Background checks, ID cards slow weapon sales, close shops; Toledo gun-control laws prompt praise, criticism

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page A9 Ned Plummer knows the meaning of a close call. The owner of the Trilby Sport Shop on Secor Road was in the process of selling a handgun to a woman earlier this month. All the paperwork was in place; she had gone through a battery of background […]

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Hungarian nativity play is Birmingham indicator

By Joshua Benton and Jack Baessler Blade Staff Writers Page 1 Lack of Hungarian-speaking men and the further decline of Hungarian culture in the Birmingham neighborhood appear to be the reason for the cancellation of a century-old Christmas tradition, authorities on the neighborhood said. For the second straight year, the oreg (pronounced er-deg), a colorful […]

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Mayor seeks civic hall; City leaders may be honored

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 13 Canton, Cooperstown … Toledo? Mayor Carty Finkbeiner thinks civic leaders should be honored in a hall of fame, and he’s started a new city committee to choose its members. “There are not many other cities or states that do this,” Mr. Finkbeiner said. “I think it’s something […]

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U.S. to pull workers from federal building

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 21 Federal officials have committed to vacating the Federal Building downtown, a structure that many consider an eyesore and a key target for Toledo’s efforts to beautify the riverfront. “That should be open space,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo). “That riverfront is Toledo’s strongest asset.” The building, […]

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Council looks for efficient ways to keep public informed on issues

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 24 Council’s staff spends about 30 hours each week typing up transcripts to council meetings – many of them never to be touched again by human hands. The council members who will take office in two weeks consider that a waste of time, and will soon begin considering […]

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Toledo council goes on the attack; Additional staffers needed to better control agenda, members say

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 25 Toledo council is sick of being force-fed a legislative agenda by the mayor’s office, and its members have begun planning their attack. “The last four years have been, to put it mildly, challenging,” Councilman Peter Ujvagi said yesterday during a council retreat at One Maritime Plaza. “This […]

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Mayor again talks of ‘guns on the street’

By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 17 Mayor Carty Finkbeiner may be preparing to reintroduce legislation that would give Toledo the state’s toughest gun-control laws. The mayor met yesterday afternoon with local black clergymen and members of the Coalition Against Gun Violence to discuss strategies in their efforts to limit the number of guns […]

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