The Family, Community and Career Leaders of America (FCCLA) Anthony Wayne-Penta Chapter
members made a presentation to the Anthony Wayne Board of Education on September 14.
Pictured are, from left, junior high advisor Kay-Lynne Schaller, Karter Rinker, Gracelyn Vance,
Sophie Canos, Diana Beach, Bryn Hubbard, Karis Doro, Tiffany Thomas, Mary Amstutz, Hailey
Thomas, Piper Trumbell and high school advisor Amanda Valdez. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)
The Anthony Wayne Board of Education recognized its staff members of the year and national award-winning FCCLA students during its Sept. 14 meeting.
Jennifer Gross, a special education aide at Whitehouse Primary School, is the Classified Staff Member of the Year. She encourages students with a wide range of needs and lifts the spirits of those around her, said Assistant Superintendent Kevin Pfefferle.
“We appreciate everything she does behind the scenes,” added Superintendent Kevin Herman, acknowledging that the humble Gross doesn’t like being in the limelight.
Christine Young is the Certified Staff Member of the Year. She shares her passion for learning in her seventh-grade social studies classroom and beyond.
“She makes a remarkable difference across the district and in the community. She is driven by a genuine desire to see every student succeed,” Pfefferle said.
As a leader with the Purple Star Generals program, Young rallies the community to support families who have active duty or veteran members.
“She is one of the biggest advocates for our military families. The work she does for them is incredible,” Herman said, adding that with the deployments out of the 180th Fighter Wing, she is working to support those families.
This year, the district started a new tradition of recognizing a group of individuals who make a difference.
“This year it’s our school nurses, for their unwavering dedication and care across the district,” Herman said, noting that the six building nurses – Sarah Tapley, Libby Gagen, Amy Baburek, Fay Birkemeier, Valerie Bradfield and Laura Soeder – provide valuable support for students and staff.
Several of the Staff Members of the Year were recognized by the Anthony Wayne Board of Education during its September 14 meeting, including (from left) Laura Soeder, Jennifer Gross, Fay Birkemeier, Christine Young, Amy Baburek and Valerie Bradfield. Not pictured are nurses Libby Gagen and Sara Tapley. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)
Wearing their signature red blazers, several members of FCCLA (Family, Community and Career Leaders of America) shared how they won top awards during the 2026 leadership conference in Washington, DC this summer. The club for students in Family and Consumer Sciences class in grades 7-12 is led by Penta Career Center teachers Kay-Lynne Schaller at the junior high and Amanda Valdez in the high school.
“Every single one began researching their projects in October and worked on these projects, not for a grade or extra credit, but because they wanted to do something bigger than themselves,” Schaller said, noting that many of the projects that took these students to the national conference included a community service component.
Presenting at the meeting were junior high students Mary Amstutz, Karis Doro, Piper Trumbell and Hailey and Tiffany Thomas. Mary and Piper teamed up and earned gold for a Repurpose and Redesign project. Karis placed Top 10 in the nation and earned a gold medal for his entrepreneurship project. Hailey and Tiffany took second at nationals and earned a 100 percent score for their Food Innovations project.
Many FCCLA members continue with the organization through high school while juggling academics, athletics, jobs and family life, said Valdez.
“They take so much pride in what they do,” said Valdez.
High school FCCLA members Diana Beach, Sophie Canos, Bryn Hubbard, Karter Rinker and Gracelyn Vance shared their appreciation for Valdez’ leadership. Earning silver in the national conference were Diana, for Red Talks on Education; and Gracelyn, for Fashion Construction. Sophie won gold for Professional Presentation and Bryn earned gold for Career Investigation.
Also winning awards were 2026 graduates Maddie Johnston and Grant Hubley, Aradhya Muthumula, Skyler Smelly and Megan Carpenter.
The students thanked Penta Career Center and the Anthony Wayne Board of Education for their support of the FCCLA program.
Valdez was honored this year with the Spirit of Advising Award, given to just one adviser per state for providing programming excellence, advocacy and education, student support and professional engagement.
“We are all lucky to have her,” Schaller said of Valdez. “When my young students go to the high school, I know they will have an advisor who cares for them.”
During the meeting, the board also:
-Heard that the state is expected to release its report cards. Herman said while state testing and graduation rates are one way to share the success of students, the district’s Quality Profile – to be released on Sept. 17 – provides a comprehensive look at how students are encouraged to explore and find their niche in academics, athletics, the arts and beyond.
-Heard that an August job fair to recruit substitutes went well, resulting in 24 people signing up to serve as substitutes in at least one position.
–Approved donations, including: $2,000 from the Anthony Wayne Parent Teacher Association to Fallen Timbers Middle School for turf and borders on the gaga ball pit; $500 from Ohio Middle Level Association to FTMS for supporting middle level students; and $8,000 from the Lott-Conlon Foundation for the Waterville Sensory Gardens Project, which will be installed next spring.
-Awarded a $146,143 contract to Earl Mechanical Services, Inc. for the junior high kitchen replacement project.
-Accepted the resignation of Michele Slover, Monclova Primary custodian, due to job abandonment. The board also accepted resignations from: driver Mike Stiff; special education aides Melissa Bergfeld and Pam Weideman; and custodian Christina Miller. Several others resigned from supplemental positions in order to take on new ones.
-Approved the hiring of Kevin Wikstrom, mid-day bus driver; Dorothy Schaffner, accounting secretary; Michelle Case, high school special education aide; and Jude Wyse, groundskeeper.
Case has worked in the district through the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West for many years, but now is being brought on as staff so she can assist in other areas, Herman said.
-Listened to board member Mike Stamm ask what the district does to educate students on the Constitution, noting that teachers do a nice job with educating students about September 11, 2001 and Veteran’s Day.
“It would be cool to see how student are learning about our country, freedoms and responsibilities,” Stamm said.
Herman said September 11 was marked with a moment of silence and activities throughout the day, and Veteran’s Day is recognized in multiple ways throughout the district. Students are required to learn about the Constitution, and Herman said he would share at the next meeting some of the ways that is done in the district.
“We do a lot of good things each and every day that promote patriotism and taking pride in our country and showing respect to those individuals that serve our country,” Herman said.
-Learned that the next board meeting is Monday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.
