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Upcoming Events

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Pexels photo by Bich Tran

(All events are 100 percent compiled from press releases and in order of occurring dates)

NEWS SHORTS BRIEFS ARE UPDATED DAILY

The Arts Commission announces Vibrant Art Loop schedule

TOLEDO – Prepare to immerse yourself in Toledo’s arts scene this summer and fall as The Arts Commission invites you to a series of captivating Art Loop events. Explore the local creative community through celebrations of art, artists, and spaces that inspire a vibrant Toledo.

The Arts Commission is kicking off the season with a celebration in Toledo’s historic Middle Grounds district on Saturday, June 21 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Middle Grounds/Oliver House/Maumee Bay Brewing Company at 201 Morris St.

Art Loop is a program of The Arts Commission, presented in partnership with the artists
and participating venues who make it possible. All Art Loops are free community
events.

We’re kicking off the season with an Art Loop summer celebration in Toledo’s historic
Middle Grounds district.

Enjoy live music, hands-on craft stations, sidewalk chalking, aerial performances, pop-
up art installations, a mini artist market, and a Studio Loop featuring some of Toledo’s
most celebrated artists on nearby Morris and Ottawa Streets. All entertainment and
activities are free and open to the public. Food, beverages and art available for
purchase.

For a complete schedule of events, go to the Arts Commission website.

TPS Youth football camp for boys

TOLEDO – The 23rd annual Dr. Carnel Smith free youth football camp is being held for boys in grades 3-8 at Scott High School June 16-20 from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. each day.

Registration begins at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 16, and on-field drills will begin at approximately at noon. Each participant must be accompanied by a parent or guardian with a medical card. Breakfast and lunch will be provided daily.

Maumee Senior Center hosts retirement fair

MAUMEE – The Maumee Senior Center is hosting a retirement fair on June 17 from 5-7 p.m. at the center, located at 2430 Detroit Ave.

During this free fair, Patrice Powers-Barker, of The Ohio State University Extension, will speak on the topic of Passport to Retirement: Charting Your Own Course. Attendees can also talk one-on-one with local agencies on finances, Medicare, selling your home, part-time job and volunteer opportunities, and more.

TARTA service to operate on regular schedule for Juneteenth

Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) services will operate on a regular
schedule for Juneteenth, Thursday, June 19.

TARTA fixed route and TARTA Move Paratransit will operate on their regular weekday
hours of 4:55 a.m. to 10:23 p.m., and TARTA Flex on-demand rides will be available
between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Information operators will be available at (419) 243-7433 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
paratransit Customer Service Representatives at (419) 382-9901 will have lines open
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. TARTA’s Transit Hub at 612 N.

Huron Street will be open to the public from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. TARTA’s administrative offices will be closed.

Toledo Museum of Art hosts Juneteenth celebration

TOLEDO – The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) has announced the schedule of events for its annual Juneteenth celebration. The event, “Freedom Through Art: Emancipation to Expression,” will be held Thursday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in TMA’s Green Building.

The celebration will feature a slate of art-inspired experiences for guests to honor Black history and celebrate freedom while looking toward a more connected future. 

TMA will partner with local artists and community organizations for its day of celebration. Toledo native Ramona Collins will perform a soulful jazz number, Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union will give a Financial Wellness presentation, and Toledo photographer James “DirtyKics” Dickerson will lead a LocalEyes tour, highlighting works of art across the museum that inspire his own work. 

The full schedule of events is as follows: 

  • Family Center Activities, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Family Center. 
  • Outreach Activities, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Green Room. 
  • Thaddeaus Washington Live Performance, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Great Gallery. 
  • Yoga/Sound Bath with Holly Strawbridge and Dani Nolff, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Wolfe Gallery. 
  • LocalEyes Tour with James “DirtyKics” Dickerson, noon-1 p.m., Herrick Lobby. 
  • Live Painting with Chudney Patterson, noon-4:30 p.m., Green Building Galleries. 
  • Dorian Grey (Magician) – The Amazing Mr. Strange, 1-4 p.m., Green Building. 
  • Financial Wellness with Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, 1-2:30 p.m., Little Theater. 
  • Monica Edwards Live Performance, 2-3 p.m., Great Gallery. 
  • Story Time in the Library, 2:30-3:30 p.m., TMA Library. 
  • Ramona Collins Live Performance, 4-5 p.m., Gallery 1.

This all-ages event is free and open to the public.

“Yoga/Sound Bath with Holly Strawbridge and Dani Nolff” and the “LocalEyes Tour with James “DirtyKics” Dickerson” require prior registration, which can be done on the TMA website.   

