February 28, 2026
Volume VIII, Issue 9
• On Monday, the Toledo Police Department fired officer Gregory Long for committing petty theft by taking items including cheese, cinnamon sticks, and razor blades from an area Walmart without paying for them while in uniform last August. Long had been with the department since July 2018.
• On Tuesday, the Toledo Public School board approved a four-year budget forecast that included plans for significant cuts. The deficit stems from enrollment declines which have resulted in losing $3 million of state funding in 2026 and $7 million in 2027; $18 million in planned reductions from the 2024 levy; $13 million in higher-than-anticipated salary and benefit costs in 2026 and 2027; and $12 million in additional cuts in 2026 and 2027.
• On Wednesday, Metroparks Toledo board voted to develop a new park in the Vistula neighborhood at a cost of $23 million, with $19 million coming from a federal highway grant. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and take two years to complete. The board also voted to raise executive director Dave Zenk’s salary from $280,000 to $291,200 as well as providing him with a $40,000 performance bonus.
• Also on Wednesday, finance director for the City of Toledo Melanie Campbell informed Toledo City Council’s Finance, Debt, and Budget Oversight Committee that total tax collections through January 2026 were $2,059,986, down from $2,307,520 during the same time period in 2025. Council also learned that the city yet to spend $12.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars allocated in 2024, which must be spent by the end of 2026.
• In further Wednesday news, the Toledo Plan Commission approved plans for a 407,984-square-foot cross-dock industrial building at 0 New Towne Drive, site of the former North Towne Square Mall. The facility will be the newest addition to the Toledo Trade Center industrial park, developed in 2022.
• The Toledo Regional Water Commission learned Wednesday that a project to replace an aging pipeline between Lake Erie and the Collins Park Water Treatment Facility has increased in cost from $175 million to $200 million due to environmental challenges. The new pipeline would be run above ground instead of being run beneath the Envirosafe hazardous waste landfill, which is where the aging pipeline is currently run.
• Toledo-based building products manufacturer Owens Corning announced on Wednesday a loss of $282 million the fourth quarter of 2025, down from $126 million in earnings during the same time period in 2024. However, sales increased 3% to $10.1 billion in 2025, compared to $9.85 billion in 2024.
• O’Shea’s Irish Pub on Wednesday introduced age restrictions requiring men to be 30 years old and women 26 years old to enter. The move comes after the City of Toledo declared the bar, which has seen 169 calls for service from Toledo Police in the last three years, a public nuisance.
• On Thursday, automaker Stellantis, owner of the Toledo Jeep Assembly Complex, announced that it would not be distributing profit-sharing checks to employees this year. In contrast, workers at GM and Ford are expected to receive substantial bonus checks this year.
• Also on Thursday, former Republican Party candidate for Toledo City Council Ernest McCarthy was sentenced to 20 years in prison for possessing child pornography.
• On Friday, local officials announced the creation of a shared downtown activation framework. One product is a unified calendar created by several downtown Toledo-based venues and organizations. To view the Destination Downtown calendar, visit https://visittoledo.org/events/destination-downtown
• Also on Friday, the Glass City Wranglers, a professional basketball team in the Basketball Super League, kicked off their athletic season in the Glass City Center, their new home venue.
• Toledo’s business and political leaders are celebrating the trade relationship between Toledo and Canada in anticipation of the upcoming opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge in Detroit. Events include a trade seminar on March 6, a special music performance by the Toledo Symphony on March 6, and bocce on ice games at the Glass City Metropark’s skating ribbon through March 15. For more information, visit https://canadatoledo.com/
• Quenched & Tempered Brewing Company plans to relocate to the ground floor of the Berdan Building in downtown Toledo by early April. The move is motivated by the pending end of its seven-year lease at its current location on Jackson Street.
• The state’s intercity bus program, GoBus, is expanding March 2 to include 26 new stops including Toledo. Riders from Toledo will be able to travel to Ashtabula, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton for a round-trip fare between $5 and $40. For more information, visit https://ridegobus.com/
• Governor DeWine stated that the plan from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to connect U.S. 23 to I-71, improving the drive time between Toledo and Columbus, would have to be financed with tolling or an increase in motor fuel tax. Construction costs alone are estimated at $500 million.
• Toledo City Council member Theresa Gadus expressed outrage that the city did not distribute $100,000 in allocated grants to help water customers with past due bills in 2025. City commissioner of utilities Cindy Geronimo stated that twelve people applied for the grant, but did not meet eligibility requirements; namely, receiving a water disconnection notice. Geronimo also stated that customers were aided by other assistance programs.
• The Ohio Forestry Association Foundation is accepting scholarship applications through April 15 for students pursuing a career in forestry. For more information, visit https://www.ohioforest.org/page/Scholarship
• This Saturday (February 28) from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Toledo GROWs will host the annual Seed Swap event at Scott High School (2400 Collingwood Blvd.) Each attendee will receive up to five free packets of seeds, and can obtain more by either donating 50 cents or bringing additional seeds to swap (provided the seeds are in labeled envelopes dated 2024 or later).
• Also on Saturday (February 28) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friends of the Library will be hosting a book sale featuring over 30,000 gently used books, CDs, DVDs, records, 8-track tapes, and board games at 1301 N. Reynolds Road. Each book is $1 or $8 for an entire bag
• Next Monday (March 2) marks the beginning of Restaurant Work Toledo. Several area restaurants will be offering unique meals at special prices with proceeds benefitting Leadership Toledo’s youth programs. To see participating restaurants and menus, visit https://restaurantweektoledo.com/
• Next Monday (March 2) from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson will host an informational town hall about data centers at the Main Branch Library (325 N. Michigan St.).
• Next Tuesday (March 3) from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the City of Toledo will host a community meeting at the Zablocki Community Center (3015 Lagrange St.) about the future of the building. Thoughts can also be submitted digitally here: https://confidential-survey.com/datafile/ZablockiYard.htm
• Next Wednesday (March 4) from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Toledo Public Schools (TPS) will host a community meeting at Waite High School (301 Morrison Dr.) to collect public input on its transformation plan. TPS projects $68 million in state and federal budget cuts beginning in 2026.
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