Current and former Englewood residents are invited to share photographs that will be engraved as part of a pair of sculptures created for the new Swayne Field Shopping Center by Blissfield artist Ken Thompson.

The public art installation will feature a pair of structures, each supporting a canopy that will serve as both shelter and artwork, inspired by the concept of quilting as a way to weave together many stories.

The underside of each canopy will contain up to 150 photographs engraved into acrylic panels, collectively depicting the neighborhood’s rich history.

Residents can bring photos in any format to the Swayne Field Shopping Center, 3050 Monroe St., from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 2 or to the Mott Branch Library, 1010 Dorr St., from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 5.

Digital images can also be submitted by contacting the Arts Commission at info@theartscommission.org to request an upload form.

The proposed design raised concerns last month because its colors evoked watermelon imagery, which has historically been a racially demeaning stereotype of Black people. The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo and the artist confirmed they would update the design with new color combinations.

The next UToledo Health community conversation at the Monroe Street Neighborhood Center will focus on cardiovascular health.

Barbara Yearty, heart failure coordinator at the University of Toledo Medical Center, will speak about cholesterol, health and wellness, prevention, and treatment, an event flyer said.

The meeting is part of MSNC’s Wellness Wednesdays health education program with UToledo Health.

The free program is from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at 3613 Monroe St.

If there’s one product people truly love to hate, it’s gasoline, and price movement after Ohio suspended its motor fuel tax early last month has only intensified that antipathy.

The Ohio attorney general’s office has reported receiving several hundred consumer complaints since then about prices not coming down the full amount of the tax suspension or bouncing higher after an initial dip.

And the latter is exactly what happened in metro Toledo. But just because the price of gas went up again after the tax suspension does not prove something nefarious happened.

I don’t like paying more for gasoline any more than anyone else. But having watched gas-price behavior for close to 40 years now, I had no delusion that gas prices would stay below the pre-suspension level — not when the war with Iran that triggered this year’s price surge remained unresolved.

I was traveling back to Ohio from vacation Oct. 4 when Ohio’s gasoline tax of 38.5 cents per gallon was suspended, passing through Illinois and Indiana that very day.

Indiana had previously suspended its fuel tax and was more than 50 cents per gallon cheaper than even the cheaper part of Illinois. Ohio prices also were considerably lower — generally about $3.65 to $3.75 per gallon instead of about $4.25 when I left.

So local prices did come down thanks to the tax suspension.

But by the following Friday, prices rose again to wipe out part of the reduction, and they rose further about a week later.

The first increase coincided with a retail price increase in neighboring Michigan, which continues to collect its fuel tax. According to the rolling price data from Gasbuddy.com, the Toledo and Ohio averages didn’t rise as much as Michigan’s, but the Ohio increase the next week further closed the gap.

By mid-October, Ohio’s average price was closer to Michigan’s than it was right after the Ohio tax suspension, but not as close as it was pre-suspension.

Then there was another big jump in both states around Oct. 20-22, which briefly took the Toledo and Ohio averages up to about $4.40 per gallon — higher than pre-suspension — and Michigan’s average up to about $4.80.

Since then, prices have steadily declined, and by Saturday the local price average was more than $1 below its late-October peak. Michigan prices remained about 35 to 40 cents higher on average.

Out of curiosity, I also ran Gasbuddy price charts for Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Price averages in Indiana and Illinois both went up during the first week of October, and all three states’ averages rose significantly around Oct. 22.

My conclusion: Whatever was influencing retail price increases in Toledo and around Ohio was not unique to those markets.

So shouldn’t it be illegal for gas stations all to raise their prices at the same time?

It would be if agreements among retailers promising to move at the same time can be proven. But nobody has been able to prove that’s what happens.

What I have been told over and over again by local wholesalers is that a “price leader” in the market — Speedway for many years in Toledo; but back in the 1990s, BP also played that role — raises its price first and then other chains independently follow.

Then streetcorner competition prompts some stations to lower their prices by a few cents at a time, with less competitive areas usually moving more slowly in this regard. At the bottom of the cycle, the larger chains are often selling below wholesale, until somebody at corporate decides it’s time to raise the price again.

How can this happen? In large part it’s because so few stations are independent franchises any more. The pricing decisions are made higher than at the street level.

And every so often, others in the market don’t follow the price leader, and their price retreats quickly.

Remember when Sheetz started opening its Toledo-area stores last year? For the first few months, its new stores undercut nearby stations’ prices by 30 to 40 cents per gallon, presumably to attract new customers, and the nearby Speedways in particular matched them. Sheetz pricing at the time often bucked price increases in other parts of the metro area.

But now that Sheetz is established here, its prices are much more uniform across the city and usually very close to those of nearby competitors.

When I was a cub reporter in Connecticut in the late 1980s, I usually bought my fuel from a brand-name franchisee who said his main revenue stream was car repairs. He complained that he often couldn’t buy gas wholesale for as low a price as the convenience store down the street was charging for retail. Not long after I moved to Ohio, he stopped selling gas.

And not too long after my Toledo arrival, a stunt by local independent retailer Herbie Howard made the same point. Mr. Howard drove a tank truck to a Speedway on Monroe Street and started pumping gas into it for resale at one of his off-brand stations.

The Speedway store cut him off at 50 gallons.

The person who can deliver me proof that local gasoline pricing is more corrupt than a game of “follow the leader” will receive, at the very least, my eternal gratitude.

