From high school sports to picking apples, 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.

TIFFIN, Ohio — An investigation into illegal gambling resulted in the seizure of 93 slot machines from two locations in Tiffin.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission searched two businesses in the 100 block of Washington Street following reports of illegal gambling. 

The commission and the Tiffin Police Department searched Skilled Games at 122 N. Washington St. and Patty’s Place at 109 N. Washington St. Investigators also seized an undisclosed amount of money.

“Our enforcement efforts remain exceptionally thorough and strategically focused, as it has been consistently demonstrated that illegal gambling harms communities, undermines public safety, and negatively impacts the Ohioans who live in them,” said Andromeda Morrison, the commission’s interim executive director.

“We will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners to uphold the integrity of gaming in Ohio and protect residents from the risks associated with unlawful activity,” she said.

Birth

ProMedica Bay Park Hospital

Adriena and Donovan McBride, of Toledo, girl, Sept. 29.

Marriage licenses

Lucas County

Sept. 28, 2026

Robert Harmon II and Alexis Davis, both of Ohio.

Jeffrei Palazzolo and Yohanis Portales Ochill, both of Michigan.

Daryl Whitlow and Michele Henderson, both of Michigan.

Payton Foley and Chel- sie Kirk, both of Ohio.

Mohamed Kamara and Fama Ndiaye, both of Michigan.

Clinton Mosler and Maria Shannon, both of Ohio.

Derek Graham, of Michigan, and Leslie Augst, of Ohio.

Dominic Guyton and Savannah Rowe, both of Michigan.

Anthony English, of Michigan, and Shameka Moore, of Tennessee.

Corey Schindler and Miranda Paredes, both of Ohio.

Festus Trice and Nataya Crowder, both of Michigan.

Nathaniel Konzen and Rebecca Barnes, both of Ohio.

Spencer Bodi and Kiersten Blaisdell, both of Michigan.

Joseph Braun and Erin Leupp, both of Ohio.

Dylan Mitchell and Amanda Rogers, both of Ohio.

Vincent Tucker and Kayla Hite, both of Ohio.

Sept. 29, 2026

Eric Dow, of Ohio, and Tracey Spedden, of New York.

James Jacobus and Desiree Thomas, both of Ohio.

Charles McCartney and Caroline Kurtz, both of Ohio.

Eric Bares and Lillie Abshire, both of Ohio.

DaQuan Gray and LaTesha Riley, both of Ohio.

Brian Beverly and Kerrigan Carter, both of Ohio.

Jay Boettinger and Taylor Ritenour, both of Michigan.

Lewis Morelock V and Tiffani Panko, both of Ohio.

Run Yu, of Michigan and Ross Krawetzke, of Ohio.

Divorces granted

Lucas County

Laura Keyer from Aaron Keyer.

Aaron Keyer from Laura Keyer.

Tiffany Broka from Justin Broka.

Justin Broka from Tiffany Broka.

Phillip Bass from Kristina Bass.

Kristina Bass from Phillip Bass.

Tamara McInerney from Michael McInerney.

Michael McInerney from Tamara McInerney.

The Toledo Police Department has released body camera footage from the Sept. 2 encounter and Sept. 14 arrest of Nazario Vazquez.

Mr. Vazquez’s arrest stems from an incident on Sept. 2, in which a neighbor found Mr. Vazquez on the ground outside his home on Walbridge Avenue and called 911 for medical assistance.

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

The neighbor’s two-minute conversation with a dispatcher was also released Friday.

The police footage from around 7 p.m. Sept. 2 shows that after Mr. Vazquez became responsive, he appears to slowly punch the air while bystanders attempt to calm him down. An officer said, “Just let him know that we’re here to help him. Just keep reassuring him.”

Mr. Vazquez then swung his left arm toward a responder’s leg. He was rolled over, and a responder knelt on his upper back while handcuffing him. Mr. Vazquez later kicked an officer with his left leg while still on the ground before being put on a stretcher.

Police issued a warrant for Mr. Vazquez’s arrest on Sept. 7 for assault on a peace officer, a fourth-degree felony.

In the footage of his Sept. 14 arrest, an officer first spoke with Mr. Vazquez’s daughters before he exited his house and slowly walked with a cane to the police cruiser around 2:30 a.m.

“TPD has been responsive to the concerns brought to us and will continue to provide information as it becomes available for release,” a department spokesman said Friday.

The release came a day after more than 50 supporters gathered at the Farm Labor Organizing Committee office in South Toledo, questioning the circumstances of Mr. Vazquez’s arrest and calling for the release of body-camera footage.

The department said multiple public records requests have been filed seeking videos and records associated with these incidents.

“Those requests are broader than the footage being released today and will take additional time to review and process,” the spokesman said. “Our Records Section will continue working to fulfill those requests through its normal process.”

At a preliminary hearing in Toledo Municipal Court on Sept. 22, the prosecutor recommended amending the charges to a second-degree misdemeanor of obstructing official business, with the victim’s consent, according to court records. 

Mr. Vazquez entered a no-contest plea and served time at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio until on Sept. 24 the remaining time of his 30-day sentence was dismissed.

He was then placed in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mr. Vazquez’s immigration status before his arrest is unclear. A noncitizen can face deportation proceedings because of immigration status or, in some circumstances, because of a criminal conviction.

It was not immediately clear on what grounds federal officials are seeking Mr. Vazquez’s deportation.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.

“Mr. Vazquez’s immigration status was not the basis for the Sept. 2 police response or his Sept. 14 arrest,” Toledo police said Thursday in response to concerns the arrest did not conform to the city’s immigration status and resources ordinance. 

“The Sept. 14 arrest was based on charges stemming from that encounter, including assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct while intoxicated. His immigration status was not the reason for either police action,” police said.

Mr. Vazquez’s case is now in federal court, police said.

