News Briefs
Free Thanksgiving dinner
Ottawa and Sandusky county residents are invited to a free Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 23 at Woodmore High School, 633 Fremont St., Elmore.
Local churches, businesses and community organizations are sponsoring the dinner, which will be served from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The menu will include turkey or ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, vegetable, dinner roll and dessert. Dinner is provided by Ole Zim’s Wagon Shed and local churches are providing desserts.
Meals will be served for dine-in This is the first year since the pandemic to have dine-in service for the dinner.
Carryout is available, with pick-up available inside.
Those interested in helping out at the event may contact Bob Daniel at bdaniel808@yahoo.com.
This is the 15th year for the free Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, 600 meals were handed out, and organizers expect the same turnout this year.
To support the dinner, send contributions to Elmore Church of God, c/o Thanksgiving Dinner,
310 Congress St., Elmore.
AG announces
DG settlement
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that the bulk of a $1 million settlement with Dollar General will go to food banks or other hunger-relief organizations spanning every one of the state's 88 counties.
Under an agreement reached between Yost's office and Dollar General, $750,000 of the settlement money will be distributed to food banks for the purchase and distribution of food and/or personal-care items.
Each county auditor will choose the beneficiary in his or her county – a decision that must be submitted to the Ohio Attorney General's Office by Nov. 30.
Dollar General, a Tennessee-based discount retail chain with more than 980 stores throughout Ohio, displayed prices on its shelves for certain items but charged higher prices at its registers, and failed to correct prices at the point-of-sale to the lower shelf price.
Candidacy for state
rep seat announced
Erika White, of Holland, hosted a press conference last week announcing she is entering the race for Ohio State Representative for District 41.
White is President of Communications Workers of America Local 4319 and Vice President of the Greater Northwest Ohio AFL-CIO.
"As a mother, I want kids to have a quality education and keep them safe at school. As the wife of a firefighter, I know that we can support those who protect and serve us. And as a union member, I want to fight for the middle class and ensure workers can build a strong economy with living-wage jobs,” she said.
Clogged drains and
holiday meals
The Northwestern Water and Sewer District is reminding residents to be mindful of what goes down the drain while preparing meals this holiday season.
Fats, oils, and grease can solidify and cause blockages in pipes, leading to backups, clogging of the plumbing, damaging wastewater treatment systems, and causing environmental issues.
The district advises that when it comes to fats, oils, and grease, you should, “Can it, cool it, and throw it away.”
Fats, oil, and grease come from meats, butter and margarine, lard, food scraps, sauces, salad dressings, dairy products, and cooking oil. When they are warm, it’s easy to pour down the drain, but as they cool, they harden and can cause sewer pipes to clog.
They can lead to a Sanitary Sewer Overflow where raw sewage can leak into your home, lawn, neighborhood, and streets, and harm public infrastructure.
Allow fat, oils, and grease to cool and solidify in an aluminum can, then dispose of it in your garbage.
Use a paper towel to wipe off greasy pans and dishes to remove build-up before rinsing or placing them in the dishwasher.
Through December, the district is giving away free lids to cover canned grease at its main office, 12560 Middleton Pike, Bowling Green, during regular business hours, weekdays, 7:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.
For more information, please visit the district’s website at www.nwwsd.org.
County budget
hearings start
The Board of Ottawa County Commissioners will meet in special session at its offices in the courthouse no earlier than 8 a.m. on Nov. 20 to discuss 2024 department budget requests. For a list of all budget hearing dates go to the commissioners’ web page at www.co.ottawa.oh.us and click on the government tab.
Sentencing set
in murder case
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Wood County Common Pleas Court for a Bowling Green man who’s pled guilty to murder and two counts of felonious assault in the stabbing death of Alicia Rosa, also of Bowling Green, and her unborn child.
Jimmy David Cole, 30, has been in custody since his arrest on March 31, 2022.
According to the Wood County prosecutor’s office, Rosa’s body was found in her apartment by her parents who said she’d been in a relationship with Cole. Authorities believe the child she was carrying was Cole’s. According to the prosecutor’s statement to the court, Cole and Rosa argued before he stabbed her in the kitchen and then stabbed her in the living room.
She died minutes later as did her child.
The prosecutor’s office said the first two counts of murder allege Cole purposely caused the death of Rosa and her unborn child. The other charges will be merged into the first two at sentencing.
Attorneys for Cole have indicated they might argue the first two counts of murder should merge as well.
Each count of murder carries a penalty of life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 15 years. If he’s sentenced to consecutive terms, Cole could first seek parole after 30 years.