In the meantime, I do what I can to price shop without driving unnecessary miles, and recognize when prices are likely to rise before it happens — such as in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, or right before Ohio’s gas tax comes back in early January.

****

Core samples from the easterly leg of the new roundabout at U.S. 20A and Strayer Road have shown “poor composition” requiring replacement of 50 feet of pavement, the Ohio Department of Transportation reported.

That’s scheduled to occur Friday, with the entire roundabout detoured for one day.

As it was while the roundabout was built, the posted detour for U.S. 20A will be I-475/U.S. 23 and State Rt. 2.

****

• Ohio Turnpike (I-80/I-90): Lane closings approaching and across the Maumee River in both directions during a bridge redecking project. Lane closings for repaving affect traffic on either side of the I-280 interchange in Wood County.

• I-75 (Mich.): Lane closings remain possible south of Monroe while this year’s phase of a reconstruction project is completed.

• I-75: Left lane closings possible between the Michigan border and the Maumee River for drain cleaning

• I-75: Southbound right lane closed approaching the Cygnet interchange in Wood County for slope repair at Bays Road until Thanksgiving.

• U.S. 6/24: Lanes closed in both directions through Napoleon for reconstruction. Two-way traffic maintained on the eastbound side. The westbound entrance from State Rt. 108 is closed for reconstruction until May; detour via eastbound U.S. 6/24 to the Industrial Drive interchange.

• U.S. 20 (Louisiana Avenue): Reconstruction in Perrysburg that has closed the street to through traffic between the CSX railroad crossing and Front Street for most of the year is nearly finished. 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.

• 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.

• Summit Street: Southbound lane blocked at Galena for reconstruction, with all traffic forced to turn right onto Galena. Use Manhattan Boulevard to I-280 instead.

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

Andrew Sutton, CEO of Dallas-based GainLife, wanted to be a part of an event that helped families and children.

Born and raised in Toledo, Mr. Sutton joined the Margie Barilla Foundation on Sunday to bring toys, food, and hope to his hometown.

“I have always wanted to do something like this,” said Mr. Sutton, a 2002 Libbey High School graduate. “I have always wanted to give back to Toledo.”

About 200 people took part in the first Margie Barilla Foundation and GainLife Community Celebration at Gesu Sullivan Center. The two organizations held a multifaceted event that included a giveaway for kids, utility assistance for seniors, a leadership luncheon, and a turkey dinner drive.

Children received bikes, scooters, jackets, and shoes. Free breakfast and lunch was also provided.

Angelica Martinez brought her 1½-year-old son, Royce Roach, to the giveaway event and said she really appreciated the help.

“A year ago, we were homeless,” Ms. Martinez said. “I now have an apartment for us but with food costs and gas, I would not be able to give Royce a Christmas. I was able to get a bike and a few clothing items for my son. The event really means a lot to us.”

Margie Barilla, founder and CEO of the Margie Barilla Foundation, based in Frisco, Texas, said the nonprofit supports youths in foster care, survivors of human trafficking, and vulnerable children through advocacy, community partnerships, and meaningful opportunities. 

“We hold events nationwide to support families and kids,” Ms. Barilla said. “We hold food drives all year long. We are about supporting kids. There is nothing more important than that.”

Officers with the Toledo Police Department Community Services Section smiled watching the children pick out stuffed animals from their table.

“We do what we can to help out with organizations hosting events for children,” Officer Jeff Bodeman said. “Whether it is providing security or handing out stuffed animals, we do this to show the police in a positive way.”

Officer Dan Revill said he loves doing community events.

“Police get a lot of bad publicity,” Officer Revill agreed. “Being able to do something positive with people in the community shows us in a more positive way.”

GainLife is dedicated to helping people achieve life goals, Mr. Sutton said.

“We work with people on things like mental health, financial literacy, and fitness,” Mr. Sutton said. “I have been through challenges in my own life, and I want to help people with what I have learned. Events where we are able to help families and children are an important start, and I am so glad we could do this in Toledo.”

Gabriela Gonzales, of Toledo, said she found out about the event through Facebook. She brought her daughters, Ariella, 3, and Maricela, 2, because they needed coats.

“The girls needed the clothing, and it helped me save money to buy them a few presents this year,” Ms. Gonzales said. “They were we also given a scooter and a bike, which is great.

“I am just so grateful that they did provide things we needed.

Lake Erie might not be the first setting that comes to mind for history major Jaksyn Trimbach’s research project.

But through an innovative pilot program at Bowling Green State University, Trimbach is one of five students using an additional academic discipline to study the Great Lakes, bringing a new layer to the University’s long history of water quality research.

During the summer, the renowned Center for Great Lakes and Watershed Research (CGLWS) at BGSU launched the program, which provides each of the students with two faculty mentors, one in their chosen field and another outside of it, to spark a new wave of interdisciplinary research into one of the world’s greatest natural resources.

Using land surveys dating back to the 1820s, Trimbach is researching how historical records can inform modern-day issues within the Lake Erie watershed, in the process gaining key experience in another discipline by working with faculty and students in biological sciences.

“As a history major, we have a very flexible degree,” Trimbach said. “By doing this, I’m getting exposed to more biology, so I can see how history can go in an ecological direction and how you can use environmental history to help the public.”

