COLUMBUS — Legislation explicitly authorizing parents to send their unvaccinated children to school during outbreaks of infectious diseases is being considered in the Ohio House.

House Bill 561, sponsored by state Reps. Melanie Miller (R., Ashland) and Monica Robb Blasdel (R., Columbiana), has received three hearings in the House Health Committee and could receive action when lawmakers return to Columbus after the general election.

Among other provisions, the bill would prohibit a school from denying admission to an unvaccinated, “uninfected” student during an outbreak of chickenpox, measles, mumps, or rubella. 

Leah Wuescher, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Toledo, said public-health officials recommend short-term exclusion of unvaccinated students to break chains of transmission.

“For highly contagious diseases like measles and chickenpox, people can spread infection before it is obvious they are sick, which is why standard guidance calls for exposed, unimmunized students to stay home for a limited period — often up to 21 days after the last case,” Ms. Wuescher said. 

“This means the bill gives strong protection to the choice of voluntarily unvaccinated families to keep their children in school during an outbreak, while offering no similar safeguard for families whose children are medically unable to be vaccinated,” she continued. “Those families would be left with an unfair dilemma — either keep sending their medically fragile child into a higher‑risk environment or pull them out of school altogether and bear the academic and financial costs themselves.”

Stephanie Stock, president of anti-vaccination organization Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, said the law change is necessary to protect parents and students from arbitrary exclusionary periods.

“These schools are telling parents they can be excluded for any number of weeks or even months if an outbreak occurs — not just during an outbreak in the school population but even in the surrounding community,” Ms. Stock said.

“Most parents cannot withstand that length of exclusion, and it could drive them to vaccinate their child against their own better judgment out of desperation,” she continued. “We should not continue to be a state that penalizes parents for their vaccination choices and discriminates against their healthy children.”

The legislation would also require schools, preschools, and child-care providers to notify parents about the vaccine exemptions available under Ohio law. In addition to medical exemptions, Ohio law allows for religious and philosophical exemptions. 

“Parents are not always informed that these exemptions exist, and they may receive inconsistent guidance depending on the school or child-care provider,” Ms. Miller said. “I have heard directly from families in my district — particularly parents of children entering kindergarten — who were told by their school that certain vaccines were mandatory for enrollment.”

Ms. Wuescher said the requirement is likely to increase the number of under- and unvaccinated children over time.

“Even if someone is skeptical of vaccines or government mandates, it is important to recognize that higher exemption and under‑vaccination rates are consistently associated with more frequent and larger outbreaks of diseases like measles, pertussis, and chickenpox,” she said. “These outbreaks affect everyone, with the largest burden on infants, children with cancer, or immune problems, and others who cannot be vaccinated at all regardless of their parents’ beliefs — as we are seeing across the country.”

Northwest Ohio measles cases

Measles cases have recently been reported in Lucas County and Wood County. 

Lucas County’s kindergarten immunization rate for measles, mumps, and rubella is 89.3 percent, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The statewide rate is 88.2 percent.

“These figures reflect important progress, but childhood immunizations remain essential to protecting children and reducing the spread of serious diseases in our community,” said Shannon Jones, deputy health commissioner for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. “Staying up to date on recommended vaccines helps protect not only each child but also people who are especially vulnerable to infection.”

Wood County’s vaccination rate for kindergartners is 93.7 percent.

Pediatrician weighs in

Even Wood County’s relatively high immunization rate isn’t good enough, according to Dr. Bob Frenck, medical director of immunization programs for the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

“For measles to really have community immunity, you need at least a 95 percent vaccination rate,” Dr. Frenck said. 

He said the United States was measles-free 20 years ago.

“We’re going to lose that measles-free status this year because we’re having repeated cases of measles that are occurring within the United States,” Dr. Frenck said. “This is very preventable.”

So far in 2026, the United States has had 4,588 confirmed measles cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 2,289 confirmed cases in all of 2025, 285 cases in 2024, and 59 cases in 2023. 

Ohio has reported 252 cases so far in 2026, compared to 45 in 2025, seven in 2024, and one in 2023, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Dr. Frenck emphasized that measles can be a serious disease, noting that about 20 percent of infected children need to be hospitalized to help with breathing.

“We don’t have any specific treatment for measles. All we can do is support them,” he said. “The measles virus ... can result in hospitalization, death, long-term disabilities of mental retardation, blindness, and deafness.” 

He also said measles can cause long-term problems such as loss of immunity.

“For months, you can lose the immunity that you have to many of these other vaccine-preventable illnesses, and then if you get a vaccine you don’t respond as well,” Dr. Frenck said.

OAK HARBOR, Ohio — An Ottawa County father has published a children’s book inspired by his 6-year-old daughter to help young readers understand Down syndrome.

Jason Ribby’s book, Maizie the Down Syndrome Diva and the Search for Her Extra Chromosome, introduces kids to Down syndrome — typically associated with an extra copy of chromosome 21 — as she searches for the chromosome that makes her unique. 

Readers can join the hunt for balls, bubbles, and a Down syndrome ribbon.

“I wrote the book to celebrate Maizie and to help children understand Down syndrome in a simple, positive way,” said Mr. Ribby, of Oak Harbor.

The book, published in August, offers families a cheerful starting point for celebrating differences and talking with children about Down syndrome. Colorful illustrations and gentle humor encourage kindness, confidence, and inclusion.

