Elyria News Archives

Monday, June 30, 2008

July 1st through July 7th is “Celebrate Our Independents” week all across the nation. Studies show that money you spend with locally-owned independent businesses keeps approximately 3.5 times more money in our community than spending it with chains.

With this, we encourage you to make a special effort this week to stop by and support a locally-owned independent business.

If you are looking in the Elyria area for a nice meal in a relaxing atmosphere I would like to suggest the following joints.

Zaki's Restaurant & Deli 301 Broad St Elyria – (440) 323-6000 – I suggest the Swiss Melt & Fries for lunch. Ask for the fries well done.

Old Town Pizza House 195 Cleveland Ave, Amherst – (440) 984-2468 – I suggest the spaghetti with meatballs.

Stewart Appliance & Electronics 468 Cleveland Street, Elyria – 440-365-7321

Krieg’s Ice Cream Stand – On Route 113 – just west of Route 58 – I suggest the Chili Dogs.

If you are a purchaser for EMS supplies: Discount EMS Supplies 608 Cleveland Street Elyria www.discountemssupplies.com

Master Pizza 427 Cleveland Street – Elyria 365-7383 – I suggest the Master Pizza Classic

The Pizza House 106 S Main St, Wellington – (440) 647-4348

Twist & Shake Ice Cream – 230 Cleveland Street – Elyria

A construction worker who has been on the lam since September is being targeted by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.

The second annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals began under a cloud of sorrow as the death of driver Scott Kalitta less than a week earlier still weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone.

Elyria – Hundreds lined the streets Saturday afternoon to pay respects for a man they never met.

People of all ages stood quietly as the funeral procession of Army SPC.Jason Cox left the First Baptist Church in Carlisle Township and made its way through downtown Elyria before heading to Brookdale Cemetery.

As the procession traveled north on West Ave – Veterans, who are now residents of the Wesleyan Village, saluted as the hearse passed. An employee said the residents wanted to wear their military uniforms but were unable.

“They just really wanted to be out here as the procession passed by – they said they wanted to do this for the Soldier and for his family.”

Jason Cox was killed on June 16th in Iraq by an improvised explosive device. He was due to return home on leave in July – He was due to marry his sweetheart, Erika Kranek, next year.

If you were one of the many who were unable to attend Saturday’s service but wanted to – we have posted over 100 photos from the services.

Hundreds paid respects Friday evening to Army Spc. Jason Cox, filing past his flag-draped coffin as an honor guard stood watch on either side.

Elyria police Thursday, June 26 8:53 a.m. - 100 block N. West River Road, $100 stolen from cash register inside Willie's Used Furniture.

Storm clouds had given way to sunshine Thursday afternoon when out of the blue, a bolt of lightning burst from the sky, knocking Ken and Debra Meltzer to the ground.

Elyria – A motorist passing by the General Industries building on Taylor Street Thursday afternoon may well have prevented a large fire.

Assistant Chief Glenn Saddler of the Elyria Fire Department said workers using a cutting torch on pipes in the building probably sparked the fire.

The workers didn’t notice anything wrong when they took a break and left for lunch but a man passing by called 9-1-1 and said there was a lot of smoke coming off the building.

Saddler said that the fire started where two buildings were joined together and that Firefighters had to open a wall cavity to get to the fire. The fire was extinguished quickly and there were no injuries.

The Lorain County Regional Airport could land a new deal as a local base for the helicopters of Cleveland's MetroHealth Medical Center.

Ryan Cox, facing the camera, and Matthew Cox, with his back to the camera, talk after their brother, Army Spc.

With foreclosures at record levels in Lorain County, the number of seized homes being auctioned off every week is skyrocketing.

Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will and Common Pleas Judge James Burge continue to trade jabs in their fight over whether Burge should be allowed to remain on a three-judge panel that will hear a capital ...

Next week's annual fireworks spectacular at West Park is ready to go, but donations to offset the cost are down, said Mayor Bill Grace.

Former Lorain County Commissioner Michael Ross won't have to check in with county probation officials anymore.

Already worried about drug deals, juvenile delinquents, break-ins, vandalism and vacant homes, members of the South Elyria Block Watch now have to worry about a cold-blooded killing on their side of town.

