'Local and State'
Stomper is headless no more
Whoever took the costumed head of Stomper, the Lake Erie Crushers’ mascot, must have felt a twinge of remorse, because the head was returned to the stadium overnight Wednesday. Daniel Helm, vice president of business operations for the team, said the head was in the same shape as when it was taken. Team officials found [...]
Fire destroys family’s apartment in Sheffield Township
SHEFFIELD TWP. — Rick Runion said he’d recently put his stepdaughter Yvonne Jones Xolo’s two children to bed when his son Ricky yelled to him that her apartment next door at 2072 Garfield Ave. was on fire. “We just followed him outside and ran next store,” Runion said early Friday morning standing near the burned [...]
Lorain school board votes to place levy on fall ballot
Unable to get a school levy increase since 1992, the Lorain Board of Education has a new strategy. Board members this evening unanimously approved seeking a combination income tax-property tax measure for the November ballot. Voters will be asked to approve a perpetual 1 percent income tax that will raise about $5.4 million per year [...]
Severe thunderstorm watch for Lorain County
A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Lorain County until 11 p.m. The National Weather Service predicts severe and heavy rains with accumulations of between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. The storms could produce golf ball-sized hail and 60 mile per hour winds.
Fire breaks out in Elyria apartment building
ELYRIA – A fire broke out this afternoon at a 5th Street apartment building leaving several families without a place to call home. Elyria firefighters are still trying to determine how the fire started on the top floor of 347 5th Street, Assistant Fire Chief Ron Blras said. Michelle Alexander, who lives in the building [...]
Local schools to benefit from Race to the Top money
ELYRIA — The state’s success in the highly competitive, federally funded education reform competition known as Race to the Top could net millions of dollars for Lorain County school districts. The announcement Tuesday by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan that Ohio was selected with eight other states and the District of Columbia has local superintendents [...]
Bars won’t be judged as 6-pack
ELYRIA – The owners of six bars targeted for liquor license review by the city will not be lumped together in an all-or-nothing battle when they face off before agents from the state Division of Liquor Control. The state agency has received requests from the city to hold hearings to determine if licenses should be [...]
Amherst teens charged in gun incident
AMHERST – Police have charged two teens following an incident in which one boy supplied a handgun to another, who had the loaded weapon in a book bag when he was stopped by police. The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday when police responded to Spring and Mill streets after someone called police saying [...]
Latest charges attempt to tie Bill Desvari to loan bribe
ELYRIA — The most recent criminal charges against Bill Desvari, Lorain’s former chief building official, center on his dealings with a Cleveland attorney and Lorain businessman Jon Veard, Desvari’s attorney said Friday. Brent English said he believes prosecutors are trying to tie bribery charges to his client through a $5,000 loan Veard made to Desvari [...]
NOACA pumping $2.5 million into Lorain County
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency will funnel more than $2.5 million into Lorain County to fund the repair of two bridges as well as help with highway maintenance. The projects, which will include bridge deck replacement, noise wall panel replacement, signal maintenance and repair, median barrier rail construction and bridge repairs, are part of [...]
Strickland stops moving state airplane to save cash
COLUMBUS – Gov. Ted Strickland said Friday he’s ending the practice of having a state plane flown from one Columbus airport to another, a semi-regular practice his office had defended as a way for him to get more work done. Following news reports Thursday and Friday, Strickland ordered his staff to stop scheduling departures from [...]
F-16s got near commercial jet
CINCINNATI – Two military fighter jets apparently flew higher than allowed and came so close to a commercial flight over southern Ohio this week that they triggered a cockpit alarm in the commuter plane, authorities said Friday. Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 5202, a 70-seat commuter jet, was flying from Cleveland to Atlanta on Thursday when [...]
Group hopes to clean up Ohio’s largest inland lake
ST. MARYS – Community leaders are raising money to help clean up pollution in Ohio’s largest inland lake, which officials and activists say has been hurt by toxic algae caused by contaminants such as fertilizer and manure from nearby farms. Residents and community supporters around the Grand Lake St. Marys, which sits between Toledo and [...]