“I wanted it to be bright, fun and engaging, with rhymes and little things to find, so kids could learn while enjoying the story,” he said.

The book is available at a.co/d/00340Rmu.

A man was killed in a central Toledo house fire Thursday night, the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department reported.

Firefighters responding to the 10:42 p.m. call in the 2600 block of Franklin Avenue found heavy fire and located the man inside the house during an initial search.

The victim’s identity was not immediately released. His death is the 11th fire-related fatality in Toledo this year, the fire department said. The fire’s cause remained under investigation Friday morning.

The fire department offered “its deepest condolences” to the man’s friends and family.

Check back for updates.

A Tiffin man has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for sexually abusing two children.

Harley Mavis, 45, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court to five counts of first-degree rape for abuse over several years in Lucas County involving the two children.

Judge Gary Cook then sentenced him to eight years for one count, seven on another, and six for each of the other three.

Three lesser charges Mavis was indicted on in March were dismissed.

An investigation that began in early 2025 resulted in the Oct. 30, 2025, execution of a federal search warrant for child pornography in Mavis’ home, the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office said. Mavis lived in Toledo at the time.

Authorities did not find such material, but subsequent statements and interviews revealed Mavis had abused the children, one between the ages of 5 and 12 and the other from ages 12 to 14, miore than 40 times each.

Mavis’ convictions require him to register for life as a Tier III sex offender. He could spend up to four additional years in prison if he misbehaves while incarcerated, and he will be subject to up to five years of parole after release.

“These two children suffered abuse that no child should ever have to experience,” Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates said. “While no prison sentence can undo what happened to them, this sentence ensures the defendant will spend decades behind bars.”

Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Effler of the Special Victims Unit led the case for the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office.

BOWLING GREEN — Foam turkeys will take flight Nov. 5 as the Wood County Museum hosts its annual “WKRP Style” Turkey Drop fund-raiser.

The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the museum parking lot, 13660 County Home Rd., where a drone will drop numbered foam turkeys toward two targets. The six turkeys landing closest to the targets will win cash prizes, museum officials said.

People can purchase a foam turkey for $50, with sales limited to 300 entries. The event will award two $1,000 prizes, two $750 prizes, and two $500 prizes. Other prizes, including frozen turkeys, will also be available.

Foam turkeys can be purchased online, at the museum, or at the event until noon Nov. 5, unless sold out. Winners do not need to be present. 

Proceeds will benefit the Wood County Historical Society's educational programs, future exhibits, and collections management.

To purchase foam turkeys, visit woodcountyhistory.org or call 419-352-0967. 

Local officials lifted evacuation orders Friday and said the chemical release at MC Tank Transport in North Toledo is no longer an emergency.

The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department allowed company employees to re-enter the property at 1266 Progress Ave. around noon on Friday after they confirmed the 5,500-gallon tank of glycidyl methacrylate finished venting into the air late Thursday night — nearly 48 hours after the reaction began.

All residents and businesses previously impacted by the evacuation may return to their homes and places of business, city officials said.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said an MC Tank Transport employee “introduced a temperature level to the tank in the process of trying to transfer the liquid,” causing a chemical reaction that turned the industrial chemical into a gas that released from the tank.

“The company has ... accepted responsibility for what happened. This was not an act of nature, it wasn’t any sort of outside action by someone else that caused this to happen. This was a mistake made by an employee of the company,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said.

City and county leaders, including Toledo council members, will meet virtually with the company on Monday, Councilman Vanice Williams said. The meeting will not be open to the public.

MC Tank Transport stated in two company news releases that it is fully cooperating with investigators and that its top priority is the health of affected residents.

City officials were joined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Midwest regional director, Anne Vogel, who outlined efforts to continue monitoring the air and oversee the company’s cleanup of the site once a site safety plan is presented.

“We’ve got various tools available to us that we use alongside our partners at the Ohio EPA, the fire department, and the health community to make sure that no stone goes unturned in terms of monitoring and making sure we’re being protective of human health and the environment,” Ms. Vogel said.

TAGA, a highly specialized mobile laboratory 

Along with eight monitoring locations within a quarter-mile radius of the facility, the U.S. EPA’s Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer, a mobile laboratory also known as TAGA that analyzes air in real time, was sent to the site Friday.

The city of Toledo expects preliminary air sampling results to show that concentrations of the chemical were too low to cause long-term health effects.

“There’s no doubt that ... extended exposure over a long period of time, at high levels, can be real bad for you — it can be cancerous,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. “Based on the data that we’ve seen, ... it just didn’t occur at levels or dosage levels to provide a long-term, meaningful, negative impact on human health.”

Toledo Fire will remain on scene until the company develops a site safety plan, and once the site is deemed safe, it will be turned over to the company under the oversight of the U.S. EPA. Toledo Fire Batalion Chief Blake Molnar said he anticipates the process “will be a somewhat slow handoff back to the company.”

During an hourlong news conference held almost concurrently at One Government Center, about five miles south of MC Tank Transport and about five miles south of where Mayor Kapszukiewicz and Ms. Vogel spoke, a team of four independent scientists said that the main chemical of concern, glycidyl methacrylate, is no longer detectable in outdoor, ambient air near the site.

The team’s findings were based on all-night air sampling it did in North Toledo.

