Scientists at the University of Toledo are developing a mathematical framework to aid in measuring the health of ecosystems. 

A grant received via the U.S. Geological Survey was put toward the work — a study that would be a big building block in helping track how changes in environment affect the “recruitment” of sport fish in Lake Erie.

Recruitment refers to how well fish survive and grow into adults.   

“They do surveys twice a year during the summer ... early summer and late summer,” Song Qian, a UT professor in the department of environmental sciences, said of the USGS. 

“They drive a boat out with a net for small fish, then they count different species,” Mr. Qian, lead author of the study, said.  

Because these surveys only catch certain kinds of fish, rare species go unnoticed or calculated. Accounting for these more rare fish would lead to a more full picture of “species diversity” in the lake. Species diversity accounts for the total number of different species in a given area and the abundance of each of those species. 

“When species diversity is incredibly low, we lose all kinds of things that we value as people,” said William Hintz, a UT environmental professor who was a co-author of the study. “If you want fish to fish for, if you want fish to eat, that ecosystem is going to require generally some sort of species diversity to support the ecosystem.”

Mr. Hintz said species diversity is one of the most important metrics out there for measuring ecosystem health.  

Invasive species can also drive down species diversity through competition and predation. Nutrient pollution and algal blooms affect species diversity as well, which in turn can affect drinking water and water recreation. 

Additionally, improved diversity is a big deal for the Maumee Area of Concern, the local designation that is part of a regional effort in the Great Lakes to improve the environment through local waterways

“That uses species metrics to understand whether they can delist certain beneficial use impairments,” Mr. Hintz said of the area of concern. “So if we are going to say the health of the Maumee River has recovered over the last three or four decades, the species diversity is going to be one component of that.”       

The tool that was developed uses mathematics to estimate what can’t be seen. It can also estimate the density of different species that make up an ecosystem. The math is based on what is called “Bayesian hierarchical modeling.” 

Mr. Qian said that type of “modeling” is used since only 10 or 15 different species are caught in any given survey. Any population estimations from those surveys could then easily be underestimated. Hierarchical modeling allows for data from multiple years to be considered at once, which allows for more accuracy.   

“The idea was we want to see whether the biodiversity of those fish are changing in the last 15 to 20 years,” Mr. Qian said. 

Mr. Hintz said using this method is like trying to get a weather forecast correct. 

That search for this new method was aided by two studies from decades past that used a similar ideas. One delved into how many words Shakespeare knew, which Mr. Qian said he came across by chance.  

“We recognize so many fish and we really don’t know how many we don’t catch,” Mr. Qian said. “It is just like the Shakespeare vocabulary problem. We know how many words he used in the plays and the poems, but we don’t know what was his real vocabulary.” 

The team will continue to research this summer. The next step is to take data from multiple sources dating back to the 1980s and actually look for any current trends in species diversity, using the outlined methods.

There are signs that diversity could be trending positively in Lake Erie although further research is necessary to make a definitive determination, Mr. Hintz said. He noted, for example, the observed recovery of certain fish communities like minnows and how a past study he worked on suggested some sensitive invertebrate fish species are becoming more common in the Maumee River specifically.     

“Whether it is the Maumee River, whether it is Lake Erie, or whether it is Lake Michigan or whether it is the Mississippi River ... we are hoping the method can be applied across the globe,” Mr. Hintz said.   

Blade photographers head out every day to capture the triumphs, tragedies, and oddities of life in Lucas County and beyond.

Click the image above and the arrows on the left and right to view the full gallery.

Kendall Mehl, the Otsego Junior High School student who won the The Blade’s Northwest Ohio Championship Spelling Bee in March, came up short of the top trophy in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“Kendall had a challenging word in her first round and unfortunately got out,” Kendall’s mom, Jessica Mehl, said. “But overall, still a great experience.”

The word that stumped the eighth grader was “saoshyant,” an Avestan-based term that means “savior,” or, literally, “one who brings benefit.”

Kendall had studied it before and spelled it right in practice at home but could not recall it accurately onstage.

“I remembered the ‘sao’ at the beginning, but then past that I started getting a little confused,” she said. “‘Shyant’ can have a lot of spellings.”

“She’s a pretty confident, poised person, especially for being 14 years old,” Jessica Mehl said. “But I could tell in her face when she got the word up there that it may not have been coming to mind right away.”

Aside from memorizing entries from the spelling bee’s official booklet, Kendall Mehl started studying Greek and Latin roots this year to help her piece together unfamiliar words.

“She could ask the language of origin and maybe trace it back to roots,” Mrs. Mehl said. “Unfortunately, she didn’t make it far enough to really be able to showcase that.”

