Toledo Blade City of Toledo

FREMONT – A man involved in setting an Aug. 23 house fire that killed his father and left his grandparents homeless accepted a plea deal Friday afternoon in Sandusky County Common Pleas Court, pleading guilty to the lesser felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated arson.
Ian Balderama, 24, of Fremont, was one of two brothers who authorities said helped set the Carbon Street house fire that destroyed their family’s home and killed their father, George Balderama, who also helped set the fire.
Ian Balderama was indicted earlier this year on multiple felony charges including aggravated murder and faced life in prison if convicted.
His brother, Matthew Balderama, 25, agreed Nov. 10 to plead guilty to felony charges of complicity to aggravated arson and to testify against his brother in a possible trial in exchange for a recommended nine-year prison sentence. As part of Ian Balderama’s plea agreement, murder charges against him were dropped and Judge Harry Sargeant Jr. sentenced him to a total of 14 years in prison. During the Friday afternoon hearing hearing, Ian Balderama read a letter detailing the events that led up to him setting fire to his cousin’s basement bedroom that night, telling Judge Sargeant he was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, that he blacked out several times, and could not remember everything that happened. “I just want to say to my family that I’m sorry for what has happened,” he said, facing straight ahead at the judge while his family sat behind him. “I just hope they can forgive me in the long run, and I’m sorry.” Matthew Balderama is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.

TIFFIN – A Fostoria man was found guilty Thursday of raping a 5-year-old girl and sentenced to life in prison.
A jury in Seneca County Common Pleas Court returned the guilty verdict against Paul N. Stacey, 29, after three days of testimony and just two hours of deliberations. Judge Michael Kelbley sentenced him to life in prison, which is mandatory in cases of rape in which the victim is younger than 10. Seneca County Prosecutor Ken Egbert, Jr., said Stacey will be eligible to apply for parole after 10 years. Stacey was babysitting the child at his home Sept. 22, 2006 when he engaged in sexual conduct with the child while his wife and four children were asleep in the home. The victim, now 7, took the stand during the trial and identified Stacey as the perpetrator.
Mr. Egbert said DNA evidence tied Stacey to the crime. "Stacey preyed upon a young child placed under his control, and we appreciate the jury recognizing the child being believable along with the corroborating DNA evidence which also identified Stacey and put another child predator behind bars for a long time," he said.

The city and three of its unions agreed in Lucas County Common Pleas Court Friday afternoon to decrease the number of employees who will be forced to take an unpaid day off next week.
In all, 242 people will be involved in the layoffs on Nov. 26. They are all paid out of the city’s general fund. An arbitration hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19 at which time the two sides will further discuss the mayor’s planned nonessential shutdowns scheduled for Dec. 26 and Dec. 31. The unions on Wednesday filed court action challenging Mayor Carty Finkbeiner’s plans for the shutdowns.
The mayor wanted all nonemergency city departments to close Nov. 26, Dec. 26, and Dec. 31. He said the move would save the city $1 million — $300,000 of which would apply to the general operating fund. The motion filed this week by the unions cited several collective bargaining agreements that don’t allow indiscriminate changes in the established work schedule of employees, except for emergencies. The city did not negotiate with the unions and did not submit the issue to arbitration, the filing states. The suit was filed by Ohio Council 8 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; AFSCME Local 7; Toledo, Ohio, Supervisors, Technical, and Professional Employees Union, Local 2058, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 20.

BOWLING GREEN — An apologetic Preston Morrison was sentenced Friday morning to 30 days in the Wood County jail for stealing more than $68,000 from the Wood County Regional Airport.
Morrison, 23, of Rawson, Ohio had been a senior at Bowling Green State University and assistant manager of the airport when the theft was discovered early this year. He pleaded guilty in September to theft, a fourth-degree felony.
His attorney, Bill Hayes, said Morrison cooperated with Bowling Green police on the investigation and, with a loan from his uncle, already repaid $68,847 to the airport authority and $3,550 to cover the cost of a special audit done after the theft was discovered. Wood County Common Pleas Judge Alan Mayberry cited those factors when he placed Morrison on community control for three years and said he could participate in the jail’s work release program. He also ordered him to perform 300 hours of community service and have no contact with the airport or its employees. "I am very ashamed of what I did and I take full responsibility," Morrison told the court before he was sentenced.