Blacktree Realty “For Sale” sign on Parkwood Ave. in Toledo on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
TOLEDO – Millions of dollars in Old West End properties were put up for sale mid-summer, drawing confusion and questions from the neighborhood.
In a Facebook post by Leanne “Tresize” Black, an agent and owner of Blacktree Realty, she advertised properties to be sold as part of grouped packages. One package included nine separate properties for $1.7 million, and another had five properties for $3.4 million.
All 14 properties are/were owned by landlord David A. Miller and his wife Diane Reynolds-Miller, who had split them up between separate companies Number One Old West, Ltd. through Number Six Old West, Ltd.
“You can say that I’m selling because of my health,” Miller said, when the Toledo Free Press ran into him working on one of his properties.
Slightly out of breath, Miller was holding a small canister of oxygen, and commented that he had lost help managing the properties recently, his health was declining and that he was selling all of his properties.
“Steps are my enemy,” he said. “And I got a lot of three story buildings.”
Leanne Black is the owner of Blacktree Realty. In a Facebook post, she advertised properties to be sold as part of grouped packages.. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Tenants reaction
Anxiety around the sales seemed to be in-part because of the abruptness, and lack of notice the tenants had about the sales.
Tenant Katie Bartlett said she found out the building she lived in was for sale when “literally the for-sale sign” appeared. “I texted the neighbors below us, and I was like, ‘Did you see the sign?’”
Comments on the now-deleted Facebook post by Black said the social media post was how some tenants had found out the building they lived in was being sold.
Bartlett was less concerned because, she said, “It looked like they were trying to have them bundled,” and the properties would likely change hands with another landlord.
Not everyone shared Bartlett’s confidence, including her mother.
“I honestly, I freaked out because well, at first— I’m sure they’re not going to sell right away, but the more I thought about it, I didn’t know where I was going to go,” said Paula Bartlett, Katie’s mother, who lives separately in the Old West End, in another of Miller’s duplexes.
This same fear extended to the tenants of a different landlord represented by Blacktree Realty, Ben Randall, who put two of his properties on the market, as a bundle, around the same time.
16 multi-unit properties changing hands in the same area introduced, at the very least, an amount of perceived instability to the neighborhood following a tragic shooting at the Old West End Festival (OWEF) and a new set of lead-safe regulations that landlords in the Old West End needed to come into compliance with by December 2025 or the end of June 2026, depending on property location within the neighborhood.
Black, on behalf of Miller and Randall, said the landlords were retiring, and pushed back against the commotion and the online discourse. “Both of these guys have worked on these properties and kept them in great shape for a long time, and I think that they deserve to retire without the community bashing them for it,” she said.
When asked about not giving notice to tenants about the sales, she said, “I would say that’s fairly common, especially if we’re doing something like the way that we did this, where there’s no showings without an accepted offer.”
Katie Bartlett, 34, sits on the porch of the home she rents in the Old West End. In the middle of the summer, Bartlett learned her home was going to be sold as part of a package of homes, but then the landlord, David A. Miller, offered to let her buy where she lived individually. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Affordability
Multiple tenants from both Miller and Randall’s properties mentioned they thought the sales would mean higher rents for them, a concern in this economy.
Black maintained that leases carry over between landlords, but also mentioned, “At the end of the day, property taxes have gone up, water’s gone up, and most of those properties, the landlord’s paying for water, cost of materials to upkeep, landscaping. All of those things have gone up as well.”
Miller had Bartlett sign an initial one-year-lease, but then moved over to a month-to-month lease, which allowed flexibility to both parties to end their lease within a month’s notice.
“So since 2020, it’s been month-to-month,” Paula Bartlett said, emphasizing that her residence could change in a fairly short amount of time with a new owner. “I figured if things sold, and some corporation— management company took it over, I would be kicked out.”
Northwest Ohio Realtors cited a study by Rentometer, a company that provides data for investors, that showed rent in Toledo had gone up 43 percent between 2021 and 2025.
“Our unit was $1,000, and now it’s $1,150. It was $875 before that,” said Alyx Kendzierski, a tenant living in one of Randall’s properties for over a decade. “So in the last two years, he has increased it pretty significantly.”
With the sale of these properties, Kendzierski is worried the rent increases will only continue.
“I am fearful for what this means for broader affordability within the Old West End.”
Alyx Kendzierski, a resident of the Old West End, at Glenwood Lutheran Church, 2545 Monroe Street. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Get the lead out
One of the factors that is thought to be contributing to the rising rents and potentially to the packaged property sales is a 2025 Toledo ordinance dealing with lead remediation.
“I think what I would like to do is disclose to the tenants how much of their rent is for lead compliance, and I think it’s going to wind up being about 100 bucks a month,” said Dan Finkel, a landlord in the Old West End and member of the Old West End Association.
Since 2016 the City of Toledo has attempted to regulate lead in rental properties, but has been met with legal challenges up until early 2025, when the Ohio Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal, upholding the city’s ability to regulate lead in rental properties.
March of 2025 saw the passage of a new ordinance, O-167-25, which changed some procedural and enforcement aspects of the previous ordinances from 2016 and 2020 along with some administrative tweaks.
At its core, all three ordinances stipulated that all 1-4 unit rental properties built before 1978 need a lead-safe certification.
Until 2025, the lead ordinance was not enforced, pending the previous legal challenges, but now that the city has the go-ahead, O-167-25 dictated a phased compliance structure from 2025 to 2029.
The first part of this structure dictated some properties within the Old West End come into compliance with lead certification by Dec. 31, 2025, but the bulk of the properties being sold now were part of the area in phase two, deemed to come into compliance at the end of June 2026.
“The easiest thing you can do to get into lead compliance is to just remove your wood siding and put on vinyl. That’s the fastest, easiest way to do it, but you can’t do that in the Old West End, Westmoreland, Vistula districts,” said Mac Driscoll, Toledo City Council Member At-Large, during the agenda review before the passage of the lead ordinance in April 2025. “That’s against our code; the design guidelines are important [for historic districts].”
“To come into compliance would be challenging. What I would hate to see is housing units coming off-line,” he said, sharing reservations about how the ordinance might have an adverse affect on Toledo neighborhoods, specifically historical ones.
Monica Smith, the lead safe coordinator for the City of Toledo, estimated during the Toledo City Council agenda review that 85 percent of Toledo’s housing stock was built before 1978, and therefore originally painted with lead paint, and that the average cost to come into compliance per landlord would be around $12,000.