The foursome included Scott Smith, an independent Massachusetts-based scientist with the Blue Shirt Justice League, a group that does testing at industrial accidents nationally, and three air-quality specialists affiliated with Spectral Systems Integration, of Kansas.

One of them, Mark Thomas, Spectral Systems vice president of operations, spent more than 30 years with the U.S. EPA, managing the agency’s Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology, or ASPECT, from its inception in 2001 until his retirement in 2019. He also spent 10 years as a U.S. EPA on-scene coordinator at emergencies.

Another one, Robert Kroutil, likewise had a long U.S. EPA career, and helped develop software for the ASPECT program at the federal agency. He is a national expert in infrared chemical detection.

The other is a Pittsburgh-based scientist named Phoebe Askelson.

The trio analyzed North Toledo’s air quality late into Thursday evening while Mr. Smith pulled soil samples from the properties of local residents who have granted him permission. The soil samples will take three to five weeks to analyze in a laboratory.

“We’ve already been bombarded by calls,” Mr. Smith said.

Their research is free to each community they visit, with costs covered by an Atlanta-based law firm, the Keenan Law Firm.

Formaldehyde, a cancer-causing byproduct, remains

The air samples, which were analyzed overnight, generated a mixed message.

Although the chemical that grabbed headlines, GMA, can no longer be detected, the team found high levels of a common byproduct of it, formaldehyde, in the air. Though that, too, will eventually dissipate, formaldehyde — just like GMA — is believed to cause cancer among people exposed to it for a long time.

The four scientists said that residents near MC Tank Transport, especially those living within the one-mile mandatory evacuation zone, should be cautious about their indoor air quality because GMA is a heavy chemical known to settle inside kitchen cabinets, basements, and other parts of homes it enters. They urged people to take precautions cleaning dust, by wearing gloves and possibly a face mask, and to wash any clothes they believe might have become contaminated.

Mr. Smith urged anyone showing symptoms of exposure, such as prolonged coughing, shortness of breath, headaches, nosebleeds, and dizziness, to seek help from their doctor or other medical professionals.

Mr. Thomas said it’s a good time to air out homes as a precaution, now that there’s no immediate need for air conditioning or heat during the daytime.

“When in doubt, air your house out,” Mr. Thomas said.

GMA can linger for up to 10 days indoors, Mr. Kroutil said.

“We’re concerned about people going back into their homes in the [evacuation] zone,” he said. “I would want my house checked and analyzed before I go back in.”

Several northwest Ohio labor unions are demanding a public correction from a Lucas County judge seeking re-election after her campaign claimed endorsements they say they never gave.

Lucas County Court of Common Pleas Judge Lisa McGowan of the domestic relations division promoted the endorsements of 19 labor and trade unions in a since-deleted post on her campaign’s Facebook page.

The post included endorsements from the Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council, Painters Local 7, Boilermakers Local 85, Elevator Constructors Local 44, and Communications Workers of America Local 4319.

However, union officials say they did not endorse Judge McGowan for re-election.

“Judge McGowan did send a letter [to meet with us],” said Dan Ludwig, the president of CWA Local 4319. “We reached out to her, but she never got ahold of us.”

Mr. Ludwig said CWA Local 4319 has endorsed Judge McGowan in the past, but this year chose to endorse her opponent, Nedal Adya, a local attorney and magistrate.

“Nedal came and sat in my office, and we all met with him and interviewed him and decided he was the best candidate,” Mr. Ludwig said. 

Dawn Christen, a local labor law attorney, sent Judge McGowan’s campaign a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday requesting that the campaign halt distribution of campaign materials that list the endorsements of the building trades council, Painters Local 7, Boilermakers Local 85, and Elevator Constructors Local 44.

The post was deleted by Friday morning, but the letter asks Judge McGowan’s campaign to stop distributing any material that names or implies an endorsement by any of the unions and publish a correction in wording approved by the unions.

Joseph Clarke, the treasurer for Judge McGowan’s campaign, said in a statement that the campaign has removed all materials referencing the unions identified by Ms. Christen, adding that any possible misunderstanding was unintentional.

On June 3, Judge McGowan was endorsed by the Toledo Port Council for her re-election campaign for administrative judge of the domestic relations court.

The Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council, Painters Local 7, Boilermakers Local 85, Elevator Constructors Local 44, and CWA Local 4319 are all affiliates of the Toledo Port Council.

However, the cease-and-desist letter states that each organization makes political endorsements through its own process.

“After being notified of the affiliates’ position, the committee promptly removed any mention of those affiliates in its campaign materials,” Mr. Clarke said in a statement.

Shaun Enright, the business manager for the Northwest Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council, said the union did not endorse Judge McGowan because the domestic relations court has a history of using nonunion labor.

“This not only misrepresents our position,” he said. “It abuses the trust that working people place in our endorsements.”

The campaign had not posted a correction on Facebook by Friday afternoon. Neither Mr. Clarke nor Judge McGowan responded to questions about whether the campaign planned to issue a correction or had included the disputed endorsements in campaign materials beyond the Facebook post.

Judge McGowan, who is endorsed by the Lucas County Republican Party, is seeking her third term as a domestic relations judge after being first elected in 2014. She is running against Mr. Adya, who is endorsed by the Lucas County Democratic Party.

“I think it’s desperation,” Mr. Adya said Friday afternoon regarding his opponent’s endorsement claims. “She’s just trying to pretend she has labor support when I have labor support.”

