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How to vote in 2024

By
Paula Wethington
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Lucas Zielinksi, with Turning Point USA, hands Amelia Mathkour, a music, business and tech major at Owens Community College, a pamphlet about voting registration. Zielinksi said he was on campus for the day to help students register to vote. (TFP Photo/Lori King)

Lucas County Board of Elections explains voting details, process

Toledo – With Election Day a month away, preparations are in full swing at the Lucas County Board of Elections office.

“We’re up and running and getting everything ready,” said Timothy Monaco, deputy director of the elections office. “It’s a wonderful time. It’s important to exercise your right to vote.”

Logistics that the staff and officers have been handling for weeks on behalf of Lucas County’s 303 voting precincts include preparing ballots, training precinct election officials, and getting early voting dates and times posted on their website.

Monaco said the most commonly asked question from voters during the past couple of weeks has been when absentee ballots will arrive in the mail. 

Here’s the answer: Ohio voters can look for the absentee ballots starting Oct. 8, which is one day after registration ends for the Nov. 5 election.

The Lucas County Board of Elections staff doesn’t give predictions on voter turnout, Monaco said. But, according to state election records, 67 percent of registered Lucas County voters participated in the 2020 presidential election, and 66 percent did so in the 2016 presidential election. This participation includes absentee voting, early in-person voting and traditional Election Day voting.

Those choices are meant to help all eligible voters participate, whether they prefer going in person to a local polling site or to cast a ballot before they travel out of town.

“It’s important to make your plan as to who you are going to vote for,” Monaco said. “Make sure you make a plan and know what is on your ballot.”

While the presidential campaign is the key race of the Nov. 5 election, there are also races in Lucas County for local judges and city officials. For those who want to see the list ahead of time, ballot proofs are available for review on the election board’s website.

“Ballots will be three pages for everyone and four pages for some,” Monaco said.

While some people remember how they wish to vote when going to the polls, others find it helpful to bring paper notes or refer to a list on their phone, Monaco said. “Some folks really come prepared,” he said.

“It’s also important to be respectful at the location,” he added, referring to an Ohio law that prohibits photos of marked ballots. “We do ask that you limit cell phone use at the ballot.”

Many other election details are explained at lucascountyohiovotes.gov.

Election calendar

Key dates for the November 5 election:

  • Military and overseas civilian voting: Started Sept. 20.
  • Voter registration deadline: 9 p.m. Oct. 7.
  • Early in-person voting season: Oct. 8.-Nov. 3.
  • Absentee ballot postmark deadline: Nov. 4.
  • Election Day: Nov. 5.

CAMPUS TALK

OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS SOUND OFF ABOUT VOTING

Question: How important is voting to you?

Oliver Odendahl
James Johnson
Nivant Dawson
Sydney Stanley
David Case III

Voting is not my main concern, but it is pretty important because it is the future of America and I would like to have a say in what is gonna be my future. I usually try to vote on voting day, if I can’t I’ll do the absentee ballot.

Oliver Odendahl | EMT Major | Tontogany Resident

I am not a registered voter. If I was to lie to you I’d say yes. But honestly, I don’t have enough time … it’s not really a main priority, even though it should be. I do plan on voting at some point, maybe when I’m in my adult phase. Even though I’m not a registered voter I do think voting is important because it basically determines the society and the rules and regulations we live by.

James Johnson | Broadcast Media Technology Major | Toledo Resident

I’d say voting is very important. There’s certain aspects of it that do feel sort of depressing, when you think about it, because a lot of people would say people voting normally wouldn’t matter because of a small majority in the Electoral College – their votes matter 100 times more than your own. That’s what it feels like at least from what I know. It does feel a little degrading knowing that’s going to happen.

Nivant Dawson | Business Major | Toledo Resident

I think voting is important, but I’m not exactly sure why it’s important. I mean, there’s a lot of things that come from it. You’re voting for someone that you’re putting your trust and you’re faith into to guide us all in the right direction, but we just all don’t know what that direction is yet. So, we’re just kind of free-balling it, in a way. So, I don’t know … I’ve never voted before but this will be interesting. I really don’t know what all is involved. I just have a lot to learn about voting – like what I should be looking for in the leader I’m going to be voting for. So, yeah, it’s coming up soon. There’s a lot to learn.

Sydney Stanley | Chemistry Major | Millbury Resident

Voting is very important, especially in this day and age, when everything’s going on.

David Chase III | Literature Major | Toledo Resident
Registration details

Ohio voters must be registered by 9 p.m. Oct. 7 to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 5 election.

Residents can register to vote, look up voter registration, change their address, find an early voting location, look up Election Day polling location or track an absentee ballot at VoteOhio.gov.

Photo ID requirement

Bring your photo ID when voting. The options are:

- Current Ohio driver’s license or State of Ohio ID card.

- Interim ID form issued by Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

- U.S. passport or U.S. passport card.

- U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.

A registered voter who has changed his or her name since the photo ID was issued will need to show proof of legal name change and sign a form. A photo ID card can show a former address if a current address is on file with the voting records. If you forget a photo ID, you can request a provisional ballot. 

How to vote absentee

An absentee ballot in Ohio needs to be requested, signed, dated and submitted for each election. Military personnel and civilian overseas voters can file one application for all elections happening in a given year.

The application asks for the number on your Ohio driver’s license or Ohio ID card, last four digits of your social security number, or a photocopy of other eligible ID such as a U.S. passport or military ID.

Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4 and can be hand delivered to the Board of Elections on Nov. 5.