Vincent Jackson Jr. robbed Gas USA of $12,000 before shooting clerk Qiana Walton with an AK-47 assault rifle, Elyria police Detective Larry Barbee said Tuesday.

The construction crews taking up valuable driving space on state Route 57 will likely garner a lot more praise in the future.

The clock is ticking for Tianna Madison and the 2003 Elyria High graduate is feeling frustrated and frazzled.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of violent fugitive Onita Crowell.

Elyria police Thursday, June 19 8:05 a.m. - 800 block Broad St., Brent R. Kandra, 22, Elyria, charged with failure to have vicious dog liability insurance.

Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will wants Common Pleas Judge James Burge removed from a three-judge panel in a capital murder case because he doesn't believe the judge will fairly consider imposing the death ...

Walter Shiner had a good reason for being late to Friday morning's Lorain County Transit meeting.

Mark F Craig Is an Elyria City Councilman, Marks piece of the pie is the 4th ward that covers the St Jude area of the City of Elyria, Ohio.

Mark while doing his home work to better serve his citizens found some very interesting facts about the RT57 Reconstruction project that have many shaking their heads , Mark lays it all out on the table below.

This SR 57 repair project is several years overdue. The City was well aware of the condition of the road and it is the City’s fault that commencement of the project was delayed.

A History Lesson:

This started out as a simple resurfacing project and had received approvals all the way through Stage 2. The next review would have been Stage 3, which is pretty much just filling in quantities and sheet numbers.

Instead, Stage 3 came in January of 2007 with a drastically altered scope of work, and numerous aesthetic items had been added into the project.

ODOT would normally have rejected such plans and forced the city to either make their plans match the approved Scope or to start over at the Scope level and resubmit everything for this "new" project.

Elyria was forced to re-submit their Stage 3 plans 9 or 10 times, and finally ODOT gave up and just let it go on through because the road was in such horrid condition. ODOT lobbied FHWA to allow it to go through as well.

SR 57 project was finally supposed to start last summer (July 1, the start of the State's fiscal year), but the City delayed it again:

• City wanted large trees in the median, after several meetings and tcc’s with lower-level personnel, ODOT Director finally told the Mayor no because large trees are a safety hazard.

• The city offered to install guardrails to protect his trees but was told no because guardrails are also hazards—you cannot install a hazard and then try to protect it with a hazard.

The reconstruction of state Route 57 will cost at least $1.5 million more than the $20 million budgeted, city officials said Thursday.

Any reduction in service is a bad idea, said Jessica Timmons, 26, of Elyria , said Wednesday at a public hearing on the cuts, which have been ordered by the county because of budget shortfalls at LCT.

Police Chief Michael Medders is on the hook for $2 million. That's the amount in punitive damages a federal jury awarded Elyria police Officer Hetzel See earlier this year after See sued the chief in 2003 for ...

Shawn Stevens doesn't have much forgiveness for Matthew Plas, the man accused of brutally attacking her and leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.

A 21-year-old Elyria man was killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq on Monday morning, a month before he was scheduled to return home on leave.

The man charged with killing Gas USA clerk Qiana Walton with a shot to the head served more than eight years in prison for shooting someone else in the head, according to authorities in Illinois.

A capital murder trial set to begin next week in front of a three-judge panel has been delayed so prosecutors can attempt to have one of the judges removed from the case.

The man who robbed Gas USA clerk Qiana Walton shortly after midnight Friday shot her dead with a semiautomatic rifle.

Several activists on the city's south side think Gas USA should be boarded up as a nuisance following the death of beloved sales clerk Qiana Walton.

Elyria – Family and friends of Qiana Walton gathered together Sunday night in the parking lot of GAS USA to pay respects to their friend and to show support to the her family.

People began arriving around 9:30 and by ten the crowd grew to over 100. Friends and people who never met Qiana placed flowers, teddy bears and other items in a make shift memorial by the station’s front doors. People were also lined up to sign a large card that had been taped to the front window.

As the crowd waited for the family to arrive from Lorain they talked to one another – some talking to total strangers expressing their anger, their hurt and their confusion on how this crime could have happened and why such a sweet girl could have been taken from them.