Ms. Christen said the building trades council has endorsed Mr. Adya, but the other three unions that were included in the cease-and-desist letter have not made an endorsement in the race.

In addition to the building trades council, Mr. Adya said he has been endorsed by the United Auto Workers’ CAP Council; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 8; the Northwest Ohio AFL-CIO; International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 20; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 8; United Food and Commercial Workers Local 75; Toledo Firefighters Local 92; Toledo Federation of Teachers; Carpenters Local 351; and Sheet Metal Workers Local 33.

A block of Adams Street in downtown Toledo will be closed part of next week for a utility project, the Toledo Department of Transportation announced.

Adams between Erie and Huron streets will be closed, starting Monday, for three days, city officials said.

No detour route was announced. The closest alternatives are Jackson Street or Madison Avenue.

Two guest law scholars debated the answer to a popular question at the University of Toledo on Friday.

That question was: Does the First Amendment actually protect free speech?

George Washington University law professor Mary Anne Franks and Adrian College criminal justice professor Nate Goetting took to the stage in the McQuade Law Auditorium, arguing their viewpoints during a public debate hosted by the University of Toledo’s Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership. 

“When you have distinguished experts with shared concerns and deep disagreements about an important matter of public concern, you’ve got a recipe for a great debate,” said Jonathan Culp, director of the institute.

Mr. Goetting and Ms. Franks communicated very different opinions to the students, staff, and community members in front of them. 

Ms. Franks said the answer to that question can often be “a moving target.” 

Ultimately, though, her answer was it does protect free speech “for some people and some of the time.”  

“This is not an absolute statement,” said Ms. Franks, an expert on the intersection of civil rights, free speech, and technology. “This is not something that is always true, but there is a tendency over time to privilege certain speakers and certain subjects over others.”

When the framers of the U.S. Constitution came up with the words “We the people,” they weren’t talking about women or enslaved people, Ms. Franks said.

She said they were talking about “the white, the wealthy, and the male.” 

One of her many examples was the banning of abolitionist speech in Southern states in 1829. She said abolitionist speech was the first “real free speech movement in the United States.” 

She also used Elijah Lovejoy, a journalist and owner of a newspaper, as an example. 

People burned down three separate printing presses before he was ultimately killed in 1837 for speaking out against slavery.

Mr. Goetting, however, said he couldn’t disagree with Ms. Franks more.

He believes the Constitution does in fact protect freedom of speech. 

Mr. Goetting said he considers himself a “free speech absolutist.” He said he believes the First Amendment should protect all speech, including speech that some might consider offensive or dangerous. 

“I explore cases of … the most dangerous, harmful, obnoxious, offensive speech speakers I can find,” he said. “White supremacists, misogynists, pornographers, voyeurs, insurrectionists, even Donald Trump — and I argue that the First Amendment should protect all of them.” 

Mr. Goetting said presidential administrations and tech companies shouldn’t censor what people say, no matter how offensive or false it might be to them. 

“The First Amendment flatters us by trusting us to put aside fear and instinct and to recognize that harms caused by letting the worst of us speak will ultimately be redeemed by the long-term benefits all of society will enjoy if everyone is allowed to speak freely,” said Mr. Goetting, director of the Michigan college’s George Romney Institute for Law and Public Policy. 

University high school education student Camy Ulaszewski said she agreed with Ms. Frank’s perspective but wished Mr. Goetting had more time to explain his viewpoint as it was a little confusing for her.

“She knew exactly what she came to say and I thought that was really powerful,” the freshman said. “In the middle ... I thought it got a little confusing. ... I got a little lost in the weeds.” 

Marcos Estrada, a junior studying political science at the university, said he thought the debate was thought provoking. 

“I think they had a nice discussion,” he said. “I’d say I’m more on Goetting’s side.” 

A CSX Transportation container train derailed Friday afternoon in North Toledo.

No one was injured and no hazardous materials leaked in the 4:15 p.m. derailment near Manhattan and Wallace boulevards, Assistant Chief John Kaminski of the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department said at the scene.

But a locomotive that jumped the track had 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board, and that would need to be pumped out before emergency crews clear the scene, Chief Kaminski said.

“We have a precautionary fire line set up in case something happens,” he said.

A little more than an hour after the derailment, an environmental contractor had arrived to drain the engine of its fuel.

The locomotive came to rest tilted, while three container platform cars behind it that also derailed remained upright. None of the freight in those containers contained anything dangerous, Chief Kaminski said.

The only damage was to the track and railroad equipment. The derailment occurred at a junction where trains can change tracks, but it was not immediately known if that was a factor.

Chief Kaminski said it would be up to CSX to determine the accident’s cause.

Manhattan and nearby Suder Avenue were both closed near the derailment scene, while Summit Street remained open between downtown Toledo and Point Place.

Both the CSX tracks and an intersecting track belonging to Canadian National Railways were shut down because of the accident.

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) says a suspicious package intended for the congressman’s office was intercepted at a local postal facility, following similar reports across the country.

Ben Kamens, the congressman’s communications director, said Ms. Kaptur was advised this week that her northwest Ohio office was the intended recipient of a package containing a suspicious substance.

Following reports of similar packages mailed to congressional offices, Ms. Kaptur’s mail was held at a local postal facility out of precaution.