Additional instructions are on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.

In-person early voting

Ohio’s in-person early voting season begins Oct. 8 and ends Nov. 3. 

The Lucas County Early Vote Center is at 3737 W. Sylvania Ave. Suite 121 Entrance C (at the rear of the Lucas County Board of Elections building) in west Toledo.

Voting times and dates can be found at LucasCountyOhioVotes.gov.

Election Day voting

Polling sites are open in Ohio from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. You can look up your polling location at VoteOhio.Gov.

What’s on the ballot?

A “ballot proof” is available for review on the Lucas County Board of Elections page. It lists candidates and ballot issues by precinct, so voters know what to expect.

For example: Six president/vice president candidate teams have declared in Ohio, with an additional write-in option available. Other candidate races include U.S. Senator, Lucas County Sheriff and openings on Toledo City Council.

Ohio Issue 1 is a proposed state constitutional amendment that has gained a lot of attention. This issue, if approved, would designate a redistricting commission to draw state legislative and congressional districts.

There are other issues locally, such as a proposed bond issue for the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library and a tax renewal request from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

Are ballot “selfies” allowed?

Ohio does not permit photos to be taken of a marked ballot. It’s actually a fifth-degree felony should that take place, according to Ohio law.

The “I Voted” Sticker

A traditionally popular way to showcase voter participation is through an “I voted” sticker, picked up on Election Day at the polling site.

Ohio’s current “I Voted” sticker design was adopted in 2019 through a student art contest. A red squiggle depicts a map of Ohio, nestled in a blue circle outline, with the phrase “Ohio Voted.”

Voters are invited to download the image to share on social media at the Ohio Secretary of State website. That website also has also a “future voter” coloring page for children available for download.

Is campaigning allowed at election sites?

Ohio does not allow election campaigning, also known as electioneering, within 100 feet of a voting site. This means no campaigning messages on attire such as shirts or hats, Monaco said.

Two small United States flags are placed at each voting site to designate the “neutral” zone where this applies. 

Where is the Board of Elections office?

If you need to visit the Lucas County Board of Elections regarding a voting matter, that office moved about two years ago from its former location at One Government Center to 3737 W. Sylvania Road in West Toledo.

When are election numbers official?

Ballots cast on Election Day will be delivered in person to the Lucas County Board of Elections for the counting procedures.

There will be numbers reported after that count is complete. 

The Ohio Secretary of State does not consider voter counts to be official until two or three weeks later, after provisional ballots are accounted for and to give time for absentee ballots to arrive that met the postmark deadline.

UToledo to cut multiple undergrad programs to comply with SB 1

By
WTOL11 News
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About 175 University of Toledo students, faculty and staff protested Ohio SB-1 at the University of Toledo on March 20. (TFP Photo/Lori King)
This story was originally published on WTOL, a media partner of the Toledo Free Press.

By Troy Gingerich | WTOL

TOLEDO — The University of Toledo announced plans to suspend admission to several undergraduate degree programs to comply with recently passed Senate Bill 1 in Ohio, and cuts to other degree programs as part of a “prioritization process.”

UToledo plans to phase out several low-enrollment degree programs starting with the 2025-26 academic year. While admissions to these programs will be suspended, the university says students already enrolled in these programs will be able to finish their degrees without interruption.

The university says the prioritization process is in response to a “challenging time in higher education,” as colleges are dealing with a declining population of high school graduates entering college, current student retention challenges and rising costs of operation.

Nathan Araiza, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, chants “DEI has got to go.” (TFP Photo/Lori King)

“This effort is aligned with the UToledo Reimagined strategic plan that includes the stated goal to deliver relevant and innovative academic programs,” the university’s website says.

“While there may be some immediate cost savings, the goals of this effort are more focused on growth as UToledo’s student enrollment, retention and graduation rates improve as the University becomes more competitive.”

UToledo says the Office of the Provost worked alongside college deans to evaluate programs based on several factors, such as student and workforce demand, accreditation requirements and the potential to offer courses as minors or certificates instead.

Courses in the affected areas will still be available as part of the university’s core curriculum or as components of minors and certificates, the university says.

The timing of these moves coincides with new state requirements. Ohio Senate Bill 1, recently signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine, mandates that universities eliminate undergraduate programs that consistently graduate fewer than five students per year over a three-year span.

Undergraduate programs being suspended to comply with SB 1:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts in Data Analytics
  • Bachelor of Arts in Disability Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts in Middle East Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
  • Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts in Spanish
  • Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies

The programs remain available as minors for students still interested in these areas of study, the university says.

Several other degree programs will be suspended as part of the provost’s review of the recommendations of the Program Reallocation and Investment Committee:

  • Bachelor of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership and Management
  • Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration
  • Master of Arts in Philosophy
  • Master of Arts in Sociology
  • Master of Education in Educational Research and Measurement
  • Master of Education in Educational Technology
  • Master of Education in Educational Psychology
  • Master of Music in Music Performance
  • Master of Science in Geology
  • Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction: Early Childhood
  • Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction: Educational Technology
  • Ph.D. in Foundations of Education: Research and Measurement
For more information on the Academic Program Prioritization, visit the university's website.
RELATED CONTENT: UToledo responds to DEI crackdown

Steven J Athanas: Principles’ Office

By
Steven J Athanas
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0

Ohio’s Reagan Tokes law acts as a ‘one-way ratchet’ for prison time

By
Signal Statewide
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Lamont Clark Jr. is among 700 incarcerated people denied release from Ohio prisons each year under Senate Bill 201, better known as the Reagan Tokes law. (Courtesy Photo/Da'Shaunae Marisa for The Marshall Project)
This story was originally published by Signal Statewide. Sign up for free newsletters at SignalOhio.org/StateSignals. Statewide is a media partner of the Toledo Free Press.

