Archive for March, 2010
Photo gallery: A sneak peek at the new French Creek Y
AVON — Local businesses got a sneak peek at the new French Creek YMCA last night, and there was a lot to see. The Lorain County Chamber of Commerce held the event to give local businesses an opportunity to check out the new facility. The YMCA, said executive director Joe Cerny, was about more than [...]
City trying to force demolition of former trailer park
ELYRIA — The city is pulling out the legal stops in an effort to get the owners of the now-shuttered Elyria Mobile Home Park to finish razing the Oberlin-Elyria Road property — including moving forward with criminal charges accusing the owners of violating four different electrical codes. The partners of AIY Properties — Joe Audino, [...]
Former Birmingham postmaster facing embezzlement charge
The former postmaster of the Birmingham Post Office, which was destroyed in a March 2009 fire, is facing a federal embezzlement charge. Trudy Wright is accused of issuing a $1,000 money order from the U.S. Postal Service without paying for it, said Scott Balfour, assistant special agent in charge of the postal service’s Office of [...]
Branyan says disk problem shouldn’t keep him down long
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — First baseman Russell Branyan has been the invisible man this spring, but he thinks that is about to change. Branyan, who is dealing with a herniated disk in his lower back and has yet to play in an exhibition game, is optimistic that he will be able to make his spring debut [...]
Granny D’s suspect decides not to testify
ELYRIA — Neil Simpson changed his mind Tuesday and opted not to testify right before he was to take the stand in his capital murder trial. Simpson’s lawyers, David Doughten and Mike Camera, said the decision was the right one. They said they had urged Simpson to stay off the stand because it would have [...]
OSU’s Matta exhausted, but loving the ride
It’s 10 o’clock on a Monday night in mid-March, the early NIT games are over and even avid basketball fans across the country are about to call it a day. That’s when Ohio State coach Thad Matta gets around to answering his stack of phone messages. “I’m just sitting down to dinner with my family,” [...]
Main Street chief picked for Amherst school board
AMHERST — A familiar face among the city’s business community will soon be a familiar face within the city schools. Teresa Gilles, executive director of Main Street Amherst, has been named to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Nicholas J. Dimacchia. Gilles’ business connections were cited by several board members as a major [...]
LCADA gets van to share
LORAIN — Lorain County Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services Inc. has received a wheelchair-accessible vehicle with seating for 10 from the state and promises to share it with other agencies. The van’s funding comes from the Ohio Department of Transportation and its Specialized Transportation program. “LCADA was fortunate to have our application for the van [...]
Tribe notes: Todd trimmed as Indians cut roster to 38
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — More players left the building Tuesday, as the Indians made another round of cuts that reduced their spring training roster to 38 players. Cleveland optioned right-handed reliever Jess Todd to Triple-A Columbus, while reassigning left-hander Mike Gosling and righties Frank Herrmann, Josh Judy and Yohan Pino to minor league camp. Catcher Damaso [...]
Game info from Indians’ loss to the Brewers on Tuesday
Brewers (12-9) 10, Indians (12-6-2) 2 Hits: Right-hander Carlos Carrasco was the only Cleveland pitcher that didn’t allow a run. He worked five scoreless innings and allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out four. … Third baseman Mark Grudzielanek was the only Indian with more than one hit. He went 2-for-3 with [...]
Indians reduce roster by eight players
GOODYEAR, Ariz. – More players left the building Tuesday, as the Indians made another round of cuts that reduced their spring training roster to 38 players. Cleveland optioned right-handed reliever Jess Todd to Triple-A Columbus, while re-assigning LHP Mike Gosling and RHP Frank Hermann, Josh Judy and Yohan Pino to minor-league camp. Catcher Damaso Espino, [...]
Beaming Obama signs $938 billion health care overhaul
WASHINGTON — A beaming President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed a historic $938 billion health care overhaul that guarantees coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans and will touch nearly every citizen’s life, presiding over the biggest shift in U.S. domestic policy since the 1960s and capping a divisive, yearlong debate that could define the November [...]
Cavs, Z reach deal; Z likely to play Wednesday
INDEPENDENCE – In the end, things worked out perfectly for the Cavaliers. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the key piece in the Feb. 17 trade that brought power forward Antawn Jamison to Cleveland, re-signed with the Cavaliers on Tuesday. The deal, worth about $1 million, is for the rest of this season only. Ilgauskas also [...]
