Toledo Free Press – April 20, 2014 by Toledo Free Press

April 20, 2014

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Opinion

State of the region and 40 years of forgiveness Tom Pounds on the blend of manufacturing and globalization and Michael S. Miller on the life of Father Bob McGrath. page 3

Community

Guilty Liquor store clerk convicted of selling alcohol to minor in case involving the death of Brian Hoeflinger. page 8

Star

Eco fashion Paul Mitchell The School hosts Eco-Fun Fashion Show on April 26 with emcee Lauren Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill. page 13

Star

Changes LGBT community welcomes Legends and Mojo; bids farewell to OUTSKiRTS, Ripcord and Blush. page 14

Technology

Twine TIme

Local tech startup aims to revolutionize event photography. By Sarah Ottney, page 6

Toledo Free Press

A Toledo tradition since 2005 ToledoFreePress.com

April 20, 2014

ToledoFreePress.com

Publisher’s statement

Opinion

A Toledo tradition since 2005

DON LEE

State of the region

orth Toledo elevator company Wurtec ceremonially broke ground April 14 for a new expansion, which will more than double the size of its current facility. As reported by Toledo Free Press Staff Writer Tom Konecny, Wurtec’s primary work involves designing and building the tools, parts and products contractors use to install elevators; the firm also builds elevators for residential use. The company has added 10 jobs in the past year, and as we do with any business that invests in our region, we extend a warm thank you to them for not just maintaining their presence but also growing it. Steve Wurth, company founder and president, said, “A lot of the opportunities we’re finding are internationalThomas F. Pounds based. It’s probably our biggest growth sector. We’re just going through a really busy time here. It’s exciting for us as a small company to be able to do things like this.” The Wurtec news came the same day as keynote speaker Tom Murphy told attendees at the 12th annual State of the Region Conference that, “Globalization is changing the way we do business today. Toledo, you’re in a revolution here whether you know it or not.” As reported in an online story by Toledo Free Press Senior Business Writer Duane Ramsey, Murphy, a former mayor of Pittsburgh, said, “You need to think of Toledo, not as it is today, but as it can be in the future. You have to understand what your strengths are and use them to compete.” Murphy said Pittsburgh invested in its cultural community and reclaimed the waterfront. Those are both lessons we should well heed. Bowling Green State University’s Center for Regional Development reported on the state of the region’s economy in 2014, saying that 6,600 new jobs have been created in the region since 2009 for 1.18 percent employment growth. However, that figure is still well below the national average growth of 4.66 percent. It’s a complicated recipe but it is not a secret. We have the ingredients. We just need more kitchens like Wurtec feeding the region’s local — and global — future. O Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

LIGHTING THE FUSE

40 years of forgiveness

Originally published Sept. 16, 2011.

throughout my growing up years has helped me to have a great faith in both mystery and miracle.” On Sept. 11, 2011, McGrath celebrated the exact 40th he Rev. Robert McGrath — “Father Bob” to his leanniversary of his ordination. A Mass of gions of friends and relatives — was Celebration took place at Servant Church born to be a Catholic priest. As early of St. Alexander in Farmington Hills, Mich. as third grade, he remembers using crayons McGrath is a relation of mine by marriage; to draw a cross on the back of a sheet that he presided over the blessing of our wedding had a hole cut for his head to fit through. and baptized both of our sons. With that homemade vestment, he would It was a beautiful day, and that was forcelebrate pretend Mass. He was an altar tuitous; so many people attended the Mass boy around that time, and was struck by a that it was moved outside to accommodate particular experience with his mother, who the hundreds in attendance. The elements of was stricken with multiple sclerosis. the Mass took place under a stately gazebo. “In 1949, we drove to Canton, Ohio, to The Mass began with the acknowledgesee a woman named Mrs. Wise who was Michael S. miller ment that McGrath’s Sept. 11 anniversary thought to have stigmata,” McGrath said. “My mother had a long interview with her and she told was shared with the somber anniversary of the Sept. 11, my mother she would live a long time even with the dis- 2001 terror attacks. The theme for the Mass was forgiveness. ease. She lived until 1967. Hearing about this experience n MILLER CONTINUES ON 4

Thomas F. Pounds, President/Publisher tpounds@toledofreepress.com

A publication of Toledo Free Press, LLC, Vol. 10, No. 16. Established 2005. EDITORIAL James A. Molnar, Design Editor jmolnar@toledofreepress.com Sarah Ottney, Managing Editor sottney@toledofreepress.com Jeff McGinnis, Pop Culture Editor PopGoesJeff@gmail.com

