News Briefs Week of 7/12/2021

By: 
Staff Writer

No-Show Novel Night
This year, the Wood County District Public Library’s Foundation is requesting the community’s absence for “No-Show Novel Night” to raise funds for books and other materials that will educate, inspire and entertain patrons. Novel Night, traditionally held in the library’s atrium, is a fundraiser in which all money donated goes directly toward purchasing more books for the library.
Patrons can make a donation by using the secure giving form at wcdpl.org/no-show-novel-night or by mailing checks to the WCDPL Foundation at 251 N. Main St., Bowling Green, OH 43402. Checks should be made payable to the WCDPL Foundation with “No-Show” in the memo line.
For more information on No-Show Novel Night or on making a donation to the library and supporting WCDPL, visit wcdpl.org/support, call 419-353-8044, or email Angie Babcock, administrative coordinator, at angiebabcock@wcdpl.org.

Raffle a success
A recent raffle held to benefit Wreaths across America – Ottawa County raised $4,055, which will go toward the purchase of wreaths to be laid on the graves of Ottawa County veterans in December.
Raffle prizewinners included Bill Howey, winner of the Yeti cooler filled with spirits; Lisa Curtis, winner of the Adirondack chair and side table; Paul Butzen, winner of the Put-in-Bay package, and a consolation prize of tickets for the Miller Ferry went to Jeff Brubacker.
The Ottawa County Veterans Service Office offered a special thanks to local businesses, Howey’s House of Brews, Oak Harbor; Rayz Café, Genoa; Happy Hooker Bait, Carroll Township; the Port Clinton VFW, and the Portage Inn, Elmore, for their help in selling tickets.
Donations to purchase wreaths are welcome. Each donation of $50 buys a wreath. Checks, payable to Wreaths Across America, may be sent to WAA – Ottawa County, 8444 W. SR 163, Suite 102, Oak Harbor, OH 43449.

Walbridge police
K-9 sold to handler
Walbridge Village Council has approved selling the police department’s dog to its handler who is resigning from the department.
Council unanimously approved the sale of the dog, Echo, for $1 to officer Terry Glosser, who is moving out of state.
Mayor Ed Kolanko said the village isn’t planning to replace the K-9 unit soon as the department at present doesn’t have a certified handler on staff.
Echo joined the department in 2017 when he was 16-weeks old and weighed about 34 pounds.
The German Shepherd was donated to the village by a breeder.
Former police chief Walt Tylicki floated the idea of adding a K-9 to the department’s roster, citing the rising drug epidemic in the state as one reason a dog would be an asset to the village.

Gazebo repairs
The village is looking into several options for the gazebo at Veterans Park, the mayor said.
Members of the parks and recreation committee and staff of the street department inspected the site and mayor Kolanko said it needs some improvements.
“I think it’s structurally OK but we’re looking at several options, including getting a new one if it is more practical,” he said.
The village is also considering making the gazebo more accessible to people with disabilities, he said.

Access drive
nearly complete
An access driveway for school buses off North Locust Street in Oak Harbor is tentatively scheduled for completion by Aug. 20, Guy Parmigian, superintendent of the Benton-Carroll-Salem School District, reported to the school board last week.
The new driveway will connect with R.C. Waters Elementary and will help to alleviate congestion on Ottawa Street, the superintendent said.
In other business, the board approved a resolution of necessity to place a renewal operating levy on the November ballot.

Guilty verdict
in rape case
A Curtice area man has been found guilty of 10 counts of rape in Ottawa County Common Pleas Court.
A jury found James D. Alliman, 44, guilty of rape, a first degree felony.
He had been indicted in February 2020 on charges of engaging in sexual conduct with the two female victims who were under 13 and under 10 years old at the time.
The assaults began in September 2010, according to the indictment, and continued until September 2016.
Seven counts include penalties of up to life imprisonment while the two counts involving the 10-year-old carry a sentence of up to life without parole.
In April, the prosecutor’s office filed a motion to allow the victims to have a trained comfort dog accompany them to the witness stand while they testified.
“One of the victims is still a juvenile and the other victim just turned 20. And both of the victims have been profoundly affected by the defendant’s crimes, and they will likely struggle with the after-effects of those crimes for decades to come,” the motion says, noting the victims met the dog during trial preparation and asked that the dog be present during their testimony.

Indictment issued
A federal grand jury has returned a four-count indictment charging Wayne Robert Banks, Jr., 48, Toledo, with the destruction of a vessel, depositing refuse in navigable waters, obstruction of navigable waters and failure to mark or light a sunken vessel.
According to the indictment, on Oct. 29, 2020, Banks willfully sunk and destroyed a 24-foot Reinell boat within navigable channels of the Maumee River. The indictment further charges that he failed to immediately mark the sunken craft with a buoy, beacon or light.
Banks is also accused of disposing of refuse materials, including bottles, electronic equipment, batteries, cardboard and other garbage in the Maumee River.
The investigation was conducted by the Coast Guard Investigative Service under the direction of Resident Agent in Charge Edward L. Songer, Detroit, Michigan.

Patrol reports 16
traffic fatalities
over 4th weekend
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reporting 16 people lost their lives in 15 traffic crashes during the July Fourth reporting period, which began July 2 and ended July 5.
Impairment was determined to be a factor in at least five of the crashes.
Troopers made 536 arrests for impaired driving and 368 for drug-related charges. The patrol responded to 534 crashes and made more than 40,000 traffic contacts in total, which included providing assistance to more than 2,761 motorists.
Franklin County led all counties with 1,571 incidents followed by Hamilton County with 1,053.
Lucas County, with 853 incidents, and Wood County, with 844, were the only two local counties in the top 10.
During last year’s Fourth of July reporting period, which was also from July 2 through 5, a total of 24 fatal crashes killed 25 people. Of those, 17 crashes and 18 fatalities involved alcohol and/or drugs.

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