The 14-year-old still enjoyed her time in the heart of Washington, where the national competition took place at the historic Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall just blocks from the White House. This was Kendall’s third and, now that she has reached the age cap, final time at the national competition. Jessica Mehl said that almost a third of the competitors this year were “repeaters” who had competed before, and Kendall enjoyed reuniting with friends she met at previous national bees.

“I’m glad I was able to talk with the other spellers, even if I didn’t make it past the first round,” Kendall said. “It was a great experience to be able to represent our community.”

The spelling bee has taken up a large part of Kendall’s life the past three years, and she has also found the sudden end to her bee journey “a little jarring.”

“School ended right before the competition, so this is kind of her first taste of freedom from six months of studying and school,” Mrs. Mehl said.

This summer, Kendall wants to use her experience to spark interest in the bee and train future spellers at her middle school. She also hopes to become a volunteer helper — someone who coordinates events and guides young spellers at the national bee — once she reaches college.

“Sometimes helpers will go on to graduate and become members of the Scripps corporation, so they help prepare the bee,” Kendall said.

She will be a freshman at Otsego High School in the fall. A self-proclaimed “band nerd,” Kendall looks forward to joining band as a trombone player and awaits channeling the skills she has garnered with the bee into writing, speech and debate, quiz bowl, and more. 

The last of six defendants to be sentenced for a Toledo man’s detention, beating, and torture received a four-year prison term Thursday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

In sending David Cessna, 27, to prison for minimum, but consecutive, two-year terms for second-degree kidnapping and second-degree felonious assault, Judge Lori Olender agreed with a defense lawyer that he was less culpable than several of his co-defendants — but not the least.

She also acknowledged that Cessna agreed to be a witness against those co-defendants had any taken their cases to trial, but faulted him for abusing somebody else after having been abused himself.

Kurt Bruderly, Cessna’s lawyer, said his client had also been subjected to beatings and kept isolated from his family during the time he lived in the household in the 700 block of Parker Street led by Michael and Martina Esqueda. The lawyer said Cessna’s “lack of cognitive ability” and vulnerability to manipulation and group influence caused his behavior.

He functioned mainly as a guard to keep watch over the victim, although he did participate to a lesser degree in some of the beatings, Mr. Bruderly said.

Over the course of about 10 days in March, 2025, victim Austyn McClellan was beaten with fists and a baseball bat badly enough to cause multiple broken bones, deprived of sleep and food, and made to stand for periods so long his feet were injured. The ordeal occurred in a motel room on Reynolds Road in Maumee near the Ohio Turnpike.

Matthew Cherry, a family spokesman and former Toledo city councilman, read a letter from the victim’s sister noting Mr. McClellan had suffered both physical and psychological harm, was unable to work, and continues to have frequent nightmares, she wrote.

Martina Esqueda, described in court as the leader of a polyamorous household — and with whom Cessna had had a child — received a 22-year prison term last week from Judge Olender for first-degree kidnapping and dual second-degree felonious assault convictions.

But the judge said Thursday that the woman could not be held exclusively responsible for the conduct of the five men.

“Everybody took part in the beating of this young man,” she said. “This master-manipulator thing only goes so far.”

Cessna received credit for the 433 days he’s already spent in jail after the defendants’ arrests.

Cessna had been the first of the six to plead guilty in the case on Sept. 19, but his sentencing was put off until the other cases were resolved.

In January, Chance Johnston, 27, received an eight-year sentence for kidnapping and assault, while Austin Bradshaw, 24, received eight years for two felonious assault counts. In December, Aaron Bradshaw, 50, was sentenced to three years in prison on a single assault count, and Michael Esqueda, 29, received 16 years for the same kidnapping and assault counts as his wife.

Two people are dead following an apparent murder-suicide in West Toledo early Wednesday afternoon.

Just after 12:30 p.m., emergency crews were called to a home in the 3700 block of Barcelona Drive for two people who had been found dead inside, officials said. 

Jeanne Gowin, 83, and her husband, Lynn Gowin, 85, were dead from apparent gunshot wounds. According to police, Mr. Gowin shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call or text the Crime Stopper program at 419-255-1111. Callers may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward.

The Lucas County Coroner’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding relatives of a man who recently died.

John West, 63, died May 22 in his home in the 600 block of Cherry Street, the coroner said.

Anyone who can connect officials with Mr. West’s relatives is asked to call the coroner’s office at 419-213-3900.

One day shy of the anniversary of its Toledo debut, the cruise ship Victory I will return to the Maumee River Friday for the first of two visits in 2026.

With more time for Victory Cruise Line to prepare for this year’s Toledo calls, “they have curated a really special Toledo experience for their passengers” during the calls Friday and June 22, said Sarah Smith, the director of institutional advancement at the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

But Victory isn’t the only cruise company bringing travelers to Toledo this year.

