Nicki Gorny
The Toledo Blade
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Past articles by Nicki:
Celebration of lights, lanterns returns to Toledo Zoo
More than 90,000 people strolled the zoo by the light of giant silk-covered lanterns in October, 2017. As Luminous Nights opens for its second season in Toledo, zoo officials are expecting an even bigger crowd to come by for date nights, family outings, and more. “It went very well,” Shayla Bell Moriarty, communications director for the zoo, said of the first year’s response. “We had to bring an… → Read More
Jewish students at BG, UT celebrate Sukkot as a community
If the first hints of fall evoke apple-picking for some and a high school football game for others, then for Hannah Kramer, 20, it’s a picnic-style meal in her family’s sukkah. “A lot of people have fall traditions that they do,” Miss Kramer said. “My thing is Sukkot. I have very early memories of sitting outside and eating dinner.” From left: Hannah Loeser, Dillion Overmeyer, Joe Meyer, Jacob… → Read More
CedarCreek comes home to Oregon campus
CedarCreek Church opened its sixth and latest campus in Oregon earlier this month, and, as he walked guests through the facility at a dedication and ribbon-cutting, Luke Shortridge, the church’s executive director of campuses, admitted that he was particularly excited for the new location. He grew up attending services and youth activities there, he explained to tour-goers who peeked into the… → Read More
Bishop Thomas weighs in on Vatican controversy
Bishop Daniel Thomas speaks during an interview at the Diocese of Toledo in Toledo on Monday. The Blade/Kurt Steiss Enlarge | Buy This Image Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas weighed in Friday on a sex abuse scandal gripping the Vatican, standing with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in calling for a thorough investigation into allegations that top church officials knew about accusations… → Read More
Medicine people continue ancient Native American traditions
Deborah Ayres knew, on some level, that it was a bizarre interaction with a stranger. “We were standing there next to each other, and I was taking note of him, because he had this incredible energy. And he looked at me and said, ‘Are you ready?’” “The normal response when you’re hearing a story like that is, ‘For what?’” she said, thinking back with a laugh on the interaction that served as her… → Read More
Barn raising comes naturally for Metamora church
A barn isn’t a conventional worship space. But for a rural faith community that revels in its unconventionality, it’s just what the pastor ordered. “We intentionally wanted it to be a barn, not a church building. The architecture was important to us,” the Farmhouse Pastor Tyler Kleeberger said of his congregation’s construction plans in Metamora, Ohio. “The basic premise for it is going to be… → Read More
Jehovah's Witnesses topical theme for Toledo convention
Whenever Ricquel Campbell is feeling anxious, she turns to Isaiah 41:10. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you,” she recited. “Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you. I will hold onto you with my right hand of righteousness.” It’s not uncommon for religious adherents to look to their faith as a source of comfort and courage, as Ms. Campbell of Toledo does… → Read More
No ticket required: Area churches find theaters have right amenities for worship
You pick your way through the movie theater to the best seat in the house, sink comfortably into the cushions and, maybe, prop your feet on the hard plastic back of the unoccupied chair in front of you. The lights are dimmed. You’re ready for the feature to begin. And then it does — a little less Jurassic World, a little more Jesus Christ. If you head to the Cinemark at the Town Center at Levis… → Read More
Eid al-Fitr draws thousands to SeaGate Convention Centre in downtown Toledo
Prayers gave way to a party-like atmosphere Friday at the SeaGate Convention Centre, where an estimated 5,000 Muslims gathered to celebrate Eid al-Fitr — the celebratory culmination of Ramadan. Men, women, and children — many looking smart in new clothes or accessories, in line with holiday tradition — began drifting into the convention center shortly after 9 a.m., with greetings of “Eid… → Read More
Fun close to home: You don't need to travel far to find adventure
There’s no excuse for boredom in northwest Ohio, where summertime dishes up a wide variety of recreation, relaxation, and high-speed thrills. For the latter, check out Cedar Point’s newest roller coaster, Steel Vengeance, which opens this season. Whether you’re into sports or museums, concerts or long strolls through the woods, you’ll be able to find somewhere to go and something to do all… → Read More
