-old and admits he smoked marijuana during his junior year in high school. Those are two of the revelations in a book chronicling James’ rise from Akron hoops prodigy to NBA superstar. In “Shooting Stars,” written by James and [...]
Dunk not so bad, but the reaction was — Rick Noland
It’s been a long time since we’ve done this, so let’s take a quick Rick-o-chet around the world of sports … Actually, this is the time of year when a lot of sports news isn’t news at all, but, hey, we’ve got to fill these pages somehow. So how about that video of the Xavier [...]
Crushers 15, Freedom 4: Hits highlight homecoming
AVON — It was good to be back at home for the Crushers. The Crushers, who hadn’t played at All Pro Freight Stadium since July 12, made up for lost time quickly, scoring eight runs in the first two innings and at least two runs in each of the first four innings, en route to [...]
Crushers notes: Keystone grad comes home
AVON — A familiar face to local sports fans — especially those from Keystone — is playing at All Pro Freight Stadium this weekend. Just not for the hometown Lake Erie Crushers. Todd Schlenkerman, a 2005 Keystone graduate and one of their standout pitchers, signed with the Florence Freedom last week. The Freedom is in [...]
Perfectly dramatic: Great catch in 9th inning preserves perfect game
CHICAGO — The 105th pitch of Mark Buehrle’s day broke in toward Gabe Kapler, who turned on it and connected. Buehrle looked up and knew — his perfect game was in jeopardy. Just in as a defensive replacement, Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise sprinted toward the fence in left-center, a dozen strides. What [...]
Elyria High tennis star is back as coach
ELYRIA — Elyria High won’t have to teach its new girls tennis coach about the program’s history, mainly because she was a big part of it. Sarah Kaminski — who went by Sarah Simmons when she starred for the Pioneers — was a four-year varsity letterwinner who won MVP, all-conference and player of the week [...]
The fight continues for Head Start pair Smith and Allen
ELYRIA — Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen may have been acquitted by a county judge, but their legal fight isn’t over. On Thursday, Lorain County prosecutors asked the 9th District Court of Appeals for permission to appeal county Common Pleas Judge James Burge’s decision last month to acquit Smith and Allen in the controversial Head [...]
Elyria income tax hike proposal goes to Council
ELYRIA — After weeks of debate, a proposal to place a permanent 0.5 percent income tax increase on the November ballot will now go to City Council. The amount would bring in an additional $5.6 million a year, which would not only plug a nearly $3 million deficit in the general fund that is expected [...]
Obama brings his health care reform plan to Cleveland
SHAKER HEIGHTS — President Barack Obama stepped up his us-against-them pitch for overhauling health care Thursday, saying the American people need it and must overcome resistance from opponents in Washington, whom he described vaguely as naysayers and skeptics. “Reform may be coming too soon for some in Washington,” Obama told hundreds who packed a high [...]
Top Ohio doc likes where Obama is going with health care plan
ELYRIA — The president of the Ohio State Medical Associations said Thursday he likes the direction in which President Barack Obama is going with his plans for health care reform. Dr. Roy H. Thomas said after Obama spoke in Shaker Heights about health care reform that the idea of making it easier for people to [...]
Sewer backup affects 33 homes in North Ridgeville
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The scene resembled something out of a thriller, as white-clad employees of clean-up companies snaked vacuum lines into basements of split-level homes while carrying out damaged or ruined furniture, carpeting, TVs and other items. But it was too real for people like Mike Hein, 22, who was helping workers haul his ruined [...]
Police log for July 24, 2009
Elyria police Sunday, July 19 10:30 p.m. — Woodford Avenue and West River Road, Alexis Filiaggi, 18, 300 block Furnace St., charged with resisting arrest and Kevin McClintock, 18, 6200 block West River Road, charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest. Tuesday, July 21 12:31 p.m. – 600 block Hilliard Road, a woman reported [...]
Elyria to try fingertip scanning lunch program
ELYRIA — A fingertip may become more valuable than a wallet this fall at Elyria High School. That’s because the school will participate in a pilot program that allows students to scan their fingerprints to pay for lunch. Superintendent Paul Rigda said the technological upgrade is coming because the card system in place at the [...]
Accused drug dealer busted by Lorain police is indicted
ELYRIA — A Wakeman man found with cash, cocaine and guns last week has been indicted. Randell Coy Troutman, 58, was charged with numerous counts of trafficking in drugs, as well as possession of drugs, possession of criminal tools, having weapons under disability and possession of drug paraphernalia, Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Dave Muhek said. [...]
Lorain children returned to clean home
LORAIN — Lorain County Children Services has closed its case file on a Lorain couple accused of allowing their children to live in a filthy house littered with animal waste. The agency informed Tammie Kerns and Wilbur Kerns Jr. of the decision in a letter dated Thursday. The letter noted that the house had been [...]
Cool temps leave us asking ‘Hey, where’d summer go?’
ELYRIA — What happened to summer? You know, that season that’s generally filled with sunshine and warm weather and has kids clamoring to jump into the pool. That’s a question Bill Randel said he hears all the time, almost every day. He’s a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, so it’s only natural that he [...]
Fundraiser for LaGrange man who needs heart transplant
LAGRANGE — Battling various heart ailments for four decades, a LaGrange man knows tomorrow may never come, so he makes every day count. Greg Anderson, 43, was born with a congenital heart defect which has since required a pacemaker and defibrillator, and he is now in need of a costly heart transplant. But spending a [...]
City of Elyria learning lessons from first try at real estate
ELYRIA — The city’s first run at house flipping has yet to produce a buyer for the renovated 12th Street residence purchased years ago with Community Development Block Grant funds, but it has taught city officials a valuable lesson about how to sell the homes it plans to purchase as part of the federal Neighborhood [...]
Elyria boy, 12, honored guest at HeartThrob Ball
ELYRIA — A 12-year-old Elyria boy will be in the spotlight this evening — an honoree at the HeartThrob Ball hosted by the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. Remington Feller, son of Pam and Jeff Squires, will be one of three recipients of a Courage Award, nominated by his medical team for his continued determination to [...]
An Air Force career goes for the dog
Air Force Staff Sgt. Thomas Myers Jr. goes to work every day with his best-friend, Cseri — who happens to be an 80-pound German shepherd. Myers, the son of Joan Myers of LaGrange, is a student military working dog handler with the 341st Training Squadron, the largest canine training center of its kind in the [...]
Grafton & LaGrange notebook: July 24, 2009
Lorain County Music Fest 3 Lorain County Music Fest 3 will be noon to midnight Saturday at 16953 Mennell Road, Grafton. Twelve bands will perform. Cost is $15 and includes camping for Saturday night. It is suggested that those who are interested in attending arrive today to set up camp. The bands that will be [...]
Grafton & LaGrange police log: July 24, 2009
LaGrange police Friday, July 17 9:50 a.m. — Grey Hawk Golf Course, suspicious young males reportedly on the golf course. Once officers arrived, they could not locate anyone. Saturday, July 18 11:55 p.m. — 100 block Public Square, Jeffrey Steigner, 46, 36300 block Giles Road, Grafton, charged with criminal trespassing, criminal damaging and disorderly conduct [...]