The Toledo Police Department wants to get out of the towing business by outsourcing management of its impound lot.

The department is asking Toledo City Council to allow the city to enter into a five-year agreement with Illinois-based Vehicle Management Solutions LLC to manage the Toledo Police Impound Lot.

The agreement includes the option to renew for an additional five years. Services include receiving towed vehicles, storage at secured facilities, processing release to vehicle owners, and disposal of unclaimed vehicles.

Costs are expected not to exceed $2,471,617.35 from the municipal tow lot fund annually.

Outsourcing details

Toledo’s impound lot is currently managed by seven TPD officers and one sergeant, according to Assistant Police Chief Kevin Braun. By outsourcing operations, those officers can be deployed to other areas of the department.

“Our hope is that if and when this happens, that we can work with the patrol officers’ union to kind of find a better use for those officers, which we hope will translate into seven more officers out on the street taking calls for service,” Chief Braun told council members last week.

Currently, towed vehicles are taken to the impound lot on Dura Avenue off North Detroit Avenue. The police department also handles local auctions or takes vehicles to the scrapyard. Vehicle Management Solutions would take over auctions, putting vehicles on a national platform online.

“The goal and the hope is the average sale price of the vehicle that we get now through auction and through scrap will increase because there is going to be a larger buyer pool for those vehicles,” Chief Braun said.

Vehicle Management Solutions operates in Chicago, San Antonio, Nashville, Memphis, Louisville, and El Paso. If Toledo contracts with the company, it would be the first Ohio client for impound operations.

TPD chose Vehicle Management Solutions because the company can provide management services and is familiar with the software that the department already utilizes, said Toledo Lt. Brianne Holmes.

Chief Braun added that, through the department’s research, other cities have been pleased with the company’s service.

However, Vehicle Management Solutions has been tied to several legal battles in other states.

The company itself has never been sued by the U.S. Department of Justice, but several cities that have contracted with it have faced lawsuits for allegedly violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which provides federal protections for those called to active duty.

Legal challenges

In September, 2020, San Antonio reached an agreement with the Justice Department to resolve allegations that the city violated the act by auctioning off and disposing of cars that were owned by service members without first obtaining court orders.

An investigation launched by the Department of Justice found that between 2011 and 2019, the city auctioned at least 227 vehicles registered to service members without obtaining the required court orders. San Antonio contracted with Vehicle Management Solutions, previously known as United Road Towing Inc., in 2011, according to court documents.

The city was required to pay $47,000 to compensate two service members, an additional $62,029 civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury Department, and to establish a $150,000 settlement fund to compensate other service members.

Four years later, the Department of Justice announced it reached a settlement with the city of El Paso to resolve similar allegations. The complaint alleges that the city and its contractors auctioned or disposed of more than 170 vehicles owned by service members without first obtaining court orders allowing them to do so.

The city was required to develop new policies and procedures to ensure that contractors who are responsible for auctioning or disposing impounded vehicles comply with the act in the future. El Paso was also responsible for paying a $20,000 civil penalty.

United Road Towing, which El Paso contracted with in 2019, was required to establish a $57,395 settlement fund to compensate service members, pay a $24,980 civil penalty, provide training to its employees, adopt policies and procedures to investigate the military status of a registered owner prior to auctioning a vehicle, and obtain a court order prior to auctioning a vehicle owned by a protected service member. 

United Road Towing rebranded into Vehicle Management Solutions in 2023.

New processes

Vehicle Management Solutions’ Chief Operation Officer Frank Mecklenburg said the company does not sell vehicles until they are legally ready to be sold, provides proper notification to the vehicle’s owner, and complies with state law.

In response to questions last week about the San Antonio case from Council President Vanice Williams, Mr. Mecklenburg said the company has since partnered with the Justice Department to improve the process of disposing impounded vehicles.

“Through this, I think the DOJ has recognized, and what we have recognized, is that there are gaps in that process,” Mr. Mecklenburg said. “The software service we have now absolutely prevents that.”

Every towing company that has an auction is supposed to run the vehicle through the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act database, Mr. Mecklenburg said.

“Nobody does because it is virtually impossible,” he said. “You have to have a birth date and you have to have a Social Security number. Those are two things we typically do not have, so we’re working with the Department of Justice to try to figure out how do we bridge that gap nationally.”

Councilman John Hobbs III asked that the item receive a first reading during Tuesday’s council meeting.

After the meeting, Mr. Hobbs, chairman of council’s public safety committee, said he wanted to make sure other members had time to ask questions and get answers before voting. He is hosting a public safety committee meeting May 21 at 4 p.m. in council chambers where the item will be discussed further.

Despite some of the legal challenges other cities have faced, Mr. Hobbs said he is not concerned with the company’s management.

“If you look at all the cities that they are operating in, they are operating in some major cities with a lot more than what we have in Toledo,” Mr. Hobbs said. “They seem to be doing a great job in other places.”

Toledo Public Schools district leaders have announced a series of essential parent meetings to discuss the impact of the district’s Transformation 2.0 plan.

The meetings start Monday and are for families with students currently attending schools slated for closure at the end of this year, as well as any parents seeking information regarding educational options for their children.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the specific schools their students are assigned to attend this fall, meet with administrators and staff from those receiving schools, and finalize all necessary registration and enrollment documentation for the 2026-27 school year.

All meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the following high schools: Monday at Bowsher, Tuesday at Scott, Wednesday at Waite, and Thursday at both Woodward and Start.

For a list of which schools will be discussed at each meeting, additional boundary information, and more details about the plan, visit tps.org.