According to Smith’s data, there are 28,796 rental units in Toledo that need to come into lead compliance, with several thousand coming into compliance every six months with each new phase of the ordinance.
“The areas that are priority, they have the highest number of children that tested to have elevated lead levels, and so those are those first-phase individuals,” she said. “On any given day, approximately 3,500 children in Lucas County have elevated lead levels.”
Furthermore, Smith emphasized that the majority of those children were within the City of Toledo.
The United States Code outlawed the use of lead paint in residences after the Consumer Product Safety Commission “…found that there is an unreasonable risk of lead poisoning in children associated with lead content of over 0.06 percent in paints and coatings to which children have access…”
A unanimous vote by Toledo City Council Members expressed the need to bring rental units into lead compliance, but Council Members George Sarantou (At-Large) and Adam Martinez (District 2) asked questions concerning funding options for landlords to come into compliance.
Paula Bartlett, 61, stands in front of the home she’s rented, but is now transitioning into owning. Owner David A. Miller, has been the landlord of a number of properties in the Old West End, but due to health concerns is selling his lot. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
“It’s not going to be cheap, so we need a robust private sector grantsmanship to do this. We need a robust administrative and education structure to do the outreach and to do the enforcement. So we’re thinking about all of the different pieces to this,” said Rosalyn Clemens, the Chief of Housing and Neighborhood Sustainability for the City of Toledo.
“Up to $30,000 for lead-based paint hazard control,” is advertised on the city of Toledo’s website, with different stipulations for owner-occupants vs landlord/tenant applications.
Unfortunately, Finkel did not think he would qualify for grants from the government, and posted the following message to the Old West End Facebook page.
“After spending over 20K painting I failed my lead inspection with two dust wipes, one in the upper unit and one in the lower unit. I will paint and clean again because I am in too deep at this point but at the end of the 5 year certificate I am removing the two 3 bedroom 2 bathroom units as rentals and mothballing them for personal use since personal use does not require the inspection (I wish it did). Someday when I have the money to replace the windows (there are over 50 historic windows) I might rent it again,” he wrote.
When the Toledo Free Press spoke with Finkel he said, “It might actually have turned out to be 22 or 23 [$22,000 or $23,000 in costs] when all was said and done, but yes, it was tens of thousands of dollars to paint things.”
Fortunately, about a month after the Facebook post, Finkel re-tested and passed the lead certification for his rental property.
“But in any case, what I’m worried about is that every five years I’m going to spend $20,000 painting the place,” he said.
According to Finkel, the area he had the most trouble with were the windows in his rental property.
“All you have to do is operate a window once or twice, and it knocks lead dust back down into the trough.”
“It’s not like you can put really thick paint on the windows; they’ll become inoperable. They won’t work anymore,” Finkel said.
“The house will never be safe, unless I replace all the windows,” he said, and clarified that vinyl windows would not be an option in the historic district. “I have to do nice, historic windows.” He estimated he had about 50 windows in the home. “I’m going to spend $125,000 putting windows in a building that’s worth [$]175[K],” he said.
Even so, Finkel has received his certificate, and has been declared lead-safe for the next five years.
But as cited earlier, it may cause his rents to rise, and at the end of four years, he’ll have to reassess the cost of making a historic property rentable.
“Do I make money? The answer is no,” he said. “With that lead ordinance, I probably break even on the property.”
Along with the fiscal calculation comes another about enforcement, where Finkel said he’s seen properties right across from his with flaking paint. Admittedly, since Finkel failed his first attempt at a certification, he passed beyond the June deadline, and he’s unsure of how the courts will process homes in noncompliance.
“I want my property to be nice, and I want it to be safe for kids,” Finkel said. “Those are two things that are important to me, but you can’t ignore the economics of it. And it’s just overwhelming.”
Breaking bundles
A few weeks after the properties went on the market, Katie Bartlett got a call from her landlord.
“He just called me randomly and asked if Drew, my husband, and I would be interested in buying,” she said. Initially, Bartlett thought Miller was asking for an offer on the bundled properties, something she wasn’t interested in.
When asked why the properties were being sold in a bundle, Black offered two reasons for putting them on the market in that way.
“We did that so that the tenants are not bothered with people that are looky-loos or don’t have a true offer in mind.”
The other reason: It’s “a little bit easier for the seller.”
“If you have 14 properties under contract with 14 different people, that’s 14 inspections, that’s 14 appraisals, that’s 14 contracts, 14 closings, and it’s just a lot for any one person to try and keep track of.”
Luckily for Bartlett, Miller wasn’t married to the idea of selling all his properties in one go.
“He is willing to split the smaller properties, I think if the price was right, he probably would consider splitting the larger properties too,” Black said.
After a little while, Bartlett and her mother put together a plan to buy her mother’s duplex together.
“This works out perfectly,” Paula Bartlett said.
Unfortunately, with this arrangement, the tenant above Paula is forced into what Paula feared. “The upstairs neighbor, theirs [their lease] ends October 31. So they were told it wasn’t being renewed.”
Now, Bartlett and her mother have the property under contract, diffusing at least one worry for the community: that these historic homes would go to an out-of-town investor who would deliver a lesser degree of stewardship.
In reaction to concerns about out-of-town buyers, Black said, “I guess my suggestion would be, if someone from the neighborhood is that concerned about it, maybe they should put up their own money and buy them from him.”
And that’s what some of the residents of the Grenwick, a quadriplex owned by Randall, are attempting to do: buy the 20-bed, 8-bath, 12,975 square-foot-property priced at $680,000, but also bundled with another property.
“We are working on setting up a housing cooperative,” Kendzierski said. “We are working with folks who are already involved in some out in Bloomington, Indiana.”
Kendzierski said they were likely to form an LLC or a nonprofit, and then their group of tenants would pool their resources to buy the property collectively.
Individuals with varying degrees of buy-in to the idea have reached out to Kendzierski, and they said the group is still in the planning stages of the idea.
Black confirmed that the group had reached out to her, but hadn’t received an offer for any of the properties.
