Archive for August, 2009
Lorain Council mulls ordinance to lease buildings for charitable gambling
LORAIN — Poker fans could soon have a nearby spot to gamble. City Council is mulling an ordinance that would allow the city to lease private property so nonprofit groups could use the facility for charitable gaming. The proposal came about because Mike Kennedy, owner of Kennedy’s Billiards and an avid poker player, has been [...]
Former sleep clinic tech gets prison
ELYRIA – A former sleep clinic technician was sentenced Wednesday to a year in prison for groping five female patients at the clinic. Mina Roufail, 23, apologized for his actions during his appearance before Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Rothgery. “I really don’t know what to say, but I would like to say I’m [...]
Sutton fields health care queries in call
Callers didn’t pull any punches during U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton’s tele-town hall meeting Wednesday night. Nine people had the opportunity to address Sutton, D-Copley Township, during an hour-long conference call to discuss health care reform. Only one of the calls could have been considered positive, from a man who praised health care reform and asked [...]
Arbitrator upholds firing of Lorain cop
Read the arbitrator’s report. LORAIN – The firing of Lorain police officer Stanley Marrero, who was convicted of misdemeanor charges of improper behavior involving women, was upheld by an arbitrator and he is off the force for good, Lorain Safety Director Phil Dore said. Arbitrator Phil Gerhart ruled on Friday that Marrero was terminated for [...]
Prosecutors want video testimonies in escape trial
ELYRIA – Three convicted killers slated to testify during the October trial of a fourth murderer accused of trying to escape from Lorain Correctional Institution won’t have to appear in court to be witnesses in the case if prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies have their way. Instead, the men would be able to testify in John [...]
Defendant seeks lawyer change, dinner with family
ELYRIA — Accused killer Neil Simpson wants new attorneys, but the lawyer he wants to replace his current legal team — Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Tony Cillo — probably won’t take the job. “I don’t think that will be happening,” Cillo’s boss, county Prosecutor Dennis Will, said. Simpson’s complaints about his attorneys, Kenneth Lieux and [...]
BLOTTER: Aug. 27, 2009
Lorain police Sunday, Aug. 23 7 p.m. – Man and his 8-year-old daughter reported the child’s mother has been hitting and cursing at her. Monday, Aug. 24 1:54 p.m. – 3200 block Oberlin Ave., male stole shirts and $175 cash ready for deposit while the clerk’s back was turned. Video surveillance was given to the [...]
Obituaries for August 27, 2009
Albert S. Janik Angela M. Phillips Shirley Ann Bally Palmer E. Snodgrass Read the full obituaries on The Chronicle E-edition at: http://www.chroniclet.com/ChroniclEdition/
CORRECTION: Aug. 27, 2009
Jeff Phillips, a former corrections worker at Lorain Correctional Institution, was originally fired for his role in the alleged attempted escape by convicted killer John Michael Robinson. He later filed a grievance through the prison union and was allowed to resign. The information was incorrect in a story Sunday because of incomplete information provided by [...]
4-H band movie medley challenge
Think you know your movies and your movie music? Well, I got the chance to check out the 4-H band in concert tonight in Building 11 at the fair. One of their great — and incredibly long at 12-plus minutes — songs was “Hollywood Milestones,” a medley of tons of movie classics. So I’m throwing [...]
Rodeo rider LifeFlighted after being hurt at fair
A participant in the rodeo Wednesday night at the Lorain County Fair had to be LifeFlighted to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland after he was thrown from his horse and apparently kicked in the head. Logan Kohler was participating in bareback bronc riding early in Wednesday night’s program when he was thrown from his horse [...]
Lifeshare wants your blood at the fair
I stopped over this afternoon to chat with the friendly folks at Lifeshare Community Blood Services. They’re set up at the fair and are ready to take your blood. They said they get about 65 to 70 units of blood a day and are hoping to have 500 by the end of the fair. They’ve [...]
