News Briefs Week of 6/22/20
Troopers seize drugs
drugs, firearm in stop
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers filed felony drug charges against a Michigan man after a June 4 traffic stop in Wood County.
During the stop, troopers seized a firearm, 189 ecstasy pills and a gram of marijuana worth approximately $3,000.
On June 4, at 3:49 p.m., troopers stopped a 2018 Kia Soul with Maryland registration for a following-too-close violation on Interstate 280. The passenger, who was found to have an active felony warrant out for his arrest, was taken into custody without incident. A search of his person revealed the contraband. A probable cause search of the vehicle revealed the firearm and additional contraband.
The passenger, Dwight Taylor, 26, Ypsilanti, Michigan, was incarcerated in the Wood County Jail and charged with possession and trafficking in ecstasy pills, both second-degree felonies and possession of a weapon under disability, a third-degree felony.
If convicted, he could face up to 19 years in prison and up to a $40,000 fine.
GroveFest planned
with safety protocols
The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums, located at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues in Fremont, will present its annual GroveFest event on Saturday, June 27, on the grounds of Spiegel Grove.
Increased safety protocols will be in place at the event, which will include nature organizations offering hands-on activities throughout the day. Hot dogs and ice cream will be available for a donation. A list of participating organizations will be posted at rbhayes.org.
Event hours are from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., with groups beginning to visit booths every 10 minutes starting at 10 a.m. The last group leaves at 1 p.m.
Although admission is free, tickets will be required and can be obtained at rbhayes.org/events/. If there are open timeslots available the day of the event, walk-ins will be accepted.
Tickets are available for household groups of no more than 10 people. A household group can be as small as one person. There will be one ticket per group. It is up to visitors to determine what constitutes their household group.
Entry will be timed to keep at least 6 feet physical distance between groups. All visitors are asked to enter through the pedestrian traffic gate at the intersection of Hayes Avenue and Jefferson Street, next to the museum building.
A staff member will have a list of ticketholders and check them in when they arrive at their designated time.
Visitor parking is off-site only with the exception of those who have handicapped tags for their car. Parking will be available on the street and in ProMedica Memorial Hospital’s parking lots at Buildings A and B, located at 605 Third Ave. Spiegel Grove is a short walk to the east of the hospital parking lots.
Staff and organization members at the booths will wear face coverings. Hayes Presidential asks that visitors wear a face covering while on the grounds, but is not requiring them.
Hayes Presidential will close at 3 p.m. that day, and the last house tour is at 2 p.m. The Spiegel Grove grounds will close to the public at 3:30 p.m. for a private event.
Major sponsors for GroveFest are the Randolph J. & Estelle M. Dorn Foundation; KeyBank NA Trustee for the Walter E. Terhune Memorial Fund and ProMedica Memorial Hospital. Activity sponsors include Unique Fabrications, Inc.; U.S. Bank Foundation.
GroveFest showcases Spiegel Grove, which is a state park, and President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes’ love of nature and the outdoors. At Spiegel Grove, they raised cows and chickens, planted trees and lovingly tended to the wooded property.
Lucy Hayes’ favorite pastime was fishing, and she loved nature so much that her official White House china bore images of the flora and fauna of the United States, from deer and raccoons to fish and lobsters.
For more info, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org.
Museum reopening
The Toledo Museum of Art will open to the public on Tuesday, June 23 with several new procedures and practices that prioritize the health of staff and visitors.
“We look forward to welcoming our members and the public back to the Museum,” said Adam Levine, TMA’s Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey director. “Even though the world looks very different from when we shut our doors in March, the role TMA plays in the community has not changed.
Limited hours, changed entry procedures
Beginning June 23, the West Wing of the Museum and the Museum Store will be open Tuesday through Sunday from noon-4 p.m., with special hours from 10 a.m.-noon reserved for at-risk populations. The Museum Café will be open with a Grab & Go menu. The East Wing, Community Gallery, Family Center, Works on Paper/History Hallway, Art Reference Library and the Glass Pavilion remain temporarily closed.