Make & Take Rain Barrel Workshop

LUCAS COUNTY – The Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District (Lucas SWCD), as a part of the Toledo/Lucas County Rain Garden Initiative, is hosting a Make & Take Rain Barrel Workshop on June 25 at 5 p.m. at the Lucas SWCD office in Toledo at 3350 Hill Ave., Suite K.

Rain barrels are an easy and efficient way to capture water during a rain event that can then be used for various tasks like watering your garden. Rain barrels also save money, resources, and help to protect our local water quality by collecting water that would have otherwise entered the storm sewer system untreated and unfiltered.

During the workshop, participants will during learn why rain barrels are an important conservation practice, make their rain barrel, and go home with information on set-up and maintenance.

The barrels are 55-gallon capacity and are intended to be installed underneath a downspout from a roof. The workshop fee is $40, and this includes all hardware and materials to make the rain barrel. Registration is required prior to the workshop, and this can be done online or by calling the Lucas SWCD office at (419) 893-1966. Space is limited! Other opportunities for these workshops will be announced as dates and details are
finalized.

PROMEDICA community events in June

TOLEDO – The American Red Cross is hosting a blood drive at ProMedica Toledo Hospital on June 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Croxton Memorial Auditorium. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: TOLEDOHOSP

Ben Stalets releases new album during concert

TOLEDO – The rumors are true. It’s finally happening. Join Ben Stalets at The Switchboard on Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m. for the official release of his new full-length recording, Lucky Dog. Fans can expect an intimate patio concert. In case of rain the event will move inside.  

Stalets is capitalizing on the nexus between Culture Clash Records and The Switchboard. Copies of the CD can be pre-ordered in person at Culture Clash or on the store’s website. A $15.00 pre-order (plus tax) includes free admission to the event for one person. Fans may also purchase Lucky Dog at the door (and receive free admission) or pay a $10 walk-up cover charge without the CD. 

The Switchboard and Culture Clash Records are both located at 912 Monroe Street in Downtown Toledo. Weather-permitting patio plans include concert-style seating. The evening starts with DJ Jon Zenz. This is an all-ages show. 

Springfield Township’s Inaugural Firecracker 5K Run/Walk
Honors memory of Pvt. Sterling W. “Butch” Rahe

HOLLAND – Springfield Township’s Summer Series 2025 will kick off on June 28 at 9 a.m. with the inaugural FIRECRACKER 5K Run/Walk to honor the memory of Pvt. Sterling “Butch” Rahe. The 5K will be held at Community Homecoming Park in Holland.

The deadline for registration is June 18. Those interested in participating in this special tribute to a hero who left us too soon are asked to visit runsignup.com. 

Fees are $35 for 13 and over, and $15 for kids 12 and under.

Paddle & Groove floating concert returns to the Maumee River

TOLEDO – Black Swamp Conservancy announced the return of Paddle & Groove, the region’s one-of-a-kind floating concert series that combines live music, community spirit, and river adventure.

Back for its second season, this immersive event invites participants to kayak alongside a
pontoon boat carrying live bands as they perform while cruising down the Maumee River.
Presented by the KeyBank National Association Trustee for the Walter E. Terhune Memorial Fund, Paddle & Groove offers a unique opportunity to experience the Maumee River’s natural beauty while enjoying live music.

Each event takes place from 6-7:30 p.m. on select Wednesdays throughout the summer. Note: Children under 18 must ride in a tandem kayak with an adult.

This season’s lineup features an array of talented musicians:

  • Nick Dittmeier & The Sawdusters: A progressive roots rock trio from Southern Indiana, known for their prolific touring and albums like “Midwest Heart/Southern Blues”
  • Whitney Mongé: A Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter whose Americana Soul blends blues, rock, and indie folk, delivering smoky vocals and poignant lyrics
  • Joe’s Truck Stop: From the Ohio River Valley, this group offers a blend of bluegrass, honky-tonk, and western swing, rooted in country blues traditions
  • Soultru: A Midwest soul crooner from the Quad Cities, drawing inspiration from gospel roots and artists, like John Legend, crafting music with emotional depth.

Event Details:
– Dates: July 2, July 23, August 13, August 27
– Location: Maumee River, Toledo
Ticket Options:
$15 – Bring your own boat
$45 – Kayak rental
$90 – Tandem kayak rental

Tickets are required for each concert and can be purchased through the Black Swamp Conservancy’s website. For more details, including ticket purchases and event updates, CLICK HERE.