Blacktree Realty “For Sale” sign in front of the Grenwick on Parkwood Ave. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
The Swanton Fire and Rescue Division (SFRD) B Shift crew includes (from left) Avery Davis, Tom Schneider, Susie Schmidt, Cicely Sanchez, Lt. Josh Heinemann and Chief Cuyler Kepling. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)
SWANTON TOWNSHIP – Swanton Township is looking at contracting with the Village of Swanton for fire service in 2027 and 2028, following months of discussions with area fire chiefs, Trustee Matt Beil reported during the Sept. 8 meeting.
Currently, Springfield Township and Whitehouse provide fire and EMS service, splitting the township into northern and southern halves. With Whitehouse’s contract set to expire on Dec. 31, coming up with a plan soon is imperative, Beil said. Trustees set a special meeting for Tuesday, Sept. 22 to address the proposal from Swanton Fire Chief Cuyler Kepling.
“We have a proposed contract draft with the Village of Swanton, which would subcontract with the Village of Whitehouse to service the township. On top of that, we met with Springfield and Swanton to discuss if Springfield could play a part in the eastern part of the township. That’s ongoing,” Beil said.
Whitehouse Fire Chief Jason Francis said that he’s had brainstorm sessions with Kepling, but nothing is has been confirmed. Francis plans to address the topic during an October Whitehouse Council Committee of the Whole meeting. Currently, Whitehouse services the southern portion of the township, while Springfield Township covers the northern half.
Kepling and Springfield Township Fire Chief Jonathon Ziehr were in the audience during the Sept. 8 meeting, where the trustees agreed that the primary concern with any arrangement is to ensure the best possible response time for all residents and businesses. Ziehr acknowledged that response times on the westernmost areas of the township were not ideal.
“We see Swanton Fire as we pass. We absolutely want them to come on board for at least that side of the township. We would be happy to keep the eastern side,” he said, explaining that his department not only responds to emergencies but provides full fire inspections for 45 of the 60 businesses in the township, including the airport. The turnpike and airport are busy areas, he said, recommending that trustees split up the township coverage and assign it to the closest fire department.
Kepling created a proposed map of how to divide the township between Whitehouse and Swanton, but said Springfield Township may still be part of the equation, in order to keep response times low. The response time clock starts as soon as a tone comes in from the 911 dispatch center downtown. It takes about 45 seconds for personnel to gear up and leave the station.
“The goal is always seven minutes or less,” he told the Anthony Wayne Free Press a few days later, pulling up the map on his office computer. “In a township, that’s not always easy to achieve.”
No matter who provides the coverage, it will cost more, as rising costs are impacting every department’s bottom line. Operational readiness is a term to describe the cost to have the trained staff and equipment ready to respond at a moment’s notice, whether the department receives one call a day or dozens. Considering all the costs to operate a department, the average cost per call is about $1,600 for Springfield and $1,425 for Swanton. EMS runs are typically less costly than a fire call, which can run $20,000 per incident, with multiple vehicles and personnel on site, Ziehr said.
The initial proposal by Kepling shows a first-year cost of $200,000 and an increase to $230,000 the second year. Services from Whitehouse or Springfield Township are not included in that proposal. Beil said the current levy brings in $187,000 for fire and EMS currently, and with some reserves, the township may be able to get by with the new contract for the first year and a half, but putting a levy on the ballot in the future seems likely.
Swanton Village previously covered the township from the 1960s or 1970s through 2015, Kepling said. The township looked at creating its own department a few years ago, but found that the cost would be a minimum of $1.3 million for a facility, equipment and three people on duty at all times.
Swanton Fire always has five people on duty, all cross-trained in fire and EMS, with about half of the personnel certified paramedics. So far this year, the department has responded to 958 calls for service. Kepling said adding Swanton Township would not require hiring additional personnel.
“We’ve got operational plans in place if we secure the contract,” he said.
All entities involved will still need to work through their respective elected councils or trustees, as well as legal counsel. Once an agreement is solidified, the county’s 911 center will need to update its maps as well.
“We don’t want to rush, but this is time sensitive as we’re getting near budget season,” Kepling added.
Trustees agreed to meet on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. to go over proposals.
During the meeting, the township also:
-Learned that 34 people filled two 30-yard dumpsters during a recent unlimited drop off. Trustees will look at doing this twice a year as a service to residents.
–Approved $252 for signs that will be posted on sites of proposed zoning changes. These are generic signs with details on how to access more information on the specific change being considered.
-Agreed to include Cutshall Ditch in the Swan Creek Watershed, following a review by the Lucas County Engineer. The Lucas County Commissioners will need to approve the change as well.
-Heard that the Metroparks have created pull-off gravel areas along Girdham Road: one by the cemetery and one near the Wabash Cannonball Trail. Beil asked about signage to advise motorists to use the lots rather than pulling off the side and wearing away the edge of the roadway.
-Heard Zoning Inspector Ben Mooney say that Interstate Capital representatives met with him regarding the proposed rezoning of parcels across from the airport. This is for dry storage, cold storage and trucking, not a data center. The Lucas County Plan Commission is expected to review and recommend the change during its Wednesday, Sept. 23 meeting, which will be held at 9 a.m. at 1 Government Center in downtown Toledo. Any site plan would need to be reviewed by the township and county.
-Discussed a request by Ken Martin at the Greens at Oak Openings to place a six-foot-tall fence around a septic system. Code requires a four-foot fence, but an Ohio EPA representative recommends the taller fence for safety as the business will attract families with children.
-Agreed to discuss zoning fees at the end of the special Sept. 22 meeting.
-Heard Mooney said he was asked by a potential buyer about tearing down the old Haven Lounge and erecting a pole barn for a drive-thru carryout. Metal buildings are not permitted in the overlay district and a variance would need to be granted.
-Agreed with Mooney’s assessment that he may need outside help in updating the zoning resolution, but that a grant may be necessary to cover the cost. Mooney will seek quotes for that and a land use plan update, and seek out grant information from area agencies like Lake Erie West Regional Council.
-Agreed to apply for Ohio Public Works Commission funding for resurfacing Reed Road between Girdham and Fulton Lucas.
-Learned that speed studies are still ongoing for Reed Road. Resident Dale Schaechterle has asked that the speed limit on both Reed and Girdham be lowered and for any speed study to consider the number of bikers, walkers, runners and horses that also utilize the 55 mph roadway.