As part of its inaugural Great Lakes cruise schedule, American Cruise Lines will sail its ship Patriot into Toledo seven times starting June 14, Ms. Smith said.

While Victory I will arrive in the morning and leave in the evening during its two calls, Patriot’s schedule will be different, she said. It will either overnight after a 6:30 p.m. arrival, then leave early the following afternoon, or arrive around noon and depart shortly after midnight.

As they were last year, Victory I’s calls are occurring during voyages when the normal call in Detroit can’t be made because the dock isn’t available.

Ms. Smith didn’t officially know why the Friday visit was occurring, but last year the Victory I’s Toledo debut occurred because the Detroit Grand Prix auto race blocked street access to the dock. That race is occurring this weekend as well.

A visit to the Great Lakes museum is again included for all passengers, Ms. Smith said. And, she said, optional shore excursions also have been offered this year. They include the Stellantis Jeep factory, a “Holy Toledo” tour that ends at Holey Toledo doughnuts, and a visit to Lucille’s Jazz Lounge on North Summit Street.

An extended tour of the S.S. Col. James M. Schoonmaker display ship at the museum also is an option, and a promotion at Toledo Pickle, within walking distance of the cruise dock, is available as well.

The Patriot’s passengers, meanwhile, will have shore options including an expedition to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, a “canal experience” at Providence Metropark, and an excursion to Glass CIty Metropark and the Toledo River Walk to complement activities at the Great Lakes museum, Ms. Smith said.

The shore activities have been coordinated by the museum and Destination Toledo.

The Patriot is brand new, having been completed last year, and one of its distinguishing features is that it was built in the United States and has an American crew. That means it can limit its calls to ports only on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes, Ms. Smith said, so passengers don’t have to worry about border documents or customs inspections.

The Ashland Manor and Covenant House apartments could soon be getting new owners — and then renovations.

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority’s board of directors approved Thursday morning bond-inducement resolutions to finance a New York company’s renovation of both buildings.

Essence Development, which bought the Alpha Towers building on Woodruff Avenue several years ago, would create two new operating entities, Ashland Manor Preservation L.P. and Covenant House Preservation L.P., that would become responsible to service the debt on individual bond issues of up to $25 million for each building.

The port authority resolutions identify Ashland Manor, which has 189 apartments at 2030 Ashland Ave., as senior housing, although it also has younger tenants. Covenant House, which has 156 apartments at 702 N. Erie St., is designated for low-income tenants. The port authority would become the buildings’ owner, with the two limited partnerships leasing them and acting as its construction agent for the renovations.

Ashland Manor, which two years ago had significant problems with trash collection, pests, and the building’s general state of repair, and Covenant House both were built in the 1970s, William Carroll, chairman of the port board’s finance committee, told the board Thursday.

The bond-inducement resolutions the port board passed without discussion are a first step that declares the port’s intent to handle the bond issue.

Craig Teamer, the port authority’s director of finance and special projects, said such a declaration will allow Essence to obtain Ohio Housing Finance Authority approval to proceed with the acquisition. Mr. Teamer said a bond-issuance resolution will, in about three months, formally authorize the financing plan.

Infestations of bed bugs, cockroaches, and mice plus garbage and debris piled up in trash rooms near the eight-story Ashland Manor building’s garbage chute prompted the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department to declare Ashland Manor a public nuisance in early 2024.

City crews conducted an emergency cleanup of trash and debris that Jan. 10, and staff from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development field offices in Detroit and Cleveland conducted a unit-by-unit inspection of Ashland Manor’s dwellings later that month.

A 25-page letter jointly drafted by the city and HUD described 294 items needing correction and identified 55 units with insect and rodent infestations. It was sent to Ashland Manor’s owners, Lucas Urban Holdings LLC of New York.

The city gave an “all clear” that March, but that summer, a tenant told The Blade that the same problems with trash piling up and pests were returning, along with electrical system problems, water, and other physical-plant issues.

A city inspector who then visited the building reported that the owner had just engaged a new property-management company and would be working to get more staff on site.

Covenant House also had maintenance issues at the time, but none that publicly reached the level of Ashland Manor’s.

The total costs at Ashland Manor and Covenant House are estimated at $31 million and $30.6 million, respectively.

Mr. Teamer said Thursday that Lucas Urban Holdings is now in receivership. Essence’s business model, he said, is to invest in buildings like Ashland Manor, Covenant House, and Alpha Towers and then market health care, broadband, education, and other services to tenants.

Neither a city spokesman nor an Essence representative responded Thursday to requests for comment about the buildings’ proposed renovations.