On Friday, the spokesman said the package was intercepted.

“We want to thank the United States Postal Service’s Postal Inspector for their swift response and efforts to ensure the safety of our Letter Carrier, Congressional staff, and Northwest Ohio constituents,” Mr. Kamens said in a statement.

“We take this matter extremely seriously, and will continue to work with the Postal Inspector and both local and Federal authorities as the investigation into this package and other across the country continue,” he added.

Other Ohio congressmen have reported similar packages, including U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (D., Warrensville Heights) and U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D., Columbus).

“Acts of terror, harm, and intimidation have no place in our democracy and cannot be lightly dismissed,” Mr. Kamens said.

Despite the suspicious package, both Ms. Kaptur’s Washington and northwest Ohio offices remain open and fully functional.

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

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

Harbor Behavioral Health has several opportunities for LGBTQ+ young adults to connect in a safe, substance-free environment.

Through workshops, wellness groups, and social outings, the programs are meant to promote mental wellness and prevent substance use disorders among people from 18 to 26, according to Harbor’s website.

The organization’s monthly Sip & Spill event is set for Sunday at BREW Coffee Bar, 1440 Secor Rd. Suite 120A. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of each month, members of the LGBTQ+ community can come together for a casual coffee and conversation session.

Sunday’s topic is Feed My Frankenstein, and attendees will discuss “What makes us, us,” according to an event flyer. The Nov. 22 session, Family Feuds, will provide space to vent about Thanksgiving and play family bingo.

Young adults can fill out a survey to offer input on what kinds of LGBTQ+ programming and support they would like to see.

Those interested in joining to advisory council can also fill out an interest form online.

Go to harbor.org/lgbtq-wellness-connection for more information. 

Several residents in the Raintree Mobile Home Park said they were relieved to be back home after a chemical spill from a nearby North Toledo company triggered an evacuation order Tuesday night.  

Raintree Village, on East Alexis Road, is near MC Tank Transport, Inc. on Progress Avenue in Toledo. The mobile-home park was within the one-mile evacuation radius that was later reduced to half a mile and then a quarter mile.

“Things are better,” said Jennifer Hutson, who lives at Raintree with her family.

The family evacuated to a hotel in Michigan on Tuesday after seeing a Facebook post from neighbors.

“The kids and I were asleep,” Ms. Hutson said. “Shortly after 10, we saw the police come through here with their sirens and lights on.”  

Air purifiers in her home have helped since her family got back home Wednesday evening.

“We returned so the kids could go back to school,” she said.

A light headache and sneezing were the only symptoms she’s experienced, she said. But she planned to clean up her outdoor cat, Sylvester, who had watery eyes and a film of debris on him.

“I’m going to dust him off and clean his face,” she said.

She also plans to clean her vehicle, also covered in residue, which she attributes to the spill.

“It does seem to be on everything,” said Ms. Hutson, who has lived in Raintree Village for nine years.

Tom Davis, who moved from Texas to the park five months ago, said his family is doing fine.

He and his wife noticed a plume of smoke about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. It was in the direction of the MC Tank Transport chemical spill beyond a ridge of trees bordering their house, he said.

“We saw a big, white plume of something that drifted all the way over here. We didn’t even smell it,” he said. 

“We at first decided to leave and go to Perrysburg, where my wife’s sister lives. Then we turned around in the Menards parking lot and came back. We just kept our windows shut,” he said. “We woke up the next morning feeling fine.”

Justin Slover, who recently moved to the mobile home park, was getting out of his car Thursday carrying a couple of plastic grocery bags. He said he’s not had any symptoms from the spill.

For Colin Stacey, it’s been “mostly fine” since he and his family returned home Wednesday at noon. 

“It definitely looked concerning after it happened, with all the smoke and fog. I couldn’t see two feet in front of me,” he said. “A few times when we had the windows down, it was really acrid and burned a little bit in my nose and throat. I’m assuming that was from the chemicals.” 

“We drove to get away. We headed to a hotel in Rossford. Now, it seems fine. I can’t smell or detect anything. It’s mostly dissipated,” Mr. Stacey said.

“I was scared,” said Jennifer Stacey. “I have a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old. I’ve never been through anything like this. We all just piled in the car and headed to the hotel.”

Lance Kincaid, 62, never evacuated and stayed put.

“I got notices on my phone. I stayed home. I never opened my door. I don’t open my door to anybody,” he said. 

“I very seldom leave my house because of the strokes I had,” he said, adding that he’s had two in the last five years. Mr. Kincaid has lived in the park for 20 years. He said he didn’t have any symptoms from the spill.

He wasn’t the only resident who didn’t evacuate. 

Tammy Williams, who has lived in the park for five years, just masked up.

“I didn’t even hear about it until I woke up the next morning. I never left the house. The first day, when I went out to feed the cats, I had a face mask on, but I could smell it a little bit,” she said. “After that, I didn’t smell anything.” 

The chemical leak that caused evacuations in Toledo and drew national attention has stopped, city officials said late Thursday.

“Crews will continue to monitor the site overnight Thursday into Friday,” the city posted on social media.

“The tank has stopped releasing material,” the update said. “As soon as we receive a site safety plan, we will turn the scene over to the U.S. EPA to work on clean up.”  

A hazmat team from the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department approached MC Tank Transport’s leaking industrial chemical tank for the first time Thursday afternoon.