OHIO – In the final month of his two-year prison term, a guard ordered Lamont Clark Jr. into a cramped office.

Against the blurred background of a computer screen, a professionally dressed woman appeared on camera and explained that Clark would not be going home to Cleveland. A new state law required that he spend another year in prison.

The reason: Another incarcerated person claimed that Clark had attacked him in 2023 during a riot at Lake Erie Correctional Institution.

“They never told me who I allegedly assaulted. They just said, ‘Somebody said you assaulted them, and you’re guilty,’” Clark told The Marshall Project – Cleveland this year, after serving the extra time.

This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project – Cleveland, a nonprofit news team covering Ohio’s criminal justice systems.

Hundreds of incarcerated people like Clark are denied release from Ohio prisons each year under Senate Bill 201, better known as the Reagan Tokes law. Tokes was raised in Maumee, Ohio in Monclova Township (near Toledo, Ohio) and graduated from Anthony Wayne High School.

Enacted in 2019, the law was designed to protect the public with a carrot-and-stick approach to incarceration. It gave prison administrators exclusive powers to add time for people who misbehave behind bars, or to recommend early release for those who follow the rules.

But as critics predicted, the law has only led to longer incarceration.

Not a single person has been released early, according to a Marshall Project – Cleveland review of prison records for the past six years. Meanwhile, 700 people — mostly Black men — have been denied release due to added time.

The Marshall Project – Cleveland investigation found no external oversight or internal auditing of administrative decisions to lengthen incarceration. People accused of violating prison rules are not afforded basic legal rights to have access to lawyers, to challenge their accusers or to review evidence.

“When you give this kind of unchecked power to people, it’s going to be abused,” said defense attorney Andrew Mayle, who fought for the law’s constitutionality to be challenged in the Ohio Supreme Court in 2023. 

Nearly a third of Ohio’s prison population sentenced under new law

The law was the legislative reaction to the 2017 murder of Reagan Tokes, a 21-year-old Ohio State University student, by a man recently released from prison.

Lawmakers sought to ensure public safety by keeping other potentially violent people locked up longer.

This latest pendulum swing in Ohio’s criminal sentencing laws created a new class of incarcerated people who risk not only solitary confinement and loss of privileges, but also longer prison stays for violating rules. It’s a partial return to the indefinite sentencing that Ohio legislators replaced with fixed prison terms during the popular truth-in-sentencing movement of the mid-1990s.

Under the Reagan Tokes law, judges must again give minimum and maximum prison terms for first- and second-degree felonies.

More than 14,500 people, nearly a third of Ohio’s current prison population, have been sentenced under the Reagan Tokes law. 

Critics argue that with no requirement to notify elected judges before adding some or all of the maximum term, lawmakers handed unchecked, extrajudicial power to unelected prison administrators. 

Defense lawyers and advocates for incarcerated people had warned that prison officials would likely abuse the power to keep people beyond their minimum prison terms. But they remained cautiously optimistic that the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction might also reward people who follow rules and complete programming by reducing their terms.

But the agency’s reading of the law — choosing a more burdensome requirement for early release — has denied all of the more than 120 petitions by incarcerated people to reduce their minimum prison terms.

Meanwhile, alleged rules violations resulting in added time have amounted to about 830 more years of incarceration, costing taxpayers $32 million based on total operational costs per prisoner.

“This was never pitched as a one-way ratchet, where sentences only get increased and not decreased,” said Matthew Ahn, director of the Beyond Guilt project at Ohio Justice & Policy Center. “…What we have is just another accelerator toward runaway incarceration, toward runaway spending on corrections and imprisonment.”

The law’s implementation also tracks racial disparities that worsen the deeper people move into the criminal justice system. Black men make up less than 7 percent of Ohio’s population and a staggering 59 percent of those given additional prison time under the law. Cuyahoga County is home to just 10 percent of Ohio’s population and nearly 23 percent of those kept beyond their minimum sentences.

Ohio prison spokesperson JoEllen Smith said that director Annette Chambers-Smith “carefully reviewed and considered” each petition for early release before denying them all. Chambers-Smith declined to comment.

The denial of more than 120 requests for sentence reductions hinges on prison officials’ interpretation of the Reagan Tokes law, which established two criteria for early release: adjustment to incarceration or exceptional behavior. Nothing in state law or prison policy requires administrators to pick one or the other before recommending that sentencing judges shave up to 15 percent off minimum prison terms.

State rules define adjustment to incarceration as good conduct, a low security level and no affiliation with prison gangs. Prison administrators, however, say lawmakers set unattainably high standards for exceptional conduct, which include voluntarily completing community service and rehabilitative programming, keeping positive relationships with the outside world and mentoring others.

Critics have maintained all along that, to reduce returns to prison, lawmakers should have addressed the lack of positive programming in prisons. 

“The problem with the Reagan Tokes Act has always been that it is more stick than carrot,” said attorney Nicole Clum, who advocated for a more balanced approach as a former legislative liaison at the Office of the Ohio Public Defender.

“If individuals are always given their maximum sentence and never given relief for good behavior, they have no incentive to engage in rehabilitative efforts,” she said. “Ohioans are better served if incarcerated individuals have hope.” 

Otherwise, she added, there’s “no reason to engage in rehabilitation. Inevitably, this makes Ohioans less safe.”