They live across enemy lines.
They proudly wear their uniform on the opposing side, despite sneers from neighbors.
And tomorrow, they hope to raise their flags with delight after a border-battle victory.
They are Buckeyes living in Michigan - and Wolverines who reside in Ohio.
"We're defending the northern border, so to speak," said Dr. Martin Drozdowicz, an Ohio State University alumnus who lives just to the north in Monroe Township. "It's a challenge sometimes," added Dick Ketteman, on living in Sylvania when his alma mater is the University of Michigan. OSU-UM FANS
Alumni associations from each university estimate thousands of graduates live in southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio, some with their kin and others just across the state line.
It makes for an exciting football season of rubbing elbows with rivals leading up to The Game, which kicks off at noon tomorrow in Columbus for the 105th matchup of this storied rivalry. Dr. Drozdowicz, a 1974 OSU grad, has quite a bit of experience living amongst the foe, as he's outnumbered in his own Monroe dental practice four to one.
"When Ohio State beats Michigan this weekend, we'll just take that in stride," he said. "The game means everything."
He may be in the minority, but everyone at work knows where he stands. The redecorated reception area's tailgate theme includes some Michigan memorabilia, sure, but it's overwhelmingly Ohio State. There are three red chairs to one blue one, a Brutus rug on the floor, a "house divided" flag on the wall, and an OSU cloth on the table. The Brutus on a filing cabinet sings the OSU fight song, something his staff hates with a passion. One year they brought in a boom box and played "Hail to the Victors" each time the Buckeyes' mascot would get going. He also enjoys treating his staff to play-by-play of the games, particularly a Michigan loss. "It's all in good fun," he said. Mr. Ketteman, who heads the U of M Club of Toledo, has a strong passion the other way for his Wolverines.
When he sees the team on the field each week, he remembers his time there. A 1958 graduate, he was a walk-on for three years and saw some action the last two.
It's been 50 years, but "every game something comes back to mind that reminds me of the playing days I had," he said.
And the Ohio State game was - and remains - intense, Mr. Ketteman said.
"There's always an anxiety and anticipation of the game coming up," he said. "After all these years, you still get butterflies."
Each week 15 to 20 Michigan alumni in the local club - one that has several hundred members - get together for lunch to be amongst friends in an area that is mostly for the other team.
But they might have it a little easier, Mr. Ketteman said, because Michigan fans on the Ohio border are still pretty close to Ann Arbor.
"We actually have a lot of company. It's not like we're living in the middle of the state," he said. "It sure makes it more interesting and more intense living in the opposition's home state."
And in the big picture, it appears that an address doesn't matter when it comes to fans.
Tom Roemer has been an OSU supporter for as long as he can remember and believes the first song he ever sang in his life must have been an Ohio State one.
The 1968 OSU graduate lives in LaSalle, Mich., and works in Toledo, so he crosses the border all the time and doesn't let his location impact his school spirit.
"Whenever I go grocery shopping in Michigan I wear an Ohio State sweatshirt or ball cap and I wear it proudly, even though I probably get a few sneers," he said.
Because of his regular border hopping, Mr. Roemer inevitably associates with Michigan fans - but never during a game.
"It's OK to have lunch with them, but when I'm at a ball game, I just want to be with Buckeye fans," he said.
When Jim Whiteman goes to a game, he's interested in more than just the players on the field.
The self-proclaimed "band man" spent three years getting the crowd into the action as an assistant drum major and twirler with Michigan's marching band.
Mr. Whiteman, who lives in West Toledo, remembers sometimes spending more hours than the team practicing to get ready for game day.
"The band coming out of the tunnel, oh I still get goosebumps," the 1965 UM graduate said.
He's always lived in Ohio near the state line and even thought briefly about going to Ohio State, but he's full-blooded maize and blue.
To display his team choice at a recent alum gathering, he wore a UM turtleneck underneath a Michigan sweater, and had engraved M logos on his slacks.
Michigan has other rivalries that Mr. Whiteman follows, with Michigan State University and the University of Notre Dame, but neither is quite like Ohio State.
"Ohio State-Michigan is the game," he said.
Contact Meghan Gilbert at:
mgilbert@theblade.com or 419-724-6134.