While the experience of conducting research as an undergraduate often helps shape post-graduation decisions, Trimbach hopes the project can provide key data points for future efforts aimed at preserving Lake Erie’s well-being.

“What we can do with that information is see what the ecological environment was like before the swamp was drained in the Great Lakes watershed,” Trimbach said. “Then we can apply that information to conservation and restoration efforts.”

Mason Murphy, Ph.D., an assistant teaching professor of biology and the manager of the BGSU Herpetology Lab, helped design the program alongside CGLWS director Sarah Emery, Ph.D., with the idea that a pilot program could expand water-quality research beyond the traditional disciplines like ecology, chemistry and biology.

By focusing specifically on the Great Lakes – a hugely important resource in Bowling Green’s home region – and equipping students with two mentors, the pilot program creates new connections as scientists study the watershed.

“One, we really wanted this to be a place-based program where the focus is on the Great Lakes and the watershed, and two, we wanted it to be interdisciplinary,” Murphy said. “At a lot of research programs, students get a chance to work with someone, but they stay in one lab and don’t really veer away from that or learn what other students are doing.”

For Brianna Pimentel, a biology student on the pre-dentistry track, the pilot program represents the opportunity to learn from practicing scientists and earn additional skills as an undergraduate.

“This experience is preparing me for my future career by getting me familiar with lab techniques and talking with scientists about things that haven’t been completely discovered,” she said. “I’m also familiarizing myself with critical thinking while out in the field, which is definitely different than in class.”

At Bowling Green, gaining research experience as an undergraduate is a reality.

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) provides funding and stipends for hundreds of research, scholarly and creative projects from all disciplines, as well as travel grants and three annual events to highlight undergraduate work.

A record number of BGSU students presented at last year’s CURS Undergraduate Symposium for Research and Scholarship, and experiences like the CGLWS pilot program often prove invaluable as students prepare for life after graduation.

During the 2026-27 academic year, Bowling Green has its largest enrollment in nearly two decades.

In the first year of the pilot program, the early returns for ambitious research ideas have been promising.

“The size of BGSU is really perfect for something like this,” Murphy said. “We are large enough that we have a really robust research program – we have a lot of research on the Great Lakes going on in biology, chemistry and other departments – but we’re still small enough that students get to interact one-on- one with both their primary and secondary mentors.”

A look at recent actions in the Ohio General Assembly and how lawmakers representing the area voted.

OHIO HOUSE

Senate Bill 214: Removes firearm suppressors and sawed-off firearms from the classification of “dangerous ordnance” under Ohio law (goes to Senate).

Sponsor: Sen. Kyle Koehler (R., Springfield).

Vote: Passed Tuesday, 69-27. 

Northwest Ohio representatives: Elgin Rogers (D., Toledo), yes; Michele Grim (D., Toledo), no; Erika White (D., Springfield Township), no; Josh Williams (R., Sylvania Township), yes; Haraz Ghanbari (R., Perrysburg), yes; Jim Hoops (R., Napoleon), yes; Caleb Stidham (R., Sandusky), yes; Rep. Gary Click (R., Vickery), yes; Kellie Deeter (R., Norwalk), yes; Ty Mathews (R., Findlay), yes; Matt Huffman (R., Lima), yes; Roy Klopfenstein (R., Haviland), yes.

House Bill 82: Increases penalties for reckless driving in a construction zone (goes to Senate).

Sponsor: Reps. Click and Mark Johnson (R., Chillicothe).

Vote: Passed Tuesday, 95-0.

Northwest Ohio representatives: Mr. Rogers, yes; Ms. Grim, yes; Ms. White, yes; Mr. Williams, yes; Mr. Ghanbari, yes; Mr. Hoops, yes; Mr. Stidham, yes; Mr. Click, yes; Ms. Deeter, yes; Mr. Mathews, yes; Mr. Huffman, yes; Mr. Klopfenstein, yes.

House Bill 255: Creates the Ohio Sports Council in the Ohio Department of Development. The purpose of the council is to measure the economic effects of sporting events in Ohio and to recommend policies to state lawmakers (goes to Senate). 

Sponsor: Reps. Dontavius Jarrells (D., Columbus) and Melanie Miller (R., Ashland).

Vote: Passed Tuesday, 88-7. 

Northwest Ohio representatives: Mr. Rogers, yes; Ms. Grim, yes; Ms. White, yes; Mr. Williams, yes; Mr. Ghanbari, yes; Mr. Hoops, yes; Mr. Stidham, yes; Mr. Click, yes; Ms. Deeter, yes; Mr. Mathews, yes; Mr. Huffman, yes; Mr. Klopfenstein, yes.

House Bill 397: Expands the allowable uses of jail commissary fund profits (goes to governor).

Sponsor: Reps. Deeter and Johnson.

Vote: Concurred with Senate amendments Tuesday, 71-22.

Northwest Ohio representatives: Mr. Rogers, no; Ms. Grim, no; Ms. White, yes; Mr. Williams, did not vote; Mr. Ghanbari, yes; Mr. Hoops, yes; Mr. Stidham, yes; Mr. Click, yes; Ms. Deeter, yes; Mr. Mathews, yes; Mr. Huffman, yes; Mr. Klopfenstein, yes.

OHIO SENATE

House Bill 397: Expands the allowable uses of jail commissary fund profits (goes to House).

Sponsor: Reps. Deeter and Johnson.

