City Council hopes to get to the truth of the matter at a special meeting Monday.

Felony charges have been filed against the Saybrook Township woman who fled a traffic stop and killed a Geneva man, though no arrest will be made in the case, an Ashtabula County prosecutor’s Office employee confirmed.

Village officials woke up to quite a surprise Wednesday morning when large barricades were found in front of the village maintenance garage, inhibiting employees from getting equipment in or out of the facility.

A wanted fugitive, Joe Bill Baier, 46, of Hartsgrove Township, linked to an April 29 meth lab raid, was apprehended Wednesday night by sheriff’s deputies.

As soft earth is overturned in the very first stages of development of a $100 million sports complex, Geneva Area City School officials are trying to figure out where the Geneva Eagles will land.

City officials will have to cough up about $192,500 to remove toxic soil off the bank of the Ashtabula River by July 31.

On the heels of asking the state attorney general whether the city solicitor can hold two elected offices concurrently, city council will ask that office whether one of its can work in the public sector in addition to being on council.

Two Conneaut police officers testified Wednesday Councilman-at-Large Jacob Chicatelli was driving under the influence when stopped for a routine traffic violation nearly one year ago.

Ashtabula County is seeking bids for companies to transport residents to health and employment-related services.

CONNEAUT — Tension and turmoil at City Hall didn’t deter Edward Somppi from seeking Conneaut’s interim city manager job, and Tuesday night he snared the prize he sought.

BURTON — As a veteran journalist, Neil Zurcher of Cleveland did a lot to promote northeast Ohio’s tourist attractions and towns in the media for more than three decades.

JEFFERSON — The Jefferson Area Local School District received several citations on its regular audit for fiscal year 2005, according to the audit released Tuesday by Auditor of State Mary Taylor’s Office.

A second defendant has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from last year’s grisly murder of an Ashtabula man, according to court records.

State and county officials agree: Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann should step down and save the state the trouble of impeaching him.

As if the real-estate market weren’t already struggling, a local real-estate agent was the person who found 14 marijuana plants growing in a house he was supposed to sell, Madison Township Detective Dan Boerner said.

Ohio AFL-CIO President Joseph Rugola believes it’s imperative that working families vote in November.
Rugola was the featured speaker Tuesday night at the Ashtabula County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council’s “Get Out the Vote” dinner held at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School.

An Amish teenager is in serious condition after the rear of his horse was struck by a vehicle Monday evening.

They are doing it all. City crews are cleaning Walnut Beach, filling potholes and picking up leaf bags, garbage and tree debris from the March 4-5 ice storm, said Dom Iarocci, superintendent of public services.

A late-afternoon fire Monday at a vacant house on the west-side of the city is suspected to be arson, fire investigators said.

Different uses for money in Conneaut’s own revolving loan fund were discussed at Monday’s City Council work session.

The Madison Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday morning to bring a 4.9-mill bond issue and .5-mill maintenance levy to the August ballot in hopes of securing funds for a campus-style school building.

Prime real estate at Interstate 90 and Route 534 will be developed into a $100 million indoor/outdoor, not-for-profit sports campus, developer Ron Clutter announced Monday.

Geneva Area City Schools board of education members nodded their heads enthusiastically Monday as Ron Clutter spoke of facilities far beyond the financial means of any Ashtabula County school district.

Ever-climbing fuel prices have applied the brakes temporarily to a $6 million fueling station project at Conneaut’s Interstate 90 interchange with Route 7, officials said.

A City Council member Monday night scolded a national truck stop company for their decision to delay construction of a sizable fueling operation at Route 7 and Interstate 90.

City Council should announce tonight who will oversee Conneaut's day-to-day operations until a full-time replacement for City Manager Douglas Lewis is located.

Another controversial Web site and charges of impropriety in the city solicitor’s office sparked a hailstorm at Monday night’s City Council meeting.

Heavy smoke billowing from the attic, and first- and second-story windows of a West 36th Street home, greeted city firefighters Monday as they arrived on the scene.

Two council members failed in their attempt limit the amount of time the public can speak at meetings.

The start of the village’s 139th summer season looms as contractors and officials scramble to pick up branches, pave roads and repair sidewalks for tourists.

A Geneva man who won’t let driving under suspension charges stop him from getting behind the wheel.
Thomas Reeder, 33, was again cited for DUS just after midnight Saturday, his fourth such charge in five months, Geneva police reports show.

For the 16th year, students Monday at Jefferson Area High School celebrated Loyalty Day.

A complaint about loud music at 4 a.m. Sunday at a supposed-to-be empty farmhouse at 3099 Lenox-New Lyme Road led sheriff’s deputies to a teen after-prom drinking party.

