Peterson beats Peyton Manning for MVP

Photo Courtesy: Andy King/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS -- Adrian Peterson's sensational season following major knee surgery has earned him The Associated Press 2012 NFL Most Valuable Player Award.

Earlier Saturday, Peterson won Offensive Player of the Year.

The Minnesota Vikings running back finished with 2,019 yards, a mere 9 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson's rushing record. Peterson beat out Peyton Manning, who in his first season as Denver's quarterback contended for a fifth MVP trophy. Manning's four are a record.

Peterson received 30 1-2 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Manning got the other 19 1-2 votes.

Peterson led the Vikings from a 3-13 mark to 10-6 and a wild-card playoff berth. He is the first running back to win MVP since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.

Peterson accepted his award at the "2nd Annual NFL Honors" show on CBS saluting the NFL's best players, performances and plays from the 2012 season.

The Associated Press

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Medina Police: Missing girl, 15; boyfriend, 22, found

MEDINA -- Police say missing juvenile Jessica Kollar, 15, and Maxwell Leibsla, 22,  have been located and are in custody in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Police say they are safe and unharmed and their families have been notified.

The pair were tracked by Medina police detectives to Akron, Miami, Fla. and finally to Lake Worth, Fla.

Medina Detectives Amy Kerr and Mary Gross have been investigating the pair's disappearance and located them in Lake Worth.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies took the pair into custody earlier Saturday.

Both face charges in Florida and Medina County.

This story began Jan. 25 when Medina police asked the public for help in locating the couple.

They said Kollar, 15 was last seen by her family Jan. 17. She had talked with friends and saids she is OK but did not say where she was.

Police said her family thought she may be with Maxwell Leibsla, 22, and that they may be in Miami.

WKYC-TV

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Irving's 35 pace Cavaliers over Thunder

CLEVELAND -- Kyrie Irving scored 35 points, including 13 in the final 2:52, as the Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-110 on Saturday night. 

 One night after saying he was "disinterested" during a loss in Detroit, Irving was simply spectacular down the stretch. He single-handedly closed out one of the NBA's best teams, making his last five shots and showing why he's an All-Star at 20. Irving's biggest shot was a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to make it 113-108. 

 Kevin Durant scored 32 points and Russell Westbrook had 28 for the Thunder, who came in 35-11 and with the league's best road record. Durant left briefly in the third quarter with an apparent back injury. 

Marreese Speights scored 21 points, including eight straight in the fourth when Cleveland's reserves opened a lead.

The Associated Press

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Washington, Cheadle win early NAACP Image Awards

Photo Courtesy: Getty Images/Kevin Winter

LOS ANGELES -- Kerry Washington and Don Cheadle are among the early winners at the NAACP Image Awards.

Washington picked up the trophy for supporting actress in a motion picture for "Django Unchained" at the 44th annual ceremony Friday.

Washington was also presented with NAACP President's Award, which is given in recognition of special achievement and exceptional public service.

Don Cheadle won the trophy for outstanding actor in a comedy series for his role as a slick management consultant in "House of Lies."

Denzel Washington won as outstanding actor in a motion picture for "Flight," while Viola Davis won as outstanding actress in a motion picture for "Won't Back Down."

The Image Awards are presented annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the group's members select the winners.

The Associated Press

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City: West Side Market could be open Feb. 12

CLEVELAND -- City officials signed a $276,000 contract with Mentor-based RestorX MD to clean up the fire damage at the West Side Market.

City Hall spokeswoman tells WKYC's Tom Beres that the company will move equipment in Saturday and begin cleaning on Sunday.

They expect to have it cleaned up in five to 10 days and, with some additional time for the required inspections, city officials hope to reopen the West Side Market by Feb. 12.

WKYC-TV

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Winter weather advisories issued south on Saturday

CLEVELAND - The lake effect snow warning has been canceled now for all of northern Ohio, but a winter weather advisory has been issued for Saturday across our southern counties.

WKYC HD Interactive Radar @ http://bit.ly/WKYCHDRadar

WKYC Nexrad Radar @ http://bit.ly/WKYCRadar

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY has been issued for Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Tuscarawas from 10 a.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday. 

Here is the latest from the National Weather Service on the winter weather advisory...

  THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PITTSBURGH HAS ISSUED A WINTER  WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM  SATURDAY TO 7 PM EST SUNDAY.    * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...STORM TOTALS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES WITH 6 TO 10    INCHES IN THE HIGHER RIDGE ELEVATIONS.    * SNOW BEGINNING...MID MORNING SATURDAY    * PERIOD OF MOST INTENSE SNOW...SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO MIDDAY    SUNDAY.    * SNOW ENDING...SUNDAY EVENING    * IMPACTS...HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED DUE TO SNOW COVERED    ROADS.    * WINDS...SOUTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH.    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...    A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT SNOWFALL WILL CAUSE  TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND  LIMITED VISIBILITY. REPORT SNOW ACCUMULATION TO THE NATIONAL  WEATHER SERVICE BY CALLING 412-262-1988...POSTING TO THE NWS  PITTSBURGH FACEBOOK PAGE...OR USING TWITTER @NWSPITTSBURGH.  

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WRHS: Saturday 'Transformations Grand Opening'

CLEVELAND -- The Crawford Auto and Aviation Collection at the Western Reserve Historical Society will hold a "Transformations Grand Opening" this Saturday of the newly renovated History Center.

The museum recently completed renovations that will give visitors an up-close view of the collection.

