Krotine's story doesn't hang together: I read your article about Krotine ["Now What?" August 17]. I think you did a great job of showing how bizarre his behavior has been since Ramona's death.
I grew up with Ramona -- what a great girl. She deserves to have someone stick up for her. I went to the first trial and was convinced that he did it. If her daughter brought her work clothes home from work in a bag and tossed them into the dining room, how would Ramona have ended up in them, if she never made it home, as Jeff Krotine says? And how would Jeff have known where those clothes were, if his daughter hadn't told him?
I was also at the wake, and I remember walking out of there saying to my sister, "What is wrong with those kids?" They were not crying over the unexpected and terrible death that fell upon their mother.
Anyway, it was a great article.
Bonnie Steele
North Royalton
Good landlord, lousy husband: I am a religious reader of Scene. Surprised is not the word to describe what I felt when I saw Jeffrey Krotine's face on the cover. Not even the tears that fell as I read the long, drawn-out, "woe-is-me" story can justify what I feel inside.
I grew up in a double on Bosworth Road. The property was well maintained by our landlords/downstairs neighbors/friends, Jeffrey Krotine, Ramona Krotine, Jeff Jr., Jason, and their youngest, Jennifer. My mother worked for Ryba's Fudge with Ramona. My mother started bowling in a league with Ramona, which Jeffrey Krotine's State Farm office backed.
I sat through the whole first trial, missed the second due to work, but attended the third trial. It was so hard to see those pictures of Ramona, to hear all the details that should have convicted this man. I am very disturbed that your magazine published the picture of her body in the trunk of her car. We are very tired emotionally, going through this over and over again. We relive the morning Jennifer called, searching for her mother.
Those poor kids, they won't even speak to their father. They know he did it. He knows he did it. And he's putting bids up on boats and pointing the finger at someone else. How stuck on yourself would you have to be, to claim that the reason your wife was murdered was because someone wanted to take you out of the picture? Why not just shoot you? High profile, my ass -- Jeffrey Krotine is a schmuck, a nobody, a murderer!
All I have to say to Mary Engle is "You better watch out, girl. That man got away with it once. He'll do it again."
Melissa Smach
Parma Heights
It's That Bad
Great town for graft, though: Damn, Kotz! I give you great credit for calling a spade a spade ["Being Played," August 10]. You got more balls than those wimps at The PD. Unfortunately, you're not exaggerating.
As an entrepreneur, I've been screaming for years, but it seems as if everyone has become ostriches. I suspect that the public will find your story so incredible that they will dismiss it as sensationalism. If they truly absorbed the gravity of the graft at City Hall, they would march up with torches as if it were Frankenstein's castle!
Curtis Knowles Jr.
Bay Village
Mayor Mouth
Plusquellic is to Akron as Dennis is to us: In response to "Temper Tantrum" [First Punch, August 17], we too once had a mayor of similar style and temperament, but thankfully we recognized this early on and voted him out. Unfortunately, the citizens of Akron have had to endure the slash-and-burn style of this ogre. This latest incident only confirms what is soon to be inevitable -- his removal from office.
It's too bad that he will be able to enjoy a pension when he finally gets voted out, but the sooner he is gone, the better. With his witless rantings, he has successfully done for Akron what Dennis Kucinich did for Cleveland.
Joe Bialek
Cleveland
Praise for Paisley
He still does fairs: Great article [Playback, August 17]! I have enjoyed Brad Paisley's music for years. Finally, he is getting the recognition he deserves. And to think you can still see this guy at a county fair or at a huge arena; it's a testament to his grace and class as a country artist! Again, great job!
Mark Tennant
Wickliffe
Schools' Gold
They're in it for the money: Your article on the charter school in Cleveland was very informative and disturbing ["Dream Killer," July 27]. I am a laid-off Cleveland teacher who would love to have her job back. It angers me that our poor and/or minority students are being subjected to such a poor situation. In their search for better education, parents are allowing themselves to be bamboozled.
I am angry that the government is allowing this injustice by giving public school money to poorly developed charter schools. Your article needs to be read by every community leader, parent, and citizen in the city. More investigation needs to be done on charter schools, which seem to be in the business just for the money.
I have e-mailed your story to relatives, the NEA, OEA, and the Cleveland Teachers Union. Thank you for writing such a detailed, realistic story about the charter school. It justified what I thought all along.
Leeta Brown
Warrensville Heights