Admission to the Museum is free as always, but visitors will be required to reserve a museum pass in advance through tickets.toledomuseum.org or by calling 419-255-8000, ext. 7448. Museum passes will be timed in half-hour increments with the last pass issued for 3 p.m.
Group tours will not be conducted, and all indoor performance or educational events have been canceled or postponed to the fall. Outdoor programs and events are currently in the planning phases.
“These changes will permit staff to better control the number of people in the museum, monitor proper physical distancing among visiting guests and complete enhanced cleaning procedures,” said Kristina Crystal, TMA’s chief revenue officer and head of its reopening task force. “Our staff has worked diligently to ensure that resuming operations at the Museum is done in a manner consistent with best-practice standards in the environmental health and safety field and follows guidelines set forth by state and federal agencies.”
Face covering and distancing
Visitors are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings while in the Museum. All TMA staff and contractors will wear masks at all times.
Physical distancing of at least 6 feet between parties will be monitored within the Museum. A one-way path that takes visitors through many of the West Wing galleries has been created. Visitors are also encouraged to spend time outdoors in the Welles Sculpture Garden.
Cashless & touch-free transactions
Plexiglass will be in place at the front desk, the Museum Store and the Museum Café. Cash will not be accepted; guests can pay for purchases using a debit card or credit card.
Parking at TMA will be free to the public through July 7. Paid parking for nonmembers will resume July 8.
Many of the exhibitions that were on view when the Museum closed in March have been extended. Others will open as new exhibitions. Find a listing on the Museum website.
TMA has developed an extensive Q&A about reopening that may be accessed at: toledomuseum.org/reopen. In addition, Visitor Services staff may be reached by phone at 419-255-8000, ext. 7448.
Clothing give-away
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 798 S. Coy Rd., Oregon, will hold a free clothing drive June 26-27 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Summer clothing, shoes, bedding and small houseware items will be available.
Face masks will be provided to those who don’t have them and social distancing guidelines will be maintained.
For information call 419-349-8341.
Fishing fines
According to the latest field reports of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, investigator Brian Bury, assigned to the Lake Erie Unit, observed two boats returning early in the morning with their limits of walleye.
Later that evening, the same two boats went back out with different occupants, except the captains. One boat was a charter boat, and the other was a private boat. Both boats returned to the dock at dark with limits of fish for the new fishermen, plus the captain’s fish.
Both captains were charged with taking more than the daily bag limit of six walleye while making multiple trips on the lake. Both men received a $100 fine, $50 restitution for each walleye and a one-year fishing license revocation.
Library reopening
All four Birchard Public Library locations, including Fremont, Gibsonburg, Woodville and Green Springs will be reopening Monday, June 29.
Summer hours will be in effect, but there will be some temporary restrictions and guidelines in place. Curbside services will continue for anyone who prefers not to enter the library building.
To provide the best visiting experience for everyone, the following rules and restrictions will be in place:
• Library users allowed in the building at one time: Fremont – 30; Gibsonburg – 12; Woodville – 10.
• Special hours for library users at higher risk of infection: Fremont – Thursday mornings from 9-10 a.m.; Gibsonburg and Woodville – Tuesday mornings from 9-10 a.m.
• Library visits are limited to one hour or less to accommodate as many users as possible.
• Library staff will wear masks, and all library users are strongly encouraged to wear masks.
• Library users must practice social distancing of 6 feet while in the library.
• Because it can be difficult for youth to remember to observe social distancing, all children and teens age 15 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• Meeting rooms are not available and gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited.
• Library users who have been ill or do not feel well, or who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 14 days should not enter the building. Pick-up services can be arranged by phone.
• Items must be returned in the outside book drop and will be quarantined before being returned to the shelves.
• Newspapers and magazines will not be available for browsing. Library users may request magazines and newspapers to check out.
• Toys, puzzles, and computers will not be available for use in the children’s room.
• Computer use in the adult area is limited to one hour. Keyboards will be sprayed with sanitizer between uses. Library users who are taking tests or attending classes, or conducting job searches online may request an additional hour of computer use.
• Water fountains will not be available.
• Hand sanitizer, soap and water, and paper towels are available for keeping hands clean, and high-touch areas are routinely cleaned by library staff.