Early in-person voting begins Tuesday, and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown says his opponent is calling in reinforcements to “bail him out.”

Mr. Brown met with voters on Friday at Earnest Brew Works in downtown Toledo. His visit comes a day before President Trump is expected to visit Vandalia, Ohio, to campaign with U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio).

“Sen. Husted essentially asked the data center, crypto boys to come in and bail him out, and they came in with $30 million,” Mr. Brown said. “Now he’s asking the President to come in and bail him out.”

“The fact is, if he would listen to people and vote to end the war [with Iran], listen to people and vote to end these tariffs, that’s what people want,” he added. “They don’t want a $30 million investment from the crypto billionaires. They don’t want a presidential visit. They want action.”

His comments come after Fairshake, a super PAC funded by the cryptocurrency industry, announced plans to spend at least $30 million to oppose Mr. Brown in Ohio’s Senate race.

Mr. Brown, who lost his re-election bid in 2024, is seeking a comeback to the U.S. Senate. He is running against Mr. Husted, who was appointed to the seat last year.

“It’s understandable that Sherrod Brown is panicking about the onslaught of ads coming his way,” a spokesman for Mr. Husted’s campaign said. “After failing hardworking Ohio families for 50 years, he must be terrified of having his abysmal record splashed across TV screens.”

“Ohioans already fired Sherrod Brown once, and they’re not willing to go back to his days of higher taxes and a wide-open border,” the spokesman added.

Ohio could determine which political party has control of the Senate, as Republicans hope to hold on to majorities in both chambers of Congress in a tough election cycle.

“Last time, Trump won by 12 [percentage points], I lost by 3 [percentage points] ... people say to me, ‘You didn’t lose to [U.S. Sen.] Bernie Moreno, you lost to Donald Trump,’ like that makes me feel better,” Mr. Brown joked. “But this time is so very different. People are unhappy.”

Mr. Brown said he recently visited the Meta data center under construction in Wood County. Data centers have been a key focus of his campaign, as voters on both sides of the aisle raise concerns about the use of agricultural land, water supply, and electricity bills.

“It doesn’t matter your political party,” Mr. Brown said. “People that are Republicans and near Bowling Green or near Delta or near Swanton or near Montpelier, any community, particularly the small towns, people are really upset, as they should be.”

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats blocked Mr. Husted’s Ratepayer Protection Act from moving forward, despite the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly supporting it. The bill would require state public utility commissions to consider, but not mandate, a strategy aimed at making data centers pay for energy infrastructure costs associated with their developments.

“If Democrats block this bill, they will prove beyond a shadow of doubt that they do not care about affordability, and they will not do anything to take action to help,” Mr. Husted said ahead of the vote.

On Friday, Mr. Brown said the bill does not do enough to regulate data center development.

“This bill asks utility companies and asks public utility commissions to do something ... to say, ‘Well, we hope they’ll do better,’ it does not do anything,” Mr. Brown said.

Scot Yarnell, the owner of Earnest Brew Works, said he thinks data centers could cost Mr. Husted in the midterm election.

“Anybody that is supporting data centers in Congress is not representing their constituents,” Mr. Yarnell said. “Unless your constituents are truly a handful of billionaires.”

Mr. Yarnell, a South Toledo resident, said he has previously voted for Mr. Brown and intends to do so again this year. As a small business owner, Mr. Yarnell said he has felt the impacts of rising costs in both his expenditures and revenue.

Recently, his shipments have come with higher surcharges due to the price of diesel, and as customers cut their spending, entertainment is usually the first to get cut.

“I do sell a frivolous product in the sense that it’s kind of cool to go out with your friends for beers and stuff,” he said. “But if times are tough, you got to cut something, and this definitely gets cut.”

The last day to register to vote for the midterm elections is Monday, with early in-person voting beginning Tuesday. Election Day is Nov. 3. 

They didn’t roll out the red carpet.

Instead, Ohio Department of Natural Resources staffers rolled out a large vinyl mat that depicted a bird’s-eye view of a wetland on the floor of the Walbridge Park Shelter House.

That was done so people who came to hear Gov. Mike DeWine talk up his H2Ohio program on Friday could use their imagination and pretend they were walking on top of some restored wildlife habitat.

The agency had a row of wetland plants out on display along the walkway leading into the shelter house, too, and tree seedlings for attendees to take home.

The highlight, though, was freshly cooked walleye nuggets, lightly breaded with toasty bread crumbs, so those in the audience could snack on the most famous sport fish in the Maumee River and Lake Erie as speakers made their remarks.

The occasion was the latest of several stops in what the governor’s office is calling its H2Ohio Tour.

The purpose of it is to not only celebrate accomplishments of the statewide water-quality program that began at the start of Mr. DeWine’s first term, but also to thank the many local governments, nonprofit agencies, and private businesses that had a hand in creating or expanding wetlands.

Mr. DeWine didn’t shy away from one of the biggest reasons these celebrations are happening around the state, though.

He said he wants to keep his legacy program on the minds of the two candidates vying to replace him, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton.

Both have said they intend to keep it going but have not revealed many specifics. 

Mr. DeWine said it’s important that whoever is sworn into office on Jan. 11 realizes that the first eight years of H2Ohio have created a foundation to build upon.

It has not solved weighty problems, such as western Lake Erie’s chronic algal bloom or all of the threats from lead poisoning that Ohio children face in old buildings that still have lead-based waterlines.

“We’re going to have a new governor and a new legislature soon,” Mr. DeWine said. “We want to talk about the success [of H2Ohio], but we also want people to know the job is not done. The foundation has been laid, but we have to continue to do this.”

Several speakers echoed that, including Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz and Rob Krain, executive director of the regional land trust in Perrysburg known as the Black Swamp Conservancy.

“This is a legacy of the DeWine administration, but it cannot stop there,” Mr. Krain said. “The progress we are making deserves to continue into the next administration and beyond. Clean water is a long-term commitment, and Ohio needs to keep the foundation that has been set.”