Vote: Passed Tuesday, 31-1.

Northwest Ohio senators: Paula Hicks-Hudson (D., Toledo), yes; Theresa Gavarone (R., Bowling Green), yes; Rob McColley (R., Napoleon), yes; Bill Reineke (R., Tiffin), yes.

Senate Bill 214: Removes firearm suppressors and sawed-off firearms from the classification of “dangerous ordnance” under Ohio law (goes to governor).

Sponsor: Sen. Koehler.

Vote: Concurred with House amendments Tuesday, 21-9. 

Northwest Ohio senators: Ms. Hicks-Hudson, no; Ms. Gavarone, yes; Mr. McColley, yes; Mr. Reineke, yes. 

Jocelyn Marker stood along Huron Street holding a small basketball hoop hooked onto a box with a sign that read: “Shoot your best shot.”

She hoped people walking in the 39th annual Blade Holiday Parade would shoot into the hoop as they passed by.

“When they’re throwing candy out, they can shoot for this rather than throwing to the kids,” Ms. Marker, of Sylvania, said. “It'll give them something fun to shoot for.”

Hundreds of people crowded downtown Toledo’s sidewalks Saturday morning as part of the beloved holiday tradition.

Families shouted in excitement as the Toledo Ohio Distinguished Clown Corps, Metroparks Toledo, Toledo Lucas County Public Library, the University of Toledo Marching Band, the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department, the Toledo Police Department, and others marched and cruised through the streets.

Some in the parade wore Christmas-themed outfits, clown costumes, and even Dr. Seuss characters, passing out candy and coloring books to the children in their path.

Standing with his mother and siblings, 4-year-old Bo Chambers’ small backpack quickly filled to the brim with candy.

“We look forward to maybe being a part of it sometime,” said Harper Bumpus, 14, one of four kids in the group. 

Sara Chambers, of Holland, brought Bo and daughter Elise Chambers, 9, as well as Heather and Solomon Bumpus, 10, who are the children of her partner.

“They mentioned they remember the clowns from last year,” Ms. Chambers said. “We talk about how the community groups get to participate and how we’d like to be a part of that.” 

Harper wore a monkey onesie and a Christmas hat on her head. 

“I just wanted to be fun and cool,” Harper said. “I have a Christmas hat to make it more Christmas themed.” 

Ms. Marker watched the parade with Adalynn Wilson, 5, whom she was babysitting, and her best friend Ashley Moront, who was with her three children, Mason, 8, Bentley, 6, and Weston, 4.

Saturday’s parade was Mrs. Moront’s first parade with her children, she said, and Ms. Marker said it was the first she’s been to since she was young.

“Yesterday we saw it on the news,” Ms. Marker said. “So I got a hold of her, and I was like, ‘We’re gonna go down [there].’”

Marvin Reed of Toledo watched his children Harmony, 15, Houston, 13, and Amelia, 4, catch candy, much like the Chambers and Bumpus children. 

He said it was his family’s second time attending the parade. 

Even though it was “cold as heck out here,” Mr. Reed said he still wanted to be present for his community. 

“We like the big blow ups,” he said. “I just love to come out here and support.” 

In a downtown Toledo recording studio, young people are turning their creative interests into new skills and potential careers — whether that’s producing music, making videos, hosting podcasts, or discovering talents they didn’t know they had.

For those involved with the juvenile justice system, it also offers a creative outlet and a chance to find a new direction.

That’s the vision behind 50 Way Studios, where founder Craig Thompson is using his lifelong passion for music to create opportunities for Toledo’s next generation of talent.

“My thing is to come here and sit in my office and see the magic, see the youth who come through the studio do something amazing,” Mr. Thompson said.

At 50 Way Studios, young people can explore beat-making, songwriting, podcasting, photography, videography, gaming, and other forms of content creation. The programs also emphasize mentorship and skill-building, with opportunities for participants to perform onstage and document their creative journeys.

Mr. Thompson, a writer, producer, and creator, has been surrounded by music throughout his life. His longtime dream has been to write a song and have others perform it, but he also hopes to extend that vision by investing in young people and helping them pursue success of their own.

A passion for creativity and community

The studio offers recording and engineering services, a podcast studio, a photography studio, and event space.

Mr. Thompson believes Toledo has a wealth of overlooked creative talent, and he hopes the studio can help those artists showcase their work.

Holy Toledo, a recently produced video featuring an original song, is one example of that creative energy.

It brings together familiar faces and locations from across the city, celebrating Toledo’s creativity, diversity, and hometown pride while highlighting people and organizations working to make a difference.

“The purpose is simple — to give Toledo something positive in which people can see themselves, recognize their community, and feel proud of the city they call home,” Mr. Thompson said.

Creative opportunities and mentorship

Mr. Thompson also works with the Lucas County Juvenile Court and other local programs. These partnerships connect him with young people who might otherwise lack access to creative opportunities.

“Working with delinquent juveniles is very challenging. Sometimes we get kids that come in that just don’t have that motivation at all,” he said.

Still, he said, it is rewarding to see young people become more comfortable and engaged — and to hear them express their thanks when they leave.

Thomas Robinson, Jr., 17, a senior at Anthony Wayne High School, came to the program through a juvenile court referral. 

Thomas said the program has given him a productive outlet.

“I thought it was just going to be somewhere I could go to waste time, but we’re not wasting no time,” he said. 

