Archive for September, 2011
Cause of illness that sickened football team will remain unknown
ELYRIA — Whatever sickened more than half of the Elyria High School football team two weeks ago will remain unknown, according to the city Heath Department. Sept. 15′s game against Strongsville had to be played two days later after 49 of the team’s 87 players became sick that day, many of them leaving school with [...]
Student charged with assaulting police officer
ELYRIA — A student at Educational Alternatives in Elyria is charged with assault on a police officer after he kicked the officer, attacked a teacher and threatened a school counselor with death. The 14-year-old Lakewood boy is also charged with aggravated menacing and criminal damage. An officer working at the school, at 1514 Lake Ave., [...]
Lorain County under flood watch through tomorrow morning
Lorain County and much of north central Ohio is under a flood watch through tomorrow morning. According to the National Weather Service, showers will increase in coverage and intensity this afternoon and evening. Thunderstorms are possible near Lake Erie. Rainfall totals will range from one to three inches, but the ground is already saturated, so [...]
DUI checkpoint planned tonight in Elyria
ELYRIA — The State Highway Patrol will conduct a drunken driving checkpoint in Elyria tonight. The checkpoint, on state Route 57 near Bell Avenue, will be set up from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Federal money pays for the effort, which is planned to intercept and deter impaired drivers. Their will also be additional patrols [...]
High school football midseason report
Lorain County’s football fortunes are looking good through the first five weeks of the season. Of the 17 county schools, 11 have .500 records or better, and six have one loss or less as the meat-and-potatoes portion of the schedule approaches. And, unlike last year, only one school has yet to gain a victory. (Sorry, [...]
Indians: Manny Acta’s option gets picked up
CLEVELAND — Amidst low expectations and a wealth of injuries to key players, Indians manager Manny Acta guided his team to 80 wins and a second-place finish in the Central Division. For that, he was rewarded Thursday, with Cleveland general manager Chris Antonetti announcing the club would exercise its contract option on Acta for the [...]
Browns: D’Qwell Jackson puts injuries in past, plays like he’s never been away
BEREA — Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson hasn’t missed a beat this season. That’s remarkable considering he missed nearly two years. Jackson was named AFC defensive player of the month for September on Thursday. It could be the first step on his way to comeback player of the year. Jackson hadn’t played in a regular-season game [...]
High school volleyball: Avon Lake rolls over Amherst, stays unbeaten
AVON LAKE — When Avon Lake is clicking on all cylinders, it’s hard to single out just one Shoregal over the others. Thursday night, coach Dan Berkheimer enjoyed the best of both worlds. Avon Lake put together a strong overall team effort in Games 1 and 2, then turned to sophomore Katie Mihalik for a [...]
Ohio State football: Spartans’ stingy ‘D’ big test for Buckeyes
COLUMBUS — Michigan State isn’t ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. It’s defense, however, is ranked as the best in the country. The Spartans are listed No. 1 in total defense in the nation heading into their Big Ten opener at Ohio State on Saturday. It’s a point of pride, but nothing more; there [...]
Ohio Statehouse garage adding six charging station for electric vehicles
COLUMBUS — The Ohio Statehouse in Columbus is adding six charging stations for electric vehicles at its parking garage. Staff at the Statehouse say they believe it’s the first in the nation to provide such charging stations for the public. The nearly $36,000 project is funded through contributions from several companies and a grant from [...]
Stolen medals replaced for World War II vet
LORAIN — As World War II was winding down, about 30,000 Americans were killed or wounded in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest fought in 50 square miles of woods spanning Belgium and Germany. Donald Zeh, 87, an Army corporal, can still remember the moment when a German bullet pierced his helmet and wounded him. But [...]
Nord Center seeking new chief
ELYRIA — A search for a new executive director of the Nord Center is under way. The agency’s president, Jeffrey Neal, announced the development Thursday in a statement. The nonprofit agency, which provides most of the publicly funded mental health services to more than 8,000 Lorain County residents annually, will seek a person to succeed [...]
Garden dedicated to Holly Dembie at Midview’s West Elementary
EATON TWP. — The night Holly Dembie died, she sent an email to friends and family saying “I love you and you are my sunshine,” her mother told a crowd that gathered Thursday for the dedication of Holly’s Memory Garden. It was typical of how Dembie, a special-needs instructor for Midview Schools, lived her life, [...]