Award-winning project

The setting was no coincidence.

Walbridge Park was chosen because it is near the largest wetland project undertaken in the Maumee River, a $13.5 million effort to rebuild Delaware/Horseshoe Island and Clark Island.

The 83-acre effort gained some national attention recently when it won an award from the American Association of Port Authorities.

Tom Winston, the local port authority’s president and CEO, and Joe Cappel, its vice president of business development, said they received the award earlier this week while attending the association’s national conference in New Orleans.

Ms. Mertz called H2Ohio “a program that is making a measurable difference.”

“As we approach the next chapter in H2Ohio’s story and journey, we hope everybody keeps working together toward this really important mission,” she said.

Bob Midden, a Bowling Green State University emeritus professor of chemistry, described how he and other scientists in the Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network have documented improvements in several wetlands they have studied.

Bond issue now appears unlikely

After formal remarks, Mr. DeWine said in a private interview that he’s pleased with the progress he made.

“H2Ohio is working,” he said. “We never said it was going to be overnight. We knew it was going to take a while. We came up with the most cost-effective way of doing it. That’s where we invested our money.”

He also said he no longer believes the Ohio General Assembly would support his call for asking voters to approve a statewide H2Ohio bond issue. He has said for months he wanted that to ensure stable H2Ohio funding and to avoid the kind of steep cuts H2Ohio’s wetlands program incurred from legislators in his last biennial budget.

“I don’t think the legislature wants to do that [a statewide bond issue] and that’s fine, as long as every two years they continue to put [enough] money into it,” Mr. DeWine said. “The only thing I want is to make sure we have consistent support of it.”  

While statistics say violent crimes like homicide are down in Toledo, domestic violence remains a present issue in the community. 

“Lucas County 911 receives more calls involving abusive relationships than anything else,” said Rebecca Facey, Toledo’s chief prosecutor. “It is constant, pervasive, and it is happening within every neighborhood and every generation. Why? Because it is a part of our culture. We have assigned gender roles that perpetuate, encourage, and even justify brutal misogyny.” 

Beyond the Algorithm: Media, Culture, and the Path to Ending Intimate Partner Violence was the theme of the second Breaking the Cycle of Violence Summit, hosted by the city of Toledo at ProMedica Toledo Hospital’s education center on Friday. 

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Councilmen Cerssandra McPherson and Vanice Williams gave opening remarks. 

In his keynote address, Jabari Evans, a professor of race and media at the University of South Carolina, focused on media literacy and how young people use digital tools for social development.  

“All of that is inclusive of many different things,” Mr. Evans said of his research. “One of which is [young people’s] intimate relationships, the way they pursue romance, the way in which they talk to each other and learn gender roles.” 

He said that in the modern age, movies, music, television, and podcasts are in our pocket and compete for our attention. It is in understanding these things and how young people consume them that sticky issues like domestic violence can be rooted out. 

“I don’t think we typically understand what’s happening until it’s time to intervene ... especially if you're speaking about something as sensitive as domestic violence,” Mr. Evans said. “I think it starts off with how relationships develop, how communication is done.” 

The professor said for teenagers like his son, who is 19, the coronavirus pandemic hit at formative times in their lives, one in which they should have been busy interacting, forming relationships, and building social skills. That event has caused an overreliance on technology that lasts into today.  

He said the big takeaway from this research is that adults need to meet young people where they are when it comes to media.

Also, parents, guardians, and those with young people in their life should make sure that what is being put forth in their teens’ TikTok algorithm, however bad of an example it might be setting for something like a romantic relationship, does not get the last word.

“Adults, their immediate want is to police. I think on the side of talking to adults, they need to aim to meet [young people] where they are at and be more in those spaces that they are inhabiting, learn more about those spaces so that they are not simply just saying ‘hey, that is over there. Don’t do that.’”

Another keynote speaker was Eric Marsh, Sr., director at the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. His own work focuses on how print, television, and digital journalists do their jobs. 

“We train journalists to change the way they cover individuals and communities impacted by gun violence more empathetically and ethically,” Mr. Marsh said. 

The organization has been around for six years and, despite its name, works with a nationwide focus. Mr. Marsh described how the organization’s founder, Jim MacMillan, a veteran photojournalist, noticed “harm” being created by journalists working within these violent subjects. 

“Oftentimes journalists rush in to get the story first while a family is still reeling from an immediate tragedy,” Mr. Marsh said. “One of the things we have developed is our survivor connection program, which trains community members to serve as sources to intercede so the journalists have someone to talk to.” 

Another potential cause of harm for journalists, Mr. Marsh said, is relying too much on the police narrative from police reports and the like. He encourages those he works with to reach out to people with lived experience and public health experts instead. 

The director said this will result in a fuller conversation around the issue with greater context. 

“It has actually worked out really well,” Mr. Marsh said. “We have worked with 300 survivors. We have created a database of sources for journalists that has 150 survivors, most of those are limited to the Philadelphia tri-state area.” 

More than 150 journalists have been certified through what the program teaches as well. Member journalists are in 18 different states and a Midwest chapter just opened in Chicago.  

The 2nd annual Glass City Get Down Street Art Festival kicked off Friday in Toledo.

Mind and Soul Gallery and Studio teamed with SeaGate Food Bank for the event, which continues from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 526 High St. 

Admission is free, but a non-perishable food donation to help support SeaGate Food Bank is encouraged.

Click the image above to view the full gallery.

Bethany House and the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s Steinem Sisters Collection will honor victims of domestic violence through the Northwest Ohio Silent Witness Project and its silhouette exhibits.

A Thursday unveiling will feature life-size wooden silhouettes, also known as Silent Witnesses. Each silhouette will be revealed in a solemn ceremony where a reader will recount the story of the girl or woman represented by that figure, organizers said. 