COLUMBUS — Legislation introduced by state Rep. Josh Williams (R., Sylvania Township) is now the Ohio House Republicans’ comprehensive package addressing fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicaid program.

House Bill 795 — which originally focused on requiring GPS tracking and electronic verification systems for Medicaid home health-care providers — has been amended by the House Medicaid Committee to include a range of provisions intended to strengthen oversight, boost fraud reporting requirements, and increase penalties. 

Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R., Lima) added Mr. Williams, state Rep. Mike Dovilla (R., Berea), and state Rep. Brian Stewart (R., Ashville) to the committee following Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s recent news conference on Medicaid fraud.

Mr. Dovilla said the legislation will restore accountability to the program and ensure Medicaid dollars go to the people who actually need them.

“Medicaid was created to serve the truly vulnerable — not to bankroll scammers, fake providers, and organized fraud rings that treat public assistance like an open checkbook,” Mr. Dovilla said. “Ohio taxpayers are sick of watching their money disappear into programs without real verification, real enforcement, or real consequences.”

The bill requires the Ohio Department of Medicaid to maintain a statewide electronic visit verification performance dashboard and requires “high-risk” providers to use fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, voice recognition, and a personal identification number as a condition of receiving payment. 

The Ohio Department of Medicaid would also be required to conduct in-person inspections before approving any new providers for home and community-based health care. Regulators would also need to automatically investigate a provider seeking enrollment if other providers use the same address or have similar signage. 

Additionally, the bill establishes guidance on state employee fraud reporting, expands Medicaid waiver oversight, and seeks to enhance reporting mechanisms to the state auditor and the attorney general.

The legislation increases penalties for Medicaid fraud by allowing charges of up to a first-degree felony based on the amount of fraud committed. 

Both Mr. Dovilla and Mr. Williams emphasized that the legislation is a starting point and that more changes are coming. 

“I am happy with the current process, and we are working tirelessly toward revisions to the sub bill,” Mr. Williams said. “There is a lot still to be done before we have final language to present to the committee for a vote.” 

Mr. Dovilla thanked Mr. Williams and other members of the committee for their work on the legislation. 

“The mission is clear — verify eligibility, expose fraud, recover misspent dollars, and put bad actors on notice that Ohio is no longer asleep at the switch,” Mr. Dovilla said. 

Keith Faber testifies

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, the Republican nominee for Ohio attorney general, said he’s particularly happy that lawmakers included a provision allowing the state auditor to issue a reward for reporting fraud. The reward can be up to 10 percent of the monetary damages but cannot exceed $10,000.

“Look, most of our stuff is coming from tips, guys,” Mr. Faber said. “There’s a chance data analytics may help that, AI may help that, but if you call in and give us a real tip that leads to somebody who has actually stolen money ... I don’t think a bounty is too much to ask.”

He likened the provision to “wanted” posters that were displayed in the Wild West decades ago.

“Let’s reimburse that,” Mr. Faber said. “And if the state’s 10 percent is determined by the A.G.’s office, it can be a real good deterrent encouraging people not to lie, steal, and cheat.”

Mr. Williams asked Mr. Faber if lawmakers should increase fines in addition to the bill’s increased prison time for Medicaid fraud. 

“Traditionally, in racketeering cases, we always have the ability to do civil asset forfeiture,” Mr. Williams said. “Should we also increase the actual fines? So even if you can’t claw back the actual funds, you can get the assets purchased with those funds?” 

Mr. Faber said he would support that.

“Anything that gives us extra tools to make taxpayers whole, that’s great,” he said. 

Dr. Oz confident in DeWine 

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told reporters on Tuesday that he trusts Gov. Mike DeWine to successfully oversee Ohio’s Medicaid program.

“I trust Governor DeWine, and I trust him particularly because I did my homework this morning,” Dr. Oz said, pointing to the DeWine administration’s efforts in shutting down Labelle Home Health. The organization’s owner was sentenced to 42 months in prison for committing Medicaid fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

“What she did was to lie about the types of services that were being offered, lied that the nurses were doing those services when there were no RNs present, and cheat the system in ways that hurt the beneficiaries,” Dr. Oz said. 

Dr. Oz said he is looking into Mr. Ramaswamy’s plan to obtain a waiver allowing Ohio to keep 65 percent of the money recovered through fraud recovery programs instead of the current 35 percent. 

“He is passionate about the idea of incentivizing states to participate more in the upside benefit of reducing fraud,” Dr. Oz said. “I would hope the states would want to do it anyway because their taxpayers also pay federal taxes.” 

A broken leg wasn’t going to stop Sandra King from getting affordable housing, she said on Thursday. 

Ms. King was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, which was exacerbated by living in a mold-infested apartment building for 10 years, she said. When she learned about openings for Collingwood Green Living, a $29 million housing development that provides affordable housing for people 62 and older, she knew she had to jump on that opportunity. 