Crews were not being allowed to get close until the explosion threat dissipated, so access had been by drones only.

“At this moment, for this first time, the hazmat team is approaching the tank and taking measurements,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said earlier in the day Thursday. “That represents a new development.”

In another development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notified the mayor’s office that it is sending a specialized air-monitoring device, known as a Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer, or TAGA, to better identify chemicals in the air near the MC Tank Transport site.

The closest TAGA device is in New Jersey and is expected to be in Toledo in time for a visit planned on Friday by U.S. Regional Administrator Anne Vogel, the mayor said.

The tank that has been leaking contained as many as 5,500 gallons of glycidyl methacrylate, a chemical used to make polymers, paints, plastics, coatings, and other industrial products. It was stored in liquid form but converts to gas upon making contact with air.

“It will be on site tomorrow to conduct additional testing,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said of the device. “We wanted it as soon as possible.”

Earlier Thursday, the evacuation zone around the site was reduced to a quarter mile.

Affected residents were notified by a cellphone alert sent to people living in that area, according to Toledo Fire & Rescue Department spokesman Tiffany Morrissey.

“I can’t 100 percent say it has been, but it looks like it’s heading in that direction,” Ms. Morrissey said when asked earlier Thursday whether the leak had stopped.

The leak, which began at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday, led to the mandatory evacuation of 983 residents within a one-mile perimeter of the accident and a temporary shelter-in-place order for those within a three-mile radius.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, officials reduced the evacuation zone to a half mile and lifted the stay-indoors order.

Governor calls for review

University of Toledo President James Holloway set out his vision for the university’s future during his first State of the University address Thursday.

Dubbed the “Growing for Toledo” strategic plan, Mr. Holloway explained the university’s goals including having 16,000 students in the fall census of 2031.

“This goal is essential to enable the others, because our financial health as an educational institution depends on it,” Mr. Holloway said. 

Other goals include achieving $100 million in research expenditures annually, compared to about $76 million today; more interdisciplinary research; and growth in the university’s academic health system.

Mr. Holloway described challenges for higher education, including public skepticism about higher education’s value, strained funding models, and questions about how artificial intelligence will change the need for human expertise.

“This university is important,” he said. “What we contribute to the great national project of higher education and health care is critical.”

Mr. Holloway highlighted UTs role as northwest Ohio’s only R1 research university and only academic health system. The university has an annual economic impact of about $3 billion, graduates about 3,700 students annually, and treats more than 100,000 patients every year, he said.

He also cited encouraging fall enrollment figures as evidence of progress including an increase in new students in degree programs. 

In September, UT figures showed that new students from high school increased for the first time since 2018. The university added 3,623 students into degree programs this year, up more than 2 percent from last year.

Mr. Holloway also noted the university’s recognition as a Top Performer in Social Mobility in U.S. News and World Report.

“I’m proud of that,” he said. ”We should be known for those whose climb we assist, and for their accomplishments.”

Mr. Holloway said 34 percent of UTs undergraduate students are first generation, with 29 percent using Pell grants to reduce their out-of-pocket cost. 

“We invest over $50 million in institutional aid each year,” he said. “We are a school of access, where the children of the wealthy study alongside the children of the blue-collar line worker. Where the children of Toledo study alongside the children of our international friends.”

Mr. Holloway highlighted that every UT student, regardless of major, will complete an experience-based learning activity prior to graduation. 

The Office of the Provost has launched the ASCEND office to support that commitment, a defining characteristic of the UToledo Advantage program.

Scott Molitor, senior vice provost for academic and graduate affairs, said the program allows all students to gain experience in their field of study.

“It is not all based on internships either,” Mr. Molitor said. “It is not all work based. It can also include service based projects.”

The university also recently announced the Rocket Research Acceleration program, which will help researchers develop discoveries into sustained research programs and compete for major external funding.

“Overall, we require a willingness to embrace change,” Mr. Holloway said. “The approaches of the past will not suffice for the stormy present or the uncertain future. A positive and optimistic outlook toward success will be essential. If we believe decline is inevitable, we will manage decline. But if we believe growth is possible, we will do the work required to achieve it.”

Mr. Holloway said the health system’s goal is to provide primary care for 140,000 people, about 40,000 more than UT currently serves.

“We will expand access to new locations within the Toledo metropolitan area, and reorganize service lines to more effectively serve patients.”

Charles Callahan, executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Toledo Medical Center, said the number of people served through the center and hospital is growing.

“We served 100,000 outpatients and 30,000 patients in our emergency room last year,” he said. “We are showing growth already and we will see more. We are wonderfully blessed to have strong ties with the college of medicine, pharmacy, and engineering and business. We will be growing into the future.”

Mr. Holloway said he was optimistic that the university will reach its goals.

“I’m optimistic because we already see positive signs in place today,” he said.

“Student outcomes are improving. New students are coming to UToledo. Research momentum is building. Our market share in healthcare is growing. I’m optimistic because our actions can change the outcome,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur has ambitious plans to tackle the affordability crisis if she is re-elected to her seat in November.

“I think we ought to challenge members of Congress to think bigger about how do we augment the Social Security program,” Ms. Kaptur, (D., Toledo) said Thursday.

In addition to retirement, disability, and survivorship services, Ms. Kaptur said she thinks the Social Security Administration should contain a “fourth leg” focused on caring for children and older adults.

