COLUMBUS — The University of Toledo could soon be home to an artificial intelligence institute.

Grace Bochenek, vice president of research and innovation at UT, said the proposed institute would support the university’s efforts to incorporate AI into research and education across its departments.

“I’m trying to couple together all of the faculty that are doing AI-embedded research in their areas,” Ms. Bochenek said, pointing specifically to the life sciences and the industries of defense, aerospace, and manufacturing. 

“We’re going to have an institute that helps support that research and that growth,” she said. “We’re being very proactive. We’re trying to take advantage of the faculty and expertise we have, and we’re also trying to respond to the region’s industry needs.” 

She said it’s not clear exactly when the institute will be established, but it could happen later in 2026. 

Ms. Bochenek discussed the institute as part of a wide-ranging interview on AI, during which she discussed the importance of moving quickly to prepare employers, employees, and students for the rapid technological advancements in industries across the region and state.

She said AI Ready Ohio — a project jointly run by economic development nonprofit JobsOhio and the Enterprise Technology Association — has led to Ohio becoming a national leader in AI. 

“What we’re doing in this state is incredibly important because there’s been a lot of leadership here around what we should do around AI as a strategy,” Ms. Bochenek said. “Nobody was sitting and waiting until maybe someone at the federal government said, ‘Go do it.’”

AI Ready Ohio

AI Ready Ohio officially started with a conference at UT and Bowling Green State University last November. Officials will hold another Great Lakes AI Week event in Toledo from Nov. 10-12.

The initiative has already provided free AI certificates to 1,500 Ohioans, according to JobsOhio. That number was expected to quickly grow to more than 2,000 following the Columbus AI Week that finished on Friday. 

Payal Thakur, chief data and AI officer at JobsOhio, said more than 3,000 Ohioans are likely to be certified by the end of 2026. Certificates can be obtained through online coursework and/or in-person training.

She said some programs require only two hours to finish, while others take six weeks to complete.

“It depends on the level that you’re taking and the position that you’re in — whether you already have a job or not,” Ms. Thakur said. 

AI Ready Ohio offers three certificate tiers: AI Explorer for foundational AI literacy, AI Empowered Professional for people using AI in day-to-day roles, and AI Empowered Leader for executives setting AI strategy. 

“We wanted to address a wide variety of people looking for this, and we wanted to make it free of cost and available so they don’t have to go to New York or California,” Ms. Thakur said, noting the courses can be accessed online and users can complete them at their own pace.

She said the initiative is vendor-neutral — meaning there are training programs for Claude, Microsoft, Amazon, and Nvidia, among others.

“We were very careful in making sure that we have recognized partners,” Ms. Thakur said. “If these individuals are taking these courses ... they are able to carry these forward into their careers — whether that be a student, a mid-level manager, or a senior executive.” 

JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef said AI companies need customers ready to adopt new technologies, cost-effective places to grow, and a work force that is capable of deploying AI in real-world operations.

“Ohio delivers all three,” Mr. Nauseef said. “Every Ohioan who earns a certificate strengthens the third, and that is what will power intelligent factories, connected hospitals, and the next generation of defense systems here at home.”

Growing pushback 

A growing number of people are pushing back on the rapid development of AI as industry experts warn that the technology is becoming increasingly dangerous. 

Jacob Coxon said he resigned from AI company Anthropic after doing pre-training research at that company and OpenAI for three years.

“Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” Mr. Coxon said.

“Do not underestimate the power of this technology. These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources,” he continued. “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

Mr. Coxon is just the latest AI insider to issue public warnings about the technology.

UT’s Ms. Bochenek said effective guardrails are needed when deploying AI.

“Whether it’s with National Science Foundation organizations or that’s with our other partnerships and grants with sponsors like the Department of War, those are things that are front and center,” she said.

“Everybody is concerned about ethics, trust, and data integrity,” Ms. Bochenek continued. “I think it’s on everyone’s minds.”

Hyperscale AI data centers have also been a controversial topic, with Lucas County continuing to lead the state in the number of signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban construction of the facilities.

“It’s a sensitive topic because people care about the environment and they care about water,” said Ms. Bochenek, a former director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory.

She said the university’s role is to be part of the conversation by looking at all sides of the issue and developing solutions. 

“But I do know that other countries, particularly China, are moving fast,” Ms. Bochenek said. “However we move forward, we’ve got to think about how we protect ourselves but also advance.”

In her role as chief planning and program officer at the Toledo Area Regional Transport Authority, Glass City native Susan Gettum is an expert in project management.

She said she began developing those skills while learning how to direct actors on stage at Bowling Green State University.

“Being a director is like being a boss,” Ms. Gettum said. “You’re managing a lot of things. You’re coordinating a lot of things. You’re a project manager at the highest level to get a show off the ground.”

Like other local leaders, she credits her years in college as having played a pivotal role in her future success. From learning to live alongside roommates to developing resilience in the face of adversity, the TARTA executive said her career in transit logistics and travel planning — which has taken her to more than 25 countries — was made possible by her time at BGSU.

She didn’t always envision herself working an office job, however. When she entered college, where she ended up earning a bachelor’s degree in communication with a specialization in theater, Ms. Gettum was primarily interested in theater and the performing arts.

“I’m an actor at heart and a performer at heart, which gives me amazing people skills,” she said. “I went, ‘What do I want theater to be? Do I want it to be a vocation or an avocation?’ And so I was like, ‘I’m not going to make a living at this. I would prefer to pay rent and be able to afford things.’”

Though she did not end up pursuing her childhood dream of becoming an actress, Ms. Gettum brings the performing arts into her life outside of work as a local stand-up comedian. She also boasts a special skill she learned from college theater.

“I can make a bruise,” she said.

Artmaking abroad

Marc Folk, president of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, and Benjamin Malczewski, president of the Rotary Club of Sylvania, both took their studies across the Atlantic to Scotland.

Mr. Folk, who majored in sculpture with a minor in printmaking at the University of Toledo, enrolled in an exchange program with the Glasgow School of Art.

“To study there was not only transformative in understanding how they taught, but it got me far enough away from my hometown that I could see my hometown for all the advantages it really had,” the Toledo native said. “I took sculpture predominantly, and they had a different kind of teaching strategy.”