But on the day she had a meeting with staff for an apartment as well as a doctor’s appointment, she fell down the stairs, Ms. King said. 

“I sat there and I cried, and I said, ‘I’m not going to let the devil keep me from this,’” Ms. King said. “I got up on my broken leg, and I went to my doctor’s appointment, and I went to my appointment for this housing. I did everything I needed to do on a broken leg, and four days after that, I went to the emergency room and that’s when they said, ‘You know you broke your leg in two places?’” 

Possibly as a result of her perseverance, she found herself sitting with her new neighbors in the community room listening to Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, the Lucas County commissioners, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo), and other leaders celebrate the grand opening of the new apartment building. 

Collingwood Green Living, located at 400 Nebraska Ave., includes 75 one-bedroom apartments, which feature accessible showers, HVAC systems, and washer and dryer hookups, among other amenities. 

Mike Nowlin, a spokesman for Lucas Metropolitan Housing, said 31 of the 75 apartments have already been leased, and the remaining are available based on income level.

The apartment building resulted from a partnership between LMH, National Church Residences, the city of Toledo, and the Board of Lucas County Commissioners. 

The city of Toledo contributed $3 million to the project. Lucas County commissioners contributed $3.7 million in ARPA funds. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded LMH $5.7 million for the project. 

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency contributed $1.3 million in 4 percent tax credits and $15.5 million in tax-exempt bonds. 

“This is an important day for Toledo,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “We’ve created 75 more affordable units for the folks in our community. … This is a wonderful day that wouldn’t be possible without so many of the folks.”

Affordability is the “top issue” in the country, particularly when it comes to housing, Mr. Kapszukiewicz said.

Ms. King couldn’t have agreed more. 

When she was looking for other apartments to move into before she learned about Collingwood Green Living, Ms. King couldn’t find one she could afford. 

“The mold was increasing,” Ms. King said of her old apartment. “I didn’t get enough of my retirement money for [a new apartment]. I was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do because if I continue to live here, I’m going to be closer to death than if I lived somewhere else.’” 

Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken said the city and county need to do more to help people who are in similar situations. 

“Sixty percent of seniors are paying more than 30 percent, closer to 50 percent, of their available funds on housing,” Mr. Gerken said. “That’s not sustainable. That’s a hardship that causes sacrifices to do it. We have a real shortage here, just by the numbers. ... Seniors are the most impacted by the lack of affordable units.” 

Ms. King said she appreciates having access to affordable housing in the form of Collingwood Green Living.

“This was the best deal I had seen in Toledo ever,” Ms. King said. “I was accepted, and I am so blessed to be here.”

The Tractor Supply Co. in Oregon will host a Lucas County Canine Care & Control dog adoption event Saturday.

Between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. potential adopters will have the opportunity to stop by the store at 3942 Navarre Ave. and meet adoptable dogs outside of the shelter environment, officials said. 

People not in a position to adopt are encouraged to stop by, meet the dogs, and learn about ways to support the dogs currently calling the shelter home.

As of Thursday, nearly 60 adoptable dogs are searching for new homes at LC4 at 1301 Monroe St. New dogs become available for adoption daily and can be viewed online at lucascountydogs.com.

The outlook for saving Waterville’s Roche de Boeuf Bridge is growing more positive.

“We’re moving into a sliding scale of time because everyone is cooperating,” said Rex Childers, a Save the Bridge Association member. 

“I’ve seen really a massive change in cooperation that has made it possible for us to get where we are, and it keeps helping us with the moving date,” Mr. Childers said. 

The Ohio Department of Transportation, which administers the 118-year-old structure, put the bridge’s demolition out for bid in early April.  

ODOT said Kokosing, which is headquartered in Columbus but has a regional office in West Toledo, was awarded the demolition contract for $3,062,301.50. That figure is under the $4 million initially estimated.

In mid-April, representatives of the Save the Bridge Association approached Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine after a speech he gave at Bowling Green State University. The result of the discussion was the governor agreed to a 30-day “window of cooperation” in which Save the Bridge could work with ODOT on further solutions. 

One solution involves partially going ahead with the demolition but conserving the bridge’s arches.  

“I have been studying the bridge to see how it was constructed, where the construction joints are, looking at the rebar pattern, reviewing Daniel Luten’s notes and his philosophies on bridge design, to know that the spandrel walls are separate from the arch barrels in their construction,” said Bill Vermes, a northeast Ohio-based bridge engineer who has been offering his services to the Save the Bridge Association.

Mr. Vermes said that the spandrel walls, the horizontally facing part of a bridge below the deck and above the arch, will play an important role in the bridge’s future.

