News Briefs Week of 10/26/20

By: 
Staff writer

E. Toledo Christmas
Parade canceled
Since the ban on parades has not been lifted, the River East Associates are canceling the 48th Annual Christmas Parade.
“The parade has been an annual event since 1972, and we are disappointed that we will be unable to have one this year,” said Dennis Fairchild, parade chairman.“We do intend to continue this annual event so look for the 49th annual
Parade in 2021. The parade is on the first Saturday of December, so it will be held on Dec. 4, 2021.”

Food box distribution
The LIGHT Neighborhood Pantry at Elliston Zion United Methodist Church will be a host site for Community Food Box Distributions by the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The no-contact drive-thru distribution is open to all, however advance registration is required. All recipients need to bring their ID. Volunteers from the National Guard will place boxes in the trunk of recipients’ vehicles.
Sign up today at www.toledofoodbank.org (go to the “events” tab and then to “food box distribution”) or call the Food Bank at 419-242-5000, ext. 204.
Elliston Zion UMC is located off Elliston Trowbridge Road south of SR 579 and north of SR 163 near the railroad tracks.

Discussion on
Tecumseh book
An award-winning historian will discuss his new book on Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and his brother, Tenskwatawa, during an online-only book talk on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Peter Cozzens will share thoughts from “Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers who Defied a Nation,” the first biography of the Shawnee leader in more than 20 years. The book is also the first to make clear that Tecumseh’s misunderstood younger brother, Tenskwatawa, was an equal partner in the last great pan-Indian alliance against the United States.
The event is free and will take place via Zoom. Participants should register in advance online at www.eventbrite.com/e/rutherford-b-hayes-museum-presents-peter-cozzens-ti....
Cozzens is presenting this talk in partnership with the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums.
Cozzens is the author or editor of 16 acclaimed books on the American Civil War and the Indian Wars of the American West and a member of the Advisory Council of the Lincoln Prize. In 2002, he was awarded the American Foreign Service Association's highest honor, the William R. Rivkin Award, given annually to one Foreign Service Officer for exemplary moral courage, integrity and creative dissent. He lives in Kensington, Maryland.
For information, call 419-332-2081, visit rbhayes.org or follow HPLM on social media.

Move Over,
Slow Down
In honor of National Move Over Awareness Day, October 19, AAA, the Ohio Turnpike, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol reminded Ohio drivers about the law that requires them to move over for any vehicle with flashing lights parked on the roadside.
The four organizations released new data showing gaps in knowledge about Ohio’s Move Over law.
Across the nation, one tow truck driver is killed alongside the road every six days. In addition, 23 highway workers and one law enforcement officer are killed each month while performing their duties on American roadways.
Last year on Ohio’s roads, drivers failing to move over struck snowplows more than 200 times, road construction equipment more than 600 times, tow trucks 341 times and law enforcement vehicles more than 1,000 times, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation crash data.
“It’s alarming to see the rise of crashes happening throughout our state,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “We need to remember that when we are behind the wheel, we have to pay attention and stay focused on the road.”
In 2019, the Ohio State Highway Patrol issued 7,829 citations for those failing to move over or slow down. So far this year, there have been 3,576 citations issued. Additionally, there have been 3,541 work zone related crashes this year, resulting in 17 fatalities and 951 injuries. There have also been more than 500 crashes involving law enforcement, construction and utility workers, and tow truck drivers being struck while working along the roadside.
“It’s important to be focused on driving and aware of your surroundings,” said Co. Richard Fambro, of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “Moving over or slowing down for stationary vehicles with flashing lights isn’t just the law, it’s the right thing to do. Please do your part to protect those who work alongside Ohio’s roadways.”
Room for improvement
A new survey of Ohio drivers conducted by Brittany Shoots-Reinhard, research assistant professor at the The Ohio State University Department of Psychology, found gaps in Ohioans’ knowledge of the state’s Move Over law, especially when it comes to construction crews or tow trucks.
More than 90% of survey participants responded that they know that the Move Over law applies to law enforcement and emergency vehicles, compared to 70% for construction vehicles, 62% for tow trucks and 50% for disabled vehicles with flashing lights.
“Most Ohioans have heard the phrase, ‘Move Over, Slow Down,’ but many don’t realize it applies to all stationary vehicles with flashing lights, no matter the color,” said Executive Director Ferzan M. Ahmed, P.E., Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission. “This is deeply concerning when it comes to the safety of all who use our roads or work on or along them.”
In addition, distraction is likely to play a role in failing to Move Over. Nearly a quarter (24%) of participants reported that when they hadn’t moved over it was because they didn’t notice the lights. Many drivers were also unsure what to do on two-lane roads.
“This data is a clear indication that we have work to do in educating Ohio drivers on when to move over and how to do it safely,” said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks. “Tackling Ohio’s distracted driving problem is also pivotal to saving lives on our roadways. If you’re not focused on driving, you may never see that roadside worker.”
To help educate the public, AAA, the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol launched a video earlier this year. In addition, the organizations are partnering on social media messaging with the hashtag #MoveOverOhio.
ODOT will use more than 130 digital message boards along highways to remind drivers about the state’s Move Over Law.
For more information visit MoveOver.ohio.gov.