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Opinion

The MOrning Rush

Accepted assistance

ecently I was at the grocery cheapest price I could find was $338. store, standing at the meat I also looked up the price of the counter. A guy my age was iPhone she had. That’s a $129 phone, ordering a bunch of seafood and and she had to have a plan for it. Since I knew the comother meat. He was a repany she used, I can tell ally friendly guy so we you that the cheapest started talking. I menplan for that phone is tioned something about about $37 plus other how great it would be to costs. All that is if she have dinner at his house just bought the phone because of all the aweand got a current price. some food he was getThis woman is on ting. He mentioned that assistance and carrying he was really excited Sid KELLY around a purse that she about it too, and we left it at that. I went through the store and didn’t need, and a really expensive phone that she also didn’t need. Is did the rest of my shopping. As I went to the checkout I saw it possible that someone gave these him again. I decided to get in the things to her as a present? Sure, but lane with him so I had someone it’s unlikely. Let’s go back to the crab legs guy. to talk to. We got to chatting as his stuff was being checked out. When it That guy was getting whatever amount came time to pay I noticed he paid every week so his family can eat. Do with his EBT card. If you’re fortunate they need to eat crab legs? No, they enough to not know what that is, it’s don’t. They need to eat food that makes a debit card the state gives you to pay the most sense. Getting food that is for your groceries. It’s the new way to $13 a pound is not a smart purchase. He could get 3 pounds of ground beef give out “food stamps.” I got really mad by letting my- or 2.5 pounds of chicken. I speak about these things from a self think too much about what I was seeing. Before I get into why, let position of knowledge. My wife and me tell you about another person I I had our first daughter in 2008. In 2009 I lost my job and 70 percent bounced into. I needed to get some baby food of my family’s income. We also lost for my 9-month-old son. As I was in health coverage and our nest egg. I the aisle going through the various didn’t have money for groceries and forms of veggies and fruits, I noticed we chose to apply for assistance. I a mom picking out formula for her was OK with doing it because it was child. She had stacked nine cans of what I needed to do for my family to formula in her cart. At $17 a shot, survive, and I knew it was temporary. But too many people approach you tend to take notice of people who throw that amount of money in assistance as a vacation. They party their cart. Just in formula, there was it up by buying candy, crab legs and $153 in her cart. As she stacked the other things that aren’t necessary for formula into the basket, I noticed survival. They use the money they she was using the WIC program. I didn’t spend on food for their kids also took notice that the mom had on expensive phones, purses, nights a brand-new iPhone 5S (I could tell out and alcohol. That’s not what you because we had a conversation about should do. You should save that extra the phone when she asked Siri for money so you can get off of the ashelp with directions) and she was sistance programs. These situations serve another carrying a huge Coach purse. I want to make something ex- purpose: To remind us that we tremely clear. I have no problem with need to keep our lives in perspecpeople using any of the assistance pro- tive. Just because something is grams the state and federal government there for you to use and you can make available. Those programs are do it, doesn’t mean you should take there to make sure you and your chil- advantage of it. After all, you have dren continue to survive when you’re to be OK with what you’ve done when you lie down at night. I know faced with unfortunate situations. What I do have a (big) problem that I’m OK with what I did while I with is the fact that I don’t believe accepted assistance. Would you be? O these people deserved the assistance they were getting. I found the exact purse this Sid Kelly is host of “The Morning woman was carrying around the Rush,” weekday mornings on 92.5 store. It’s from this season, and the KISS FM.

A Toledo tradition since 2005 ToledoFreePress.com n MILLER CONTINUED FROM 3

Fighting Irish

McGrath never left behind his childhood aspirations. He attended Central Catholic High School in Livonia. He earned a master’s degree at the University of Detroit Mercy and eventually became a member of the Holy Cross Fathers at the University of Notre Dame. “After receiving my master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame, a new decision had to be made,” McGrath said. “The phenomenon of the day was that a great many men were leaving the priesthood after ordination and the leadership of the community became very cautious before granting final vows and McGRATH ordination. “Rather than waiting for an unknown amount of time to be approved, I decided to transfer to the Archdiocese of Detroit because that was where I grew up. I was eventually ordained on Sept. 11, 1971, in St. Francis de Sales Church.” After a five-year stay at St. Rita’s in Holly, Mich., McGrath served as pastor to St. Francis de Sales Church in Detroit for 20 years. He then moved to St. Benedict’s in Highland Park for more than 10 years and is now in his fifth year at St. Alexander.

Clear skies

On Sept. 11, 2011, we participated in the outdoor Mass celebrating McGrath’s 40th anniversary under the bluest skies I have seen all summer. A light cloud cover drifted above us, but the blue was clear and seemed to extend to the heavens. As the service, through readings, psalms, prayers and songs, focused on forgiveness, the ties to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks ran through my mind. In the Toledo Free Press special edition the week of the 10th anniversary, Myrta Gschaar, who lost her husband in the World Trade Center collapse, talked about forgiving and the closure the process brought her. How many of us, even those of us with no direct

April 20, 2014

human loss, can say we forgive those who carried out the radical suicide (homicide) mission? Listening to examples of Jesus Christ and his teachings of forgiveness certainly softened my heart and inspired me to strive for some personal, small-scale forgiveness, but I’m not ready to say I forgive the perpetrators of the attacks. During the Prayers of the Faithful, an airliner, descending to Detroit Metro Airport, flew over our heads, low enough to see its underbelly with mechanical clarity. I was not the only one to see that plane and have chills of déjà vu, especially after a week of seeing 10-year-old footage of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 flying into the North and South Trade Center Towers. At that moment, tempted by the irrational impulse to grab my family and pull them to the ground to cover them, forgiveness was the last emotion on my checklist. It was just a moment, and it illustrates a great weakness on my part, but for those few seconds, nothing McGrath or Saint Peter or Jesus himself could say would have persuaded me to forgive the murderers who so efficiently changed our country and our mindset. The Communion song “On Eagle’s Wings” and the recessional song “Let There Be Peace on Earth” helped wash away the intense, negative emotions. “Let there be peace on Earth And let it begin with me. Let us walk with each other, in perfect harmony.” There are great men like Father Bob who sing those words with great conviction, and there are flawed men like me who are always just a bit out of tune. For 40 years, Father Bob has embodied the teachings, so he has a head start. I may not catch up, but I will never be able to claim I lacked the proper model. O Father Bob McGrath died April 10. He continued to deliver services until the final Sunday of his life. Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

