Local Archived News June 2007

Number of infant deaths concerns local officials
Health department launches safe sleeping campaign
By RYAN HORNS
Union County Coroner Dr. David Applegate said there have been "more
(infant) deaths than normal" in the county over the last few years.
After a 7-month old boy was found dead Wednesday morning on West Third
Street, he said the issue has become even more urgent.
Applegate said the preliminary autopsy results determined the child died
of asphyxiation as a result of rolling over while sleeping on an adult
bed. But the main condition that caused the death was a history of a
"demyelinating disease" or ongoing medical problem that affected the
child's nerve cells. He said the disease prevented the child from
rolling over on his own.
Applegate said the child's death was a "sad result" of how increased
communication is needed for parents, on the care and sleeping conditions
of their infant children.
Union County Health Department Commissioner Martin Tremmel said the
problem is that many new parents often feel that their baby's comfort
depends upon providing lots of soft and thick cushioning. In reality, it
is the opposite.
"Less is best in these cribs," Tremmel said.
Newborns do not need any more than a standard baby mat in their crib and
a light blanket, he said.
Tremmel explained that whether or not the infant deaths were related to
SIDS or by asphyxiation from poor sleeping conditions, the community
needs to be educated to help prevent more deaths.
The pattern of infant deaths in the county has led to the launch of a
new campaign by area health officials. Tremmel said in the past two
years there have been five infant deaths in the county, either related
to asphyxiation or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
"This is very important," he said. "We felt like we needed to create a
safe sleep campaign."
The Health Department started a campaign two months ago trying to use
education to help make a difference.
Tremmel said the department placed a large billboard with the message
"Back to Sleep - Tummy to Play" in order to reach drivers along U.S. 33.
The phrase refers to how infants need to be placed on their backs while
sleeping and should have plenty of time on their stomachs during the day for playing.
"It helps with the child's balance," Tremmel explained.
But the billboard is just the beginning of the educational campaign
providing parents with ongoing support, he said, which will soon go into
full swing. By July and August the health department's will hit local
media outlets, radio and medical buildings with the message.
Tremmel said an even stronger push will take place at local fairs.
The campaign includes a "Safe Sleep" program, which the health
department offers to give newly registered parents a nurse who
periodically checks in to answer any questions. Registered nurses can
also come to the family's home as part of the "Help me Grow" program, in
which they look over the home environment and offer solutions and
guidance to help keep the child safe.
Tremmel said this program can be particularly helpful to "at risk"
children who suffer from developmental health issues and need extra care.
In 2006 he said a total of 104 parents utilized the Help Me Grow and
Safe Sleep programs and 160 parents took part in the home visit service.
Parents involved can receive a children's bib with a safe sleeping
message on the front, or a digital thermometer with the Health Department logo on it.
Applegate said that charges are often not filed in many infant death
cases, because the loss of a newborn can be punishment enough. But in
the case of parents who are intoxicated on drugs or alcohol and are
acting negligent toward their child's welfare, charges are often pursued.

Conrad retiring from Memorial Hospital; will go into consulting
By CORINNE BIX
Dr. Michael Conrad may be retiring from urology at Memorial Hospital of
Union County (MHUC), but he's just getting started on the next chapter of his life.
Conrad, 52, will officially retire from MHUC at the end of June after 20
years with the local hospital. He was honored twice on Thursday for his
career in urology, first with a reception tea in the afternoon and then
at the evening board of trustees meeting.
Conrad said before he and his wife, Nanette, came to Ohio in 1987 the
Chicago natives had never been to the Buckeye State.
He wasn't sure before coming to interview but, upon arrival, knew it was
the right place to raise a family.
"We loved it, loved the people and loved the area," Conrad said.
Conrad, a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Public
Health, completed both his residency and internship at the Michael Reese
Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago.
One of 10 children, Conrad was awarded the Chick Evans "Golf Caddy"
Scholarship before entering college.
Conrad said the Evans scholarship is awarded to eligible "honor" caddies
who meet various criteria including excellent grades and financial need.
It was on the golf course that Conrad began to consider a career in medicine.
"I always loved it (medicine) and was actually quoted in my eighth grade
yearbook as saying I wanted to someday be a doctor," Conrad said.
He enjoyed meeting physicians on the golf course and admired how they
were respected among their peers.
Conrad said he chose urology, as a specialty, given its many varied aspects.
"I enjoy working with the patients as well as performing surgeries," he
said, "The specialty really resonated with me."
In two decades, Conrad, with the help of his wife, has grown his one-man
practice to now include five doctors and three offices.
However, he feels that it is time to make a life change that will still
include his love for medicine.
The Conrads are working on once again starting their own company, which
would specialize in consulting and giving medical seminars.
They are in the process of selling their Dublin home and will eventually
relocate back to their roots in Chicago.
"I still feel young and vibrant and I'm ready for the next chapter," Conrad said.
He said combination retirement and move are bittersweet given that he
will really miss the area and his colleagues.
Dr. Gregory Knudson, Conrad's partner for the past 15 years, will be
taking over the practice.