“I think just as Franklin Roosevelt created Social Security to take care of the elderly, to take care of those who survive the loss of their parents, for example, the survivorship program or disability, where they are injured on the job. … Maybe now we need to take a look at how to finance a fourth leg that would deal with caring for children and for adults,” she said.

Ms. Kaptur suggested financing the additional work through a tax, noting that the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, or FICA tax, already funds several Social Security programs and a grant program would not be sufficient.

“It’s going to have to involve a tax that would add to that and replenish that fund for those who are elderly and those who are in need,” she said.

Ms. Kaptur met with a handful of Toledo stakeholders Thursday to discuss perspectives on rising costs in different industries such as housing, health care, and child care.

The event was in coordination with the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, a left-leaning advocacy group focused on supporting policies around affordable child care, elder care, and health care.

Alison Foreman, the CEO of Mobile Meals of Toledo, said she has seen first-hand several families trying to make ends meet, but changes to federal programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are making it harder for older adults to get the nutritional resources they need.

“What if someone is not on SSI or SSGI, and they get home-delivered meals from us because they can no longer work, but they haven’t gone through the formal process of getting recognized for a disability,” Ms. Foreman said. “We’re going to have seniors in January that are going to be required to volunteer or work 20 hours or more in order to keep their SNAP benefits.”

Lucas County is also feeling the impact of changes to SNAP because of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The federal government is reducing its share of administrative costs for SNAP from 50 percent to 25 percent. The county is now responsible for $2.5 million in additional costs, County Commissioner Pete Gerken has said.

Because the county is tasked with taking over administrative costs, the county is forced to cut elsewhere, asking departments to reduce their proposed 2027 budgets by 13 percent to eliminate a projected $27 million deficit.

But some department heads have said they can’t cut anymore, leaving little options for the county to avoid a multimillion-dollar deficit.

“The county is having to make terrible decisions, which makes it more difficult,” Ms. Kaptur said. “We’re trying to find ways to replace the dollars that were cut, but that is very hard because there are other stressors out here that impact our region.”

Ms. Kaptur is facing a competitive re-election bid against former Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin, who she ran against in 2024 and won by less than one percentage point.

Mr. Merrin’s campaign did not comment on how the Republican candidate plans to tackle the affordability crisis, but a spokesman for the campaign did criticize Ms. Kaptur’s vote against the One Big Beautiful Bill, which created a new, temporary tax deduction for seniors over 65. The new tax deduction offers up to $6,000 for single filers and $12,000 for married couples.

“It is laughable that liberal Marcy Kaptur talks about affordability for seniors when she voted to tax Social Security benefits,” Mr. Merrin’s spokesman said. “Marcy Kaptur is all talk and no action.”

Ms. Kaptur has been a vocal critic of the One Big Beautiful Bill for changes it made to Medicaid, reductions in funding for SNAP, and canceling an infrastructure grant in Toledo that was later reinstated.

On Thursday, she acknowledged updating Social Security is a tall task that will take a lot of effort with the U.S. House of Representative’s Ways and Means Committee, adding that it will take a presidential lead to do it.

“I think it’s possible,” she said. “And I would love to be a party to that and find a way to give the aspiring generation some cushions to land on, and not such hard concrete to fall on all the time.”

Root, a part of Accenture, was crowned the winner of The Blade’s annual Corporate and Community Spelling Bee, held at the Pinnacle in Maumee. 

The Root team consisted of Kristen Fritz, Ryan Baechle, and Tim Hyatt and is from the consultant firm based in Sylvania.

“We are editors. We work with words all day,” Mr. Baechle said. “Spelling just comes naturally.” 

The team won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 and its win Thursday ended a run of back-to-back titles by teams from Trinity Episcopal Church. 

Ms. Fritz and Mr. Hyatt were part of the 2022 team, while Mr. Baechle joined his colleagues on the 2023 team. 

The group said the secret to their success is in their job.  

“Our company makes a lot of training materials, educational materials for different companies so we proofread all of that,” Ms. Fritz said. “We are all avid readers too.” 

Root was one of nearly 30 teams that participated in the 38th annual event, which is a benefit for Read for Literacy, an organization that distributes books and promotes literacy skills throughout northwest Ohio.

Other teams came from places like Knight Insurance, The Blade, the city of Toledo, and Signature Bank. The Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office and Spengler Nathanson filled out the competition’s top three. 

Moderated by retired Sylvania Schools educator Paul Moffitt, teams tackled a variety of words in categories including autumnal words, words related to the concept of “talking,” and current events. 

Tough words included bulgur, the cracked wheat; gurney, the medical conveyance; derecho, a kind of storm; and wildebeest, the African animal. 

The Root team missed only one word. It came in the current events round when a question focused on spelling the last name of Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken, who has his team in first place in its division. The members admitted there weren’t any big football fans among the bunch. 

“I feel like between the three of us, someone was really confident ... I think blatherskite was the biggest guess,” Ms. Fritz said, noting the competition’s last regulation word. It refers to someone who blathers or talks foolishly a lot. 

Toledo city and business leaders celebrated a new sports bar and restaurant in downtown Toledo Thursday. 

Owner Mike Stancati, who also owns Hannon’s Block Restaurant around the corner, smiled as he, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, and others cut the ribbon on the Station Sports Bar at 28 N. Erie St., which is in Alleyway Toledo’s old space, in the Huron Yards development.  

