Births

Mercy Health

St. Vincent Medical Center

Cassidy and Nathan Creech, of Perrysburg, boy, Aug. 18.

Madison Hammye, of Toledo, boy, Aug. 18.

Liz and Curt Woodbury, of Sylvania Township, girl, Aug. 18.

Marriage licenses

Lucas County

Aug. 13, 2026

Chase Eatmon and Emma Loar, both of Michigan.

Brayden Asman and Miranda Nino, both of Ohio.

Andrew Lama and Skylar Mignin, both of Ohio.

Darnelle Nelson and Crystal Donaldson, both of Ohio.

Moses Eze, Jr., and Jasmine Goolsby, both of Ohio.

Raymond Merrill and Deanna Long, both of Ohio.

Jeffrey Hanson and Hailie Barrett, both of Ohio.

David Harrison and Jonell Sears, both of Michigan.

John Bulinda, Jr., and Bethany Wilson, both of Michigan.

Ryan Raetzel and Noka Fanola, both of Michigan.

Vincent Towell and Chelsea Bollenbacher, both of Ohio.

Daniel Assaf and Taylor Rittenhouse, both of Ohio.

Ronald Luntsford and Madison Krutsch, both of Ohio.

Rami Kareem and Heather Felgner, both of Ohio.

Michael Nowowiejski, of Ohio, and Kathryn MacGillivray, of Michigan.

Brent Roberts and Heather Pozzi, both of Michigan.

Aug. 14, 2026

Timothy Penegor II and Rachel Duchaine, both of Michigan.

Jeremy Jakubowski and Bethany Stevenson, both of Ohio.

Aaron Lewis, Jr., and Karla Jones, both of Ohio.

Lucas Cornell and Marisol Ibarra, both of Ohio.

Madelyn Lee and Adrianna Yglesias, both of Ohio.

Caleb Roderick-Taylor and Madison Cochenour, both of Ohio.

Michael Gregory, Jr., and Monica Dobrowolski, both of Ohio.

Dylan Alt and Kayla Malan, both of Ohio.

Kolin Conklin and Tailyn Raisanen, both of Michigan.

Pedro Ibarra, Jr., and Mary Trinidad, both of Ohio.

Dawson Hall and Amira Ball, both of Ohio.

Ihtasham Hafeez and Larrietta Willis, both of Ohio.

Dwayne Smith and Keyonna Smith, both of Ohio.

Scott Cada and Merlin Caballero-Rodriguez, both of Michigan.

Michael Szirony, of Ohio, and Zoja Szirony, of Hungary.

Tyler Davis and Darcee Cousino, both of Ohio.

Kory King and Cheyenne Roberts, both of Ohio.

Juan Reyes Pacheco and Guadalupe Mejia Solis, both of Ohio.

Aug. 17, 2026

Michael Hernandez and Carrie LaGoe, both of Ohio.

Benjamin King, of Ohio, and Sarah Bullard, of Michigan.

Logan Matzinger and Meadow Forwerck, both of Ohio.

David Ellis and Renee Ellis, both of Michigan.

Gamal Mashali and Lailah Hamed, both of Ohio.

Jeffery Haugabook, Jr., and Sanita Anderson-Hill, both of Michigan.

Carson Spradlin and Morgan Mangold, both of Ohio.

Christopher Walker and Lauren Daudelin, both of Ohio.

Almonte Mendez and Priyan- ca Reinoso Zapata, both of Michigan.

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.

An arrest has been made in a fatal shooting early Wednesday morning, Toledo police said.

Bashawn Morales, 20, was charged in the shooting death of Corey Catchings, 41, according to a report.

Police responded to the 5200 block of Airport Highway about 7:13 a.m. and found Mr. Catchings with at least one gunshot wound, police said.

He was transported to the University of Toledo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. 

Mr. Catchings’ death was the city of Toledo’s 17th homicide this year.

A scene of the incident was found at Angola and Wenz roads, police said.

The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call or text the Crime Stopper program at 419-255-1111. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Authorities have identified two people who were killed after several explosions rocked a South Toledo business Tuesday morning.