"He's a great guy," Conrad said, "They are not going to be wanting for
good urological help."
Currently, Conrad is helping recruit another urologist to eventually
take his place in the MHUC family.
Over the next year, he will be acting as a locum-tenen or traveling
physician and is looking forward to working in medical centers around
the country.
"I've had a wonderful career here," Conrad said.
The Conrads plan on visiting the central Ohio area often as two of their
three grown children plan on staying. Their oldest daughter lives in the
Chicago area.
"We have too many friends here not to come back for visits," he said.
His hope is to also bring his new business back to Memorial Hospital.
"I may come here for my first seminar given the friendly confines," he said.

Glacier Ridge may be back on track
By RYAN HORNS
In 2005 a development company, with a Marysville family at the helm,
announced plans for an Easton-sized commercial and real estate venture
planned for Marysville and Union County.
Landowner Bill Schrader said Glacier Ridge developers, currently known
as Glacier West, were ready to begin developing 2,000 acres south of
Marysville bordering U.S. 33, Harriott Road and U.S. 42.
He reported that the vision included upscale shopping similar to the
Easton mall complex located near New Albany. Plans called for the
creation of restaurants, entertainment, education facilities, hotels,
offices, a place to live, work, shop and play. It was expected to be the
largest commercial undertaking in the Midwest.
However, sometime during 2006 the discussions and rumors disappeared.
At Thursday night's Marysville council meeting member David Burke said
Glacier West developers have once again approached the city hoping to
"formally put something together."
Burke said that he is proposing city council and administration meet
with the developers at the end of the July 12 city council meeting.
He proposed council invite area government officials such as county
commissioners and trustees from interested townships, so they could all
stay on the same page throughout discussions.
"It looks promising this time," Burke said. "We have the opportunity to
get that ball rolling again."
He said that developers are interested in forming Joint Economic
Development Districts (JEDDs), or areas which could benefit the city,
county and townships by working together.
"It is just a very loose and open dialogue at this point," Burke said.
He noted that since the last time Glacier West came around Marysville
has matured more as a city, especially on the standpoint of its utilities.
Mayor Tom Kruse wanted to emphasize that the meeting should not be a
public hearing.
"I don't think it is the time for public input on this yet," he said.
At some point the issue will take form as legislation, Kruse said, and
citizens could come before council at that point and have the
opportunity to speak about the project.
"They could observe the meeting for now," Kruse said. "We may get a lot
more done."
In other discussion held:
. Burke said that the city offers funding to help air condition homes
for the elderly, just as it helps them during the winter months for
heating. With temperatures reaching such high degrees, he wanted to get
the word out to those people for their own safety.
. The city's plans to amend zoning codes against POD storage units was
officially voted down by council, upon the recommendation of city
planner Greg DeLong.
The planner said he met with POD representatives, who have been
"stepping up" efforts to work with the city, regarding customers leaving
PODs on their property for extended periods of time. The two parties
have reached a consensus and DeLong said the plan is to start from
scratch and have new legislation return to council sometime in August.

Crash leads to power outage
From J-T staff reports:
A man possibly driving while intoxicated crashed his car early this
morning, causing power outages across the east side of Marysville.
According to Marysville Police reports, at 2:16 a.m. driver Gregory A.
Long, 25, of 12285 Watkins Road was traveling in a 1985 Ford pick-up
truck southbound on Columbus Avenue near the Five Points intersection.
Assistant Police Chief Glenn Nicol said that Long failed to negotiate a
curve and went off the road, striking a utility pole at the Marathon Gas Station.
"It caused power outages on the east half of town," Nicol said. "Alcohol
is suspected to have been a factor."
He said the outages spanned from Elwood to Ninth streets and Maple
Street out east.
Any alcohol-related charges are still under investigation and pending
blood alcohol tests, Nicol said, and for now Long has only been cited
for failure to control his vehicle.
Long was then transported to Memorial Hospital of Union County for care
after receiving minor injuries fro the crash. He was treated and later released.
Dayton Power and Light representatives did not return phone calls this
morning regarding how many customers lost power today and how long it
took before power was restored.
As of 10 a.m. Nicol said that some areas on the east side continued to
remain without power.

Hospital to move forward with Mill Valley project
By CORINNE BIX
Memorial Hospital of Union County received final approval from the Union
County commissioners to proceed with the Mill Valley medical building
project, Chip Hubbs, hospital president/CEO, reported Thursday night.
Hospital trustees approved a resolution requested by the county
prosecutor to proceed with the project. However, in order to comply and
meet the public purpose of the Ohio Revised Code, it was necessary that
the board pass another resolution which states that the intent of the
project is for the public purpose of health and welfare of the community.
Since MHUC is a public entity and it is entering an agreement with a
private developer, Healthplex, it is necessary to be in compliance with the ORC.
The Mill Valley building is expected to be contain 10-11,000 square
feet. In April the board agreed to a 15-year lease of the property to be
developed on Route 31.
The $1.5 to $2 million project will be paid for by the developers; there
will be no cost to the hospital. Once the building is up and running the
hospital's only cost will be to lease the building. Those costs have yet
to be determined.
