Local News

• Protection-order homicide case returns to Mansfield Municipal Court for preliminary hearing

  Five days after a magistrate denied her protection order, Gaberien Clevenger was stabbed to death; Alec Blair's preliminary hearing opens in Mansfield.

• Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in former Richland County jail guard's trial over Alex Rios's 2019 death

  With no verdict after three days, whether former jail guard Mark Cooper is responsible for Alex Rios's 2019 death remains unanswered, with a retrial possible.

• Mansfield council approves $156K federal grant for fire department staffing, training and equipment

  A third consecutive year of federal funding will help cover the overtime that keeps enough firefighters on Mansfield’s engines and trucks.

• Mansfield YMCA fall youth sports registration closes Sept. 27 as Phase One sports complex nears completion

  Nonmembers have only Sept. 21–27 to register for fall soccer, swim, dance, tumbling, and karate; miss it and your child sits out the season that ends Nov. 21.

• Mansfield water system under strain: boil advisory lifted but emergency repairs continue

  Paxford Place residents faced a three-day boil advisory after an emergency water main repair, and the city has not said what broke or how it will be funded.

• NECIC's 36,000-square-foot impact center plan anchors North End engagement

  North End job seekers can get staffing help now at the reopened Springmill Street office, ahead of the planned 36,000-square-foot Community Impact Center.

• Main Street project hits final stretch as downtown Mansfield braces for Final Friday crowds

  The 83% complete project still targets an Oct. 31 finish, but downtown storefronts that endured detours face open questions about who pays for the renewal.

• Closed-door pay talks and auto-title overtime at Richland County board raise accountability questions

  Richland County commissioners approved building-maintenance overtime from auto-title fees with no recorded vote, then discussed pay in closed session.

• Gorman-Rupp pilot tackles the hidden cost of employee caregiving

  The Mansfield pump maker is testing voluntary caregiver resources for workers, not schedule, pay, or leave changes, as 54% of Ohio caregivers also hold jobs.

• Federal child sexual abuse material sentence puts 51-year-old Mansfield man away for nine years

  The Mansfield man was messaging an undercover agent he believed was a 13-year-old girl, and had a prior child pornography conviction in Canada.

• Ohio property-tax cap fight escalates — what it could mean for Richland County homeowners

  The proposed amendment would cap annual taxable-value growth on owner-occupied homes at inflation or 3%; Richland County’s preliminary values rose about 28%.

• Habitat for Humanity seeks contractor for two high-performance homes in Shelby and Crestline

  Proposals are due Oct. 7 for the two high-efficiency builds, the first in a four-home push local builders can bid on.