Prisons don’t track the reasons people get additional time. So, The Marshall Project – Cleveland spoke to dozens of incarcerated people and reviewed documents in 30 recent cases through a public records request that took officials six months to fulfill. Rule violations for assaults and other sexual misconduct — up 45 percent and 75 percent, respectively, since 2019 — appear to be driving much of the additional time, the limited analysis found.

Prison administrators could not say whether the threat of longer sentences under the Reagan Tokes law might counter rising levels of violence in Ohio prisons. One official suggested that the law would have to apply to half of Ohio’s prison population in order to study its effect.

Those punished by the law describe being locked up with cellmates who violently lash out during mental health episodes or while abusing drugs.

Lifers with little or no chance of parole extort money and commissary funds from people marked by Reagan Tokes sentences. They’re easy prey, some men said. If they fight back, they risk more time in prison. Their aggressors know that, so they pay up or take their beatings.

“Somebody with life said they were going to stab me because we kept arguing. … So, I had to punch him. I had to defend my life in those circumstances,” said Edward Navone, who is spending an extra year at a maximum-security prison in Lucasville after correctional staff found him guilty of assault.

The new law isn’t just impacting prisoners, but taxpayers as well.

Some sentenced under the law say they are denied basic due process protections

When lawmakers introduced the Reagan Tokes Act in 2017, prison officials told the legislature that additional costs would be minimal if sentencing courts accepted their recommendations to reduce sentences for good behavior. But no such recommendations have been made

Instead, Gary Daniels of the Ohio ACLU more accurately predicted what would happen when he testified in a 2018 committee hearing on the proposed bill.

“Under a more realistic scenario, (the law) will dramatically increase our prison population by hundreds per year for the next several years,” Daniels said.

Former Ohio Sen. Kevin Bacon and Rep. Jim Hughes, Republicans who co-sponsored the Reagan Tokes Act with state Senate and House Democrats Sean O’Brien and Kristin Boggs, said any law is worth revisiting.

Bacon said he was “surprised” to hear that all requests to reduce prison terms have been denied.

“I’m hoping that it’s a case where … if it is imbalanced, it’s imbalanced to protect the public,” said Hughes, adding that the state is “dealing with the worst of the worst.”

Boggs and O’Brien are now judges. Neither would talk publicly.

The law provides no checks on how public or private prison staff allege and investigate misconduct, or determine guilt. There’s no external oversight and no annual auditing.

Disciplinary decisions made behind closed doors by appointed members of the Ohio Parole Board may be appealed to lawyers who work for the state prison system. But documentation from those decisions is exempt from public records laws. Judges, who would be required to approve early release, have no say in whether time should be added. They’re not even notified.

“Certainly the judge should have a say if you’re going to be held over,” said Mayle, the defense attorney who argued against the law. 

Mayle said he could not think of a political or legal reason for removing judicial oversight other than to give unilateral authority to state prison officials.

“But then again, prisoners are not a very influential body politic. They are easy to dump on,” Mayle said, adding that “there is an economic incentive for people who work in the prison business, whether they work for private or public prisons, to have prisoners.”

Those most affected by the law say they’ve been denied basic due process protections.

Clark, like other men accused by fellow prisoners of rioting at Lake Erie Correctional Institution and later given extra time, was found guilty under a veil of legal and literal darkness. 

Lamont Clark Jr. in February 2025. Clark was released from an Ohio prison in January after serving an extra year after being accused of participating in a riot. (Courtesy Photo/Da’Shaunae Marisa for The Marshall Project)

A power outage hit the privately owned and operated prison in August 2023. The lights and camera went dark when the backup generators failed. Concerned for their own safety, correctional officers abandoned their patrols inside pitch-black pods.

With no surveillance footage or official witnesses, investigators relied solely on confidential sources — other incarcerated men — to identify the alleged rioters and swiftly move them into solitary confinement cells.

Until then, Clark had a clean disciplinary record. But investigators never asked him what happened the night of the riot. Instead, he and others received nearly identical conduct reports from the same investigator. Each report referenced confidential statements as the only evidence against them. 

One incarcerated man told officials he was with Clark “all night and he never touched anyone.” It didn’t matter. Disciplinary records show that administrators believed the confidential sources. 

Clark was loaded onto a bus as waves of men left Lake Erie Correctional Institution for higher-security and more violent prisons. As their scheduled release dates neared, one by one, they received their extra time.

Dozens of incarcerated people told The Marshall Project – Cleveland that the law’s lopsided rollout and its empty promise of rewarding good behavior had left them demoralized.

“It is frustrating,” said Jose Padilla III at Belmont Correctional Institution. “People get discouraged. When they find out they’re not getting out, that’s when they get a ticket (or rule infraction). People just give up. What’s the point?”

Several men said violence breeds violence. Fists and weapons are survival tools. More prison time doesn’t deter their use when people are threatened with physical harm or worse.

“They put a lot of people in bad situations and expect them to be angels,” said Clark, who was finally released from the notoriously violent Lebanon Correctional Institution in January after serving his extra year.

The Marshall Project – Cleveland also spoke to dozens of people who appear to meet the minimum eligibility requirements to petition for early release. At least four, including two who filed after being contacted by a reporter, were denied for reasons that included the crimes for which they are serving time.

“It just says past criminal history,” James Fleming said of the denial letter he received in June.

Fleming said he’s had no tickets in his three years of imprisonment. He’s been trusted with a maintenance job at Belmont Correctional Institution, a minimum security prison in southeast Ohio. He said he wants to better himself and atone for his mistake. 

