Top local stories of 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, it marks the end of a year that left many significant stories in our community. Here's a recap of some of the most notable articles of the past year as selected by the editorial staff of the Sandusky Register and Norwalk Reflector. Stories are not ranked and not listed in any particular order: • Flooding wreaks havoc — A strong storm brought heavy rain that flooded an estimated hundreds of basements and forced several evacuations. The storm happened on Aug. 23-24 and caused significant disruptions in the region. In Perkins Township, severe flooding forced residents in the Lakeland Drive area, off of Columbus Avenue, to evacuate with the assistance of Perkins firefighters. And in Sandusky, flooding at the Humane Society of Erie County forced shelter staff and firefighters to evacuate dozens of animals from the facility. Many roads in the region were underwater, and several vehicles got stuck in the high water. Several Sandusky-area law enforcement officials said they were not aware of any injuries caused by the flooding. The storm also interrupted the popular Bash on the Bay concert in Put-in-Bay, which was in the midst of its two days of musical performances when the storm hit. • Seven tornadoes in one day — Another significant weather event caused damage in the area this past summer. On June 15, seven tornadoes touched down in the area — three in Huron County, three in Sandusky County and one in Ottawa County. Damage at Jeff and Renee Webb's property on West Hetrick Road in Salem Township, Ottawa County, on June 16, 2023 caused by severe storms the day prior. ERIN CALDWELL/Sandusky Register The tornadoes caused damage to trees, power lines and buildings. One injury was reported in Huron County, as a result of a car crash. According to Toledo's 13abc, the seven tornadoes — which happened close in time to an additional two tornadoes in Lucas County and Detroit Beach, Michigan, for a total of nine — tied the single-event record for most tornadoes in the area, one from April 1974 and the other in November 2002. • Amanda Dean updates — The case of a missing Huron County woman turned into a possible homicide investigation in November. Dean Amanda Dean, of Collins, was last seen alive in July 2017. When family first reported her missing that year, a search for her was quickly called off by the Huron County Sheriff's Office after Sheriff Todd Corbin said he spoke to a shelter director who said Amanda was safe. But she hasn't been seen or heard from ever since, and in November, state agents were seen digging on a property on Wells Road in Collins where Dean used to live. It's not known what, if anything, was found in the dig. Shortly after, records released by the Ohio Attorney General's Office revealed the state was investigating Dean's disappearance as a homicide. A suspect was identified, but their name redacted, in those records. • Cedar Fair news — It was an eventful year for Cedar Point and its parent company, Cedar Fair. In early 2023, the park announced its reimagined successor to Top Thrill Dragster, called Top Thrill 2, would be debuting in 2024. The Dragster had been closed since August 2021 after a woman was seriously injured when a falling piece of roller coaster debris struck her while she waited in line. Then, in November, Cedar Fair announced its merger with Six Flags Entertainment Corp., another major amusement park operator, for a combined enterprise value of about $8 billion. • Paul Brown memorialized — A football legend and Norwalk native was honored by his hometown this year. The Paul Brown statue is the first of a historical figure in the city of Norwalk's history. It was unveiled to the public during a ceremony on Oct. 21 in front of Suhr Park on W. Main St. Reflector photo/SARAH BECK In October, officials unveiled a statue of Paul Brown at the new Paul Brown Park on West Main Street. It was the culmination of about two years of work by locals who wanted to see the iconic NFL coach, Cleveland Browns namesake and Cincinnati Bengals co-founder, forever memorialized. The event was attended by hundreds of people, including retired NFL players and members of Brown's family. • Mom charged after son's death — A woman was arrested after her son died in a fire at a Norwalk home. Wyatt Duchette, 8, died in a June 7 fire at his East Main Street home that also injured his step-brother, Paxton. A "Justice for Wyatt Duchette" sign on Whittlesey Avenue. Reflector photo/BRIAN GOTT Investigators said that they found a pipe that tested positive for methamphetamines inside the house. Officials have not confirmed that they believe the pipe started the fire. In December, Duchette's mother, Norwalk resident Dakota Rae Jones, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangering. She entered a not guilty plea at her initial court appearance. • Former KBI site purchased, razed — A site that used to house one of Erie County's largest employer was purchased and demolished this year. In August, local officials and company representatives from Aligned Data Centers announced its acquisition of the industrial property — formerly known as Delphi, New Departure, New Departure-Hyatt and KBI — at Hayes (Ohio 4) and West Perkins avenues near Sandusky High School. A view of the KBI demolition in Perkins Township on June 20, 2023. Provided photo The company is anticipated to invest more than $200 million in the property, including a $52 million land purchase, to construct a data center at the site which used to be a bearings plant. Demolition at the site occurred this past summer. The timeline for the property's construction isn't yet clear. • Trash lawsuit settled — A legal battle between elected officials in Erie County and Huron County came to a conclusion this summer. In June, Erie County paid $179,000 to Huron County as a part of a trash hauling lawsuit. Between 2009 and 2018, Huron County contracted with Erie County to haul Huron County's trash to Erie County's landfill. Huron County eventually became unhappy with the work of Erie County's trash hauler and prematurely backed out of the contract. Both counties then sued the other, claiming the other had breached terms of the contract. After a lengthy court dispute, a visiting judge ruled in favor of Huron County and ordered Erie County to pay damages to Huron County. • Light re-elected — Norwalk's first-term mayor was re-elected in a race that generated a lot of buzz. Norwalk Mayor Dave Light answers a question during a debate at St. Paul High School on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Register photo/ERIN CALDWELL Mayor Dave Light defeated challenger Jeff Bertram by a margin of 57% to 45% in November's election. Light said he was "extremely humbled" to secure voter support for his second four-year term.