Hubbs also reported that the new sleep lab would be completed no later
than Sept. 1.
The project was started in March and will expand the current unit from
two to four beds and will be moved to the lower level of the Women's
Health Center.
The lab is used to help diagnose sleep disorders.
The board heard a report about the updated hospital Web site. The
technology department is working to create a secured site for all board
members, which will be accessed by using a password.
The proposed site would be accessed by members to obtain meeting
minutes, announcements, calendar of events and contact information.
The hospital's legal counsel, Catherine Ballard of Bricker and Eckler,
was on hand to express possible concerns in creating a secured site,
given that the hospital is a public entity and all information, with the
exception of personal contact information, has to be publicly accessible.
Ballard said she would research the issue and get back with a final answer.
The next meeting between AMDC, a strategic facility planning
organization, and the advisory planning committee will be July 9.
The hospital has been working with AMDC over the last several months to
develop future options for the hospital's growth.
Hubbs said the groups are coming close to presenting the various options
and he has had the opportunity to review various rough draft proposals.
AMDC is set to give its final recommendations within the next several months.
Last night's board meeting was held at The Gables at Green Pastures.
Prior to the meeting, the board had an opportunity to tour the hospital
owned retirement community.
The next board meeting will be July 26 at 8 p.m.
In other business, the board:
.Approved the purchase of new cataract surgery equipment for $64,000
because the old equipment is obsolete.
.Honored retiring Dr. Michael Conrad for his 20 years with MHUC.
.Approved standing items and committee reports for the following -
finance, joint conference, and customer service data.
.Approved initial appointment of the following - Dr. Theodore Comas,
third year, urgent care family medicine, department of medicine, ER/UC
provisional; Dr. Roopa Kartan, pediatrics, department of medicine,
active provisional.
.Approved provisional status to be extended for one year for Dr. Martin
Schroeder, anesthesiology, department of surgery, active provisional.
.Approved core curriculum changes for the following - ACLS and PALS
requirements; emergency medicine; cardiology.
.Approved non core radiology curriculum.
.Approved 2008 United Way proposal for mobile/community meals
and speech services.
.Heard that on-line bill pay is up and running.

Defendant claims 14-year-old girl took advantage of him
Jury takes 20 minutes to find him guilty of improper sexual conduct with
a minor
By MAC CORDELL
It took a jury of his peers less than half an hour to find a local man
guilty of having sex with a 14-year old.
Eric W. Brown, 33, of 104 Park Avenue, in Marysville, was found guilty
Thursday of improper sexual conduct with a minor, a felony of the third
degree. After just 20 minutes of deliberation, the nine-woman, three-man
jury returned with its decision.
As a result of the decision, Union County Court of Common Pleas Court
Judge Richard E. Parrott sentenced Brown to four years in prison, one
year short of a maximum sentence. Parrott also classified Brown a
sexually oriented offender. Brown must register with the sheriff of his
county of residence and employment at least once a year for the next decade.
During the one-day trial, the victim, now 16, testified that on May 8,
2005, she was sitting on a couch, following a party celebrating the
birth of her mother's live-in boyfriend's daughter with his wife. The
victim said there had been alcohol at the party and many of the adults
had passed out. She testified that Brown came and sat next to her.
"He started to mess with my feet and then went further up my legs...up
to my private parts," the victim testified.
She detailed intercourse between Brown and herself.
"I told him to stop," the girl testified.
She continued to say that he did not stop.
The victim said she went upstairs and took a shower. When her mother
woke up, the girl told her what happened.
On cross examination, defense attorney Cliff Valentine asked the girl if
she remembered instigating any of the contact.
"No, I didn't do that," she replied.
Valentine asked the girl how she could remember events that happened
more than two years ago.
"I kind of blacked that out," the girl said. "I tried not to think about
them. Getting the court papers, getting subpoenaed, brought the memories
back. I have been doing all I can not to think about them."
In the afternoon, Brown took the stand in his own defense.
He told the jury he was at the party and that he had been awake and
drinking most of the weekend. He said he went to the couch and fell
asleep. Several hours later he was awakened.
"I looked up and there was (the victim) on top of me rocking back and
forth," Brown testified.
The defendant said he had no idea how his pants came off and was
surprised to learn they were. He said he did not intentionally touch the
girl. He said he pushed her off and she rolled back on top of him.
"Did you realize what you were doing?" Valentine asked his client.
"No, not at the time. Not until later," Brown said.
"Why not" Valentine quizzed.
"I was under the influence of alcohol and lack of sleep," Brown
responded.
Brown testified that after 15 minutes, he pushed the girl off. He said
he covered up and watched television for "a couple of hours," then he left.
"Basically, what you are telling this jury is that it was all this
14-year-old girl's fault?" Union County Prosecutor David Phillips asked
on cross examination.
"Yes," Brown answered.
"You were just lying there and she took advantage of you?" Phillips questioned.
"Strange as it sounds, yes," the defendant confirmed.