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Opinion

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Community

April 20, 2014

A Toledo tradition since 2005 ToledoFreePress.com

By Sarah Ottney

TOLEDO FREE PRESS MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Several years ago, Toledo native Aaron Harwell had an epiphany while running a traditional photobooth business. “What I noticed was people would take their print, put it on the table, take a picture of it and put it on Facebook,” Harwell said. “I also saw everybody was taking pictures with their phones, but the bride and groom probably didn’t get to see any of them. “The thought was, ‘Let’s create an app and see if we can capture all those pictures and put them in one spot for everybody to enjoy and do it automatically, as opposed to the whole ‘Send me an email’ or ‘Text it to me,’ which never happens,” Harwell said. “Our idea was to create something very portable and marry the two, the photobooth and the digital app.” The result is twine.it, a local technology startup poised to revolutionize the photobooth industry with an innovative new setup that integrates social media, photo-sharing and branding opportunities. The business’s corporate name is twineLABS. “We’re looking to do full commercialization here in another month or two,” including launching franchises nationwide, said Harwell, a University of Toledo graduate who now lives in Perrysburg. Twine.it’s self-serve photo stations are popular at fundraisers, weddings, sporting events, parties, corporate gatherings and other events, Harwell said, and have already been used at more than 180 events throughout the country. Users operate the system via an iPad on the side of the photo station. By tapping the “Snap It!” button on the touch-screen, a 3, 2, 1 countdown be-

gins and a photo is taken. What sets twine.it apart from other photobooths is that guests can download the free twineLIVE app. They scan a QR code or enter an alphanumeric code to access an album of event photos, which are uploaded as they are taken. From there, photos can be saved or shared on any social media platform and other group members can comment on the photos. A “like” feature is coming soon. Users also have the option of uploading their own photos into the event feed. Each user’s events are saved as albums in their app to browse through or share anytime. Photos can also be viewed online or sent via email for those without smartphones. “We’re creating a temporary social network for an event,” said business partner Jon Hawker, a Perrysburg native. “What we do is create an access point for people to come into our social network without being connected any other way in advance. The idea is you get to interact with each other just for that night of the event. You don’t have to be friends before, during or after that event.” “It’s a little tongue in cheek, but someone once told us we’re like the one-night stand of social networks,” Harwell added. “You don’t have to get up tomorrow and have another friend or follower. You just enjoy the night and the next day all your memories are on your phone.” Les Lipski of Perrysburg had two daughters get married in 2013 and used a twine.it photo station at both receptions. “It’s definitely 10 steps above a regular photobooth,” Lipski said. “The design is very welcoming, it’s really easy to take pictures and it’s neat because everybody gets to see all the different pictures. We wouldn’t have had a lot of the pictures we got if it wasn’t for using Twine.”

Toledo Free Press photo and cover photo by michael Nemeth

Local tech startup looks to revolutionize event photography

From left, Jon Hawker, Aaron Harwell (SeATED), Ron Durbin and Julia Johnston of LOCAL startup TWINE.IT.

The best part was that those who couldn’t be at the wedding, including the family’s former exchange student, who lives in Poland, were able to follow along through photos via twine.it. “She felt like part of it and really felt like she was there,” Lipski said.

Innovative branding

Twine.it’s business model is unique, Hawker said. “We’re not just creating access to social networks. We’ve created a social network ourselves,” he said. “We’re not competing with Facebook or Twitter or Instagram; we are in between a

gap in what they can provide. It’s embracing what the current technology allows us to do in a very experiential way, where people can have fun and also create value.” The photo station is simple to set up and take down — a twisting motion folds the lighted 80-inch column into an 11-inch suitcase in a matter of seconds. It can also be personalized or branded for each event. Each photo can also be “branded” with a business logo, sponsor logo, message or hashtag, which is retained when the photos are saved or shared. “Event sponsors usually get their

name on a banner or website, but once the party’s over their name isn’t anywhere,” Harwell said. “Now their name is always going to be synonymous with that event. It’s going to be living in tons of people’s phones and pushed out to other social media as people share those photos.” Harwell tested the photo station for the first time at his high school class reunion. “I was really nervous, thinking, ‘Oh my God, I haven’t seen these people in 20 years’ and I’m bringing this thing, hoping people would like it,” Harwell said. n TWINE CONTINUES ON 7

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n TWINE CONTINUED FROM 6 “I put it on and it was insane. I said, ‘I think we’ve got something here.’” Seventy-two people downloaded the app and, within three days, the 300 photos taken were seen or shared 40,000 times. Guests at a UT sorority formal took 983 photos in four hours — one photo every 11 seconds — that were seen or shared 118,000 times,

Hawker said. The grand opening of Bar 145 in Columbus had 409 photos viewed 12,747 times. “There’s so many neat opportunities for branding externally — we can make it look like anything the client wants, but the real power ultimately I think is the ability to brand the mobile experience,” Hawker said. “This is a game-changer for fundraisers. It’s

amazing the spread of our pictures the night of and then a day or two after.”

Launch Pad

TwineLABS won a business plan competition held at UT in January 2013, earning them business development assistance from University of Toledo Innovation Enterprises. That summer, they were asked to join UT’s