Things looked bleak and soggy for the 25th annual Louie Run as volunteers sloshed through puddles during the setup Saturday night at the Lake County Fairgrounds.

In the infrastructure and paving game, winning is like a board of Stratego, where planning and patience wins the match.

Eight-year-old Abby Reed’s golden hair curled into humidity-set ringlets Saturday, her broad smile happy no matter the weather.

The village boil alert for drinking water has been lifted as potability tests confirm all water through Ashtabula County pipelines is safe, Larry Meaney, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Services, reports.
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As a certified emergency medical technician and former firefighter for a number of years, Virginia Woolf saw the need for trained dogs to help search for lost people or human remains. The 47-year-old mother of two grown children decided to learn more about search dogs eight years ago.

Rain dripped off Nicole Abruzzise’s nose Saturday morning, the drops falling into a puddle at her feet.

Fresh from the mint juleps and big hats of the Kentucky Derby, the Parris Island Marine Band will perform a free concert Monday at Geneva High School.

The city now offers its residents the ability to view their sewer and trash accounts online, and soon, residents will have the ability to pay their bills automatically from the comfort of their home computers.

The Ohio Search Dog Association has as its mission theme: Saving Lives Through Cooperation. Formed as a non-profit, all volunteer emergency response unit, the eight team members and their certified canines specialize in all types of search and rescue assignments.

Barring last-minute snags, Edward Somppi, former village administrator and Ashtabula County official, will be hired to serve as Conneaut’s interim city manager, sources said Friday.

After waiving his right for an attorney, Ervin Byler, 37, of Middlefield Township, pleaded no contest Friday in Chardon Municipal Court to a charge of sexual imposition. Byler appeared before Judge Mark Hassett on the third degree misdemeanor charge.

If City Council desires, city administrators will try to pin down a price on property that could become Conneaut’s second municipal parking lot.

Students at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School received a crash course on lessons of life this week.

Max and Marilyn Wulff are moving out west — from Bridge Street to Walnut Beach!

ver the winter months Steve and Sharon Grover worked on the design for their new expanded 1,200-square-foot farm market building. Using local construction crews among the Amish community, the familiar red sided market house is ready for today’s grand opening, says Sharon Grover.

An idea planted week ago may grow into a way for Conneaut families to help feed themselves.

— The Lakeside Theatre Company will present the second annual Broadway dinner May 16 at Lakeside High School.

Ashley Dillon, an 8th grader in Grand Valley Middle School’s gifted reading program, didn’t believe her hand-drawn cartoon had a chance to win in a national contest. Gifted reading program teacher, Ann Richards, sent all the students’ drawings in to the News Current 2008 contest for a third year hoping to have a winner, according to principal Lowell Moodt.
“I didn’t expect my drawing of an editorial cartoon was that great. Our principal came into the class this week to tell us I won. It was cool,” Ashley said smiling.

Fire caused severe damage to a Lee Street house late Wednesday night, firefighters said.

A fawn-colored champion of the show ring, Johnny Walker Red trotted out of a Colorado dog show last weekend with a third-place performance.

City Council convened another closed-door meeting Thursday night, reportedly to discuss a land deal sources have said involves the East Conneaut Industrial Park.

Village police arrested a Middlefield Township man Thursday on charges of sexual imposition connected to an alleged attack of a 23-year-old woman on Sunday.

As many as 100 green trucks travel through Geneva Township every day, rumbling and bumping their way down Tuttle Road.

She calls herself the greatest bag lady in the world, but she’s really an environmental educator from Marietta.

Geneva State Park Lodge and Conference Center general manager Jeannette Petrolia told county commissioners this week the lodge is planning to offer package tours around the county as an added activity for guests.

A portion of Route 534 is among the top 10 most dangerous roadways for motorcyclists in the state, according to data released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

School board members have found an ally in their search for a new school superintendent.

Talks grew long and sometimes heated at Geneva Township Hall Wednesday night as the township trustees heard the not-so-final arguments over the proposed rezoning of 230 acres of land.

With the help of a statewide organization, an Ashtabula man’s murder conviction is getting another look.

Emergency status given the March 7-9 snowstorm that buried portions of Ashtabula County could mean thousands of dollars to communities hit hard by the blizzard, officials said

Wherever Angela Ball is, she isn’t out of reach from the long arm of the law.

Green talk has turned to action for city officials.

A Geneva man will nurse a wounded hand in court today as he is arraigned on criminal damaging charges after he put his hand through two windows at the Water Street Bar and Grill early Tuesday morning.

More than 100 county water customers along Lake Road are under a boil alert until Friday after a large water-main break crippled the village’s westernmost plumbing Tuesday, Larry Meaney, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Services, reports.