Heladio Garcia Perez, 46, and Mary Allen, 64, were both found dead at Brent Industries in the 2900 block of South Avenue, according to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office. After an autopsy, their cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.

A pair of explosions rocked Brent Industries’ building at 4:49 a.m. on Tuesday, triggering a fire and several more explosions that destroyed most of the structure. There were 12 employees in the building at the time of the fire, and the two victims were found after most of the fire was extinguished.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A small fire at St. Anthony Church in Toledo’s Junction neighborhood was discovered Wednesday morning, the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department said. 

Sheldon Collins, spokesman for the department, said firefighters responded around 6:30 a.m. to a fire at the church, which is being redeveloped by the Lucas County Land Bank. 

When a member of the revitalization team arrived, he opened the door and saw smoke, the spokesman said. No one else was at the scene and there were no injuries. 

Mr. Collins said the department isn’t sure of the cause of the fire because “anything could have sparked it” due to the construction work.

The fire is not under investigation, he said. 

St. Patrick of Heatherdowns invited community men to “show up” for students on their first day of school. 

Oregon may be installing stop signs at several intersections along Easthampton Drive to improve safety.

Rodney Shultz, deputy engineer in the city’s public service department, conducted a review of five intersections along Easthampton that determined the need to replace yield signs with stop signs.

The matter will go before Oregon City Council on Monday.

The intersections with Easthampton are at Cromwell, North Reach, Hazelton, Springtime, and Beachwood drives.

“Stop signs at those intersections make sense for safety reasons,” Mayor Steven Salander said.

Some residents have complained about the need for stop signs. 

“It is a potential danger in my neighborhood,” Lynn Gibbs, of Dogwood Drive, said at a recent council meeting. “We’re having a lot of close calls. I think stop signs should be on the crossroads on Easthampton because drivers are not paying attention to yield signs.”

Councilman David Andrus said he had asked the public service department a couple months ago to review the intersections.

The city evaluated existing traffic-control devices, traffic patterns, roadway characteristics, sight distance, pedestrian and bicycle activity, and crash history at those intersections, and determined there was a need for stop signs to replace the yield signs.

“You would expect to see a clear view as you approach the intersections,” Mr. Shultz said. “At some of the intersections, there are trees, other types of vegetation that keeps motorists from having a clear view. So requiring motorists to come to a complete stop is necessary.”

Easthampton Drive, a primary through street between Seaman Road and Starr Avenue, connects the residential streets within the neighborhood and its sidewalks are regularly used by pedestrians.

“It also provides a direct route to Starr Elementary School, and is frequently used by children walking and bicycling to and from school,” Mr. Shultz said.

The review identified vegetation near several approaches that can limit visibility for motorists. “These sight-distance limitations may make it more difficult for drivers operating under yield control to determine whether conflicting traffic is approaching without a complete stop,” the review states.

It also found several crashes have occurred at the intersections over the past three years, supporting consideration of the stop signs.

Easthampton routes around the park at Springtime and Beachwood drives. At these intersections, Easthampton is currently subject to yield control, and the area has pedestrian crosswalks, the review noted, making consistent traffic control particularly important.

Public Service Director Paul Roman said he felt comfortable with the conclusions of the review.

“I think we try to use yields when there are no accidents in a certain area. If there is one or two, then it is a question of whether to make a change,” Mr. Roman said. “It makes sense to put in the stop signs along Easthampton.”

The review also recommended adding yield signs to the intersections of Cromwell and North Reach drives at Wakefield Drive and on Wakefield at Hazelton Drive.

Meanwhile, a feasibility study to install roundabouts at Wynn and Corduroy roads, Wynn and Brown roads, and Wynn and Pickle roads have been put on hold.

“There have been some changes in the requirements to get roundabouts that were made earlier this year, so we decided not to move forward at this time until we look into it a little bit more,” Mayor Salander said.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday suspended Sandusky County Judge Jon Ickes for two years for numerous judicial conduct violations.

The justices immediately removed Mr. Ickes from his judicial office without pay for the duration of his suspension.

