News Briefs

LEGO Challenge
Join the Walbridge Library, 108 N. Main St., Wood County District Public Library for a LEGO Cup Challenge on Saturdays, Jan. 21, Feb. 18, March 18, and April 15 for construction time and learning about STEAM.
Drop by the library any time between 2 and 4 p.m. to take part in the challenge. Participants will be given a cup of LEGOS and an item or structure to build using as many of the LEGOs as possible. After the building is finished, the creations will be put on display.
Registration is not required. For more information, visit wcdpl.org/events.

Chocolate Lovers’ Fest
The Apostolic Restoration Center & Community Christian Academy will present the 12th Annual Chocolate Lovers’ Fest Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1-5 p.m. at 303 W. 4th St., Genoa.
The event will feature a buffet of decadent homemade chocolate treats. Presale tickets are $12 through Saturday, Feb. 4. Tickets will be on sale at the door for $15. Carryout, raffle and door prizes will be available.
For tickets, call 419-855-8258 or visit @chocolateloversfest on Facebook.

Donuts & Dinner
planned for TFRD
Jan. 26 will mark the nine-year anniversary of the arson fire that killed Toledo Firefighters Steve Machcinski and Jamie Dickman.
Every year on Jan. 26, Toledoans come together to show their appreciation for the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department by delivering donuts in the morning and dinners in the evening to fire stations throughout the city. The effort, coordinated by Larry Cready of ToledoStrong, is a project to honor the memory of Machinski and Dickman while reminding Toledo citizens of the risks and sacrifices our firefighters face.
“Our local firefighters clock into every shift not knowing what the day could bring” Creedy said. “The tragic deaths that occurred nine years ago should serve as an annual reminder of the service these heroes provide for us.”
Several local restaurants and individuals have already signed up to provide donuts and dinners for fire stations this year, but organizers are seeking more help to ensure all stations are covered. Monetary donations, food drivers and food donations are all being accepted and coordinated.
Contact Cready at Larry@toledostrong.org to donate or volunteer to help.
“The fire departments have always expressed a great amount of gratitude for this annual effort. It’s a somber day for them but knowing the community hasn’t forgotten and supports their work really makes a big difference” Cready said.
Current restaurants providing support include Angelo’s Northwood Villa, Olive Garden, KT’s Diner and Focaccia’s. “We have some amazing local restaurants in the area and we are hopeful that like in past years, more will jump on board to help,” Cready said.

Dog license deadline
Matthew Oestreich, Wood County Auditor, reminds dog owners that Jan. 31 is the deadline for 2023 dog registrations.
A registration fee of $14 must be paid with the application for each dog registered. Owners should include the dog’s name, age, sex, whether spayed or neutered, color, length of hair, breed, and the name, address and phone number of the owner with the application.
The Wood County District Board of Health has adopted a regulation requiring that all dogs be immunized against rabies.
A kennel fee of $70 must be paid with the application for each kennel registered. Additional tags are available for $1 each for kennels with more than five dogs.
Dogs may be registered for one year for $14, three years for $42 or a permanent license good for the dog’s life for $140. No refunds will be permitted.
Penalty fees for registrations received after Jan. 31 are an amount equal to the registration cost for each type of license ($14 for a regular license and $70 for kennel license), in addition to the regular registration fee.
Persons acquiring dogs after Jan. 31 have 30 days after the date of acquisition or the date that the dog reaches 3 months of age to register with the Auditor’s Office.
Mail-in applications should include the license fee, dog information (as stated above) and a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of the license. Mail applications to Matthew Oestreich, Wood County Auditor, One Courthouse Square, PO Box 368, Bowling Green, OH 43402.
Licenses may also be purchased online at the Auditor’s Office or at the Wood County Dog Shelter.
For more information, call 419-354-9150.

School Fair planned
Metro Toledo families are invited to explore K-8 school options at a celebratory fair hosted by the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund and School Choice Ohio Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Franciscan Center, located on the Lourdes University campus, 6832 Convent Boulevard, Sylvania.
The event will also include face painting and free snacks.
The fifth annual fair, which will run from 12:30-3 p.m., will feature representatives from 30 K-8 learning options who will share information with families and answer questions. Attendees will learn about traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools and homeschooling organizations, as well as Ohio’s five state-funded scholarships and the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund.
This year’s fair will also offer family-friendly activities, including face painting, a photo booth, balloon art, a DJ, and cookies, coffee, and lemonade.
The Toledo School Fair is planned to coincide with the celebration of National School Choice Week (Jan. 22-28).
“School Choice Ohio is excited to be a part of the school choice fair. Finding the best type of education for your child is one of the biggest decisions a parent will ever make,” said Ann Riddle, director of provider outreach at SCO. “This fair will give parents and guardians a chance to ask questions and learn about the many school choices available in Northwest Ohio.”
The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund is committed to offering educational choices to low-income families through privately funded scholarships. School Choice Ohio works to ensure that families across the state know about the education options available for their children.
For more information, contact Riddle at ariddle@scohio.org or 419-351-4852.