About a half hour into it the conversations stopped – the area was silent as several calls pulled into the parking lot with Qiana’s family. As family members began the walk to the building to see the memorial, the crowd parted – making a clear aisle for the grieving family. Qiana’s father & mother had to have assistance in getting through the crowd – struggling to make the walk they said it was something they knew they had to do.

A young family member expressed the gratitude of Qiana’s mother and father and the entire family. He said that their love and support has helped the family get through this weekend.

If you are back home after serving in Iraq, we would like to talk to you for a story.

Please e-mail Cindy Leise at cleise@chroniclet.com.

Elyria – Elyria Police have released the name of the suspect in the robbery – homicide at GAS USA early Saturday morning.

Police have charged 27-year-old Vincent W. Jackson of Chicago Illinois today with Aggravated Murder (F-1) and Aggravated Robbery (F-1).

Jackson is currently being held in the Elyria City Jail and will appear in Elyria Municipal Court Monday morning for his arraignment.

Jackson is being held without bond.

Police say that Jackson was seen on surveillance video instructing the victim, 27-year-old Qiana Walton of Lorain, to take him to and give him the money from the store.

The video shows that it appears Walton followed all of Jackson’s instructions – giving him an undisclosed amount of money from the business.

It was then that Jackson pointed his gun at Walton and shot her once in the head – killing her. Jackson then fled the scene on foot.

At 7:30 Sunday morning Police located Jackson at the home of his sister at 1020 West Ave. Jackson remained in the attic of the home for nearly four hours with a four-year-old child and four month old child. The children belonged to the suspect’s sister.

After lengthy negotiations with Elyria Police Jackson released the four year old first and then turned himself in – Police returned both children to the mother unharmed.

Police believe they have retrieved the firearm used in the crime. Police also say there is no indication that the suspect and victim knew each other. Family and friends are planning a candlelight vigil for Qiana Walton at the GAS USA in Elyria located at 824 Middle Ave.

Elyria – Less than 24 hours after a man robbed and murdered a GAS USA clerk in Elyria – Police have taken a man into custody.

Lieutenant Andy Eichenlaub of the Elyria Police Department said that the investigation by Detectives led Police to a residence on West Ave early this morning.

“At 12:17 last night we investigated a robbery – homicide at GAS USA at 824 Middle Ave.

The video coverage of that led us to this address at 1020 West Ave. We contacted the owners here and learned that the suspect that we were looking for was located in the upstairs of the house.

The suspect had a 4-year-old child and a 4-month-old child with him in the upstairs of the house. The negotiators talked to him for some time and convinced him to let the 4 year old go – the 4 year old came down and he was released to his mother.

A short time after that he turned himself in without incident and the 4 month old was returned unharmed to his mom.”

Lt. Eichenlaub said that at this point Officers are waiting for a search warrant to arrive so they can execute that and begin their search for the weapon used and any additional evidence.

Continue to check back as information comes in we’ll bring it to you

Elyria – Elyria Police are working at this hour to identify the suspect in a late night robbery – homicide that took place at GAS USA on Middle Ave just after midnight.

Police and Paramedics were called to the gas station around 12:30am after friends of the victim called Police and said they could see the victim lying unresponsive and bleeding. When Officers and Paramedics arrived they found the 26-year-old clerk dead on the floor inside of the station office.

Police expect to release surveillance video from inside the station later today in an attempt to get help from the public in identifying the suspect

Forty years after Sears and Roebuck shut its doors in downtown Lorain, 15 of its employees still gather to talk about old times.

The county will pull its funding from Compass House, the Lorain-based alcohol and drug rehabilitation center, and that could force the agency to close by the end of the month.

Prosecutors are considering asking the Ohio Supreme Court to remove Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge from a three-judge panel that is set to begin hearing the capital murder trial of Manuel Nieves ...

Despite a surge in riders, Lorain County Transit is preparing to make cuts. Exactly what form those cuts will take hasn't been finalized, Jim Cordes, Lorain County administrator, said, but it will likely be a ...

Elyria – Another hot day – Another day without power.

Many residents and businesses in Elyria’s south side and much of Carlisle Township’s north side was without power Thursday afternoon after a power surge blew transformers along Oberlin-Elyria Road.

Carlisle Township Fire Department received multiple calls of an

“electrical explosion” in front of 628 Oberlin-Elyria Road. Lieutenant Randy Feakins of the Carlisle Township Fire Department said when he arrived he found that primary lines had come loose and were wrapped around the secondary lines below.