A large tract of property in Perrysburg Township has caught the interest of the community through a prominent regional developer. 

The New Albany Company, a development firm founded in the Columbus area by retail magnate Les Wexner, is shopping what it is calling the Perrysburg Business and Technology Park. The land is more than 400 acres that spreads along Fremont Pike to just south of Roachton Road. It is currently empty farmland, though the company sees it as rife with possibility. 

“MBJ is acquiring the 425-acre site as a speculative investment given its existing zoning (general and light manufacturing), its proximity to the I-75/I-80/90 interchange, and the presence of CSX rail on site,” Lisa Hinson, a spokesman for the New Albany Company, said in a statement. MBJ refers to MBJ Holdings, the real estate investment affiliate of the New Albany Company. “At this time, we have no information about the future land use or the timing of development.”

The prospect of developing the site, known to some as the Kazmaier Assemblage, has become a hot topic in the community.

“It has always been a pretty significant piece of vacant land,” said Robert Mack, a longtime Perrysburg Township trustee. 

Mr. Mack said the property was rezoned from agricultural to industrial about five years ago. In doing so, the township weathered some sensitivity from residents on the southern edge of the tract regarding industrial activity potentially going right up to their properties. That led to a buffer zone being created between the tract and the private properties. 

“At the time we rezoned it, there was not significant opposition,” Mr. Mack said.  

Resident opinion 

Area residents say that rumors the Kazmaier land could be turned into a data center have been floated for a while. 

Mark Snyder lives about a mile east of the site on farmland of his own. The farm has been in his wife’s family for more than a century. 

Like many, he came across a “pitch deck,” or a sort of slideshow the New Albany Company recently released touting the advantages of the Perrysburg Business and Technology Park. 

“It says 425 acres, plus I think it says ‘expansion capacity,’” Mr. Snyder said, referring to a line on Page 7 of the New Albany slideshow. “They’re looking to make it bigger, obviously.” 

Mr. Snyder said he has been approached in recent months about selling his land. He wasn’t sure if the local law firm that contacted him was representing the New Albany Company, but the inquiry put him on alert and made him suspicious. 

“If they need that much property, why do they need that much property?” Mr. Snyder asked, noting neighbors of his have also been contacted. 

He drew parallels to what he has heard about the circumstances surrounding a data center project in Middleton Township. The Wood County area between Perrysburg and Bowling Green dealt with the matter dating back to 2023, and construction of the Meta facility is ongoing. 

“If you look at Middleton, my understanding is they started off with several properties together and have just expanded and bought more. ... The pattern seems similar,” Mr. Snyder said. 

Overall, Mr. Snyder and other residents say there is a lot they still just don’t know. According to them, township trustee meetings, including one that took place last week, often reveal more questions than answers. 

A topic that recently came up was Section 9.66(D) in the Ohio Revised Code. It took effect on March 20 and says that public officials can be held criminally liable when disclosing certain information about projects related to economic development. 

This has made waves through circles of interested parties in the community. Many feel dealings between the New Albany Company and Perrysburg Township fall under this.  

“We can’t effectively talk to our legislators, our trustees, the people who are supposed to be representing us, without them being arrested for a misdemeanor which requires a year in jail and a $1,000 fine,” said Chris Coultrip, a retired police officer who lives just west of the Kazmaier property on Thompson Road. 

Ms. Coultrip and Mr. Snyder share common concerns about why they don’t want to see a data center near their homes — from water usage, to noise, to temperature increases.

“These data centers come in and they have not been good neighbors,” Ms. Coultrip said. “They’re running diesel generators and the incidence of bronchitis, asthma, and heart disease have gone up.” 

She cited a well-known incident in Georgia where residents near a Meta data center got sediment filled water from their taps. Ms. Coultrip said she has also attended EPA hearings to ask further questions of decision makers on how well emissions from data centers are being monitored.   

New laws 

Members of the board of trustees dispute that the new law is at play, voicing opposition to the idea behind the law.   

“It struck me as overreaching because I am more inclined to think that anything that hits my inbox involving my township role is very much a public record,” Mr. Mack said. 

“I haven’t had any personal experience where that has caused a concern yet, but it does fly in the face of the state Sunshine laws in my opinion, and it does seem relatively unconstitutional,” said Jeffrey Moore, a Perrysburg Township trustee who just started his term earlier this year. “I don’t like it one bit because I think that we should be 100 percent transparent.” 

An additional concern that arose was a line about tax abatements for the Kazmaier land that is included in the description on the New Albany Company’s website. 

It mentions a 10-year property tax abatement is available. Mr. Mack said he is very much interested in hearing any proposals from the New Albany Company as they are going to be making a substantial investment in the community. Still, he called the statement about the tax abatement “presumptuous” he did not believe it resulted from discussion with anyone on the board of trustees.    

Mr. Mack said overall that he has not heard anything concrete about a data center project. 

“Before it was even declared that it was being sold, we were tipped off by an attorney representing the landowners who said that could be the case,” Mr. Mack said of a data center being constructed on the site. “But I have not heard of any data center that is interested in it.”

“When they are ready to do something in our township, they need to come to us with a proposition,” Mr. Mack said. “Like here, this is how we want to use this land or this is how we want to provide incentives for companies that might want to go in.” 

Two people were shot in separate incidents in Toledo, police said.

Police responded to the 1500 block of Nebraska Avenue at 4:10 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a person shot. Officers found a 33-year-old female with a gunshot wound.

She was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center with critical injuries, police said.