Halloween nostalgia
Halloween is rich in history. Trick-or-Treating is said to have originated with a ninth-century European custom called “souling.” The ubiquitous jack-o’-lantern derives from an Irish tale. Christianity gave Halloween the sign of the ominous black cat.
Beeker’s General Store, 226 E. Front St., downtown Pemberville, has amassed a great collection of vintage Halloween decorations and icons, which are on display in the store’s front windows. Visitors who drive by or stop for a closer look will find paper candy containers, lighted blow molds, paper lanterns, Amscan tissue paper decorations, vintage cheese cloth costumes, plastic masks, Halloween candle holders, “Glitter Plaques”/melted popcorn decorations, celluloid Halloween toys, Beistle paper decorations, papier-mâché icons and more.
The windows are available for viewing now through Halloween night. The “lights” will be on nightly Oct. 26-31 from 6-8 p.m. The store will be open on Halloween night from 6-8 p.m. Due to COVID restrictions, face coverings will be required and social distancing will be observed.
For more info, call 419-287-3274.

Sheehy re-elected
as leader of GLLC
During its virtual Annual Meeting, the binational, nonpartisan Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus re-elected State Rep. Michael Sheehy (D-Oregon) to represent Ohio on the GLLC Executive Committee in 2021-22.
Sheehy has been a member of the Caucus since 2015, and has served on the Executive Committee since 2017. All eight states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin are represented on the Executive Committee.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence for another term, and I look forward to advancing the great work of this organization,” said Rep. Sheehy. “Since 2018, we have strived to protect our waterways by encouraging infrastructure improvements to reduce nutrient runoff and pollution, assuring the availability of clean and affordable drinking water, and supporting the economic development of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence coastal communities.”
In 2020, the GLLC’s two task forces, both born of the Patricia Birkholz Institute for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Policy, focused on reducing exposure to lead in drinking water and the ongoing problem of nutrient pollution. In 2021, the Institute’s focus will be helping communities become climate resilient; the 2021 Birkholz Institute will take place in the fall.
The Caucus’s ongoing work includes advocacy with other Great Lakes organizations on policies and appropriations that will benefit the lakes, as well as the people, businesses, and industry that depend upon them. The Caucus also continues its efforts to expand recognition of the annual Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Appreciation Day in every state and province in the region.

Opening on
school board
The Woodmore Board of Education has a vacancy for a seat that expires Dec. 31, 2021.
Cara Brown has announced she is resigning from the board, effective Nov. 18.
Letters of interest should be submitted to the treasurer by Nov. 9, 2020 at 4 p.m.
Selected candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview. Letters may be emailed to
drussomanno@woodmoreschools.com or mailed to: Woodmore Board of Education, 349 Rice St.
Elmore, OH 43416.

Charges filed
A Toledo man faces felony weapons and drug charges after Lake Township police investigated a report of a firearm being discharged on Main Street in Millbury on Oct. 13.
Charles Campos, 34, has been charged with having weapons while under disability, trafficking in drugs, and possession of dangerous ordnance.
According to police, shots were fired in the area of 28325 Main Street.
Township police have also arrested a Painesville, Oh. man who damaged a police vehicle after being taken into custody.
Andrew Ratliff, 27, was arrested Oct. 19 at a truckstop along I-280 after police said he became uncooperative while being questioned.
Police said he kicked out a vehicle window and damaged another vehicle. In addition to vandalism he was also charged with obstructing official business.

Transportation board
plans 2021 meetings
The Board of the Ottawa County Transportation Improvement District will hold regular meetings at the county engineer’s office, 8247 W State Rt. 163, Oak Harbor, at 8:30 a.m. The schedule for 2021 is:
Jan. 19, April 19, July 19 and Oct. 18.

Indictment issued
A federal grand jury sitting in Toledo has returned a five-count indictment charging Jesus Alejandro Degollado, 29, Fostoria, with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and as a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Aug. 13, 2020, Toledo police observed the defendant driving a vehicle with multiple felony arrest warrants issued in Lucas County. Police stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as Degollado. The defendant was then arrested due to the outstanding warrants. The indictment alleges that during a search of the vehicle, officers located approximately 96 grams of fentanyl, 128 grams of heroin, a loaded semi-automatic handgun with 14 rounds of ammunition and drug trafficking supplies.
Degollado is prohibited from possessing a firearm after having been previously convicted of trafficking heroin in January 2015 in Seneca County Common Pleas Court.
Due to the defendant’s prior felony drug trafficking conviction, an enhanced penalty has been charged in the indictment.

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