5 things you might have missed: 11-11

Top stories from this weekend's editions of The Blade

11/11/2013
BLADE STAFF
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    Instead of rewarming the design of the Jeep Liberty, Chrysler designed the Cherokee from scratch, resulting in a more refined vehicle.

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    • Instead of rewarming the design of the Jeep Liberty, Chrysler designed the Cherokee from scratch, resulting in a more refined vehicle.
    Instead of rewarming the design of the Jeep Liberty, Chrysler designed the Cherokee from scratch, resulting in a more refined vehicle.

    1. New Jeep Cherokee hints at luxury, feels light, carlike in drive

    Driving the Jeep Cherokee of today is nothing like driving the Jeep Cherokee of old. Let’s get that out of the way right off the bat.

    Though it had been 12 years since Jeep sold a Cherokee in the United States, the now-defunct Jeep Liberty that followed the original Cherokee carried on many of its traits, good and bad. It was unmistakably a Jeep, trucklike and capable off-road, but somewhat spartan inside and not a vehicle most folks would consider refined. READ MORE

     

    Sandy Drabik and D. Michael Collins pose with their dog Chloe at their South Toledo home. Ms. Drabik plans to support and counsel the mayor-elect as well as concentrate on his push for a concept called ‘Tidy Towns.’
    Sandy Drabik and D. Michael Collins pose with their dog Chloe at their South Toledo home. Ms. Drabik plans to support and counsel the mayor-elect as well as concentrate on his push for a concept called ‘Tidy Towns.’

    2. Collins makes no secret: He and his wife are a team

    D. Michael Collins indisputably knows Toledo will lose a long-running lawsuit filed by a city union.

    “We will lose the exigent circumstances case at the Supreme Court of Ohio. I don’t care what the court of appeals said,” Mr. Collins said on Friday, describing a dispute with the police command officers union. “Before it ever gets there, I have to try and negotiate that.”

    Listening to that legal declaration was his wife, Sandy Drabik — a retired lawyer who was the University of Toledo’s vice president for administrative services and chief general counsel and previously held high-ranking government positions for Republican Govs. Bob Taft and George Voinovich.

    “I kinda wish he said ‘could,’ ” Ms. Drabik interjects.

    “My lawyer,” Mr. Collins quipped back, pointing at his wife of eight years.

    That kind of banter is common for the couple, and when Mr. Collins refers to his campaign or running the city next year, he often uses the word “we.” READ MORE

     

    Robin Horvath testifies in the trial of Tony Packo III and Cathleen Dooley in Judge Frederick McDonald's Lucas County Common Pleas courtroom in October, 2012.
    Robin Horvath testifies in the trial of Tony Packo III and Cathleen Dooley in Judge Frederick McDonald's Lucas County Common Pleas courtroom in October, 2012.

    3. Attorneys suing former Tony Packo's co-owner  over unpaid legal fees

    Two attorneys have taken unusual steps to get a former co-owner of Tony Packo’s to pay the legal bills they say are owed in the lengthy court battle over the famed Toledo restaurant chain.

    Attorneys Troy Moore and Thomas Matuszak claim their clients, Robin Horvath and his estranged wife, Terrie Horvath, have failed to pay more than $700,000 in legal fees for work the attorneys provided during the last three years, according to court documents.

    The lawyers have taken action in Wood County and federal bankruptcy court in Toledo to recoup the money. READ MORE

     

    Cheryl McCormick on Appalachian Trail.
    Cheryl McCormick on Appalachian Trail.

    4. Sylvania Twp. woman, 63, realizes dream of hiking entire Appalachian Trail

    After a year of careful planning, Ms. McCormick of Sylvania Township launched her dream on April 5, her 63rd birthday, by striking out on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. Using ultra-light backpacking equipment, her pack, with six days of food, weighed only 25 pounds. The goal: to reach trail’s end by early October.

    “One of my reasons was to gain a self mastery and discipline, and I saw where I can do that, but it’s in small steps in a huge endeavor.” Whatever life brings, “I think I’ll be able to stick with what has to be done by taking it day by day.”

    A former naturalist for the Metroparks of the Toledo Area who completed her first triathlon on her 50th birthday, says she’s happy she did the Appalachian Trail hike, but has some sobering reflections. It was far more intense mentally and physically than she expected. “I thought I’d have more down time to rest in my tent and write and stop at beautiful sites.”  READ MORE

     

    According to an FBI affidavit, a worker was alleged to have offered to perform a sex act at Top Relax Massage at 1855 S. Reynolds Rd.
    According to an FBI affidavit, a worker was alleged to have offered to perform a sex act at Top Relax Massage at 1855 S. Reynolds Rd.

    5. South Toledo massage parlor under investigation

    Federal agents are investigating the owner of three Ohio massage parlors for any role she may have in organized prostitution and staffing the businesses with illegal immigrants who might be working against their will, according to court records.

    A confidential informant working with the FBI said Ya Wen “Nancy” Xing, the owner of Top Relax Massage at 1855 S. Reynolds Rd. and two other massage parlors in Cleveland and Findlay is a “leader in prostitution and human trafficking” in northern Ohio, according to an FBI affidavit.

    On Wednesday, agents with the Organized Crime Task Force executed a search warrant at the business in Diamond Plaza in South Toledo owned by Ms. Xing and her other massage parlors in Findlay and Cleveland. READ MORE