News Briefs Week Of 12/26/2022

Quilters to meet
The Maumee Bay Country Quilters’ Guild will meet Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 6:45 p.m. at Northwood Church of God, 3375 Curtice Rd., Northwood.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Visitors and new members are welcome. The visitors’ fee is $10. An annual membership is available for $35.

Great Art Escape
The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) is celebrating the holiday season with the annual Great Art Escape Dec. 28-30.
The celebration will feature performances in museum galleries, activities in the family center and glassblowing demonstrations in the hot shop. Visitors can also tour “State of The Art: Revealing Works from the Conservation Vault” and “Matt Wedel: Phenomenal Debris,” two exhibitions organized by TMA.
Great Art Escape events will be held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Dec. 28 and 29 and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Dec. 30.
Many activities are free, however some require preregistration and/or a fee. The museum is located at 2445 Monroe St. at Scottwood Avenue, just west of the downtown business district. For more information and a complete schedule, visit toledomuseum.org.

Winter heating help
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) is scheduling emergency winter heating assistance appointments through the final week of December.
The GLCAP Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (EHEAP) helps residents of Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca and Wood counties who have received a gas or electric disconnect notice or have already had utilities disconnected. The program can also assist those who are facing a shortage of bulk fuel such as wood, propane or fuel oil, or need new or transferred service with a utility company.
In-person appointments are available 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27-Thursday, Dec. 29, at GLCAP Headquarters, 127 S. Front St., Fremont and GLCAP Family Development Center, 801 Kirk St., Fostoria.
Appointments will also be available 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27-Wednesday, Dec. 28, at the GLCAP Jordan Family Development Center in Bowling Green.
Schedule an appointment at glcap.org/winterheating or call 567-432-5046. GLCAP will be closed Dec. 26 in observance of Christmas and Jan. 2, 2023, in observance of New Year’s Day.
Emergency winter heating assistance through EHEAP is available through March 31, 2023.

Hours changing
The Toledo Lucas County Health Department’s business hours are changing.
Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, TLCHD will be open 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For additional information on services provided by the health department, visit lucascountyhealth.com.

Downtown Fremont
New Year’s Eve
Downtown Fremont, Ohio will present the 5th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration Dec. 31 beginning at 8 p.m. on Front Street between Croghan Street and Birchard Avenue.
The event will include feature interactive activities for all ages, along with music, photo opportunities, food and more.
Magician and card thrower Rick Smith Jr. will kick off the celebration at 8 p.m. with illusions and stunts on the Main Stage at the intersection of Front and Garrison.
At 9 p.m., an Elvis impersonator will bring the King of Rock and Roll to life, and at 10 p.m., Old Skool will take the stage to ring in the New Year.
A $10 wristband will give purchasers unlimited access to all interactive games, including axe throwing (16 years and older), zip line (40-200 pounds); mechanical bull (up to 200 pounds), Connect Four Basketball, Full Court Press Basketball Challenge, Junior Baseball Home Run Derby, Junior Football QB Challenge and Soccer Dart.
Several businesses will be open and have entertainment inside their venues, including Potter Perfection “Done Your Way,” MoonShine Nightclub, The Strand & Backstage Lounge, The Jewel Ballroom, The Garrison, Scarpetta's, Elroy’s Deli Market, Live Edge Center, Fremont VFW Post 2947, and Down Thyme Café,
Sponsorship opportunities are available. Text Fremont NYE to 44321 to donate.
For more information, call 419-332-8696 or 567-342-4758 or visit the Downtown Fremont, Ohio, New Year's Eve Celebration Facebook Page @FremontNYE for more specific details.

Share the Love
Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc. (WCCOA) is participating in the 2022 Subaru Share the Love Event as a member of Meals on Wheels America – one of four national Share the Love charitable partners supported through the campaign.
Through Jan. 3, 2023, Subaru of America will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased to the customer's choice of participating charities.
“This is the 12th year WCCOA has partnered with area Subaru dealerships for this event. With the help of Subaru and MOWA we are able to raise awareness of the importance of a hot, home-delivered meal and daily well check to our frail, older population,” said Angie Bradford, WCCOA’s director of food service.
Participating Meals on Wheels America members, like WCCOA, will receive a share of the donation raised by Subaru in their state.
“Meals on Wheels America is proud to partner with Subaru of America for the 15th consecutive year to enable more seniors to live with independence and dignity,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO, Meals on Wheels America. “We’re enormously grateful to Subaru and its retailers.
For more information, visit mealsonwheelsamerica.org/sharethelove.

Savings program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) awarded $2.5 million to NOPEC, Inc. Funding will be used to finance an energy efficiency relending program to support projects that will improve the energy efficiency of consumer properties across Ohio.
NOPEC, Inc. is a nonprofit energy supplier in Ohio that provides competitive energy cost savings to residents and small businesses through a buy-in-bulk approach whose mission is to aggregate, educate, and advocate for member communities.

Refinery sponsors
wreath ceremony
at Willows Cemetery
Toledo Refining Company has partnered with area veterans to support Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit that honors fallen U.S. soldiers by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 3,400 locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.
TRC sponsored more than 1,500 veterans’ wreaths at Willow Cemetery on Dec. 17.
“TRC veteran employees initiated this project, and we were very happy to support them. I know that this partnership is personal to many of our employees and their families. We are grateful for this solemn opportunity to honor all those who have served." said Mike Gudgeon, Refinery Manager.
TRC employee and veterans, Joe Sauerwein and Greg Thomas, have worked closely with local organizer Doug Sweeney in support of Wreaths Across America at Willow Cemetery. Over two dozen Toledo Refining Company employees participated in the distribution of the wreaths at the cemetery alongside community members and fellow veterans.
"The generous contribution from Toledo Refining Company helps us to ensure that we will be able to remember service members laid to rest in communities across the country," said Sweeney, Coordinator, and WAA. "And through the simple act of placing these wreaths, we teach about our nation's history and what it means to serve. TRC understands the impact this has on the next generation, and we are so grateful for their support."

Roofing company
fined by OSHA
For the eighth time since 2016, federal safety inspectors found the owner of a Martin roofing company exposing roofers and other workers to the construction industry’s leading cause of death –falls from elevation – by failing to provide them with fall protection equipment and hazard training, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Altogether Roofing LLC and owner Mike Krueger now face $300,144 in penalties after an OSHA inspector observed eight employees working at heights up to 20 feet without fall protection while atop a Maumee residence on June 22, 2022.
Following the June inspection, the agency cited the contractor for five violations for exposing workers to fall hazards, failing to use ladders correctly, lacking an accident prevention program failing to provide training on ladder usage and fall hazards, and failing to provide eye protection,
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA”s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

3 plead guilty
to bribery
Three former Toledo City Council members pleaded guilty last week to accepting bribery payments during their time in office in return for their support and votes on legislative matters.
Tyrone Riley and Larry Sykes both pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right, and Yvonne Harper pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act conspiracy.
Garrick Johnson was also charged in this matter and is scheduled to appear in front of a federal jury on Jan. 9, 2023.
According to court documents, on multiple occasions from May 2018 through February 2020, Riley, Harper, and Sykes accepted bribery payments in return for their official support and votes on legislative matters as members of the Toledo City Council.
Court documents state that Riley, Harper, and Sykes each accepted cash payments in return for their support and votes on zoning changes and “special use permits” (SUPs) for local businesses.
Court documents show that during this time, Riley accepted more than $5,000 in payments and