The unveiling will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the McMaster Center at the Main Library, 325 N. Michigan St., in downtown Toledo.

The silhouettes will be on display at the Lagrange, Locke, Reynolds Corners, Sanger, South, and West Toledo branch libraries and at the Main Library from Oct. 9-29 in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Admission is free. The library discourages bringing young children to the exhibit.

The local project was established in 2001 after a Bowling Green State University alumna Michelle Rizzi was murdered by her husband and abandoned at a construction site on campus. The Bethany House domestic violence shelter maintains the project.

“The Silent Witness Project asks us to do something simple but important: remember these women and girls by name and hear their stories,” said Jason Kucsma, the library’s chief executive officer.

City officials say they are in the final phase of cleaning up Brent Industries, where a fatal explosion and fire in August killed two people and caused the building to collapse.

A private contractor has contained pollution runoff, extracted impacted soil, and removed tanks affected by the fire, and officials are awaiting Ohio Environmental Protection Agency test results that will conclude the site’s cleanup, city officials said.

Neighbors heard two explosions at the facility, in the 2900 block of South Avenue, on Aug. 18, followed by a fire that consumed the building and wasn’t fully extinguished until three days later. According to its website, the facility cleaned and disposed of textiles soiled with both hazardous and nonhazardous materials.

First responders believe 12 people were inside at the time of the incident, two of whom were initially unaccounted for. The two victims, Heladio Garcia Perez, 46, and Mary Allen, 64, were found dead once the bulk of the fire was extinguished. The Lucas County Coroner’s Office determined the causes of death were blunt force trauma.

Brent Industries hired GHD, an Illinois-based environmental firm, to handle the remediation under the supervision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Concerns included tanks of mineral spirits, contaminated soil, and air quality from the fire.

Soil removal concluded on Aug. 29, and the tanks were contained by Sept. 5. State agencies and city officials have been managing the cleanup since Sept. 6, when the U.S. EPA handed over the property to Ohio’s agency.

City crews continuously monitored water and air quality until Sept. 5, and have said there are no ongoing concerns. The removed waste has remained on the sites, and city officials are awaiting testing to determine whether it is contaminated and where it can be removed to.

It’s official: The Old Wood County Jail in Perrysburg has new owners.

Josh and Caroline Jablonski closed on the historic property Monday. Originally listed for $400,000, it sold for $385,000.

“The same family has owned it since 1918, so we feel so lucky to be next,” the Jablonskis wrote in a Facebook post announcing the purchase.

Built in 1847, the building at 240 W. Indiana Ave. served as the Wood County jail and infirmary until 1870 and as the Perrysburg jail until 1899. The town sold it in 1918.

The couple, who have a 1-year-old daughter, plan to make it a home for their young family while preserving as much of the jailhouse’s historic character as possible, which was important to the previous owners.

“We do feel very lucky that we have the opportunity to restore things and keep things as original, because maybe someone else wouldn’t have,” Mrs. Jablonski said. “So we feel like we have this duty to this house — that we have to take care of it.”

A Realtor with the Danberry Co., Mrs. Jablonski said she has seen her share of older homes and new builds, but she has a special appreciation for historic properties.

“I’ve always had a love for old homes. I love looking at old homes, and I love when I can have a client look at an old home to buy. I think they’re so special. They don’t make houses like they did before,” she said.

Many of the jailhouse’s original features, including its cells, hardwood floors and concrete kitchen floors, will remain intact, she said.

For Sharon Hoffmann, 88, who lived in the building for 15 years, the jail’s past was never a drawback but rather part of its charm. The cells that once housed prisoners held her dishes and fine china.

“It was great. All these jail cells were wonderful for storage,” she said, “and I love the history of it, especially the stone and the bricks.”

The Jablonskis respect that history.

The couple invited the community to follow their Perrysburg Jailhouse restoration journey on social media, where their audience is already growing quickly. “Once a jail. Always a landmark. Soon to be our home,” the restoration site announces.

“We’ve had lots of interest already, which is very exciting. People love to follow along. We’ve had some comments like, ‘Oh my gosh, are you going to rip everything out?’ They’re worried that we’re going to tear it down and make it modern or something,” she said.

The Jablonskis expect to repaint and patch walls, with larger bathroom renovations planned for later.

“We’ve been working up to this for so long. I was a little relieved that it was official. Now all these ideas we’ve had, all these conversations — we actually have to do it. It’s real,” Mrs. Jablonski said.

City leaders say the passage of Toledo’s public safety levy this November could vastly improve the police and fire departments, but warn it won’t solve all of the city’s financial problems.

“One could make the argument, how badly does the city of Toledo need Issue 16 to pass,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said Thursday. “So badly, that even when it passes, we will still have a $25 million budget deficit. Can you imagine the world we will face if it doesn’t pass?”

On Thursday city leaders went before Toledo City Council’s public safety committee to give a “high-level” overview of Issue 16, which will ask Toledo residents to approve a temporary 0.25 percent income tax levy for neighborhood safety expenditures.

The Neighborhood Safety Income Tax is expected to generate $25 million a year, which would go to the city’s general fund.

If the public safety levy is approved, it would allow the city to double the size of police and fire classes, Mr. Kapszukiewicz said, promising a police and fire recruitment class with 40 spots each for the next four years.

The additional revenue would also allow the police department’s gang task force to grow by adding detectives and patrol officers.

In addition, the mayor said, public safety could expand beyond the police and fire departments.

“It has to be [spent on] safety,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said after the meeting. “This isn’t going to a youth program, for instance, the word is neighborhood safety.”

The increased revenue could triple the funding dedicated to the demolition of abandoned buildings and develop the city’s first residential speed enforcement program, the mayor said.

“Essentially what we’re going to commit to is cars and officers in neighborhoods every single day enforcing speed,” Deputy Mayor Abby Arnold said. “So pulling people over who are speeding and giving them tickets.”