Detective Don McGlenn of the Marysville Police Department testified for
the prosecution. He told the jury that three days after the alleged
events, he met with the victim. He then met with Brown. McGlenn said
Brown told him he was nearly passed out when he felt the victim
instigate contact. The detective said Brown admitted to having sex with
the girl, though he said she was the aggressor.
McGlenn said Brown gave "a couple" of different versions of the events,
the order, and his knowledge of the events as they were happening.
"It was the most uncomfortable situation I have ever been in," Brown
wrote in his statement to police.
At the conclusion of testimony, Phillips told jurors it didn't really
matter if they believed the victims version of the events or the
defendants. Both constitute the offense of improper sexual conduct with a minor.
"He tries to blame it on the 14-year-old girl," Phillips told the jury
as part of closing arguments. "He tries to blame it on intoxication. In
the state of Ohio, neither of these is a defense."
Following the verdict, the court turned its attention to the sentencing
phase. Phillips told the judge that Brown "utterly lacks remorse." He
added that the defendant has prior convictions for operating a vehicle
intoxicated, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft. He said Brown
was charged two years ago with contributing to the delinquency of a
minor, but had the charge dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to
another offense. Phillips recommended a four-year sentence.
Valentine requested a one-year prison term, noting that Brown has a
child on the way and none of his prior crimes were sex related.
"I am trying to get my life back in order," Brown told the judge.
Parrott told the defendant he was "concerned" that Brown had not
accepted responsibility for his actions.
"For you to tell this jury that you were being taken advantage of by
this young girl, that just kind of stretches the imagination," the judge said.

Marysville High School seal approved
By KARLYN BYERS
An idea that first formed when soon-to-be Marysville High School
Principal Matt Chrispin arrived at the school four years ago has come to fruition.
Marysville School Board members unanimously approved Monday night the
Marysville High School seal design proposed by Chrispin.
Assistant principal until Aug. 1, Chrispin said he began researching the
high school's history, traditions, rituals and symbols shortly after he
came to Marysville. He was selected as the 15th principal of Marysville
High School this spring and will succeed longtime MHS principal Greg
Hanson when Hanson retires.
"In any healthy family or organization, symbols provide a sense of
history and tradition," Chrispin e-mailed in response to a
"Journal-Tribune" inquiry. "The MHS seal does just that. It
communicates the essence of who we are as a school, which ultimately
reflects our values as a community."
Chrispin, local attorney and historian Robert Parrott and local funeral
director Scott Underwood bounced ideas off each other in the initial
stages of the seal's design, discussing various sentiments and symbols
from the past which could be used.
Scot Draughn of Creative Architectural Solutions took those ideas and
put them to form. Chrispin said he and Draughn met several times
throughout the school year, fine-tuning the ideas and coming up with a color scheme.
"(Draughn's) time and efforts are to be commended," Chrispin said.
"As we came closer to the final design," Chrispin added, several
teachers who were MHS alumni were consulted, as well as Crista Miller,
president of the MHS Alumni Association. It was a tedious process, but
we wanted to be sure to capture the essence of Marysville High School."
The finished design features the shield and rays pictured on the cover
of the 1936 MHS yearbook (the school's first yearbook) and the school
colors of red and royal blue.
The seal is divided into four quadrants featuring a lyre and mask
representing the arts; a cog and wheat representative of agriculture and
technology; a block "M" and a winged foot to represent student
activities and athletics; and a scroll and keys representing
scholarship/academia and the school yearbook, "The Key."
The design also features the numeral "1879" which represents the first
MHS graduating class, and four diamonds representing the four murals at
the Sixth Street High School - now the Veterans' Memorial. Those murals
represent transportation, agriculture, industry and spirituality.
"Those not familiar with MHS will see in our seal a commitment to
academia, student activities and athletics, agriculture and technology,
and the fine arts," Chrispin said.
Initially, it will be used on school communications and by the alumni
association. Other possibilities include displaying it as a mosaic on a
wall in the present high school main entry, as part of the tile in the
building's new entry or commons or as stained glass window.
"For our alumni, we hope the seal is a great source of pride and serves
as a catalyst to fond memories of their time at MHS," Chrispin said.

Cops or crack?
Decision leads to felony counts against Springfield man
By MAC CORDELL
A Springfield man is facing a decade in prison because he apparently
wanted to finish his crack before pulling over for law enforcement officials.
Kevin M. Earles, 26, of 2671 Allen Drive in Springfield, pleaded guilty
Wednesday to one count of failure to comply with the signal or order of
a police officer and one count of tampering with evidence. Both charges
are felonies of the third degree, punishable by as many as five years in
prison for each.
In addition, the defendant will lose his driver's license for a minimum
of three years and possibly for the remainder of his life.
Earles was indicted in May and is set for sentencing July 23 at 10:45
a.m. Union County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard E. Parrott ordered
a presentence investigation to be completed.
According to court documents, on April 13, a deputy from the Union
County Sheriff's Office was patrolling northbound on Route 4 when he
pulled behind Earles, who was driving below the speed limit, but erratically.