Several of the spandrel walls on the bridge are already missing pieces from erosion over the years. Though there was once talk of securing some of the spandrel walls, Mr. Vermes now believes ODOT can take out the spandrel walls — given that they are separate from the rest of the construction.   

“We just started talking with the contractor who has the demolition contract on where to go, removing the spandrel walls, and keeping the arch barrels in place,” he said. 

“We’ve abandoned the thought of stabilizing any of the spandrel walls,” Mr. Vermes said. 

In the last month, Save the Bridge has also been able to conduct tests on the concrete in the arches to determine its strength.  

“Toledo Testing volunteered one of their technicians to join Rex and myself to do a concrete compression test called the Windsor Probe,” Mr. Vermes said.

This involves firing a probe into concrete to test its depth. Samples were taken all along the bridge, and results showed the strength of the concrete is at least 2,000 pounds per square inch with most data showing a psi between 2,500 and 4,000. 

This means the strength is definitely sufficient for a new use, the engineer said. 

“To us, the main point is that the strength of the core of the bridge is still there, and it doesn’t seem like a wise thing to do away with if the bridge will serve a purpose,” Mr. Childers said. 

The group is still advocating for the bridge’s new purpose to be a pedestrian and bike bridge with a new path laid on the existing arches. 

The Ohio Department of Transportation agreed that recent talks with interested parties have been positive. 

“We feel the meetings over the last month with the city have gone well and have been both constructive and productive,” said Kacey Young, ODOT District 2 capital programs administrator. “We continue to make clear that any option other than full demolition requires the city or another government entity to take ownership of the structure before demolition begins.”  

Ms. Young added that she has had initial discussions with the contractor to make them aware of the potential change in plan and will continue those discussions once a final decision is made. 

Kelsie Hoagland, public information officer for ODOT district 2, said that the contract cost of $3,062,301.50 would be modified if plans change. 

“The modified cost would increase as the plans become more intricate,” Ms. Hoagland said. 

The next step is for Waterville city council to make a decision on whether or not they want to have the city take ownership of the bridge. 

Mr. Childers said a meeting Tuesday in which ODOT was presented with a “concept and draft contracts to look at” went well.  

“Everyone is doing the work that needs to be done to make this a realistic possibility,” he said. 

The next scheduled Waterville City Council meeting is June 8. ODOT said it expects an ownership decision no later than June 15. Until then, Waterville officials will be taking all information into consideration. 

“There’s a couple different ideas around, but nothing has been decided,” Waterville mayor Tim Pedro said. 

The mayor said he is also pleased with how talks have been progressing recently, though. 

“In the last four weeks it has been extremely productive to have conversations, to have people around the table, to have good open communications, and work toward resolutions,” Mr. Pedro said.  

A man from the state of Oregon is facing facing federal charges for making dozens of hoax bomb threat calls to schools and other organizations in Ohio.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced Nathan Hayes, 18, of Sweet Home, Oregon, has been charged for his role in bomb threats that were made to at least 17 high schools in Ohio, including Ottawa Hills High School, in March. 

As a result of the threats, multiple schools were placed on lockdown while law enforcement searched for bombs or other signs of terrorism, officials said.

Authorities described the threats as swatting, or hoax, calls originating from out of state.  

According to the criminal complaint, Mr. Hayes used multiple aliases to threaten schools and organizations. It is also alleged that he offered swatting services for sale and doxed at least one individual in Illinois. Doxxing is the act of publicly revealing someone’s private, personally identifying information online without their consent.

Mr. Hayes monitored media coverage to see public reaction to his swatting calls, officials said.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer threw cold water Thursday on the idea of a 2028 presidential bid, saying that while “there will be a robust group of people running for president, I will not be one of them.”

Whitmer made the comments in an interview with Fox 2 Detroit while discussing her plans after she leaves office next year.

Saying that she was “looking forward to taking a little bit of a break” after leaving office, and “not jumping right into something,” Whitmer said she’d “gotten counsel” from former government officials such as former Rhode Island Gov. and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan.

A popular two-term governor from a premier battleground state, Whitmer has long been seen as a top potential contender in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary. She was a finalist in former President Joe Biden’s 2020 vice presidential search and has spent years burnishing a national profile.

But Whitmer’s tenure has also included a few high-profile stumbles – including an infamous appearance at Trump’s White House last year during which she was captured holding a folder up to hide her face as cameras in the room snapped photos.

Whitmer has long given mixed signals about her intentions in 2028.

“I don’t know if I need to be the main character in the next chapter, but I want to have a hand in writing it, and I think I’ve got an important vantage point as the governor of an important swing state,” she told Canadian journalist Steve Paikin last fall.

