Convict caught after 26 years
Residents of a Cincinnati neighborhood learned one of their neighbors was actually a fugitive from Pennsylvania who had been hiding out in Ohio for the last 26 years.
David Allen Fontaine walked away from his prison work detail in 1976 after serving a few months of a four-year rape sentence. He moved to Cincinnati and founded a heating and air conditioning business using his father’s name.
U.S. marshals arrested Fontaine in front of his home Monday night. Authorities say he must serve the remainder of his sentence and will likely face additional charges for escaping.
Woman gets flu shot, rare disorder
A Zanesville woman is claiming she contracted Guillain-Barrè Syndrome, a rare nerve disorder, after receiving a flu shot.
GBS is an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves, those outside the brain and spinal cord. It affects one or two people in every 100,000 in the United States.
Health officials said this kind of reaction to vaccination is rare, but added the exact cause of GBS is not known. Patients who receive flu shots are also informed of the risks and possible reactions associated with vaccination.
Disney sued for stealing Epcot idea
The family of a deceased Wooster man is suing Walt Disney Inc., claiming the company stole his ideas when it created Epcot theme park in Florida.
Relatives said the man met with Disney officials and showed them his plans for the park in 1963, almost 20 years before Epcot opened. He drew up plans for a theme park featuring 19 nations called “Miniature Worlds,” and copywrited them in 1956.
Disney has denied the claim, saying Epcot was inspired by the World’s Fair.
Deer tissue to be tested for disease
Beginning next month, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will test tissue samples from the brains of deer killed during deer season for chronic wasting disease, a disease similar to mad cow disease.
If samples are found to contain the disease, officials will schedule an additional hunt in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading.
Chronic wasting disease kills deer and elk. It has infected animals in 11 states and two Canadian provinces. It is not certain whether or not the disease poses a threat to humans.
Vacant airport still getting tax money
Officials in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties are questioning why taxpayer money is still being paid to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport while it goes unused.
Northwest Airlines left the airport earlier this year, becoming the fourth airline to do so since 1997. Still, the counties are paying more than $600,000 a year to keep the airport open.
Officials have threatened to stop payments to the airport and would continue to do so until new carriers are brought in.
Airport officials say they are working to address the problem, and taking away money would only hinder their efforts.
– compiled by Jessica Auman