The deputy activated his lights and the vehicle began to pull over near
the intersection of Collins Road. The car suddenly pulled back onto the
road and continued to drive. The deputy turned on his siren, but Earles
continued to drive. Earles continued into Marysville, running several
red lights and stop signs, reaching speeds of more than 60 miles per
hour and narrowly avoiding numerous crashes.
Spike sticks were deployed in an attempt to stop Earles' vehicle, and
while the man stuck them, he continued driving on the flattened tires.
"Earles continued on through the downtown square of Marysville where
several pedestrians were along the streets," according to a bill of
particulars filed with the Union County Common Pleas Court. "Earles ran
the red light at Main Street and almost struck another vehicle in the
intersection. Earles did not slow for the red light and his speed was
now at 50 miles per hour.
Earles reached the east side of Marysville where he continued on to U.S.
36 East, all the while with tires down to the rims with sparks showing."
Earles finally stopped his vehicle on U.S. 36 near Mackan Road. At that
time, he locked all his doors.
As deputies approached the vehicle, they determined Earles was smoking a
pipe and he refused to exit his vehicle.
"Earles remained in the vehicle for 10 to 15 minutes, ignoring the
commands of law enforcement to exit the vehicle and continued to smoke
on his pipe and held a pair of scissors to his neck to hold off law
enforcement," according to the bill of particulars.
Law enforcement officials eventually broke the vehicle windows. They
were forced to use their stun guns to pull the man from the car. On the
seat next to the man, officers found a crack pipe with burnt residue.
"When Earles was asked by officers why he didn't stop, he answered, 'I
just wanted to smoke my crack, when it gets a hold of you, you don't
want to stop,'" according to the bill of particulars.
Earles said he knew his actions were dangerous, saying, "Yes it was a
stupid mistake, but crack hits hard," according to court documents.
Earles was charged with tampering with evidence because he smoked the
crack before law enforcement officials could examine it.

Drug trafficking charges could result in 27-year sentence
By MAC CORDELL
The first of six individuals charged with trafficking cocaine as part of
an organized crime operation pleaded guilty Wednesday in Union County
Court of Common Pleas.
Dennis G. Smith, 33, whose only listed address is the Tri-County
Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg, pleaded guilty to five counts of
trafficking in cocaine and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt
activity. The engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity charge is a
felony of the first degree. Of the trafficking charges, one is a
second-degree felony, one is a third-degree felony and three are
felonies of the fourth degree. The charges were enhanced because the
offense occurred in the vicinity of a school.
Smith faces as many as 271/2 years in prison along with a fine of $65,000.
In exchange for Smith's guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed a
fourth-degree felony charge of trafficking in cocaine.
Union County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard E. Parrott ordered a
presentence investigation. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced July 23 at
10:30 a.m. He remains in Tri-County Regional Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Smith was indicted in May as law enforcement officials concluded a
undercover investigation into Lee Dog's Lockerroom, 109 N. Main Street.
According to court documents, on six occasions between Sept. 9 and Feb.
11 Smith sold a total of 30.66 grams of cocaine to an undercover agent
working with the Marysville Police Department.
As a result of law enforcement's investigation Smith was charged, along
with Sheila L. Wyatt, Ricia Cain, Joshua S. Bradley and Lee A. Alderson.
Wyatt is charged with one count of second degree felony trafficking in
cocaine and one count of a first-degree felony engaging in a pattern of
corrupt activity. She is set for jury trial July 20.
Cain, also known as Ricia Hay or Ricia Marrs, is charged with one count
of fourth degree felony trafficking in cocaine and one count of a
first-degree felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. She is
due in court July 23 for a pretrial hearing.
Bradley is charged with one count of fourth degree felony trafficking in
cocaine and one count of a first-degree felony engaging in a pattern of
corrupt activity. He is due in court for a pretrial conference Friday.
Alderson, 37, of 18205 Harmon Patrick Road in Richwood, is charged with
aggravated trafficking in drugs, a felony of the fourth degree,
trafficking in drugs, a felony of the fifth degree, two counts of
fifth-degree felony permitting drug abuse and one count of a
first-degree felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a
first-degree felony. He is set for trial July 24.

City may put squeeze on sex offenders
Marysville may enact more strict guidelines on where predators can live
By RYAN HORNS
After a homeless sexual predator legally took up residence on a park
bench in uptown Marysville last year, city officials and residents have
been discussing what to do about the issue.
Federal laws state that sexual offenders may not live within 1,000 feet
of a school. But communities have been extending those laws in hopes of
protecting their children from repeat offenders.
Part of Betsy Spain's duties at the Union County Sheriff's Office is to
register local sexual offenders. She said there are currently 34 sexual
predators living in Union County. A recent list of those offenders shows
that 14 reside in Marysville, not including several more who only work in town
Marysville City Council's Ad Hoc Committee has been working since
October 2006 to expand local laws to place that 1,000 feet limitation
around libraries, parks and daycare facilities. The group met again
Tuesday night to move forward on its plans.
Committee member Ed Pleasant explained that last year, some residents
called asking what the city's policy was toward sexual offenders. Only
then did council discover that there was no local policy, so the
committee began looking into creating one.
