“And the iron boats go as the mariners all know with the gales of November remembered.” — Gordon Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Six giant ore boats anchored and sought refuge Friday night and into Saturday in the harbor between Vermillion and Sandusky as Winter Storm Gerri howled across the Great Lakes — […]
Carl Hunnell
City editor. 30-year plus journalist. Husband. Father of 3 grown sons and also a proud grandpa. Prior military journalist in U.S. Navy, Ohio Air National Guard. -- Favorite quote: "Where were you when the page was blank?"
Posted inNews
‘Water supply that we need immediately for that fire is crucial’
MANSFIELD — Dan Crow stopped short Thursday of advocating for the Mansfield Water Main Initiative. But the new Mansfield Fire Department chief made it clear his department’s firefighting efforts improve when the closest fire hydrant actually works. “I’m not giving my opinion one way or the other, whether the initiative is a good idea or […]
Posted inWeather
Winter Storm Gerri takes icy cold aim at north central Ohio
“The cold earth slept below; Above the cold sky shone; And all around, with a chilling sound; From caves of ice and fields of snow; The breath of night like death did flow beneath the sinking moon. ” — From “The Cold Earth Slept Below” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) MANSFIELD — Weather forecasters like […]
Posted inCommunity Development
Richland County commissioners launch latest capital improvement project
MANSFIELD — The five-story Richland County Courthouse was built in 1968 at a cost of around $2 million. Suffice to say, building costs have increased in the past half century. According to amortization.org, $1 in 1968 would be worth $8.75 today due to inflation. That hasn’t dissuaded current county commissioners, however, from continuing a campaign […]
Posted inNews
Richland County Jail seeks ‘enhanced options’ in new medical services contract
MANSFIELD — Sheriff Steve Sheldon said Thursday it’s a “different era” these days in terms of potential medical needs for inmates at the Richland County Jail. “We have people that come in that have mental health issues. We have people that are coming in that have drug and alcohol issues. We’ve learned that, especially through […]
Posted inCommunity Development
Richland County Land Bank offices may get complete remodel in 2024
MANSFIELD — The Richland County Land Bank, born in 2012, may soon have a remodeled home. The quasi-public land reutilization corporation calls the lowest level of the Richland County Courthouse home in a space not largely different than when it was home to administrative offices for the sheriff’s department. Richland County commissioners on Thursday are […]
Posted inNews
Mansfield man arrested for double-homicide near North Lake Park in 2023
COLUMBUS — A 22-year-old man was arrested Wednesday morning in Columbus on murder charges from a double-homicide inside a moving car in Mansfield in June 2023. Ja’Vontae Jones was apprehended by members of the U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team at a home on Alumcrest Lane in Columbus on the city’s southeast side. […]
Posted inCommunity Development
Mansfield fire chief to answer questions about water mains and fire safety
MANSFIELD — Eric Miller has made it clear the impact of 385 fire hydrants in Mansfield that cannot function properly due to small, aging water lines, some of which are a century old. “If I tried to pass a law that said firefighters responding to an alarm must sit in their vehicles for three minutes […]
Posted inAuto News Desk - Boys Basketball
Unbeaten Lexington survives battle with Mount Vernon
LEXINGTON — Scott Hamilton is not a fan of early January, the time that statewide basketball polls come out for the first time during the season. The veteran Lexington basketball coach is even less fond of initial rankings that come out right before a game — especially with team that starts three sophomores and has […]
Posted inCommunity Development
Local, Ohio officials launch effort to begin U.S. 30 broadband project
MANSFIELD — Dr. Dorey Diab said Tuesday morning that broadband access in today’s world should be considered like any other necessary utility. “Internet and more specifically, high-speed broadband capacity, is becoming like a utility, like electricity and water,” the North Central State College president said. “Whether it’s for business, whether it is for the population […]