Mr. Ickes’ 10 violations included harassing a pregnant employee, fostering an inappropriate and unprofessional workplace environment, using a racial slur within the earshot of a criminal defendant, using a lewd and vulgar nickname for a child-rape case, and failing to recue himself from two criminal cases in which his stepson testified as a law-enforcement witness for the state.

Mr. Ickes, a Republican, is up for re-election in November. He is being challenged by Kimberly Ontko, a magistrate in the Sandusky County Court of Common Pleas under Judge Jeremiah Ray. Ms. Ontko is running as an independent candidate.

Neither Mr. Ickes nor Ms. Ontko could be reached for comment.

It is unclear if Mr. Ickes will remain on the ballot, as he would be unable to serve as a judge for nearly the first two years of the six-year term if he wins in November. Sharie Chagnon-Murray, deputy director of the Sandusky County Board of Elections, said the matter has been referred to Sandusky County Prosecutor Beth Tischler and the board is awaiting her opinion. 

The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct recommended that Mr. Ickes be suspended for only one year, and for the suspension to be fully stayed unless there is further misconduct. 

Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy and the four other justices joining her opinion said judges should be held to a higher standard than attorneys who are not judges.

“And cases from this court involving attorneys committing only some of the same violations as Ickes have resulted in actual suspensions,” Justice Kennedy said. “Since Ickes is a judge with multiple violations, his sanction should be more, not less, severe.”

Mr. Ickes kept a Nerf gun with him at work and used it to shoot people in his chambers and courtroom, Justice Kennedy said.

“This occurred even when defendants who were charged with serious crimes were present,” she said.

In addition to the Nerf gun, Mr. Ickes had a firearm in his chambers.

“[Mr. Ickes] once told staff, ‘If you repeat this, I’ll call you a liar. If you repeat this, I will shoot you in the pinky toe,’” Justice Kennedy said. “In another incident, Ickes intended to ‘shoot’ a staff member with his Nerf gun but mistakenly opened the drawer containing his firearm. He then joked about the incident, saying how ‘that would not have been good.’” 

In the two cases involving his stepson, the convictions were reversed due to Mr. Ickes’ failure to recuse himself or at least disclose his familial relationship to the parties. His conduct in these cases “not only wasted prosecutorial, public-defender, and judicial resources but also caused incalculable harm to public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary,” Justice Kennedy said.

Mr. Ickes was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio in 1992. Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Mr. Ickes to fill an unexpired term on the Sandusky County Court of Common Pleas in July, 2020. He was later elected to a full term that commenced on Jan. 1, 2021. He is one of two judges who serve on that court.

Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre has imposed a new policy on Flock cameras and published a transparency portal in response to privacy concerns raised by Commissioner Pete Gerken.

The policy, effective Wednesday, puts several guardrails around the office’s use of Flock’s automated license plate recognition cameras. Sheriff Navarre also said his office has published Flock’s built-in transparency portal.

According to the policy, agencies that request access to the county’s data must be approved by a field operations lieutenant, the office will conduct regular audits to detect misuse and unauthorized access, and designated operators must complete training before accessing the cameras. 

It also states that, when practical, leads from the readers should be verified through Ohio’s law enforcement database. The cameras are not used for immigration enforcement or for reproductive health care reasons.

The transparency dashboard shows the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office searched the database 675 times over the past 30 days, primarily for traffic infractions, drugs and narcotics, and wanted persons.

Lucas County shares its data with about 1,200 other law enforcement agencies and has access to that of about 1,200 other departments. It retains data captured by the Flock cameras for 30 days.

The policy allows investigators to download and store data for longer if they believe it will become evidence for a criminal investigation. At that point, a USB drive is booked into evidence and follows a chain of custody.

COLUMBUS — The cost of placing a child in foster care has increased significantly over the last five years in Lucas County and across Ohio even as the number of foster children has decreased.

State Reps. Justin Pizzulli (R., Franklin Furnace) and Darnell Brewer (D., Cleveland) have proposed legislation seeking to rein in costs while also ensuring the safety of Ohio children. 

“Whether you’re Democrat, Republican, or whatever ... children are a pretty important cause — and particularly abused and neglected children,” Mr. Pizzulli said during a news conference on House Bill 984 on Wednesday.