Budget work continues

The mayor’s proposals come at a price. Even though the levy would bring in approximately $25 million a year, it won’t necessarily cut Toledo’s budget deficit in half, since it will still cost the city more to fund larger public safety classes, increase the funding of the demolition program, and grow the city’s gang task force.

The mayor did not have an exact cost on Thursday of what the new expenditures will total because finance officials continue to work on the proposed budget for next year. But he said the cost is nowhere near what the levy will bring in.

“Essentially the levy will bring in tens of millions of dollars more than the added cost that we will incur from hiring more police and fire,” he said.

If the levy does not pass, the mayor said the city would be looking at layoffs in the police and fire departments and warned other things could be on the chopping block.

“I don’t know that we’re ready today to say that MONSE will be cut,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement. “I think MONSE would absolutely be on the list of programs that would be in great danger of being eliminated if Issue 16 failed.”

The options

Mayor Kapszukiewicz did not have a definitive number of how many police officers and firefighters would be laid off if the levy doesn’t pass, but his Thursday presentation was one of two he’ll make. Later this month, his administration will return to council chambers with two proposed budgets: one if the levy passes and one if it does not.

The city’s roughly $50 million budget deficit is not a management issue, Mr. Kapszukiewicz said, but rather a structural problem inflicted by repeated cuts at the state and federal levels and lost population.

Last year, the mayor’s administration cut $6 million of the 2026 budget, and city council cut an additional $3 million. The city council also passed a resolution to reduce the 2027 and 2028 budgets by $10 million a year.

“We cannot cut our way out of this problem, unless we make peace with the fact that we’re going to lay off police and fire,” Mr. Kapszukiewicz said.

“I don’t want to see layoffs among police and firefighters,” he added. “I don’t think [council] wants to see layoffs among police and firefighters … there is no way to accomplish what we want to accomplish without introducing new revenue into our system.”

The Neighborhood Safety Income Tax would only be levied on earned income, so residents who are retired, unemployed, or not earning a wage would be exempt.

If approved, the city’s tax rate would match the state’s income tax rate at 2.75 percent, while also placing Toledo as one of the highest income tax rates in Ohio.

This would be the city’s third income tax levy in addition to the 0.75 percent tax and the 0.25 percent for roads.

The 0.25 percent for roads is strictly used for the cost of improving the city’s roads, streets, and bridges. And the 0.75 percent levy is divided up into three sections. Approximately 0.33 percent goes to the general fund for police, fire, and other safety department responsibilities, 0.33 percent goes to the general fund for other expenses, and 0.33 percent goes to the city’s Capital Improvements Fund. 

The Neighborhood Safety Income Tax will be on the Nov. 3 ballot for all Toledo residents voting in the midterm election.

Some Toledo City Council members say there has been a lack of transparency as the city looks to reallocate some of its remaining dollars received through the American Rescue Plan Act.

In 2021, the city was awarded $180.9 million from the federal government. The money had to be appropriated to projects by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026. Of the original $180.9 million, the city has about $5.6 million left to spend.

That money has already been obligated, but the mayor’s administration wants to reallocate $713,106, which was originally earmarked for specific projects.

With three months left to spend the money, some council members asked city finance officials Thursday why the administration was just bringing it forward now.

“It sounds like the administration was made aware at some point this year that they were able to put money into the Municipal Recovery Revenue Replacement fund, and then turn that into general fund money,” Councilman Mac Driscoll said. “And now, on Sept. 30, 2026, council’s been made aware of that.”

Other members questioned why the administration was wants to put the $713,106 into public safety wages as opposed to blight reduction or demolitions.

Melanie Campbell, the city’s finance director, said the administration feels it is the easiest way to expend the federal money by the deadline.

But Councilman Brittany Jones asked how the council can trust that the projects will get done.

“I understand the process of trying to put it in the general fund … the concern is, one, where it’s going, and then two, if you put it in the general fund, there’s no obligation that it is going to go to these different things,” she said. “It’s just taking your word for it.”

On the books

The three projects that either won’t use the full amount already obligated or won’t use it by the federal deadline of Dec. 31 include:

● The development of a food systems hub.

● The implementation of a grocery store construction incentive program.

● The cost of administrative staff in the city’s finance and law departments to provide oversight of the ARPA program.

The food systems hub has $355,297 that will not be expended by the end of the year. Similarly, the grocery store construction incentive has $147,000 that won’t be spent by the deadline. And the administrative oversight project won’t need its full amount obligated and will have $210,809 left over.

In total, those three projects equate to the $713,106 unspent dollars. The administration wants to reallocate that money for public safety wages through the Municipal Recovery Revenue Replacement initiative.

Ms. Campbell emphasized that the two healthy food projects will not be canceled as a result of the reallocation. Instead, it will free up resources in the general fund, so the city can still continue the healthy food projects without being bound to the Dec. 31 deadline.

She added that city council will still be required to approve any funding using general fund dollars, so members will still have oversight.

The city’s Chief of Growth Brandon Sehlhorst presented legislation on Tuesday that would allow the mayor to enter into an agreement with the Toledo-Lucas County Regional Board of Health to support the Healthy Food Small Market program. The pilot initiative is designed to increase access to fresh, nutritious foods in underserved Toledo neighborhoods.

The city council is being asked to authorize $355,297 from the general fund to support the program.

Council objections

Rosalyn Clemens, the city’s chief of housing and neighborhood sustainability, is overseeing the implementation of a grocery store construction incentive program.

On Wednesday, Ms. Clemens said the funding was originally allocated to help finance a new grocery store, but the financing was unsuccessful. After several changes, the city is now in talks with Red and White Super Market on North Detroit Avenue. Originally the market’s owner expressed interest in building a new store that would double their footprint, Ms. Clemens said.