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Community

A Toledo tradition since 2005 Launch Pad Incubation Program. Only about 10 percent of startups are successful, said Launch Pad Program Director Molly Reams Thompson. “That’s like Startup 101,” she said. “But we looked at Twine and thought that was a business venture that was worth the risk. “What they are doing is really cool and we’re very excited about the idea. They shift the paradigm of what a photobooth experience is all about and take social media and the photobooth to an entirely different level. But what makes us stand up and take notice of them is something far less tangible. People want to be around them. It’s inspiring. That’s what we look for in the companies we bring into our program.” Hawker said people are sometimes surprised to find out twineLABS is based in Northwest Ohio. “There’s a really neat tech scene that’s going on that people don’t know about much yet,” Hawker said. “There’s just a lot of creative things coming out of Toledo and people don’t think of Toledo that way.” “It’s kind of a Silicon Valley startup in Northwest Ohio, which is pretty cool,” Harwell said. The business currently employs six people and expects to hire more soon, Hawker said. In keeping with the startup’s fun-loving atmosphere, Harwell’s business card lists his title as “prime minister of party.” Hawker is “facilitator of fun.” Julia Johnston is “princess of partytown,” Ron Durbin is “executive of events,” Mico Cordero is “chief of campaigns” and Ashley Duvendack is “primadonna of photos.” “There is so much good stuff happening in our region,” Reams Thompson said. “Just because you’re in Toledo doesn’t mean the ideas that come out are any less valid than anywhere else. They can be just as impactful as any of the coastal cities. … We’re starting to get some traction and that’s pretty great for us. People are starting to notice.”

The beginning

After recognizing the need to intertwine the photobooth experience with social media — that’s where the name comes from — Harwell, a firefighter and paramedic with the Perrysburg Fire Department, started experimenting. Later, he enlisted Hawker, a stay-at-home-dad with a background in sales, to help him improve the app and write a better business plan. Durbin, a Toledo native and selfdescribed “serial entrepreneur,” was so impressed after talking with Hawker that he sold his corporate events business and invested in twineLABS. “It was the most innovative thing I’d seen in our industry in probably 10 years,” Durbin said.

“

There is so much

good stuff happening in our region. Just because you’re in Toledo doesn’t mean the ideas that come out are any less valid than anywhere else. They can be just as impactful as any of the coastal cities.” — Launch Pad Program Director Molly Reams Thompson Johnston, owner of a mural painting business and former Face of FOX Toledo, joined the team after answering a call for an event host. “When I received an email about the training I ignored it at first, but I really felt something say, ‘Tap, tap, go back to that email,’” Johnston said. Cordero and Duvendack are both seniors at UT majoring in sales and marketing. The team believes in keeping its business as homegrown as possible, partnering with Toledo-area companies, including Metzgers, Hanson, Elite Events and Madhouse as well as companies in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. A former Perrysburg resident now living in North Carolina developed the mobile app.

Coming soon

During April and May, twine.it plans to offer a special price of $499 for the basic photo station package. Addons like a slide show, extra iPads, digital uploading and more are also available. Franchises will be available soon, Harwell said. “It’s basically a business in a box that people can buy into and make a living from, which I think is crazy unique,” he said. Last year, twine.it partnered with Rocket Sports Properties, the sports marketing arm for UT athletics, to set up photo stations at UT men’s and women’s home basketball games. They plan to add football games this fall, Durbin said. Other upcoming plans include installing permanent photo stations at local bars and restaurants. “My vision is by the end of year the majority of people in Toledo will have this app on their phone,” Durbin said. “There’s no one on the planet doing what we’re doing.” O

On the web

visit twine.it for more information.

Community

A Toledo tradition since 2005 ToledoFreePress.com

April 20, 2014

By Sarah Ottney

Toledo Free Press Managing Editor sottney@toledofreepress.com

An eight-person jury deliberated for about two hours April 15 before finding liquor store clerk Nicholas Thompson guilty of selling alcohol to an Ottawa Hills teen whose friend was killed in an alcohol-related crash later that night. Lucas County Court of Common Pleas Judge James Bates sentenced Thompson, 38, to six months in jail, the maximum penalty possible for the misdemeanor charge. During the course of the two-day trial, Thompson was found to have sold a bottle of vodka to Blake Pappas, a then-17-year-old friend of Brian Hoeflinger, on Feb. 1, 2013, at Foxx Liquor Store on Dorr Street. Pappas, now a student at the University of Cincinnati, and another teen, Michael Geiger, now a student-athlete at Michigan State University, testified that the three friends met at Hoeflinger’s house after school, where they pooled their money and drove to Foxx Liquor to buy alcohol. All three boys, who were seniors at Ottawa Hills High School, entered the store and chose a 1.75-liter bottle of Belvedere vodka.

Pappas then purchased the liquor for about $50 without being asked for identification while Hoeflinger and Geiger browsed nearby. Hoeflinger, 18, died from injuries sustained in an alcohol-related crash later that night. However, Bates asked the jury to disregard any references in testimony to the accident or Hoeflinger’s death and focus only on the sale of the liquor. In comments to the jury after sentencing, Bates referenced Hoeflinger’s fatal crash and said some judges don’t seem to take the crime of underage sales seriously, noting that he felt the $150 fine Thompson received for a prior offense was inadequate. “It’s not much of a deterrent,” Bates said. “That’s one of the reasons I imposed this pretty harsh sentence as it relates to this case.” “This man is the source of a leak,” Lucas County Assistant Prosecutor Charles McDonald told jurors during closing remarks, referring to Thompson’s September 2012 conviction for the same offense. “The defendant is a gatekeeper in our community, [or] should be. He’s the last line of defense. … He said yes when he should have said no.” “He seems to have developed a

bad habit,” said fellow Assistant Prosecutor Louis Kountouris. McDonald and Kountouris showed jurors photos of the five employees who were working Feb. 1, 2013, concluding that “by process of elimination” the clerk who sold Pappas the alcohol had to have been Thompson. Only two employees matched the white male description given by the teens and the other man, Adam Meglitsch, testified April 14 his job was to stock shelves and he never worked the register. Meglitsch is also shorter and more than 10 years younger than Thompson. “One by one it becomes obvious, irrefutably, that the conclusion is the defendant matches the witness description. Nobody (else) comes close,” Kountouris said. Thompson’s attorney Rick Kerger argued that someone else bought the alcohol and gave it to the teens. “Records show Nick Thompson worked that night, records show he sold a bottle of Balvadere, but no records show as to whom he sold it to,” Kerger said. The buyer paid cash and surveillance footage from the store is recorded over every 10 days, so the

toledo free press photo by sarah ottney

Clerk gets six months in jail for sale of alcohol to teen

Nicholas Thompson is escorted from the courtroom on April 15.

