Weekend in review: Best stories, multimedia, video and photo galleries

3/16/2009

Michael Bell took two giant steps toward a run for mayor of Toledo. The former Toledo fire chief Friday submitted his resignation effective April 10 as Ohio fire marshal. About 4 p.m., his father, Norman Bell, Sr., filed a form with the Lucas County Board of Elections alerting officials there of his intention to be his son's campaign treasurer.

A 6-year-old Toledo girl mauled this week by two Rottweilers remained hospitalized Friday and the dogs remained at the Lucas County dog pound. The child was in the care of a baby-sitter Thursday when the dogs, who belong to the baby-sitter's boyfriend, bit the girl's back, chest, arms, and head, according to a dog warden attack report.

Seventy-five Toledo police officers will be laid off to help balance the city's budget shortfall, which now stands at $15 million, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner announced Friday. But the Finkbeiner administration is hoping for a federal bailout in the form of a $34 million "Cops Hiring Grant." The mayor said that would not only prevent the layoffs but also allow the city to hire 75 additional police officers.

With their Titans holding a comfortable 3-0 lead late in the second period over Centerville, the St. John's Jesuit student section chanted, "How'd you get here?" A better question may have been, "Who can stop us?" The answer will come today at 11 a.m. when St. John's faces Hunting Valley University School for a state championship at Nationwide Arena after defeating the Elks 7-0 Saturday in a state hockey semifinal.

Its eight stations fill a large chunk of the metro Toledo area airwaves, but the Atlanta-based Cumulus Media Inc. radio chain - whose top executive hails from the Toledo area - has been sending out some weak financial signals lately. The nation's second-largest radio chain by station count lost $224 million in 2007 and analysts predict a 5 percent revenue drop will be reported for last year.

On a rainy morning last week, a black Jeep eased into the driveway of a Lewis Avenue house. A uniformed sheriff's deputy climbed out from behind the wheel and eyeballed the front yard. "Everything still looks the same," said Deputy Sherry Stearns, who'd stopped by the unoccupied house the week before.

Five years ago, the house at 1503 Albert St. on Toledo's east side commanded a sale price of $60,000. But those days are long gone for 1503 Albert. A year ago, it sold for just over $26,000. And in January, the house traded for $15,000 - another victim of the cruel collapse of the housing bubble. Now the new owners, Kevin and Sandra Thomas of Genoa, have petitioned the Lucas County Board of Revision to have its tax valuation reduced as well - from $44,000 to $20,000.