The sound of progress is all around Ron Clutter.

There’s a game in town, but one city official says he’s not playing.

Refinancing $7.2 million of debt from the construction of the $21 million Geneva State Park Lodge and Conference Center is moving ahead slowly.

City and county officials were mum Tuesday on reports that developers are interested in purchasing a large chunk of the East Conneaut Industrial Park.

Owners of a Conneaut auto repair shop, upset because they have been excluded from the police department’s tow rotation, have consulted an attorney, City Council learned at Monday’s regular meeting.

Jane Hawn-Jackson will serve as the next Saybrook Township trustee, filling the seat left vacant by the appointment of Peggy Carlo as county commissioner.

Board of Education members Tuesday night unanimously approved a revised plan to redistrict a number of students to the new Rock Creek Elementary School next year.

Getting drunk Saturday night and beating up his girlfriend landed Timothy Simpson, 45, of 2681 Rice Road, Morgan Township, in county jail.

A 39-year-old Ashtabula man goes to court today to face his fifth charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

County sheriff’s detectives arrested a 48-year-old Hartsgrove woman and are looking for an accomplice after raiding an operating methamphetamine lab Monday afternoon, Lt. Van Robison said.

The sweep of tree debris in city neighborhoods will wrap up in mid-June, a city official said Monday.

Local social service providers say compliance issues and a lack of money have hindered their efforts to improve quality of life in Ashtabula County.

The charred bricks of Medvec’s Place were still warm Monday morning as local, county and state fire officials continued the investigation into the blaze that felled the landmark pub.

Heated remarks about road conditions, criticism of a proposed downtown parking lot project and the abrupt departure of one lawmaker highlighted Monday's City Council meeting.

Involved as a volunteer firefighter since 1982, Larry Morse recently took on the challenge as fire chief for Trumbull Township Fire & Rescue Co., replacing Don Crites, who resigned to spend more time with his family.

Twenty young leaders from Turkey got a taste of the Amish community in Geauga-Trumbull county area this weekend as part of their week-long stay in northeast Ohio.

The search to replace two of Conneaut’s top public leaders will kick into high gear this week.

A teenage boy allegedly burglarized a friend’s home Sunday in retaliation for a confrontation at a party, Geneva police reports show.

Twenty three people were arraigned Friday and entered pleas to various felony charges before Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey.

A man accused of bashing a fellow bar patron in the face with a beer bottle early Friday at an all-nude nightclub remains in jail today.

Longtime Conneaut water department assistant superintendent Bob Gustafson will take the “assistant “ from his title, said City Manager Douglas Lewis.

ROCK CREEK — There are many crucial aspects to fighting a fire, and for south county fire departments one of those key components is teamwork.

When it all began almost 40 years ago, just four athletes from Ashtabula County participated in the Special Olympics.

HARPERSFIELD TOWNSHIP — About 200 canoe and kayak enthusiasts paddled their way to Madison Township by way of the Grand River Saturday morning, racing against the clock in the annual Grand River Canoe and Kayak Race.

ASHTABULA — City Council decided Saturday morning to leave the job of picking up the city’s piles of sticks and branches to its own workers.

AUSTINBURG TOWNSHIP — It all started many years ago at the Ashtabula County Fair truck show as a way to help out the Ashtabula County Special Olympics athletes.

ASHTABULA — The Conneaut Telephone Co., has its eye on Lake County.

ORWELL — Saturday’s predicted rainfall held out and spurts of sunshine and warm temperatures made for a great day for a walk.

“It was really, really hard for me. I have a lot invested in the district. It will be very hard to leave. I’ll miss the people here.”
— Mary Zappitelli

ASHTABULA — A member of City Council’s newly appointed charter review committee bowed out Friday, challenging the city to come up with a more diverse group.

ASHTABULA — The future of the city’s piles of sticks and branches could hinge on the awarding of a contract today.

CONNEAUT — Security gear at Conneaut’s lakefront will get a facelift in time for the 2008 boating season, members of the city’s Port Authority agreed at Thursday night’s meeting.

GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — Leaking gas from a vehicle apparently started a fire that injured a Hawley Drive resident late Thursday night, said Geneva-on-the-Lake Fire Chief Jim Bartlett.

CONNEAUT — City Council will next week start studying applications submitted by people interested in serving as Conneaut’s interim city manager

ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP — A birthday party celebration at an all-nude nightclub turned ugly early Friday when a patron was struck in the face with a beer bottle.

SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Ohio Department of Transportation is preparing to widen the Route 20 corridor from Woodman Avenue to North Bend Road in spring 2009.

The Ashtabula County Operating a Vehicle while Influenced (OVI) Task Force will begin its OVI patrols on weekends.

