🌱 Lucas Co. Responds To Maumee Lawsuit + Scott HS Bus Driver Cleared

Hello, everybody! Brad King here with your fresh copy of the Toledo Patch newsletter, filled with everything you need to know about what's going on locally. In this issue, you'll find:

• After the kidnapping and recovery of a non-verbal teen with autism, the bus driver initially identified as negligent has been cleared through a Toledo Public Schools investigation.

But first, today's weather:

Cloudy and cooler. High: 48 Low: 32.

Check out what our local sponsor can do for you:

Looking for a natural way to relax, get restful sleep, and gain more energy and focus? Spoiled Too offers a wide range of CBD products and essential oils by doTerra created to give you the control of your health, from sleep to inflammation and pain. Spoiled Too provides quality, lab-tested products that deliver the health benefits of hemp in consumer-friendly formats. Visit them here to learn more, or stop by in person at 209 Conant Street in Maumee.

Click here to get your business featured in this spot.

Here are the top five stories today in Toledo:

1. After the kidnapping and recovery of a non-verbal teen with autism, the bus driver initially identified as negligent has been cleared through a Toledo Public Schools investigation. The Scott High School bus driver was found to have watched the victim safely enter her home, though she was kidnapped after Dwight Mickel reportedly entered the residence. (WTVG)
2. The Lucas County Commissioners have responded to a $1 million dollar lawsuit from the city of Maumee with a countersuit for the "unlawful and intentional dumping over decades, of hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Maumee River." Maumee self-reported its failure to provide accurate discharge data in 2020 and an estimated "150 million gallons of untreated water" were dumped into the river each year. (WTOL)
3. Toledo's rich tradition of jazz music is alive and well thanks to the Great Lakes Jazz Society and local venues like the Village Idiot, Lucille's Jazz Lounge, and Levi & Lilac's. The Society hosted two recent jazz festivals and live music is offered at The Bay Restaurant and Nightclub at the Docks every week for "Wine Down Wednesday." (Toledo City Paper)
4. Several local businesses and Toledo landmarks have earned the status of "Certified Autism Centers" (CAC) as given by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. The Valentine Theatre was first to receive CAC status, with the Wingate Hotel, Toledo Museum of Art, Huntington Center, Glass City Center, Sylvania Chamber of Commerce, and the National Museum of the Great Lakes following suit. (Toledo City Paper)
5. Almost 70 Toledo community members have been named to weigh-in on the city's next TPD Police Chief. The list includes Michael Navarre, George Kral, Wade Kapszukiewicz, Romulus Durant, Lindsay Navarre, Julia Bates and Reverend John C. Jones. (WTVG)

Today in Toledo:

• Marketing Your Business as an Entrepreneur - Toledo Public Library - Main Branch (12:00 PM)
• Tinkering Takeover - Locke Branch Library (3:00 PM)
• Better Toledo | The Future is Female by Laura Maylene Walter - Toledo Public Library - Main Branch (3:00 PM)
• Hometown Hero Awards 2023 presented by Metamora State Bank - Maumee Chamber of Commerce (5:30 PM)
• Yoga for Adults - Kent Branch Library (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• A partnership between JustWrite Ohio and Gathering Volumes in Perrysburg will host the second Northwest Ohio Teen Book Festival at Rossford Junior/Senior High School on Saturday, March 18. The event will feature keynote speaker Natalie D. Richards, author of Five Total Strangers, Master of Suspense, and Seven Dirty Secrets. (Toledo City Paper)
• Registration is open for the Toledo Humane Society's Bark in the Park 5K/1-mile walk on June 3 at The Shops at Fallen Timbers. All ages are welcome to enjoy games, raffle prizes, and food for both dogs and people with a goal of raising $90,000. (WNWO NBC 24)
• Lucas County Children Services' Board of Trustees passed a motion to offer Randall Muth the position of executive director. Muth currently serves as executive director of Mahoning County Children Services and has a juris doctor from the University of Akron. (WTOL)
• Steven Charles Warrer was sentenced to 11 months in prison on Wednesday for charges he received for exposing himself to young women in a parking lot near Target and Dick's Sporting Goods in Springfield Township last July. (WTVG)

You're all caught up for today! I'll see you soon.

— Brad King

About me: I have been a lifelong Northwest Ohio native and University of Toledo grad (Go Rockets!). I'm old enough to remember when the Mud Hens were still playing in Maumee. The Glass City has seen some amazing revitalization and I am so excited to share every update with you!

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Toledo Patch newsletter? Contact me at toledo@patch.com