FREMONT - U.S. automakers looking for an indication of what Americans want in a car need look no farther than local resident Lacey Black.
Although the price of gasoline has plummeted in recent weeks, Mr. Black said the prices won't stay that way forever, and he has found a better way to save money while driving.
"I've been driving my golf cart on the street," he said during a phone interview last night. "February would be the third year I bought license plates, and I've been driving all over the city of Fremont."
Mr. Black, 61, a retired Whirlpool Corp. materials transporter who lives with his wife, Grace, is one of several Fremont residents who want city council to pass an ordinance to allow golf carts to be driven on city streets.
Mike Hopkins, sales manager for Welch Corp. in Perrysburg, which sells, rents, and repairs golf carts, said the smaller vehicles are much more economical when it comes to buying gas than standard commercial vehicles. And at an average purchase price of $3,000 used and $6,500 and higher new, they are much more affordable for driving short distances.
Sgt. Anthony Dechoudens of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said because golf carts are motor vehicles, they can be driven legally on Ohio roads as long as they meet the state's safety guidelines and have all the proper equipment and paperwork.
In addition to turn signals and brake lights, which most carts already have, golf carts driven on streets must have a rear-view mirror, working headlights, and a license plate as well as a vehicle registration, car insurance, and a valid driver's license.
Sgt. Dechoudens said the laws regarding golf carts may vary from one community to the next, and most cannot legally be driven on major interstate highways without violating the state's minimum speed law, which local authorities must set between 30 mph and 50 mph on major highways.
Mr. Hopkins said most golf carts' maximum speed is 22 mph.
"These situations are coming up in every area," Sgt. Dechoudens said. "Basically it's the county sheriff's decision on what they want to allow or not allow, but when they are legalized in an area as long as they have everything you would allow on a motor vehicle, they are OK to drive."
Mr. Black said he started thinking twice about traditional cars two years ago, when he bought his golf cart to drive to and from the Fremont Speedway to watch much faster cars race up and down the track.
He said he cleared it with late Sandusky County Sheriff David Gangwer and has driven the cart ever since.
Around July of this year, however, Mr. Black was driving on a road in Fremont when he was pulled over by a local police officer.
"[The officer] said, "We've got an ordinance in town that you cannot drive golf carts on the road,' " Mr. Black said. "He told me, 'I'm looking at all your paperwork. You're legal on one hand, but you're illegal on the other hand.' I said, 'How can that be?' "
The officer did not give Mr. Black a ticket, but after discussing the matter with Fremont Mayor Terry Overmyer and Fremont City Council, he said he discovered the city had no law regarding driving golf carts on the road.
Council members presented their second reading last night of an ordinance that would allow citizens to drive golf carts on the road without any legal confusion on the part of local police.
Contact Chauncey Alcorn at:
calcorn@theblade.com or 419-724-6168.

