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Stories by Mary McCarty
Castro case exposes gaps in Ohio law
Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro escaped without scrutiny for years — and remained in his job as a public school bus driver — despite an extensive history of violence that included threats to neighbors, physical abuse and a troubling incident involving a special-education student. Castro was fired in November 2012 ...
Why are teens so jazzed about “The Great Gatsby”?
Why are young people so jazzed about the new film version of "The Great Gatsby?"Monday night, my husband and I went to the 9:55 showing of "The Great Gatsby," expecting a nearly empty theater. But the place was packed, with young people, no less — not the audience I'm accustomed ...
“Every child deserves a mother,” says crusader for international adoption reform
Thursday morning started out with an unusual conversation with my daughter NiNi. “Thanks for adopting me and giving me a good home,” NiNi said.It’s not that NiNi isn’t grateful or that the topic of her adoption from China is avoided in any way. It’s just that, after 10 years, it ...
Can the ‘Cleveland miracle’ help change lives and laws?
The miraculous rescue of three kidnapped women in Cleveland on Monday has attracted worldwide attention, but it also spotlights a more everyday tragedy — the estimated 1,000 Ohio children entrapped by the sex trade. Sex trafficking is more common than people want to believe, according to Ginger Goubeaux, social work ...
News of Cleveland women resurrects glimmer of hope for local families
All over the Miami Valley, families with missing loved ones reacted with joy, tinged with wistfulness, to the news that three missing Cleveland women had been rescued after more than 10 years in captivity. For some, the news resurrected a glimmer of hope that had all but been extinguished. “Do ...
Air Force officer removed from top sexual prevention office was Ohio native
The Air Force has removed an Ohio native who led the service branch’s sexual assault and prevention and response unit after he was charged with groping a woman in a parking lot early Sunday morning in Arlington, Va. Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Krusinski, 41, who is from Butler County, worked ...
Words of wisdom from Dayton’s gentle, timeless comedian
Since his death April 12, at 87, Dayton native Jonathan Winters has been hailed as a comic genius, decades ahead of his time. Yet he told me something once that made me wonder if he could have made it in today’s comedy scene, which often seems long on profanity and ...
Mother, daughter rescued UD student who fell from dorm window
“Are you a Mom? Are you a Mom?” That was the frantic question students asked Marianne Laux on April 20 when they found University of Dayton student Michael Fuchs lying injured outside of the Marycrest Complex dorm after suffering a six-story fall. Laux was, indeed, a mom, and instinct took ...
UD image marred by tumultuous year
The University of Dayton has worked hard to craft an image of an institution in which academic excellence is paired with the Marianist spirit of community service. But that image has taken a hit this year with a tumultuous sequence of events, from a mob scene on St. Patrick’s Day ...
Parents thankful for ‘second chance’
Rich Fuchs smiles through his tears as he talks about his son, Michael, who is recovering from his injuries after falling from his six-floor dorm room window last weekend. “We get a second chance,” he said. “It’s a miracle.”“We’re so thankful,” added his mother, Mary Fuchs. “So many parents don’t ...
Family disputes suicide in UD student’s death
In the words of his pastor, 19-year-old University of Dayton freshman Larry Cook “enjoyed life and wanted others to live.” But according to his death certificate, Cook died from multiple blunt trauma after he “jumped from window.” Cook’s family and their attorney, Christopher Chestnut, have strongly contested that April 9 ...
Survivors restore our faith in humanity
Less than four months after Sandy Hook, the bombings at the Boston Marathon confront us, once again, with the presence of sheer evil. Another wide-eyed child has captured our hearts and has come to symbolize the horror inflicted on hundreds of victims. Eight-year-old Martin Richard was killed in the blast, ...
Ohio moves to protect foster children
In the wake of a series of sweeping recommendations for overhauling Ohio’s foster care system, State Sen. Peggy Lehner called the reforms “an idea whose time has come.” Her opinion is being echoed by the true experts: Ohio’s foster children. Tristina Allen, 18, wishes more of these proposed changes had ...
The Glee Factor: High school theater finally gets some respect
When I was in high school, there was an unwritten rule that the homecoming king and queen had to be a football player and cheerleader. What happened at Kettering Fairmont High School this past fall would have been virtually inconceivable: Homecoming king and queen A.J. Breslin and Caroline Grogan are ...
Ohio views on gay marriage shift
Ohio seems to be the epicenter of a seismic shift in public opinion on same-sex marriage. As the Supreme Court deliberates two high-profile cases — California’s Proposition 8 and the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act — many analysts are observing, “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.” In 2004 Ohioans ...
Judge orders morning-after pill available for all ages
A federal judge in New York struck down age limits Friday on access to the morning-after pill, drawing impassioned reactions among Ohioans who remain split over the controversial subject. Some praised it as an overdue, common-sense approach, while others said it violates parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their ...
AFS year means blending of cultures, families
When I was in high school, I dreamed about our family hosting a foreign exchange student, but with our family of six kids there never seemed to be a spare bedroom. My parents no doubt felt they already were running a youth hostel, with our friends popping in every hour ...
‘Can-do spirit’ surfaced after historic Great Dayton Flood
One hundred years ago today, Daytonians emerged from their attics and began the long, arduous task of cleaning up, rebuilding and, most important of all, preventing the city from ever being flooded again. On March 28, 1913, the waters had receded enough that most residents — half-frozen, half-starved — could ...
Great Dayton Flood: NCR, Patterson key players as life savers
By the third day of The Great Dayton Flood — 100 years ago today — the NCR factory had been transformed into a massive relief center, turning out 1,000 loaves of bread, hundreds of gallons of soup and nearly 300 flat-bottomed rescue boats. Survivors found refuge here, on high ground, ...
Great Dayton Flood: fire followed waters ‘second only to Noah’s’
Daytonians spent a fearful first night after the flood only to face, the day after, a terrible new menace: fire. On Wednesday, March 26, gas main leaks sparked fires all over the city, forcing hundreds of survivors to flee across rooftops. “The flood was second only to Noah’s,” lamented Bishop ...
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