(Announcements are compiled from press releases and in order received)
NEWS SHORTS BRIEFS ARE UPDATED DAILY
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Toledo Opera selects resident artists for 2025-2026 season
TOLEDO – Toledo Opera will welcome Sarah Rachel Bacani (soprano), Danielle Casós (mezzo soprano), Brady DelVecchio (tenor) Rick Hale (baritone), and Yura Jang (pianist) as Resident Artists for the 2025-2026 season.
All five will serve as touring artists for the Opera on Wheels program, which travels extensively, visiting local educational institutions and bringing live opera to the furthest reaches of the Toledo area. Annually, the program is performed for 20,000 students from Findlay to Ann Arbor and Sandusky to Archbold.
This season, the traveling production will be an original children’s opera: The Bear Who Couldn’t Fish. Joshua Borths, of James Madison University School of Music, wrote the score and libretto. James M. Norman, Toledo Opera’s general director, will direct the production.
The five will also perform Toledo Opera’s fall and spring tours of Opera ‘Round Town (formerly Opera Outdoors) – a series of pop-up live performances at community hubs throughout Toledo. Vocal selections from the classical repertoire, along with musical theater and other American standards will be heard in the fall of 2025 and the spring of 2026.
The Resident Artists will also sing smaller roles in Toledo Opera’s mainstage productions of Carmen and The Elixir of Love which are slated for this season.
For more information about the 2025-2026 Resident Artists and/or Opera on Wheels, visit toledoopera.org. (05/17)
UToledo to host more than a dozen summer camps
TOLEDO – The University of Toledo will host more than a dozen summer camps for kids to hone their athletic skills, explore their educational interests, build up their musical chops or simply have fun playing and learning with peers.
Information about UToledo’s summer camp programs, along with fee information and registration deadlines, is available on the University camp calendar.
Many of this summer’s camps are specifically designed to introduce high school students to potential areas of study after graduation.
The College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Services, the College of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences all have summer camps aimed at allowing high school students to explore careers in those fields and get a glimpse of what they could expect as undergraduate students at UToledo.
For younger children, the Office of Recreational Services will host its annual Kids Camp, which features arts and crafts, multiple field trips, guest speakers, sports, swimming and more. Open to kids between the ages of 5 and 12, the camp begins Monday, June 2, and runs nine weeks through Friday, Aug. 1. Campers must register for each week individually.
Rocket Athletics also is hosting multiple camps this summer for elementary school children. Additional camps include an orchestra workshop, a guitar camp, a drum major camp and camps for high school students interested in neurosciences or bioinformatics. (05/17)
BGSU students, military members selected for distinguished National Veterans Leadership Foundation fellowship
BOWLING GREEN – Two Bowling Green State University students, who also serve as active military members, are among a select group of students from more than 75 colleges and universities nationwide recently chosen to participate in the distinguished National Veterans Leadership Foundation (NVFL) program.
Currently serving in the Ohio Army National Guard, Christopher Ogle and Grant Hayden were selected in part for their leadership and service-oriented support offered to fellow service members through their work in the BGSU Office of Nontraditional and Military Student Services (NTMSS).
As NVLF fellows, Ogle and Hayden will collaborate with BGSU – ranked the No. 1 university in the Midwest for veteran and active military students – on initiatives to improve support for military-connected students and join a national network of dedicated advocates.
As a staff sergeant and combat medic specialist/emergency care sergeant from Westerville, Ohio, Ogle has had his education interrupted by deployments. Despite pausing his education, Ogle credits his success to the supportive staff in the NTMSS office.
After visiting BGSU in 2019 with his now-wife, Hayden fell in love with the campus and the tight-knit community of Bowling Green. He is a combat medic from Centerburg, Ohio. (05/17)
Mom’s House, Pregnancy Center celebrate new Laurie’s Place
TOLEDO – Today, one year after breaking ground, Mom’s House and The Pregnancy Center celebrated the grand opening of Laurie’s Place, a collaborative new space designed to empower and support Toledo families. The milestone marked the culmination of a shared vision and a year of progress made possible by generous donors and unwavering community support.
Located at 722 N. Westwood Ave., Laurie’s Place will serve as a second location for Mom’s House and a new hub for The Pregnancy Center’s expanded services. Together, the organizations aim to remove barriers for single parents and families—providing access to free early childhood education, parenting resources, life skills training, and wraparound support. While this is a collaborative effort, Mom’s House and The Pregnancy Center remain two separate, independent organizations. Their partnership demonstrates the power of collaboration—each bringing their unique strengths to better serve the community.
