Archive for February, 2011
Man charged after pulling gun in road-rage dispute
COLUMBIA TWP. — A Strongsville man faces charges after he pulled a gun during a road rage dispute yesterday, according to a report from the Sheriff’s Office. Joseph Armelli, 54, was charged with inducing panic and two counts of aggravated menacing. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the area of state Route 82 and Columbia West [...]
Bad weather good for business: Hotels, tree trimmers, hardware stores doing well
TOLEDO — An Ohio ice and snow storm that cut power to thousands has been a boon to hotels, tree trimmers and stores selling gas-powered generators. FirstEnergy Corp. reported that more than 10,000 customers still had no electricity in Toledo and the surrounding county Wednesday morning. The Blade of Toledo reports some hotels expect to [...]
Cleveland zoo to welcome new elephant, Shenga, this spring
CLEVELAND — A lonesome elephant from a Nebraska zoo will find some company in Cleveland. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo says its current herd of three elephants this spring will welcome Shenga, a female African elephant from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. That zoo had two elephants but the other died in October, leaving Shenga [...]
Ohio Senate panel OKs increase in ‘snow days’; full Senate vote next
COLUMBUS — Ohio lawmakers are moving quickly to provide relief to school districts that have run out of “snow days.” A state Senate panel on Tuesday gave its unanimous approval to a bill that would allow schools to miss five days each year for bad weather or other emergencies. That’s an increase from the current [...]
Browns designate kicker Phil Dawson franchise player
BEREA — Kicker Phil Dawson has been the one constant in a mercurial Browns organization since the team’s return in 1999. That won’t change in 2011. The Browns designated the dependable Dawson on Tuesday as their franchise player for next season. Dawson, the organization’s all-time leader in field goals and the only player left from [...]
Third man wanted in murder case turns himself in
The third of three Elyria men sought in connection with the murder of a Cleveland woman last summer turned himself in to authorities Tuesday afternoon. Cordell Smith, 18, was arrested without incident by Cleveland homicide detectives at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center about 3:30 p.m., according to Cleveland police Sgt. Sammy Morris. Smith was accompanied [...]
Suspect caught within half-hour of $250 bank heist
Mike Hastings and Kaitlin Bushinski, The Chronicle-Telegram ELYRIA — A man wasn’t seeking a big payoff Tuesday when he allegedly robbed the Broad Street Fifth Third Bank on Tuesday afternoon. Joseph Griffiths, 28, of Chestnut Street in Elyria, was arrested within 30 minutes after allegedly requesting $250 from a bank teller, police said. Police said [...]
New boss defends Mardi Gras
ELYRIA — The new operator of the Mardi Gras Lounge on Washington Avenue wants to change the image of the downtown bar, but his task is made more difficult by a recent stabbing linked to the establishment. Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, Isaiah Gonzalez flagged down a police officer on Kersetter Way and told the [...]
LCCC to be model for national effort entrepreneurship effort
ELYRIA — Lorain County Community College’s Innovation Fund has successfully supported local entrepreneurs, and now it will be the model for a national program geared at teaching community colleges how to produce the same results in their areas. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama visited Cleveland to hold a small business forum on the campus of [...]
To deal or not to deal: Cavs weigh trade options
INDEPENDENCE — To deal or not to deal, that is the question. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m., and the Cavaliers are exploring all their options. General manager Chris Grant is hunkered down and doesn’t plan on talking to the media until after the deadline passes. When he does speak, whether he’ll [...]
Ex-Amherst woman shot, killed in Georgia; husband, a Marine from Lorain, arrested
ALBANY, Ga. — Deborah Jones was watching the news Sunday night at her Albany, Ga., home when she saw a story about a local woman who had been fatally shot hours earlier. She had a terrible feeling she knew who was involved. The victim was her friend, Natalie Eppler, 23, a former Amherst resident married [...]
Ice storm cuts power across area
NORTH RIDGEVILE — Some 5,000 customers across northern Ohio remained without power Tuesday night following Monday’s ice storm. FirstEnergy spokesman Mike Durbin said the storm cut power to 200,000 customers from Toledo to Youngstown. Pockets of outages remained Tuesday, including neighborhoods in North Ridgeville, Avon and Avon Lake, Durbin said. Crews hope to restore power [...]