Schaechterle said he’s seen too many near misses in the area, and noted that Girdham Road Sand Dunes were named a state nature preserve in 2025. Both Reed and Girdham are township-maintained roads, so the process of reviewing or changing the speed limits starts with the trustees submitting a request to the state, said Lucas County Engineer spokesman Mike Tatar. Ohio Department of Transportation has the final say in whether modifications are made, based on the study’s findings.
-Heard Fiscal Officer Mindy Curry say that she obtained quotes from several banking institutions interested in becoming the township’s depository. Farmers and Merchants has the lowest rates and the highest interest earnings, and this will save the township money. Trustees agreed to switch from 5/3 Bank to Farmers and Merchants.
-Heard Beil say that he got a call from a resident asking about Flock cameras. The township does not have any.
Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit inside a forensic nursing station at the St. Vincent Medical Center, 2213 Cherry Street, in Toledo. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
TOLEDO — For someone who has just experienced violence, getting to a hospital can already be a difficult first step. Having to leave that hospital, travel somewhere else and tell the story all over again can make it even harder.
Mindy Lause, forensic nursing program manager at Mercy Health, and the health system are working to eliminate that barrier.
Mercy Health is expanding its forensic nursing program beyond Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center in downtown Toledo, bringing specialized forensic nurses directly to patients at Mercy hospitals throughout northwest Ohio.
Forensic nurses care for patients who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, strangulation, human trafficking, child or elder abuse and other forms of violence.
“We’re nurses first,” Lause said. “Everything that we do, the patient experience and providing that holistic care for healing is always going to be our priority no matter what.”
Courtney Hill, Registered Nurse (RN) and Forensic Nurse, stands next to a patient bed while Michelle Yeasting, Registered Nurse (RN) and Forensic Nurse, holds a camera for documenting medical evidence. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Bringing the nurse to the patient
Mercy Health established its forensic nursing program at St. Vincent in 2022. And as the program grew, so did the number of patients who needed its services.
In 2025 alone, Mercy nurses conducted 648 forensic exams at St. Vincent. Lause said the increasing number doesn’t necessarily mean violence itself is becoming more common. Instead, she believes more people know the service exists and trust it enough to seek help.
“We are providing a reliable service to people on the worst days, and most vulnerable days of their life.”
Lause also began receiving calls to provide care at other Mercy hospitals in the area.
She quickly discovered that patients sometimes had to be transferred to St. Vincent for specialized forensic care, while others faced wait times of up to eight hours as staff tried to locate an available forensic nurse.
“We wanted that to end,” Lause said. “It’s a lot to have to show up and tell somebody, ‘Hey, I was strangled,’ or ‘I was sexually assaulted.’ But then to have to begin again at a new hospital with new staff and waiting those long times … that places a significant amount of stress and pressure on the patient.”
Lause wanted to flip that model: Bring the nurse to the patient.
That became possible through a $200,000 Health Impact Fund grant awarded in 2025, allowing the program to hire two additional full-time positions and expand its reach in 2026.
As a result, forensic nurses are based at St. Vincent and are now dispatched as needed to other Mercy facilities throughout northwest Ohio, including Seneca County.
“Being able to respond to those rural facilities in a timely manner really helps strengthen access to care,” she said.
Michelle Yeasting, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, who has worked in forensic nursing since 2008, said bringing that care directly to hospitals also removes practical barriers for patients who may not have a vehicle, money for gas or other resources needed to travel.
“We need to meet them where they are and when they show up,” Yeasting said.
Rebekah Skinner, RN and Forensic Nurse, shines an alternative light source on a medical mannequin. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Connecting with the patient during the most vulnerable time
A forensic exam can last anywhere from one to six hours, depending on the circumstances.
When the nurse first meets a patient, Lause said the initial conversation is intentionally brief. The nurse explains the process without immediately asking the patient to recount every detail.
From there, nurses can perform a head-to-toe assessment, document injuries, collect evidence when appropriate and use forensic photography. They can also connect patients with advocates, law enforcement and community resources.
“For me, it’s just about connecting with the person and really just seeing the person.”
“Because a lot of these times, these patients feel unseen, and one of the biggest things we do as forensic nurses is be a witness to their experience,” Lause said.
That approach carries through to the forensic nurses on Lause’s team.
“The first thing I want the patient to know is that I am an ally who is there to meet them where they are in that moment,” said Lauren Wright, MSN, RN, CEN, CCRN-CMC.
“I want them to know that I see them as a person, and that I am here because I believe them.”
During these vulnerable moments, patients are not automatically required to speak with law enforcement. Forensic nurses can explain their options, document what happened and preserve information that could become important if a patient later chooses to pursue legal action.
For Madalyn Schlosser, BSN, RN, a forensic nurse examiner, part of building that trust means making sure patients know those decisions remain theirs.
“I remind each patient that they have autonomy over themselves, their body and that they are in full control of what happens next throughout the forensics process,” Schlosser said.
“That helps build trust,” Lause said. “We’re here for them. More importantly, we’re here to care for them and their body and what happened to them.”
Yeasting added that the importance of that care is personal.
“My children and I are survivors of violence,” she said.
While her children were undergoing a medical forensic exam, they met a forensic nurse who Yeasting said changed her life.
“After we healed a little, I decided to attend nursing school to be a forensic nurse and give back what was given to me that day: trauma-informed care and complete understanding of what was happening to us,” she added.
“I try to do this with every patient I meet.”
Instructions and diagrams on vital neck structures. Forensic nurses are tasked with helping patients who have endured strangulation, among other violent assaults. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Continuing to expand
Lause said the expansion is still evolving, with Mercy collecting data to better understand where patients are seeking forensic care and where additional resources may eventually be needed.
For her, though, the goal remains centered on the person who walks through the hospital doors.
“They’re not alone,” Lause said.
“We have highly educated staff that really just want to provide that care or build those bridges for them to begin the healing process; whatever that looks like for them.”
“We don’t know how this is going to end, but we’re here,” she added. “We’re provided the space to be here with them on their journey to healing.”
