Grate pleads ‘Not Guilty’ to all charges in Ashland Murders

The Ashland man believed to have killed two local women plead not guilty Thursday to an Ashland County Common Pleas Judge on 23 felony charges including four counts of aggravated murder. 40 year-old Shawn M. Grate, who’s accused of killing Stacy Stanley of Greenwich and Elizabeth Griffith of Ashland; was arraigned yesterday through a live video conference at the Ashland County Courthouse. Multiple media outlets report that Grate’s pretrial will be held October 31^st also via video conference. The four aggravated murder charges carry the death penalty.

Norwalk hosting ‘Imagine: A Drug Free Community’ event this Sunday

An event called ‘An Afternoon of Inspiration and Hope’ will take place in Norwalk on Sunday. ‘Imagine: A Drug Free Community’ happens 12 noon to 3:00 pm and includes a portion of the program focused on recovery resources. The event also includes a ‘Walk for Recovery’ from 12:00 to 1:00 pm at Fisher-Titus Medical Center, followed by ‘One Great Hour of Inspiration and Hope’ featuring speakers from law enforcement and the media, and ‘A Song of Hope’ from Emily Keener.

Public Meetings concerning Huron County 911 System to be held next week

Three public meetings are planned for next week regarding professional recommendations being made on bringing the Huron County 911 system into the 21st century. The meetings take place Monday at 7:00 pm at Norwalk High School, Tuesday at 7:00 pm at Willard City Council Chambers, and Wednesday at 6:00 pm at New London Village Council Chambers.  Those planning to attend the meeting can view the list of recommendations before attending, by going online to www.HuronCountyEMA.org.

Elyria-Cleveland attempted abduction to be featured on national crime TV show

The case of a man who attempted to abduct a young girl in Elyria and kidnapped a girl in Cleveland is gaining national attention. The TV Show ‘Crime Watch’, which is hosted by Chris Hansen (of ‘To Catch a Predator’ fame) will feature the story in an upcoming episode.  There is currently a $20,000 reward for information that will help lead to the arrest of the suspect.  Currently there is no confirmed air date for the show.

Woolybear Festival happens Sunday

The 44^th edition of the Woolybear Festival is this Sunday in Vermilion. The event is considered to be the largest one-day festival in Ohio, which features one of the largest parades in the country.  The parade begins at 1:30 pm. Other activities include a kids’ race, the Woolybear 500 caterpillar race, and an animal-woolybear costume contest; plus appearances from Fox 8 Cleveland TV personalities.

Willard man offered plea deal in 2015 accused murder of neighbor

A Willard man accused of murdering his neighbor last year has been offered a plea deal. 51 year-old James H. Blair is accused of shooting and killing his neighbor, 62 year-old Linda Ciotto, while she was mowing her yard on Kirkwood Drive in Willard on the night of July 28^th, 2015.   Blair has been charged with counts of murder, aggravated murder and felonious assault. The Norwalk Reflector says that Blair has until his next court hearing on Friday to accept the undisclosed deal from Huron County Prosecutor Daivia Kasper. If there’s a trial, it would begin October 12^th.

Plymouth man dies from injuries in ATV crash

A man from Plymouth has died from injuries suffered in an ATV crash earlier this week. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports that 43 year-old Dennis Cunningham passed away Tuesday after being involved in an ATV accident on Sunday on Olive Road, east of State Route 61 in Huron County. Cunningham swerved to avoid running off the road, overturned, and was then thrown off his ATV.

Three Norwalk students recognized in County Driving Competition

Norwalk High School’s Aaron Smith is among three Norwalk seniors to be recognized for their safe-driving skills. Three seniors from every Huron School took part in the AAA driving competition, which also included a written test on Ohio driving laws. Smith won 1st place and was presented with a $300 check from the AAA East Central Safety Department; while Keegan Livingston and Anessa Berry were Norwalk High School’s second and third place finishers.

Highway Patrol makes over 100 arrests in drug enforcement project

The Ohio State Highway Patrol joined forces with other members of the 6-State Trooper Project to focus on marijuana and criminal patrol enforcement from this past Thursday through Sunday. This high-visibility enforcement effort resulted in the Ohio State Highway Patrol making 32 felony drug arrests and 125 misdemeanor marijuana arrests.

Norwalk Main Street School reports cases of Hand, Mouth and Foot Disease

A letter was recently sent home to parents of students at Norwalk’s Main Street School warning of reported cases of students there with Hand, Mouth and Foot disease. The Norwalk Reflector says that parents were told to keep a look-out for symptoms, as students may have been exposed to the disease at school. Those symptoms include: painful blisters on the mouth and tongue that look like cold sores, along with fever, sore throat, and a rash.