“Much of the power was out along that stretch as we were responding to the area. The traffic lights at Route 20 & 301 were knocked out so the State has set up a generator to help keep them running until Ohio Edison restores full power to the area.”

Bar patrons dragged a drunken man out of the Far West Inn about 7 p.m. Saturday after he allegedly yelled that he had a gun and planned to shoot everyone, a sheriff's report said.

Gas prices are high and blood supplies are low, so two blood centers are hoping to coax donors to give by offering free gas.

Cars were lined up Wednesday afternoon at Gas USA on Middle Avenue, where a price of $3.69 per gallon of unleaded was drawing customers back after a gas leak scare in late May.

A Lorain man and woman were arrested Wednesday on charges they stole a donation can set up in an Elyria gas station to raise money for a woman partially paralyzed after being attacked while hiking in Carlisle ...

''Scary'' is the word to describe the latest home foreclosure picture in Lorain County.

Chief Master Sgt Carl Hunsinger, left, and Chief Master Sgt. Richard Bunce unveil the sign during a ceremony Tuesday.

Daryl W. Jackson, of Hall Road , turned himself in at about 3 a.m. today at a residence on Garden Avenue in Lorain , said Elyria police Lt.

Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge ordered this morning that Ohio change the lethal injection protocol used to execute condemned prisoners.

Aging water and sanitary sewer lines are a growing problem across the country, but one for which help comes slowly.

EATON TOWNSHIP - The State Route 57 southbound bridge, between Grafton Road and SR 10, will close Monday, June 16 for a bridge repair project. The bridge will reopen July 31.

Business was slow Monday after the Charles Berry Bascule Bridge was closed for repair work, according to several business owners along U.S. Route 6. But exactly how slow it will get remains to be seen, said ...

Three hours after 9-year-old Elijah Benner went missing from his Antrim Road home in Elyria Township, Lorain County sheriff's deputies were combing the nearby woods, swatting away at mosquitoes and trying to ...

About a dozen Japanese doctors and health care workers stood on the roof of EMH Regional Medical Center Monday where helicopters swoop down with patients suffering chest pain.

Lorain County Metro Parks rangers found Matthew Plas as they searched for the man responsible for brutally attacking Shawn Stevens as she hiked alone in the Carlisle Reservation last month.

Elyria – With the temperatures hitting 90 again today many people took refuge in their homes with the air conditioners and fans going on high speed.

Hundreds of homes on Elyria’s southeast side remained HOT though when the power went off.

Lieutenant Jamie Norris of the Elyria Fire Department said that a large tree that fell on Prospect Street brought some power lines down with it, causing the power outage.

“When we arrived we found that the tree had fallen, probably due to the winds and insect infestation.

When it fell it pulled down the power lines from Case to Harvard Ave. The affected area was from East Broad Street to Ashland Ave.”

Elyria Police Officers were directing traffic around the area and at East Broad & South Abbe for several hours.

Lt. Norris said that they were very fortunate today tha Ohio Edison arrived on scene just after the tree had fallen.

“They were enroute there to actually do routine maintenance work on the light pole that was brought down by the tree. So it was a coincidence that they were there, but it worked out very well for us.”

Most of the power has been restored and Ohio Edison believes that the area should be back to 100% by this evening.

TMCnews gets the news first hand. The pictures are so clear it looks like your there in the story as it happening.

Elyria – With temperatures hitting in the 90’s throughout the area people were looking for ways to cool off.

A group of kids in Elyria took advantage of an open fire hydrant on Tedman Court in Wilkes Villa Sunday.

The National Weather Service is forecasting another day in the 90’s for Monday with a chance of Thunderstorms Monday night.

TMCnews gets the news first hand. The pictures are so clear it looks like your there in the story as it happens.

Elyria students have a nose for news Vincent Zack knows his news.The 11-year-old Elyria student recently received the second-highest score in the country in the National Current Events League competition.

The nonpoisonous Lake Erie water snake, deemed endangered by the state and threatened by the federal government almost a decade ago, has greatly increased in numbers in recent years, leading biologists to ...