ASHTABULA — The resident manager at the Ashtabula Towers disputes the city’s new source of revenue designed to fight urban blight, but city officials say they believe the building’s owners can afford it.

ROCK CREEK — Rock Creek Area Community Projects Board members are pleased with the outcome of a building inspection on the old Rock Creek Elementary School building.

ASHTABULA — A $4,800 mini-grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has been awarded to the county’s After School Discovery Inc. programs.

ASHTABULA — Perkins Restaurants in Conneaut and Ashtabula are not closing their doors, a company official said this week.

MIDDLEFIELD — A regional marketing approach to promote tourism in northeast Ohio counties has a new organization brand, Adventures in Northeast Ohio, says Lynda Nemeth, president of the Western Reserve Tourist Council.

MONROE TOWNSHIP — A weekend of events early next month will help the Monroe Sirens raise money to buy a sophisticated, life-saving device for the Monroe Township Fire Department.

Suddenly, $4 for a gallon of gasoline doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

The cadaver-trained Labrador retriever that found the severed foot of an accident victim also assisted in finding parts of Ashtabula County murder victim Chyrone Kelley.

The Ashtabula man accused of striking a bicyclist with his vehicle April 14 on Plymouth Ridge Road and then leaving the scene, is out on bond today.

Another hitch is delaying progress to erect a traffic light at Grand Valley Avenue and Grand Valley Avenue West with Route 45.

An Ashtabula man will spend the next seven years in prison for intentionally using his car to run over another man last summer in the Harbor, officials said Thursday.

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers recovered about $1,000 of suspected stolen property after a routine traffic stop early Wednesday morning.

After lengthy public hearings, meetings with county officials and arguments for and against the proposed 75-year 230-acre expansion of the Waste Management Geneva Landfill, a decision is approaching.

Living memorials to two dedicated Conneaut Tree Commission members will highlight Saturday’s Arbor Day ceremony at Malek Park.

Fish and habitat, not people, are emerging as the favored beneficiaries of a plan to restore natural resources on the Ashtabula River.

ASHTABULA — After months of discussion, City Council finally has appointed a committee to review the city charter.

ASHTABULA — The Ashtabula County Job Source partners held a job fair Wednesday for prospective employees.

CONNEAUT — If City Council pursues a new downtown parking lot, work probably will proceed without the help of soon-to-depart City Manager Douglas Lewis.

GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — Firefighters, start your engines.

SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — A dozen Saybrook Township residents have tossed their hat into the ring with hopes of filling the trustee seat left vacant by the appointment of Peggy Carlo as county commissioner.

ASHTABULA — City residents would like to see the tree limbs from the March 4-5 ice storm picked up as soon as possible.

GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — Plans to open a child day care at Old Village Hall have fallen flat as the building was deemed too small for tots, village administrator Kevin Grippi said.

JEFFERSON — County commissioners have agreed to a $169,208 bid to replace a bridge on New London Road in Saybrook Township.

CONNEAUT — Curbside leaf pickup and other services offered by Conneaut’s Public Works Department may vanish so crews can concentrate on road repair projects.

GENEVA -ON-THE-LAKE — There’s trouble in the garbage cans at Geneva-on-the-Lake.

A massive orange fireball could be seen from miles away as a horse barn burned to the ground late Monday night on Creek Road.

Village officials will be doing everything they can to rectify the village’s precarious financial situation, beginning with cutting costs.

Curbside leaf pickup and other services offered by Conneaut’s Public Works Department may vanish so crews can concentrate on road repair projects.

A sample of Conneaut-area services and merchants were served up Tuesday afternoon at Business Expo 2008, at the Conneaut Human Resources Center.

City residents would like to see the tree limbs from the March 4-5 ice storm picked up as soon as possible.

Plans to open a child day care at Old Village Hall have fallen flat as the building was deemed too small for tots, village administrator Kevin Grippi said.

A grieving woman and community members are keeping the man convicted of kidnapping and raping the woman’s sister behind bars for five more years.

Authorities have released the names of the two girls injured after flipping an all-terrain vehicle Monday afternoon on Green Road.

Two girls were injured seriously Monday afternoon when the all-terrain vehicle they were riding flipped over on Green Road.

City Council Monday night unanimously approved a ordinance establishing the salary for an assistant city solicitor at $61,000, with a 3.5 percent raise effective Dec. 1, 2008.

With high school prom weekends happening in Ashtabula County over the next few weeks, look for extra sheriff’s cruisers on county highways, says Lt. Greg Leonhard, road patrol administrator.

It’s not easy going green, but Mike Blakeman is determined to clean up and clear out as much litter as possible.