Five things you might have missed: 11-25

Top stories from this weekend's editions of The Blade

11/25/2013
BLADE STAFF
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    Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates says it’s time to eliminate the death penalty, but as long as it remains the law in Ohio, she will honor it.

    THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER
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    • Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates says it’s time to eliminate the death penalty, but as long as it remains the law in Ohio, she will honor it.
    Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates says it’s time to eliminate the death penalty, but as long as it remains the law in Ohio, she will honor it.

    1. Death penalty cases ebb in Lucas County and Ohio

    When John Winfield was sentenced to life in prison last month for the robbery and shooting death of Toledoan Mark Ward in 2011, Lucas County’s last active capital murder case was closed.

    In what may be the first time since the death penalty was reinstated in Ohio in 1981, no such cases are pending before the court. Not a single person was indicted in Lucas County on capital charges this year or last.

    It’s a situation that reflects a statewide trend toward fewer death penalty prosecutions. READ MORE

     

    Producer Brett Leonard talks with Linda Jefferson, who ran for five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Toledo Troopers. They were at a reunion of the Toledo Troopers, a women's football team from the 1970s.
    Producer Brett Leonard talks with Linda Jefferson, who ran for five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Toledo Troopers. They were at a reunion of the Toledo Troopers, a women's football team from the 1970s.

    2. Investors sought for movie about women's football team in Toledo

    Hollywood film director Brett Leonard says he is coming back to Toledo for a 10-day visit at the end of this week to court investors and get “down to the specifics” of Perfect Season: The Untold Story of the Toledo Troopers, an independent movie he plans to make on location here in the spring or summer.

    The script, written by Toledo natives Guy Stout and Steve Guinan, is about a former Toledo professional women’s football team that won seven consecutive national championships in the 1970s.

    Mr. Stout was the water boy. His father, the late Bill Stout, owned and coached the team for most of its decade-long existence.

    The writers have explained the team’s story in a broader context of how its success helped promote more gender equality in sports. They show how Toledo had an underrated role in advancing the women’s rights movement and, more specifically, Title IX — the civil rights act that outlaws sex discrimination in education, including sports. READ MORE

     

    Like so many other Christmas traditions, 'The Nutcracker' is all about honoring the inner child.
    Like so many other Christmas traditions, 'The Nutcracker' is all about honoring the inner child.

    3. Area ballet companies to present beloved 'Nutcracker'

    Nutcracker Season 2013 dances in today on tiny pink slippers, ready with the magic of a timeless story set on a bright and colorful stage, performed to one of the most beloved musical scores ever.

    Like so many other Christmas traditions, this is all about honoring the inner child.

    The E.T.A. Hoffman tale conjures wonderful characters: the Nutcracker, the Rat King, Snow Queen, Sugar Plum Fairy, Mother Ginger, and, of course, Clara and her bratty brother, Fritz.

    It offers Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s wondrous score — how could it have been reviled at its 1892 premiere? — a challenge for the best musicians and a treat for every ear. READ MORE

     

    Temporary signage has been put up for the Franklin Park Mall along Sylvania Avenue in West Toledo.
    Temporary signage has been put up for the Franklin Park Mall along Sylvania Avenue in West Toledo.

    4. New owners revive Franklin Park Mall

    After 11 years under another name, Toledo’s premier enclosed shopping property is once again Franklin Park Mall.

    Earlier this week, private equity firm Starwood Capital Group of Greenwich, Conn., completed its $1.64 billion purchase of Franklin Park and six other malls owned by the Australian-based Westfield Group, and the first move made was to change the name.

    Since January, 2002, the mall has been under the Westfield brand, first Westfield Shoppingtown Franklin Park, and later just Westfield Franklin Park.

    Starwood, which announced its tentative purchase of the seven malls in September, put up temporary signs announcing the name change after it completed the purchase on Monday. READ MORE

     

    Toledo Correctional Institute inmate Steve James lifts his arm up in celebration of completing another lap during a 5K fundraiser for the Komen Foundation. He is reaching for a wristband marking his laps from case manager Terrie Janowski.
    Toledo Correctional Institute inmate Steve James lifts his arm up in celebration of completing another lap during a 5K fundraiser for the Komen Foundation. He is reaching for a wristband marking his laps from case manager Terrie Janowski.

    5. Inmates run, walk to raise money for breast cancer awareness, cure

    After each lap, Steve James lifted his sock-covered fist into the air.

    “For the women — to let them know I support them,” said the 34-year-old inmate at Toledo Correctional Institution.

    James was one of 38 inmates to either run 3.1 miles or walk one mile Friday to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Northwest Ohio.

    All told, the inmates, including 40 who donated money but did not participate in the race, raised $105 for the breast cancer awareness organization. READ MORE