By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 1 Don Monroe is trying to prove a point. Home builders tell him they can’t make money building in Toledo. The real money is out in the suburbs, they say, where green pastures have been giving way to backyards for decades. He’s not buying it. “You can make […]
Category: Blade | City government
Decision due in Finkbeiner case; Prosecutor must rule on plea bargain in financial disclosure violation
By Tom Troy and Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writers Page 11 The special prosecutor assigned to handle an ethics investigation of Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said he will decide this week whether to approve a plea bargain in the case. Kevin Baxter, Erie County prosecutor, said yesterday that he is reviewing the Finkbeiner case and […]
The power behind the Authority; Critics challenge port board to change image
By Joshua Benton and Michael D. Sallah Blade Staff Writers Page 1 Every time you fly out of Toledo Express Airport without passing through dark, dingy hallways, you can thank them. Every time you see the Libbey-Owens-Ford world headquarters in downtown Toledo, you see their work. Every time you watch a freighter pushing slowly past […]
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Hartung attends seminar on dealing with ‘angry public’
By Joshua Benton and Chris Osher Blade Staff Writers Page 9 In a perfect world, a public servant wouldn’t need to spend $1,175 to learn how to deal with an angry public. But it’s not a perfect world, at least for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. For two days last month, port board President James […]
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Rec fund seems possible
By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 1 School’s out. If you believe Toledo Councilman Bob McCloskey, children too often have two options: Do something fun and potentially productive, or get into trouble. “I’d rather spend $10 to put a child in a rec program than $500 to incarcerate him,” he said. And if he […]
Erie County prosecutor prepares to delve into Finkbeiner ethics case
By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 1 SANDUSKY — The prosecutor met the mayor once before, before a tale of broken laws twisted their futures together. It was at a Lucas County Democratic Party dinner a few years ago. Kevin Baxter, Erie County’s prosecutor and a rising star in the Democratic Party, was introduced […]
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Gerken wants probe of Edison’s ‘threats’ to city
By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 17 In the continuing saga of a possible municipal electric company, one Toledo councilman wants to get the federal government involved. Peter Gerken, who has been the council’s strongest proponent of a city utility to compete with Toledo Edison Co., is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to […]
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Council to discuss adding jail beds; City might make deal with county
By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 12 Toledo’s criminals might have more beds to call home at the region’s largest jail, if the city council passes a proposed ordinance tomorrow. The city is allotted 229 beds at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, which houses criminals from jurisdictions throughout the region. For the use […]
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Fuming council members attack the administration and each other
By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 13 In a fiery, confrontational Toledo council meeting last night, members ripped into the city administration and, sometimes, each other about withholding information. Councilman Gene Zmuda found himself in the center of two of the most contentious disputes. The first battle occurred when the administration introduced a last-minute […]
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Yeast magnate’s offer could give rise to museum
By Joshua Benton Blade Staff Writer Page 15 It’s likely Toledo has never received $102,000 from a yeast magnate for some carved wax. But that’s the odd prospect council members will face today, when they decide whether to sell off the less interesting part of an art collection to pay for a museum to display […]
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