Just after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday police responded to the 3400 block of Nebraska Avenue on a report of a person shot. They found a 47-year-old man in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the leg.

He was taken to UTMC.

The city of Oregon wants to renegotiate its agreement with the Oregon Economic Development Foundation, the city’s main economic development arm, to safeguard the city’s interests.

The foundation receives $100,000 annually from Oregon as part of its operating budget. Funding is also provided by dues-paying members from the business community.

“Right now, we want to put in some safeguards for city assets that did not exist in previous agreements,” Mayor Steven Salander said.

“There’s been some trust issues between the city and OEDF. We’re just trying to have some protections to be able to sell or purchase land,” he said. “When we transfer land to OEDF, it’s in their name. We have to have some protections in there so they don’t sell city land without our approval.”

The foundation markets city land for commercial and industrial development. When the land is purchased, the proceeds from the sale of the property go back to the city, minus expenses incurred, Mr. Salander said.

“There have been lots of agreements for land that’s been transferred to them over the years that have not been consistent,” he said. “Some of them had callback clauses where land that is not sold or developed within three years would go back to the city. We’ve not had that in a while, so they’ve had complete control of city property.”

There were also questions on the transactions themselves and the lack of paperwork in some instances, he said.

“We’re trying to have more of a paper trail, basically. There were a lot of verbal agreements between people and a breakdown in communications. We want it to be more transparent, and give the city more ability to protect property that was purchased with public funds,” said Mr. Salander.

“We want to clean up everything and make agreements more consistent, " he added.

Officials from the city and the foundation recently met to discuss a draft agreement, but nothing has been settled, Mr. Salander said. 

“The foundation is pushing back on the changes we’re asking for,” he said.

Last year, the city held up its $100,000 payment until financial issues with the foundation were resolved. In particular, the city was frustrated after requests for transaction logs from the foundation on real estate purchases had gone unanswered for months. The foundation finally submitted them to the city.

Whenever land or money is transferred to the foundation, it is accompanied by a city ordinance that gives direction on what can be done with it, said Paul Roman, acting city administrator. 

“If the property isn’t sold, or things don’t get purchased, what happens with that revenue or that property? Is the contract too general? Should it be more specific? We just want to make sure our properties are more protected, and that the contract takes care of the public interest,” Mr. Roman said.

There are also discussions on the amount the city contributes annually to the foundation, which has grown considerably over the years.

Nick Roman, Oregon’s finance director, said the city’s contribution climbed from $24,000 in the foundation’s first year in 1993, to $44,000 in 1994, $51,000 in 2004, $62,000 in 2005, $70,000 in 2009, to $100,000 in 2023.

Councilman Beth Ackerman wants to cut back or even eliminate the contribution altogether.

At the start of the foundation, the city only matched the amount of the membership fees, Mrs. Ackerman said.

“City funds were supposed to just get them off the ground, and their dues-paying members would eventually cover that,” she said. “It sounds like they’re doing great with memberships, so it should be self-sustaining.”

Paul Roman said funding has grown due to inflation, the cost of insurance, taxes, and maintenance.

“Then there’s the cost of the director. It’s a combination of all those things,” he said.

“If the membership grows, maybe there’s less of a need for city money,” he added.

He is opposed to significantly reducing or eliminating city funds.

“There clearly has to be money from the city going into the foundation, which is still managing city land, and there’s a lot of work that’s being done for Oregon,” he said.

Craig Albers, president of the foundation’s executive board, did not return messages seeking comment.

For months, Aerospace and Natural Science Academy of Toledo senior McKenzie Lounsbury has been preparing for an unusual new classmate: a juvenile stingray named Genevieve.

As part of her capstone project, McKenzie helped build the stingray’s tank from scratch and maintain it — a process she said taught her just how demanding caring for the animal can be.

“Many people do not know how hard it is to take care of a stingray,” McKenzie said.

At only a couple months old, Genevieve does what most young animals do.

“She sleeps a lot,” McKenzie said. “She is also the color of the sand at the bottom of her tank. She likes to hide a lot. Sometimes it is like finding Waldo with her because she blends into the sand. She is a lot of work but also a lot of fun.”

Genevieve can live up to 30 years, and she should grow to double her current size, McKenzie said. She feeds her stingray a diet of squid, fish, and shrimp.

“She is a pain to feed, but I am going to start working with her soon once she is more used to her surroundings,” McKenzie said. 

Kurt J. Wicklund, senior director of the Aerospace and Natural Science Academy of Toledo, called McKenzie one of the superstar students at the school.

“McKenzie just works very hard and does not shy away from things,” Mr. Wicklund said. “She has put a lot of time and thought into Genevieve.”

McKenzie, her brother, London Redder, 15, and sister, Madison Lounsbury, 13, lost their mother, Linda, in 2022. The siblings are living with their aunt Sandy Majo.

The senior has a 4.2 grade point average and will graduate as the school’s salutatorian. She will attend Ohio State University in the fall on a full scholarship. McKenzie said she will study wildlife sciences and conservation.

She was selected for a highly competitive paid STEM internship through Bowling Green State University and the University of Cincinnati’s Biology Meets Engineering Fellowship. She’s also raising a 4-H goat named Pretzel.

Mr. Wicklund said the school partnered with the University of Cincinnati on the internship project beginning two years ago.

“One of the benefits tied to the grant funding of the program is the opportunity for up to six of our students to earn paid STEM internships while conducting research at either Bowling Green State University or the Toledo Zoo,” he said. “While the selection process is competitive, we had no doubt that McKenzie would be chosen. This internship aligns directly with her passion for marine biology and reflects the tremendous amount of time, effort, and curiosity she has invested into learning as much as possible about marine life and conservation.”