Laurie’s Place was named in honor of Laurie Moore, whose legacy of love and caregiving inspired the project. Her husband, Bob Moore, provided an anchor gift to the organizations’ “Rattle the Stars” capital campaign, setting the foundation for what would become a $12.1 million community endeavor. Thanks to the generosity of 390 donors, the campaign reached its goal and brought the vision to life.
A central feature of the new facility is the TO-GET-HER space—a revolutionary concept that allows community partners to deliver services under one roof. This model streamlines access to care and resources for families, creating a more holistic and accessible support system.
To learn more about Laurie’s Place and the continued efforts of the “Rattle the Stars” campaign, visit rattlethestarstoledo.org. (05/14)
BGSU professor selected as 48th Probst Memorial Lecturer
BOWLING GREEN – A Bowling Green State University researcher recently joined a notable list of Nobel laureates after being selected as the guest speaker for the 48th William J. Probst Memorial Lecture, recognizing their expertise and advancements in the field of photochemistry.
Dr. Jayaraman Sivaguru, a distinguished university professor in the Department of Chemistry and world-renowned BGSU Center for Photochemical Sciences, has dedicated his career to advancing research in photochemical sciences, working with Fortune 500 companies and collaborating with industries to solve real-world problems.
As part of this year’s lecture at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Sivaguru presented “Lessons from Light for Life and Leisure” and “Harnessing the Power of Light to Drive Chemical Changes.”
Sivaguru’s impact on the science field goes beyond his classroom each year when he engages with local school districts through the PICNICS program at BGSU.
Open to high school students, Sivaguru and BGSU students offer a six-week science-based experience that empowers high school students to engage in real-world, cutting-edge research in BGSU science labs. Students conduct daily laboratory activities before presenting their findings at a public event.
Sivaguru is slated to present at the prestigious Gordon Conference later this year and will also co-organize the Pacifichem Symposium on “Photosciences in Molecular and Supramolecular Scaffolds” hosted by the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies. (05/14)
Place your bet on Imagination Station‘s All In for Science
No beginner’s luck needed! It’s time to go All In for Science at Imagination Station’s Celebrity Wait fundraiser on Tuesday, June 10 at 6 p.m.
Enjoy a four-course meal at the Hollywood Casino’s renowned Regalo restaurant, served by our local celebrity waiters—community leaders and changemakers who believe in the power of STEAM.
What: Imagination Station’s Celebrity Wait fundraiser
When: Tuesday, June 10 | 6 p.m.
Where: The Hollywood Casino | Regalo
Throughout the night, you’ll be treated to an evening of specials prepared by Regalo’s culinary team. However, the real jackpot of the night is the support raised for Imagination Station. Proceeds from the night go right back to the science center, strengthening and expanding programming and community outreach, helping Imagination Station fuel the dreams of future scientists and innovators.
Get ready to have a winning night for STEAM and go ALL IN for a brighter future.
To purchase tickets for Celebrity Wait or make a donation to the science center, visit imaginationstationtoledo.org. (05/14)
Gavarone recognizes Wood County Public Library’s anniversary
COLUMBUS — State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) recognized the Wood County District Public Library for reaching the significant milestone of a 150th anniversary.
“Times have changed but this library has changed with the times,” said Gavarone. “This facility is still an invaluable resource for our community, and we anticipate it will be a beneficial and loved neighbor for at least another century and more.”
The library has become much more than simply a place to borrow a book. It now offers “150 Things To Do,” which include using a 3D printer, getting help earning a GED, and renting movies for free. Click here for a full list of activities the library offers.
The Wood County District Public Library is the earliest known public library in Bowling Green, established in 1875. The library initially moved around to different locations, largely dependent upon who was serving as librarian at the time. (05/11)
Kristaun Self sentenced for fatal shooting, arson
TOLEDO – Lucas County prosecuting attorney Julia R. Bates announced that on May 9, a Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge sentenced Kristaun Self to 25 years in prison.
In State of Ohio v. Kristaun Self, the defendant pleaded guilty to five charges: involuntary manslaughter, aggravated robbery with a gun specification, aggravated arson, tampering with evidence and the abuse of a corpse.
On Nov. 8, 2023, Self met Josiah Gill on Esther St. in Toledo to trade handguns. Self then shot Gill and set his body on fire in the back seat of Gill’s car beneath the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway. Because Self was a juvenile at the time of the offense, he would have been eligible for parole after 25 years under Ohio law.
This was a brutal and deliberate crime,” Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates said. “The defendant chose violence, destruction and concealment over basic human decency. I hope Josiah Gill’s family can find a degree of peace and that his memory lives in their hearts.”
Assistant Lucas County prosecutors Joe Gerber and David J. Borell led the prosecution. (05/11)