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich.  — Michigan Democrats are hoping to hold on to an open U.S. Senate seat as the party fights to win back a majority in Washington. But they first must settle their own arguments.

The top three candidates competing for the nomination in the Aug. 4 primary are debating on Thursday at the state party’s annual policy conference. It is one of their first big opportunities to sharpen contrasts before a statewide audience.

With the primary season wrapping up across the country, the contentious race in Michigan is increasingly seen as a test case for where the party and its base are headed into the November election and beyond.

Set to appear on the Mackinac Island stage are U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed. The Republican nominee is Mike Rogers, a former congressman who lost the 2024 Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Democrat Gary Peters is not seeking a third Senate term this year. No Michigan Republican has been elected to the U.S. Senate since 1994.

Here’s where things stand in the race:

Messy primary or clarifying vision?

A bruising primary in a must-win Senate seat was hardly Democrats’ preferred scenario.

The debate will also put on full display the ideological divisions Democrats have struggled with since presidential nominee Kamala Harris and the party saw sweeping losses in 2024.

Stevens, a fourth-term congresswoman representing a district just outside Detroit, is seen as the more moderate, establishment-aligned candidate. She has endorsements from senators in battleground states, including Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Stevens has described herself as a “staunchly pro-Israel Democrat.”

El-Sayed has taken the progressive lane, earning early backing from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. El-Sayed has called for “Medicare for All” and higher taxes on the wealthy and has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide.” He has drawn criticism, including from within the party, for campaigning with controversial streamer Hasan Piker.

McMorrow was first elected to the Michigan Senate in 2018 and gained national attention for speeches rebuking Republicans She has carved out a position somewhere between her two main rivals. She has criticized the Democratic establishment and said she would not support New York's Chuck Schumer to be Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate again.

Winner will face Rogers

Rogers lost to then-U.S. Rep. Slotkin by fewer than 20,000 votes in a state that Republican Donald Trump carried on his way to a second term.

This time, Rogers will not benefit from having Trump atop the ballot. But Rogers heads into the general election with advantages of his own, including an uncontested primary.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Rogers acknowledged the difficulties in the last campaign, saying the financial disadvantage he faced after a tough primary “made it really difficult” to win the general election.

But he said this year is different.

“This is a change election. People want to talk about Washington. This is about Michigan,” Rogers said.

It may prove difficult to localize a race shaped by national issues such as tariffs and gas prices, both of which are hitting Michigan hard. Outside spending is expected to climb into the nine figures. The Republicans’ U.S. Senate campaign organization has reserved $45 million in ads, compared with $20 million by Democrats.

“They're going to spend a lot of money trying to make you not like me. We're going to spend our money trying to tell people what we're going to do for them and make their lives in our state better," Rogers said.

The Lucas County Coroner has ruled in the following deaths:

Timothy Poe, 45, of Toledo, Feb. 28, at home. Accident, cocaine and fentanyl toxicity.

Shemar Porter, 27, of Toledo, April 8, at ProMedica Toledo Hospital. Homicide, multiple gunshot wounds in the 5700 block of Talmadge Rd.

Leo Preston, 63, of Swanton, March 25, at home. Suicide, two gunshot wounds to the chest.

Joseph Ronau, 45, of Swanton, March 16, at home. Accident, hypothermia from environmental exposure.

Marcia Rucinski, 89, of Toledo, March 17, at the Ebeid Hospice Center, Sylvania. Suicide, combined toxicity of diphenhydramine and acetaminophen at home.

Michael Rundle, 57, of Toledo, April 3, at home. Suicide, intraoral shotgun wound.

Karolyn Sallows, 63, of Sylvania, April 8, at home. Suicide, gunshot wound of the head.

Shane Shepler, 48, of Toledo, March 4, at home. Accident, cocaine and fentanyl intoxication.

James Shull, 83, of Toledo, April 13, at home. Accident, lumbar vertebra and right femur fracture and complications from a fall at home.

Marilyn Smith-Kovar, 76, of Sylvania, April 1, at Rosary Care Center, Sylvania. Accident, blunt head and neck injury from rolling out of bed at extended-care facility.

Brooke Tabbert, 30, of Oak Harbor, Ohio, April 4, at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. Accident, multiple blunt-force trauma while driving a vehicle that collided with another vehicle.

Deirdre Taylor, 57, of Toledo, March 16, at home. Accident, cocaine and fentanyl toxicity.

Marcia Van Druten, 68, of Sylvania, April 15, at home. Homicide, multiple blunt-force trauma, was beaten multiple times and probably stomped in the 5700 block of Fox Hollow Court, Sylvania.

Dyllan Vellequette, 34, of Toledo, Feb. 15, in the 300 block of N. Holland Sylvania Rd. Accident, combined toxicity of fentanyl and cocaine.