At American universities, he explained, each course is taught and graded by only one professor. In Glasgow, a department head would oversee the process of creating art, but the final product was evaluated in a “critique” conducted by a different artist.

“If you have one teacher, the teacher tells you if you’re right or wrong. Or they get your work, or they don’t get your work,” Mr. Folk said. In Glasgow, he continued, “you had somebody coming in that could disagree with the teacher. So the teacher may say, ‘I don’t understand what this is,’ and the other person may say, ‘Oh, I get it exactly.’”

That critique process, which Mr. Folk said introduced him to “an example of dialogue beyond the binary,” along with his years of education in the visual arts, aided him in his public art career.

“Managing what a project is is not too different from one of those critiques,” he explained. “You’re working with a diverse group of people that all have different opinions on a project and you have to kind of lead through that to completion.”

Mr. Folk added that he believes higher education in the arts has improved in better equipping students with the business skills they need to be successful.

He encouraged young artists to pursue their passions even when they change, saying experiences that can feel like isolated endeavors in the moment often come back into play collectively to support one’s career.

Academia, up close

Mr. Malczewski — who also studied in Scotland, at the University of Edinburgh — said his time spent studying English literary criticism served him when he led media relations for the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.

“I’d write commencement addresses for people. I’d create the language of what would be used for the community and for the library, and that’s the music, right? Like when you write each of these things, there’s a poetical kind of reflection,” he said. 

His study of tone and craft took him back home, where he attended classes at UT in order to meet qualifications for a bachelor’s degree in the States.

“When I came back, I got a work study job in the English department. That was fantastic,” Mr. Malczewski said. “I got to see kind of like the back end of things and how professors worked, and the culture of professors.”

Working closely with scholars who immersed themselves in their research and writing, he said, drew him to academia, though he did not ultimately pursue the field.

“Who doesn’t love a picturesque university in the fall, you know?” he said. “That image is soothing.”

Servicing careers

Tonya Kessinger, director of Penta Career Center, said she found support from professor Susan Telljohann during what she described as a nontraditional college journey at UT.

“She believed in me and thought I could be a phenomenal teacher. She saw how I could talk to different kids,” recalled Ms. Kessinger, who worked and cared for her child while in school.

Still, she added, students often receive less mentorship in college than they do in high school, where they are more closely connected to their teachers. That can lead undergraduates to flounder or get lost in their educational journeys, which can prove costly.

“The problem is, we don’t have free education at the college level,” she said. “So now you’ve got these students who are like, ‘I don’t know really what I want to do. I’m going to explore this. I’m going to explore that.’ And they’re racking up the dollars that later on, they have to pay back. And sometimes they can’t.”

Ms. Kessinger initially sought a degree in math but after a difficult calculus class pivoted to study health education. Late in college, however, she took a memorable course in geology, a field she found she loved and said she might have pursued had she discovered it earlier. 

“I love plate tectonics and volcanoes and rocks, and it was so cool to me,” she said. “I don’t regret not doing that because I love what I’m doing and I love being able to make an impact on students’ lives, but it was just one of those things, no one showed me geology when I was in fifth grade.”

Career exploration before college, such as through programs in career and technical education, Ms. Kessinger said, can help students understand their options earlier and aid them in finishing a college degree.

“It’s not about, just, you’re done at high school and go to your job. You have options,” she explained. “Yes, that college track can be very positive for you because now you’re going to actually complete college, whether it’s two-year or four-year college, if that’s the choice that you make.”

Ms. Kessinger said she would have loved to have taken additional career-focused classes before college. She is a graduate of Scott High School, where she later taught after beginning her teaching career at Perrysburg High School.

She added she was the first in her family to pursue higher education.

“I went to college for one reason only: so that I could have a life for my child,” Ms. Kessinger said. “I didn’t want to live in poverty, and I wanted to do something and make something for myself in my life. So I thought college for me was that path.”

Maumee High School alumnus Mark Pauken said he was never in the starting team when he played football at the school.

He was on Sunday though.

The 1982 Maumee graduate played on his home turf for the first time in decades during the Maumee High School Alumni Flag Football Game as part of America250 celebrations. 

“I’m going to have to step out a few times here or there. I still train, so I feel good, but I’m old,” Mr. Pauken laughed.

The co-ed game was part of a partnership between Maumee schools, the city of Maumee, the Maumee Chamber of Commerce, and the Maumee Uptown Business Association.

Nancy Smith, director of federal programs and communications for Maumee schools, said the city thought a game could be a nice item on the list of events celebrating the country’s anniversary.

“Maumee City Schools was very excited to be a part of this event for our community and have all of our kids, our coaches, our parent groups involved,” Ms. Smith said. “It’s just a great way to celebrate America250 and get people out to Maumee High School’s Richard Kazmaier Stadium.”

Twenty-four alumni split into two teams and rushed up and down the field, some of them looking to see if they still can move like they did in high school. 

They were cheered on by spectators, cheerleaders, and the Maumee High School marching band. 

Current football players acted as coaches for the alumni teams. 

Jackson Nino, a senior and coach for the white team, helped his teammates communicate the plays they made for the game. 

Even though his team didn’t practice beforehand, he said he believed they would still do well. 

“We just try to have as much fun as possible,” Mr. Nino said. “Obviously, the end goal is to win, but it’s really just about having fun for us [and] making every game count.” 

Tyler Cannon, also a senior at Maumee High and a coach for the gray team, said he was very confident in his team.

Mr. Pauken, who played tight end and free safety more than four decades ago, played on that team alongside 2017 graduate Donquaveus Wyatt and 2014 graduate Devin Amstutz.

Mr. Amstutz wore the same purple gym shorts he wore while in school. The former running back and fullback said he thought playing Sunday would be a nice treat for his family, including his sister, who’s a current student in Maumee schools.

“She really wanted me to come play because she thought it’d be cool for her doing band and her brother out on the field,” he said. “Then my mom wanted to see me back out here, so I’m back out here for all my family.”

Before the game, Mr. Cannon said it was neat being around his school’s alumni.