Man returns from dinner and a movie to find home cleared out by thieves
ELYRIA — An Elyria man returned home from dinner and a movie with his girlfriend last night to find thieves had almost completely cleared out his Lake Avenue home. The 36-year-old man told police he returned to the home in the 1000 block of Lake about 6 p.m. and found the home had been broken [...]
Fire at vacant Lorain home last night called an arson
LORAIN — The Lorain Fire Department is investigating its second arson in as many nights. A fire last night at a vacant Lorain home was intentionally set, according to fire Capt. Dennis Livchak. A call came in at 6:55 p.m. for a report of a kitchen fire at a single-family home at 739 W. Ninth [...]
Obituaries for March 23, 2010
Jessie M. Root Matthias Helfrich Micheline A. Williams Catherine C. Kuzniar Helen E. Smith Hester P. Adams Gayle L. Spalich Read the full obituaries on The Chronicle E-edition at: http://www.chroniclet.com/ChroniclEdition/
Large bubbling gas leak shut Lorain Road, forced 10 people from homes overnight
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — Lorain Road was shut down for several hours overnight and residents of five homes were evacuated after a “major underground gas leak” began bubbling up through the road in North Ridgeville. A call came in reporting a strong odor of gas in the area of Lorain Road and Plantation Place about 1:30 [...]
Blast from the past: Hafner showing signs he just may be himself again
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Is this the year Travis Hafner finally goes back to being Travis Hafner? The Indians could sure use the Hafner who was one of the American League’s most potent hitters from 2004-06, when he batted no less than .305 and averaged 34.33 home runs and 111.3 RBIs. The one that has nursed [...]
Z time getting nearer: He could practice as early as today
INDEPENDENCE — Zydrunas Ilgauskas could be at practice today at Cleveland Clinic Courts and on the team plane later in the afternoon when the Cavaliers depart for a game in New Orleans on Wednesday. Ilgauskas, traded from Cleveland to Washington on Feb. 17 in the three-team deal that brought Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair to [...]
Lorain to revisit budget; crowd at meeting demands firefighter jobs be saved
LORAIN — City Council will take a second look at its 2010 budget after a standing-room-only crowd at its meeting Monday demanded the city not cut firefighters. Council’s Police and Fire Committee voted unanimously to revisit the city’s 2010 budget, passed last week, and try to find money to save the jobs of seven firefighters [...]
Student wins contest, aims to change minds
AVON LAKE — Andrea Bestor, 17, turned her despair over a fellow student’s suicide last year into a wristband campaign to change how people act. People who wear the bands are asked to shift the band to the other wrist when they say something nasty about someone else. Her essay about that effort won the [...]
Local businesses, doctors split on their opinions of health care bill
ELYRIA — A spokeswoman for Invacare Corp. said the company isn’t quite sure what passage of health care reform will mean to the bottom line of the medical device manufacturer. But Stephanie Wiersma, the director of Lorain County Health & Dentistry, said she is thrilled. “It’s a big shot in the arm right away,” Wiersma [...]
Sheriff’s captain: Inquiry in Officer Kerstetter’s death will take weeks
ELYRIA — The investigation into the March 15 shooting deaths of Elyria police Officer James Kerstetter and the man accused of gunning him down likely will take another two to four weeks to complete, Lorain County sheriff’s Capt. John Reiber said Monday. “This is not something that’s going to be rushed, and there’s a lot [...]
Police say councilman cussed them out
LAGRANGE — LaGrange Councilman Dale Gregory was arrested early Sunday after police reported finding him passed out in a pickup truck parked in his West Prospect Street driveway. Gregory, who was elected to Council in November, also reportedly swore at the LaGrange police officer who responded to the call and referred to him as Barney [...]
Police log for March 23, 2010
Lorain police Friday, March 19 10:45 a.m. – 600 block Blossom Drive, theft of medication from residence. 1:27 p.m. – 1500 block Herbert Drive, video game system and CD player stolen from residence. 3:31 p.m. – 1900 block Homewood Drive, a 14-year-old Lorain girl was charged with vandalism for cutting off her home arrest ankle [...]