Village placed in
fiscal emergency
Auditor of State Keith Faber has designated the Village of Risingsun as being in fiscal emergency after auditors found substantial deficit balances in village funds.
The village administration requested that the auditor’s office perform a fiscal analysis to determine if the financial condition of the village justifies the declaration of a fiscal emergency. The analysis determined that the village qualified for one of the six fiscal conditions needed for the auditor to declare it in fiscal emergency.
The village’s deficit in the general fund exceeded the statutory limit by $35,314 as of December 31, 2019.
The auditor’s office declares fiscal emergency if any one of six conditions exists: 1) default on debt obligation; 2) failure to make payment of all payroll; 3) an increase in the minimum levy of the village which results in the reduction in the minimum levy of another subdivision; 4) significant past due accounts payable; 5) substantial deficit balances in village funds; and 6) a sizeable deficiency when the village’s treasury balance is compared to the positive cash balances of the village’s funds.
Denim drive planned
Nineteen-year-old, Curtice resident, Erek Hansen has been operating his Northwest Ohio recycling initiative under the project name of GoGreen Ohio since 2015, and prior to that under the project name of EcoErek that started back in 2009, at age 9.
Three years ago, in the summer 2017, Hansen held his “final” drive in Oregon, collecting denim and shoes to recycle before graduating from Clay High School and enrolling at the University of Cincinnati (UC) to study Chemical Engineering.
His college and co-op calendar would not have allowed for any other drives locally. That has now changed. World circumstances surrounding the coronavirus outbreak in 2020 altered his plans. The mandatory shut-down sent him back home to Curtice to finish out his semester remotely in March, and cancelled his pre-arranged summer co-op with an employer in Cincinnati.
Any plans to hold a denim drive around Earth Day on the UC campus were also scrapped.
Finding himself back in Northwest Ohio led him to think about another opportunity to recycle denim again. “Being back home this summer opened my calendar unexpectedly and I thought, since denim hasn’t been recycled in Northwest Ohio since 2017, we should hold a drive,” he said.
He reached out to prior contacts, which led him to secure The Future Wave Salon, 3324 Navarre Ave., Oregon. On
Saturday, June 24, Hansen will hold a denim-only recycling drive from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the salon. Local seventh-grader and recycling advocate, Kimi Floyd, is interested in carrying on the denim drive initiative for Northwest Ohio and will be helping Hansen at the drive.
When denim is donated to GoGreen Ohio, the denim is sent to Blue Jeans Go Green (www.BlueJeansGoGreen.org), which turns old jeans into new Ultra Touch Denim Insulation that is 100% donated to build community projects and
Habitat for Humanity homes.
Any denim (jeans, jackets, shirts) in any condition can be recycled into housing insulation. All denim must be laundered before dropping off.
Anyone interested in holding a drive for either denim or shoes at a workplace/church/service group any time through Sept 30 may email info@gogreenohio.org, and Hansen will help coordinate a drop-off/pick-up of collected items.
Keep track of Hansen’s progress at www.gogreenohio.org, and www.facebook.com/GoGreenOH.
Science Summer
Camps at Schedel
Schedel Arboretum & Gardens, 19255 W. Portage River Rd., Elmore, will present the 7th Annual Science Summer Camps presented by the Ottawa County Community Foundation.
A camp for students entering fourth and fifth grade will be offered July 7-10 in the Schedel Trellis Gallery. The morning session will be held from 10 a.m.-noon. The afternoon session will be offered from 1-3 p.m.
Camp for students entering sixth, seventh and eighth grade will be held June 23-26 or July 14-17 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., also in the Schedel Trellis Gallery. Campers should bring their own sack lunch.
Social distancing in an open-air environment will be observed. The maximum capacity per session is 15.
All camps are free and include a camp t-shirt, snack and a certificate of completion.
Camps will be led by Megan Marik, a Woodmore Middle School teacher and Bowling Green State University graduate, and will be consistent with the State of Ohio curriculum for elementary and middle school students.
For more information or to register, visit Schedel-gardens.org or call 419-862-3182.