footage from Feb. 1 was gone by the time investigators seized the shop’s digital video recorder machine April 16, 2013. Kerger also referenced the purchase of a $1.29 mini bottle of wine that appeared on the receipt with the vodka, which neither teen mentioned. “Blake tell you about that? Michael tell you about that? Nobody told you

about that. Because they didn’t buy it. Somebody they gave the money to bought it,” Kerger told the jury. McDonald scoffed at the explanation of someone else purchasing the liquor, telling jurors the teens had no reason to lie since investigators promised they would not be charged if they cooperated in the investigation. n CLERK CONTINUES ON 9

April 20, 2014

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n CLERK CONTINUED FROM 8 “Mr. Kerger has mentioned Person X — this mystery person who has never been mentioned until just now — who he claims bought the alcohol,” McDonald said during closing remarks. “Why would these two young men, bright, futures ahead of them, risk everything to fabricate a story for some unknown mystery person?” A written statement made by Thompson during the April 16, 2013, search of Foxx Liquor indicated he didn’t remember the specific Feb. 1 transaction but could have sold alcohol to Pappas without carding him because he recognized him as a regular customer. That’s “not a defense,” McDonald said. HOEFLINGER “The law in Ohio is that … if a defendant checks for an ID on a certain date and that person comes in again and that person asks for alcohol and if that person is a minor, regardless of how many times before he’s asked for his ID, the defendant is guilty,” he said. Thompson’s statement that he could have made the sale is “not proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Kerger argued. The state called five witnesses on the first day of trial. Two witnesses were called by the defense on the second day: Earl Mack, a retired Ohio Department of Public Safety agent who worked in alcohol enforcement for 26 years, and Foxx Liquor part owner Andy Jarbou. Jarbou, who was among the five employees working Feb. 1, 2013, testified that Thompson always wore a hat and glasses, facts which Kerger noted the two teens did not mention in their initial descriptions of the clerk. Jarbou also testified that after a September 2012 sting in which Thompson sold alcohol to an underage patron working undercover, he was suspended for four weeks and retrained on checking IDs. Reminders to check IDs were also posted by all registers, Jarbou said. “I don’t care how many signs Mr. Jarbou [posts],” Kountouris said during his closing remarks. “There’s signs everywhere [on the road, but] does everybody follow the signs? No.” Mack testified that when he worked as an agent he was not permitted to wear a mask during store searches or

interviews as Agent Michael Hakeos did at Foxx Liquor during the April 16, 2013, search. Thompson’s lawyers had questioned whether Hakeos, who took the stand as a witness for the state April 14, intimidated Thompson by leaving his mask on while interviewing him. During crossexamination, McDonald noted that Mack’s boss at the hotel where he now works as a part-time security officer is one of the part owners of Foxx Liquor.

Reactions

Kerger said he accepted the verdict, but questioned the judge’s sentence. “The jury didn’t accept our explanation. Their verdict is their verdict,” Kerger said. “The thing that’s odd is during the trial [Judge Bates] kept out all references to the Brian Hoeflinger crash and then he used that as the fact to enhance the sentence. Seems like if it was in for that it ought to have been in for the trial. But that was his ruling.” Hoeflinger’s parents, Brian and Cindy Hoeflinger, were in the courtroom both days along with their children. Brian said that although nothing will bring back their son, they hope the sentence will send a strong message “that institutions that sell alcohol can’t sell to minors and expect to get away with it without having consequences.” “For us it was important because it’s a first step in a chain of events that have to keep happening to stop kids from gaining access to alcohol,” Brian said. “Our son died and it was alcohol-related and we can never bring that back, but we can certainly try to stop it for the future. “It does send a message and I think the judge did want to send a message and I think the prosecutor’s office wants to send a message that this won’t be tolerated,” Brian said. Cindy said she is frustrated and heartbroken that her son and his friends were able to obtain liquor so easily. “I have a right to believe my children are not allowed to buy alcohol until they are 21. That is a law,” she said. “So I should have a reasonable expectation that my son can’t walk into a state liquor store and buy alcohol.” Foxx Liquor had its liquor license revoked in August 2013, but still sells beer and wine. Thompson still faces two additional counts of selling or furnishing alcohol to a minor stemming from separate incidents allegedly occurring at Foxx Liquor on April 12, 2013. O

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April 19 benefit dinner to aid murder victim’s six children By Danielle Stanton

Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

Friends and family of Brandi Gonyer-Boaston will host a spaghetti dinner April 19 to raise money for her six children. Gonyer-Boaston, 28, was found dead Feb. 15 and her ex-husband, Ronald Boaston, 41, is accused of killing her. Some of the money raised will cover funeral costs, but the majority will go toward supporting the couple’s blended family, said April Reidling, a friend of the family. The kids are currently staying with family, Reidling said. They range in age from 6 years old to teens. “We’re hoping to get a lot of support to help the kids and take care of the kids and get them what they need in their lives and that is what Brandi has done — she’s done for the kids,” Reidling said. “And we want to keep that going even if she’s not here in name.”

GONYER-BOASTON Hunters found Gonyer-Boaston’s body in a running vehicle parked in a Fulton County field. She had died of asphyxiation. Boaston, of 1126 Amanda Circle, is accused of strangling his ex-wife at the Amanda Circle residence on Feb. 14. “Various forms of forensic evidence implicate the defendant,” according to court documents.

