Westlake, Bay Village | Possible child enticements reported

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There have been several recent reports of possible child enticements in Bay Village and Westlake, according to e-mail sent home to parents from schools.

According to an e-mail from Bay Village Schools, an 11-year-old girl walking to Bay Middle School Tuesday reported being approached by a man in a white SUV.

The white, gray-haired male reportedly said "What is your favorite lollipop? ... Mine is grape," the e-mail said.

The incident occurred about 7:30 a.m. at Douglas Drive and Lake Road.

On Monday, an 11-year-old boy reported a man driving a smaller blue four-door sedan with tinted windows asked him "Hey do you want a ride?"

This happened about 3:30 p.m. on Dover Center Road near the Heinen's parking lot. Due to the tinted windows, the boy was unable to get a description of the driver.

According to the schools, police are still investigating a report of a third-grader being approached on his way to Westerly School on Sept. 25. 

This occurred between 7:30 and 8 a.m. on Wolf Road, between Walmar Drive and Bradley Road. 

The driver was described as a white man, age 35 to 50, driving a dirty, older white van. 

The man reportedly pulled into a driveway and asked the boy if he wanted a ride to school.

Bay Village police Lt. Mark Spaetzel issued the following statement:

"In the last week, the Bay Village Police Department has received three suspicious incident calls involving adult males in vehicles contacting children. There has been no physical contact in any of these instances but have involved unsolicited questions from the adult males to the children. There has been no consistency between the vehicle descriptions or subject descriptions in the three reported instances. Whether these have been ill-advised innocent comments or attempts at solicitation is unclear. However, we encourage parents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior. "

Additionally, there was a reported incident several weeks ago in Westlake, according to an e-mail out by St. Raphael School in Westlake.

According to the e-mail, a 9-year-old Westlake boy was approached on Windsong Court about 7 p.m. Sept. 17.

The man was described as white, 55 years old, driving a black minivan. 

He reportedly had a brown mustache and was wearing a black wool winter hat and black coat.The man told the boy to get into his van several times, but the boy refused.

WKYC-TV

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Outdoors with Big Daddy | Stink bugs

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BRIMFIELD -- The large but harmless insects are crawling their way across America.

The cool nights of autumn trigger all sorts of things in nature. 

Leaves change color, fish bite better, and insects look for places to hibernate for winter.

One insect that is seemingly everywhere is the stink bug. Its name coming from its chemical defense mechanism.

"If you bother them too much or squish them, they do emit a foul odor," says exterminator Randy Harrah.

He's been fielding calls from worried homeowners who have the shield-like bugs in or on their residences.

"Things have been hectic." Harrah said. He recommends checking your home for cracks around doors and windows, repairing screens and blocking gables in late summer to keep the bugs on the outside.

If they get in the house, don't squish them. Harrah recommends scooping them up with a piece of paper and taking them outside.

If insects send you running, you can always call an exterminator.

If you have any ideas or comments for Carl, you can email him directly at cbachtel@wkyc.com.

WKYC-TV

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How police quickly cracked the case of a missing 3-year-old

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CLEVELAND -- Just after midnight Tuesday morning Cleveland police scoured the near west side for a stolen minivan with a 3-year-old in the back.

It was a top priority for dozens of officers to prevent the driver from getting out of the neighborhood near MetroHealth Medical Center.

"I immediately thought -- if I were the driver, where would I hide the van? Because the minute he saw the kid in the back, he'd be looking to dump the vehicle," said 12-year police officer Jaime Cruz.

"Most of the cars stolen on the west side head east, and I thought this guy would take side streets that don't have cameras."

Cruz grew up in the neighborhood -- and with a 3-year-old grandson of his own, he had special motivation. 

"We turned onto West 23rd Place, saw the van -- the driver had fled -- but the boy was in the back seat, sleeping the whole time.  All he kept saying was 'Why did mommy leave me?' We said, 'We'll take you to mommy.' "

He and his partner found the vehicle 30 minutes after the crime was committed.

Police say the mother claims she left the boy in the car for a short time, so she could pick up her father to go shopping.  Prosecutors are reviewing possible child neglect charges.

As for the person who stole the minivan, police do not yet have any suspects. 

WKYC-TV

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Up to 100 local Lockheed Martin employees could be furloughed

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Effective today, defense contractor Lockheed Martin is furloughing 2,400 employees.

Locally, the Lockheed Martin office in Akron is also being affected.

Although Lockheed Martin is being extremely evasive, here's what Channel 3 has been able to confirm so far.

After a considerable amount of pressure requesting specific numbers as to how many people in Akron would be affected by the furloughs, a representative finally told Channel 3, "considerably fewer than 100," a number he called "minimal."

However, since according to its website Lockheed Martin only employs 439 people here in Akron, any furloughs near the 100 mark are significant. 

And even though the statement says "the number of employees affected is expected to increase weekly" as long as the government shutdown continues, when Channel 3 asked its representative if the Akron office could expect more furloughs, our questions went unanswered. 

After researching its website, Channel 3 discovered the Lockheed Martin office in Akron specializes in electronic and mission systems and sensors and ship and aviation systems. 

Currently, these furloughs at Lockheed Martin are affecting employees in 27 states, mostly in Washington, D.C.  As this shutdown continues, Lockheed Martin is advising employees to use vacation time so they continue to receive pay and benefits.

WKYC-TV

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Donors pledge up to $10 million to keep Head Start running

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ATLANTA -- The National Head Start Association says a pledge of up to $10 million from two Houston philanthropists will help keep Head Start programs running during the federal government shutdown.

The association said it welcomed the pledge by Laura and John Arnold. More than 7,000 at-risk children in six states were already affected by the government shutdown.