Elyria police Friday, June 6 6 a.m. - 300 block Lowell St., utility trailer stolen.

FREMONT – The Ohio State Highway Patrol has responded to a fatal plane crash that occurred at approximately 1:00 p.m. today that killed six people in Sandusky County.

A single-engine 68 Cessna fixed-wing airplane departed to the east from the Fremont airport and for an unknown reason crashed shortly after take-off into a residential area on the west side of Fremont, south of Hayes Avenue, killing all on-board. There is no indication of any ground structures being impacted and no one on the ground was affected.

Killed in the crash were: Gene Damschroder Sr., 86, of Fremont (pilot) Bill Anstead, 62, of Lindsay Allison Anstead, 23, of Lindsay Daniel Gerwin, 31, of Gibsonburg Emily Gerwin, 4, of Gibsonburg Matt Clearman, 25, of Maumee

Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are en-route to the scene. The Fremont Police Department, Fremont Fire Department, Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office, Balleville Fire Department, and Clyde Fire Department Communications Center are also on-scene.

Damschroder served as a Republican State Representative from 1973 to 1983. He ran for State Representative again in 1984 and then for Sandusky Commissioner in 1990 – both attempts were unsuccessful. Damschroder was also the owner of Fremont Progress Field Airport; Steel Panel Building Company.

Edmund Fitzgerald Launch Video The Chronicle-Telegram has obtained a film that shows the launching of the famous Edmund Fitzgerald freighter ship that sunk in Lake Superior in 1975.

Elyria police Thursday, June 5 8:32 a.m. – 39600 block Calann Drive, Sara

Baker, 25, Elyria, warrant.

8:55 a.m. – 100 block Roosevelt Ave., Michael J. Miller, 46, Elyria, warrant.

11:33 a.m. – Olivet Drive and Hilliard Road, a woman said her boyfriend punched her in the face.

12:39 p.m. – Circuit City, Market Drive, Blu-ray DVD player stolen.

3 p.m. – 100 block West Bridge St., front door kicked in.

2:47 p.m. – Broad Street and Middle Avenue, a woman said a sexual predator asked about her 17-year-old daughter.

3:35 p.m. – 700 block Infirmary Road, car window shattered by children throwing rocks.

4:42 p.m. – Grafton and Fuller roads, Ricky Ammons, 47, Lorain, warrant.

5:18 p.m. – Single digits Valley Forge Lane, breaking and entering.

8:03 p.m. – State Routes 254 and 57, Kristopher A. Hill, 46, Lorain, warrant. Friday, June 6

1:42 a.m. – Lorain Boulevard and Lowell Street, Joaquin Chapman, 44, Lorain, warrant.

3 a.m. – 300 block West Ave., breaking and entering, shampoo poured on walls and floor.

3:51 a.m. – Grafton and Fuller roads, Amanda Shoebottom, 18, Grafton, charged with underage consumption and obstructing official business. Jason L. Preiss, 25, Columbia Township, charged with DUI, driving under suspension and providing false information to police.

Republican Nick Brusky launched his campaign for a county commissioner seat Friday evening by calling out his opponent, Democratic incumbent Ted Kalo.

The three-judge panel for the upcoming death penalty case against Manuel Nieves was selected Friday.

An Avon woman convicted of trying to murder her estranged husband while he slept was sentenced to 13 years in prison Friday in county Common Pleas Court.

The county will spend between $900,000 and $1 million to repair problems with the outer shell of the county Justice Center.

Carlisle Township – One teen is listed in critical condition while 2 others were listed as serious after the van they were riding in collided with a semi on Route 301.

Carlisle Township Firefighters were called to the scene around 11:30 this morning for a semi in a ditch. Lieutenant Randy Feakins said when he arrived he was shocked at what he saw. “When I saw the van in the yard with the semi in its side I immediately called back to the station for additional resources.”

Feakins said the impact pushed the van through two yards about 500 feet before coming to rest in the front yard of Linden Propane. “The right front passenger was trapped – the door was pushed in on her legs and pinned against the floorboard. We had to, as a last resort, have the truck driver move his truck back about a foot so we could get the hydraulic tools in there to pry the door open to get her feet out.”

See all the news on this story and more on TMCnews

A sinkhole was unearthed Wednesday afternoon on Gateway Boulevard after a semi rumbled over the weakened asphalt.