Three area men share their arrival to priesthood
It’s not so much the practical elements of the job that attracted Kyle Gase to the priesthood. A self-described introvert, he’s spent his years in seminary, in small part, overcoming an aversion to the sort of public speaking that’s a pretty routine part of the vocation. For he and others who commit themselves in this way to the Roman Catholic Church, it’s often a different consideration that… → Read More
Demolition of Toledo's St. Anthony Church to begin in June
The steeple of St. Anthony Church is a landmark along Nebraska Avenue. The Blade/Kurt Steiss Enlarge | Buy This Image Demolition of St. Anthony Catholic Church is expected to begin in June, according to the Diocese of Toledo. The diocese announced late last year that it planned to raze the long vacant church, whose towering steeple has been a landmark along Nebraska Avenue in Toledo for more… → Read More
Churches recognize ability to speak in tongues as a divine gift
I say Pentecostal. You say speaking in tongues. It’s the sort of deeply rooted association that local pastors acknowledge, even as they stress that there’s much more to Pentecostalism than this one evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit. But, admittedly, this one evidence can raise eyebrows, particularly among those whose religious experiences do not typically encompass the quiet prayers and… → Read More
Faith leaders to hold vigil, present 'Choose Life' petition at ProMedica
Capital Care Network in Toledo, northwest Ohio's last remaining abortion clinic. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Buy This Image Bishop Daniel Thomas will join other faith and community leaders in a peaceful prayer vigil at ProMedica headquarters, 100 Madison Ave., at 11 a.m. Saturday. They will present a “Choose Life” petition to the hospital’s board of directors, urging them to reconsider… → Read More
What lies beneath: Exhibit gives realistic look at human body
Dr. Angelina Whalley, president and CEO of the Institute for Plastination, talks about the male reproduction system at Body Worlds RX: Prescriptions for Healthy Living at Imagination Station in Toledo. The Blade/Lori King Enlarge | Buy This Image Imagine looking out at a picturesque landscape. Now imagine looking at a photograph of it. Not the same in a recreation, right? Dr. Angelina Whalley… → Read More
What lies beneath: Exhibit gives realistic look at human body
Dr. Angelina Whalley, president and CEO of the Institute for Plastination, talks about the male reproduction system at Body Worlds RX: Prescriptions for Healthy Living at Imagination Station in Toledo. The Blade/Lori King Enlarge | Buy This Image Imagine looking out at a picturesque landscape. Now imagine looking at a photograph of it. Not the same in a recreation, right? Dr. Angelina Whalley… → Read More
Life lessons: Wisdom from local mothers
Modern Moms Mother’s Day traces its roots to 1908, when Anna Jarvis of West Virginia initially proposed a day to honor perhaps the most important women in our lives. Within a decade, by 1914, Congress established Mother’s Day as a national observance on the second Sunday in May. But mothers of the past look quite a bit different than the mothers of today: The average age of a first-time mother… → Read More
He said, She said: What gender is God?
When the Rev. Sam Buehrer is in the pulpit at Sylvania United Church of Christ, he makes a point to pay attention to his pronouns — particularly the ones he uses in reference to God. “We do our best not to use ‘He,’ ” the pastor said. Instead he might opt for a more generic term, falling back on a nongendered “God,” for example, when it makes sense in context. When it doesn’t, he might instead… → Read More
Toledo Muslim Community Center to move into former Armory Church
A new religious community is set to move into the facility formerly occupied by the Armory Church, which lost ownership of the property in a foreclosure earlier this year. The Toledo Muslim Community Center is under contract to purchase the property at 3319 Nebraska Ave., for its appraised value of $925,000, according to spokesman Zeinab Khalil. The Armory Church, located at 3319 Nebraska Ave.,… → Read More
Local pastors find tablets still have place in sermons
You hope everything goes smoothly on Sunday morning, but, inevitably, something goes awry. Something like, say, the printer. When you’re in the practice in printing off the sermon notes you reference at the pulpit, a wonky printer can really throw a wrench in things, as Pastor Jeff Lavalette came to appreciate in 2011. “I ran out of paper or I ran out of ink. I forget what it was,” the pastor… → Read More