Accident Kills Snowmobiler, Charges Considered
A snowmobiler was killed Tuesday morning when he crashed his vehicle at the Alpine Valley Ski Area. According to police the 25-year-old Willoughby Hills man, who remains unidentified pending the notification of family, rode with a friend to the slopes at about 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The two were riding over a hill on resort's front slope when the man crashed into a grooming machine. Rescuers say the man, who was not wearing a helmet, died instantly. Charges of trespassing and driving under the influence are expected to be filed against the victim's friend.
 

Electrical Worker Dies in Wiring Mishap
A Maple Heights man was electrocuted Tuesday as he worked on a light post on Route 8 in Akron. Police say that 27-year-old James Brulinski, who was employed by Perram Electric, Inc., had been working on wiring the post when the incident occurred. He was taken to Akron City Hospital, where he died.

Layoffs Expected in Police, Fire Departments
Police officers and firefighters in Euclid are bracing themselves for the announcement of layoffs. City officials will reportedly announce on Friday the cuts of 11 police officers and four firefighters in 30 days, along with 19 workers at the Service Department in two weeks. Mayor Paul Oyaski says the city is in a financial crisis that must be dealt with immediately, and other layoffs are probable.

Father Rescues Ice Fisherman, Friends From Lake Erie
An ice fisherman was rescued from Lake Erie by his father on Tuesday. Authorities say 44-year-old Dan Coutcher was fishing with two friends when the ice they were standing on broke loose and began to drift. Fortunately, Coutcher had his cell phone, which he used to call his father. The elder Coutcher contacted the Coast Guard, which monitored the scene as he rescued the three with a boat and a snowmobile.

Fires Set in School Bathrooms, Arson Suspect Sought
Police in Avon Lake are on the search for an arsonist who set fire to the city's high school twice in one morning. According to school officials, the fires were intentionally started just minutes apart Tuesday morning in two different boys' bathrooms. The fires were reportedly small, and they were extinguished without the assistance of the fire department. Police say they have several leads in the case, but have made no arrests so far.

MetroHealth's Leader Announces Retirement Plans
MetroHealth Medical Center will soon begin its search for a new chief executive officer. Current CEO Terry White will retire from his position by February of next year. White, who is credited with leading the facility in regaining financial stability since assuming his role in 1994, says he will spend his final year with the institution overseeing new construction and soliciting donations, among other responsibilities. A search committee is expected to be formed to find his replacement.

New Sewer Line Will Stop Flooding
County engineers think they have the answer to a problem caused by Medina's new recreation center. Homes adjacent to the rec center were flooded when routine maintenance to the center's swimming pools was performed, overflowing the county's sanitary sewer lines. Engineers plan to install a new sewer line, at an estimated cost of about $50,000, across nearby athletic fields to the larger sanitary lines. Officials expect work to begin in March and to be complete by the summer. In the meantime, maintenance to the pools is being done in timed sequences to avoid overflowing the current lines.

 

Debate Continues for New Convention Center Site Location
The debate as to where Cleveland's new convention center should be located continues. Earlier this week, local developer Bart Wolstein suggested a plan to construct the center near Jacob's Field, but Cleveland architect Peter Spittler thinks the lakefront would be the best location. Spittler has submitted a $600 million plan to put the new convention center just west of Cleveland Browns Stadium, facing the lake. Business leaders are studying four separate plans and will tell Mayor Jane Campbell of their selection by the end of the month. Political leaders reportedly plan to ask voters in November to pass a tax issue to pay for the new center and other possible projects.
  

Developer Pledges $25M for University Research Center
Developer Bart Wolstein and his wife, Iris, announced Thursday their intentions to donate $25 million to the new research center, to be run by University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University. The Pepper Pike couple says they were impressed by the impact that the center, slated to open this summer, could have. The 320,000-square-foot, six-story building will be named the Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Research Building.

Fire Closes Juvenile Court
Flames in a file room forced the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court to close early Thursday. Investigators say a worker at the East 22nd Street office building spotted smoke coming from the room at about 8 a.m., and put out the fire with an extinguisher. The smoke and smell forced the evacuation of both the office building and the Juvenile Courthouse, but both buildings are expected to reopen Friday. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Several Hundred Workers Lose Jobs at Area Plants
Hundreds of workers at two plants in northeast Ohio Thursday got the news they have been fearing. Akron's Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. gave 384 workers notice that their jobs have been cut. About 370 salaried and hourly employees at Goodrich Corp. plant in Aurora were given the same bad news. Executives from both companies blamed the sluggish economy for the cutbacks.

False Alarm Prompts Hopkins Airport Security Checkpoints
A false warning issued by a bomb-detection machine shut down security checkpoints at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for about 30 minutes Thursday afternoon. No outgoing flights experienced delays, and the concourses were not evacuated, but two incoming flights were delayed. Officials believe the machine may have reacted to nearby construction activity, or possibly even to cologne or after-shave.