McKenzie plans to spend quality time with her stingray after graduation.

“I will be taking care of her over the summer,” McKenzie said. “I am hoping to have her target-trained before I leave so she won’t run away from touch. I will be using a colored ball on a stick to get her used to coming close to people.”

As McKenzie prepares to leave for college, she is also preparing to hand off responsibility for Genevieve to her younger brother and sister — a transition that has become part of the project itself.

“London will take over for me with her,” McKenzie said. “When Madison comes here, she will also help take care of Genevieve. I know they will do a good job. She is in good hands.”

London, who is interested in landscaping, said he believes it will be hard taking care of the stingray but that it is worth it.

“I am more into doing things outside with my hands,” her brother said. “I will definitely do my best job with Genevieve, though. McKenzie worked so hard to take care of her, and I will continue that.”

Madison said she is looking forward to being in the school so she can work with small animals. She wants to become a small animal veterinarian when she’s older.

“I like working with small animals, so I am looking forward to working with the rats, snakes, and lizards,” Madison said. “I think Genevieve will be totally fine to work with as well. I promised McKenzie that I would take care of her.”

Mr. Wicklund said he is not at all surprised that McKenzie stepped up and developed a plan for the stingray’s care when she is gone.

“It speaks to the caliber of student she is,” Mr. Wicklund said. “She’s highly motivated, academically driven, and willing to pursue opportunities beyond the traditional classroom experience. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishment and excited to see where this experience takes her. I am sure she will be visiting us every time she is in town as well.”

Caninballz Indoor Dog Waterpark in West Toledo has permanently closed its doors after less than a year in business, the business announced on its website.

The business made a post thanking existing staff, customers, and supporters before the final message, “We are closed.”

It attributed the closure to concerns from former employees, labeling those concerns as part of “cancel culture.”

“We hope your dogs keep on swimming wherever they jump in,” the business said.

U.S. Marshals in Toledo arrested a Mississippi man suspected of homicide after a task force tracked him to the area.

Kenneth Edmond, 44, was wanted by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office for a homicide that occurred on April 28. He was arrested by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force on Tuesday in the 2300 block of Parkwood Avenue in central Toledo, according to a news release.

Mr. Edmond is charged with the murder of Wayne Lawrence, 36, who was found shot in Calhoun City, Miss.

Two others were arrested for outstanding felony charges during Mr. Edmond’s arrest. They are Laundle Minor, 43, and Charles Pinson-Scott, 45.

“This case shows the importance of our mission and the dedication of our officers to keep our communities safe by tracking dangerous, violent felons across the country and bringing them to justice. We hope this arrest brings closure to the victims in Mississippi,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said in the release.

Three northwest Ohio airports have received more than $1 million to improve and repair critical infrastructure.

Williams County Regional Airport, Defiance Memorial Airport, and Sandusky County Regional Airport were awarded grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) announced in a news release Tuesday.

The funds will be used to rehabilitate 7,750 square yards of apron in Williams County, update Defiance’s master plan, and bring the Sandusky airport up to current design standards.

“These federal investments in Defiance, Williams, and Sandusky counties ensure our local airports remain safe, reliable, and ready to serve the needs of all who use them,” Ms. Kaptur said in the release.

“Modernizing local facilities strengthens our northwest Ohio communities, building a strong foundation to grow our economies, and connect our people and businesses to the world.”

Williams County will receive $527,535, Defiance will receive $360,000, and Sandusky will receive $179,040, according to the news release.

Toledo City Council deferred voting on numerous items Tuesday, giving members more time for discussion and opportunities for the public to weigh in.

An ordinance that would allow the city to enter into an agreement with Republic Services for curbside refuse and recycling collection services was referred to the council’s sustainability and beautification committee.

That committee meeting will take place May 20.

“I encourage everyone to attend if you are able,” Councilman Nick Komives said.

The agreement before council is a five-year contract with five one-year renewal options. The contract is expected to cost $11,731,000 in the first year and increase by 3 percent annually. The city currently contracts with Republic through the Lucas County Solid Waste Management District. That contract expires Aug. 31.

In addition to the new contract, an ordinance that would raise rates for waste collection was also sent to the sustainability and beautification committee.

If approved, the fee would increase from $6.50 a month to $10.50 a month for homestead-exempted households this year, $11.25 in 2027, and $12 in 2028.

For non-homestead households, that fee would rise from $11.50 to $18.50 this year, $20 in 2027, and $21.50 in 2028.

The fee covers the cost for curbside refuse and recycling collection and disposing of the waste at the Hoffman Road Landfill.

Additionally, an ordinance that would modify the city’s code for bulk-setout compliance also did not receive a vote Tuesday.

If approved by council, the new code would prohibit setouts in the public right-of-way unless it is compliant with bulk collection rules. Currently, Republic lets residents place up to five bulk items per week at the curb. The items must be under 40 pounds.

Under the new proposed code, if a city inspector determines that a property owner has improperly set out garbage in the right-of-way, the owner will have 48 hours to remove the noneligible bulk items before being fined $1,000.

All of the items will be discussed at the sustainability and beautification meeting on May 20 at 2 p.m.

In addition, the council did not vote on an ordinance that would allow the mayor to accept bids and award a two-year contract for the removal and beneficial reuse of spent lime from lagoons.

Councilman Adam Martinez asked that the item get a first reading, giving council members more time to discuss the contract. It would cost the city $5.5 million annually.

