(All announcements are 100% compiled from press releases, or otherwise shared by our media partners as credited)
Education news
Owens Community College
Owens Community College’s enrollment reached its highest 14th-day headcount since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with 7,652 students enrolled for Fall 2026. Compared to 7,423 students in Fall 2025, the 3.1 percent increase for Fall 2026 marks the eighth consecutive semester of headcount enrollment growth and the fifth consecutive fall semester with a headcount increase. Fall 2026 enrollment also represents the largest student enrollment at the 14th-day headcount since Spring 2020.
Additionally, more than 800 students were named to the Owens Dean’s List and Dean’s Recognition in Summer 2026. 30 students from the school’s Toledo-area and Findlay-area campuses were on the Dean’s list, while an additional 825 students earned Dean’s Recognition honors.
In other news, an Owens grad is teaching military families’ kids through the Rocket Kids Program in Germany. From swimming in a lake in the Austrian Alps and skydiving in Switzerland to working with the children of American military families living in Germany, recent Owens graduate Jadyn Lubash of Perrysburg Township was chosen to participate as one of eight interns in the Rocket Kids program through University of Toledo. She spent three months in Grafenwoehr, Germany as a student teacher for 5-year-old pre-kindergarten children at Grafenwoehr Training Area, the largest U.S. military training facility in Europe.
Finally, Owens Community College was one of 15 college campuses nationwide selected for Project HOPE, a public art installation tied to National Voter Registration Day. The college marked the occasion Tuesday, Sept. 15 with the project and the third annual Cakes with Blake pancake breakfast in College Hall. A $1,000 National Voter Registration Day Community College Grant supported both events.
Bowling Green State University
At BGSU, the Falcon Marching Band has grown to a record 600 members, becoming the largest collegiate marching band in America and the largest in BGSU history.
In other back-to-school news, BGSU undergraduate students who achieved grade point averages of 3.5 or higher during the Summer 2026 Semester have been named to their respective college’s Dean’s List.
The names of current Dean’s List honorees are available online. Student names are listed by state and county, and results are downloadable in Excel or Word formats.
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo Foundation today announced that JR Blackburn has been named president and CEO, effective Oct. 12. Blackburn will succeed Brenda Lee, the Foundation’s inaugural president, who has been serving in an interim capacity since May. Lee previously announced her retirement from the Foundation in June 2025.
In other news at UToledo, applications are now open for the Summer 2027 cohort of The University of Toledo’s Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia program, with applications being accepted through Sept. 30, 2026. The newly accredited program continues the nurse anesthesia education previously offered at Lourdes University, now under UToledo’s College of Health and Human Services.
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
- UToledo Health is first in the region to offer the LungPacer AeroPace® Neurostimulation System, an FDA-approved therapy proven to get critically ill patients off ventilators faster.
- The AeroPace System addresses an issue seen in intensive care units daily. When a patient is on mechanical ventilation, their diaphragm, the primary muscle responsible for breathing, is no longer working. Because the diaphragm is a muscle in constant use, it atrophies rapidly, sometimes within 12 hours of ventilation.
Government & Politics news
Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates announced that on Sept. 8, 2026, Lucas County Judge Gary G. Cook sentenced Kevin Richey to 36 to 41 years after he pleaded guilty in case CR2026- 00396 to seven felony offenses, including six counts of rape involving two minors.
Business & nonprofit news
Georgette’s Coffee launches online store – Coffee lovers can now have Georgette’s wholesale coffee delivered directly to their door, with every purchase supporting life-changing opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. The line includes both 2.5-ounce tear-and-pour options and 12-ounce bags of whole-bean coffee, featuring bestsellers Buckeye Blend, Georgette’s Sunrise and Jamaican Me Crazy and customer favorites like Carrot Cake, inspired by the café’s award-winning recipe. Customers can be among the first to order from the new online store here. Follow the wholesale line Instagram here.
The Arts Commission is now accepting applications for the 2026 Merit Awards, which recognize outstanding work by established and mid-career artists in the literary, performing, and visual arts.
Three artists will receive $4,000 awards to support their continued artistic practice. Eligible artists must have maintained a creative studio or home within 30 miles of downtown Toledo for at least two consecutive years.
The deadline for applications is Sunday, Sept. 27 at 11:59 p.m.
More information and application materials are available at theartscommission.org/artists/merit-awards.
Maumee – CMS Corporation announced that CMS K.K. (CMS), a wholly owned Japanese subsidiary of CMS Corporation, has been awarded a $1.3 million Design-Build project to provide radon mitigation systems across Kadena Air Base, as well as multiple U.S. Marine Corps installations, throughout Okinawa.
Community
Dean Davis Completes 20th “100 Works of Art” Mural with Support from TECHLEDO – Located at 324 N. Erie Street, the new work celebrates early childhood education, literacy and the special bond between children and animals.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums honored the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium as one of the seven recipients of the AZA Accreditation Half Century Award for 50 years of excellence. The Half Century Award was first presented in 2024 to two facilities. Including this year’s recipients, only 11 institutions have received the award to date.
Sports
Walleye News – The Toledo Walleye have agreed to terms with forwards Nolan Hutcheson and Johnny Waldron, and with defenseman Jack Duff for the 2026-27 ECHL season, their first full seasons as professionals.
They have also agreed to terms with forward Greg Smith for the season, his first in Toledo, and fourth as a professional.
