Archive for December, 2009
Judge steps down from Cleveland serial killing case
CLEVELAND — A newspaper says a county judge sent its staff e-mails expressing opinions about the Ohio case of a suspected serial killer that he was later appointed to oversee. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McGinty stepped down from the Anthony Sowell case Thursday. Editor Susan Goldberg of The Plain Dealer says the judge [...]
Basketball roundup: Open Door and Oberlin girls, First Baptist boys win
Open Door 28, First Baptist 23 ELYRIA — First Baptist rallied from an 11-point deficit through three quarters, but fell short in a 27-23 loss to Open Door (1-1) in independent play Thursday. FBS fell to 0-2 for the year. FIRST BAPTIST (23): Grace Kudlo 0-0-0, Brittany Petty 0-0-0, Jessica Robenolt 1-0-2, Rebecca Mohr 2-0-4, [...]
Judge orders charges dropped against former Lorain cop
ELYRIA — Fired Lorain police officer Stanley Marrero won’t face trial on rape and other charges stemming from 16-year-old allegations that he forced himself on a woman while responding to a call at her home, a judge has ruled. The woman contacted the Lorain Police Department in 1993 and left her name and telephone number, [...]
Photo gallery: Historic North Ridgeville home damaged in fire
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — About $50,000 in damage was done to a 145-year-old home Thursday when an attached garage caught fire. North Ridgeville Assistant Chief Scott Bement said the fire started at noon on the second floor of the garage attached to the 3,274-square-foot, two-story home on Otten Road. The cause has not yet been determined. [...]
VIDEO: Defendant says he shot man ‘to make him feel what I felt’
ELYRIA — Terry Little testified Thursday that he “snapped” and fired a shot into the shoulder of 34-year-old Lewis Turner at a McDonald’s in Lorain because Turner had attacked him a year earlier, stealing $7,000 and assaulting him with a broomstick to find crack cocaine he had hidden on his body. “I walked up to [...]
Hockey notes: County trio skates in NCL
Three players who live in Lorain County but don’t attend Elyria Catholic High School hit the ice at the recently finished North Coast League tournament at North Park Rink in Elyria. Brad Beran of Columbia Station, a senior forward and co-captain, and Dominic Acciarri of Avon Lake, a sophomore forward, play for Padua Franciscan. Jon [...]
Wrestling: North Ridgeville rolls to win over Avon
AVON — North Ridgeville won all but one match in completely dominating Avon Thursday night, 62-6, in the West Shore Conference opener for both teams. Senior John Whipkey had the quickest match of the night using only 69 seconds to dispatch the Eagles Matt Campo. Whipkey’s was one of three pins for the Rangers. Mike [...]
Southview’s Ralston shining in classroom, now wants state wrestling title
Southview senior Uland Ralston is smart and ambitious. He will graduate from college with his associate’s degree on May 22 next year, and a few weeks later he will earn his high school diploma. It’s only reasonable to think that his intelligence and the way he attacks the books are big reasons why he has [...]
LCCC extends St. Joe’s lease
LORAIN — A commitment from Lorain County Community College to remain a tenant of St. Joseph Community Center for another six months is another step toward saving the center, officials said Thursday. LCCC has committed to keeping its satellite learning center there through June 2010, with a possible additional two-year extension past June. When South [...]
City of Elyria’s bond rating falls
ELYRIA — The city’s bond rating has dropped a notch, another consequence of a lackluster local economy. The downgrade from Moody’s Investor Services takes Elyria from a rating of A2 to A3, affecting more than $39 million in outstanding debt the city holds. It’s a one-step drop, said City Auditor Ted Pileski, who said Elyria [...]
Target, Coats for Kids helps to keep students at Franklin toasty
ELYRIA — Thursday morning’s temperature was a blustery 19 degrees. Cold, windy and snowy — downright miserable for anyone who had to be outdoors for too long. And, as Franklin Elementary students braved the cold to walk to school, Principal Kim Conley wondered which ones would arrive at school wearing good winter coats and who [...]
Transit’s future rests in Washington plea
ELYRIA — The eventual fate of countywide busing continues to hang in the balance, even as county officials prepare to plead their case in Washington, D.C. Lorain County Administrator James Cordes said information outlining the transit system’s plight was to be delivered today to the offices of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood with the [...]