By the end of the meeting Tuesday, the committee decided to have city
law director Tim Aslaner draft two ordinances for city council's future consideration.
The issue, though, is not without controversy. If the two ordinances
pass it could mean some of those offenders would have to sell their homes and move.
"It's definitely going to be . interesting," Spain said about the repercussions.
Committee members Leah Sellers said that the problem with expanding on
federal sexual predator laws is trying to avoid violating civil
liberties. She said the issue is complex and the debate is how far to
go. If the point of the laws are to protect children in the community
from repeat offenders, would the committee be better off trying to put
together better neighborhood watch programs instead?
Sellers said that when dealing with sexual predators there can be a kind
of "hysteria" involved. Yet the hysteria is not entirely unwarranted.
She said scientific research has shown that some sexual predators cannot
be rehabilitated, which is why even after serving time in jail there are
laws to govern where offenders can live.
Regarding enforcement, Spain said if Marysville expands its laws, her
job would be to work with the new guidelines. She plans to seek some
guidance from officials in other cities, such as Upper Arlington, who
have already faced the same debate.
Spain added that the issue will become more complex in July when the
federal government plans to begin changing how it classifies sexual
crimes. Those changes should go into effect by Jan. 1, 2008. Such terms
as "sexual offender" and "sexual predator" will instead be classified as
Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. No criteria has been set for any of the tiers.
Because of changes in the federal sexual predator laws, the ad hoc
committee chose to limit the language of the ordinances to refer to
felony sexual crimes.
Committee members reviewed a map of Marysville during the meeting
Tuesday night, trying to determine where offenders could feasibly live -
if there is anywhere within the city. The worry was that the new
restrictions would blanket the city, essentially preventing all of them
from living in town. After review, they decided there were still many
areas the offenders could live.
Committee member David Burke also wondered about any negative impacts
the changes might bring upon the city.
"Do those people have any recourse?" he said about offenders who may
have to move.
"There is nothing to keep someone from suing us, that's for sure," Aslaner said.
He said as long as the new changes do not prevent someone from living in
the city, then it is justifiable.
Burke also raised the issue of what to do about someone currently living
in accordance with the law, but who may have to move if the city changes
go into effect. The main question could be ... would the city need to
provide a time period for offenders to move?
Aslaner said he plans to look into case studies from other cities which
have created their own standards for dealing with sexual predators.
"I think we've done a good job defining what was initially loose
definitions," Burke said. "I think this is on the money."

Depending upon His word
Teller says trust in Jesus guided his 13 years at First United Methodist
By CORINNE BIX
Throughout his life, Pastor Dick Teller has looked to his favorite
Christian hymn for inspiration, a hymn which says "Through it All I've
learned to trust in Jesus . I've learned to depend upon His Word."
Teller, 80, retired Sunday as the visitation pastor at Marysville First
United Methodist Church on Court Street. Teller and his wife of 47
years, Jan, were both honored for their 13 years of service to the congregation.
His retirement was by no means celebrated quietly, as the church took
the opportunity to express gratitude to the much-loved pastor by
re-naming the church chapel.
Teller said he was overwhelmed by the honor and joked about the newly
named A. Richard Teller Chapel.
"I told them they just couldn't call it the Teller Memorial Chapel
because I'm still living," Teller said.
The church surprised the Tellers with a special bronze plaque, which
will be placed in the chapel. The plaque includes a drawing of Teller
along with the words to the hymn "Through it All."
Teller has lived a very full life, spending 57 years in ministry.
Originally born in Cleveland, he moved and lived with his family in
Philadelphia, where he graduated high school.
He moved on and graduated from Colgate University and Union Theological
Seminary in New York before returning to Ohio to begin his almost six
decades of ministry.
"From 1953 to 1994 I worked in full time ministry all over the western
half of Ohio," Teller said. "I worked in churches as far north as
Findlay, as far south as Portsmouth, east in Delaware and west in Dayton."
In 1994, he officially retired at 67 years of age and chose to stay in
the central Ohio area so that he and Jan could be near their son and his
family in Hilliard.
The Tellers have three children, two sons and a daughter. Their oldest
son lives in Northern Virginia with five children and their daughter
lives in Boston with two youngsters.
"We found a house that we loved at the corner of Sherwood and Hickory,"
Teller said. "At 67, I showed faith by taking out a 30 year mortgage."
As a clergy member, Teller and his family had always lived in the
parsonage provided by the church where he was a pastor. This marked the
first time that the Tellers needed to actually purchase a home.
Teller started at Marysville First United Methodist part time upon
arriving in the area and has averaged a 20-hour workweek for the last 13 years.
He talks about the many changes in pastors at the Methodist Church since
he has been there. It was between 1999-2002 that the church had several
quick changeovers in pastors, which Teller said is very unusual for the Methodist church.
Teller, along with the assistant pastor at the time, did their best to
hold things together and create a constant for the congregation's parishioners.
"We tried to keep an even keel," Teller said.