Boyfriend, but not commissioner, charged after incident with ex
ELYRIA — Lorain County Commissioner Lori Kokoski’s boyfriend, Ron Massimiani, has been indicted on misdemeanor charges for a March fight in which he allegedly bit the thumb of a man Kokoski used to date. Kokoski was not charged in connection with the March 24 fight at the Henrietta Township home of Sam Birach. Massimiani, a [...]
Woman to serve 15 days for choking Walmart greeter
ELYRIA — A woman who choked a 71-year-old greeter at the Elyria Walmart Supercenter and then boasted about it to her daughter was sentenced to 15 days in jail Thursday in Elyria Municipal Court. Judge Lisa Locke-Graves, who imposed the sentence against Toni Duncan, 49, called the attack “absolutely reprehensible.’’ Duncan had pleaded no contest [...]
Elyria’s new compost facility opens Monday
ELYRIA — It doesn’t look like much now — it’s simply a cleared field surrounded by trees that is a stone’s throw from downtown. But the area is perfect for composting, which is great news because starting Monday, the location near Chestnut and Elm streets will open to the public as the Elyria Regional Compost [...]
Flurry of vehicle break-ins reported this week in downtown Elyria
ELYRIA — Downtown Elyria has seen a rash of vehicle break-ins this week. Since Sunday, 15 people reported having their cars broken into and many were parked downtown, according to Elyria police reports. Thieves appear to be targeting purses or bags left in vehicles. For example, on both Sunday and Monday, two people reported that [...]
Police log for Sept. 30, 2011
Elyria police Wednesday, Sept. 28 8:02 a.m. — 300 block Fourth St., a man reported that someone entered his garage and stole a GPS unit, CDs and a small pocketknife from his pickup. 10:27 a.m. — 700 block Washington Ave., Joseph Hebebrand, 50, same address, charged with possession of heroin, possession of marijuana and drug [...]
Lorain man arrested after drunken return home
LORAIN — Falling into the backseat of a police cruiser did not immediately earn city resident Ervin T. Johnson a ride to the police station around 11:41 p.m. Wednesday, but he did eventually end up there. After allegedly polishing off two bottles of Jagermeister and a 12-pack of beer, Johnson got into an argument with [...]
Robbers invade apartment, take $200
LORAIN — Two men wearing ski masks, one of whom was carrying a revolver, robbed a man of $200 around 12:40 a.m. Thursday inside an apartment in the 4200 block of Princess Anne Court, according to a police report. The man said he answered a knock at the apartment door and two men, wearing black [...]
North Ridgeville awaits state decision on road work
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — It will be mid-December before city officials learn where the widening of Center Ridge Road ranks for funding. City officials made the case for the $41.5 million project during a recent meeting in Akron with members of the Transportation Advisory Committee, an Ohio Department of Transportation advisory group that oversees road projects [...]
Man indicted in Oberlin bar incident
ELYRIA — An Illinois man has been indicted for allegedly leading police on a chase after firing a gun at an Oberlin bar he’d been thrown out of earlier in evening. Marshall Ranzy, 26, who originally was from Oberlin, is charged with tampering with evidence, failure to comply, having weapons under disability, improperly handling firearms [...]
Small earthquake shakes Northeast Ohio
YOUNGSTOWN — A small earthquake has shaken part of northeast Ohio near Youngstown. The U.S. Geological Survey reports a magnitude 2.5 earthquake happened a few minutes before 9 p.m. Thursday. A few residents told local media their homes trembled and books and other items fell off shelves. WFMJ-TV in Youngstown says no damage or injuries [...]
Raymond C. Dunham
Raymond C. Dunham, 82, of North Ridgeville, passed away Thursday, September 29, 2011, at his home, following a long illness. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the David Bogner Family Funeral Home.
Loretta A. Grohol
Loretta A. Grohol, (nee Gardocki), 88, of Elyria, passed away Thursday, September 29, 2011, at the Center Ridge Health Campus in North Ridgeville, following a long illness. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Laubenthal Mercado Funeral Home of Elyria, 440-322-4626.