Year in Review: Tornado, 'American Idol' among big stories

Mike Bell took office as Toledo mayor and inherited a deficit, which he managed to balance. THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Crystal Bowersox, who became ‘American Idol' runner-up, returned to her hometown and was honored by a parade downtown. THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Thousands of people came to help search for missing Skelton boys Andrew, Alexander, and Tanner after they disappeared on Thanksgiving Day from their Morenci, Mich., home. They have not been found. NOT BLADE PHOTO Enlarge

The shooting of a dog, Tyson, allegedly by a neighbor, was one of many dog stories that made 2010 the Year of the Dog. He is here with his owner, Josh Luck. Other stories included the ongoing situation at the dog warden's office and additional incidences of animal cruelty. THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Photo Reprints

John Kasich, the governor-elect, is one of many Republicans who will come to the Statehouse; voters made Ohio a red state by putting the GOP in secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor offices. JAY LAPRETE / AP Enlarge

Other Top 10 news stories covered by The Blade included a Republican sweep of state government, the acquittal of the Lucas County sheriff on criminal charges, the disappearance of three young boys from Morenci, Mich., and the bizarre shooting incidents involving two Toledo dogs.

It was also a year in which World War II history played a surprise role in U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur's (D., Toledo) re-election battle.

Tornadoes swept through parts of Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, and Fulton counties during the late and predawn morning of June 5-6, damaging scores of houses and buildings. Six people died in the storm and dozens of families lost homes. Those killed included the father of the 2010 Lake High School valedictorian, hours before his daughter's class graduation. The ceremony was postponed because Lake High School itself was all but destroyed.

The cleanup became a communitywide effort, with those less afflicted by the storm assisting harder-hit residents. Many people donated money and supplies. Tornado-related insurance claims grew to exceed $20 million -- not including the extensive damage to Lake High School.

Lake's ninth through 12th graders started fall classes in temporary quarters in a former Owens Community College outpost in Northwood, where they plan to stay for two years. In December, the Lake school district unveiled plans to build a new $25.5 million high school in time for the 2012-2013 school year.

SEE ALSO:

Mosaic of memorable people made their marks on 2010

Many inspiring stories filled the religion beat

It was a turbulent year for UT Rockets, Cross

Annals of local sports seemingly unequaled

2010 takes congressman, newsmen, giver

It was another rough year for Toledo Public Schools, which continued to hemorrhage enrollment and budgetary red ink. Voters rejected two school funding levies -- one in May and another in November. The school board initially voted 3-2 to keep open Libbey High School in South Toledo, but reversed itself after the failure of the spring levy opened a $39 million budget deficit. Libbey shut its doors for good over the summer, and the 1923 building is slated for demolition.

Other budget cuts included the elimination of high school bus service and extending the walking zones for other students to two miles. The board also cut all middle school and freshman sports, and high school teams with lower participation such as cross country and wrestling.

Layoff notices were sent to about 400 employees, including 251 classroom teachers. The district negotiated 1 percent pay reductions and adjustments to the health-care costs shouldered by employees.

The unpopular cuts accelerated the trend of parents removing their children from the district. Toledo schools lost more than 5 percent of its student body last year over 2009, with a state funding loss of about $5,800 per student. The district now has about 24,000 students.

Midway through the tumultuous year, the district hired Jerome Pecko as its superintendent, replacing John Foley. Mr. Pecko faces an expected $38 million budget deficit going in to 2011.

The city of Toledo also had a tough time balancing its budget. Mayor Mike Bell arrived in office facing a $48 million deficit left by the previous mayor, Carty Finkbeiner.

The new mayor ultimately addressed the deficit through a series of cutbacks and new revenue, most crucially by getting City Council to authorize a controversial measure that would force midcontract concessions on city unions. With that leverage, the mayor reached agreements with all but one union for less harsh concessions that still provided the needed cost-savings.

But more money troubles loom in 2011. The mayor sent letters this week to four city bargaining units requesting midcontract talks again and indicating more givebacks may be needed to keep the next budget in balance and avoid layoffs.

It was an exciting year for local singer-songwriter Crystal Bowersox. The 25-year-old native of Elliston, Ohio, was relatively unknown before her spring appearance on the American Idol television show. She survived weeks of competition to emerge as the show's runner-up to Lee DeWyze, capturing northwest Ohio's heart along the way.

In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, viewers latched onto Crystal's rising fame, her hard-scrabble life story, and her unabashed love for her hometown fans.

In May, the singer returned home to a hero's welcome with a whirlwind trip of parades and performances. Hundreds of fans flocked to downtown Toledo for her free concert. Ms. Bowersox's first album, Farmer's Daughter, debuted in December to strong sales, outdoing Mr. DeWyze's album.

But as area residents reveled in the joy of Crystal Bowersox, they were soon brought low by the disappearance of three young boys in Morenci, Mich., a few weeks before Christmas.

Thousands came from miles around to spend days scouring the woods and fields around the small Lenawee County village after the disappearance of the Skelton brothers -- Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5, last seen at home Thanksgiving Day.

Their father, John Skelton, 39, faces three counts of felony parental kidnapping/custodial interference, and is being held in the Lenawee County jail in lieu of $30 million bond.