Boaston was arraigned this month and bond set at $1 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 21. The spaghetti dinner costs $8 and will take place at Holland Gardens Banquet Hall, 6530 Angola Road, Holland. Doors open at 3 p.m and dinner is at 4 p.m. Donations can be dropped off at the banquet hall from noon to 3 p.m. A silent auction will take place from 4-7 p.m and a live auction starts at 6 p.m. Gonyer-Boaston was a registered nurse with Arbors at Waterville. She loved to read, according to her obituary, but the loves of her life were her children, Reidling said. “Her kids were her life,” she said. “All six of them. Everything she did she did for her kids.” “It’s a shocking situation. [The family is] doing the best that they can in the situation. The big question is ‘Why?’ That’s the big question.” Donations can be made to the Brandi Gonyer-Boaston Benefit Account at any PNC Bank branch. O

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For the birds By Sarah Ottney TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAR MANAGING EDITOR sottney@toledofreepress.com

Birds become the stars each spring in Northwest Ohio during the Biggest Week in American Birding, an annual migration of birdwatchers who flock to the area to witness the annual migration of warblers. Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) will put out a welcome mat for visitors and area residents alike with two free birdthemed exhibits. “In Fine Feather: Birds, Art & Science,” on display April 25 through July 6 in TMA’s Gallery 18, will explore the intersection of natural science and art, featuring illustrations by John James Audubon, John Gould, Roger Tory Peterson, David Allen Sibley and more. “Venetian Glass Birds: Lino Tagliapietra,” which opened March 28 at the Glass Pavilion and runs through June 22, features blown-glass birds in the distinctive style of the Italian master artist. The Biggest Week in American Birding is set for May 6-15. For more information, visit biggestweekin americanbirding.com.

In Fine Feather

“In Fine Feather” will feature 45 works, including hand-colored engravings, etchings, lithographs, watercolors and books. The oldest is a reproduction of a 13th–century manuscript on falconry often cited as the earliest illustrated book about birds, said curator Paula Reich, TMA’s head of interpretative projects and managing editor. There are also illustrations from the late Renaissance and the 17th and 18th centuries as well as field guides produced in the 19th century. “The exhibit shows the importance of art to the field of ornithology,” Reich said. “The artwork was created so people could see what these birds looked like, but they’ve really kind of transcended that scientific purpose to become these beautiful works of art.” Seven of the pieces are from TMA’s collection. The rest are loans from local collectors, libraries and organizations, including The Toledo Club, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Bowling Green State University and the Ohio Historical Society. Five watercolors by Peterson recently acquired by TMA will be on display for the first time. Peterson is widely considered “the father of the modern field guide” and has had a

April 20, 2014

A Toledo tradition since 2005 ToledoFreePress.com

major influence on the fields of ornithology and ecology, Reich said. Also featured will be three watercolors on loan from Sibley, author of “The Sibley Guide to Birds.” The exhibit will also include a videotaped interview with internationally renowned birding expert Kenn Kaufman, who lives in Northwest Ohio, talking about Peterson’s impact on the study of birds and his influence on Kaufman’s own life. The sole overlap between “In Fine Feather” and TMA’s last bird exhibit, 2012’s “For the Birds,” will be Audubon’s illustration “The Passenger Pigeon,” Reich said. “The first one was largely from the museum’s collection and it was more of a general celebration of images of birds,” Reich said. “This one is taking a little more historical approach, looking at the study of birds and images made with a purpose in mind.”

Venetian Glass Birds

The 21 pieces featured in “Venetian Glass Birds” showcase examples from three of Tagliapietra’s recent bird-themed series, said Jutta-Annette Page, TMA’s curator of glass and decorative arts. A large installation in the center of the gallery called “Ala” explores the stylized shapes of birds in flight. “Petra” depicts birds perching or roosting while “Fenice” showcases the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, symbolizing rebirth. “The birds are very abstract, very beautiful and very colorful,” Page said. “The techniques he’s using are centuries old.” Tagliapietra, 80, who grew up in Venice and still lives there, began learning the traditional Venetian method when he was 11. He was one of the first artists to bring the technique to the United States, where he has been influential to generations of artists, Page said. “He’s very much adored as a master of art. There are very elaborate techniques only he knows how to do,” she said. “He’s really unsurpassed in his ability.” The idea for the show came last fall when Page noticed one of Tagliapietra’s glass birds in the back room of a Chicago gallery. “He’s working now more intently on the theme of birds, which fit very nicely with our celebration of the songbird migration in our area,” Page said. “It was a great opportunity and the timing was just right.”

TMA celebrates Biggest Week in American Birding.

Visitors don’t need to be bird lovers or glass artists to enjoy the exhibition, Page said. “They are inherently beautiful, each one,” she said. “But of course the artists in the studio are mesmerized by the sheer craftsmanship and tremendous skill that goes into making each one of these.”