In recent years, Teller said he feels the church has strong leadership
in current pastor Ken Daft and assistant pastor Tom Schwind.
"The church is in really good hands," he said.
Teller said he and Jan have recently experienced more health problems,
and it's just time to retire.
He and his wife are looking forward to staying in Marysville as regular
members of the church that they have both grown to love so much.
Retirement will be a big change, but Teller said he knows he is
emotionally ready.
"I have mixed feelings," he said. "It's going to be an adjustment
because since 1950 this has basically been my whole life."
Teller will remain on the church finance committee and looks forward to
enjoying time with his 10 grandchildren. In the fall, he will be
spending Saturdays cheering on the Buckeyes and Sundays trusting in Jesus.

Teachers get pay raise
Marysville superintendent receives five-year contract extension
By KARLYN BYERS
Teachers in the Marysville School District will receive a 2 1/2 percent
pay increase in the 2007-2008 school year, thanks to action taken by the
board of education Monday night at its regularly scheduled meeting.
Board members also granted a five-year administrative contract and a 2
1/2 percent pay increase to Superintendent Larry Zimmerman. It will
become effective Aug. 1 and continue through July 31, 2012, at which
time Zimmerman said his youngest child will be a freshman in college and
he will have put in 40 years as an educator and administrator.
Zimmerman's salary for the 2007-2008 school year will be $108,214.
Also approved were salary schedules for administrators, classified,
supplemental, Latchkey, hourly and substitute personnel - all received 2
1/2 percent pay increases.
The agreement is through Dec. 31.
"We didn't want to negotiate further because (Dec. 31) is when our
health insurance contract expires," Zimmerman said in an e-mail
communication this morning. "We settled on a 2 1/2 percent salary
increase for next year but we will review insurance this fall."
Marysville School District employees currently pay a high deductible
plan and a percentage of their insurance, Zimmerman said in the e-mail.
"Whether that percentage changes when the insurance contract ends in
December will be determined then and largely be determined on whether
our insurance rates go up or not," he wrote.
Under the new pay schedule, a beginning teacher with a bachelor's degree
and no experience will receive $32,800 per year. A teacher with a
master's degree and no teaching experience will receive $37,048.
Zimmerman said the pay increase was designed to compete with the Central
Ohio region.
"Our goal is (to) keep and attract a quality staff. If we don't stay
competitive in salary and benefits we will never be able to keep the
quality staff we have now. There are just too many growing school
districts in the northwest Columbus region who will hire away our staff
if we don't at least stay competitive," Zimmerman wrote.
Board members also unanimously voted to suspend the contract of Robert
Fraker, the district's head mechanic, for 30 days without pay.
The suspension goes into effect today and will continue through July 23,
and is the second step in an investigative process, Zimmerman told the
"Journal-Tribune" after Monday's school board meeting.
Zimmerman confirmed Wednesday that Fraker had been placed on paid
administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations that
Fraker allegedly misused a school computer. That action was taken after
several district employees reported that Fraker had been using the
computer in the bus garage to access "inappropriate material."
In other action, the board:
.Hired Melanie Ziegler as administrative assistant in charge of
communications, effective July 1. Ziegler is currently director of
development and communications at Memorial Hospital of Union County. She
will be paid $58,500 in the 2007-2008 school year.
.Employed Karen Collins, interpreter/aide; Amy Morgan and Anna Inman,
on-the-bus instructors; Courtney Mabee, Julie Adams, Belinda Adams,
Loretta Weeks, Cody Preston, all seasonal help; Jodie Clark, director of
transportation; Janice Smith, Pace tutor; Chad Sines, teacher; Jane
Chaffin, cook; Heather Blevins, teacher; Aaron Rossi, teacher; Naomi
Shaw, speech/language pathologist; Joseph Crozier, custodian; Alyson
Kudrak and Carrie Trouten, teachers; Michelle Thrust, secretary; Kathryn
Schneider, Andrea Lotycz and Jessica Wagner, teachers; Craig Elrod,
custodian; Linda Schilling, cook/cashier; Leslie Kinney, teacher;
Lorinda Hobbs, social worker; Heidi Dunbar, aide; Jason Kinney and
Meredith Andrews, teachers; Nathan Edwards, custodian; Darlena Bailey
and Loretta Pullins, bus drivers; Shari Moffett, Jennifer Rabe and Kate
Walters, teachers; and Beckie Craig and Evetta Edwards, seasonal help.
.Accepted the resignations of Amanda MacConnell, speech/language
pathologist; Chad Redmon, middle school athletic director; Jessica Kane,
teacher; Kelly McGraw, fiscal support; Casey Palivoda, seasonal worker;
and Beverly Dyers, teacher; and accepted the retirement of Dorence
Rausch, custodian.
.Granted an unpaid leave to Faith Still, anticipated dates of Sept. 12
through Nov. 9.
.Approved assignment changes for Carla Steele from teacher on special
assignment to the position of director of elementary curriculum; Candy
Weikle from her current guidance assistant position to the position of
attendance; Bart Taylor from bus driver to custodian; and Doris Woodson
from cook to head cook.
