'Toledo Free Press' Columnist Resigns Following Plagiarism Charge

Posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009 12:00 am

By: A former county official once charged in a campaign finance probe has resigned as a columnist for a weekly newspaper in Toledo after being accused of plagiarism.

Former Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber acknowledged in a resignation letter that she failed to attribute part of a column about Memorial Day to other sources. The column, which appeared in the Toledo Free Press on Friday, included paragraphs nearly identical to those found in an online article.

Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller said there is no margin of error with plagiarism. The issue was raised first in a local blog.

Thurber was among four current or former officeholders who three years ago pleaded no contest to ethics charges. Investigators said she received money from former political fundraiser Tom Noe and contributed it to President George W. Bush's campaign in her name so Noe could skirt laws limiting individual contributions.

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'Toledo Free Press' Columnist Resigns Following Plagiarism Charge

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