“It’s been really cool just listening to them talk about what they already know about football and the way they communicate with each other,” Mr. Cannon said. “I think it’s really cool.” 

Though it was a co-ed game, Jen Guidry, who graduated in 2013, was the only woman out on the field. 

She said she registered to play for the sake of being active but was indecisive about playing when she arrived. 

Despite her hesitation, she brought herself to walk onto the football field.

“We’ll see how much play time I get,” Ms. Guidry said.

A local nonprofit that helps combat canine cancer will hold its 15th annual dog walk in Perrysburg to raise money for animal research foundations.

The dog walk on Sept. 20 at Three Meadows Park is planned by Andy’s Army Canine Cancer Project. It features a free picnic lunch, pet wellness table, bake sale, and raffles, in addition to the one-mile dog walk at 11:15 a.m.

Events begin at 10 a.m. and last until 1 p.m., and the event will be held rain or shine. Registration for walkers costs $25 each or $35 for a family and can be done the day of the event, organizers said. 

Andy’s Army was formed to combat the high incidence of cancer in dogs. According to the organization, canine cancer remains the leading cause of death among all dogs over age 10 regardless of breed.

This year’s proceeds will mostly go toward the Hemangiosarcoma Initiative at the Morris Animal Foundation, which is developing urine or blood tests to detect a deadly form of canine cancer that can affect the spleen, heart, lungs, or liver.

For more information on the dog walk, visit the charity’s Facebook, call 419-419-8397, or email andysarmyk9cancerproject@gmail.com.

An organization that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will hold its annual Poker Run fund-raiser.

Participants in Courageous Community Services’ event on Sept. 19 will travel along a planned route and stop along the way to collect playing cards. At the end of the ride, the best poker hand will win the grand prize.

The ride starts at 11:30 a.m. at 6910 Providence St. in Whitehouse, with registration beginning at 10 a.m.

It ends with a barbecue dinner at American Legion 384.

Funds raised through the Poker Run and raffles will help support Courageous Acres, community activities, and recreation programs.

Courageous Community Services, according to a news release, aims “to create opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to build meaningful connections, develop independence, discover their strengths, and participate fully in their communities.”

Registration and more information is available at ccsohio.org/poker-run. Cost is $30 per rider and $15 per passenger.

The roundabout project near Monclova Elementary School wrapped up Friday, but another one — Lucas County’s last of the season — is slated to start Monday.

The Lucas County Engineer’s Office also has two bridge replacement projects starting Monday, one of which will affect traffic near a Sylvania school.

The good news: Monclova and Waterville-Monclova roads reopened at their intersection early Friday afternoon, several days earlier than the county had expected.

The new roundabout will close Archbold-Whitehouse and Providence-Neapolis-Swanton roads at their intersection on Monday for construction that is expected to take about 45 days, or through late October.

Local traffic will have access to properties along those roads, but no vehicles will be allowed through the intersection while it is rebuilt, the Lucas County Engineer’s Office said.

The closest available alternative routes are Sherman White Road and State Rt. 64 for east-west traffic and State Rt. 295 for north-south traffic. Other options exist to the south or west depending on one’s particular route.

In Sylvania Township, bridge deck replacement on Sylvania Avenue just west of the Mitchaw Road roundabout will close the road for about 30 days, starting Monday. The county engineer’s office advised that children walking to Central Trail Elementary School and Timberstone Junior High School will not be able to get through.

Kilburn, Brint, and Mitchaw roads will be the posted detour.

In Spencer and Richfield townships, Bancroft Street will close Monday between Langenderfer and Schwamberger roads for rehabilitation of a bridge just east of Schwamberger. The county expects that work to last 30 days.

Traffic will be detoured to Dorr Street via Raab and Schwamberger roads.

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Stop signs will be erected Tuesday on State Rt. 109 in Fulton County to convert its intersection with County Road D, south of Delta, to a four-way stop.

The change is a precursor to building a roundabout at the intersection five years from now. The Ohio Department of Transportation said a high number of crashes involving drivers on Road D failing to yield to 55-mph traffic on Route 109 is the reason.

On the south side of Defiance, State Rt. 66 will close at the Auglaize River, between Greenler Road and Horace Street, for bridge maintenance starting Tuesday.

A detour via State Rts. 637 and 111 is scheduled to be in effect through Oct. 30.

And on I-75, the rest areas south of Bowling Green will each be closed for one day this week for maintenance work.

The southbound rest area will be closed Monday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a rain date on Tuesday. The northbound will be closed during those hours Wednesday, or Thursday if it rains.

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• Ohio Turnpike (I-80/I-90): Lane closings approaching and across the Maumee River in both directions during a bridge redecking project. All traffic is using what is normally the bridge’s eastbound half while work occurs on the westbound side. Lane closings for repaving between the I-75 and I-280 interchanges in Wood County.

• I-75 (Mich.): Traffic reduced to two lanes each way between South Otter Creek and Dunbar roads in Monroe County while the northbound lanes are rebuilt. The South Otter Creek entrance to northbound I-75 and both northbound ramps at LaPlaisance Road are closed until mid-November. Use South Otter Creek and M-125 to reach downtown Monroe from Toledo. A second lane may occasionally be closed for emergency pavement repair.

• I-75 (Ohio): Lane closings Wednesday and Thursday between Bluelick Road and Fourth Street in Lima for pavement repair.

• I-475/U.S. 23: Nighttime northbound lane closings between I-75 and U.S. 24 for final paving to complete a repair and resurfacing project.

• U.S. 23: Lanes closed Monday through Friday nights, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., at Monroe Street in Sylvania for finish work on the recent bridge replacement and interchange reconstruction.

• U.S. 6/24: Lanes closed in both directions through Napoleon for reconstruction. Two-way traffic maintained on the eastbound side. The westbound ramps at Woodlawn Avenue, the westerly junction of U.S. 6 and U.S. 24, are closed until late October. Use U.S. 24 west to State Rt. 66 to rejoin westbound U.S. 6 south of Archbold.