Inside/Outside Tour

TMA has also partnered with the Nature Conservancy of Ohio to offer a free Inside/Outside Birding and Nature Tour at 1 p.m. May 18. Participants will explore birds seen in the exhibition with Kaufman and then explore the plants and birdlife in TMA’s sculpture garden with Terry Seidel, director of land acquisition for the Nature Conservancy. The tour is free, but space is limited and registration is required. Register by calling (419) 255-8000, ext. 7432. The museum is located at 2445 Monroe St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday and closed Monday and major holidays. Admission is free. Parking is free for members and $5 for nonmembers. For more information, call (419) 2558000 or visit toledomuseum.org. O

ON THE COVER: “The Passenger Pigeon,” Plate 62 of “Birds of America,” by John James Audubon, 1829. ABOVE: “Petra” by Lino Tagliapieta. PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION COURTESY TMA

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Paul Mitchell School plans Eco Fashion Show By Ashley Streichert Toledo Free Press STAR Staff Writer star@toledofreepress.com

Mixing fashion and beauty with environmental awareness, the Paul Mitchell The School Toledo in Sylvania is gearing up for its first community outreach program. The beauty school will host an Eco-Fun Fashion Show on April 26, displaying its students’ creative abilities using a plethora of recycled goods in an effort to inform guests about the importance of going green. As for the school, the trendy spot sits on Monroe Street in Sylvania and houses an aesthetically appealing set of classrooms, beauty stations and merchandise for prospective stylists to hone their crafts. It opened in September and offers students a 1,500-hour cosmetology program covering instruction for hair, skin and nails design. O’NEILL In addition, Paul Mitchell School offers services to clients in the community ranging from haircuts to manicures at a fraction of the cost offered at professional salons. The eco-friendly fashion show directly reflects Paul Mitchell’s company initiative in going green, which is represented in its products and practices. “Our CEO John Paul DeJoria believes that we need to pay rent for our place on Earth,” Ashlee Harris, the school’s admissions leader, explained. Everything used in the exhibit is created from reusable goods. For example, a group of students is working on a dress created from recycled soda bottles. “Preparation for the Eco-FUN Fashion Show has been a lot of fun, but also challenging,” said Corey Robinson, a future professional at Paul Mitchell. “I have enjoyed stretching my creative limits and discovering how I can marry my craft of hairdressing with a

Go Green initiative behind it.” In addition, to prevent waste the team will not use paper programs or tickets. All of the information for the show will be displayed on the school’s television monitors located around the building. “Our goal is to have zero overhead,” Harris said. “We are not buying anything new for the show.” Harris explained that a number of local businesses donated items for the show including plants, moss and plastic. The school’s staff is also looking forward to teaching guests ways to incorporate the green initiative into their own lives, by providing tips and tricks to cut down on their carbon footprints. Furthermore, Harris hopes the upcoming fashion show will inform the community about the school’s offerings and open the door for partnerships. One way community businesses and individuals can get involved with the fashion show is through the vendors’ room. Interested vendors may rent a table and two chairs for $25, allowing locals to sell their products and promote their services. This opportunity is open to everyone. If interested, contact the school at (419) 885-5191. Meanwhile, Lauren O’Neill, director of business development and marketing for Findley Wise Wealth Management, will host the night’s activities. As owner of fashion blog mypinmoneyfashion.com, O’Neill, a Toledo Free Press contributor, will use her style prowess to highlight the students’ unique designs. And as an added bonus, she is a Sylvania native and Bowling Green State University graduate. The Eco-Fun Fashion Show takes place at 7:30 p.m. April 26 at Paul Mitchell The School Toledo, 5549 Monroe St., in Sylvania. Doors open at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $10, with $15 tickets available at the door. For your spot on the runway and more information about the night’s festivities, contact Ashlee Harris at (419) 885-5191 ext. 1003 or ashleeh@toledo.paulmitchell.edu. O

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LEDISI

Ledisi to bring her upbeat show to Stranahan Theater By Vicki L. Kroll Toledo Free Press STAR Staff Writer vkroll@toledofreepress.com

On her new disc, Ledisi sings, “Give me a mic and I’ll rock it.” Or give her a phone. The R&B star’s enthusiasm is contagious, almost as catchy as her songs on “The Truth.” She took a break from tour rehearsal in Atlanta to talk about the CD released March 11. “I had to let go of a big relationship, and instead of feeling bad about it — I went through that stage — I felt really good because I felt renewed, like I had a new person I was finding out about and doing things I had never done. So instead of singing sad, slow love songs about letting go, I wanted everything to be upbeat,” Ledisi said. “Then I started noticing that I was getting the love I deserve from people and just even people noticing me. I didn’t know that I let myself feel so low, then I got higher because I started paying attention to me.” Songwriters and producers Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony noticed. “When I started working on the song that became ‘I Blame You’ with Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony, Claude said, ‘You look good! What is going on with you?’ ” Ledisi recalled and laughed. “I’m just happier. The fact that he could tell, I said, ‘I think we should write a song about blaming someone else for that happiness.’ ” The exuberant hit, “I Blame You,” opens the disc and includes a nod to Lionel Richie, name-dropping “Dancing on the Ceiling” in the chorus. “Rock With You” pays tribute to another favorite, Dionne Warwick, with Ledisi singing, “I say a little prayer for you.” “I like to keep the spirituality

throughout and sneak it in. It’s a big part of it for me, and having fun and referencing the people before me,” she said. Empowering women also is high on the list for the soul singer. “I just want women to feel lifted, that they can actually say what’s wrong or what’s right, for the man to give the love they deserve, yes, all the time. Or just be brave and just live and work hard for that happiness. Nothing is perfect, but always exude that confidence of wanting the best and acquiring it for yourself and others around you. “I’m very direct and fun and sassy and playful,” Ledisi said. “And it doesn’t matter which size or curves, hairstyle — none of that matters. It’s about how you stand for yourself. And I can’t wait to show that on stage.” Since releasing her 2000 debut, New Orleans native Ledisi Anibade Young has shown up on the charts with “Alright,” “In the Morning,” “Goin’ Thru Changes,” “Pieces of Me” and “Stay Together.” And the Grammy-nominated artist has scored high-profile fans, performing six times at the White House for Barack and Michelle Obama. “Every time I see them, I’m amazed and I come outside of my body sometimes, like, oh my God, this is the president of the United States, the first lady, you’re talking to casually about music, what’s the best Stevie Wonder song? I mean, literally, we’re sitting here talking and it’s so surreal. But they’re really just so down to earth that you forget sometimes and then you remember as you’re leaving,” she said and laughed. Ledisi will bring “The Truth Tour” with special guest the Robert Glasper Experiment to Stranahan Theater at 7:30 p.m. April 22. Tickets range from $29.50 to $49.50. O