Place your bet on Imagination Station‘s All In for Science

TOLEDO – No beginner’s luck needed! It’s time to go All In for Science at Imagination Station’s Celebrity Wait fundraiser at Hollywood Casino.

Enjoy a four-course meal, served by our local celebrity waiters—community leaders and change makers who believe in the power of STEAM.

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.

Tuesday, June 10 at 6 p.m. at the Hollywood Casino | Regalo Restaurant

Maumee and WGTE to host Juneteenth film and panel discussion

MAUMEE – The City of Maumee, in partnership with WGTE Public Media, will host a special Juneteenth event titled Juneteenth, Faith & Freedom on Wednesday, June 18th at 6:30 p.m. at the Maumee Indoor Theater.

The event will feature a screening of the acclaimed documentary Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom, followed by a panel discussion. The conversation will be moderated by realtor and radio host Charles Welch, and will include insights from: Sheila Howard, reporter and journalist with The Blade; Carla Thomas, social justice writer and community advocate; Linda Lucas, Maumee resident; and Sara Eiden, supervisor of theater operations at the Maumee Indoor Theater.

About the Film: Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom explores the history and enduring significance of Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas in 1865.  Featuring interviews with historians, community organizers, church leaders, and descendants of the formerly enslaved, the film examines how Christianity was used both to justify slavery and to inspire resistance and healing.

Chicks for Charity Hosts Chicks Mix ’25

SWANTON – Chicks for Charity, a nonprofit organization that inspires the JOY and DIGNITY of philanthropy in women and girls, will host its annual fundraising event, Chicks Mix ’25, on Wednesday, June 18 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Birchwood Meadow in
Swanton.

The event includes live music from the Toledo School for the Arts’ Steel Drum Band, basket
raffles, a silent auction, food, drinks and Junior Chicktinis, too.

Every penny raised will directly support our designated charity, HOPE Toledo. HOPE Toledo
supports pre-K through post-secondary education, helping to create generational wealth
and economic changes for the betterment of our kids and our community.

Membership is free to anyone who wants to have fun, do good and give back – women,
girls, men and boys.

“It’s not about how much you give. We celebrate the $11.38 from a Junior Chick’s
lemonade stand the same way as the $2,500 from a big neighborhood basketball
tournament. The goal is simple – keep it easy, keep it fun, raise a few dollars and help
others,” Vetter added.

Tickets for Chicks Mix ‘25 are $50 for Chicks, ages 19 and older, and $25 for Junior Chicks, ages three to 18. Space is limited. Purchase tickets by visiting the website.

Buckeyes Will Howard, Jack Sawyer to visit Toledo

TOLEDO – The Greater Toledo Classic is hosting two members of the Buckeye’s National College Football championship team for an exclusive, one-night-only event, An Evening with Will Howard & Jack Sawyer, presented by Presidio.

The event will be held on Monday, June 23, at the Stranahan Theater and is a rare opportunity for Buckeye fans to hear firsthand from quarterback Will Howard and defensive end Jack Sawyer, as they share unforgettable experiences, plus behind-the-scenes stories of their National Championship run.

The festivities will be emceed by former Toledo sportscaster and current Columbus sportscaster Dave Holmes.

Proceeds from the event will benefit several local children’s charities including; Nationwide Children’s Hospital – Toledo, ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Ohio, Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity: Women Build and the Jamie Farr Scholarship Fund of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation.

Two ticket options are available:

-The Premium Ticket Option includes reserved seating and a pre-program reception, with both Howard and Sawyer. The Premium Tickets are only available through the Greater Toledo Classic tournament office at 3400 Executive Parkway, Suite 1A, Toledo, OH 43606, or by calling .

-The event-only ticket option ranges from $54.00 to $104.00 based on seating preference. These tickets are available through the Stranahan Theater Box Office, online by clicking HERE, calling (419)531-3277, or by emailing jsilverman@toledoclassic.com.

Summer at Galerie Camille features four ‘exciting’ exhibitions

Galeria Camille has announced its full summer season, featuring four distinctive exhibitions that explore themes of transformation, place, history, and spirituality through diverse artistic practices.

June 6–27: Melissa Jones – From There to Here and Here to There
A sculptural journey of transmutation, love, loss, and hopefulness.

July 9–23: Daniel Ribar & Erik Henderson – Near Green Valley
Reflecting on coming of age in Detroit’s suburbs through painting and mixed media.

July 9–23: Allan Barnes – Detroit Landscapes 1982–2006
Large format photographs capturing Detroit’s architectural heritage and urban evolution.