A digital video Colposcope, a tool used to visually examine the cervix, vagina and vulva. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)Rebekah Skinner, RN and forensic nurse, sheds an alternative light source on a mannequin. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)Courtney Hill, RN and Forensic Nurse, shines an alternative light source on her skin, which can reveal additional evidence. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)Courtney Hill, Registered Nurse (RN), Rebekah Skinner, RN, and Michelle Yeasting, RN, all three forensic nurses. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)Michelle Yeasting, specialization in forensics, moves a digital video Colposcope next to Rebekah Skinner. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)Rebekah Skinner, Registered Nurse (RN) a Forensic Nurse. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)Courtney Hill, Registered Nurse (RN) a Forensic Nurse, holds an alternative light source. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)Rebekah Skinner inputs data at the forensic nursing office. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Kyle Carpenter, a corporal in the United States Marines and youngest Medal of Honor recipient, stands in front of the American flag before going on stage to speak during the sixth annual Veterans’ Banquet put on by Task Force 20 at the Glass City Center, 401 Jefferson Avenue in Toledo on Saturday, Sept. 12. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
TOLEDO – The youngest medal of honor recipient, Kyle Carpenter, preached his gospel at this year’s Veterans Banquet put on by Task Force 20 at the Glass City Center.
“The smallest of steps completes the grandest of journeys,” was Carpenter’s refrain throughout his speech; it began with him being blown up behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, detailed his grueling recovery and concluded with a description of a thriving life running marathons.
“You can reach the finish line no matter how hard you get knocked down,” he encouraged his fellow veterans. But Carpenter’s cheerful voice carried weight in its lightness, as he shared his darkest days.
Kyle Carpenter speaks to his fellow Veterans at the annual banquet put on by Task Force 20 at the Glass City Center. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
After suffering severe nerve damage from the explosion from a grenade, Carpenter remembered his great difficulty trying to eat a bowl of cereal.
“The milk felt like it weighed a hundred pounds…I struggled through every bite,” Carpenter said, as he recalled his physical, mental and emotional rock bottom.
The Marine Corps corporal shared his doubt in that terrible moment: “Who’s ever going to love me?”
Carpenter continually encouraged his fellow service members to keep taking small steps before taking their questions.
“It does not take a hand grenade on a roof in Afghanistan to be there for someone,” he ended his speech.
Founder and Executive Director of Task Force 20, Jason Graven, said the purpose of the banquet in its sixth year is to highlight what others are doing in the northwest Ohio veteran community.
“Our belief is that in order to address the veteran suicide epidemic, there’s no one organization that’s going to be able to do it alone, so we believe in all organizations working together,” he said. “We don’t think that every veteran is going to be cured using the resources of Task Force 20, so we consider it a disservice if we don’t know about or help promote the other veteran organizations that veterans may benefit from.”
According to a 2023 data sheet from the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, “the veteran suicide rate in Ohio was significantly higher than the national veteran suicide rate.”
Wayne King, a Vietnam War Veteran and notable Whitehouse community member, walks to the stage to receive the award for Veteran Supporter of the Year. (TFP photo b Stephen Zenner)
Honorees during the banquet included:
The civilian of the year was awarded to Therapist Christy Wood.
Organization of the year was the Lucas County Veterans Treatment Court.
Vietnam War Veteran Wayne King was named the Veteran Supporter of the Year. King has been involved in the Whitehouse American Legion for decade and with the honor guard. A fixture at Memorial Day and Veterans Day services, King is known in the Anthony Wayne community for his work with service members, both present and past.
King address the crowd as he accepts the award for Veteran Supporter of the Year. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Finally, the veteran of the year was Vietnam War Veteran David Ridenour.
Ridenour passed away this past June, and so his widow, Jane Ridenour, received the award on his behalf. She told the story of when the two first met, and she told him, “Welcome home, after serving in Vietnam. That small sentiment meant a lot to David, and Jane encouraged all in attendance to, “Keep doing what you are doing to support the veterans in your life.”
Carpenter shakes hands with Jane Ridenour, who received the veteran of the year award on behalf of her husband, David Ridenour. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
team members celebrating the end of the Student Visionaries of the Year campaign. (Courtesy photo)
Local students bring millions back to northwest Ohio
The Blood Cancer United Student Visionaries Program is a big name that you might not be familiar with, but they are doing powerful things, namely using high school student teams to raise millions to support people affected by blood cancer.
Locally, the Student Visionaries of the Year Program in Northwest Ohio has raised more than $3.1 million in its first 10 years. They’ve also produced nearly 1,000 young adults who are experienced leaders, skilled in business planning, organization, project management and communications.
“I realized that I have the ability to create positive change,” said 2019 team member Katie Secord, a 2020 Whitmer High School graduate. “I didn’t have to wait till I was an adult to make an impact.”
Katie Secord, a member of the Northwest Ohio Student Visionaries’ 2019 team from Whitmer High School. (Courtesy photo)
Challenging leaders nationwide
Originally known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Blood Cancer United is the leading organization in the U.S. for the 1.7 million people living with or in remission from blood cancers. The organization provides patients with blood cancer information, nursing and diet services; caregivers with resources and support; and health care providers with research and treatment.
Blood Cancer United’s Visionaries program seeks out local leaders who can mobilize fundraising and support at the local level. The northwest Ohio program is one of four in Ohio.
In addition, the Student Visionaries of the Year Program in northwest Ohio (one of five such programs in the state) is an annual, seven-week leadership challenge where local high school student teams raise funds for and awareness of Blood Cancer United.
Northwest Ohio Student Visionaries’ 2026 total earnings. (Courtesy photo)
A local focus
In 2025, the Student Visionaries Northwest Ohio program had its best fundraising year to date, bringing in $960,600, according to Allison Boesel, campaign development manager. Combined with the adult Visionaries program, the region contributed a total of almost $1.2 million to Blood Cancer United that year. Its impact is very local, she explained.
“In 2025, $1 million in funds was returned to northwest Ohio. We had 12 teams from multiple schools around the area, and over 200 students participating,” Boesel said. The funding had significant impact in this region during 2025:
$921,000 in co-pay assistance
$55,300 in patient aid assistance
$21,000 in urgent need financial assistance
$3,500 in patient aid financial assistance
Also in 2025, the National Team Member of the Year came from northwest Ohio – Piper Downing from Ottawa Hills High School raised $157,000 during the campaign.
Training, organizing and growing
High school students in the Toledo area can apply as an individual or a team or be nominated to participate in the 2027 program until Nov. 1. But the planning for next year’s program has already begun. Boesel said that nine teams have already committed to the next program. A campaign workshop is planned for October to help candidates, team members and parents learn more and prepare for their campaigns. And once the nominations close on Nov. 1, teams are welcome to begin meeting and planning their campaigns.