Boys basketball: Shoremen show skills, top Lorain to go 19-0
AVON LAKE — In the grand scheme of things, the game didn’t mean much. No conference title on the line. No tournament seed. No playoff life. Just don’t tell either team it didn’t matter. Avon Lake proved to Lorain what 18 others had already found out: The Shoremen are pretty darn good. Avon Lake won [...]
Boys basketball: Middies slip past old rival Wellington
WELLINGTON — Midview and Wellington renewed their spirited and seemingly ages-old basketball rivalry Tuesday night. It was a fan-friendly nail-biter that saw the Middies outlast the Dukes, 41-38, in what, in recent seasons, has been a non-conference battle. They formerly faced off in the old Lorain County Conference and the even older Lakeland Conference. Wellington [...]
Lorain mom gets one more chance to keep her kids
A Lorain woman who was charged with child endangering Sunday after her 5-year-old son was found outside Sunday in the cold will be given one more chance to keep her children by Children Services, according to an agency spokeswoman. The extended family of Trudance Bates, 31, will be asked to play a role because Children [...]
Statehouse locked to collective bargaining bill protesters
COLUMBUS — Thousands of pro-labor protesters were denied access to the Ohio Statehouse for hours Tuesday as they tried to voice opposition to a bill that would abolish collective bargaining rights for state employees. Before eventually being allowed in, crowds chanted and waved placards as they stood outside in freezing temperatures. Among those who attended [...]
Chili cook-off to benefit injured police officer
AVON — Law enforcement officials from across the county will host a chili cook-off this weekend to benefit injured Avon Police Officer Pete Soto. The chili cook-off will be 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1783 Moore Road, Avon. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at the Avon [...]
Mall files lawsuit against cookie shop
ELYRIA — The owner of Midway Mall filed a lawsuit Tuesday against American Family Cookies seeking more than $25,000 in unpaid rent, utility charges, late charges, interest and attorney fees associated with The Cookie Store, which closed in September. The lawsuit was filed by Centro Midway against American Family Cookies Inc. of LaVergne, Tenn. The [...]
Melvin Lee Caswell
Melvin Lee Caswell, 67, of Wellington, died Monday, February 21, 2011 at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Lorain. Born in Oberlin on September 28, 1943 to the late Charles and Sarah Marie (nee Smith) Caswell. Melvin lived all of his life in the Wellington and Brighton areas. Melvin worked driving trucks for over 30 years. [...]
Ernest Harl Hughes
Ernest Harl Hughes, 84, of Oberlin, passed away Sunday, February 20, 2011, at Center Ridge Nursing Home, North Ridgeville. He was born October 8, 1926, in Flossie, Kentucky. Ernest served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He worked as a sheetmetalist for International Assoc. for 43 years, retiring in 1987. He was a member of [...]
John Steward Cline
John Steward Cline, 57, passed away Saturday, February 19, 2011, in Orlando, Florida. He was born January 19, 1954 in Sandusky, to August and Jean Cline. John graduated from Firelands High School. He worked in convention and tradeshow services and was a former employee of the Sandusky Speedway and The Consumers Builders Supply Co. in [...]
Timothy P. Majoras
Timothy P. Majoras, 54, of Bowling Green, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, February 20, 2011, at his home. He was a Bowling Green resident for 32 years, coming from Elyria. For Tim, family always came first. He was a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Bowling Green, was a prostate cancer survivor since 2008, was [...]
John G. Cole
John G. Cole was the highly respected editor of The Morning Journal, Lorain, for 29 years. Over the course of his career, he amassed hundreds of regional, state and national awards for his newspaper and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cleveland Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003. Cole, who suffered [...]
Beverly J. Rognstad
Beverly J. Rognstad (nee Howard), 72, of North Ridgeville, died Sunday, February 20, 2011, at New Life Hospice Center of St. Joseph in Lorain. She was born September 22, 1938, in Lorain, and was a 1956 graduate of Lorain High School. She was a homemaker, enjoyed cooking and was a dedicated wife and mother. Beverly [...]
Darlene M. Stanberry
Darlene M. Stanberry (nee Bergman), 58, of Elyria, died Monday, February 21, 2011, at the Cleveland Clinic. She was born May 28, 1952, in Elyria. She received a degree as a dietitian from Lorain County Community College and as a certified nurse’s assistant (CNA) from Polaris College in Berea. She has been employed for 17 [...]