“I’ve done pretty much any programming I can get into since I’ve been in here,” Fleming said.

Several men said they did not previously know that they could ask for reduced sentences. Others were discouraged from applying by staff.

“I could never get anyone here to help me fully understand it,” said Padilla. “So, I gave up on trying to get what paperwork I would need.

“I’m not saying I’m not sorry about my crime,” he continued. “But I do want to get out and better my life. That’s what I’ve been working on in here.”

Signal Statewide is a nonprofit news organization covering government, education, health, economy and public safety.

Don Lee: RIP Pope Francis

By
Don Lee
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Pope Francis ascents to the light after death on April 21, 2025.

Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church and pope to the people, dies April 21 at the age of 88.

Toledo man invents exercise machine

By
Max Alfonso
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Eddie Jones with his Easy Jump workout machine. (Courtesy Photo)

TOLEDO – In 2022, Toledo native Eddie Jones was at his home when an idea struck him. Three days later, he had the Easy Jump sketched out – the impetus for a workout machine that doesn’t require laying down or standing up, and you can do workouts in any position. 

Jones is a 15-year U.S. Coast Guard veteran. Once he left the military, he then worked 30 years as a locomotive engineer and retired last May.

When describing Easy Jump, one phrase comes to his mind: You can work your core without the floor. The workout offers a new alternative for people who can’t get on the floor very easily.

“You can work your core in an upright or midrange position very easily [with the machine],” said Jones, adding that it’s helpful to people who are working from home. If someone wants to get a quick workout, they can swiftly move from exercise to exercise.

David Hitt, who has known Eddie for a long time, was a big help in the testing of the product, which can be installed at home, the office or a gym.

Eddie Jones works out on the Easy Jump that he invented. (Courtesy Photo)

“Myself and several fitness trainers went through the evolution of different exercises that can be performed using the Easy Jump to see how effective the exercises were, and everything seemed to go really well with that process,” Hitt said.

Easy Jump also offers many other features, like tension bands to do bicep and triceps workouts, as well as bars on the side that are popular for dips. There are also tension bands on the bottom for leg workouts. 

Jones said he designed the machine for more “seasoned” exercisers, but says anyone can get use out of the Easy Jump, even for rehabilitation. But younger people typically don’t have issues getting on the floor.

“You can sit in a basic household chair and do these exercises with ease,” Jones said.

The Easy Jump is mounted against a wall, so it won’t take up any unnecessary space no matter where you have it.

Jones said he is taking the process day by day. He has sent out letters and contacted many places about his product. He said just recently he has reached out to Dicks Sporting Goods and is awaiting their response.

The Easy Jump. (Courtesy Photo)

Jerry King: Sugar Diet

By
Jerry King
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Dark-eyed juncos soon to flitter north

By
Art Weber
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Winter meets spring in this image, as a handsome dark-eyed junco perches in a cherry
tree dripping in blossoms.

Dark-eyed juncos are common here throughout our colder months, but the species is moving north for the summer nesting season. They are nicknamed “snowbird” because when they return after September, our first snowfall typically isn’t too long after. Juncos are common in our metroparks in the winter.

Juncos are sparrows that eat seeds, nest on the ground and live in the forests. They are identified by a rounded head, a short, stout bill and fairly long, bright white tail feathers.

This one was photographed in the Oak Openings.

Jefferson Center renovated, renamed

By
Stephen Zenner
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(left to right) Mike Smith, Bob Staifer and William McGuire, furniture installers for G.D.Y. (Gary Dean Young) Furniture Installations, setup work stations for Wurtec, a leading provider of elevator components and tools, inside the newly renovated Jefferson Center/Innovation Post. (TFP Photo/Stephen Zenner)

TOLEDO – For nearly a quarter century, the stone building on Jefferson Ave. has remained vacant, until now. 

Bitwise Industries, a company dealing with computer programming, was working on turning what was the Jefferson Center, a vocational school for Toledo Public Schools that closed in 2000, into its Toledo campus. But that plan ended when the founders of Bitwise Industries were sentenced to federal prison for wire fraud. 

“There are a lot of people that felt once this Bitwise thing collapsed that this building was doomed, and that it would just sit unoccupied and deteriorate,” said Tim Schlatler, managing director of SVN Ascension Commercial Realty, who manages and leases the property for its owner, ProMedica. 

“Our role started once the building [renovation] was complete, and our role was to identify and secure tenants for the space,” he said. 

Tim Schlachter, the managing director for SVN- Ascension Commercial Realty, inside the newly renovated Jefferson Center/Innovation Post. (TFP photo/Stephen Zenner)

After laying low since the Bitwise deal fell through, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the end of February with the mayor, Lucas County commissioners and representatives from the first four tenants: Wurtec, WorkSpring, Junior Achievement of Northwest Ohio and SEGULA Technologies USA. 

A new name for the building was revealed at the ribbon cutting: The Innovation Post. 

“There’s 110,000 square feet of space that’s finished inside the building, of which 77,000 square feet would be occupiable office space,” Schlatler said. “The difference between 110 and 77,000 [square feet] would be restrooms, pantry areas, circulation areas [and] mechanical, so we’d call that the common space.

“Of the space we have available to lease, we have now 65 percent of it leased, so we have 35 percent remaining. That’s what we continue to work on, to fill the remaining space,” he noted.