In the studio, Thomas used a beat to create a song, writing lyrics about his experience in the juvenile justice system. The lyrics convey his determination to learn from the past and get back on track:

“Not tryna end up all alone, not tryna end up dead and gone. ... That jail made no impression and that cell caused a lot of depression, but I’ma get back on track; I lost my way — sorry for my digression.”

His mother, Ebony Reid, said she values the mentorship and opportunity Thomas has found at 50 Way Studios.

“My son is very talented, and they’re giving him an outlet that he can use to stay out of trouble,” she said. “I like the fact that he doesn’t have to figure things out on his own. He’s being mentored.”

She said she wishes the five-week program were longer and looks forward to her son building on what he has learned.

“It was a negative situation, but I’m glad something positive came out of that negative situation,” she said.

Building connections and creative careers

Partnerships with Tiffin University and Owens Community College bring interns to the studio to gain experience and develop their skills.

Mason Swallow, 21, studies commercial music at Tiffin and interns at 50 Way Studios.

“I wanted to see if I could possibly apply what I’ve already learned in school,” Mr. Swallow said.

Working alongside Mr. Thompson and Anthony Duran, the studio manager, has given him a firsthand look at the music business and what he calls “one of the biggest opportunities I could have gotten.”

“Being able to work under Craig and Anthony has really shown me how working in the music industry works,” Mr. Swallow said. “Being able to grow as a music professional and also just creative … working under these two has opened the door for me in that way, and I’m very grateful.”

Mr. Thompson also hosts Sit Down with Craig, a weekly program airing Monday evenings on community radio station WAKT-FM 106.1. Guests discuss their work in the community.

He credits Mercy Health Foundation’s free entrepreneurial development program, Getting Your Business Rolling, with providing knowledge and resources to help launch the studio.

The name 50 Way reflects his age when he founded it — 50 — and his decision to pursue his vision his own way.

Mr. Thompson hopes the Holy Toledo video will show Toledoans the work the studio does, inspire them to keep building together, and encourage young people to discover what they can create for themselves.

“I want to be that space where they can come and say, ‘Wow, that came out of 50 Way Studios.’ That’s my ultimate goal: to be like a big network, big like Tyler Perry’s Studio, or Oprah Winfrey’s Studio,” he said.

BOWLING GREEN — When Kati Thompson routinely drove by an abandoned building in downtown Bowling Green, she said she saw opportunity. 

Ms. Thompson, director of Bowling Green Economic Development, thought it could be used to unite the community in some way but said she knew it was too much for one organization to take on. 

“It wasn’t going to pencil out to be profitable without some grant funding,” she said Thursday. “I knew of some grants that were available and we just went for it.”

One year later, Bowling Green business leaders and owners saw that opportunity come to life in the form of the Four Corners Center + COWORK at 248 S. Main St. They celebrated the opening of the revitalized building with a ceremony and open house. 

The space is a 11,000-square-foot shared office and co-working space, and an apartment building on the building’s second floor, Ms. Thompson said. The building houses the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, Visit BG, the Downtown Bowling Green Special Improvement District, and Bowling Green Economic Development.

“It continues to allow for our Four Corners Center organizations to remain in an office space together permanently,” Ms. Thompson said. “It also creates a space for those people that just need a smaller office or who maybe wouldn’t be able to rent a full-scale [space] but keeps them in our community.” 

The new co-working space and office used to house a bicycle shop on the first floor but the building was left vacant in 2025 after the shop moved out, Ms. Thompson said.

The project was the result of a $1.5 million investment into downtown Bowling Green and was also paid in part through a $487,000 JobsOhio Vibrant Communities grant. 

Four Corners opened itself to businesses in September and has already found tenants, which include H20 Church, Progress Point Properties, Ark Media, and Mann Made Media, Ms. Thompson said. 

Drew Mann, owner of the Mann Made Media and the Ark Collective marketing companies, moved into the building from his home, which acted as his business office, he said. 

Mr. Mann said it’s been “crazy” to see the progress made from when the project first started to “where it’s at now with everybody in here.” 

“It’s been great,” he said of the space.

“This place is B.G.,” Mr. Mann said. “Being a part of the community is great. I get [an] office with the community where if we were to go somewhere else, we’re not going to be with the community. We’re going to be our own little entity over here, but we’re right downtown. Everybody knows where we’re at and we’re easy to reach.”

Nathan Polak, communications lead for the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, said area organizations being under one roof helps promote efficiency among them. 

“We all work so well together,” he said. “There’s no more walking down lengthy hallways to ask each other questions. If we need anything, we are right next to each other. [For] a team that collaborates so well prior to this move, this really just facilitates more and more collaboration. It’s fantastic.”

The recently concluded Great Lakes AI Week was followed up Friday with an online seminar that highlighted many of the legal challenges facing the rapidly emerging artificial intelligence industry, especially in water and energy.

The 26th annual Great Lakes Water Conference, hosted by the University of Toledo’s College of Law and its affiliated Legal Institute of the Great Lakes Tuesday through Thursday, underscored many of the issues coming before lawyers and governmental agencies as citizens raise more questions about transparency and accountability.

While a suite of researchers agree that modern, hyperscale-sized data centers are necessary infrastructure to support America’s budding interest in artificial intelligence, they question what the cost to society will be in terms of land use, electricity demand, and water consumption.