• U.S. 24: Varying lane closings for up to four miles at a time in both directions between Henry County Road 4 and Waterville-Monclova Road for pavement repair. The westbound ramps at State Rt. 64 will be closed from 5 a.m. Monday until 4 p.m. Tuesday for pavement grinding following resurfacing, after which the eastbound ramps will be closed from 5 a.m. Wednesday until 4 p.m. Thursday.

• U.S. 24: Lane closings this week just west of State Rt. 109 for bridge deck sealing at North Turkeyfoot Creek.

• U.S. 24: Right lane closed in either direction near Defiance until October for slope repair. The westbound work will be at Krouse Road, while the eastbound work will be at Baltimore Street.

• U.S. 24 (Detroit Avenue): Lane closings at I-75, just north of Monroe Street, for bridge repair.

• U.S. 20 (Louisiana Avenue): Closed between the CSX railroad crossing and Front Street in Perrysburg. Nearby parallel streets are available for cars and light trucks. Indiana Avenue and State Rt. 25 is the posted detour for larger vehicles, and Truck U.S. 20 is preferable for through traffic.

• U.S. 20: Lane closings for resurfacing between Bellevue and Clyde, Ohio. The westbound State Street exit on Fremont’s east side is closed while the partial interchange is converted to a roundabout.

• U.S. 20A: Closed at Strayer Road for roundabout construction. Detour via I-475 and State Rt. 2.

• State Rt. 51 (Monroe): Lane closings at Douglas Road in West Toledo during intersection reconstruction until mid-October.

• State Rt. 109: Closed between State Rt. 120 and Fulton County Road U for bridge replacement over Bear Creek through early October. The circuitous posted detour uses U.S. 20, 23, and 223 up to Adrian.

• State Rt. 2 (Navarre): Lane closings between Wheeling Street and Coy Road in Oregon for right-turn lane, sidewalk, and curb construction.

• State Rt. 2: Flag zones for resurfacing in western Ottawa County.

• State Rt. 25 (Main): Right lanes closed in both directions between Frazee and Dill avenues in Bowling Green from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday for sewer work.

• State Rt. 65: Flag zones between East Boundary Street in Perrysburg and Hickory Hill Drive in Perrysburg Township for repaving.

• State Rt. 65: Closed until late September for culvert replacement between State Rt. 235 and Brillheart Road in Wood County. A posted detour follows Route 235, Kellogg Road, and State Rts. 64 and 582.

• Huron Street: Lane closed between Adams Street and Madison Avenue for building renovations until August, 2028, with a lane closing also on Madison near Huron.

• Corduroy Road: Closed east of Otter Creek Road for a bridge replacement. Detour via Seaman Road between Wheeling Street and Coy Road.

• Summit Street (Ohio): The northbound lanes are closed from Galena Street to north of New York Avenue for reconstruction. Use either I-75 or Manhattan Boulevard to I-280 to go from downtown Toledo to  the far North End and Point Place.

• Summit Street (Michigan): Closed Tuesday and Wednesday between Erie Road and M-125 for culvert replacement. A posted detour will use Luna Pier Road and I-75.

The National Museum of the Great Lakes is kicking off its free fall lecture series with a discussion on invasive Grass Carp in Lake Erie.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, University of Toledo’s Christine Mayer will discuss the growing threat of invasive Grass Carp in Lake Erie and the collaborative research and removal efforts underway to protect the region’s wetlands and aquatic habitats.

Ms. Mayer is a resident faculty member at the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center, and her research focuses on applied community and ecosystem ecology in aquatic systems.

Attendees can tune in to Ms. Mayer’s lecture in-person at the National Museum of the Great Lakes or online via Zoom.

The lecture is free to attend, but registration is required at falllecturecarp.eventbrite.com.

The museum will also host discussions on the mystery of Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 in October and the Edmund Fitzgerald in November as part of the lecture series.

Inquiring about the Home Energy Assistance Program by phone is leaving callers looking for answers. 

“We have reached full capacity, and there are no available appointments,” says an automated voice on the other end of the line listed on the website of social services organization Pathway.  

The Home Energy Assistance Program is a federally funded program designed to help Ohioans with their home energy bills through a direct statement credit.

It can be paired with the Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus, a state-funded program. PIPP, as it is known, limits monthly utility payments based on household income. If your home is heated with gas, you pay 5 percent of your household income for gas and 5 percent for electricity. If your home is heated with electricity, you pay 10 percent of your household income for electricity.

Toledo resident Latoya Howze-Sinclair said finding help through these programs can be tough. She named the United Way’s 211 program, which, according to its website, is a free service that connects people to health and human service resources, and Pathway, which helps administer these assistance programs locally, as organizations she has sought out for information and help.    

“Every day of this year is no available appointment,” Ms. Howze-Sinclair said. “We tried for the [summer] crisis program, PIPP Plus ... everything that was available.” 

Ms. Howze-Sinclair has dealt with issues in paying utilities herself, and so have her friends and her daughter. 

“It’s all automated,” she said. “You cannot get through to a real person. Then they say call 211. You call 211, and they say call [Pathway]. They say reach out to utility companies, reach out to anybody donating from private churches or anything. It is just one circle of nothing.’’

Christina Price, a friend of Ms. Howze-Sinclair’s, has been trying to recertify her income level to stay on PIPP. 

“They sent me a letter, and they want me to recertify, but I don’t know how to recertify,” Ms. Price said. “I can’t get in touch with nobody. I can’t get in touch with the actual person to talk to recertify.” 

Ms. Howze-Sinclair said she has had her utilities shut off in the past due to an inability to pay, which she said left her in dire circumstances.  

“It needs to be understood that when you lose your electricity, you lose your food, you lose your hot water. You can no longer bathe like you are going to be or shower like you are going to be. You are losing a lot of things,” Ms. Howze-Sinclair said. “... I have been in a situation where we just were just collecting drips from the water faucet just to flush the toilet.” 

Helping out

Sandra de Steno, 211’s director, said the last year has been tough on her program, especially since the 43-day government shutdown in the fall made many services and programs unavailable. 

“That has caused a snowball effect of people getting into more complex situations because the services that are available or were available are now gone,” Ms. de Steno said. “We are at a time where there are fewer resources than ever in our system ... We’ve got an increase in demand in all of the systems and state and federal governments that have said this is waste, fraud, and abuse.” 