“I felt momentum in downtown Toledo about six years ago when we started Hannon’s Block,” Mr. Stancanti said. “Today, I can honestly say that we’ve seen that momentum turn into something really special down here. Between the focus on development, the growing population, and strong leadership, there are more reasons and ways for people to enjoy downtown than before.” 

Matt Rubin and Julia Randles, who are principals at Crane Development in Toledo, property developer for the Huron Yards, said the new bar and restaurant adds to the many places to visit downtown. 

“Our vision is to take these historic buildings, to breathe life into them, [through] homes, businesses, artists, and places to eat and gather and preserve their character and to connect people to downtown in ways that they have not been connected previously,” Mr. Rubin said.

Jeff Lonsbrough, vice president of membership sales and engagement at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, said there have been many ribbon-cuttings as of late. 

That indicates that downtown Toledo continues to be on the rise, he said. 

“It’s amazing to be downtown just to see the improvements that are being made,” Mr. Lonsbrough said. “As a representative of the business community, it’s just a pleasure to see these businesses popping up. The vibrancy that you guys are creating downtown and you’ve really got a lot of synergy here as well right here.” 

Mr. Lonsbrough said he’s either lived or worked in downtown Toledo since 2008. 

There was a time when bars and restaurants couldn’t survive because people were coming downtown just for Mud Hens games. And in the winter, he said, there were many years where there was “really no reason” to visit downtown. 

Times have changed.

Mr. Stancati said he wants to see people stop by to watch games for the rest of the football season. 

He emphasized that the Station isn’t just a sports bar but also a restaurant, which offers pizza, pizza-puffs, hand-breaded jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, and traditional sub sandwiches. 

“Right now, with places like [Station Sports Bar], like all of the restaurants and bars that have popped up in the last 10 years or so, there’s more than enough reasons to come downtown. You don’t just say, ‘I can go to the Blarney, which has been here forever, and then I’ll go home,’” Mr. Lonsbrough said. “Right here in this 200-foot radius you can go to five different places.”

City officials celebrated the completion of a stream restoration project near Bandore Park that transformed an eroded ditch into a healthier waterway with improved drainage and wildlife habitat.

Hill Ditch, a major tributary of the Ottawa River, had suffered years of erosion, leaving steep, crumbling banks with little vegetation to stabilize them. City officials restored about 1,000 feet of the ditch by realigning it, adding a wetland to capture runoff before it enters the stream, and planting native plants.

Runoff from roadways and the nearby neighborhood was also entering the ditch, potentially carrying oil, grease, fertilizer, and pesticides into the waterway and eventually Lake Erie, officials said, contributing to algal blooms. The city also improved the streets nearby and added curbs and drainage.

The project was a priority for Councilman John Hobbs III, who said the city eventually found enough of “the nickels and the dimes” to complete it. Toledo received about $714,000 in grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, H2Ohio, and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and contributed $345,000 of its own money when the project began running over budget.

“We were receiving so many complaints about the flooding, about the potholes, about the deer that were being pushed [out] because they didn’t have anywhere to go, and everywhere I would see [U.S. Rep Marcy] Kaptur; she would let me know: get that done,” Mr. Hobbs said.

“Now we’ve got curves, now there’s ebbs and flows to this creek that is creating more wildlife and giving it an opportunity,” he continued.

City officials said a resident reported spotting 20 different bird species at the park in a day, and Toledo Councilman Nick Komives said he counted at least five during the news conference. Stormwater coordinator Edith Kippenhan said reducing the tree canopy, adding native plants, and deepening the stream have brought more wildlife to the area.

One of the project’s champions was Ms. Kaptur, who lives nearby and for years pushed city officials to pursue it. Previously, the streets lacked curbs and proper drainage, which led to flooding of roadways and basements.

“Thank you so much for seeing this neighborhood,” she told city officials. “This particular area is downstream from where I live, but the flooding has been [something] that we remember.”

However, not all neighbors are thrilled with the results. Although several agreed that the street needed improvements and that persistent flooding needed to be addressed, the stream realignment and habitat restoration at Bandore Park have received mixed reviews.

“[The street] was horrible, and they just wouldn’t give it attention for years,” said Terry Nisch, who lives in the neighborhood. “I think they could have done something a little different, saved some money.”

One complaint he’s heard from neighbors is that the project has eaten up most of Bandore Park’s green space, leaving substantially less room for children to play. The grass has been replaced with native plants that soak up runoff before it reaches the ditch, helping reduce nutrients and pollution entering Lake Erie.

“Everybody near the hill is kind of like, ‘Well, there ain’t no park left,’” Mr. Nisch said. “Kids would come down and play baseball and soccer and stuff, but there’s no room anymore for them,” he said.

The city’s environmental services commissioner, Abed Semaan, said the project drew criticism during construction but believes the results have been worth it.

“The realignment, even though at one point it didn’t look great and we went through growing pains, is just like surgery. When you go into surgery, it is going to be painful for a period of time, but the goal and the result is what matters,” he said, referencing complaints about trees that were cut down and then left piled up.

“In the news, described this as a nuisance and they described it as an eyesore. ... I’ll let you be the judge: Is this an eyesore right now, or is it a sight for sore eyes?” Mr. Semaan said.