5 things you may have missed this weekend
Top stories from The Blade
10/21/2013
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Gary Mohr speaks about policy and future plans at the Toledo Correctional Institution.
THE BLADE/JEFFREY SMITH
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Dan and Robin Madigan of Waterville watch their award-winning Ocicats at play. From left are Miley, Gibbous, and Eleanor. The three felines took one of the top awards for best video in ‘The Friskies' annual award show in New York City last week.
1. Waterville couple's pets win top video award
Three of Waterville’s feline residents have put the area’s squirrel-chasing dogs on notice.
Eleanor, Gibbous, and Miley — who were filmed ready to take on the neighborhood squirrel — have won one of the top prizes in The Friskies annual award show, beating almost 2,500 other entrants.
Their owners, Robin and Dan Madigan, received a $5,000 cash prize, a gold-plated Catuette trophy, and bragging rights as one of the best Internet cat videos of 2013. READ MORE
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Gary Mohr speaks about policy and future plans at the Toledo Correctional Institution.
2. State moves to reduce crowding at Toledo Correctional Institution
In an encouraging but overdue move to reduce violence at Toledo Correctional Institution, the state has stopped sending inmates to the Toledo prison, effective Thursday, Warden Ed Sheldon told me Thursday during a tour of the prison. The move will reduce TCI’s population by about 40 inmates a month and decrease double-bunking. In addition, the state has already reduced the security levels of 60 TCI prisoners and will move them to other prisons.
During a 90-minute interview at the prison, Gary Mohr, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said he’s committed to reducing population and double-bunking at TCI, adding staff, and expanding programs, including visitation. READ MORE
Docent Mary Galvin gives a tour of the exhibit "Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints" at the Toledo Museum of Art. The exhibit is using LED lighting as part of the museum's overall effort to cut energy costs and use renewable energy sources.
3. Toledo Museum of Art lightens up on its energy usage
Paul Bernard has an answer to the ever-important question of how many people it takes to change a light bulb. Just one, he said with a laugh. “It’s labor intensive, though.”
Mr. Bernard is the facilities director for the Toledo Museum of Art. He recently oversaw the installation of 135 LED, or light-emitting diode, bulbs that illuminate the museum’s exhibit of early modern Japanese prints.
It’s the first time the museum has used LEDs to light a gallery. Officials there say the new bulbs will cut costs and be better for the preservation of the artwork. READ MORE
Writer George Saunders
4. Literary superstar George Saunders to speak at UT Monday
The sort of accolades that come in the wake of any mention of author George Saunders would seem like hyperbole in another context.
He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship “genius” grant, has been a finalist for the prestigious PEN/Hemingway and STORY prizes, and this year Time magazine called him one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
The author of four collections of short stories — CivilWarLand in Bad Decline (1996), Pastoralia (2000), In Persuasion Nation (2006), and Tenth of December (2013) — along with a pair of novellas and a collection of essays, Saunders is the rare literary star who manages to cross over into mainstream culture.
All of this finds Saunders coming to the University of Toledo for the 24th annual Richard M. Summers Memorial Lecture Monday as a hot commodity in both literature and pop culture. READ MORE
Emily Goodwin, left, brings in her paper to be stamped by Aleka Bassett, right, at the Bassett counter during the "Secor Open Road Party" on Saturday.
5. Customers mark end of construction with block party from Secor Road businesses
For months, businesses and residents contended with the Secor Road construction project, but on Saturday they celebrated its completion.
Margaret Zotkiewicz, who lives just off the busy commercial strip that is Secor between Central Avenue and Monroe Street, brought her daughter Claire Hite, 8, to the Secor Open Road Party. The event, sponsored by The Blade, Sears, the city of Toledo, and Westgate Village, marked the return of free-flowing traffic and served as a way for area companies to connect with customers. READ MORE