Officials tie norovirus outbreak to doughnut shop
MAUMEE — County health officials say more than 200 cases of norovirus have been linked to a doughnut shop in northwest Ohio.
A spokesman for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department says an outbreak that has sickened at least 214 people has been tied to Mama C’s Donuts in Maumee. The illnesses have been tracked to people who ate at the shop between Friday and Monday.
Health officials in neighboring Wood County also are investigating whether a dozen cases reported there are linked to stores that sell Mama C’s doughnuts.
The Maumee store has been closed since Tuesday for cleaning. It isn’t expected to reopen Thursday.
Norovirus can cause inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Most people recover in a few days, but it can be dangerous for young children or elderly people.
Skeletal remains of woman ID’d
CLEVELAND — Authorities say the skeletal remains of a woman found in a plastic bag in a Cleveland field last year have been identified with help from an anonymous tipster.
Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson said Wednesday the body found Oct. 17 by a man searching for scrap was that of 40-year-old Brooke Cameron. Gilson’s office determined last October that she was shot in the head.
A press release including a forensic sketch and information that she was likely of Native American or Asian descent was released in July. Authorities said an anonymous tipster contacted police the next day, enabling a tentative identification that became positive with the help of forensic dentistry and X-rays.
Police haven’t identified a possible suspect or motive in the Cleveland woman’s death.
Gonzalez weighs bid for Congress
CLEVELAND — Former NFL player Anthony Gonzalez is eyeing a run for Congress in his native Ohio.
Cleveland.com reports the former Indianapolis Colts and Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver recently met with the National Republican Congressional Committee to express interest in a bid for Ohio’s 16th Congressional District. His decision is expected soon.
The district stretches from Wayne County into portions of five northeast Ohio counties, including Cuyahoga , Gonzalez’ home county.
U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci is running for governor and expected to vacate the 16th District seat next year. Third-term state Rep. Christina Hagan, of Stark County, and two-time state Rep. and former state Sen. Tom Patton, of Strongsville, are vying to succeed him. Both are fellow Republicans.
Gonzalez has worked in business since leaving the NFL in 2012.
Bond reduced for driver in fatal crash
AKRON — A judge has reduced bond for an Ohio motorist accused of texting before her car hit three pedestrians, killing two 14-year-old girls and seriously injuring a 15-year-old boy.
A lawyer for 24-year-old Natasha Boggs, of New Franklin, said Wednesday his client is not a flight risk because she’s lived in the same town all her life. Bond was reduced from $150,000 to $75,000.
Boggs pleaded not guilty to several charges including involuntary manslaughter and texting while driving.
Authorities say Boggs was driving on a Coventry Township road May 28 when her car drifted across the white line known as the “fog line” and struck the teenagers.
Taylor Galloway, of Akron, and Amber Thoma, of Coventry Township, were killed.
The township is just south of Akron.
Union: Sewage stench sickens some officers
LORAIN — A police union is filing a grievance over conditions at an Ohio police station, saying the stench of raw sewage made some officers feel ill.
Kyle Gelenius, head of the police union in Lorain, told the Morning Journal on Wednesday that the smell was “consuming” the police department.
Mayor Chase Ritenauer says he was told the problem had been resolved by the building’s owner. Ritenauer noted that the building is old and other city government buildings have had maintenance problems as well. He said the budget makes it hard to find money for building improvements.
The city of about 64,000 is about 30 miles west of Cleveland.
