13abc Thursday headlines

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The Toledo area Metroparks are buying up more land from Toledo's last operating farm. You may have driven by Keil Farm at Hill Avenue and Reynolds Road. Yesterday, the Board of Park Commissioners approved a $2 million deal to buy about 50 acres, 35 acres of it will be restored to natural vegetation. The other 15 acres will be leased back to the Keils for farming.

As the economy struggles, the need for help grows. This past year was a tough one for Toledo area food banks. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown will visit the Toledo Northwestern Food Bank tomorrow to push emergency legislation he says will help fill the shelves. Last month, Brown introduced a bill that would provide $40 million in the emergency food assistance program to address the current food bank crisis until a permanent fix can be passed.

A Bowling Green man is facing drug charges. The Wood County sheriff's department arrested 22-year-old Brian Kessler earlier this week. Deputies say he sold over four pounds of magic mushrooms from his home. They say a search also turned up another pound of them. Kessler is charged with trafficking drugs.

A man accused of driving drunk and causing a fatal accident has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Michael Gagnon's charges include five counts of vehicular homicide after driving the wrong way down I-280, leading to a crash that killed five family members. Court documents say Gagnon's blood alcohol was .254 at the time of the crash, three times over the legal limit. Today, more than 13 of his family members were in the courtroom with him. Gagnon will return to court on Februrary 14 for a pretrial.

Another wrong-way driver is also due before a judge today. Last week, police say Tiffany Dewey, 20, was drunk when she started driving west in the eastbound lanes of I-475, hitting another car. Dewey faces DUI charges, as well as charges due to the fact she was under the legal drinking age at the time of the crash. She's scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon.

Bond is set at a million dollars each for two brothers accused in a triple murder case. Goldy Thompson, 30, and his brother, Stoney Thompson, 28, each face three counts of aggravated murder. They're accused of shooting two men and stabbing another inside a known crack house on Ohio Street in October 2006. Both are already serving time for unrelated charges. They're return to court for a pre-trial hearing on February 8.

Nationwide Insurance says it plans to cut or move 1,000 jobs, including 200 layoffs in Ohio. A spokesman for Nationwide says he wants to reduce costs and stay in a position for long-term growth with the nation's weakening economy. More than a third of Nationwide's employees are in central Ohio. Most of the affected jobs are in the divisions that include auto, homeowner and commercial insurance.

Delphi is getting the go-ahead to emerge from bankruptcy. The Michigan-based auto parts supplier won approval from creditors for its plan to emerge from bankruptcy protection. Now, the company needs a federal judge's approval. A two-day hearing begins today in New York.

The government is warning parents not to give their toddlers cough and cold medicines. They say the side effects could be deadly. The FDA found decongestants and antihistamines were linked to 123 deaths since 1969, mostly in children under two. Some doctors say the drugs can cause heart and breathing problems. The industry insists its products are safe when used properly, but will now ban the drugs for children under two. Click here for more information.

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