It will cost Toledo taxpayers $2 million to hire new police cadets and firefighters next year - money the city doesn't have in its 2009 operating budget.
Without those classes, fire department overtime costs are expected to increase, and manpower in the police department will reach its lowest level in more than two decades.
Councilman George Sarantou, finance committee chairman, said finding the cash to hire more police officers and firefighters for next year is "the
No. 1 budget issue" facing council in dealing with the proposed 2009 operating budget. "We all recognize that we need to have police and fire classes," Mr. Sarantou said. "Now what we have is a $2 million problem."
The future of the police and fire classes dominated discussions at yesterday's three-hour finance committee meeting.
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner announced Saturday the city would hire no new police officers or firefighters in 2009 to save $5.3 million toward the needed $21 million in cutbacks built into next year's operating budget.
West Toledoan Mike Kookoothe yesterday urged council members to find the money needed to hire the classes.
"Do what you have to do," said Mr. Kookoothe, a retired Ford Motor Co. engineer. "These are critical services. Give them the things they need."
City Finance Director John Sherburne said members of the administration understand the need to hire new police officers and firefighters.
"I don't think there is anyone that says we don't need a police and fire class," Mr. Sherburne said. "I don't know where additional funding is."
Councilman Joe McNamara presented a plan Wednesday to fund new classes of police cadets and firefighters at the end of 2009 by altering the way the city's 0.75 percent income tax is allocated. The income tax, which was renewed by voters in March, is allocated equally to police, fire, and other safety departments; the general operating fund, and the capital improvements fund. The tax will run through Dec. 31, 2012.
Mr. McNamara wants voters to approve changing the income tax in 2009 to allocate half to police and fire and the other half to the general fund for the remainder of the next year after a September election.
Mr. Finkbeiner yesterday opposed the idea.
"It is imperative that we have capital dollars available to meet our basic infrastructure needs and to provide funds when necessary to support economic development opportunities," the mayor wrote in a letter to council.
Tom Kroma, the mayor's assistant chief of staff, said the $5.3 million cost-savings figure represented hiring 33 officers and 40 firefighters and beginning the class this year.
Yesterday, the police and fire chiefs said it would cost $1.38 million to hire 20 police officers and $600,000 more than the projected overtime costs in 2009 to hire 40 firefighters.
Fire Chief Mike Wolever said overtime costs next year will be $4.1 million if a class is not hired. If one is hired, the salaries and overtime costs combined would cost $4.7 million.
Chief Wolever said 10 of the 40 new recruits are trained firefighters and would be on the streets within three weeks of being hired. The department's high overtime costs are blamed on its 103 minimum staffing requirement.
Chief Mike Navarre said not hiring a police class would have little impact on his overtime costs because the police department has no minimum staffing requirement.
Mr. Finkbeiner still has to balance the 2008 general fund budget by cutting $10 million.
A proposed three-day layoff this year of nonessential city employees would save $1 million, of which $300,000 would go to the general fund.
Mr. Sherburne said the city has identified $6.5 million in capital-improvement projects that may be delayed or canceled to help close that deficit. The city has $6.4 million in its rainy-day fund, $2 million of which the mayor wants to use to balance the $21 million '09 budget shortfall.
Mr. Sherburne indicated that council may have to use some of those reserves for the '08 budget as well.
Contact Laren Weber at:
lweber@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.

LEIPSIC, Ohio — A 17-year-old boy escaped serious injury Thursday night when his vehicle struck a tree and partially went into a pond off State Rt. 109 northwest of this Putnam County community, authorities said.
Christopher Bischoff, of Hamler, Ohio, was taken to St. Rita’s Putnam County Ambulatory Care Center in Ottawa, Ohio, according to the county sheriff’s office. Young Bischoff was later released after treatment, a nurse at the center said. The crash occurred about 9:50 p.m. in Liberty Township about four miles northwest of Leipsic and about five miles south of Hamler.
Young Bischoff was northbound on Route 109 south of Putnam County Road B when his vehicle hit a patch of ice and went off the east side of the road, deputies said. The crash remained under investigation. Leipsic is about 50 miles southwest of Toledo.

A Toledo native who works in Hollywood and a family who’s made headlines for their home makeover have been selected to serve as grand marshals of Toledo’s holiday parade downtown.
Alyson Stoner, who’s appeared in films such as Cheaper by the Dozen, and the Frisch family who was selected for the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition program, will preside over the parade which begins at 11 a.m. Nov. 29. The parade, which is presented by Taylor Cadillac and The Blade, also will include area bands, clowns, floats, balloon characters, and more.
EXTREME MAKEOVER PHOTOS VIEW: Extreme Makeover viewing (Nov. 17, 2008)
VIEW: News conference VIEW: Final Day VIEW: Day 7 VIEW: Day 6 VIEW: Day 5 VIEW: Day 4 VIEW: Day 3 VIEW: Day 2 VIEW: Day 1 ALYSON STONER READ: Alyson Stoner talks about life amid the cameras of Hollywood by Ryan Smith
MULTIMEDIA: Check out Alyson Stoner's interview with Ryan Smith

Angie Flanner of Cherry Street Mission and Toledo fire Chief Mike Wolever serve
stuffi ng to Sheila Moore of Toledo, left, during a Thanksgiving meal yesterday. The city and area shelters provided the dinner for regular clientele at the shelters.
Felicia Johnson of Toledo sways to music played by Greg Holewinski during the dinner.

Amanda Provo of Toledo embraces her son, Cody, 3, as they enjoy their meal.