“I’m trying to avoid another snafu like last year,” Mr. Martinez said, referring to controversy surrounding the previous contractor. “This is definitely important that we do get this resolved in a very manageable way that doesn’t impact our community as it did last time.”

The item will be discussed at Wednesday’s water quality meeting, where the city’s administration will present its water disconnection program and progress on the smart water meter project. That meeting will take place at 4 p.m. in council chambers.

Council also did not move forward with an ordinance that would allow the city to enact an annual $5 license fee for the operation of motor vehicles on public roads and highways.

Councilman Mac Driscoll asked that the ordinance be referred to the council’s transportation committee, which meets May 21 at 2 p.m.

“None of this stuff is ever fun to do, but I know some members have questions about this, and from my vantage point it seems necessary,” Mr. Driscoll said. “We at least need to answer the questions that council members have on this before we move forward.”

The city estimates that the fee could bring in an additional $1.1 million in revenue each year. Council members would need to approve the ordinance by May 26 for it to be effective by Jan. 1.

By putting items in committee, it provides an opportunity for community members to weigh in. Residents can only provide testimony during a committee hearing, as public comment is not allowed during regular and agenda review meetings.

Items that received a first reading Tuesday will automatically carry over to council’s May 26 meeting at 4 p.m. in council chambers.

The last time Charles Snyder saw his son Kristopher alive, the boy appeared skinnier than usual as he lay in a playpen in the home his mother shared with a new boyfriend.

But Mr. Snyder said that while he considered reporting the 7-year-old’s condition to child-welfare authorities, his current domestic partner talked him out of it on the grounds that the mother, Samantha Hardiman, was doing the best she could to care for the profoundly disabled child.

Less than a month later, on June 2, 2023, Kristopher was dead. His emaciated frame weighed in at just 19 pounds.

Mr. Snyder testified in Lucas County Common Pleas Court on the first day of a jury trial for Joshua Mulvey, who as Hardiman’s boyfriend is charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and third-degree child endangering.

Jennifer Liptack-Sutphin, chief of criminal prosecution for the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office, said during her opening argument that Mr. Mulvey, 29, “owed a basic duty of care to that child” that he failed to provide even though he and Hardiman managed to afford fast-food meals, cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol.

“No person could have seen Kristopher and not realized that he needed food, that he needed medical intervention, that he needed someone to hold him,” the prosecutor said.

But Dimitry Tatarko, Mr. Mulvey’s defense lawyer, said his client was “not a parent, not a guardian” and not living with Hardiman full-time, and thus had no duty to care for Kristopher even though he did often provide for the household.

In a police interview recorded by a body camera, Mr. Mulvey told officers at the scene that he “did way more than his [Kristopher’s] real dad did” and just wished “there was more help.”

Hardiman, 30, pleaded no contest to murder Feb. 27 for the boy’s death and is serving a life sentence with parole eligibility after 15 years. A younger son she and Mr. Mulvey had together, who police witnesses said Tuesday was in good health when they went to the house, is in county custody.

Emergency-services records introduced at the trial’s start Tuesday afternoon showed responding paramedics immediately flagged Kristopher’s death as a possible homicide.

And William Clark, a Toledo police detective, said there was a noticeable odor of bodily decomposition around Kristopher’s playpen when he entered that bedroom in the two-story house in the 1700 block of Freeman Street.

Mr. Snyder said Kristopher, who was diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and something he called “sensory,” was fed through a tube for about six months after release from neonatal intensive care, but was able to consume pureed baby food and formula after that.

He said he and Hardiman broke up when Kristopher was about 2 years old and he initially visited weekly, but over time the interval lengthened, to the point that he only saw Kristopher the one time, in late April, 2023, during the two years that Hardiman and Mr. Mulvey lived in the house on Freeman.

The occasion for that visit, Mr. Mulvey said, was that Hardiman texted that she needed someone to watch Kristopher while she went grocery shopping.

“He was skinny,” the father recalled. “He’s always been skinny, but he was really skinny at that point.”

Mr. Snyder also said that $400 a month in child support was deducted from his paychecks whenever he was working, but that when he was between jobs he often paid less or missed payments altogether.

In the on-scene police interview, Mr. Mulvey told officers that at 2 a.m. the morning Kristopher’s death was reported, he had gone up to the bedroom to check on the younger boy he had fathered with Hardiman, and noticed a blanket was covering Kristopher. He peeled the blanket back and left Kristopher’s head uncovered, but did not check on him further.

He told the police he had last seen Kristopher awake and alert “two or three days” before, when he saw the older boy watching television.

Common pleas Judge Joe McNamara is presiding at the trial.

After reviewing a doctor’s report, a Lucas County judge ruled Tuesday that a man accused of trying to kill his wife in a Warehouse District restaurant last year did not have a severe mental defect at the time.

Judge Gary Cook then set a July 20 trial date for Matthew Exton, who is charged with attempted murder and three counts of felonious assault for the April 11, 2025, incident in the Sabira restaurant at 139 S. Huron St.

Mr. Exton, 43, of Traverse City, Mich., and formerly of the Toledo area, was kept from shooting his estranged or former wife only because he failed to disengage his gun’s safety lock, police said, and then was tackled by other restaurant patrons before he could get a shot off.

Mr. Exton, a lawyer whose Ohio license was suspended after his arrest and whose Michigan license is “inactive,” entered a not guilty by reason of insanity plea before Judge Cook during his arraignment. An initial psychological report was obtained last summer, but Judge Cook ordered a second report after Mr. Exton replaced his court-appointed lawyer with one he retained.