“When a child is finally removed from some of these terrible situations, the state of Ohio literally has one job, and that is to keep children safe,” he continued. “Under Ohio law, the county is responsible for paying these costs, yet they have very minimal input into the system. ... Is that fair?” 

The legislation would allow the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to set statewide foster care reimbursement rates in consultation with children services agencies, licensed providers, and county commissioners.

“If taxpayers are ultimately responsible for paying these bills, then there needs to be a rationale and a transparent process for determining what those bills should look like,” Mr. Pizzulli said. 

Scioto County Commissioner Scottie Powell said his county had 407 children in foster care in 2022, and local officials were able to safely reduce that number to 197 children. 

“Yet our expenses are higher today than they were four years ago,” Mr. Powell said. “What we are facing is an unsolvable math problem with three terrible options to consider.”

Those options are asking local voters for more funding, reducing the number of children placed in foster care regardless of their safety, or cutting funding for every other county office and service. 

“None of these are viable options,” he said. 

Citing data from the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, Mr. Powell said the number of Ohio children in foster care has decreased by 9 percent since 2020 while placement costs increased by 68 percent.

Lucas County has also experienced significant increases while simultaneously reducing the number of children in foster care, according to Randy Muth, executive director of Lucas County Children Services.

Mr. Muth said the increases are largely because of federal legislation passed in 2018 — the Family First Prevention Services Act. 

“The goal was to reduce what we call congregate care — kids who are placed in group homes and psychiatric residential facilities — because those aren’t the best placements, and they put a lot of regulations on that,” he said. “The hope was that by improving the quality, the length of stay would be short and kids would be transferred to less restrictive options.”

The measure took effect in October, 2021, he said.

“Unfortunately, with five years of experience ... it resulted in significant increases in the cost of congregate care without a corresponding reduction in length of stay or number of admissions,” Mr. Muth said. “Lucas County has experienced a doubling of the aggregate cost and sometimes a tripling of the per diems.”

He said congregate care placements were expensive to begin with. They were $400 per day back in 2021, and they are now $800 to $900 per day for one child.

“If you look at the five years before this legislation went into effect ... Lucas County spent about $12 million a year for the kids in our care, and we had about 1,000 kids in our care,” Mr. Muth said, noting those numbers were very consistent.

He said Lucas County spent $11.9 million in 2021, $15.3 million in 2022, $19.3 million in 2023, $21 million in 2024, and $24 million in 2025.

“In those five years, just in Lucas County alone, our most significant cost other than labor doubled,” Mr. Muth said. “And we were lucky. A lot of counties experienced tripling — Athens County tripled.”

Mr. Muth said Lucas County had 967 children in foster care when he started his position in 2023. There are now 770 children in foster care in the county, he said.

“We’ve made a conscious effort to safely reduce the number of kids in custody of the agency,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of relative placements, and we’re working with families with their children in the home whenever it’s safe to do so.”

Mr. Muth said he’s happy that state lawmakers are beginning to realize this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed, and he is looking forward to seeing more details as the bill progresses. 

Mr. Pizzulli said he would like to see the bill pass before the end of 2026, noting that H.B. 984 has an emergency clause that would allow it to take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.

The southbound lanes of I-75 just after the I-475 exit in Toledo reopened just before 3 p.m. Wednesday after crews cleared an overturned tractor-trailer from the highway.

Emergency crews were called to the scene at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday and found a tractor-trailer resting on its side across all of the southbound lanes. 

The crash forced police to temporarily divert traffic onto I-475. 

The Toledo Department of Transportation announced various East Toledo road closures to make way for city projects.

Consaul Street, between Bakewell Street and Birmingham Terrace, will be closed for a Safe Routes to School project Thursday and Friday. The street will reopen for the weekend and close again on Monday for three days.

A detour will be established via Front and Wheeling streets in both directions. 

Nevada Street will be closed between White Street and Raymer Boulevard for a utility project starting Thursday and lasting three days.

A detour will be established from White Street to Starr Avenue to Raymer Street in both directions.