Toledo's darkening economy could help it obtain a federal grant toward the cost of building a new customs inspection warehouse at Toledo Express Airport for international air freight.
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority yesterday approved hiring Poggemeyer Design Group for up to $45,000 to prepare a grant application to the federal Economic Development Authority asking for $2.5 million toward the facility's cost.
Lucas County only recently became eligible for EDA funds, after Chrysler eliminated the second shift at its Toledo North Assembly plant, staff members told the port authority's board of directors.
Before that, the county's unemployment rate was too low to qualify.
Board member Michael Frank questioned what might happen should BAX Global Inc. decide to vacate its cargo hub when its lease expires in five years.
"Our goal is to build international cargo [carried] by airlines that aren't necessarily connected to BAX," Paul Toth, the port authority's interim president, responded. "But I can't guarantee that international cargo airlines will continue to come to Toledo if BAX isn't here."
Recent increases in overseas cargo at the airport rendered Toledo Express' customs capacity inadequate for BAX's needs, and other board members warned that not building the new facility could be dangerous.
"This enhances the BAX asset base. Not doing this gives them reason to go," William Carroll, the board's chairman, cautioned.
It would be "catastrophic" if BAX decided to leave because of insufficient customs inspection capacity, board member Jerry Chabler agreed. "It would be very, very hazardous for us not to pass something like this."
The staff report included a $5 million estimate for building a 50,000-square-foot warehouse to house U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Services, and general space for international cargo handling, plus related roadways and utilities.
But Mr. Toth said the actual cost could be lower if the port authority decides to build the facility on the BAX hub site rather than as a free-standing complex. Any decision will be made before a grant is applied for, he said.
Mr. Frank also suggested that the port authority try to use construction of a new customs center as leverage to persuade BAX to extend its lease at Toledo Express.
Mr. Toth said the agency uses "every opportunity we get" to raise that issue, but right now the air-cargo industry is sufficiently weak that it's not a viable issue.
"They're not in the mood right now" to extend a lease that expires in five years when the short-term economy is so fragile, the interim president said.
The proposal passed unanimously, with one director absent, to approve hiring Poggemeyer.
In other business, the port directors approved a resolution authorizing a 20-year capital lease with HCR Manor Care Services Inc. for the company's downtown Toledo headquarters building.
The approval replaces a resolution that authorized a 20-year lease extension with HCR Manor Care Inc.
The changes are "housekeeping" requested by bond counsel and the company, Mr. Toth said.
The port authority last month accepted $23,105,000 in grants, loans, and bond proceeds from the state of Ohio to finance the agency's continuing ownership of the HCR headquarters.
Lease payments from HCR will pay off the debt until the lease ends, at which time HCR will have an option to buy the building for $1.
Mr. Toth said he expects a formal closing on the transaction by mid-December.
Contact David Patch at:
dpatch@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.

