Alexandra Mester
The Toledo Blade
Toledo, OH, United States
Contact Alexandra
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Alexandra:
Erie Township man sentenced to 7 years in prison for fatal bar fight
An Erie Township, Mich., man was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday for his role in a fatal January bar fight. Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge Gary Cook also ordered Carl Wimpey, Jr., 37, be placed on post-release control for three years after his release. Wimpey was found guilty in October of felonious assault in the death of Daniel Vasquez, 59, after a Jan. 31 fight at Brew Ha’s… → Read More
Toledo owner of emaciated dog charged with felony animal cruelty
A Toledo man accused of leaving a severely emaciated dog chained on a back porch appeared Thursday in Toledo Municipal Court. Bond was set at $5,000 for Ralph Neal, Jr., 31, of the 300 block of Palmer Street, who is facing a felony charge of animal cruelty. He was appointed a public defender, and a preliminary hearing is rescheduled for Oct. 4. The Toledo Area Humane Society on Aug. 30 seized a… → Read More
TPD officer avoids jail time for causing December crash
A Toledo police officer was sentenced to probation Thursday for seriously injuring a woman when he drove his cruiser 31 miles per hour above the speed limit, ran a red light, and crashed into her car. Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Linda Jennings sentenced Officer Mohamad Nasser, 29, to 360 days in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio — all suspended. He was also ordered to spend one year… → Read More
Perrysburg celebrates summer's last hurrah at Harrison Rally Day
In one last gasp of community summer fun, hundreds of people Saturday packed downtown Perrysburg for the 29th annual Harrison Rally Day. Organized by the Perrysburg Area Chamber of Commerce and presented by Mercy Health, the event commemorates a rally held in the 1800s in the city for William Henry Harrison, a northwest Ohio frontiersman and the ninth president of the United States who later… → Read More
Woman accused of starving dog appears in court
A Toledo woman accused of leaving a dog to starve to death appeared Friday in Toledo Municipal Court on a felony charge for animal cruelty. Arraignment for Tyrice Harkins, 31, was continued to Oct. 4. She was arrested Thursday on an outstanding warrant issued June 12. A $2,500 surety bond, which was posted Thursday, was also continued. Her attorney, Larry DiLabbio, did not return a phone call… → Read More
Toledo Zoo gorilla gives birth to stillborn baby after complication
Even when everything looks perfect, nature sometimes takes a turn. A western lowland gorilla at the Toledo Zoo gave birth to a stillborn baby Friday. Keepers discovered 16-year-old Sufi Bettine carrying the deceased male infant early that morning. Dr. Adolf Maas, director of veterinary medicine and nutrition at the zoo, said the umbilical cord became tangled in a knot during the birth, which cut… → Read More
Wildlife rehab center caring for rare albino cardinal
WHITEHOUSE — Lucas County has a songbird of a different color. The Nature's Nursery Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Education south of Whitehouse is caring for a young albino cardinal. The bird is primarily white with some peach coloring in its wings and tail along with red eyes. The fledgling arrived at the center Aug. 28 after being caught by a dog in Toledo. Fortunately,… → Read More
Reward boosted to $15,000 in case of puppy kicked to death
Photo from Toledo Area Humane Society of the 3-month-old female puppy rescued by a good Samaritan on May 25. She was being kicked by a group of children and died from her injuries. The reward for information in the May beating death of a puppy has soared to $15,000. Stephen Heaven, president of the Toledo Area Humane Society, said an anonymous donor added another $5,000 to the reward fund… → Read More
Almost 1,000 pay respects to woman killed during pizza delivery
Mourners filled every seat, crowded all possible standing areas, and waited in the sun to say farewell to Sadari Knighten on Wednesday outside the House of Day Funeral Service in central Toledo. The 28-year-old Happy’s Pizza employee was robbed and shot once in the chest June 5 after making a pizza delivery to a residence in the 800 block of Hoag Street. She died at ProMedica Toledo Hospital.… → Read More
New Toledo murals showcase partnership between students, community
Two murals are the newest splashes of color in the Glass City to showcase an ongoing partnership that provides experience for student artists and beautifies troubled Toledo neighborhoods. Gordon Ricketts, a senior lecturer in the Bowling Green State University School of Art, has cooperated with local organizations annually since 2010 to host a two-week student art workshop for course credit. “We… → Read More
