(All announcements are 100% compiled from press releases, or otherwise shared by our media partners as credited)
Community
The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) announced the acquisition of Lake Titicaca (1935), a significant painting by Bolivian artist Alejandro Mario Yllanes (1913–c.1960), marking a major step in TMA’s ongoing efforts to broaden the narrative represented within its collection. The acquisition marks the first work by Yllanes to enter TMA’s collection and positions the museum as one of the few U.S. institutions to hold one of the artist’s paintings. Yllanes’s works, both across painting and works on paper, have only recently reemerged following decades of relative obscurity.
Education news
Owens Community College
Owens student Austin McHenry, of Wauseon, was chosen to serve as Student Director for the Society of Vascular Ultrasound (SVU), a national organization of more than 4,200 vascular technologists, surgeons, cardiologists, lab directors, academics and students. As Student Director, McHenry will represent the student voice on the SVU Board of Directors.
In other news, visits to the Owens Community College food pantry more than doubled from fall to spring semester last year. Now a $2,500 grant from the Food Recovery Network (FRN) will help the college get more food, including leftovers from campus events, into students’ hands. The grant will allow the Center for Campus and Community Connections to purchase a new double-door cooler, which director Krista Kiessling said will be called the “Community Fridge,” filled with donated and reclaimed food available for students.
Bowling Green State University
BGSU has been named the No. 1 public university in Ohio and No. 3 in the Midwest for first-year experiences in the 2027 Best Colleges rankings by U.S. News & World Report, recognizing the University’s comprehensive approach to helping students transition to college, build community, engage in campus life and define their path forward.
University of Toledo
With the recent expansion of a solar array near the University of Toledo Medical Center, UToledo is more than doubling its capacity for solar energy production on Health Science Campus while creating opportunities for student learning and research.
“This project is an exciting, real-world demonstration of the importance of the ground-breaking advances being made at First Solar and the strong connection to our work at the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization,” said Dr. Michael Heben, a Distinguished University Professor and the Helen and Harold McMaster Chair and Director of UToledo’s Wright Center for Photovoltaics and Commercialization.
Maritime Academy
Maritime Academy of Toledo is celebrating significant progress reflected in the latest Ohio State Report Card, including a substantial increase in its graduation rate and a 3-star Progress rating.
Maritime Academy’s 4-year graduation rate increased from 68.4% to 82.1%, an improvement of nearly 14 percentage points. The school also earned 3 stars in Progress, reflecting academic growth in multiple tested subjects.
The school also reduced chronic absenteeism from 91.2% to 87.4%, exceeding the state’s goal of a 3% reduction.
Health & Environment
- ProMedica will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Emergency and Urgent Care facility in Perrysburg. The approximately 12,000-square-foot facility will expand access to high-quality emergency and urgent care services for residents, businesses and visitors in Perrysburg and the surrounding communities.
- The facility will combine a full-service emergency department and urgent care under one roof, enabling patients to receive the appropriate level of care in a single location. Staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians, it will serve as the second freestanding location of the ProMedica Toledo Hospital emergency department and build on the successful model established at ProMedica Emergency and Urgent Care in Maumee.
Government & Politics news
Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office News – On Sept. 18, Ezekiel James pleaded no contest to four felony offenses and agreed to serve 30 to 35.5 years in prison for the Dec. 2025 shooting death of Haiden Babiuch and his efforts to make her death appear to be a suicide. James, 20, of Oregon, Ohio, pleaded no contest in CR2026-00055 to one count each of involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault, along with two counts of tampering with evidence.
*Courtesy of This Week in Toledo:
- – On Sept. 22, Toledo City Council voted unanimously to audit the city’s Flock cameras; unanimously to add a local licensing requirement for hotels and motels; and voted 1-8 against a recycling audit contract with GT Environmental Inc., with Melden casting the lone vote in favor. Jones, Komives, and McPherson were absent.
- – On Sept. 24, Toledo City Council’s Housing, Community Development, & Public Health Committee held a public hearing regarding an ordinance (O-399-26) protecting tenants from landlord retaliation. The ordinance, if passed, would require landlords to provide good causes for evictions and rent increases against tenants who report property issues or form tenant unions, under penalty of a second degree misdemeanor.
- – Also on Sept. 24, the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) board voted to designate Monroe Street as a rapid transit corridor. If developed, dedicated lanes for busses would be created on Monroe Street with platform-level boarding at stops and service occurring as frequently as every fifteen minutes.
- – On Sept. 25, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced that TARTA will receive a $1.36 million grant from its Workforce Mobility Partnership program, allowing it to add 27 new bus-stop shelters and renovate 28 others.
- – Local Democratic Party organizations, including the Lucas County Democratic Party, the Wood County Democratic Party, the Lucas County Stonewall Democrats, and the Lucas County Young Democrats have published statements condemning recent television ads by Democratic U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur that use anti-transgender talking points.
-Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong was seriously injured in a car accident in Colorado on Sept. 18 while attending an annual memorial for fallen firefighters. Armstrong’s injuried included a fractured sternum, fractured back, whiplash, and bruises. Assistant Chief John Kaminski is running operations while she recovers.
- – Lucas County residents can determine how much upcoming property tax levies will cost them using the the Lucas County Auditor’s levy estimator. To use the tool, visit https://www.lucascountyohioauditor.gov/areis, search for your property by address under “Property search”, and click “Levy Estimator” on the left-hand side.
Business & nonprofit news
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority announced last month that it has been awarded $32.34 million through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to complete the remediation of the Lower Maumee River Sway Bridge Project, a significant milestone in the ongoing restoration of the Maumee River.
The funding will support the removal of approximately 121,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a one-mile section of the Lower Maumee River along Front Street between the Seneca Petroleum Marine Terminal and the Ironville Marine Terminal. The project represents one of the largest sediment remediation efforts currently underway in Northwest Ohio and is a critical step toward improving water quality, restoring aquatic habitat, and advancing the long-term revitalization of Toledo’s waterfront.
Maumee – CMS Corporation (CMS) has been awarded a $1.3M task order at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, under its $2.5 billion US Air Force Petroleum Oil Lubricant (POL) Worldwide Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC). This project will carefully remove and replace several components within the existing fuel system to enhance its reliability and safety. CMS is currently performing a $60M bulk storage tank project at MCAS Iwakuni. Read more at cmscorp.com.
Courtesy of This Week in Toledo:
On Sept. 23, the Metroparks Toledo board voted unanimously to approve $300,000 to Kokosing Construction Company for preconstruction work on Vistula Metropark, a $24 million project set to begin construction next year; $168,000 for new tasers for park rangers; and $81,680 to improve habitat at Howard Marsh Metropark.
The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) is just the 10th transit agency in the nation to roll out an apprenticeship program for operators endorsed by the International Amalgamated Transit Union. New operators undergo 300 hours of instruction time, split between classroom training and road training. Read more about the program here.
*Courtesy of This Week in Toledo:
- – FOX 36/WUPW began airing news and weather coverage from 13ABC on Sept. 28. WUPW previously aired news and weather from WTOL 11 through a shared services agreement signed in 2012.
Sports
Walleye News – Goaltender Matt Jurusik returns to the Pond for his first full season in Toledo and second overall after agreeing to terms for the 2026-27 ECHL season.
Mud Hens News –
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS
Tuesday, September 15th vs. Louisville (5-3 W)
Wednesday, September 16th vs. Louisville (3-1 W)
Thursday, September 17th vs. Louisville (5-1 W)
Friday, September 18th vs. Louisville (1-3 L)
Saturday, September 19th vs. Louisville (4-1 W)
Sunday, September 20th vs. Louisville (2-0 W)