Roundup
Jogger on wrong side of road hit by car WELLINGTON TWP. – A man was LifeFlighted to MetroHealth Medical Center after he was hit by a car while jogging Friday morning on Quarry Road south of state Route 18, according to the Wellington Fire Department and the Ohio Highway Patrol. David Gwinn, 31, of Wellington [...]
Doctor found guilty of wife’s cyanide death
CLEVELAND – A doctor accused of lacing his wife’s calcium supplement with cyanide so he could be with his mistress was convicted Friday of aggravated murder. The jury heard weeks of testimony before returning the verdict against Dr. Yazeed Essa, 41. His wife, Rosemarie Essa, collapsed while driving Feb. 24, 2005, and crashed her car [...]
North Ridgeville police, fire look for raise, contract
NORTH RIDGEVILLE – The city’s police officers and firefighters say they want a new contract and a raise, but their chances of seeing even slightly fatter paychecks hinge on three replacement levies this May. City officials are beginning to discuss budget requests with police, fire and other departments, but serious contract talks will be on [...]
Former prison officer enters plea
ELYRIA – A former Lorain Correctional Institution corrections officer pleaded no contest Friday to theft in office for lying about time off to serve with the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Prosecutors argued in court documents that Marvin Vaughn, 38, was paid by the state for his military leave, but never showed up for military duty [...]
Businessman gives advice at LCCC luncheon/symposium
ELYRIA – The United States must keep innovating to compete in a world economy, Lorain native Josue “Joe” Robles told a crowd at Lorain County Community College on Friday. China expects to graduate 600,000 engineers this year and India about 300,000, while America “will be lucky” if we graduate 10,000 engineers, said Robles, who spent [...]
Vermilion school system announces 34 job cuts
VERMILION – Thirty-four employees won’t have jobs with the Vermilion Schools next school year. The cuts are the first part of the district’s ambitious plan to save an estimated $4 million in each of the next two years to stave off projected deficits. The plan also calls for shrinking the district from four to three [...]
Gubernatorial candidate distancing himself from tax bill
COLUMBUS – Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kasich praised a western Ohio lawmaker last February who had a plan to repeal Ohio’s income tax over 10 years. But Kasich has been careful not to embrace the timeline laid out in the tax plan pushed by state Rep. John Adams since he announced his candidacy for governor [...]
Utility overseer restores electricity discount
AVON LAKE – Owners of all-electric homes – including about 300 Avon Lake homeowners – can breathe a sigh of relief as their old discounted rates have been restored. For now. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio announced Friday that it would move at its meeting Wednesday to restore the full discount to FirstEnergy customers [...]
El Centro less than half a million dollars from goal to move to new HQ
LORAIN – About 100 people trudged through cold and snow to celebrate Latino social service organization El Centro’s announcement Friday that it has raised $1.01 million toward renovating a new building. “It’s not about a building,” said El Centro Executive Director Victor Leandry. “Because of the programs we offer, we need our building. Because of [...]
Residents return to apartment damaged by fire
LORAIN – All but four families were allowed to move back into the Westgate Gardens apartments Friday after a fire Thursday left at least 30 people out in the cold, sent three residents to the hospital and caused $350,000 in damage, according to fire officials. Representatives from PK Management, which runs the building, spent the [...]
Police officer hurt during struggle
ELYRIA – A police officer was hurt and missed a day of work after struggling with a 32-year-old Elyria man. Police were called at 1:14 p.m. Wednesday to help a Nord Center clinician get a patient, Hubert Hagler, to EMH Regional Medical Center, according to a police report. Hagler resisted and attacked Sgt. David Mayne, [...]
Woman denies affair with doctor charged with cyanide killing
CLEVELAND – A woman testified Friday that her affair with a doctor charged in his wife’s cyanide death was casual, not an infatuation that the defense has suggested might be a motive for her to commit murder. “It wasn’t a relationship,” Marguerita Montanez testified under cross-examination as the defense for Dr. Yazeed Essa tried to [...]