Western Reserve Historical Society

Hours and Admission

Directions

The "Setting the World in Motion" exhibit highlights the cars, planes and transportation artifacts that helped put Cleveland at the forefront of transportation history.

It also tells the stories of the Cleveland Air Races and the Great Lakes Expositions of the 1930s.  

WKYC-TV

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Investigator: Police misconduct cases cost millions

CLEVELAND -- The city has spent at least $8 million in the last decade to plaintiffs who claimed they were victims of police misconduct and excessive force, a Channel 3 News investigation found.

The payments were either the result of jury verdicts that found the city liable for police wrongdoing or of settlements reached with plaintiffs prior to a trial, according to a review of documents obtained under the Ohio Open Public Records Act.

"There seems to be a pattern of rogue cops who continue to abuse the rights of citizens," said attorney Terry Gilbert, who has successfully brought a number of actions against the city.

"It is a heavy burden on the city."

Channel 3 News requested the records in the wake of the November, 2012 high-speed chase that ended with two suspects killed by Cleveland police.

While the city and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation continue to probe the shooting in which 13 officers fired 137 shots, the families of victims Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams have already hired attorneys in anticipation of a possible civil lawsuit.

The actuall tally could be much higher than $8 million because the city's law department does not track every payout made as a result of a jury verdict or settlement, said Kim Roberson, the public records administrator.

It also doesn't include the cost of defending the actions of police.

Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said the officers he represents are simply protecting themselves in excessive force situations.

In fact, he couldn't recall an officer being disciplined by the city for excessive force.

"We don't try to make things bad," said Follmer. "The bad is brought on us. If you have an active officer and he's going out there making arrests, not every arrest goes smooth."

Police misconduct cases not only cost taxpayers, they also take their toll on victims.

The mother of Ricardo Mason, who reached a $1 million settlement in 2008 after Mason was gunned down by two officers, said she is still afraid of police.

"I tell everybody just to do what they say," she said. "You never know what kind of day they're having, if they're in a bad mood, if somebody ticked them off."  

WKYC-TV

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Former NFL referee recalls his years on sidelines

Fritz Graf manned the sidelines of NFL games as an official for 24 years. His peers named him one of the best.

How good was he? He worked four Super Bowls.

"Five, 13, 15 and 18, those were my four Super Bowls," says Fritz, now 90 years old.

He says there was added pressure during the Super Bowls to get the call right.

"Just like a player doesn't want to miss a tackle or miss a block, you want to do your best at all times," he explains.

But his favorite game, he says, wasn't a Super Bowl. It was the famed Ice Bowl at Lambeau Field, the 1967 NFL Championship that decided who went to the first Super Bowl.

He says the 16-below temperatures caused his whistle to stick to his lips.

"At halftime, we taped the whistles up, so it didn't stick to our lips," he says.

The whistle he used that game is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, though Fritz says the best honor he's had occurred off the gridiron.

Along with his late wife, Rita, Fritz raised 10 children, all of whom, he proudly boasts, graduated from college.

His family shares his love for the gridiron, and Fritz says that, come Sunday, he'll no doubt be watching this year's Super Bowl with them.

WKYC-TV

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Cleveland Weather: Taking the plunge

A powerful storm system continues to pummel the eastern half of the country with severe weather in the Southeast and severe winter weather in the Midwest.

Tonight, a strong cold front will sweep across the area.  More rain showers will be moving through with the front, along with gusty wind, before temperatures begin to drop.  

We will likely drop from the upper 50s this evening to the mid 20s to start the day Thursday.

As the cold air comes sweeping in on westerly wind, Lake Erie will once again be the focus of the forecast.  With the west wind, we will likely have one "mega band" of lake effect set up, along with a few other smaller bands.  Where the "mega band" sits, we will have the highest snow accumulations...8"+ easily attained while 12+" will be possible.  We'll just have to see where the bands set up...the most likely place would be the snowbelts, which are under a lake snow warning.

 (Lake Effect Snow Warning for Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties)

While there are many factors that play in to a lake effect forecast, wind direction and fetch (air duration over water) are two of the most important.  That west wind gives us the best fetch (the wind has to travel over a great distance of water) and therefore we can get some serious snow bands going.

Winds will change around on Friday to help the lake effect taper off, but the winds of change are coming ahead of a clipper system that will bring a widespread, light snowfall (1" to 3" to the area).

We'll have a little lake effect on Sunday, but then another clipper moves through on Monday. 

Oy!  If it isn't one thing, it is another.

Hang on friends, it is going to be a crazy ride.

Thursday:  Mostly cloudy with lake effect snow.  Mostly cloudy with flurry chances otherwise.  Colder and windy.  Temps start near 50 just after midnight, then fall into the 40s...30s and into the 20s to start the day.  (Lake Effect Snow Warning for Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties)

Friday:  Mostly cloudy with a chance for lake effect, especially early.  COLD and breezy.  Near 20  (Lake Effect Snow Warning for Cuyahoga, Lake Geauga and Ashtabula counties)

Saturday:  Mostly cloudy with periods of snow likely (weak Clipper system #1).  1" to 3" of snow accumulation possible.  Mid 20s

Sunday:  Mostly cloudy with a slight chance for lake effect snow showers.  Upper 20s

Monday:  Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers (Clipper #2 which will bring additional light accumulations).  Low 30s

Tuesday:  Mostly cloudy with scattered lake effect flurries.  Upper 20s/near 30

Wednesday:  Partly sunny.  Low 30s 

WKYC-TV

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