She said increasing gas prices and grocery prices have also created additional levels of need. 

There are several things Ms. de Steno recommends to people who are struggling. 

“If there is any money coming into the house, we try and talk people through examining that and making sure that that money is going toward things,” Ms. de Steno said. 

She describes getting utility assistance as multilayered. A lot of times, assistance can go through the utility company.

In addition to HEAP and PIPP, FirstEnergy lists the Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy Fuel Fund and Neighbors Helping Neighbors as paths to assistance.  

For those who qualify, Medicaid can also offer assistance. 

“Is it about increasing the income that comes in? We’ve got a lot of work force development programs in our area,” Ms. de Steno said. “Is this due to increased job loss or is it due to increased prices? Do you have an issue with this on a monthly basis, or is this a one-time thing?

“It is not as straightforward as ‘I need utility assistance, here is a utility assistance program’ anymore,” she said. “It is more about the creativity of ‘these are the programs that exist, how do we best help you navigate that and figure out what is available for your situation?’”

Ms. Howze-Sinclair said that recently finding a new job has eased some of her issues with bills.  

“I am on a better hand now because I ended up finding a job after about a year,” she said. “I was on PIPP like two or three years ago, and it came time where they said I had to recertify. ... I was lucky enough to actually have somebody that could get me out of that hold at the time.”  

Despite programs like HEAP and PIPP being stretched thin, Ms. de Steno said those on her team will still refer people to those programs on the possibility that they can help. 

She said while medical waivers or organizations like the Salvation Army can provide more emergency assistance, it is still a process one has to go through, even if your utilities are already off. 

“If we tell people ‘You are not going to get help there, so don’t even try that,’ and we don’t have any other programs for them, that doesn’t help show there is a level of need,” she said. “We know that resources are tight, and we do try to explain that to them. All of these services may help you if you can get an appointment, if you qualify for these services, if they have money left. We are trying as hard as we can to raise the alarm of what is happening right now.”  

Paths to assistance 

At Pathway, Director Cynthia Savage also lamented recent budget cuts. 

“In the fall of 2024, 43 percent of our budget was cut,” Ms. Savage said. “That meant loss of staff, loss of resources for the program itself. That does not necessarily mean that the need dropped by 43 percent. It has actually increased over the past two years that we have seen.” 

This year, Ms. Savage said that Pathway’s budget to fund HEAP is approximately $1.4 million. She said they usually help around 30,000 people each year.  

HEAP’s summer crisis program runs from July 1 to Sept. 30. It differs from HEAP or PIPP in that money awarded can be put toward central air conditioning repairs, window air conditioning units, or fan purchases. Ms. Savage said she is aware of the difficulties in trying to get an appointment at this time of year. The state allows up to 12 weeks to process applications as well. 

In-person sign-up events that Pathway holds during the summer program and its winter counterpart routinely draw several hundred people. 

“You have to have an appointment, and these are not our rules or decisions, either; they are set by the state,” she said. “With limited staff and resources, this is where we are.” 

Ms. Savage said for those having trouble getting through, there are a few ways of receiving applications for HEAP. They include an online application at jfs.ohio.gov, coming in to the Pathway office at 505 Hamilton St. in central Toledo, or making an appointment. One can also apply by mail. 

“You can email for seniors and disabled,” Ms. Savage said. “We have other options. ... We are advocating for the agency and championing the work through Ohio Department of Job & Family Services and looking at new ways to streamline this process to make it easier for clients. We are not trying to create more barriers. We are trying to reduce them.” 

The city of Perrysburg is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a community picnic at Fort Meigs Historic Site.

Residents of Perrysburg are invited for an afternoon of food, entertainment, and history on Sept. 19.

A cooked chicken lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., but music and entertainment will continue until 2 p.m.

Tables and seating will be available, but attendees can also bring their own blankets and lawn chairs.

Tickets are required for the meal and admission into Fort Meigs’ Life in Early Ohio demonstration.

The picnic area will remain open to families who would like to bring their own food and enjoy an afternoon at the fort.

Tickets, $12.51, can be purchased at perrysburgoh.gov/353/America-250.

Advanced ticket purchases are encouraged; limited tickets will be available to purchase on-site with cash for $15.

Although students didn’t return to Lourdes University this fall, loud music and smiling faces still crowded the campus Saturday morning.

“You cannot come here and not feel good,” Rossford resident Holly Igo said of the property, which is still home to the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania. “As soon as you step foot in, I got chills.”

Mrs. Igo and her husband, Daryl, were among the many car enthusiasts who viewed and talked classic cars in a parking lot near the Franciscan Center during Rosary Care Center’s third annual Car-Nival Car Show. 

The couple wore big smiles as they talked to veterans Charles and Joann Ott, who featured a baby blue 1968 Chevrolet Silverado in the event. 

“We used to have one,” Mrs. Igo said of the model. “We come here because we love cars.”

The Igos were going to show their 1970 Chevelle Super Sport, but the car started experiencing problems last minute, they said. They still wanted to attend and support their daughter, who’s a nursing manager at the nursing home, Mrs. Igo said. 

Inside the Franciscan Center, people toured the more than 20 vendors selling jewelry, clothes, and handmade trinkets during the Falling for Local event hosted by Tree City Market.

Brittney Rupert, a local maker of fishing reels and lures, stood behind one of three tables next to family members who are makers themselves. Her wife, Holly Rupert, sold pins and earrings; her mother-in-law Jennifer Schneider sold dessert bread; and 9-year-old nephew Lucas Baker sold items he 3D printed at home.

“It’s a family business,” Brittney Rupert said. 

As they left the venue, Marilynn Johnson of Sylvania took photos of her grandson, Shay McDonald, 7, holding a 3D-printed frog they purchased. The Sylvania youngster said he has a 3D printer at home but he’s never made a frog before. 

“I like art,” he said.

While activities are still held on campus, participants at both events expressed disappointment in the university’s closure this spring.

“I’m not quite sure what [drove] them closing Lourdes,” Mrs. Igo said. “It’s a beautiful university that’s provided excellent education, especially in nursing, to so many people.”