“They’ve reached out to us this week to say that costs are going up, staffing is going up, and they want to pivot from a new build to a rehabilitation of their store,” Ms. Clemens said. “So we now have to work with them and pivot with them to do this project.”

But the proposal drew strong reactions from some council members, with Councilman John Hobbs III saying he would never support an ordinance that would allocate funds to Red and White Super Market.

“Here we are again going to bail somebody else out who has not made an investment in our community,” Mr. Hobbs said. “There are so many ways that Red and White could have invested in our community and have not. We have got to stop bailing folks out.”

Ms. Clemens said the city is doing its due diligence in making sure the project is financially viable.

The owner of the supermarket could not be reached for comment on Thursday regarding its plans with the city.

Since reallocating the dollars will free up money in the general fund, Mr. Driscoll suggested council members go back to the drawing board to determine what projects they want to pursue.

Two pieces of legislation will be on council’s agenda on Tuesday. One would authorize the reallocation of ARPA funds, while the other would approve the expenditure of $355,297 from the general fund to support the Healthy Food Small Market program.

Councilman George Sarantou, chairman of the council’s finance committee, said if the administration answers all of the council members’ questions, they could possibly vote on the ordinances Tuesday.

After Wednesday’s meeting though, Ms. Campbell said she expects the items to get a first reading, giving the council more time to discuss the ordinances.

COLUMBUS — Dr. Amy Acton is likely to run ahead of Sherrod Brown in the November election, according to the chief data analyst for NBC News.

Steve Kornacki said Thursday that in a state like Ohio, voters who supported President Trump in 2024 are more likely to cross over to support a Democrat in a governor’s race as opposed to races for the U.S. Senate or U.S. House. 

“That idea that you’re empowering the national Democratic party isn’t there,” Mr. Kornacki said during an Ohio Manufacturers’ Association event in Columbus. “I’ve kind of been thinking that Acton will run a tick better than Brown.”

Dr. Acton is running against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the governor’s race, while Mr. Brown faces U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio) in the contest for U.S. Senate. 

Mr. Kornacki said he’s also noticed a polling trend in which Trump supporters are more likely to support Mr. Husted than Mr. Ramaswamy.

“In one of the polls ... Husted was doing about 10 points better net than Ramaswamy,” he said, noting Mr. Husted received support from 88 percent of Trump voters, while Mr. Ramaswamy got 78 percent from that group.

“That raises the question to me of, is the Republican base — do they have some concerns about him?” Mr. Kornacki said. “It’s not huge ... but that slippage in a close race is important.”

Mr. Kornacki is the chief data analyst for NBC News and NBC Sports. He provides statistical analysis of polls and election results across the network’s platforms and shows, and is the host of Kornacki Cam, which launched to take viewers behind the scenes of elections, according to NBCNews.com. 

Some Republican voters may be upset that Mr. Ramaswamy pushed out other potential candidates by receiving endorsements from Trump and the Ohio Republican Party so early in the process, he said Thursday.  

“I do wonder if the way he became the nominee here didn’t win over the party completely,” Mr. Kornacki said.

“He came into this race known as a candidate who ran in the 2024 [presidential] primary and had no real public visibility before that,” he continued.

“I think there’s a world where [Lt. Gov. Jim] Tressel might have wanted to run,” Mr. Kornacki said. “I think there’s a world where Husted wanted to run for governor, and that whole process kind of got forestalled. I wonder if that left any unresolved issues with a small but potentially significant slice of Republican voters.”

9th District

Mr. Kornacki said the race between U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) and former state Rep. Derek Merrin might be the most interesting congressional race in the country in 2026.

“To me, it’s a broader question here of ... have things evolved here in Ohio where what Sherrod Brown was able to do in 2018 isn’t possible anymore?” he said, referring to Mr. Brown’s win over former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci in a year when Republicans swept all the other statewide races.

“If she can win the types of voters he won in the places he won in 2018 ... she’ll get re-elected,” Mr. Kornacki said.

“You look at that district, and Trump carried it twice under these new lines big — double digits — so there would be no path,” he said, “but in 2018 you take those Senate numbers in those same counties and the same slice of Wood County, she’d be fine.” 

Polling issues

Mr. Kornacki said while polls look strong for Democrats in Ohio and across the country, there is a real possibility that Republicans are being undercounted because of the demographic shifts in which voters are supporting which parties. Democrats are now much more likely to be supported by voters with college degrees, while Republicans are more likely to be supported by voters without college degrees. 

“It is always possible ... that there is a differential response to the polls,” he said.

“We know that if a pollster is calling — a professional-class, college-educated Democratic voter is going to be the most likely to want to take the poll,” he continued. “At varying points in time over the last 10 years, the Trump-aligned blue-collar voter — and there’s all sorts of theories about why — has been far less willing to take that poll.” 

Mr. Kornacki said he’s skeptical that Republicans are doing better than what is reflected in the polling, pointing to the headwinds Republicans are facing with high gas prices, rising inflation, and the unpopular war in Iran, among other issues. 

“But I have to allow for that possibility because it’s happened before,” he said. 

Ryan Augsburger, president of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, said he appreciated Mr. Kornacki’s presentation.

“Steve has a way of cutting through an enormous amount of political data and showing you very quickly where the pressure points are,” Mr.  Augsburger said. “Our members got a close look at the races, counties, and voter shifts that could matter most over the next month.”

Nazario Vazquez’s 15-year-old daughter Maria was sleeping in her South Toledo home last month when she was awakened by her mother, who told her police were there to arrest her father.

Maria Vazquez choked back tears Thursday as she recounted the arrest in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, and how traumatic it was for her and her six siblings.

“They told me that if he doesn’t come out peacefully, they were going to force their way inside to take him. My dad saw the situation for me and my siblings, and he didn’t want to make it worse. He went with them peacefully,” she said.

She spoke at a news conference at the Farm Labor Organizing Committee office on Broadway Street that drew over 50 supporters of Mr. Vazquez, some holding signs critical of law enforcement.