The new evaluation was not filed with the court until last week.

During Mr. Exton’s court appearance on Tuesday, Judge Cook denied his request for the return of his passport and scheduled a pretrial conference for June 24.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals should reverse a trial court ruling finding the state’s EdChoice program unconstitutional, attorneys defending the private school voucher system argued Tuesday.

Attorneys for the coalition challenging the program said the appeals court should uphold Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Jaiza Page’s decision that the EdChoice program violates the Ohio Constitution. 

Oral arguments were heard by a three-judge panel of the 10th District including Judges David Leland, Kristin Boggs, and Shawn Dingus. Judges Leland and Boggs are former members of the Ohio General Assembly. All three are Democrats. 

In her decision, Judge Page — also a Democrat — found that the Ohio General Assembly “created a system of uncommon schools by directly providing providing schools with over $700 million in funding.” She also wrote that the legislature chose to expand their system of private school funding — removing all income limits to participate — despite failing to fully fund the Fair School Funding Plan. 

Public school districts are struggling to educate their students because of inadequate funding, Judge Page wrote, pointing to evidence they cannot keep necessary positions filled, repair critical building infrastructure, provide quality learning materials, ensure reliable transportation, or construct additional necessary facilities. 

“Meanwhile, private religious schools receive EdChoice funding in addition to unknown amounts of non-public revenue,” she wrote. “Such a system is not thorough and efficient.”

While she found EdChoice unconstitutional, Judge Page stayed her own ruling so the program could continue during the appeals process.

The matter is expected to ultimately be decided by the Ohio Supreme Court, which currently has a 6-1 Republican majority. 

The defendants

During his arguments on Tuesday, Ohio Deputy Solicitor General Stephen Carney said the funding for the EdChoice program has nothing to do with funding for public schools.

“The General Assembly decides where to send the money,” Mr. Carney said. “If this court were to strike down vouchers and the Ohio Supreme Court were to agree, the General Assembly might give property tax relief to everyone. They might spend money on colleges. Who knows what they might do?” 

If the schools want to argue they are being unconstitutionally underfunded, Mr. Carney said, they should file a lawsuit on that issue without involving private school vouchers.

Keith Neely, an attorney representing Ohio families who use EdChoice, said the state should not remove the rights of parents to choose where their children attend school.

Judge Leland pushed back on the idea that parents are making the choice, noting that the private school ultimately makes the choice about whether or not a student is admitted with support from EdChoice. Mr. Neely said parents have the choice to apply for an EdChoice scholarship to attend the school, and that’s what’s important. 

Judge Dingus asked about a parent with a gay child in a rural district with only one private school — and that private school does not admit LGBTQ students. 

“How is that a choice?” he asked. “It’s not the student deciding to attend the private school, it’s the school deciding whether that student attends or not based upon a discriminatory practice.”

Mr. Neely said the family still has the choice to apply just like any student can apply for a scholarship to a college. 

The plaintiffs

Mark Wallach, representing the plaintiffs, said the EdChoice vouchers are “consistent state subsidies” that are “masqueraded as scholarships.”

“They have nothing to do with anything anyone on this court would recognize as a scholarship,” Mr. Wallach said. “They don’t have anything to do with abilities. They don’t recognize athletic accomplishments. They aren’t keyed to helping people who are low income. They are simply subsidies.”

Mr. Wallach said the plaintiffs are the “originalists” in this case, pointing to evidence that the drafters of the Ohio Constitution were well aware of the importance of publicly funded schools. He also discussed efforts by some delegates to amend the Ohio Constitution to allow public funding of private schools, but those ideas were rejected.  

Maria Fair, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said it’s absurd that public schools across the state are closing, laying off employees, and dealing with dilapidated buildings while private schools receive state funding to pay for students whose families can already afford tuition. Some public schools, she said, are seeking financial assistance from private entities because of the lack of support from the state.

Toledo Public Schools 

The Toledo Public Schools Board of Education recently approved a plan to close eight schools at the end of the year because of the district’s budget deficit. 

Former state Sen. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo) — now representing Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Huron, and Lorain counties as vice president of the State Board of Education — said there is a “direct correlation” between the EdChoice voucher system and the situation TPS is facing.

“It’s just a devastating impact,” Ms. Fedor said. “It’s just a prime example of where the legislature has failed its constitutional obligation to fund schools appropriately, adequately, and constitutionally.”

Ms. Fedor said public tax dollars should be directed to public schools not only because the constitution requires it — but because private schools are not transparent about how the funding is used. 

“Not one penny has been audited for the voucher system in the last 30 years,” she said. “That’s very much a concern.”

Sierra Ortiz Calamunci, a clinical referral liaison with the University of Toledo Medical Center, smiled when she saw the mountains of food bags being assembled for distribution later.

Mrs. Calamunci was one of dozens of nurses and office professionals at UTMC who gathered at the Morse Fitness Center Tuesday to pack food and bags for Connecting Kids to Meals.

“UT Health is not just a hospital,” Mrs. Calamunci said. “Our community needs access to food and we are more than happy to support them. We are a hospital for the community.”

This is the third year the university has held the event, according to Jennifer Archer, director of community engagement at UT Health.

“It is both National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week so it is a great time to give back to the community,” Ms. Archer said. “It does the heart good to be able to help others. It also allows our hospital teams the chance to work together. It gives them a sense of place.”

Ms. Archer said the volunteers prepared 350 meal bags. The university paid for all of the supplies and the food in the bags.