“The development of new technology is a mixed blessing from the perspective of the safety and security of our water resources,” Evan Zoldan, director of UT’s Legal Institute of the Great Lakes, said in laying the groundwork for the discussion. “Emerging technologies are often associated with increased water usage and pollution. Indeed, perhaps the most salient technological development of our lifetime, generative AI, is associated in the public mind with an unprecedented increased demand for water.”

Mr. Zoldan said it “would be incomplete to weigh the costs of technology to water resources without also considering the benefits that can flow from new technological developments” and said it’s important to “look carefully, but with an open mind, at the costs and benefits” of such developments.

“Cutting short technological developments would deprive us of these kinds of gains to water safety and security,” he said.

Rhett Larson, a professor of water law at Arizona State University, said he was “not a big fan of artificial intelligence” until recently, when — as general counsel for the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association — he saw how much of a tool it has become in the private law firm where he works.

“I’ve seen how central AI is in the practice of law now,” he said. “It’s really changed my attitude about AI. I don’t like it very much, [but] I need to grapple with its implications and the role it’s playing.”

He likened the modern era of artificial intelligence to being in the shallow end of a swimming pool.

“There’s a deep end of the pool, and we’re quickly swimming toward it,” Mr. Larson said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting more advances in AI, but there are lots of difficult tradeoffs.”

Melissa Scanlan, director of the Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences, said there are now 4,700 data centers in the United States, and that Virginia leads the nation with 650 of them, mostly in the northern part of that state near Washington.

But the numbers are misleading because the size and scope of data centers are rapidly becoming much larger, she said.

“This is mostly a U.S. and China issue as far as the hyperscalers go,” Ms. Scanlan said.

Data centers have enormous electricity demands not only because they’re getting larger, but also because they need to be on 24 hours a day, she said.

Toledo’s police and fire unions are bracing for sharply different outcomes from the city’s planned layoffs.

Eleven firefighters are facing layoffs, according to their union president, while police union leaders expect no officers to be laid off.

The city of Toledo is preparing to lay off about 100 employees across all departments effective Jan. 4, with affected workers notified Thursday and Friday, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said a day earlier.

“It’s my opinion that the city values police over firefighters,” said Joe Cira, president of Toledo Firefighters Local 92. “My opinion is that both police and fire are extremely important to the safety of the citizens of Toledo, and they should be treated equally.”

“[But] to be clear, nobody should be cut from safety forces,” he continued. “There is no room for cuts from either safety force.”

Officer Michael Haynes, president of Toledo Police Patrolmen’s Association, said his expectations of zero cuts of police officers are well-founded.

“I can never be positive, but I’ve been told by a credible source that no officers will be laid off,” he said. He didn’t disclose that source.

“We’re already at a net minus 20 officers this year, the lowest that Toledo police have ever been in its history,” he continued. “So if they lay off any officers, it will be even lower than we’ve ever been, and they’re not going to run any more police classes for the next two years. 

“So with that being the case, and an average of 20 to 25 officers retiring every year, we’re going to be in dire straits for police officers and answering phones or answering 911 calls and stuff like that.”

Should any officers be laid off, there would likely be service cuts, meaning officers wouldn’t respond to some calls for service they would have previously responded to, he said.

“We can’t maintain the same level of service and then lose officers year over year at a rate of 5 to 8 percent,” Officer Haynes said. “It just can’t happen.”

“... If the city has the money, but they’re playing games, shame on them,” he continued. “But I can’t say that that’s the case because I’m not in finance. I’m in policing.”

Other city workers face uncertainty

It remained unclear Friday how layoffs would affect city departments outside police and fire.

R. Sean Grayson, president of AFSCME Ohio Council 8, which represents city employees working in public utilities, transportation, public service, and other departments, expressed disappointment over the layoffs in a written statement Friday but did not specify which positions would be affected. Union representatives could not be reached for further comment.

“While we are grateful that the city is working with us to ensure the layoffs disrupt our members’ lives and our community as little as possible, we’re disappointed to see critical city employee jobs on the chopping block,” the statement said. “These aren’t luxury services that we provide; they are critical services that the people of Toledo depend on daily and our essential front line city employees should be treated as such.”

At least three dozen people leaving One Government Center at the end of the workday Friday declined to comment on the layoffs after saying they were city employees.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz refused to comment on the situation on Friday, saying he would talk to the media about the budget on Monday.

The mayor previously said that Monday is also the day his administration will submit its proposed 2027 budget to City Council.

Budget cuts take shape

The layoffs are more extensive than city officials had projected before voters rejected a proposed income tax increase last week, with lower-than-expected income tax collections adding to the city’s financial troubles.

The proposed tax increase, Issue 16, was rejected by just over 54 percent of voters, according to preliminary election results reported Nov. 4. About 75,300 votes were cast on the issue, with the measure losing by approximately 6,000 votes.

The temporary tax would have generated an estimated $25 million annually for public safety and neighborhood safety programs, raising Toledo’s municipal income tax rate from 2.5 percent to 2.75 percent.

Before the election, city officials outlined a series of potential cuts if voters rejected the measure.

Those proposals included eliminating police and fire recruitment classes in 2027, cutting the fire investigation unit and police gang task force, and reducing youth programming and blight removal services.