Mr. Vazquez’s arrest stems from an incident on Sept. 2, in which a neighbor found Mr. Vazquez on the ground outside his home on Walbridge Avenue and called 911 for medical assistance, Jessica Molina said.

Ms. Molina, from Abriendo Puertas Para Soluciones, a service provider with front line access to the immigrant population, said Mr. Vazquez was taken to the hospital and released the following day.

Anthony Beamon, Mr. Vazquez’s neighbor, said he made the 911 call when he found Mr. Vazquez face down on the ground outside his house. 

He said Mr. Vazquez struggles to stand and has a hard time walking without a walker or cane. 

“Police had said he was swinging his cane at them, and that was why he was charged with assault. I saw no cane. His walker was about 5 feet from them,” Mr. Beamon said

“They are trying to say he was resisting arrest. That is absolutely untrue from what I saw,” Mr. Beamon said. 

Police issued a warrant for Mr. Vazquez’s arrest on Sept. 7 for assault on a peace officer, a fourth-degree felony. According to the affidavit, on Sept. 2 he assaulted the officer “by kicking him, causing his knee to buckle.”

According to court records, Mr. Vazquez was arrested on the outstanding warrant on Sept. 14 and arraigned the following day in Toledo Municipal Court. Bond was set at $25,000.

At a preliminary hearing in Toledo Municipal Court on Sept. 22, the prosecutor recommended amending the charges to a second-degree misdemeanor of obstructing official business, with the victim’s consent, according to court records. 

Mr. Vazquez entered a plea of no contest and stipulated “that there is a factual basis for a finding of guilty” and waived his right “to a presentation of facts and explanation of circumstance supporting a guilty finding.”

Judge Nicole Khoury found him guilty and sentenced him to 30 days at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio. He received credit for the 8 days he had already served in custody since his arrest, leaving him 22 days to serve at CCNO. 

During the same court appearance, Mr. Vazquez was also told that if he was not a citizen of the United States, his conviction “may have the consequences of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States.”

On Sept. 24, his sentence was “modified for good cause shown,” according to court records. He received credit for one day at CCNO, and the remaining 21 were dismissed, as he was brought back to Toledo upon request of federal officials.

“Mr. Vazquez was transported to CCNO to be put in ICE custody. He is now facing ICE deportation proceedings that stemmed from a medical call two weeks prior,” Ms. Molina said.

She also raised concerns about whether the city’s code of conduct was followed. A portion of the code prohibits departments and city officials from using city money, equipment, or personnel for apprehending anyone based on suspected immigration status, except in response to a court order. 

“Mr. Vazquez’s immigration status was not the basis for the Sept. 2 police response or his Sept. 14 arrest,” Toledo police said in a statement Thursday, in response to concerns the arrest did not conform to the city’s immigration status and resources ordinance. 

“TPD initially responded to a call for service on Sept. 2. Following that encounter, Mr. Vazquez was taken to the hospital due to his level of intoxication. The Sept. 14 arrest was based on charges stemming from that encounter, including assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct while intoxicated. His immigration status was not the reason for either police action,” police said.

Mr. Vazquez’s case is now in federal court, police said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment. 

Toledo police said they are processing requests for police reports and body-worn camera pertaining to the incident footage, and they should “provide additional information and context surrounding what occurred.”

A Toledo teenager has been sentenced to 26 to 31 years for the January, 2025, killing of another teen.

Michael Silvera, 18, of the 200 block of Leland Avenue was sentenced on Thursday in the shooting death of Jaidon Mangas, 18, in Toledo’s South End.

The sentencing by Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Dean Mandros followed Silvera entering guilty pleas Sept. 14 to an involuntary manslaughter charge plus first-degree aggravated robbery and second-degree felonious assault, all with firearms specifications. 

On Jan. 4, 2025, Silvera, 16 at the time, met the victim behind an apartment building in the 600 block of South Avenue for a gun transaction, according to the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office.

Silvera shot the boy once in the chest and once in the foot, killing him, then ran from the scene with the victim’s money, the office said. 

“I hope today’s sentence provides some measure of justice for Jaidon’s family and those who loved him,” Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates said. “We cannot accept that gun violence continues to take young lives in our community.”

ProMedica broke ground Thursday on an $18 million emergency and urgent care facility in Perrysburg Township that is expected to open in about 18 months.

The 12,000-square-foot facility at 26879 Lake Vue Drive will combine emergency and urgent care services in one location, following a model ProMedica already operates in Maumee.

“As we searched for property, we wanted to have good optic, [somewhere] easy to access, and to make parking easy because it is a really big concern for patients,” said Arturo Polizzi, ProMedica president and chief executive officer. “They want to be able to get in and out really easily. We were able to secure a parcel large enough to kind of tick all of those boxes.” 

Perrysburg Township Trustee Joseph Schaller said the new urgent care and emergency facility will be a welcome addition to the township.

“What a great asset,” Mr. Schaller said. “We are looking forward to the collaboration of ProMedica and our safety services. We are all here at Perrysburg Township to serve all of you and just make life a little better.” 

Dr. Jay Woody, chief medical officer and founder of Intuitive Health, which is partnering with ProMedica on the project, said he remembers when people were skeptical of the combined urgent care and emergency facility in Maumee.

He said people weren’t sure that the Maumee facility could provide both services, but he feels “pretty confident that we have proven that it can be done and it is being done very successfully.” 

The urgent care’s impact during the coronavirus pandemic is clear evidence that both can coexist in the same space, Dr. Woody said. 

“The ProMedica employees really were able to handle the volumes of COVID patients that were coming through at that time, and I think that has laid the foundation for what we are going to continue to replicate here today,” Dr. Woody said. 

Dawn Buskey, chief acute care officer at ProMedica, said the hospital system wanted to duplicate the positive impact it made through the Maumee site, which serves more than 36,000 patients a year. She said patients will be able to walk in and be evaluated before being provided the appropriate type of care. 