14 Star

A Toledo tradition since 2005 ToledoFreePress.com

April 20, 2014

LGBT community welcomes Legends and Mojo, bids farewell to OUTSKiRTS, Ripcord, Blush

s the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The Toledo LGBT community is undergoing some major changes within its social scene at three local bars. Toledo’s only lesbian bar, OUTSKiRTS, will close for good May 17, leaving a void in Toledo and the surrounding area. The next closest lesbian bar is Stilettos, in Inkster, Mich. OUTSKiRTS opened July 19, 2008, on Laskey Road in the building that once housed Gilda’s lesbian bar. Gilda’s had a three-and-a-half year run before OUTSKiRTS moved in. In July of 2011 OUTSKiRTS moved to its current location at 5040 Lewis Ave. in West Toledo. Owners Lexi Staples and her mother, Johanna Staples, said they are proud of their six-year run with OUTSKiRTS but they are ready to move onto other ventures. Lexi and her partner are planning to get married and want to have a baby this year. Recently, Lexi was hired by the Collingwood Arts Center as office manager and events coordinator and she still serves as the president for Toledo Pride Foundation and is director of Pride Center 419. Best of luck to Lexi as she continues to serve the local LGBT community with a spirit that is unmatched. We thank you for OUTSKiRTS and all the fun times that created many memories and friendships. Back in February, the Ripcord bar at 115 N. Erie St. and connecting

Blush Showbar were sold by owner Terry Hymore. New management is now in place until all the legalities are finalized and the new management takes ownership. Major changes are underway to revamp and rename both bars as they remain gay establishments. On March 29, Blush Showbar threw a farewell party ending its fouryear run as Toledo’s only drag club. It was announced at the closing that the new name will be Legends Showclub and it will continue on as a drag performer venue. Rick Many exciting things are planned for this new contemporary club, which is upscale, inviting and warm. The club is decorated in hot pink against a black background, with all new tables with black leather padded seats, chrome accent lighting focused on the new stone bar top, new dressing rooms for the performers, newly remodeled restrooms and updated sound and lighting systems.

New bartenders Brent Rabie and J.R. Jones are young and energetic faces ready to welcome the new customers who will make this the premier drag venue in Northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. The showclub also features new televisions, allowing video enhancement capabilities for the performers, club TV and movie nights plus a house DJ. Once a month Legends will offer Racy, Raunchy Drag Queen Bingo with all proceeds going to a local charity. A new selection of draft craft beers and margaritas “on tap” have been added, plus specialty cocktails inspired by the legendary Marilyn Monroe. Legends Showclub opened to the public April 10 with a big grand opening weekend featuring entertainers from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” TV show. Legends will be open Thursday through Saturday evenings from 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. with shows starting at 11 p.m. presenting national, regional

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and local drag entertainers. Sunday evenings will feature an early show at 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m. Reservations are accepted for large groups by calling (567) 315-8333 and there is usually no cover charge except for special events and fundraisers. Now that Blush has been revamped into Legends, the new management will start to focus on transforming Ripcord into a new bar named Mojo. The next phase of the renovation will concentrate on the patio area, giving it a face-lift just in time for summer. Both bars will receive new fronts, giving them much-needed curb appeal that they currently lack. By midsummer they plan to close the Ripcord side and start a heavy renovation to update the dark and outdated bar. Once completed, the new complex will be the hot spot in Toledo for the LGBT community and allies. With growing mainstream acceptance of LGBT people, gay bars not only in Toledo but around the world are quickly vanishing from a culture that once heavily depended on them as their only social outlet with other LGBT people. A sluggish economy and smoking bans have hurt the gay bar scene. The Internet, cellphones and all the other social media outlets today have also contributed to the gay bar slump. Young gays and lesbians today feel less threatened going into straight bars with allies and socializing beyond the gay bar scene.

Besides Legends Showclub and Ripcord becoming Mojo, Toledo currently has two other bars serving the LGBT community. Bretz at 2012 Adams St. opened in 1987 and is Toledo’s oldest gay bar still in operation. R House bar at 5534 Secor Road in West Toledo opened in 1995 and operates seven days a week. Uptown in Bowling Green goes gay every Tuesday night with drag performances. The number of Toledo gay bars peaked in the early 1970s and many have come and gone over the years, including Caesar’s, Box Office, Key West, Scaramouche, Old Plantation, Silver Slipper, Westgate Lounge, Joshua’s, Gay Pussy Cat, Pendulum, Scenic, Copacabana, Twilight Zone, Club 1901, Blendz, Club Distractions, Warehouse, Club Escape, Blu Jeans, Hooterville, Ivanhoe, Rustler, Club Bable’on, Fascination, Madison Bistro, Camelot, Seahorse and the very short-lived Adamz Lounge that opened last year and closed within three months. Legends Showclub and Mojo will be a breath of fresh air for the local LGBT community and we welcome you! For the latest news on Legends Showclub and the progress of Mojo, follow them on Facebook. O Rick Cornett is a historian, activist and promoter of the Toledo LGBT community serving on the Holiday with Heart Charity and Toledo Pride committees.

April 20, 2014

ToledoFreePress.com

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