Oak Street, between Church and Nevada streets, has been closed since Monday for a utility repair project, and its completion has been extended to Saturday morning, the city said. 

A southbound detour has been established from Miami to Fassett streets. 

A northbound detour has also been established from Navarre Avenue to Woodville Road.

In 2025, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department reported that nearly 52 percent of all Lucas County resident deaths were a result of chronic disease.

To combat the rising risks, the greater Toledo area is getting a little help from the federal government.

On Wednesday, local and federal officials, including U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Rear Admiral Paul Jung, gathered at the Toledo Club to announce Toledo as one of four communities chosen to pilot the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Great Health for America program.

“If we are serious about preventing chronic disease, our work cannot begin in a doctor’s office,” Dr. Jung said. “It must begin where children live and learn, where they eat and play, where they form the habits that shape a lifetime.”

The public health initiative brings resources and federal expertise into communities to improve youth health and reduce the risk for chronic disease through strengthening local resources, such as improving school nutrition.

As part of the initiative, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department will receive $4 million in funding per year for two years.

Each pilot community will concentrate its work around selected neighborhoods and elementary schools. Two commissioned U.S. Public Health Service officers will also be stationed in each pilot community to work alongside the health department or public health system.

Great Health for America will also use neighborhood-level data to help guide work throughout the two-year pilot program.

“What we learn in these four communities will help inform how we approach children’s health in communities across America,” Dr. Jung said.

Karim Baroudi, health commissioner of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, said the department is looking to target a few census tracks, primarily in the inner-city of Toledo, where there are higher risks of chronic disease.

The department is also targeting one census track in the city of Sylvania. Mr. Baroudi said the department has had conversations with both Toledo Public Schools and Sylvania schools, which are both supportive of the initiative.

Expanding outside of Lucas County, Sandusky city schools will also join the pilot program in partnership with the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.

“I think there’s a need down there, just like there is a need up here,” Mr. Baroudi said.

Luther Johnson, the superintendent and CEO of Sandusky city schools, said there is a need for healthy and nutritious food in the district, which is why Sandusky Intermediate School is one of the recipients of the initiative.

When kids return to school in a few weeks, they are going to be met with foods largely made from scratch, as opposed to processed meals. Erie County Commissioner Matthew Old, who is also a schoolteacher, has seen firsthand the problems that processed foods have on child development.

“This is not a simple transition; it requires changes in purchasing, preparation, staffing, training, and menu development,” Mr. Old said, noting menus were revamped to ensure a majority of meals the students are eating are made from basic, whole-food ingredients.

Sandusky has partnered with Indianapolis-based nonprofit A Longer Table to bring whole foods into the schools, and Indiana-based HATCH for Hunger to provide eggs and fresh chicken. The initiative also allows the school district to partner with local food producers, such as the Chef’s Garden based in Huron, Ohio.

Mr. Johnson said students will also become active participants in the program by growing hydroponic gardens in classrooms and planning cafeteria meals.

“All of this will hopefully lead to a much broader model in which Sandusky city schools will be the model, not only for Ohio, but also for the nation, as we look to take these initiatives from this grant and move forward,” the superintendent said.

Dr. Jung said the state health department will be in charge of tracking data to see what is — and isn’t — working. The rear admiral said the results that are produced at the end of the two-year program could be the template for similar programs across the United States.

In addition to Toledo, the pilot will launch in Lake County, Ind.; Brownsville, Texas; and Petersburg, Va.

The Toledo area was chosen because of the need, Dr. Jung said.

“We were looking for a combination of areas that, unfortunately, needed assistance in addressing childhood chronic disease, but also areas that had the most potential to be able to use the resources that we’re offering to make a difference in children’s lives,” he said.

Mr. Baroudi said the department has submitted its plan on how it will roll out the funding, and that plan is awaiting approval by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

He expects it to be approved by September, and upon approval, the program can begin.

“This is a pilot for the whole nation,” Mr. Baroudi said. “So anything that’s replicable at the national level, it will be done first here in Toledo.”

Gov. Mike DeWine is taking a victory lap across the state to celebrate CNBC ranking Ohio as America’s best state for business.