Humane society offers $5K reward for information in puppy's death
The Toledo Area Humane Society is offering a $5,000 cash reward for information after a puppy was badly beaten and died from her injuries. Stephen Heaven, president and chief executive of the humane society, said a Good Samaritan on Friday saw a group of kids kicking and abusing the 3-month-old black and brown dog in an alley off Dorr Street in the 43604 ZIP code. The person intervened and took… → Read More
Lambertville dog receives national honor
LAMBERTVILLE, Mich. — Jig has absolutely no idea he was just honored with a national award, nor that he’s in the running for a second national title. “I tell him, but I don’t think he cares,” owner Tracy Spader of Lambertville said. The 11½-year-old black Labrador retriever is far more interested in relaxing. It’s a pastime the retired military working dog has more than earned the right to… → Read More
Tamaron Country Club golf course won't open this season
The new owners of the Tamaron Country Club say the Alexis Road golf course will not open this season for the first time in 92 years and likely won’t open next year either. Doug Dymarkowski of Drewso Ltd., a five-man private investment group that took control of Tamaron in March, said delays in getting the title as well as other factors led to the decision as the group considers how to redevelop… → Read More
Baby on the way for Toledo Zoo gorilla Sufi
Her hairy belly pressed against sturdy steel mesh, Sufi Bettine ate piece after piece of fruit while she waited for her exam to finish Thursday morning. The 16-year-old western lowland gorilla took no interest in the fuzzy, black-and-white image on a nearby screen. But the ultrasound technician watched closely as a small head, spine, and other features appeared. Sufi is pregnant, on track to… → Read More
Rhino named Aashish arrives at Toledo zoo
OBJECTThe Glass City can once again be called home for a rhinoceros. Aashish, a 3 1/2-year-old Indian rhino, arrived Thursday afternoon at the Toledo Zoo. He came here from the Wilds, a nearly 10,000-acre conservation center near Cumberland, Ohio — east of Columbus — under the umbrella of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The Toledo Zoo had been without a rhino since Sam, an elderly southern white… → Read More
Dog reunited with family 4 years after running away from home
When Bradley Wieferich of Lansing, Mich., first listened to the voicemail someone left him about a found dog Friday, he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. “I actually thought it was a prank phone call,” he said. A dog named Bambi who went missing four years ago in Lansing, Mich., was reunited with her family Saturday. Toledo police found her Friday and took her to the county shelter, where… → Read More
Toledo Zoo to acquire Indian rhino
CUMBERLAND, Ohio — Bouncing down a gravel road in the back of a pickup truck, Toledo Zoo staff squinted in the glaring sun as they approached a group of buildings set into a small valley. “Is that him?” one of the five asked, spying a large creature calmly standing in an outdoor pen attached to one of the buildings. “No, that’s a white rhino,” another responded. Representatives from the Toledo… → Read More
Rescued cougars go on exhibit at Toledo Zoo
Three rescued cougar cubs have come a long way since arriving at the Toledo Zoo seven months ago. The trio will go on exhibit for the first time Wednesday near Tiger Terrace. They have packed on the pounds and are far more wildcat than kitten nowadays. One of the rescued cougar cubs that are going on exhibit tomorrow at the Toledo Zoo. “They’re really starting to look like adults,” Michael… → Read More
Felony animal cruelty charge dropped in case of frozen dog
A man who left his dog outside to freeze to death on a central Toledo porch accepted a plea deal Friday allowing him to avoid a felony charge and jail time. Victor Vallejo, Sr., 41, pleaded no contest and was found guilty on a reduced charge of attempting to commit an offense, a first-degree misdemeanor, while in Toledo Municipal Court. Four additional misdemeanor animal cruelty charges were… → Read More
Toledo Zoo welcomes new orangutan
A new primate at the Toledo Zoo is being shy for now, but keepers are working to draw out the playful personality they know he has. Denda, a 15-year-old Bornean orangutan, arrived Wednesday from the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, N.Y. He has taken up residence in the bachelor pad once occupied by J.J., an elderly male who died of heart failure last summer, and can be seen by visitors if he… → Read More