The main atrium inside the newly renovated Jefferson Center/Innovation Post. (TFP photo/Stephen Zenner)

Securing those first four tenants were necessary to meet the operational cost of the building, and since the announcement more companies have signed on, excited to see what’s next for Toledo. 

“We had these conversations, and said to them [the first four] as a group, ‘If all of you commit, we can get this done,’” said Schlatler. 

Schlatler’s own company, SVN, will be moving into the Innovation Post, along with Presidio (an IT company), Mud Maintenance (the janitorial staffing company for the Innovation Post and other properties), ProMedica’s IT training division, ProMedica’s security training division and groundUp Creative Agency (a marketing company).

“Business cards have been traded,” said Blake Pilgrim, president of Wurtec, the company taking up the entire third floor, which is the largest amount of space in the Innovation Post. “It’s important for us to be a part of a community that drives innovation, and it’s equally important to see Toledo prosper.”

The entrance to the third floor where Wurtec, a leading provider of elevator components and tools, will move in. (TFP Photo/Stephen Zenner)

“It’s the start of a new community, really. This innovative community is coming together under one roof to cross-pollinate,” Pilgram added.

The large atrium of the Innovation Post is marked by a downstairs cafe, a large stairwell with sitting areas along its side and glass walls, fostering a sense of community across the three floors. 

“There’s no doubt that some of our engineers will be talking with other engineers [from another company], and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, wow, you guys invested in this software, you know; we should look at that,’” Pilgrim said, about his hope for building community innovation.

Pilgrim thanked SVN and Brandon Sehlhorst, the commissioner of economic development for the City of Toledo, for vision casting what the area around the Innovation Post may begin to look like with the development of these companies downtown. 

“We’re bringing 60 to 70 high paying, office positions into that area of our community, and their ability to spend money, whether it be on restaurants or shopping or those sort of things I think, drives other people to continue to invest in that portion of our community,” Pilgrim said. 

Wurtec and WorkSpring are preparing to move into the new space May 1. 

“The first install is Wurtec,” said John McNerney, owner of McNerney and Sons, who oversees the installation of the office space. 

“Each business has their own look and feel of how they want it,” he said, as workers secured workstations on the third floor of the Innovation Post.

Schlatler provided the following diagrams of the Innovation Post, illustrating available areas for rent that range from $375 to $3,925 per month.

Learn more about the property here.

Garden Level
First Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor

Happenings Calendar

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Press Release
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Pexels photo by Markus Winkler

(Happenings are compiled from press releases and placed in order of occurring dates)

NEWS SHORTS BRIEFS ARE UPDATED DAILY

HAPPENINGS

Toledo Museum of Art exhibitions – April 21-28 

Owens hosts STEM Expo Day for local high school students

PERRYSBURG – High school students and groups will be at the Owens Community College Dana Center for STEM Expo Day, an opportunity for them to learn about in-demand careers and programs, tour the Dana Center and receive assistance filling out an application for Owens.

They will receive information on programs in Advanced Manufacturing, Skilled
Trades, Transportation Technologies and Computer and Information Systems, along with information on internship opportunities and short-term credentials.

This is an opportunity for students to see the high-tech labs at the Dana Center, learn about the hands-on opportunities Owens provides, check out the welding bays at the Welding Center and learn more about careers in advanced manufacturing.

Tuesday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Dana Center at 458 Depot Rd. in Perrysburg.

UToledo historian to discuss Berlin’s New Synagogue

The University of Toledo’s Dr. Barry Jackisch will discuss Berlin’s New Synagogue during the Philip Markowicz Annual Lecture in Judaism and Jewish Biblical Studies. 

The free, public lecture is presented by the College of Arts and Letters and supported by the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Greater Toledo.

Dr. Barry Jackisch

In his lecture titled “Berlin’s New Synagogue: An Historical Appreciation, 1850-Present,” Jackisch, an associate professor of history and the Philip Markowicz Endowed Professor in Judaism and Jewish Biblical Studies, will explore the history of the well-known synagogue in the broader context of the history of Judaism in Berlin. 

Berlin’s New Synagogue was built in the mid-19th century as a prominent house of worship for the city’s growing Jewish community, and its history spans Nazi attacks, Allied bombings and four decades in Communist East Berlin. Today it houses both a small-scale religious space and the Centrum Judaicum, a museum and center that preserves Jewish memory and tradition in Berlin.

The Philip Markowicz lecture and endowed professorship honor their namesake Toledoan, who with his wife, Ruth, emigrated to the United States after losing nearly all of his family in the Holocaust. Markowicz went on to establish a thriving electronics business in Toledo and publish two books through the UToledo Press: “My Three Lives,” an autobiography, and “Losing God in Translation,” a study of the Hebrew Bible. 

Tuesday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in UToledo’s Center for Performing Arts Recital Hall.
> Visitor parking for the annual lecture is free in Area 12, excluding disability, metered and reserved spaces.

Inaugural Firecracker 5K Run/Walk honors Sterling “Butch” Rahe

Springfield Township’s SUMMER SERIES 2025 will kick off this year on June 28 with the inaugural FIRECRACKER 5K Run/Walk to honor the memory of Pvt. Sterling “Butch” Rahe. 

On April 22, township trustees, representatives from the Springfield Township and Toledo fire departments, members of Butch’s family, and event sponsors will gather to honor Butch’s memory by offering complete details about the event and announce the opening of registration for the 5K Run/Walk.

Tuesday, April 22 at 1:15 in Springfield Township’s Homecoming Park > Press Conference
June 28: 5K > Run/Walk

Owens hosts author Sara Novic during The BIG Read discussion

Owens Community College will host New York Times bestselling author Sara Novic, author of this year’s The BIG Read book “True Biz.” Novic will be at both Owens campuses for discussion about her book and signings of copies.