TIFFIN - With assurances the county would not lose any money, Seneca County Commissioners plan to decide next month whether to give a six-month extension to a development group that proposes restoring the county's historic 1884 courthouse.
Commissioner Dave Sauber, who had a lengthy conference call with preservation consultant Franklin Conaway and an attorney for the Seneca County Courthouse Development Group on Wednesday, told the board yesterday that the group plans to be in Tiffin on Dec. 4 to give commissioners "the meat and potatoes of this project," including details on how the project would work and what a 20-year lease of the renovated courthouse is expected to cost the county.
"They are going to come to board … the 4th of December to give us an update with some-thing other than maybe's, could be's, wannabe's, don't know's," Mr. Sauber said.
The commissioners expressed disappointment Nov. 10 after the development group presented its proposal for saving the courthouse without enough details to answer their concerns.
They said yesterday that if the group can provide those specifics, they would be receptive to transferring ownership of the courthouse to the Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority and signing a six-month lease with the port authority. During those six months, the development group would need to get its financing in place to renovate the courthouse.
Commissioner Ben Nutter questioned whether the county would be on the hook for legal and architectural costs that would be incurred during those six months. Mr. Sauber said he was told the development group would be responsible for all those costs.
"At the end of six months [if the project] comes in at $7 million as opposed to $5 million, we can walk away?" Mr. Nutter asked.
"We can walk away with no costs to us," Mr. Sauber replied, adding that Mr. Conaway had gotten a verbal agreement from the demolition contractor the county planned to hire to tear down the courthouse to extend its low bid for the six months.
Mr. Nutter said outside the meeting that he was open to giving the group six more months if it means the county could save money and get the space it needs for its courts.
"From the beginning, I've said it's not an issue of wanting to save the courthouse or tear it down. It's a space and money issue," he said.
Mr. Sauber said afterward that he was "more than willing to give them a chance" if the group convinces him the plan will work and spells out what it will cost the county to lease the courthouse.
Under the preservation group's proposal, the county would lease the courthouse for 20 years and then have the option to purchase it for $10,000. The lease payments would pay off the debt on the renovations.
In other business yesterday, Mr. Nutter suggested the board compose a letter to county department heads asking them to submit a secondary budget for 2009 that reflects a 10 percent reduction in spending. He said that while the county's revenues are holding steady, he knows that could change in the coming year based on what other city and county governments are anticipating.
Mr. Nutter also proposed forgoing raises for nonunion county employees in 2009, then waiting to see if revenue remained strong. If it did, employees could be given a lump-sum payment reflecting 1.5 percent of their income in June and again in December.
"They end up getting a 3 percent increase in two lump-sum payments as a paid supplement as opposed to a long-term wage increase that we're then locked into and then our only recourse becomes layoffs if we have to make dramatic cuts," Mr. Nutter said.
Mr. Sauber expressed some concern over the idea, pointing out that unionized employees at the sheriff's office, the engineer's office, and job and family services have contracts in place that call for 3 percent raises in the new year. Mr. Nutter said he would draft a letter and present it to the board for consideration at its next meeting Tuesday.
Contact Jennifer Feehan at:
jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-353-5972.

DETROIT — General Motors Corp. will extend its holiday shutdown or make other production cuts at up to 10 factories as it deals with a continued U.S. auto sales slump and fights to stay solvent.
The cash-strapped automaker told workers about the cuts this morning, according to local union officials. However, northwest Ohio’s two GM plants, Toledo Powertrain and Defiance Powertrain, will not be affected, said spokesman Wanda Wellman. A planned two-week layoff beginning Monday of 110 workers on the second shift at Toledo Powertrain also has been cancelled. Dave Green, president of a United Auto Workers local in Lordstown, Ohio, said workers were told that the normal holiday shutdown will be extended until Jan. 20 at the sprawling factory complex, which stamps parts for and assembles the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars.
The last scheduled workday will be Dec. 23, although production will start to wind down before that, he said. Details of the other cuts were not available. GM spokesman Chris Lee would not comment on the announcements. Mr. Green said that after Jan. 20, the Lordstown complex will keep operating around the clock, but assembly line speed will be reduced from the current 62 vehicles per hour to 46.5 vehicles. The Lordstown complex, located about 50 miles southeast of Cleveland, employs about 4,200 production workers. The company added workers to the plant this year as demand for its small, fuel-efficient cars increased. But since then the bottom has fallen out of sales industrywide, and GM later announced it would lay off up to 1,100 of the plant’s workers starting Jan. 20. Mr. Green said he’s optimistic that GM will resume production as scheduled on Jan. 20, although at the slower assembly line speed. "I think we’ll come back, and then if production warrants, or demand wanes, maybe there will be a little more downtime," he said. "It’s all driven by the market, so it’s really out of our hands." GM and its Detroit counterparts are seeking billions of dollars in loans from the federal government. Congress is requiring the automakers to come up with plans to become viable before it will decide on the loans. GM has announced thousands of factory layoffs so far this year and is cutting its salaried staff in order to pare expenses and conserve cash.

The proposed bailout of the automotive industry - and the major problems the Big Three auto companies currently are facing - have been making front page headlines this month.
Assessing the seriousness of the situation on this week's edition of Deadline Now is Kristin Dziczek, a senior project manager at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, and Andrew Solocha, a professor of finance at the University of Toledo.
They will join host Jack Lessenberry, The Blade's ombudsman, to discuss how badly the region could be impacted if the crisis continues to grow.
Deadline Now will be broadcast at 8:30 tonight and at 2:30 a.m. tomorrow on WGTE-TV, Channel 30.