The editors of LorainCounty.com have had to take the drastic step of shutting down its Elyria Conversation Forum today due to a “high volume of abusive posts.”

LorainCounty.com has been the place to go to read about events and issues affecting our county for years. It has also been the place to go for people to vent about issues and events affecting our community.

The sites editors have worked hard on making their site all about issues, events and peoples ideas. Throughout the history of the site some people have abused the privilege of having such an outlet for the citizens of this community.

They have abused it by directing cheap shots towards individuals – in direct violation of the sites rules – and the editors took the step today to shut down the forum.

When people logged on today and tried to read comments in the Elyria Forum the found the following message:

“Due to a high volume of abusive posts, the Elyria Conversation Forum is temporarily down. The intent of the forums is to discuss issues and ideas, not people. If you wish to discuss people, please use another site.”

TMCNEWS.NET hopes that LorainCounty.com lifts the temporary ban on the Elyria Forum soon, as it is a great outlet for our neighbors to voice their concerns and ideas.

We too have had our share of issues with our comments section and continue to work to keep the offensive material off the site. We, as I’m sure the editors of LorainCounty.com, strongly believe in everyone’s Freedom of Speech.

However, we hope that people will use the sites appropriately. Use the sites to share your thoughts on stories and issues that most affect our community.

It can be an outstanding way to learn about issues and how your neighbors feel about our hometown.

Side note: Another community forum can be found at www.elyriablockwatch.com

Elyria – Elyria Police have arrested 38-year-old Kelly D. Snodgrass on charges of Pandering Obscenity involving a minor in connection with two separate incidents in April.

Snodgrass, of Elyria, is accused of approaching an 8-year-old girl in the area of Sherman and Denison on April 28th offering her money.

The girl quickly said no and notified her parents. On the same day a 9 year old female was approached inside the Chestnut Commons Wal-Mart by a male with the same description offering her money if she would pull down her pants.

The girl also refused and notified a Wal-Mart employee and her parents as well.

Police investigators used store video surveillance footage to identify Snodgrass as the man who approached the 9-year-old girl.

Snodgrass is listed as a Tier III Sex Offender on the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department website.

The site lists his offenses as Theft, Kidnapping and Rape of an adult female from September of 2003. He resides on Queens Court in Elyria.

Snodgrass is currently being held in the Elyria City Jail.

ELYRIA -- After six years, Midway Cinemas has closed its doors to moviegoers, an employee confirmed. The theater at 2650 Midway Mall, Elyria, showed its final movie at 9:55 p.m. last night.

Officials at Midway Mall are remaining tight-lipped about why the theater has closed, but an employee confirmed that the theater is closed.

Centro Midway, owners of Midway Mall, sued Midway Cinemas last year alleging the theater company failed to pay $52,500 in rent between August and October 2007. It is unclear if that is why the theater is now closing its doors.

With the Elyria theater now closed, moviegoers will have to turn to nearby Regal Cinemas. 5500 Cobblestone Drive, Sheffield Village.

''(Midway Cinemas) is closer to my house and I ride (Lorain County Transit),'' said Nicholette Sanchez, of Elyria, who came to the theater on the last day. ''This theater is also cheaper than Regal.''

Midway Cinemas showed movies on eight screens. Prices were $8 for adults in the evening, $5.75 before 6 p.m. and $3.75 for the first show of the day.

''I come (to Midway Cinemas) because it's a good price,'' Mary Winters of Lorain said. ''Mainly for people with a fixed income, plus gasoline to drive (to Regal costs more).''

Regal Cinemas has 20 screens and offers stadium-style seating in every theater. The price for adults is $9 and $6.50 before 6 p.m. Children and senior citizens over 60 are $6 all day.

The state's protocols are not only constitutional, they meet the requirements of an Ohio law that requires executions to be quick and painless, Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Tony Cillo wrote in his closing ...

When his fiancee is sitting at his bedside, 28-year-old Robert Anderson of Elyria can recognize her.

With the restaurant bearing her name in shambles, Rosie Rogers still found a way Tuesday to bring smiles to people with her food.

Residents object to $3.30 a month charge to maintain lines ELYRIA TWP. - A $3.30 monthly charge added to the quarterly water bills of nearly 3,500 residents in Carlisle, Elyria and Sheffield townships has some ...