Laura Arnold is an ex-oil company executive and John Arnold is an investor. 

They chair The Arnold Foundation, a philanthropic organization established in 2008.

The association says Head Start programs in Georgia, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, South Carolina and Missouri were closed at the end of the shutdown's first week.

National Head Start Association Executive Director Yasmina Vinci called the donation selfless, but urged elected officials to find a permanent fiscal solution to protect the program.

Associated Press

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Ravenna: Teenage driver hit by train, family injured

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RAVENNA -- A teenage girl was killed and her father and four sisters were hospitalized in a car crash with a train Sunday evening.

The Portage County Sheriff's Office say Sierra Thornton, 15, died of her injuries.  Her father and two of her sisters have been released from the hospital. Two other siblings remain hospitalized.

The crash was reported at about 5:56 p.m. on Sunday along a private drive in the 5500 block of South Prospect Street.

According to the sheriff, Sierra was learning how to drive with her father and four siblings in the car. When her father noticed the train coming, his daughter panicked and stopped on the tracks, officials said.

The four sisters range in age from 7 to 15.

Monday night over two-hundred friends and family took part in a candlelight vigil to remember Sierra.  Friends called her the 'mother hen' of the five siblings, and a constant smile inside Ravenna High School.

Officials say there are no signals or gates at this railroad crossing.

WKYC-TV

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Ohio researchers: Stink bugs likely here to stay

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There's an invasion taking place across Ohio.

Stink bugs - first identified in Pennsylvania in 1998 - are making their way into homes across Ohio. The brown, shield-shaped insects have been spreading throughout Ohio over the last six years or so.

Researchers say that even though the bugs have only been around for a short time, they expect they will be here to stay. Most think they got to the United States in containers shipped from Asia.

Stink bugs search out warm places when the weather cools and that's why they're moving into homes.

The pests are a threat to crops, but not to people.

But they do give off a foul odor whet they're squished.

The Associated Press

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Cleveland Weather: Soggy Sunday Night !

Rain & a few Thunderstorms will wrap-up our weekend as a slow moving Cold Front moves across the region. 

The wet weather stays with us through the overnight hours into Monday morning, becoming more scattered in the afternoon before moving east Monday afternoon.

The rest of the week will be Sunny & Seasonable.

Sunday Night: Rain & a few Storms likely.  Breezy.  Low: 54.  Wind: SW 10-15 mph.

Monday: Morning Rain & a few Storms, becoming more scattered & moving east in the afternoon.  Windy & Cooler.  High: 62.  Wind: SW 15-20 mph.

Monday Night:  Gradual Clearing & Cooler.  Low: 46.  Wind: West 10-15 mph.

Tuesday:  Partly Cloudy & Seasonable.  High: 66.  Wind: North 5 mph.

Tuesday Night:  Clear & Cool.  Low: 47.  Wind: East 5 mph.

Wednesday:  Sunny.  High: 68.

Thursday:  Sunny.  High: 72.

Friday:  Sunny & Mild.  High: 74.

Saturday:  Mostly Sunny & Mild.  High: 74.

Sunday: Partly Cloudy.  High: 71.

Get more weather info and connect with us on Twitter and Facebook!

WKYC Weather Warriors on Facebook or @wkycweather on Twitter

Betsy Kling: @BetsyKling on Twitter or Betsy's Facebook Page

Hollie Strano: @holliesmiles on Twitter or Hollie's Facebook Page

Marcus Walter: @MarcusDWalter on Twitter or Marcus's Facebook Page

Bruce Kalinowski on Bruce's Facebook Page

WKYC-TV

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Elyria child daycare worker charged with rape

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LORAIN -- Deputies say they have proof one woman raped two toddlers at a daycare center. 

The Lorain County Sheriff's Department has arrested 25-year-old Heather Koon for having sex with two infants at ABC KIDZ daycare in Elyria. 

Carlos Johnson, the lawyer for the daycare, tells Channel 3 they are fully cooperating with the sheriff's department in this investigation. 

"We are compiling a list of names and families for the sheriff's office for when Koon worked at the daycare to aid them in their investigation," Johnson added.

"This is a tragic situation and we have reached out to each of the families that have children in the care of ABC KIDZ daycare." 

Deputies found a video of Koon raping the babies on a laptop after they checked up on her boyfriend, James Osborne.  Osborne is a sexual offender and was listed under another address.

Deputies arrested Osborne and then took the laptop.  

Koon is charged with two counts of rape. 

The case is ongoing and under investigation. 

Andrea Lankey whose 2-year-old son used to be under Koon's care wasted no time taking him to the doctor upon hearing the allegations.

"I have to meet with a child advocate on Monday so they can evaluate him and see if there's anymore red flags," explained Lankey in an exclusive interview with Ch.3's A.J. Ross.

She says for the last several months there have been several red flags she did not give much notice to until now.

"He (her son) doesn't like his diaper being changed, he doesn't like being touched, and then when I used to drop him off there he used to scream so bad that he would be like hyperventilating.  Then this comes along and it was kind of like whoa like something might actually have been going on this whole time."

Lankey plans to file a police report Monday and worries more children may have been abused.

"I'm pretty sure it's probably more than two children she probably just got caught with the two cause there was only two on video."

WKYC-TV

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Pentagon: Most furloughed civilians ordered back

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WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is ordering most of its approximately 400,000 furloughed civilian employees back to work.

The decision by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is based on a Pentagon legal interpretation of a law called the Pay Our Military Act.

That measure was passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama shortly before the partial government shutdown began Tuesday.

The Pentagon did not immediately say on Saturday exactly how many workers will return to work. The Defense Department said "most" were being brought back.

The Associated Press

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