June
Written by Autumn Lee | | news@toledofreepress.com• Anthony Peterson, a 21-year-old Toledoan, received his high school diploma nearly six years after entering Libbey High School as a freshman. Peterson worked with a home instructor for two school years. In that time, he went from being nearly illiterate to being comfortable reading and writing.
• East Toledo resident Georgette Palermo launched an effort to convince CBS to bring back its cancelled series “Jericho,” which follows one town’s struggle for survival after a nuclear blast. As par to the “Nuts to CBS” effort, “Jericho” fans sent massive quantities of nuts to the network’s headquarters in New York and Los Angeles in hopes it would bring the show back. CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler announced June 6 the show would return mid-season the next year with seven episodes.
• Former UT President Dan Johnson shared plans for the Northwest Ohio Science and Technology Corridor, whose mission is to facilitate economic development by leveraging the assets of higher education to transform and improve the economy and quality of life in Northwest Ohio through business, educational, governmental and regional partnerships. The corridor is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization closely aligned and integrated with academic institutions and economic development sources in Northwest Ohio.
• The Toledo Public Schools Board of Education selected former Toledo Mayor Jack Ford to fill an open seat left by the resignation of former Board President Deborah Barnett. Ford was chosen on a 3-1 vote, with board member Darlene Fisher casting the dissenting vote.
• WNWO-TV NBC 24 sports director Jim Tichy signed off for the last time June 8. Tichy worked at WNWO since 1974.
• Life Connection of Ohio in Maumee said more than 250 Toledo-area patients were awaiting organ transplants, mainly kidneys. Life Connection identifies local residents to put on the donor registry. Should someone on the registry die, Life Connection matches organs with potential recipients. Recipients are first sought locally, regionally, then nationally.
• Former Toledo talk-radio veteran Denny Schaffer launched a round-the-clock Internet radio network after a station shakeup at his former employer, Atlanta’s WGST-AM 640, left him unemployed. “DennyRadio 24/7” includes a live program every weekday from 10 a.m. to noon and replays previous shows between live broadcasts and on weekends. The network can be found on the Web at dennyradio.com.
• Elmore’s Woodmore High School senior Emily Pendleton won an unprecedented fourth straight discus title at the Division III state meet in Columbus. Pendleton was expected to take her talents to the University of Michigan.
• Toledo-area couples shared their experiences with fertility drug Clomid upon the product’s 40th birthday. Dr. Joe Karnitis, reproductive endocrinologist at The Toledo Hospital’s Fertility Clinic, said millions of babies have been conceived through Clomid since its 1967 release. He said it was the first fertility drug offered. The Toledo Hospital Fertility Clinic prescribes about 25 Clomid prescriptions per week, Karnitis said.
• The Veterans’ Glass City Skyway bridge was dedicated June 23. The ceremony celebrated the six-year project, which was the largest undertaking ever by the Ohio Department of Transportation. The bridge allows Interstate 280 to cross over the Maumee River without interrupting traffic for ships passing through.
• A June 12 locker-room altercation that involved a handful of Toledo Mud Hens players and one Detroit Tigers pitcher resulted in serious injuries to Hens hurler Jason Karnuth and the suspension of Ramon Colon, a Detroit pitcher who was on an injury rehabilitation assignment. Karnuth’s wife filed assault charges against Colon. Colon was later dealt to the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named.
• The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority approved June 28 the construction of an ethanol plant on the Maumee River. If built, the $240 million plant would be the first ethanol plant with direct access to the Great Lakes.
• Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop announced a program that offers 1 percent interest rate loans of $500 to $2,500 to Lucas County residents wishing to purchase pieces of artwork. The Art Assist Program was designed after a similar program in Manchester, England.
July
