http://www.toledoblade.com The Latest News from Toledoblade.com (v5) Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:00:10 GMT en-us hourly 1 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/12/trump-blockade-strait-hormuz-aftermath-failed-talks-iran/stories/20260412120 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/12/trump-blockade-strait-hormuz-aftermath-failed-talks-iran/stories/20260412120#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:18:37 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/12/trump-blockade-strait-hormuz-aftermath-failed-talks-iran/stories/20260412120 ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump posted Sunday on social media that the U.S. Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz. Vice President JD Vance, left, talks to Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir, right, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, center, before boarding Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/health-and-well-being/2026/04/12/too-much-salt-ohio-legislation-calls-for-warnings-on-some-menus/stories/20260412034 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/health-and-well-being/2026/04/12/too-much-salt-ohio-legislation-calls-for-warnings-on-some-menus/stories/20260412034#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/health-and-well-being/2026/04/12/too-much-salt-ohio-legislation-calls-for-warnings-on-some-menus/stories/20260412034 The average American consumes 3,400 to 4,500 milligrams of sodium each day, while the daily recommended level is 2,300 milligrams. Legislation proposed in Ohio seeks sodium warnings on food in certain restaurants. Dr. Surender Neravetla, member of the American Heart Association state advocacy committee and director of cardiac surgery at Mercy Health - Springfield Regional Medical Center. Dustin Holfinger, government relations director for the American Heart Association in Ohio. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/12/years-drought-major-energy-port-corpus-christi-texas-wrestling-water-crisis/stories/20260412121 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/12/years-drought-major-energy-port-corpus-christi-texas-wrestling-water-crisis/stories/20260412121#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:31:57 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/12/years-drought-major-energy-port-corpus-christi-texas-wrestling-water-crisis/stories/20260412121 In parched southern Texas, a yearslong drought has depleted Corpus Christi's water reserves so gravely that the city is scrambling to prevent a shortage that could force painful cutbacks for residents and hobble the refineries and petrochemical plants in a major energy port. Gavino Rivera talks about the decline of the Hillcrest neighborhood in 2023, as he gathers scrap metal near a Citgo oil refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. Birds fly over the Port of Corpus Christi as the sun sets in 2023, in Corpus Christi, Texas. A Port of Corpus Christi police officer guides a boat through the port in 2023 in Corpus Christi, Texas. A ship is docked as the sun sets in 2023 at the Port of Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas. A fishing boat works just offshore in the Corpus Christi Bay in 2023 in Corpus Christi, Texas. A Citgo oil refinery operates next to the Hillcrest neighborhood in 2023 in Corpus Christi, Texas. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/health-and-well-being/2026/04/12/utmc-continues-to-have-the-nation-s-shortest-wait-list-for-kidney-transplants/stories/20260402136 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/health-and-well-being/2026/04/12/utmc-continues-to-have-the-nation-s-shortest-wait-list-for-kidney-transplants/stories/20260402136#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/health-and-well-being/2026/04/12/utmc-continues-to-have-the-nation-s-shortest-wait-list-for-kidney-transplants/stories/20260402136 The greatest gift Kandy Takas will ever receive won’t come when she celebrates her 60th birthday on Oct. 10. Kandy Takas of Millbury, who received a life-saving kidney transplant in 2000, raises a flag at the University of Toledo Medical Center to kick off National Donate Life Month. Kandy Takas of Millbury, who received a life-saving kidney transplant in 2000, before a flag-raising ceremony to kick off National Donate Life Month. Dr. Kunal Yadav and Taylor Iceman at Mr. Iceman's recent one-year checkup. Mr. Iceman made history in March of 2025 as the first dual transplant recipient in UTMC's history, a procedure performed by Dr. Yadav. Taylor Iceman spoke to the media on March 18, 2025, five weeks after he became the first patient in UTMC history to receive a double-organ transplant during the same procedure. His surgeon was Dr. Kunal Yadav. Mr. Iceman's surgery was on Feb. 12, 2025. Dr. Michael Ellis, UTMC chief medical officer, presenting during the Great Lakes AI Week conference in November. Dr. Obi Ekwenna, a UTMC surgeon who has done kidney transplants the last 10 years. Dr. Kunal Yadav, who does many of UTMC's kidney transplants and did the hospital's first-ever dual kidney-pancreas transplant in 2025. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/04/11/joseph-schradie-obituary/stories/20260409106 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/04/11/joseph-schradie-obituary/stories/20260409106#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:45:00 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2026/04/11/joseph-schradie-obituary/stories/20260409106 Joseph “Joe” Schradie, a University of Toledo professor emeritus of pharmacognosy who in the 1970s advocated medical use of marijuana, died April 6 in Hillsboro, N.C. He was 92. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/11/us-iran-historic-ceasefire-talks-pakistan-continue-after-midnight/stories/20260411108 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/11/us-iran-historic-ceasefire-talks-pakistan-continue-after-midnight/stories/20260411108#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:22:19 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/11/us-iran-historic-ceasefire-talks-pakistan-continue-after-midnight/stories/20260411108 ISLAMABAD — U.S. Vice President JD Vance said negotiations ended early Sunday between the United States and Iran without a peace deal after the Iranians refused to accept American terms to not develop a nuclear weapon. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House on April 11. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/11/orthodox-easter-truce-falters-ukraine-says-russia-continues-drone-strikes/stories/20260411112 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/11/orthodox-easter-truce-falters-ukraine-says-russia-continues-drone-strikes/stories/20260411112#comments Sat, 11 Apr 2026 23:12:51 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/11/orthodox-easter-truce-falters-ukraine-says-russia-continues-drone-strikes/stories/20260411112 KYIV, Ukraine — Russia continued to strike Ukrainian positions with drones after a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire took effect on Saturday, a Ukrainian military officer told Associated Press. A woman cries as she hold photo of her missed relative as Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine on April 11. A Ukrainian serviceman hugs his mother after returning from captivity during a POWs exchange between Russia and Ukraine, in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine on April 11. People cry as they hold hold photos of their missed relatives as Ukrainian soldiers return from captivity during a POW exchange between Russia and Ukraine in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine on April 11. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-s-grand-moon-finale-is-almost-here-with-a-pacific-splashdown/stories/20260410107 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-s-grand-moon-finale-is-almost-here-with-a-pacific-splashdown/stories/20260410107#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:50:54 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/10/artemis-ii-s-grand-moon-finale-is-almost-here-with-a-pacific-splashdown/stories/20260410107 HOUSTON — Artemis II’s astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than a half-century. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth sets behind the Moon during a lunar flyby on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew, counterclockwise from top left, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover pose with eclipse viewers during a lunar flyby on April 6. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/10/u-s-and-iran-prepare-for-cease-fire-talks-as-netanyahu-authorizes-negotiations/stories/20260410105 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/10/u-s-and-iran-prepare-for-cease-fire-talks-as-netanyahu-authorizes-negotiations/stories/20260410105#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:44:10 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/10/u-s-and-iran-prepare-for-cease-fire-talks-as-netanyahu-authorizes-negotiations/stories/20260410105 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — With the cease-fire in Iran still shaky, U.S. Vice President JD Vance headed Friday to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials, as Israel and Hezbollah traded fire and Tehran maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. A poster is pasted on a motorbike windshield with graphic depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as government supporters gather to mark the 40th day since the killing of his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, April 9. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/artemis-astronauts-describe-lunar-voyage-surreal-profound-earth-return/stories/20260409129 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/artemis-astronauts-describe-lunar-voyage-surreal-profound-earth-return/stories/20260409129#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:27:19 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/artemis-astronauts-describe-lunar-voyage-surreal-profound-earth-return/stories/20260409129 HOUSTON — Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for the upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound. This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen as they answer media questions during a video conference on April 8. This image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view the Moon and Earth are shown on April 6. This image provided by NASA, astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman takes a moment during the seven-hour lunar observation period where the crew reported to the ground team their observations including color nuances, which will help enhance scientific understandings of the Moon on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew photographed the Moon's crater on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this image of the of Carroll Crater, a name suggested by the crew for Reid Wiseman late wife Carroll Taylor Wiseman on April 6. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/09/ceasefire-in-the-iran-war-teeters-in-the-face-of-disagreements-over-lebanon/stories/20260409092 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/09/ceasefire-in-the-iran-war-teeters-in-the-face-of-disagreements-over-lebanon/stories/20260409092#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:57:37 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/09/ceasefire-in-the-iran-war-teeters-in-the-face-of-disagreements-over-lebanon/stories/20260409092 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” as a tentative cease-fire in the Iran war staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut. Government supporters gather to mark the 40th day since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, April 9. Ali, 4, holds a toy horse next to the tent his family uses as a shelter after fleeing Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon April 8. People inspect the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike a day earlier in Beirut, Lebanon April 9. A sign for a roadside hotel is seen on Road 2 near Golhahr, Iran, April 9. Government supporters walk past a billboard depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as they gather to mark the 40th day since the killing of his father, slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran April 9. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty-to-murder-charges-and-admits-he-killed-8-women/stories/20260409096 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty-to-murder-charges-and-admits-he-killed-8-women/stories/20260409096#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:25:38 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/09/rex-heuermann-pleads-guilty-to-murder-charges-and-admits-he-killed-8-women/stories/20260409096 RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A Long Island architect who led a secret life as a serial killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings. Rex A. Heuermann, center, pleads guilty to murdering seven women and admitted he killed an eighth in a string of long-unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings, at a court hearing in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead, N.Y., April 8. Family members of victims react as they listen Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney during a news conference after Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney speaks during a news conference after Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. A family member of the victims listens Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney during a press conference after Rex Heuermann, was accused in Long Island's infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. Family members of victims react as they listen Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney during a news conference after Rex Heuermann, accused in Long Island's Gilgo Beach serial killings, pleaded guilty on April 8 at Suffolk County Police Academy Gymnasium in Brentwood, N.Y. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/08/trump-nato-leader-rutte-as-he-muses-about-pulling-out-of-the-military-alliance/stories/20260408100 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/08/trump-nato-leader-rutte-as-he-muses-about-pulling-out-of-the-military-alliance/stories/20260408100#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:58:15 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/08/trump-nato-leader-rutte-as-he-muses-about-pulling-out-of-the-military-alliance/stories/20260408100 WASHINGTON — President Trump repeated his complaint about NATO after a closed-door meeting with the alliance's Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday for discussions that had been expected to be aimed at soothing Trump’s anger with the military alliance over the Iran war. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House, Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, is joined by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, for a photo opportunity at the State Department April 8 in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, is joined by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, for a photo opportunity at the State Department April 8 in Washington. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/08/u-s-israel-and-iran-agree-to-a-2-week-ceasefire-but-attacks-resume-in-iran/stories/20260408081 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/08/u-s-israel-and-iran-agree-to-a-2-week-ceasefire-but-attacks-resume-in-iran/stories/20260408081#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:59:34 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/08/u-s-israel-and-iran-agree-to-a-2-week-ceasefire-but-attacks-resume-in-iran/stories/20260408081 TEHRAN, Iran — Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, casting doubt over whether an already precarious ceasefire to end more than a month of war will hold. A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran on April 8. Pro-government demonstrators chant slogans as they hold Iranian flags and a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, Square, in Tehran, Iran, on April 8. An Iranian cluster munition missile explodes in the sky over northern Israel on April 8. A demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during a gathering after announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel, in Tehran, Iran, on April 8. Displaced children sit on a truck with their packed belongings as they wait for an official ceasefire decision between Iran and the United States that they hope will include Lebanon and allow them to return to their villages, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon on April 8. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/08/religious-offerings-program-to-help-faith-communities-health-prevention-efforts/stories/20260409003 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/08/religious-offerings-program-to-help-faith-communities-health-prevention-efforts/stories/20260409003#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:05:54 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2026/04/08/religious-offerings-program-to-help-faith-communities-health-prevention-efforts/stories/20260409003 ■ Leaders of faith communities are welcome to attend a Thursday training session with PreventionFIRST!, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/search-recovery-lenawee-county-woman-bahamas-overboard-hooker-yacht/stories/20260407100 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/search-recovery-lenawee-county-woman-bahamas-overboard-hooker-yacht/stories/20260407100#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:38:29 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/search-recovery-lenawee-county-woman-bahamas-overboard-hooker-yacht/stories/20260407100 Authorities in the Bahamas have moved to a recovery operation in their search for a Michigan woman who reportedly fell overboard during a boat trip with her husband Saturday night, local police said. A photo of Lynette Hooker, an American woman who is reportedly missing at sea in the Bahamas. Aerial view of Tahiti Beach and Elbow Cay in Abaco, Bahamas. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/iran-calls-for-human-chains-to-protect-power-plants-as-trump-s-deadline-nears/stories/20260407089 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/iran-calls-for-human-chains-to-protect-power-plants-as-trump-s-deadline-nears/stories/20260407089#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:45:01 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/iran-calls-for-human-chains-to-protect-power-plants-as-trump-s-deadline-nears/stories/20260407089 TEHRAN, Iran — President Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, swerving to deescalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal. Bystanders watch from a distance as rescue teams and first responders work at the site of a strike that, according to a security official at the scene, destroyed half of the Khorasaniha Synagogue and nearby residential buildings in Tehran, Iran, April 7. A first responder leaves the site of a strike that, according to a security official at the scene, destroyed half of the Khorasaniha Synagogue and nearby residential buildings in Tehran, Iran, April 7. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/artemis-ii-astronauts-make-long-distance-call-space-station-head-home/stories/20260407109 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/artemis-ii-astronauts-make-long-distance-call-space-station-head-home/stories/20260407109#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 20:10:45 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/nation/2026/04/07/artemis-ii-astronauts-make-long-distance-call-space-station-head-home/stories/20260407109 HOUSTON — Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts made more history Tuesday: calling their friends aboard the International Space Station hundreds of thousands of miles away as they headed home from the moon. In this image provided by NASA, Artemis II crew members, from left, Victor Glover Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, pause to turn the camera around for a selfie midway through their lunar observation period of the Moon during a lunar flyby on April 6. In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth sets behind the Moon during a lunar flyby on April 6. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/american-journalist-shelly-kittleson-has-been-released-an-iraqi-official-says/stories/20260407102 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/american-journalist-shelly-kittleson-has-been-released-an-iraqi-official-says/stories/20260407102#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:37:03 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/07/american-journalist-shelly-kittleson-has-been-released-an-iraqi-official-says/stories/20260407102 BAGHDAD — American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad streetcorner last week, has been released, an Iraqi official with direct knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday. U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a cellphone photo in a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 25, 2025. This 2025 photo taken in Iraq and provided by Barb Kittleson shows Shelly Kittleson, an American freelance journalist who was kidnapped March 31 in Iraq. (Barb Kittleson via AP) The street corner in central Baghdad's Saadoun Street where U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in central Baghdad, Iraq, on April 1. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/06/airstrikes-on-iran-kill-more-than-25-as-new-ceasefire-proposal-is-shared/stories/20260406078 https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/06/airstrikes-on-iran-kill-more-than-25-as-new-ceasefire-proposal-is-shared/stories/20260406078#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:08:26 GMT https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2026/04/06/airstrikes-on-iran-kill-more-than-25-as-new-ceasefire-proposal-is-shared/stories/20260406078 TEHRAN, Iran — President Trump expanded his threat against Iran to include all power plants and bridges Monday as his ultimatum to make a deal ticked closer, after Tehran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war. Israeli rescue teams search for missing people amid the rubble of a residential building a day after it was struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa, Israel April 6. Workers remove debris at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology complex that Iranian authorities say was hit early Monday by a U.S.-Israeli strike, in Tehran, Iran, April 6. Medical workers attend a government-sponsored protest against the U.S.-Israeli military campaign outside Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran, April 6. Yemeni soldiers patrol the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen, April 5. Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a crowded neighbourhood south of Beirut, Lebanon, April 5.