Novic holds an MFA in fiction and literary translation from Columbia University, and is an instructor of Deaf studies and creative writing. The BIG Read brings awareness of different perspectives through books and accompanying activities on campus and in our surrounding communities.

This year’s BIG Read explored Deaf culture, history of Deaf culture and
struggle for rights, Deaf community, American Sign Language and other communication of deaf or hard of hearing individuals, challenges deaf and hard of hearing individuals face in a world built on being able to hear, the privilege of hearing and ableism.

Thursday, April 24 at 10 a.m. in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts Theatre (Toledo-area Campus) | 3:30 p.m at the Education Center, Room 111 (Findlay-area Campus)

Spring Plant Exchanges offers plant swap, supplies

Wood County Plant Exchange – April 26
Wood County Fairgrounds Home & Garden Building at 13800 Poe Rd. in Bowling Green. Drop off labeled, weed-free plants and gently used garden items starting at 8:30 a.m. Volunteers will sort donations while guests browse informational booths and enjoy making new garden friends. The giveaway begins at 10 a.m. Attendees receive at least three free plants, with extras for those who donate plants. Info: 419-354-9050 or the Wood County Plant Exchange Facebook Page.

Toledo Plant Exchange – May 3
Lucas County Fairgrounds, 1406 Key St., Maumee (Main Entrance, Arts & Crafts Building). Donations begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the exchange from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Each attendee gets five free plants, with more for those who contribute plants. Visit informational booths and connect with fellow gardeners. Info: 419-578-6783 or the Toledo Plant Exchange Facebook page.

Habitat for Humanity joins Rotary orgs for Rotary Day of Service

TOLEDO – Several local Habitat for Humanity and Rotary organizations are
coming together to make a difference.

In conjunction with Rotary Day of Service, volunteers will be at Middlegrounds
Metropark participating in the Playhouse Project. Building five playhouses for local
families, each build group will design and build a playhouse that is customized
specifically for the child that receives it.

At 3 p.m. volunteers will meet the child they’ve been building for and reveal the finished playhouse. Volunteers will also be revitalizing the riverbank and assembling “My Very Own Blankets” for foster kids.

Participating organizations include:

  • Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity
  • Habitat for Humanity of Fulton County
  • Wauseon Rotary
  • Napoleon Rotary
  • Toledo Rotary
  • Mercy Health
Saturday, April 26 beginning at 9 a.m. and Playhouse Project reveal at 3 p.m. at
at Middlegrounds Metropark (111 Ottawa St. in Toledo)

TARTA connects runners, fans to Glass City Marathon

The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA)’s special event transportation to
the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon is back, putting competitors, their families
and fans in touch with one of the Toledo’s biggest events.

As thousands of runners get ready to compete in Toledo, they’ll be able to take
advantage of free transportation to and from the race from area hotels. TARTA will
provide direct transportation to near the starting line at the University of Toledo on
race day, Sunday, April 27.
Buses will depart from:
 Renaissance Toledo Downtown Hotel (444 N. Summit Street, Toledo) at 5 a.m.
and 5:50 a.m.
 Hilton Garden Inn Toledo Downtown (101 N. Summit Street, Toledo) at 5 a.m.
and 5:50 a.m.
 Secor Road (stop in front of Fusian at 3504 Secor Road, Toledo) at 4:50 a.m.,
5:20 a.m. and 5:50 a.m.
 Courtyard by Marriott Toledo Airport Holland (1435 E. Mall Drive, Holland) at 5
a.m. and 5:50 a.m.

Return rides to each of the hotels from the University of Toledo Transit Center on S.
Towerview Blvd. will leave at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

While runners can access the service for free, trips at the same time will be available
for $1.50 to those not competing in the Marathon.

Rachel Ruysch: Nature into Art comes to TMA

TOLEDO – Rachel Ruysch: Nature into Art, the first major exhibition of Ruysch’s art, will be on view beginning in April. Featuring over 100 works—including paintings, botanical books and drawings, and plant and animal specimens, the exhibition explores Ruysch’s extraordinary career and the intersection of art, science, and natural history.  

The visitor’s experience with the exhibition is enhanced with interactive and educational elements including an audio guide, an audio description tour, a digital species map, tactile and scent features, a printed exhibition guide, and a fully illustrated catalogue available for purchase. 

Highlights of the exhibition include:  

  • Several important Ruysch paintings from major international collections that have rarely or never been on public view. 
  • A reunion of Flower Still Life (c.1716–1720), TMA’s Ruysch masterpiece, and its long-separated pendant, Still Life with Fruit, Bird’s Nest and Insects (1716), from Dudmaston Hall in England.  
  • Three portraits of Ruysch, including a family portrait with her husband and youngest son and a recently discovered portrait of the artist in her studio.  
  • Works by Ruysch’s sister Anna, also a talented flower painter who experienced a far shorter career than Ruysch.  (04/09)
April 12-July 27 in the Levis Gallery in the Edward B Green Beaux-Arts Building on the campus of TMA. Tickets to the exhibition are $10 per visitor and free for TMA members. General admission to the museum and parking are free to all visitors.

Northwest Ohio gears up for Glass Recycling Blitz

NORTHWEST OHIO – The Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium (NOIC) announced the Northwest Ohio Glass Recycling Blitz, a week-long event dedicated to raising awareness and increasing participation in glass recycling.