Ms. Johnson felt the same.

“I’m sad about the closing of the school for sure,” Ms. Johnson said. “[Shay’s] mom and dad got married in here. It’s stunning, gorgeous. It’s still a great place for weddings. … I know their cafeteria is awesome, so we’re hoping that keeps going.

“I think if they keep doing events, that would be great.”

The Sylvania Franciscans, who founded what would become Lourdes University in 1958, are not looking to stop hosting events anytime soon, said Jenifer Belt, chief operating officer and general counsel for the Sisters of St. Francis.

Ms. Belt said the sisters still own the property and are looking for ways to utilize the campus. 

Mercy College of Ohio, for example, is occupying some buildings on the property because of an electrical fire Mercy had on its campus, she said.

“The sisters are in the midst of, and have been in the midst of, a discernment process to determine their long-term future plans for the campus and the historical campus that they have been here since 1916,” Ms. Belt said. “And we’re dreaming big.”

Sister Sharon Derivan, congregational minister for the Sylvania Franciscans, said there’s a “certain urgency” to using the buildings on the property appropriately. 

At the same time, she said, leadership isn’t “rushing into anything, because we’re trying to be deliberate and careful.” 

She said legacy planning began two or three years ago at a meeting intended to determine the congregation’s direction.

“I mean, it’s kind of happenstance that Lourdes ended up closing in the midst of all that,” she said. 

“There are a lot of pants-on-fire kinds of things where, you know, somehow the buildings are going to be sold and turned into Dollar Tree or something,” Sister Sharon said. “We can assure you that we will protect our motherhouse.”

Inquiries to rent the 19,000-square-foot Franciscan Center — which consists of a theater, conference rooms, and a banquet hall — can be made at lourdes.edu/rent-the-franciscan-center.

Regardless what end of their career teachers are on, they share the same goal: helping students grow.

For first-year teachers, the school year brings a mix of excitement and uncertainty. For educators preparing to retire, the school year represents the culmination of decades spent in the classroom.

Jenna Polturalski of Sylvania has begun her first year teaching freshman algebra at St. Ursula Academy, her alma mater.

She said she was drawn to teaching because she wanted to help students change their ways of thinking and grow in confidence.

“I want to be that person that helps them change how they look at math by making it approachable so that students can build confidence in themselves in the classroom,” Ms. Polturalski said. “Just seeing the students realize that they are capable of doing hard things is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching.”

She also hopes to encourage students to grow their own problem-solving abilities in an era of increasing technology.

“Students nowadays are not used to having to figure things out on their own,” she said. “I want to teach the students how to look at a problem that they might not know how to do and problem-solve through it. I know that they don’t know, but we can figure it out together.”

The use of technology in the classroom is one of the biggest changes recent University of Toledo graduate Elle Hurst has seen from her own days as a student — but that’s not always a bad thing, she said.

“Whether that’s a FaceTime with a scientist from NASA, seeing what another school looks like in California, or seeing what another school looks like in another country,” Ms. Hurst said, “using technology in that way is something that I want to really do as a teacher.”

A third-generation teacher, Ms. Hurst has always known what she wanted to do with her career.

“I definitely knew it was in my blood, and ever since I was in kindergarten, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is it,’” the fourth-grade teacher at Silver Creek Elementary said.

She said she looks forward to helping students get excited about learning.

“I want to inspire young minds like my teachers [did] for me,” Ms. Hurst said. “I’m excited to give kids the opportunity and a safe space to make mistakes and give them support and provide opportunities to make learning fun.”

Experienced teachers are able to look back on their career and the values their students have instilled in them.

Dennis Maas, in his 50th year at St. Ursula Academy, is transitioning out of full-time teaching.

“Working with students is so rewarding, and you make a lot of friends,” he said. “The days are never boring.”

At Washington Local Schools, Cal Coy, who is entering his 33rd and final year of teaching, is focused on deepening his relationships.

“I want to get to know the kids and enjoy the kids and smile with the kids,” Mr. Coy said. “I’m just going to try to soak it all in this year.”

Mr. Coy, who teaches fifth grade at Greenwood Elementary School, also reflected on the growing presence of technology in the classroom.

“When I first started teaching, everything was paper and pencil,” he said. “The biggest challenge is trying to be exciting enough that they don’t just want to play on their Chromebooks.”

Mr. Maas agreed that keeping lessons engaging while adapting to changing times can be challenging.

“There’ve been a lot of changes in the world, and I’ve been through all those changes,” Mr. Maas said. “That’s somewhat of a plus. I’m not teaching stuff from history. I’m teaching it from experiences that I went through.”

Blade staff writer Eric Taunton contributed to this report.

MONROE — An upcoming I-75 reconstruction project in the city of Monroe and two adjoining townships will be the subject of an open-house meeting Monday evening at Monroe City Hall.

The Michigan Department of Transportation plans to rebuild 2.4 miles of I-75 between LaPlaisance Road and North Dixie Highway between 2028 and 2030. The work represents the fifth and final phase of rebuilding I-75 in Monroe County between the Ohio border and I-275.

Project plans will be presented and MDOT officials will be on hand in the Monroe City Council Chambers from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday. City Hall is at 120 E. First St.

The project’s centerpieces are replacing the I-75 bridge over the River Raisin, removing the Elm Avenue interchange at that bridge’s north end, and rebuilding the Front Street ramps.

Pete Buttigieg, then the U.S. secretary of transportation, visited the bridge in December, 2024, to discuss $196 million in federal funding awarded two months prior toward the cost of its replacement.

That grant accounts for more than half the total $352 million project cost MDOT estimated at the time.

Aaron Jenkins, a spokesman at MDOT’s district office in Jackson, said an updated cost estimate for the project is pending.

The bridge, which opened in 1955, carries more than 60,000 vehicles per day, and one third of them are commercial trucks.

Mr. Jenkins said removing the Elm interchange will improve safety on the bridge by eliminating weaving traffic between it and the Front interchange.

“At Front Street, the freeway ramp geometry and the ramp terminals will be improved to meet current MDOT design standards,” he said. “This includes increased turning radii, corrected superelevation, and lengthened acceleration and deceleration lanes along I-75.”