“This is a small way to help and many of our people like to do this on their lunch break so they get the chance to be involved too,” Ms. Archer said. “I really love that people stop their work, their break, to come and help the community.”

Connecting Kids to Meals is a Toledo-based nonprofit that has served more than 9 million free meals to children in Northwest Ohio since 2002, Ms. Archer said. The organization operates across Lucas, Wood, Seneca, and Sandusky counties.

The meal bags include cereal, juice boxes, and other snacks that kids can feed themselves on the weekends without having to heat things on a stove or in a microwave, Ms. Archer said.

“It helps fill the food gap when kids lack the ability or a microwave to cook the food,” she said. “Food and nutrition are just what our children need. It warms the heart to know they will be able to have good meals and snacks.”

Ms. Archer said health-care teams have also been volunteering the last two weeks at the Islamic Food Bank of Toledo and Sylvania Area Family Services.

“We have a team going this weekend to help Sylvania Area Family Services organize the canned and boxed foods it received through the United Postal Service’s collection,” she said. “We also hold free community exercise classes. We do everything we can to offer our help. For us, this is what health and wellness means.”

Janet Whitney, a senior majoring in health care administration and human resources, is currently interning for the Office of Community Engagement. Helping to fill the meal bags on her first day of her internship helped to ease her into her new role.

“This is great and I am having a good time volunteering to help kids,” Ms. Whitney, a 2023 Toledo Early College graduate, said. “I really like that I get the chance to help people in my community.”

Lindsay Malkowski, a patient information advocate, has been involved with the meal bag project for three years.

“Our department helps every year,” Ms. Malkowski said. “Being able to make these meal bags for the kids is what makes it special.”

Kristen Frank, an endoscopy nurse, had heard about the program and decided to jump right in.

“I have only been at the hospital for a year and when I heard about this project I had to get involved,” Ms. Frank said. “It is amazing to be able to help provide these meals to the community. It is great to be given the opportunity to give back.”

The Ohio State Highway Patrol will once again host its ride-along program, allowing residents to learn more about being a state trooper, the patrol said.

Residents will be given the opportunity to ride with a seasoned trooper during a day, afternoon, or night shift.

“Choosing a career with the patrol is a life-changing decision,” said Maj. Michael D. Kemmer, commander of the patrol’s training, recruitment and professional operations office. “Our ride-along program delivers an authentic look into the challenging and profoundly rewarding work our troopers do every single day.”

Participants must have a valid driver’s license, be between 18 and 39, and complete a brief interview with the post commander.

For more information or to apply, go to statepatrol.ohio.gov.

MONROE — The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has announced safe-boater classes for 2026.

Michigan requires any motorized boat operator born after June 30, 1996, to pass an approved boater-safety course and to carry a boater-safety certificate. Boater education is also required for all personal watercraft operators born after Dec. 31, 1978.

Those who complete the course will receive a certificate to operate a watercraft, officials said.

Topics covered in the eight-hour class include general boating and water safety, navigational rules, causes and prevention of crashes, operation and fueling techniques, environmental concerns, and reporting responsibility.

The Saturday and Sunday classes will be taught by a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office marine deputy who is a certified Ohio Department of Natural Resources recreational safety instructor.

The sessions will be May 30-31. Advance registration at michigan.storefront.kalkomey.com is required.

More than a dozen bird enthusiasts were able to take pictures and videos of different birds of prey that soared through the sky at Nature’s Nursery in Waterville on Tuesday.

Sean O’Hara, lead raptor educator at the Ohio School of Falconry, discussed different owls, falcons, and a buzzard during an introductory falconry class at Nature’s Nursey. The nursery holds two classes a year as a fund-raiser and Tuesday marked the event’s sixth year.

The school brought an array or birds to the nursey as part of the program.

Mr. O’Hara had a white and brown barn owl, named Quinny, perched on his arm while he told the guests about his feathered friend and facts about barn owls.

A barn owl is the “number one pest control device you can ever expect to have,” he said. Just one barn owl has the capability of killing more than a thousand mice per year.

“Barn owls are disgusting,” Mr. O’Hara said. “We’re talking about generational nesters. … In order to make sure that nest doesn’t go anywhere, she’s going to concrete it into place utilizing her own feces but they’re incredible specimens.”

The Ohio School of Falconry is an educational organization that teaches falconry, with a focus on making it “accessible to the common man,” said the school’s director, Joe Dorrian.

“Ninety percent of all first year birds are probably going to die in their first six months due to what we as humans have created or caused,” Mr. Dorrian said. “The raptor rehab organizations like Nature’s Nursery are really the first and only line of defense that we have to [protect them]. That’s part of the reason why I started the school, to be able to support them.”

“These gentlemen come in once a year,” said Alison Aey, executive director of Nature’s Nursery. “They donate their entire day and their skills to provide this fund-raiser.”

The fund-raiser has generated $27,000 for the organization during its six years.

Cherie Bryce of Monclova wore a huge smile on her face as she watched Mr. O’Hara walk up and down the aisle with falcons, owls, and a buzzard inside the classroom.

Later on in the event, when everyone moved outside, she was able to have a falcon named Irwin fly onto her forearm after Mr. O’Hara gave him the command to fly away and then return to her.

“I learned so much about these birds,” Ms. Bryce said of the event. “They’re all so different and they’re so beautiful. It’s wildlife in action. Who gets to ever hold a bird?”

Beth Sutton of Monclova, who’s also a staff member at the nursery, said the event was something of a birthday gift to herself ahead of her birthday on Saturday.