The city also had considered eliminating the nuisance mowing program, closing the Clean Toledo Recycling Center, ending curbside recycling, and eliminating the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and business incentives such as the Vibrancy Initiative.

It remained unclear Friday which of those proposed cuts, beyond the layoffs, would be included in the city’s 2027 budget.

Some of Ohio’s most unsung heroes are environmental surveyors, said Rick Gardner, chief botanist of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.

Surveyors, historically, have helped people understand the forestry around them, he said. 

“The surveyors are the heroes here in the sense that they live in the wilderness and endure habitats,” Mr. Gardner said of 1800s surveyors. “They rarely saw them as miserable places.”

He also highlighted the pioneers in landscape surveying throughout the state’s history. 

One of those pioneers was Robert Gordon, a three-time graduate of Ohio State University in the 1920s, who created the first statewide vegetation map using habitation.

“Gordon was asked to produce a book to accompany it, explaining in more detail the different types of vegetation he decided on and some of the history-related questions to those as well,” Mr. Gardner said. 

Dozens of attendees learned about conservation and stewardship efforts along the Oak Openings region during the Oak Openings Green Ribbon Initiative’s Northwest Ohio & Southeast Michigan Science Summit at the Main Library on Friday. 

Mr. Gardner’s presentation was one of five presentations that explained how research is conducted and how green life is mapped, among other topics.

Jay Wright, director of conservation science at Metroparks Toledo and co-chair of the Oak Openings Green Ribbon Initiative, said the group aims to host the summit once a year and that it doesn’t just focus on the Oak Openings region. 

“Some years we really focus on the Oak Openings region and science and research that’s happening directly in those habitats and that ecosystem,” Mr. Wright said. “The Oak Openings region is really part of a much broader landscape. We have a lot of really other interesting ecosystems around us, or remnant ecosystems like the Great Black Swamp, like the Maumee River Valley, the Western Lake Erie Basin, so all the water quality issues associated with that.”

The initiative is made up of several organizations, including Metroparks Toledo, the Nature Conservancy, Black Swamp Conservancy, Outdoor Sylvania, Oak Openings Region Conservancy, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 

“We’re not in itself like an incorporated organization, but we’re a bunch of partners working together to accomplish conservation for this globally rare habitat building region,” Mr. Wright said. 

Mr. Gardner wasn’t only educating folks about the history and importance of surveyors but also about an ODNR project to create a map of Ohio’s natural landscape as it was during the 1800s. 

The goal is to use those records to assist with conservation planning and restoration efforts by understanding the habitats that existed before landscape changes occurred, he said. 

He said researchers use surveyors’ notes, which describe tree species, prairies, wetlands, and other landscape descriptions. 

“The reason we’re doing this project is … to be a baseline for science, education, and outreach about the importance of what we have left in Ohio,” Mr. Gardner said. 

Oregon sisters Madison and Scarlet Rice are both in the conservation and stewardship business. Madison Rice works as an environmental scientist at Bowling Green State University, while her sister is a land steward at Black Swamp Conservancy. 

“That research is important because … it informs people on how to understand [the environment] more,” Madison Rice said of the ODNR project.

A man who ambushed a police officer pursuing him on foot after a 100-mph car chase got 39 years in prison Friday morning from a Lucas County judge.

“These police officers, literally every day, go out and risk their lives to protect the public … from people like you,” Judge Dean Mandros told Henry Goodlow, 37, in Lucas County Common Pleas Court before giving him maximum, consecutive terms for charges and specifications led by first-degree felonious assault on a police officer.

None of six shots Goodlow fired toward Officer Jason Bombrys from behind a privacy fence at a South Toledo home Jan. 7 hit the officer.

But Jennifer Liptack-Sutphin, chief of criminal prosecution for the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office, said Goodlow’s claim that he fired his shots up into the air were belied by a bullet hole in the fence.

“He had every intent to kill a police officer that day,” Officer Bombrys told the court during a victim statement. “... He tried to make my wife a widow and make my kids grow up without a father.”

The judge’s sentence included a maximum 10 years for a repeat violent offender specification and a seven-year firearm specification that boosted the total time for the assault conviction to 28 years.

Judge Mandros also sentenced Goodlow to maximum, consecutive terms of five years for failure to comply with an officer’s signal and three years for each of two counts of having weapons while under disability.

One of the weapons counts was from one of three previous cases for which police had arrest warrants when Goodlow fled at high speed after noticing a “limited marked” police vehicle behind his vehicle when he stopped at a red light.

Judge Mandros called Goodlow’s flight from police “the worst form of the offense,” with Goodlow crossing into oncoming traffic at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

“You put lives of anyone else on those city streets at risk, as well as the police officers in that chase,” the judge said.

Defense lawyer Ronnie Wingate had asked for leniency, on the grounds that Goodlow had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2025 after seeing his brother fatally shot. Goodlow had never received any therapy for that experience or a history of drug abuse, the lawyer said.

But the only break Goodlow got on his sentence beyond credit for time served is that both sides’ lawyers agreed that Ohio law does not allow for cumulative sentences for each of the six gunshots he fired, even though it allowed each to sustain a separate criminal count.

Goodlow, who pleaded no contest Oct. 20 to 10 counts in all, is granted by law an automatic appeal of his maximum sentences. Other charges and specifications in his conviction were formally dismissed Friday.

Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates commended Judge Mandros, saying Goodlow’s sentence “does send a resounding message, a very dramatic message to the community” about the consequences for attacking a police officer.