“The work that has been done in northwest Ohio is phenomenal, and you’re seeing results,” Gov. DeWine said. “Ohio is red hot … but northwest Ohio is very, very, very hot.”

Gov. DeWine was joined by Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel for a panel discussion with James Holloway, president of the University of Toledo, and Wendy Gramza, president and CEO of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

The stop at UT’s engineering building is the third in the governor’s “Heart of Opportunity” tour, celebrating Ohio’s ranking atop CNBC’s list of best states for business.

Before the panel, Gov. DeWine traveled through exhibits set up by UT’s colleges. He held a simulated newborn patient, spoke with students, and listened to brief presentations. 

CNBC evaluated each state on 138 metrics and 10 broad categories of competitiveness, this year increasing the weight of the infrastructure category. Ohio ranked first in infrastructure and cost of doing business, and its lowest ranking was 35th place for its work force.

It’s that 35th-place ranking that dominated the panel conversation. Gov. DeWine said the state must continue to “invest in people” to gain more skilled workers or risk the progress made in the past decade.

“If we’re going to fill the jobs, if we’re going to continue moving, we’ve got to invest in our people — it’s vitally important,” Gov. DeWine said.

As Gov. DeWine’s final term winds down, he wants his successor to continue several of his own investments in Ohioans: the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, implementation of the science of reading, his H2Ohio water quality program, and OhioSEE, which provides free eye exams at schools. 

Higher education is another key piece of that investment. Mr. Holloway said the university will begin requiring every student to work in their industry before getting a degree.

“Every student will have some kind of work-based experience before they leave,” Mr. Holloway said. “By doing that, we think we retain talent in Ohio, and we think we attract talent to Ohio, because we create educational opportunities.”

Ms. Gramza said the Toledo chamber began focusing on work force development around 2018 after companies said they were consistently struggling to fill jobs.

“We’d hear every day, from companies of every size: ‘We just need people. I don’t care if they’re trained, I just need people that show up every day and can pass a drug test. That’s what I need for my business, otherwise I can’t grow,’” Ms. Gramza said.

Senator Jon Husted, who was formerly Gov. DeWine’s lieutenant, made similar remarks about Ohio’s worker shortage at Owens Community College earlier this month.

“Northwest Ohio is one of the hottest markets in Ohio, if not the country, for manufacturing facilities,” Mr. Husted previously said. “But we can’t get enough people ... to fill all of the jobs that are being created.”

Gov. DeWine said Ohio “can’t look back” if it wants to continue growing.

“We love to say we’re No. 1, but if we want to be No. 1, we’ve got to keep looking at the future, and that’s part of what we’re doing here,” Gov. DeWine said. “I believe this is truly Ohio’s time in history.”

The North Toledo Coalition is looking to round up volunteers for its Day of Service from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Volunteers will pick up trash throughout the neighborhood and help organize as well as clean Salem Lutheran Church’s donation closet, kitchen, and food pantry, according to an event flyer.

The community day is in partnership with the Norf-End Neighbors.

For more information, email northtoledocoaltion@gmail.com

Sylvania schools will provide multiple opportunities for community members to learn about district finances and ask questions about the 1 percent earned-income tax levy that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The district will host three town hall meetings at the Sylvania Senior Center, 7140 W. Sylvania Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 26, Sept. 9, and Oct. 21.

The meetings will feature Superintendent Tim Zieroff, Treasurer Adam Koch, and members of the Board of Education.

The ballot item includes a provision for a 1.7-mill property tax reduction, which, if passed, would reduce property taxes by $35 for every $100,000 of assessed home value.

The district’s 7.9-mill operating levy was defeated in the May 5 primary. It had been 10 years since the district asked for new money. Had it passed in the spring, the levy would have generated about $18 million annually for the schools.

Hayleigh Garcia’s interest in houseplants began organically.

“I just started a couple of years ago, when I actually was able to grow a few of them and keep them alive,” she said.

When Mrs. Garcia set out to grow her collection affordably, she discovered that other plant lovers were working together to swap plants.

“I started noticing plant stands around the area and across the city, but there were none in my community,” Mrs. Garcia said.