Lucas Wall, 34, of Toledo, Feb. 25, at home. Accident, cocaine and methadone intoxication.

Marc Wolfe, 54, of Port Clinton, April 8, at hotel in the 1800 block of Miami St., Toledo. Suicide, hanging.

Robert Yoder, 43, of Toledo, Feb. 1, at home. Accident, multiple drug toxicity (cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine).

Click on icons in the map to find details of reported crimes. For a full list of all reported crimes in Toledo this week, consult the table below.

The city of Perrysburg will kick off its 2026 Wednesday at Woodlands concert series beginning June 3.

Performances will be every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. through Sept. 2 in the Woodlands Park shelter area at 429 E. Boundary St.

People are encouraged to pack a lunch and sit at the picnic tables while listening to the music, city officials said.

The first concert of the series this year features Jake Pilewski and Friends.

Summer Read, the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library’s annual summer reading challenge, returns June 1.

Readers of all ages will have until Aug. 1 to complete the challenge and earn prizes.

“The Toledo Library’s Summer Read challenge helps students maintain and strengthen reading habits during the summer months,” said Nancy Eames, the library’s youth services coordinator. “At the same time, it encourages families and adults to make reading part of their everyday routines, and discover new books, authors, and interests together.”

Librarians can help young people find a book on just about any topic that they might be interested to read for the challenge, Ms. Eames said.

“If they want to read about superheroes, volcanoes, or a joke book to torment their family with, we can find it,” she said.

The challenge is not just limited to reading paperback or hardcover books. Participants can also listen to audiobooks, or have someone read to them, Ms. Eames said. 

“Some people read aloud to each other — that works. If you have a 3-year-old that wants to join, you can read to them. We just want people to read,” Ms. Eames said.

Those who complete the challenge will earn prizes while supplies last. This year’s prizes include:

● A tote bag for adults and a football flinger for kids when they sign up for the challenge.

● An inflatable animal friend as a midway prize for kids and teens.

● A book to keep from the library’s special selection for kids and teens

● A mug stamped with the library’s insignia for adults when they complete the reading challenge.

Those who complete the Summer Read will also be entered into grand prize drawings for Nintendo Switch Lites, Kindles, gift cards and more.

“It’s a great way to keep kids reading, and they can read whatever they want, not just what their teacher asks them to read during the school year,” said Lauren Boeke, the library’s assistant youth services coordinator.

Hannah Bergfeld, of Bowling Green, participates every summer with her four children, Lottie, 14, Bowen, 10, Jimmy, 7, and Henry, 5. 

“Summer comes with the challenge of not being in school, and this keeps their reading skills fresh,” Mrs. Bergfeld said. “It also gives us something to do, and spend time together as a family. It’s super fun. We all got some cool tote bags last year.” 

Starting June 1, Toledo library customers can sign up for the challenge and track their reading in one of three ways:

● Using a paper tracker, available at any library location.

● Registering online at toledolibrary.org/summer.

● Logging their reading through a Beanstack account (available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store).

Those who register in person will receive their sign-up prize, a football flinger, right away.  Participants who register digitally may visit any Toledo library location to collect their sign-up prize.

“Summer Read is a yearly reminder to slow down and spend some time reading and reconnecting with ourselves and good books after a busy school or work year,” Ms. Boeke said. “When the weather gets warmer, it’s a great time to stretch out, relax, and jump into an adventure with a good book.”

In addition to Summer Read, the Toledo system will offer a lineup of nearly 250 free scheduled programs and performances, plus drop-in, hands-on activities at all locations throughout the summer for children, teens and adults. Highlights of this year’s summer programming include:

● Glovation Circus.

● It’s Electric with Imagination Station.

● Andrew Martin’s Fun and Fantasy Comedy-Magic Show.

● Toledo Mud Hens and Walleye 2026 Summer Series. 

● Living Dinosaurs with Nature’s Nursery.

● Summer Read with NFL star Chris Wormley.

Programs will take place at library locations across Lucas County. Many events are free and open to the public, though some may require advance registration, library officials said.

Go to toledolibrary.org/summer for complete Summer Read details, program listings and registration information.

LUCKEY, Ohio — A 77-year-old man died in a barn fire Wednesday near Luckey, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office said.

Duane Golden, of the 19700 block of Lemoyne Road, was pronounced dead at the fire scene in Troy Township, according to a report.

Area fire crews arrived at the scene about 2:30 p.m. They were fighting the blaze when an explosion occurred. As first responders continued to fight the barn fire, they found the victim’s body in the barn, the report said.

Initial investigation suggests the explosion was likely caused by an electrical fire, according to the report.

The exact cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Wood County Coroner’s Office.