Perkins Police recognizing kind acts in the Community

Police in Perkins Township have joined forces with the OHgo organization, and their initiative, the OHgo One K1nd Act, to recognize and promote kind actions within the community. Perkins Officers will be handing out yellow-embossed wristbands to those performing acts of kindness. For those who receive wristbands, you can share your story on the www.ohgoreach.org webpage, or through Facebook.

‘Family First Event’ taking place in Norwalk this Saturday

The Norwalk Parks and Recreation Department are teaming up with family agencies in Huron County for a ‘Family First Event’ this Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Veteran’s Memorial Lake Park in Norwalk. The event features educational sessions involving topics such as drug trends, family education, and proper eating habits.  It also includes a run/walk for people and dogs, as well as a 1-mile Color Walk presented by The Starfish Project in Huron County. All of the events and activities are free of charge.

Norwalk Area United Fund holding Rummage Sale and Dine-out events

This Friday (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) and Saturday (9:00 am to 3:00 pm), the Norwalk Area United Fund is hosting a rummage sale fundraiser at the old Bass Shoe Building, located at 11001 U.S. 250. Donations for the sale can be dropped at the United Fund’s office on 2 East Seminary Street.   The Norwalk Area United Fund has also announced their fall ‘Dine-Out’ Schedule, where a percentage of the days’ sales go to support the United Fund and their 2017 Community Campaign. You can find the complete schedule on the agency’s Facebook page.

Erie County Sheriff’s Office receives $37,000 in Federal Traffic Safety Funds

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office has received just over $37,000 in Federal Traffic Safety Funds. The grant will be used to conduct overtime high-visibility enforcement patrols in areas with an elevated-number of serious crashes,  including U.S. 250 and State Routes 2, 4, 60, and 61 with a goal of reducing the number of fatal crashes in the county.  The first safety blitz will begin in October during the Halloween and Homecoming seasons.

Driver accused in killing State Trooper still in jail under half-million-dollar bond

The driver accused of striking and killing State Trooper Kenny Velez of Lorain remains in jail under a 500-thousand-dollar bond. 37 year-old Joshua Gaspar of Columbia Station is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and driving under the influence. Gaspar will be arraigned later this week.

Fake U.S. Marshall making bogus calls

The U-S Marshall’s Office that serves greater Cleveland is looking for someone posing as one of their own. They say, someone claiming to be a U-S Marshall is calling people and telling them, an arrest is imminent unless they pay a hefty fine. The U-S Marshall’s Office says, these are bogus calls.

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony to take place Friday for new Edison Athletic Fieldhouse

Edison Schools will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new fieldhouse prior to their Homecoming football game versus Sandusky St. Mary’s. The ceremony for the new Firelands Regional Medical Center Fieldhouse will take place this Friday at 6:30 pm at the 50 yard-line at Edison Stadium, with personnel from Firelands Regional Medical Center, school district members, and committee chairpersons.  All other-donors and volunteers are to join by forming a line at mid-field directly behind the ribbon-cutting.

It’s ‘National Voter Registration Day’

(From Ohio News Connection)- Today is ‘National Voter Registration Day’, but volunteers in Ohio already have been pounding the pavement to help get eligible voters on the rolls. The Ohio Organizing Collaborative has registered more than 140,000 voters in 2016, and aims to register 10,000 more before the Oct. 11 deadline. Spokesman Michael McGovern says it’s important that folks check to make sure their current registration is valid. “The state has been purging voters who maybe haven’t voted in a couple years and they’re getting knocked off the rolls and they’re not even aware,” he explains. “If you move between elections and don’t update your status, then you can’t vote at the proper polling location. There’s just a lot of barriers there.” According to the Secretary of State’s Office, more than 1 million people were removed for either moving or infrequent voting between 2011 and 2014.

Cleveland Indians clinch Division Title!

The 7-4 win Monday night by the Cleveland Indians over the Detroit Tigers in Motown clinched the Tribe the 2016 American League Central Division title. Outfielder Coco Crisp hit a two-run home run and catcher Roberto Perez had a solo shot, as the Indians won their first division championship since 2007. The Indians have six regular season games left, before the playoffs begin for the Tribe next Thursday, October 6^th against a team to be determined.   Stay tuned to 95.3 WLKR for all of the latest information regarding broadcast dates and times for all of the Tribe playoff games. WLKR is your Firelands home of Cleveland Indians postseason baseball!