August 8–30: Divine Impressions: Italian Masters to Detroit Voices
A dialogue between Renaissance religious masterpieces and contemporary Detroit artists exploring sacred iconography.

Opening receptions and artist talks offer unique opportunities to engage directly with the artists and curators. We invite you to experience this dynamic season and welcome media inquiries, interview requests, and further information.

For more information, visit the website.

TPS rallies to combat absenteeism

By
Mary Helen Delisle
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Oakdale Elementary gym teacher Steve Thurn demonstrates how to use Lü Interactive Systems. (TFP Photo/Mary Helen DeLisle)

Oakdale Elementary participates in “making every day count”

TOLEDO – Public school attendance has dropped nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic and, for most schools, has never returned to pre-COVID levels. Toledo Public Schools (TPS) decided it was time for that to change.  

TPS started an attendance incentive program in elementary schools, called Let’s Make Every Day Count, which rewards students for consistently showing up to class. 

These incentives range from tickets to professional basketball games and ice skating trips to prizes, like drones.

Let’s Make Every Day Count is provided by a grant partnership program that uses outside funds rather than district tax dollars.

“I’m not going to turn down an incentive program for any kid. And if the district wants to be a part of it and it helps us save funds, we’re going to be a part of that process here at school because we are always looking for funds here at East Toledo,” said Oakdale Elementary principal Robert Yenrick. 

Oakdale Elementary principal Robert Yenrick has been working to increase attendance in Toledo Public Schools. (TFP Photo/Mary Helen DeLisle)

 Yenrick said these programs have occurred for the last two years but have picked up significantly this past year.

Chronic absenteeism, characterized in Ohio as missing 15 or more days of school, has many negative outcomes for a child’s learning experience.

Rates of illiteracy and dropping out of school greatly increase for chronically absent students, the AP News reports. Oakdale’s 35 percent chronic absenteeism rate is caused by many factors.

“Homelessness is a big issue for some schools and families,” Yenrick said.

With homelessness and poverty often comes a lack of transportation. Oakdale has worked to fill this need with a behavior partners group called New Concepts, which helps impoverished students and/or students who lack transportation get to school. But without community support, programs like New Concepts cannot succeed.

“There are all kinds of needs people have. And we have needs as a school, too,” said Yenrick.

Community members can get involved by making meals for food-insecure families, participating in the New Concepts program, tutoring, moderating recess, or making meals for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Without community support, extra work and financial burden falls on Oakdale teachers.

“We had a Lego club with no Legos,” Yenrick said.

Lego purchasing was left to the Lego Club teacher’s own dime.

Yenrick encouraged community involvement, saying it could help support student education and well-being and alleviate some of the burden that falls on teachers.

Kenise Winfree works in the kindness room at Oakdale Elementary, a place where students can come to do crafts and unwind if they’re having a rough day. (TFP Photo/Mary Helen DeLisle)

While community involvement can be increased with a little encouragement, some factors of absenteeism, such as illness, are a little harder to control.

Yenrick said that for students who get multiple viruses during the academic year, those 15 absent days add up quickly. Despite the challenges, Oakdale works to make learning fun for students and encourages them to attend class.

One way Oakdale has done this is by implementing Lü Interactive Systems, a learning game system that projects onto the gym wall.

“It [Lü] is the first one in an urban school in the northern part of the state. All the others are [in] suburban schools,” Yenrick said.

Students can play games on Lü that have learning or exercise benefits, such as interactive math games and dance games that can be played during gym class.

Oakdale gym teacher Steve Thurn said he watches the kids come alive when they play the Lü dance game.

Thurn said tutors also use the game to help children struggling with particular school subjects, such as memorizing multiples of five. Lü’s interactive math games help students have fun while also improving their education.

Oakdale Elementary School in Toledo. (TFP Photo/Mary Helen DeLisle)

Oakdale also encourages the balance of learning and fun by sending kids to camp through a YMCA program.

“We’re looking to get businesses to do sixth-grade camp,” Yenrick said. “I’m trying to raise money for the majority of the Eastside schools to go to camp through sixth grade. I want these kids to experience a portion of life that’s just different than what they see every day, and give them the chance to say ‘Hey, there’s a different world out here that I don’t know.’”

Don Lee: Neighbors

By
Don Lee
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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, supports keeping DEI. (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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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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0
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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0
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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0

Dark-eyed juncos flitter north

By
Art Weber
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0
Dark-eyed juncos are heading north for the summer. (Photo by Art Weber)

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.

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