Traffic signal timings at the North Dixie interchange will be evaluated and changed if needed to handle traffic diverted from Elm, he said.

Six bridges in all are to be replaced, including the Dunbar Road bridge over I-75 and a freeway bridge over a railroad track that leads to the Port of Monroe, Detroit Edison’s Monroe plant, and the surrounding industrial area.

Another bridge in the zone crosses over an inactive railroad and the River Raisin Heritage Trail. MDOT is seeking public comment about construction impacts on that trail’s use during the bridge’s reconstruction.

People who do not attend the open house may also submit questions or comments online through an MDOT web page for the project. The public also can sign up to receive project updates there.

To be considered for inclusion in a formal report, comments about the project must be submitted by Oct. 14.

A Toledo motorcyclist died after a Friday night collision with an SUV, according to the Toledo Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol.

John Crapsey, 58, was riding his motorcycle east on State Rt. 2 near Eber Road in Springfield Township. Just after 11 p.m., Jacob Bladel, 28, of Toledo, was westbound and turning left into a Stop & Go gas station when he was struck by Mr. Crapsey, who was pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said.

Mr. Crapsey was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, according to the report.

The crash remains under investigation.

A 71-year-old motorcyclist died Friday in South Toledo when he was struck by another vehicle, according to Toledo police.

Christopher Rupley, of the 4600 block of Stengel Avenue, was driving his motorcycle north on Byrne Road when at about 5:32 p.m., Ariana Owusu, 21, of the 3200 block of Maeterlinck Avenue, was southbound on Byrne attempting to turn left onto Glanzman Road, police said.

The two vehicles collided and Mr. Rupley was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

A pregnant woman was seriously injured Friday afternoon when she was struck while riding an e-bike, Toledo police said.

Katelyn Osborn, 34, of the 4200 block of Foxglove Road, was northbound on Lagrange Street near Pearl Street when just before 5 p.m. she was struck by a southbound sedan, driven by Brittany Keesee, 34, of the 2000 block of Nevada Street, making a left turn in front of the bike, police said.

Ms. Osborn was transported to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center with serious injuries that were not considered life threatening, police said. She was pregnant and injury to the unborn baby was unknown Friday night.

Neither Ms. Keesee nor her two passengers were injured.

The accident remains under investigation.

Toledo police are investigating a fatal shooting Friday in central Toledo.

Camilya Thomas, 37, was found at 10:52 p.m. with at least one gunshot wound when Toledo police were dispatched to the 2400 block of Lawrence Avenue. She was declared dead at the scene.

Amair Davis, 39, was arrested a short time later and charged with murder, according to Toledo Police Department.

Anyone with information 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 Press, a weekly newspaper that covered the eastern suburban communities of Toledo for more than 50 years, has closed.

H. Kenneth Douthit III, the owner and publisher of the Press, said he could no longer fund the paper because of years of declining advertising and rising printing costs.

The free newspaper relied on advertising revenue and had planned to switch to a subscription model Sept. 21 in a last-ditch effort to survive, but Mr. Douthit said the change would not be enough.

“I wanted to give the conversion to subscription some time, but it’s a tough market out there,” he said.

“The paper was based on display advertising. There’s just fewer and fewer of them,” he said. “It just can’t go on. There’s just so many holes in the dike, and I don’t have enough fingers.”

The final edition, which has already gone to print, will be distributed Monday, Mr. Douthit said.

“We’ll probably be overwhelmed on Monday morning with phone calls from people who have supported the paper for years,” he said. 

Besides fewer advertisers, Mr. Douthit, who also owns a printing company in Sandusky, attributed the closure to rising printing costs. 

“Newsprint is up 23 percent since last year,” he said. “And the cost of aluminum printing plates has doubled in the last two years.”

He informed employees on Thursday at the newspaper’s office on Woodville Road in Millbury, Ohio, about his decision to close the paper, he said.

“It was a very difficult decision. The paper has done a lot of really good things over the years. It was a fun ride. But the world is a different place now,” he said. 

Tammy Walro, features editor at the Press for 30 years, said the news was shocking.

“I cried later that day. Everyone loved working at the Press. We were like one big family,” she said. “I worked with a group of very dedicated and talented people. We covered it all, whether it was a small event or something big, like the tornado that struck across the street from our office, people appreciated what we did. I will miss it.”

Scott Carpenter, who worked at the Press from 1983 to 1995, including as editor, has happy memories of the paper.

“I began my career at the Press and have fond memories of my coworkers, the community, and the work that we did,” said Mr. Carpenter, who is director of public relations at Metroparks Toledo. “We devoted more space to news than many community newspapers like ours and delivered award-winning journalism. Many of the staff stayed for decades, which is a testament to what a great place it was to work. The Douthit family was good to us. I moved on to other newspapers, but it was never the same.”

The closure of the paper will leave a void, he said, and have a profound impact on the community.

“The closing of a newspaper, especially one that has served the community for more than 50 years, is like a death in the family,” Mr. Carpenter said. “Things just won’t be the same without it.” 

Mr. Douthit is CEO of Douthit Communications, which also publishes the Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier, Currents, the Good News, the Vermilion Photo Journal, and WestLife in northeast and north central Ohio. Those publications, which are subscription-based, will continue to operate, Mr. Douthit said.

Nearly 3,000 flags filled the heart of Bowling Green State University’s campus Friday, surrounded by photographs showing how students there experienced the Sept. 11 attacks 25 years ago.

The memorial featured more than a dozen photographs taken by university photographer Craig Bell, who documented students as they grappled with news of the attacks. The display was one of several events planned for the anniversary and drew the attention of students passing between classes.

“I came out with my camera to photograph, but mostly just to watch people react,” Mr. Bell said. “Students are stopping, they’re reading [the captions], and ... I’m glad that they can see what students who were their age in 2001 were going through and the things that they were reflecting on.”

Mr. Bell spent much of Sept. 11, 2001, watching the news on television. As evening approached, however, the university’s marketing team learned that students were planning a candlelight vigil that night.