The seven-week campaign begins in January across the country. Here in Toledo, it includes an introduction to all the teams and pickle ball games at Toledo Pickle Company. And then the teams get down to fundraising work. Boesel works with each of the teams to help them develop their business plans and organize their teams. “It gets very competitive during the fundraising time,” she said. She’s involved regularly with all the teams, encouraging their plans, helping them with presentations to potential donors and working with them on team building.
Along the way, the students build skills in marketing, business planning, entrepreneurship, recruitment and, most importantly, leadership. Students usually spend between 1-2 hours per week during the seven-week period on their work, and everything is worked around their schedules and outside lives.
“Every student is different in this program,” she said. “We help them move from the big picture of the campaign to the detailed daily lists. And all the skills they’re learning are transferrable to every career field.”
Whitmer High School 2020 graduate Katie Secord called upon her own lymphoma cancer experience to lead her involvement in the program. “My involvement was full circle,” from cancer 13 years ago to participation in the program in 2019, she explained. “It was very close to home, and I feel that it’s part of my passion now.” Her treatment was successful, and five years ago she was officially discharged from her treatment.
The 2027 campaign ends in March with a grand finale event, where the top teams and team members, along with fundraising goals, are announced and celebrated. Special activities – including involving program alumni, will be a part of their 10th anniversary celebration.
Since her involvement in the Student Visionaries program, Secord has applied her leadership skills in work and life. “I learned a lot during the program that I’m using now, mostly an overall confidence,” she said. “I’m still working on my public speaking skills.” But she said she moved into a leadership role at work after only six months, getting involved in outside and inside events and scheduling.
“Students get into this program for many reasons – to rally around loved ones or each other,” said Boesel. “It’s so inspiring to see what these students do every year.”
And for Secord, it’s simple. “I’ve gained confidence as a student, as a leader and as a person. I’ve learned every single day,” she said.
Learn more about or donate to the Blood Cancer United Student Visionaries of the Year Northwest Ohio for 2027 here.
Monclova Township residents Jan Wittman, Liz Crosby, Risa Sindel, Suzanne Riddle and Linda Reiner discuss data centers after a September 8 Monclova Township trustees' meeting. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)
MONCLOVA TOWNSHIP – “I’m disappointed,” Waterside resident Risa Sindel told Monclova Township trustees after a Sept. 8 public hearing about regulating generators – one of several suggested changes meant to protect residents in the event of a data center development – failed to move forward.
“It seems like we’ve gotten nowhere. You’re on a time crunch,” Sindel said, noting that a one-year data center moratorium expires on Feb. 17. “I’m just so disappointed…that we have not come farther than this on this issue.”
In June, the trustees held a public hearing looking at four proposed zoning resolution amendments. One change – allowing the public to be notified of zoning changes through the website, Facebook and My Monclova app – was approved, but the rest were tabled, including one regulating auxiliary electric generators for commercial, industrial and residential areas.
During that time, Zoning Administrator Eric Wagner, Law Director Dawn Sanderson and staff worked to make clarifications and revisions that were presented on Sept. 8. But the new language presented needs more refinements, trustees agreed, noting a need to put commercial, industrial and multifamily units in a separate category from residential.
Residential generators are becoming more common, as people are concerned about strain on the electrical grid or losing power during storms, Wagner said. Current language requires a setback of 10 feet or more from the lot line. Chuck Hoecherl wondered if 10 feet is enough, but Sindel said that is not reasonable for some of the condos and villas with smaller lots. Wagner said a number of subdivisions have 5-foot setbacks between lots, but the idea is to encourage people to put generators in the back yard instead of the side.
Trustees also had questions about how to define what is an emergency use, and whether using a generator for a bouncy house at a birthday party would require a permit. Discussion also centered around grandfathering existing whole-house generators and tracking future ones to make sure they meet the new setback rules.
The commercial, industrial and manufacturing uses will be defined separately with a bigger package as the township looks at new zoning classifications, said Trustee Barbara Lang. Wagner said he’s working with Senior County Planner Molly Maguire on language that would protect the township from potential impacts from a data center, including dust, vibration and noise, and submitting that language to Peter Griggs, a Columbus attorney hired last month to assist the township in preparing data center-related regulations. Monclova is considering an M-3 classification for data centers, rather than the conditional use permit process that is currently in place.
“The impression that we have a high-powered, knowledgeable law firm working to protect us is inaccurate,” Sindel said, questioning whether the township is using Griggs only for review or to help author language. Many details need to be worked out, and soon, in order to protect residents, she said.
Administrator Michael Hampton said he understands Sindel’s viewpoint, and with the moratorium expiring in February, he is pooling resources in order to have a document to present for discussion. Lang suggested that the township could imposed a six-month moratorium if they needed more time, but no one else commented on that idea.
“We’re on a time crunch,” agreed Hampton. “There’s a process for what we’re looking at doing – a new zoning classification. We need to get that process started, have a review and get it in front of Peter Griggs.”
The trustees are expected to review the language on generators again during the Sept. 21 meeting.
During the meeting, trustees also:
David Clark is the new Public Works supervisor. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)
-Approved hiring David Clark as Public Works Department supervisor. Clark has been with the department for four years. In July, trustees announced changing the Road Department to Public Works to reflect the breadth of work completed by employees, and also promoted supervisor Doug Holland to Public Works director. As Clark fills the supervisory position, the township will advertise to fill his spot.
-Learned that the Public Works Department recently completed the installation of new playground equipment, benches, bleachers and trash receptacles in Keener Park.
Kay Paxson of Wauseon pedals past Public Works Department employees Greg Nye and Kyle Keifer as they install bleachers near the pickleball courts in Keener Park. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)Public Works Department employee Greg Nye spreads mulch around new playground equipment at Keener Park. (AWFP photo by Karen Gerhardinger)
-Heard that the roundabout at Waterville Monclova and Monclova roads will be open by Sept. 14. Then the township’s public works staff will install a sidewalk on the section where a temporary access road to the school has been in place. The Strayer Road/US 20A roundabout being installed by ODOT is underway, and a temporary three-way stop at Coder and US 20A has caused some issues, with people not stopping, so the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office is having deputies monitor the area.
-Listened to Lang provide an update from the Ohio Township Association, which recently had both candidates for governor come and answer questions. In the process, both learned that 36 percent of Ohioans live in townships, which “do more with way less money.” She said both promised to learn more about the township model of efficient and effective government.