She decided to start one herself.

Now located in front of her home at 566 Lawson St. in Oregon, the plant stand operates on a simple principle: Take one and leave one if you can.

“I would love for everyone to leave a plant for every one they take, but that is not always possible,” Mrs. Garcia said. “In the end I am hoping to support the plant community and help people get the plants they want.”

Mrs. Garcia is among plant enthusiasts in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan who have opened free plant stands in their communities. The plant-sharers invite people to come during hours posted online or shared on social media. People visiting the stands are asked to bring a plant or plant-related item and take one they would like. 

Ashley Bake, of Ash-lily’s Plant Stand, said she noticed a stand four years ago and decided to start one herself. She has since launched a Facebook page of the same name.

“It really was a lot of fun when I first started,” Mrs. Bake said. “It is not as busy as it used to be. It has died down somewhat, but there is a strong plant community out here who still stop by regularly.”

Mrs. Bake said she has always loved plants. Her free stand at 2030 Hurd St. in East Toledo can contain anything from houseplants and tomato plants to hostas, pond plants, books, and trinkets.

“I have also had many gardening pots and tools along with indoor and outdoor plants,” she said. “I have also had macrame plant hangers and painted rocks to place in gardens. It is always a surprise what is out there.”

Mrs. Bake said she was gifted a monstera albo, a pricey and sought-after plant known for its distinctive white-and-green leaves. She saw an opportunity to try to propagate it so she could eventually share it with other plant lovers through the stand.

“People also send me photos of the plants they picked up from the stand to show me how they are growing,” she said. “It is very cool to see people enjoying the plants.”

Amber Stacey began running her Erie Road Plant Swap Stand in May.

“I put up a small greenhouse, put in some plants, and bada bing, bada boom, people just started coming here,” she said. “I am thinking of doing a fall swap, too. Really, the more plants we swap, the better.”

Located at 721 W. Erie Rd. in Temperance, the stand has been very busy. On any given day, there can be anything from native plants, bulbs, and seeds to plant starts, trees, and landscape extras. 

“This is my first time doing this and I can say it has been a fun ride,” Ms. Stacey said. “People have been very generous with what they are giving people.”

Ms. Stacey said landscapers have also left plants in the greenhouse to share and swap. 

“Iris, lilies, berry bushes, cactus, begonias, and hostas can usually be found,” she said. “The plant-loving community has come together to help other plant lovers. It has been a journey, and I have learned a lot.”

Among the nontraditional items brought to Ms. Stacey's stand were a 3D-printed planter, a golden tiger head planter with a wild, hairlike plant in it, and milkweed in a water-filled wine bottle. But, she said, the one thing she expected someone to swap has never appeared.

“I never have had any weed, and I was kind of expecting it,” she said. “I have seen it at the Temperance Farmers Market, but none here. I am not complaining, but I am surprised.”

Exchange days

Donna Wright-Keller, of the Toledo Plant Exchange, said the group holds a one-day exchange in May at the Lucas County Fairgrounds. 

“Tahree Lane saw a free plant exchange in Michigan 22 years ago and brought the idea of it back here,” Mrs. Wright-Keller said. “We have been meeting ever since. We are a well-oiled machine now.”

The May event routinely has 350 people participate by bringing in plants, seeds, pots, and other garden items. Those who attend the event or visit the Facebook page range from beginning gardeners to master gardeners.

The rest of the year, people can trade plants and ask questions via social media.

“We just want people to try gardening,” Mrs. Wright-Keller said. “Get your hands dirty. Do your research and ask questions. It really is a lot of fun.”

Mrs. Garcia now posts about her plant stand on the Oregon, Ohio Community Neighbors Facebook page. 

“I think it is nice for people who love plants but can’t afford to get many of them, to exchange plants for ones they are interested in having in their own home,” she said. “Last year, not many people stopped by, but now we are busy. We have a thriving plant community locally, so that helps a lot.”

Mrs. Garcia said her stand mainly carries houseplants like philodendrons, pothos, syngoniums, and spider plants.