Officer Bombrys deferred comment about the sentence to the police department, which did not respond Friday afternoon to an inquiry.

Kathy Wagner, executive director of a Toledo nonprofit, said she wants to be a volunteer because she feels blessed and wants to help others.

“I’m appreciative of the life that I have. I want to do something where I am giving back. When I look at my first grandson, I see how happy and loved he is. I feel every child deserves that,” Ms. Wagner said. “If there is just one child I can help, I am happy with that.”

Ms. Wagner was one of 10 volunteers who were sworn in Friday to be advocates in the Lucas County Juvenile Court’s Court Appointed Special Advocate program.

Juvenile Court Administrative Judge Linda Knepp and Judge Amy Stoner swore in the volunteers, who will advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children involved with Lucas County Children Services and the Lucas County Juvenile Court.

“Today marks the beginning of an incredible journey that is so important,” Chris Caryer, director of the Lucas County CASA program, said to volunteers before they were sworn in.

“By becoming a volunteer, you made a profound commitment to children in our community who need someone to advocate for them during the most challenging times of their lives,” she said. “The work you will do is not only meaningful, but impactful. Each of you will play an essential role in giving children a voice in the courtroom, ensuring their best interests are represented, and helping them navigate difficult situations with care and understanding.”

Judge Stoner said volunteers will have a “very demanding job, but it’s so worthwhile.”

“These children desperately need assistance. They need compassion. Each one of you has life experiences you are going to bring into this journey. You are going to impart your wisdom and help to these families. It will make a significant difference,” Judge Stoner said.

Judge Knepp said volunteers are from all walks of life, including foster parents, retired teachers, a retired attorney, and a nursing instructor.

“You’ve already had a commitment to helping make a change in your communities, and you’ll continue to do that as a CASA volunteer,” Judge Knepp said. “I know you’ve done this to make a difference in the lives of children, but you’ll find this will make a difference in your lives.”

Volunteers complete a six-week training program that prepares them for the responsibilities of the role. They learn how to investigate cases, conduct interviews, and write reports. Once assigned to a case, a volunteer advocates for and supports the child until the child reaches a safe, permanent placement.

Lexi Hayes, one of the volunteers who was sworn in, said she has been in social services in the Toledo area for 14 years and has worked extensively with children and families.

“It’s really important to understand kids and their development, what’s best for them, and that there is someone who speaks up and has a voice for them,” Ms. Hayes said.

Anyone age 21 or older may become a CASA volunteer. Volunteers come from a variety of educational, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. No experience is necessary.

CASA volunteers are always needed, Judge Knepp said.

“Classes are twice per year. Volunteers can be CASAs for 30 years,” she said. “When you see the devotion of the people who have done this for 30 years, it’s because they know how important it is, and the difference they’ve made in the lives of children. Some keep in touch with them throughout their lives.”

Visit casakids.net for more information on becoming a volunteer. The next training session will be May 5, with applications due April 23.

Attendees gathered for the annual Veterans Day Luncheon at Toledo Technology Academy of Engineering in Toledo on Friday.

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From a judo class to Veterans Day ceremonies, Blade photographers head out every day to capture the triumphs, tragedies, and oddities of life in Lucas County and beyond.

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The 39th annual Blade Holiday Parade will close several downtown Toledo streets Saturday morning, city officials announced.

The parade begins at Summit and Jefferson streets at 10 a.m. Saturday. The route proceeds northbound on Summit to Jackson Street, westbound on Jackson to Huron Street, and southbound on Huron to finish near Washington Street.

Several downtown streets will close around 7 a.m. for staging. The parade is estimated to be completed by noon, city officials said.

It will feature high school marching bands, color guards, giant balloons, dozens of clowns, mascots, dance teams, and the guest of honor, Santa Claus. This year’s grand marshal, Bay View Yacht Club, will lead the parade.

For the parade route and more information, go to theblade.com/holidayparade.

City crews will continue collecting leaves in certain parts of the city over the weekend, and begin collection in other parts during the week of Nov. 16, officials announced Friday.

Crews will continue collection efforts in ZIP codes 43607 and 43614 this weekend and begin collection in ZIP codes 43605 and 43612 during the week. Residents in those areas should get their leaves to the curb as soon as possible and should limit on-street parking so as to not hamper collection efforts.

People are discouraged from placing leaves in the street weeks ahead of time, as it can clog sewers and cause flooding. For a full schedule and map, visit toledo.oh.gov/leaf-pickup.

Unless people live in a second-pass area, they should not place leaves in the street once the area has been serviced. At that point, their options are to compost the leaves, dispose of them in their gray trash container, or take the leaves to one of five drop-off locations for free disposal.

The drop-off locations are:

● Bowman Park, 4671 Jackman Rd.

● Detwiler Park, 3775 Manhattan Blvd.

● Ravine Park I, 1600 Mott Ave.

● Woodsdale Park, 1226 Woodsdale Ave.

● Elmdale Woodlot, 221 Elmdale Rd.

Students ran during the St. Francis de Sales Student Council annual Veterans Day 5K at Ottawa Park Golf Course in Toledo on Friday.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to Veterans Matter, which has a mission to house veterans experiencing homelessness. 

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Walkers participated in the Light the Night Community Walk, an annual event to raise awareness of youth housing instability, on Thursday.

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