Fairs attract crowds, festivals falter
Fun-seekers venturing out to farm fairs, art festivals and other mainstays of the American summer are finding either crowds or cancellation notices this year — and sometimes for the same reason. Many festivals have met their demise when national sponsors pulled away and lawmakers slashed grant budgets, leaving organizers without enough money to buy tables, [...]
Cool off at the fair and support Keystone softball
Looking for a cool drink at the Lorain County Fair? Stop by one of three lemonade booths staffed by Keystone High School softball players, and you’ll not only get a sweet treat, you’ll help the team make another run for a title. Danyel Whitacre, Brittany Bachman and Caitlyn Minney were working the lemonade stand by [...]
Demolition derby ‘an unexplainable rush’
WELLINGTON — Imagine driving like a bat out of Hades with destruction on your mind. Well, that’s exactly the goal of the wildly popular demolition derby, which as always will close out the 164th Lorain County Fair on Sunday. “It’s an unexplainable rush,” said participant Henry Leonardi. That’s because the demo derby has it all, [...]
Kiddieland at the Lorain County Fair back up and running
Kiddieland at the Lorain County Fair is back up and running after a brief power outage early this afternoon. The power outage only affected the children’s rides and lasted about 25 minutes, according to workers selling tickets this afternoon. Several parents became irate and several were threatened they might be removed from the fairgrounds, but [...]
Who has the best fair giveaways?
Hey, fairgoers, I’m working on a story on the best giveaways at the Lorain County Fair, and I need your help! I wish I had all day to wander around and find them for myself, but, unfortunately, my bosses actually want me to be working. Anyway, please leave a comment or e-mail me at rproudfoot@chroniclet.com [...]
Fair food: Fried Wisconsin cheese curds and Hill’s waffles
I first heard of fried cheese curds a couple months ago when I sat down to talk with longtime Lorain County Fair President Gordon Greene. My question to him: “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten at the fair over the years?” He said he’d never heard of the fried cheese curds when the vendors first [...]
Faces at the fair: Tuesday night on the midway
The midway at the Lorain County Fair was packed all night Tuesday, but it really filled up when fans spilled out of the Miranda Lambert concert a little after 9 p.m. Fairgoers flocked to the many food stands, grabbing fried and sugary treats, then headed for the fair rides. Check out this Chroniclet.com video, and [...]
Ride along for my 3 minutes of terror on The Zipper
Well, my big, bright “Let me snap your picture” T-shirt must be working, because the operator of The Zipper at the Lorain County Fair ran me down as I walked around late tonight. He asked me to snap a shot of him and his fellow co-workers, and I gladly obliged. After I’d snapped a few [...]
What’s new? Big improvements at this year’s fair
WELLINGTON — This year’s Lorain County Fair will showcase what fair board President Brian Twining likes to call one of the fair’s hidden gems — the recently completed Heritage Barn. A joint venture of the fair board and LaGrange Steam Engine Club, the structure was refurbished and rebuilt after being disassembled and transported from the [...]
Mass. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy dies
BOSTON – Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the liberal lion of the Senate and haunted bearer of the Camelot torch after two of his brothers fell to assassins’ bullets, has died after battling a brain tumor. He was 77. For nearly a half-century in the Senate, Kennedy was a steadfast champion of the working class and [...]
Obituaries for Aug. 26, 2009
Joyce A. Meese Betty Metzger James G. Weston, Jr. Anna Terebeckij Tonia Estelle Hunt James R. Jordan Read the full obituaries on The Chronicle E-edition at: http://www.chroniclet.com/ChroniclEdition/
City looks at layoffs, closing jail
ELYRIA – In light of continuing drops in the city’s income tax collections, a plan to lay off more city employees and possibly close the city jail will be discussed Monday at the City Council’s Finance Committee. The city needs to cut $600,000 more from the general fund before the end of the year to [...]
Jobless rate drops in Lorain County
ELYRIA – Lorain County saw a 1.2 percent drop in its jobless rate in July, even though unemployment rose in the state as a whole, according to figures released Tuesday. In Lorain County, the July unemployment figure stood at 10.3 percent – down from 11.5 percent in June. Statewide, the unemployment rate stood at 11.2 [...]