“Someone actually left a large planted golden pothos, and it was amazing,” she said. “It was only here one night, but how nice was it that someone put it here for someone else to enjoy? The plant community is generous.”

WOODVILLE, Ohio — An Ottawa County woman died in a one-vehicle crash on the Ohio turnpike Wednesday morning, the Swanton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported. 

Melody K. Wilburn, 49, of Oak Harbor, Ohio, was driving east near milepost 75 in Woodville Township just before 4 a.m. when her SUV veered off the right side of the roadway and into a ditch, troopers said. 

Ms. Wilburn was pronounced dead at the scene. She was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, the post said. 

Three people were shot in separate incidents Wednesday morning, the Toledo Police Department reported. 

A 41-year-old man told police he was at a carryout in the 3700 block of North Summit Street around 12:30 a.m. when four males approached him and a friend and shot at their vehicle. The pair drove to the University of Toledo Medical Center where the victim was in stable condition, police said. 

At 12:42 a.m. police responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 1000 block of Artis Place. They found a 23-year-old man in front of a home in the 900 block with a gunshot wound to his left leg, police said. 

He was taken to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. 

Police responded to another ShotSpotter alert at 2:45 a.m. in the 3300 block of Monroe Street. Clerks at a nearby gas station told police they heard the shot but did not see anything.

A 34-year-old man walked into ProMedica Toledo Hospital a short time later with a gunshot wound. He told police he was at the gas station when he heard a gunshot and felt pain in his stomach. 

Births

Mercy Health

St. Vincent Medical Center

Kylie Sonnenberg, of North Baltimore, Ohio, boy, Aug. 10.

Kristi and Chad Zyla, of Oregon, girl, Aug. 11.

Maree Puttman, of Toledo, girl, Aug. 12.

Jessica LaValley and Bradley Birn, of Sylvania, girl, Aug. 13.

Jessica and Tyler Wirick, of Genoa, Ohio, boy, Aug. 13.

Katayesa Chandler, of Toledo, girl, Aug. 14.

Angela Hamilton and Brandon Myers, of Toledo, boy, Aug. 14.

Sara and Zackary McClelland, of Swanton, boy, Aug. 17.

Jennifer and Isreal Young, of Toledo, boy, Aug. 17.

Marriage licenses

Lucas County

Aug. 12, 2026

Eoin Cygnor and Sophia Nijakowski, both of Ohio.

Lucas Krist and Emily Chil- ders, both of Ohio.

Germano Bressan and Kathleen Shope, both of Ohio.

Tyler Dzenis and Jenna Tussing, both of Ohio.

Elijah Justice and Gabrielle Pierce, both of Ohio.

Joel Scilzo and Devin Cline, both of Ohio.

Hunter DeWeese and Morgan Altenbach, both of Ohio.

Dale Chapman and Jessica Slover, both of Tennessee.

Dominique Carroll and Brittany Veilleux, both of Ohio.

David Dailey and Billie King- ery, both of Michigan.

Nathan Loewenthal and Kaliegh Roe, both of Michigan.

Divorces granted

Lucas County

Jessica Street from Matthew Street.

Jamie Eischen from Michael Eischen.

Michael Moore, Jr., from Jamereyah Moore.

Jamereyah Moore from Michael Moore, Jr.

Emiliana Montalvo Lora from Edgar Medina Guerrero.

Virginia Deer from Joshua Deer.

Kenisha White from Ricki Berry.

Michelle Warnke from Robert Warnke.

Janalle Penn from Javar Lathan.

Jennifer Howard from Willie Howard.

Mukhtar Mukhtar from Sadia Sharif.

Rhonda Owens from Darren Owens.

Sarah Keivens from Vincente Keivens.

Reginald Allen from Kenyona Pryor.

Chantal Carroll from Joseph Carroll.

Rodger Jamison from Joyce Jamison.

Jesse Speaks from Ashlee Speaks.

Aleecia Baker from Noah Baker.

Nicholas Bryant from Katherine Bryant.

Dissolutions granted

Lucas County

Casey Minton and Athanasio Androutsopoulos.

Athanasio Androutsopoulos and Casey Minton.