“My job as a photographer was to document what was going on, but I was feeling those same emotions,” he said. “The students’ faces were being illuminated by the candles, but I could tell there was uncertainty; they were going through pain, and they were feeling insecure.”

Twenty-five years later, Mr. Bell revisited those images, many of which hadn’t been scanned from the negatives. The images include scenes from the vigil, a memorial service held days later, and students watching the news.

“For me to sit in the library and scan the images from negatives just brought back a lot of emotions,” he said.

Carlie Doran, a BGSU sophomore, sat in an Adirondack chair and looked out over the flags on Friday. Ms. Doran wasn’t alive at the time of the attacks, but she’s heard about them from family.

“It’s just strange to think about how I wasn’t alive at that moment, but everyone who was alive at that time has a story to share,” she said. “It’s weird to see how many lives we lost — and we’re still losing lives to this day because of how the air was just so toxic.”

Grace Angelone, a sophomore, said many students will see the flags and the photos throughout the day.

“I just think it’s so beautiful that it’s in the middle of campus. I think every single BGSU student walks through here every day, so everybody sees this and remembers that those lives still matter today,” Ms. Angelone said.

Abby Thomas, a BGSU junior, joined other students at 7 a.m. for a 9/11 memorial stair climb and walk at the Stroh Center.

“I couldn’t even convince any of my friends to wake up, let alone climb stairs,” joked Ms. Thomas. “I love our country, and I love the people that have laid their lives down ... and I just respect that a lot.”

For those who remember Sept. 11, the memorial stirred different emotions.

Victoria Main is a doctoral student at BGSU and teaches public speaking to undergraduate students. She remembered the fierce unity that followed Sept. 11, 2001, but said that political rhetoric has caused division since then.

“[The terrorists] thought they were going to scare us, but we’re not like that — we all came together ... and we were like that for a long time,” she said. “But then we let public speakers come in and use their words to divide us. ... They used their power for evil, and look where it’s gotten us.”

Marilyn Levinson is retired from the university but was on a walk Friday and decided to take a shortcut through campus. That led her to stop at the memorial and peruse the photos, which brought back memories of how she felt working on campus that day.

“This is something that should stir the emotions and let [students] know what us old folks felt,” she said. “Every generation needs something to connect them again. History goes on, and there will be something else to connect this generation.”

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Jeff and Pat Kuhr stood among American flags at Toledo Memorial Park on Friday, remembering where they were when the nation came under attack.

“We were both at work,” Mr. Kuhr said. “It was devastating to be under attack like that.”

The Sylvania couple were among more than 50 people who gathered for the park’s 9/11 First Responders Last Call Memorial, where they heard stories from first responders and remarks from community leaders.

Around them, American flags had been planted in memory of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

Sylvania Mayor Mark Frye; Chad Albert, president and chief executive officer of Toledo Memorial Park; and Sylvania Township Assistant Fire Chief Mike Behan stressed the importance of remembering the civilians who never came home from work and the first responders who never returned to their families.

“As we reflect on the 25th anniversary, let us remember that the true measure of community is not how it responds when things are easy; it is how it responds when they are tested,” Chief Behan said to the audience. “America was tested Sept. 11, 2001, and despite unimaginable loss, our nation endured, our community endured, and the values that emerged from that tragedy continue to guide us today.” 

Mr. Kuhr said he remembers that American endurance. 

“It brought everybody together,” Mr. Kuhr said.  “It didn’t matter what the ethnicity was. There was no Black, white, [or] brown. [There were] Americans, and it was the most wonderful feeling. After the fact, you come to realize how wonderful it was to all be Americans and to be together.” 

Sylvania Township Auxiliary Fire Chief Jeffrey Bennett was supposed to spend that day with his son when the World Trade Center was attacked, he told the crowd. 

As he watched the attacks, he was reminded of his first week as a firefighter after he graduated from the academy, he said. 

As a new firefighter, he and his partner were trapped inside the basement of a banquet hall for a short time, “with explosions and everything else taking place,” he said. 

“The deputy chief came up and talked to me and said, ‘You know, that was probably one of the worst fires that you’ll probably ever have in your career, and you had it one week out,’” Chief Bennett said. “After that, I looked at 9/11, and thought, ‘That could have been me.’ It really brought a reality that you know this job does have the potential to make the ultimate sacrifice.”

Rich Crawford of Sylvania Township remembers being evacuated from the Owens-Illinois headquarters, which was then at One SeaGate in downtown Toledo.

“Everyone was fearful,” he said of the evacuation.

Mr. Crawford recalled being told that authorities were concerned about a plane in the region’s airspace and that it could pose a threat.

“They thought it might have been going to Chicago ... and we evacuated the O-I building at that time,” he said. 

When he got home, Mr. Crawford had to help two of his children, then 11 and 14, make sense of the attack.

“They didn’t understand how something like this could happen, and I think to this day it’s been a benefit for them to have had some exposure to that,” Mr. Crawford said. “I hope they can keep the tradition [of remembering] going. You know, a lot of people don’t even know about Pearl Harbor.”

Mr. Albert said honoring veterans and first responders is “very high on our list of priorities” at Toledo Memorial Park. 

“They give so much to us,” Mr. Albert said. “They put their lives on line every single day. ... It’s a privilege to be able to honor them.” 

Two Toledo residents have died of injuries received after being hit by cars in two unrelated incidents, police said.

Robert Meeker, 75, of the 600 block of Federman Street, was riding his bicycle on a paved trail on University Hills Boulevard around 10:27 a.m. Thursday when he lost control at the edge of the pavement.

He fell into the roadway and was hit by a vehicle, police said. Mr. Meeker died at ProMedica Toledo Hospital at 3:10 p.m. Thursday.

In a separate incident, Judy Tanner, 20, of the 3600 block of Walwerth Street, died after being struck in a crosswalk by an SUV on Glendale Avenue Wednesday night.

Ms. Tanner was walking north in the crosswalk toward Oak Hill Court when the SUV driven by Randi Giddens, 31, of the 3200 block of Glanzman Road, made a left turn from the Walmart entrance.

Ms. Tanner was in critical condition and taken to nearby University of Toledo Medical Center. She died at 7:32 p.m. on Thursday.