“I’m interested in doing [this] again,” she said

Beth Simpkins of Toledo was also treated herself to the class. For Ms. Simpkins, the event was a self-given Mother’s Day gift, she said.

Ms. Simpkins has a fascination with birds of prey, she said.

“I find them particularly majestic,” she said. “I did think owls were wiser than he’s giving them credit for. I’ve just heard good things about this program. I’ve never done anything like this.”

Ms. Aey said it is nice for the nursery to host a fund-raiser that not only is related to the nursery’s mission but also brings in “a fair amount of funds.”

“It’s a great win for us,” she said. “We help promote what they do, and they’re supporting the conservation side of it.”

Toledo police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man wanted on multiple outstanding felony warrants.

Raven Robinson, 24, is wanted for aggravated robbery and second degree felonious assault, police said.

On May 1, Robinson was in a woman’s apartment in the 700 block of Walnut Street when he pulled out a gun, pointed it at her, and threatened to kill her if she called the police, according to court records. He then fled the scene with her purse.

On Sunday, during an argument with a 16-year-old girl at an apartment in the 2100 block of Parkwood Ave., Robinson shot the teen in the ankle, injuring both of her feet, according to court records. 

He is a Black male, 6 feet, 1 inch tall, and weighs about 245 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Robinson’s whereabouts is asked to call or text the Crime Stopper program at 419-255-1111. Callers may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward.

After finding the current provider of health-care services at the Lucas County jail “falling a little short,” county officials on Tuesday announced they were switching vendors. 

Lucas County selected Armor Health as the jail’s new health-care provider and will pay about $5 million annually for its services after an initial six-month period.

VitalCore currently provides the jail’s health services and has held the contract since July, 2024. After an initial 16-month service period at $5.1 million, the county renewed the contract for 2026 for an annual cost of $4,147,596.72.

The contract with Armor Health is for an initial six-month period at $2,395,255, with three one-year renewals. The renewals will begin at $4,887,081 and increase about 4 percent each year through 2030. The company will begin providing services at the jail in late June.

However, Armor Health has been convicted of a felony in Wisconsin for abuse of an inmate and was banned from operating in New York for three years for “egregious lapses in medical care” resulting in seven deaths, according to recent reporting by ProPublica.

County commissioners approved the sheriff's search for a new provider in March. Lindsay Szymczak, administrator of the sheriff’s health services department, said the current company was “falling a little short” of expectations.

“We just felt like the company we’re with was falling a little short, so we’re excited for an opportunity to pivot and make some changes,” she previously said.

Armor Health Care’s $4,887,081 bid was the lowest of the three bidders. Wellpath’s bid came in at $5,040,897 for the first year, and PrimeCare’s bid was $7,681,620.

Ms. Szymczak said she and other officials considered recent news stories while interviewing Armor Health officials and the other providers.

Armor Health has been sued 450 times from 2014 to 2021, according to ProPublica’s reporting, though about two-thirds of those lawsuits have been dismissed. In the same period, Armor has settled 56 lawsuits alleging medical negligence or inappropriate medical care.

Ultimately, Ms. Szymczak said she believes the company has changed its leadership and overhauled its process to prevent incidents similar to those detailed in the article.

“When you look at companies that provide health-care services in jails and prisons, you’re not going to find one that hasn’t been sued,” Ms. Szymczak said. “We wanted to make sure we’re partnering with someone who takes those instances, where maybe there was negligence or deliberate indifference, and learns from them.”

Ms. Szymczak said Wellpath currently has 1,500 active lawsuits, and the other bidder, PrimeCare, had 22 deaths in custody in one Pennsylvania county in 2019.

Armor Health told ProPublica that “each case involves unique medical circumstances, and deaths referenced were related to drug overdoses, natural causes, or other clinical conditions that were not associated with decisions regarding hospital transfer."

Lucas County’s jail has not had an inmate die in custody in 21 months, Ms. Szymczak said.

“Since we’ve privatized [health care] we have not had a death in custody. We feel very confident that this best-practice of going with a third-party vendor is saving lives and providing the level of care that we should have probably always been providing,” she said.

Commissioners initially tabled the contract during the meeting, saying that it would be brought to a vote following an executive session. After the executive session to discuss pending or imminent legal action, the commissioners approved the contract unanimously.

A spokesman said the county officials discussed possible legal action regarding the current health services at the jail during the executive session. No lawsuits have been filed by either party.

The Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, which operates a detention facility shared by five counties, approved a contract with Armor Health Care that started in January. Franklin County has contracted with Armor Health since 2021 to provide services at its jail, which houses an average of 1,850 people daily.

CCNO currently pays about $3.5 million annually for Armor Health Care’s services. Dennis Sullivan, CCNO’s executive director, did not respond to a request for comment.

BOWLING GREEN — Customers of the Northwestern Water and Sewer District can now report water and sewer emergencies by using the district’s main phone number.

Customers can use 419-354-9090 for both routine inquiries and after-hours emergencies, officials announced Tuesday.

By calling the district’s primary number and pressing zero, callers will be connected to a dedicated call center that will immediately notify the licensed operator on duty. This new system replaces the previous process of contacting county sheriff dispatch offices in Wood, Henry, and Hancock counties, officials said.

“Moving to a single, consistent contact number removes confusion and helps us respond more efficiently,” said Assistant Superintendent Simon Gundy. “Customers no longer need to remember different numbers depending on the time of day or their county. One call gets the issue routed quickly to the right personnel, ensuring timely service when it matters most.”