“It really takes the guessing work and the stress off patients and parents,” Ms. Buskey said. “We think that it’s critically important to make sure that the patients are getting the highest level of care they need in the most cost-effective manner that they can receive it.” 

Savannah Walls, public relations specialist for ProMedica, said construction is expected to start on Monday.  

Though ProMedica already cares for patients in the township, its leadership wants to “invest in these innovative care delivery models like we have here to continue to meet the evolving needs of these patients,” Mr. Polizzi said.  

“When you think about what patients want, they want high quality and convenience,” Mr. Polizzi said. “What we’re doing here hits both of those really well, just like we did in Maumee, and we’re really excited to be able to do that here. ... We’re really excited to see this vision become a reality.” 

The University of Toledo’s Ritter Planetarium will screen two seasonal films throughout October, the university said. 

Spooky Space, which compares outer space phenomena such as black holes and nebulae to characters such as vampires and ghosts, will be screened at 1 p.m. every Saturday through Oct. 31. 

The planetarium will also screen 5,000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI at 7:30 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 30. That film explores recent discoveries from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, installed on a telescope in Arizona.

Admission to all public programs is $8 for adults and $6 for children and seniors, the university said. Children ages 3 and younger are free. 

Parking is free for visitors who register in advance online or submit their license plate information once inside the planetarium lobby. Free parking is available within 45 minutes of the beginning of planetarium shows in Area 1N.

Residents cut shingles, paint during the Project Playhouse Blitz Build on Thursday at Buckeye Broadband in Northwood.

Click the image above to view the entire gallery.

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s motor fuel tax will be suspended for the next 90 days.

Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 519 on Thursday, and the legislation takes effect immediately under its emergency clause. Neither Mr. DeWine nor the governor’s office provided comments explaining why he decided to sign the legislation. 

Both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly passed the $725 million gas tax holiday measure on Wednesday. 

Ohio’s gasoline tax is 38.5 cents per gallon, and the state diesel tax is 47 cents per gallon. 

For accounting purposes, the motor fuel tax will actually be reduced to 1/100 of a cent ($0.0001) per gallon, Senate GOP spokesman John Fortney said.

“[This] also protects certain border counties from seeing unintended tax consequences due to neighboring states charging their own tax on fuel sold into Ohio if no other tax is levied,” Mr. Fortney said.

In northwest Ohio, that language protects the Michigan border counties of Lucas, Fulton, and Williams. 

Area lawmakers explain votes in favor of bill

State Sen. Bill Reineke (R., Tiffin) said the gas tax suspension is yet another example of Republicans reducing taxes in Ohio.

“We’re all feeling the burden of high gas prices right now, and we saw a way to provide real, tangible relief to Ohioans,” Mr. Reineke said.

“At the end of the day, more of your money should stay in your wallet,” he continued. “That’s why we wanted to work together swiftly to reduce the tax burden on hardworking Ohioans.”

State Rep. Erika White (D., Springfield Township) said she supported H.B. 519 because it would provide immediate relief to constituents, but she believes lawmakers should do more on affordability issues.

“Working families deserve relief wherever we can responsibly provide it, and for someone stretching every dollar saving money at the pump can mean real breathing room,” Ms. White said.

“However, we should be clear about what this is — relief, not permanent affordability reform,” she continued. “Ohioans are being squeezed by housing, utilities, groceries, health care, property taxes and transportation costs. My vote today helps families keep a little more of their own money right now while I continue fighting for the broader affordability solutions they need for the long haul.”

Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D., Cincinnati) and other Democrats proposed a bill suspending the gas tax while also providing relief on energy bills and property taxes, but it was not included as part of H.B. 519. 

Specifically, Mr. Isaacsohn’s House Bill 1020 would have used the $1 billion previously allocated to help pay for sports stadiums to give Ohioans a $150 residential energy rebate and implement an expanded homestead exemption. 

State Rep. Michele Grim (D., Toledo) also voted in favor of H.B. 519. 

“People need immediate relief at the pump. Trump’s war with Iran has sent global energy prices soaring, while the Trump tariffs are driving up prices on everyday goods and costing families $2,500 a year,” Ms. Grim said. 

“It shouldn’t take an upcoming election to get lawmakers to act on affordability,” she continued. “Under one-party Republican rule, Ohio families have struggled with rising utility bills, housing costs, property taxes, and health care expenses for years. Ohioans work hard for their money, and they deserve a government that works just as hard to make everyday life more affordable.”

Toledo legislators oppose bill

State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D., Toledo) voted against H.B. 519. She said the entire process was shocking to her.

“The majority used procedure to prevent debate or ask questions about their ... scheme to support political campaigns,” Ms. Hicks-Hudson said. 

“There was no opportunity to offer amendments that would provide real relief to Ohioans in their food, housing, and utility bills,” she continued. “Instead, they rushed through an amendment which really looks good but with no real details on how it will work.”

She expressed deep concerns about lawmakers returning to session just because gubernatorial candidates made a suggestion.

“This vote further erodes the business of the people into the business of the politicians,” Ms. Hicks-Hudson said.

State Rep. Elgin Rogers (D., Toledo) voted against the legislation as well.

“Let me be clear: I support lowering gas prices and providing real economic relief to Ohio families,” Mr. Rogers said. “But this legislation establishes a troubling precedent that could leave taxpayers paying tomorrow for temporary relief today.”

Mr. Rogers said the savings may amount to only a few dollars at each fill-up.

“My concern is that this becomes a short-term, high-interest loan to Ohioans — a little relief today, with taxpayers holding the bill tomorrow,” he said.

“My message is simple: Don’t fall for the pump fake,” Mr. Rogers continued. “Eventually, somebody has to pay the bill. That somebody should not once again be Ohio’s working families.”