The Toledo Board of Realtors yesterday outlined its opposition to the proposed Lucas County conveyance fee hike, claiming it will hurt those trying to sell property and would not be a good source of funds for the county.
"Members feel strongly that with home sales slumping badly during this weak economic period, now is not the time to impose yet another tax on already strapped property sellers," board President Allen Green said in a statement.
"In addition to poor timing, we believe the volatility of the real estate market suggests it would be a bad decision to rely on this revenue stream for a specific cause such as economic development."
On Tuesday, the county commissioners will consider increasing the county's real estate conveyance fee from $3 to $4 for every $1,000 of property transferred to help pay for the Lucas County Improvement Corp., the county's economic development agency.
A public hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The conveyance fee hike was a key recommendation in a report from a committee, led by former University of Toledo President Dan Johnson, that reviewed LCIC.
The beleaguered economic development agency has seen its budget shrink since Toledo and some other county entities pulled their funding. Most of the agency's budget comes from the Lucas County government.
Supporters of the conveyance fee hike say it will raise about $800,000 each year, which could stabilize the agency's funding and remove politics from the process.
While the Toledo Board of Realtors is opposed to the hike, the Home Builders Association of Greater Toledo Inc. is considering supporting the measure - with some conditions.
According to Tony Plath, the association's executive vice president, the association's board of directors will consider a resolution supporting the conveyance fee increase as long as it includes a sunset clause that would require the commissioners to renew it in 2013, and would also specify that any excess money is to be channeled into a special economic development fund, rather than the county's general operating fund.

An unattended curling iron caused a fire that resulted in $15,000 damage yesterday at Corners Apartments in South Toledo, authorities said.
No one was hurt in the blaze reported just before 9 a.m. at 2225 North Reynolds Rd. near West Bancroft Street. The fire was under control in about 10 minutes, Battalion Fire Chief Christine Davis said.
The fire started in the bathroom of a second-story apartment. A resident left for work with the curling iron plugged in, and it ignited clothing hanging nearby, Chief Davis said.

BOWLING GREEN — Beginning tomorrow, shoppers may park free in downtown Bowling Green. Mayor John Quinn declared the parking meter holiday, which runs through Dec. 31, for most city parking meters and encouraged business owners and downtown workers to share rides and park in long-term meter spaces to allow for turnover of the short-term parking spaces for shoppers. The parking meter holiday does not include on-street meters in front of the Wood County Courthouse on Court Street between North Summit and North Prospect or the metered spaces in the county parking lot on North Summit Street. Also tomorrow, the Bowling Green Holiday Parade will step off at 10 a.m. From 9:45 a.m. until the parade is over, Main Street between Poe and Napoleon roads will be closed and parking prohibited on that stretch of Main.

The city of Toledo has mailed invoices to both the Obama and McCain presidential campaign offices, seeking to recover overtime costs accrued by the Toledo Police Department during the candidates’ visits to Toledo.
President-elect Barack Obama’s Toledo stops resulted in overtime costs of $21,895, while Sen. John McCain’s resulted in $27,982, according to invoices sent by the city.
Toledo Police Chief Michael Navarre said the McCain visit cost more because Senator McCain’s last stop in Toledo was on a Sunday. The city released an invoice describing the expenses for "police services for campaign visits for the McCain campaign for various dignitaries" on Aug. 31; Sept. 1; Oct. 19; Oct. 21, and Oct. 29. The invoice for the Obama campaign said the overtime expenses were accrued on Aug. 31; Sept. 16; Sept. 17; Oct. 13; Oct. 14; Oct. 30, and Nov. 1.

Toledo fire crews were fighting a fire in a vacant second-floor unit at Corners Apartments at 2225 North Reynolds Rd. near West Bancroft Street about 9 a.m. Thursday in South Toledo.
There were no reports of injuries, authorities said.

MONROE — Two Temperance men were hurt early Thursday in a one-vehicle accident on M-50, just west of here, authorities said.
Bret Kohler and Chad Bleyaert, who are both 20, were taken to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo. Monroe County deputies said Mr. Kohler was listed in critical condition and Mr. Bleyaert was listed in serious condition. A preliminary investigation of the crash indicated that Mr. Kohler was west bound on M-50 about 4:30 a.m. when he drove off the north side of the highway and struck a drainage culvert. His 1999 Honda Civic rolled over several times before coming to rest upside down.
Mr. Kohler was thrown from the car. Deputies said speed and alcohol appeared to be factors in the crash.