Coroner stuck with bills for other counties’ autopsies
ELYRIA — Lorain County Coroner Dr. Paul Matus told county commissioners Thursday that something needs to be done so the county doesn’t keep getting stuck with the bill for a rising number of autopsies done outside the county on people fatally injured in Lorain County. Of the 600 to 800 cases handled by the six-person [...]
Grant to assist Apollo renovation
OBERLIN — More renovations are likely coming to the 96-year-old Apollo Theatre thanks to an award to a subsidiary of Oberlin College of $2 million in state historic preservation tax credits. The college hopes to use the award, announced Thursday, for the second phase of theater renovations, which will include renovating the stage for live [...]
Thieves take family’s haul for holidays
ELYRIA — Police are hoping someone knows something about who broke into 121 Warren Ave. on Tuesday morning and stole Christmas presents belonging to 4-year-old twin boys. Alicia Furstenberg, 23, went shopping Tuesday morning and came home to find a window broken, her front door open, her back door unlocked and 15 to 20 presents [...]
Lorain man charged in robbery, shooting
ELYRIA — A 22-year-old Lorain man has been indicted on charges he shot another man on West 11th Street in Lorain on Oct. 23 during an armed burglary. Edward McAfee Jr. faces two counts each of felonious assault, aggravated burglary and having weapons under disability as well as one count of theft. He faces eight [...]
Charity seeks turkey donations for holiday
ELYRIA — The Elyria Salvation Army needs help to give needy people a holiday dinner. Paul Pelletier, captain of the Elyria Salvation Army, said the group was able to order 600 turkeys, which go to families, and 100 small hams, which go to single people. But the agency needs another 300 turkeys to feed everyone [...]
Photo gallery: Browns finally able to celebrate a win over the Steelers
CLEVELAND — Matt Roth was the first to make the trip. Followed by Mike Adams, Kamerion Wimbley and Alex Mack. They all ran to the Dawg Pound to rejoice with the fans. For the first time since October 2008, they had a chance to celebrate a home win. It wasn’t just any win. It was [...]
Photo gallery: An entire school gets free winter coats in Elyria
ELYRIA — Franklin Elementary students — all 475 of them in kindergarten through fifth grade — received new coats — solid-colored puffy jackets — from Target, who partnered with the national Coats for Kids organization. At a cost of nearly $8,000, Franklin Elementary is the only school in the country to receive the coat grant [...]
Photo gallery: Fire damages one of North Ridgeville’s oldest homes
Fire crews from four departments responded to a fire today that damaged one of North Ridgeville’s oldest homes. The home, at 6050 Otten Road, was built in 1849, according to a sign that said “The Masny’s” and identified it as a century home. According to the Lorain County auditor’s office, the home was built in [...]
Obituaries for Dec. 10, 2009
Christine M. “Tina” Rivera Larry A. Byczynski Mary E. Monaco John S. Sterba Kathleen I. Wallace Adren Whitesel Robert Roy Hogan Mary Anne Moore Mattie O. Brown Essie L. Williams Carl L. Fuchs Phyllis L. Blackwell Bernard Jack “B.J.” Quinn Ruth G. Shaeffer Bernard Jack “B.J.” Quinn George A. Wilson Staff Sergeant Valentino R. Mendoza [...]
Census will create 24,000 jobs in Ohio next year
COLUMBUS — State officials now say next year’s census will create 24,000 temporary jobs in Ohio, far more than the 5,000 openings the Census Bureau announced earlier. Ohio Treasurer Kevin Boyce says in a statement that Ohioans who need jobs will be given an opportunity to work and also provide an important service for their [...]
Hopes high for a Browns win over Steelers
CLEVELAND — The Browns are 1-11 and have lost seven straight. They’ve dropped 12 in a row to the Steelers, and eight straight to Pittsburgh at Cleveland Browns Stadium. If you’re not old enough to remember Tim Couch, you won’t recall the last time the Browns knocked off their archenemy from down the turnpike. Yet, [...]
Hockey: Seven score in EC rout
ELYRIA — Get yourself an Elyria Catholic yearbook. Pick out the guys who look like hockey players and chances are pretty good they figured in the Panthers’ rout of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Wednesday night. The Panthers led 11-1 when the game was halted with just over a minute to play because of the 10-goal lead. [...]
McDonald’s manager testifies: Man died in my arms
ELYRIA — A former manager at the Lorain McDonald’s where 34-year-old Lewis Turner was shot to death testified Wednesday that she saw two men fighting in the parking lot, heard two shots and saw one man drop to the ground while the other fled. Traci Nelson said she ran to help Turner, but he died [...]