Camp & Travel
RV Show set
The 57th Annual Camp and Travel Regional RV Show will be held Jan. 27-29 at the Glass City Center (formerly SeaGate Convention Centre), located on Jefferson Avenue between Summit and Superior streets in downtown Toledo.
The show, the largest in the region, offers RV enthusiasts an opportunity to view a full range of new RV models and accessories.
More than 30 exhibitors will be on hand this year, including RV dealers and manufacturers, as well as suppliers and campgrounds from neighboring states. More than 100 RV units from top manufacturers will be on display.
Attendees will also have a chance to preview the latest in RVs and accessories, including travel trailers, fifth wheels, toy haulers and motor coaches.
Show hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults. Discount coupons are available at participating RV dealers and online at nwohrv.com. Seniors will be admitted for $6 on Friday only. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
Call 419-255-3300 or visit nwohrv.com for more information.

Schools receiving
3 book vending
machines

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new “Inchy the Bookworm” vending machines at Oregon elementary schools are scheduled for Jan. 24., starting with Coy Elementary, 3604 Pickle Rd. at 9:30 am, proceeding to Starr Elementary 3230 Starr Ave., then on to Jerusalem Elementary, 535 S. Yondota Rd,, Curtice.
Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machines are used by teachers to reward students for good behavior, good grades, and good attendance.
Through a partnership with Toledo Refining Company and the Oregon Schools Foundation, students in grades K-4 at Coy, Jerusalem, and Starr will have the opportunity to select their own book as a reward for positive behavior.
Many schools have Positive Behavior Intervention System programs to reward students for good behavior, good citizenship, and good grades; with systems in place for points and then prizes. The new book vending machines use golden tokens, which will be rewarded to students as a part of each school’s PBIS program.
Receiving a golden token allows a student to select a book of their choice out of the vending machine, which increases student engagement and positive behavior while increasing excitement for reading, the administration said.
At Coy Elementary, Amy Molnar, principal, wanted to bring the new book vending machine to her students after she saw another school in Ohio Tweet about the machines.

Fatal crash
investigation

The Bowling Green Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash that occurred Tuesday at 1:52 p.m. on Interstate 280 near State Route 795 in Lake Township.
The preliminary investigation shows a Peterbilt semi-tractor-trailer operated by Adam Chestnut, 49, Americus, Kansas, was southbound on I-280 when the trailer lost a set of dual tires off of one of its axles. The tires went through the median and struck the cab of a northbound Kenworth semi-tractor-trailer combination, operated by Daniel Gardner, 69, Bad Axe, Mich.
Gardner suffered fatal injuries at the scene. Chestnut did not stop following the crash and he and his vehicle were located at a local truck stop in the area of the crash around 6 p.m.
The crash remains under investigation and no charges had been filed as of time.
Troopers were assisted at the scene by Lake Township Police, Lake Township Fire and EMS, Freeway Safety Patrol, Wood County Coroner’s Office and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Drug trafficking
sentence imposed
A Mexican national was sentenced last week to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James G. Carr after he pleaded guilty to his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy in the Toledo area, as well as illegal re-entry into the United States.
According to court documents, in June 2019, Toledo Police Department officers arrested Felipe Penuelas-Rodriguez, 53, of Mexico, following a traffic stop and search of his vehicle. During the search, officers obtained, among other items, 118 fentanyl pills, a duffel bag containing a kilogram brick of fentanyl, and an additional 2,125 fentanyl pills stored in the trunk of the vehicle.
Penuelas-Rodriguez was charged and sentenced under an enhanced penalty due to a prior drug trafficking conviction in the Arizona Superior Court. He was also convicted of illegal re-entry, having been removed from the United States to Mexico on four separate occasions before he was found in Toledo.
Penuelas-Rodriguez’s passenger, Reyna Trejo, was charged as a co-conspirator with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. Trejo was sentenced to five years in prison on Dec. 5, 2022.
Agents determined that Penuelas-Rodriguez and Trejo were traveling across the country delivering fentanyl and bulk cash to co-conspirators along the way when they were stopped in Toledo.
Penuelas-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in July 2022.
This case was investigated by United States Homeland Security Investigations, the Toledo Police Department, and the Northwest Ohio Interdiction Task Force.

ODOT material use up over last year

Crews of the Ohio Department of Transportation have applied more road salt and de-icer as well as driven more miles this winter season than last season in the 16 counties that comprise ODOT’s districts one and two in Northwest Ohio.
As of Jan. 17, crews have applied 11,930 tons of salt this season compared to 10,760 last season.
A total of 337,734 gallons of de-icer have been applied this season compared to 292,150 gallons last season and ODOT trucks have been driven 265,432 miles this season – about 72,252 miles more than last season.
"We expect the latter part of winter to be colder with more snow -- that's what our weather service partners are predicting," said Mark Bressler, highway management administrator for ODOT, District 2, headquartered in Bowling Green.
District 2 includes Williams, Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa, Henry, Wood, Sandusky, and Seneca counties. District 1 includes Defiance, Paulding, VanWert, Allen, Hardin, Wyandot, Hancock, and Putnam counties.
Motorists can check with OHGO.com for current conditions and traffic information.