He initially told police he gave his sons to a woman named Joann Taylor who was supposed to deliver them to their mother, but investigators determined that story wasn't true. Mr. Skelton was arrested Nov. 30 after a failed suicide attempt in his Morenci home. Authorities soon feared the boys were dead. Their father recently said he gave them to someone from an "organization," but won't say more.

Day after day, the boys' pictures -- playing in the snow, standing in front of a Christmas tree, smiling for their school pictures -- were run on local television and in The Blade.

They could be anybody's kids, and for so many area residents, their disappearance has been heart-wrenching.

2010 was the Year of the Dog in Lucas County.

In January, long-time county dog warden Tom Skeldon left office after being forced to resign amid criticisms that his pound had become a killing field for way too many dogs. Local dog advocates accused him of placing too few dogs for adoption and for refusing to adopt out certain breeds and to work with certain dog rescue groups.

In an interview with The Blade, wearing a crisp military-style uniform complete with a miniature Purple Heart he said he received for injuries sustained in Vietnam, Mr. Skeldon was quick to flash Polaroid photos of people attacked by dogs, saying he not only didn't allow certain dogs to be adopted, but didn't allow certain people to adopt them, referring to "gang bangers who like to kick the cages" at the pound looking for vicious dogs that they'd like to adopt.

Even though Mr. Skeldon came from a dynastic Democratic family and was the first cousin of a sitting county commissioner, Tina Skeldon Wozniak -- one of his three bosses -- he couldn't withstand the public and political heat brought down on him when The Blade exposed the kill rate at the county pound, one of the highest in the state.

In April, the county hired Julie Lyle as its first new dog warden since 1987 to replace Mr. Skeldon. She arrived to hopes that she could lead the department out of the catch-and-kill era of dog control and strike a more humane balance between law enforcement and animal welfare.

Adoption numbers showed strong year-to-year improvement under Ms. Lyle, who organized regular adopt-a-thons and began working with all-breed rescue groups, including those that accept well-behaved "pit bulls." She set in motion plans to extend the pound's business hours, introduced a volunteer program, and started building a new dog adoption area with funding from the department's nearly $1 million dog warden surplus fund.

As for Mr. Skeldon, he wasn't long off the local government payroll. In November, he was hired by the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department to kill again, this time on the county's "rodent patrol."

Two high-profile dog shootings happened in Toledo over the summer. The first case involved a South Toledo man and his girlfriend accused of stealing a neighbor's dog and then shooting it twice with a 45-caliber handgun. The dog, named Tyson, survived the attack, as did the German Shepherd victim of July shooting. That dog's former owner and a friend were charged with shooting the animal as it howled in a cage. The dog, Sarge, now lives at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah.

The November election repainted Ohio bright red. Republicans won control of the governorship and the offices of attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor. Governor-elect John Kasich is set to replace Democrat Ted Strickland on Jan. 10. Republicans also will control the Ohio House, the Ohio Senate, and all seven seats on the Ohio Supreme Court.

The same happened in Michigan, with Republican Rick Snyder soundly defeating Democrat Virg Bernero to become the state's next governor.

Democrat Marcy Kaptur fended off her toughest Election Day challenge since the 1980s to win a 15th term representing the 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. With 59 percent of the vote, she beat Rich Iott, a Republican with backing from local Tea Party activists.

Mr. Iott's campaign lost momentum amid revelations he had belonged to a group that re-enacts the World War II activities of the Nazi Waffen SS in Eastern Europe. The disclosure grabbed national headlines.

Also controversial was Mr. Iott's claim of military service, which he cited in mailings to veterans around the district. He is not a veteran of the armed forces but long has participated in the Ohio Military Reserve, an authorized militia that trains regularly but has never been called into action.

The former Food Town executive outspent Miss Kaptur nearly 3-1, blowing through more than $1.6 million of his own money.

In the race to fill Ben Konop's seat on the Lucas County Board of Commissioners, the drama happened after election night. Initial unofficial results showed Republican George Sarantou winning by 1,376 votes over Democrat Carol Contrada. But there were still more than 4,000 provisional ballots yet to count. The official results showed Mrs. Contrada beating Mr. Sarantou by just 193 votes.

Mr. Sarantou soon filed a contest-of-election suit claiming irregularities in the vote counting. Mrs. Contrada will replace Mr. Konop this month unless the election is overturned, joining the two other Democrats on the board. Mr. Konop did not seek re-election and is angling for a public service job in Washington.

In December, a jury found Lucas County Sheriff James Telb not guilty of criminal charges that accused him of covering up a 2004 death in the county jail.

The verdict in U.S. District Court in Toledo swept away dark clouds that had hung over the sheriff's department since the April, 2009, indictment of the long-time and well-liked sheriff and three of his current and former employees.

The four men were accused of crimes associated with the 2004 death of inmate Carlton Benton and allegations that top officials plotted to conceal the crime. Although Mr. Benton's death first was ruled the result of natural causes, the cause was changed to asphyxia from a sleeper hold.

Internal Affairs Capt. Robert McBroom was also acquitted by the federal jury on the felony charges. Fellow defendants and former sheriff's office employees John Gray and Jay Schmeltz were each convicted of some, but not all, the charges they faced. Gray was acquitted of the charge of applying the sleeper hold that rendered a shackled Mr. Benton unconscious.

Sheriff Telb, 72, who is in his seventh term in office, faced three years in prison if he was convicted.

Contact JC Reindl at: jreindl@theblade.com or 419-724-6065.