Elyria – The Elyria Police Department have the southbound lanes of East Bridge Street closed down while they conduct their investigation into an Auto – Pedestrian crash.

Marc Virant of Elyria said he and his friend Steve Kobylyski were heading home from work when the crash occurred.

“We were stopped at the bottom of the hill on East River and I saw the girl run across East Bridge.

She stopped for a moment under the bridge by a pillar then just darted across and was hit by the pick up truck.”

Virant said that the girl, who he says appeared to be a young teen, probably didn’t even see the truck because of where she was positioned.

“I really doubt that the guy driving the truck saw her until the last second, we did hear him hit his brakes but there was just not enough time.”

The girl was thrown against one of the railroad bridge pillars and Virant said that when he got to her he could see how serious the injuries were to her back.

LifeCare Paramedics and Elyria Firefighters treated the girl on scene and quickly transported to Elyria Memorial Hospital.

LifeCare had requested Metro LifeFlight be dispatched to the hospital for the girl. The helicopter is on the roof at EMH at this hour.

Patrol keeping close eye on big rigs Starting today, 18-wheelers and other commercial vehicles will get special attention as part of Roadcheck 2008, which promotes 72 hours of continuous vehicle inspections in ...

Shawn Stevens' friends don't know exactly when she'll return home, but they say that when she does, she'll find a new bedroom, a handicapped-accessible bathroom and a wheelchair ramp waiting for her.

People whose cars were damaged after hitting potholes on state Route 57 clapped and cheered when Law Director Terry "Pete" Shilling and a majority of City Council breathed new life into their hopes of ...

Posted By: 50 mins ago ELYRIA , Twp. -- Several patrons had their dinners interrupted Tuesday night as the room collapsed at Rosie's Family restaurant here.

ELYRIA - A flock of angry people who have been denied payments for their damaged vehicles from pothole-ravaged SR 57 could be descending on city hall to take their fight to city council tonight. T

he Elyria City Council Finance Committee on Wednesday rejected 73 moral claims from people who say their vehicles were damaged from potholes while driving on SR 57 in Elyria.

The Finance Committee was considering whether or not to pay people up to $500 for pothole damage claims for incidents alleged to have happened on SR 57 from Lorain Boulevard to Chestnut Ridge Road between Jan 1 and May 15, 2008.

Carol Jones, an Elyria resident, and others plan to voice their frustration at the council meeting tonight and ask the full council to reject the Finance Committee report. Jones, while driving her 1994 Geo Prizm, hit a pothole on SR 57 between Abbe and Gulf Roads.

It hit so hard it broke the left strut on my car," she said. "They're looking at every excuse possible not to pay us. All along, we really thought we were going to get something." Jones said over the weekend she passed out 500 fliers in Elyria asking support from people at the meeting tonight.

"This could have happened to anyone who lives in or around this city," Jones wrote on the flier that lists phone numbers for all of the city council members.

A 23-year-old Elyria man who allegedly punched a Lorain police officer in December 2005 is the Fugitive of the Week.

The motorman blamed for a deadly trolley car crash 101 years ago in Elyria served only two days in the county jail.

Zetia Turner, 5, helps Pat Stevens, center, and Sandy Rieth with the sale of tickets at a fundraiser Sunday for Turner's grandmother, Shawn Stevens, who was attacked at the Carlisle Reservation.

A not guilty plea Tuesday from Lorain City Councilman Dennis Flores. The 54-year-old Flores was arrested Friday night during a prostitution sting.

By filing the appeal, Raymond Smith, convicted in the 1994 murder of police informant Ronald Lally, isn't risking Rothgery's finding that he's retarded, a decision that means the state can't execute him, said ...

Florence Bleicher knows that on first glance, she doesn't look like your typical high school graduate.

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 49 will be at VFW Post 1079, 500 S. Abbe Road, Elyria, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, to help veterans file claims with the Veterans Administration.

You are the students the rest of the world wants to be like, Superintendent Paul Rigda told the Elyria High School Class of 2008 Saturday night.

Emergency responders are working to contain a gasoline leak. Mike settles of the Ohio EPA says crews are working at the Gas USA gasoline station on Middle Avenue.