-Approved speed limit revisions to the township’s portion of Air Cargo Parkway, Whitehouse Spencer between Sager and the north terminus. Swanton Township requested the study and also approved the changes.
-Approved a joint cooperation agreement for drainage improvements, utilizing storm water utility funds. The township will lead and coordinate projects.
-Approved a memo of understanding with the Lucas County Engineer, agreeing that the township will take over maintenance of landscaping on the Albon/Monclova roundabout. The roundabout in front of the school does not have a landscaped center island, Hampton noted.
-Heard that Hampton will make a presentation on Limited Home Rule to Waterside residents on Wednesday, September 16 at 7 p.m. This will be on Facebook live for those who cannot attend.
-Listened to resident Roy Bechtel suggest that the township share not just an agenda but a packet with information pertinent to the agenda, in order to encourage residents to stay informed and involved.
After the announcement on Tuesday about The Blade's assets going up for sale, the print weekly The Press announced on Friday that it is closing operations. (Image by Jaden Jefferson)
As the Toledo Free Press recently reported, barring a sale by its owner, Block Communications, Inc., The Blade, will cease operations Dec. 31. While The Blade had shifted to only two days of print delivery, its presence in the digital arena, including an app, website, and social media platforms, were thought of as core to its future. A future that is, demonstrably, uncertain.
However, The Blade isn’t the only northwest Ohio print publication to recently announce difficult news, impacting both its employees and the communities they cover.
On Friday, The Press — a free, weekly print publication that covered eastern Lucas, northern Wood, and all of Ottawa and Sandusky counties —announced its final edition, citing “ongoing economic conditions,” despite attempting the transition to a subscription model.
The Press has been a small, family-owned operation since its inception in 1972, and as one of its final hires told the TFP, that was reflected in her experiences working there.
Reflections from a current and former employee
Katie Siebenaller, who has previously freelanced for the TFP, spent most of her working life as a part-time employee of The Press.
While majoring in communication studies at Kent State University, she said there was a requirement to obtain an internship in the following disciplines: mass communication, journalism, and graphic design.
Unsure of where to turn for one, she was reminded by her father, then an employee of the City of Oregon, that she had earlier designed an advertisement for the city’s Boomfest event, which she had also been tasked with getting placed in The Press. At his suggestion, she once again reached out to the publication’s sales team — this time, with the goal of landing an internship.
“They’re not gonna entertain me, a student, for an internship,” she recalled thinking.
But, as it turned out, they would. And did.
“Julie, the saleswoman that I had spoken with, had talked to the manager at the time, Mary Perkins, and Mary was like, ‘Yeah, that would be great!’ So, I started interning there in September of 2016, doing graphic design, writing some articles, and just anything and everything.”
Katie Siebenaller, former graphic designer for The Press, is pictured at her desk. (Courtesy of Katie Siebenaller)
Because it was a smaller operation, Siebenaller experienced as hands-on an internship as one could get.
“I was in the middle of it. It wasn’t just, you know, ‘Oh, do this little thing here, this little thing here,’ coffee runs, whatever. No, I was building ads for the paper, writing articles that went to print, helping lay out pages every week — it was just, overall, a fantastic experience. And at the end of it, they didn’t want to let me go.”
She was hired in November of 2016, and spent the next four years there, before the COVID-19 pandemic brought on new financial pressure. She returned, however, in 2025, where she’s been ever since.
“Everyone there was just amazing. They could have easily been like, ‘Yeah, this kid doesn’t know what she’s doing yet’ or whatever. But no, they fully embraced me: helping me out, guiding me, anytime I needed it; anytime I had an idea, they listened,” Siebenaller recalled.
“There’s so few places out there where you could go and have that kind of experience.”
Former Press reporter and editor Scott Carpenter (1983-95) said The Press was unique from other free distribution, weekly papers (back then, referred to as “shoppers,” he recalled) in its emphasis on news.
“They were primarily advertising, and we were, too, but we had a bigger, what we called ‘news hole.’ We had more room for news than traditional ‘shoppers’ did,” Carpenter explained.
“At one time, I think we had five reporters — full or part-time reporters — covering local governments. We had a pretty wide area: there were ten high schools in our circulation area; cities, villages, townships, and parts of four counties.”
East Toledo, Oregon, Northwood, Gibsonburg, and Genoa were what he described as the paper’s “strongholds.” An Oregon native, he said his reporting often involved people he knew, adding a personal element to the work.
“This paper was really well-read back then, and so astute city/village council people — they knew that — so they knew that when they were speaking at a council meeting, they were talking to 35,000 people who received the newspaper every week.”
Carpenter spoke to how the paper’s closure impacts him in his current role, as director of public relations for Metroparks Toledo.
“From the PR side, The Press was wonderful, because it covered pretty much every home in Oregon. So if I had some information to share with people about Pearson Metropark, for example, that was easy: just go to The Press, because they’re going to reach everybody who lived right around there. That’s going to be harder now.”
An information vacuum and unclear substitute
Siebenaller shed light on the gap left by the paper’s closure.
“We covered a circulation area that no one else did, so our paper was, first and foremost, an important service to the community,” she said. “Covering local news that wasn’t covered anywhere else. That was kind of the first thing that I thought of when we found out that the paper was going to be closing: the community’s not going to get that.”
Siebenaller said readership skewed older, and that some had even called to say it was their only source for news, which they read cover-to-cover.
“Especially for those smaller communities, sometimes it was just representation,” she said, pointing to an example of a story that carried unique significance.
“One of the last big events that I covered was a Woodville Township trustees meeting, back when there were rumors flying around of a possible data center coming in,” she said, recalling a packed house, given the status of data centers as a “really hot button issue.”
She explained how that kind of turnout, which included reporters from other area newsrooms, isn’t the norm at every meeting. That’s why she worries about the smaller things, which can easily go undetected, without a reporter from The Press being present to document them.
Siebenaller also worries the absence of an established news source will create an information vacuum, which won’t be supplanted by local TV newsrooms. It’s a concern shared by Carpenter.
“Newspapers have more space to tell the story typically, than even TV news, because the TV has so much to pack in, so you do lose some depth and the ability to provide people with more information: not just the decision that was made or something that was done, but the reasons behind it.”