Throughout the week, designated collection sites will be set up across Lucas and
Wood Counties to make recycling more accessible for residents. Additional site details will
be announced soon.

The Glass Recycling Blitz aims to educate the community on the benefits of keeping glass out of landfills and encourage residents to adopt more sustainable waste management habits. Participants are invited to bring glass bottles only (excluding non-recyclable glass materials such as windows, Pyrex, and fiberglass).

April 16-22, with a kickoff event on April 16 at 1 p.m. to officially launch the
initiative, which takes place at the OI Perrysburg Levis Commons Campus Plaza 3 Parking Lot, an established public glass recycling drop-off location.

ProMedica community event highlights recovering from aphasia

April 24 – Stroke Support Group – ​The ProMedica Stroke Support Group will discuss recovering with aphasia with the University of Michigan Aphasia Program. The support group will take place at the ProMedica Flower Hospital Conference Center (5200 Harroun Rd., Sylvania, OH 43560) beginning at 4:30 p.m. Stroke survivors, caregivers and supporters are all encouraged to attend. No registration is required.

Local TEDx event features 10 Toledo-area high school students

TOLEDO – A TEDx event featuring 10 local high school student speakers is just around the corner. The event is free and open to the public. Dinner will be provided.

This year’s co-organizers of TEDxMaumeeValleyCountryDaySchool are junior Layan Ridi and senior Daivik Patel.
“This event has become a large, impactful event where students and adults all come together to engage in discussions in a night of entertainment and education,” said Ridi

This year’s speakers will each give up to a 15-minute talk. All talks take place on the main stage of the school’s Millennium Theatre. The speakers, schools and topics are:
● Marah Ariss, Perrysburg High School, 11th grade: “Special Needs Awareness”
● Alex Ban, Perrysburg High School, 10th grade: “The Troubled Teen Industry”
● Andy Caillaux, Maumee Valley Country Day School, 11th grade: “Lifting More than
Weights”
● Adhya Duggal, William Mason High School, 11th grade: “Octopus: What We Can Learn
from the Deep Sea Creature”
● Arsalan Failsal, St. John’s Jesuit, 11th grade: “How Stories Shape our Perception of
Morality”
● David Liu, Sylvania Southview, 12th grade: “Seven Deadly Frames”
● Baraah Mansour, Maumee High School, 12th grade: “Surviving Life; Independence vs.
Self Reliance”

Friday, April 25 from 5-8 p.m. on the campus of Maumee Valley Country Day School.

Maumee Valley’s Afro-Am Club presents Annual Afro-Am Dinner

TOLEDO – Maumee Valley Country Day School’s Afro-Am Club announced the return of its annual event, the Afro-Am Dinner. This celebration delivers an evening of cultural enrichment and community engagement.

Aligned with the spirit of Black History Month, the Afro-Am Dinner serves as a platform to honor and celebrate the rich heritage and contributions of the African American community. This year, the event’s theme mirrors that of the national theme: “African Americans and Labor.” The 2025 theme highlights the transformative impact of Black workers—free and unfree, skilled and unskilled—on U.S. history, culture, and social progress.

The Afro-Am Dinner is open to the public.

Thursday, May 1, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the school’s Dining Hall. 

Tickets are $10 per person and all proceeds benefit the Afro-Am Club. Additional donations will be accepted at the door. Register HERE or visit the website for more details.

Toledo Opera to Hold Children’s Chorus Auditions for Carmen

TOLEDO – Toledo Opera is seeking boys and girls ages 9-14 with unchanged voices to sing in the children’s chorus of Carmen (August – October 2024 commitment).

Bizet’s sizzling epic of dark passion, Carmen, tells the story of a fierce woman who lives life on her own terms – and the men who can’t let her go. Don José, a soldier drawn into her orbit, abandons everything for Carmen’s love, only to find himself consumed by jealousy when her attentions shift to the dashing bullfighter, Escamillo.

With its twisting tale of romance, deceit, and disaster set to magnetic melodies, Bizet’s masterpiece, Carmen, has become one of the world’s most celebrated operas. Featuring some of the most popular music to ever grace the opera stage, Carmen brings every aspect of Bizet’s thrilling tale to life, from its tantalizing beginning to its devastating climax. Under the baton of Adam Turner (Toledo Opera’s Il Trovatore and Roméo & Juliet), Toledo Opera’s vibrant original production is not to be missed.

Rehearsals will take place on Sundays from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Toledo Opera Offices. To schedule an audition, please email James Norman at jnorman@toledopera.org.

Auditions: Saturday, May 17 from 10 a.m., and on Sunday, May 18 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.
> Auditions will be held at Toledo Opera Offices, 425 Jefferson Ave., Suite 601.

Miller Ferries honor American veterans on Memorial Day weekend

Put-in-Bay – Miller Ferries will offer active U.S. military personnel and American veterans free passenger fare in honor of Memorial Day. Military personnel and veterans are asked to please present military identification at the Miller Ferry ticket booths in order to receive a free round trip passenger ticket to Put-in-Bay or Middle Bass Island.

On May 26, the National Park Service’s Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial on Put-in-Bay will have a Memorial Day Ceremony. It will pay tribute to everyone who has defended the United States of America – from the Revolutionary War to the Afghanistan War.

Saturday, May 24 through Monday, May 26. 
> For ferry schedules, visit MillerFerry.com.

Steven J Athanas: Era’c’e

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Steven J Athanas
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Erase (bad homophone) / The letter E in a race to the finish line. Cartoon by Steven J Athanas.
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