.Employed Morgan Richards, intervention teacher; Amanda Davis, Victoria
Lewis, Garrett Andrews, Joe Crowley, Kathryn Earl, Heather Sherrick,
Melissa Hughes, Mary Davis, Meredith Burkhart, Teri Leitwein, Kristopher
Crawmer, Greg Rohrs, Mary Boehm, Anda Smith, Dustin Jasinski, Joe
McSwords, Fred Bruney and Matthew Beans as teachers; and Tori Lewis,
Lori Mesi, Richard Knisley, Angela Lenhart, Anne Annan, Katherine
Church, Heather Pryor, Bethany Lambert, Kara Wood and Monica Carmean as
substitute teachers on the summer school staff.
.Added the salary category of social worker.
.Awarded extended time contracts to teachers Mary Davis, Rachel Hill and
Josh Montgomery and aide Theresa Ravencraft.
.Granted extended time to Aaron Cook, middle school athletic director;
Rachel Hill, alternative education coordinator; and Shari Moffett,
vocational agriculture.
.Employed Josh Montgomery and Anne Annan as certificated substitutes and
Amanda Boerger and Kim Jackson as classified substitutes for the summer
school autism program.
.Contracted with Naomi Shaw to provide speech and language therapy
services on an as-needed basis.
.Agreed to make payment to Tier I mentors Brooke Yoder, Carol Lentz,
Lara Cordell, Janet Rohrs, Judy VanDuzen, Mary Jo Browning, Greg Rohrs,
Meg Hall, Laura Koke, Adam Kunkle, Linda Sommerfield, Lisa Watkins and
Amanda Wynk; and to Tier II mentors Jan Short, Rebecca Trefz, Cindy
Teske, Sue Millice, Darlene McChesney, Natalie Askew and Beth Follmer.
.Modified the position of Lisa Coburn as Tier I mentor from sharing the
position to the full position for the 2006-2007 school year.
.Adopted "The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century" and
"Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic" as new textbooks in the
American history and AP calculus courses.
.Approved a contract with Student Data Analysis System for the
development and implementation of a kindergarten through sixth grade
system at a cost of $13,225.
.Approved an Aug. 29-Sept. 10 cookie dough fundraiser at East Elementary.
.Accepted the donation of a $670 Sure Snap mechanical center snap for
the football program from the Quarterback Club; a $495 Magnatag 3-foot
by 4-foot magnetic whiteboard and magnets used as a depth chart for the
football program from the Quarterback Club; of eight wireless VGA to TV
converters and two Smart Boards and projectors from the Mill Valley PTO
to Mill Valley Elementary; of Scholastic books to the Mill Valley school
library from the CAPP Program and Union Rural Electric; the donation of
a disc CD player and DVD player purchased with teacher/classroom funds
from the Raymond PTO.
.Adjourned into executive session to discuss personnel. No action was taken.

Judge yanks offender's CBCF option
By MAC CORDELL
A Celina man, called "a druggie still" by a Union County judge, will
spend nearly a year in an Ohio penitentiary.
Richard Michael Smith, 46, of 815 W. South St., Celina, was sentenced
Monday by Union County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard E. Parrott.
Smith, who pleaded guilty in May to one count of fifth-degree felony
possession of cocaine, was sentenced to 11 months in prison, just one
month short of the maximum allowable sentence.
Defense attorney Cliff Valentine told the judge his client had some
prior run-ins with the law.
"But in the most recent past, he has tried to be a law abiding citizen,"
Valentine told Parrott.
Smith questioned the judge, saying the recommendations of the
presentence investigation were not in line with what he had been told
would be the state's recommendation. Parrott said he had not made any
recommendation to the defendant. Parrott also reminded Smith that as the
judge, recommendations of the state or the presentence investigation are
not binding upon him.
The judge said he had initially intended to place the defendant into
rehabilitation at West Central Community Based Correctional Facility.
However, Parrott said he learned Smith told WCCBCF officials he did not
want to participate in the program.
Calling beds at WCCBCF "precious," Parrott told Smith, "we don't send
people who are lukewarm."
The judge called the facility one of the premier rehabilitation centers in the state.
"And you just kicked it in the teeth," Parrott told Smith.
Once the judge learned of Smith's reluctance to participate in WCCBCF's
program, he reviewed the defendant's criminal history. Parrott said the
man had prior convictions for arson, grand theft, trafficking and as
recently as 2006, drug paraphernalia.
"That tells me you are a druggie still," Parrott said. "Is that right?"
"Yep," Smith replied.
"Just so we understand each other," Parrot added.
The judge then ordered Smith to serve 11 months in prison and pay a
$1,000 fine. Parrott said he would not approve any type of early release program.
Smith was arrested Sunday Nov. 19, after he was stopped by a trooper
from the Ohio Highway Patrol for a vehicle defect.
"Richard Michael Smith, the driver, was excessively nervous and had
prior trafficking in narcotics convictions," according to court
documents.
A canine unit was called to the scene and indicated the presence of drugs.
"A probable cause search revealed a crack pipe, chore boy, crack
cocaine, marijuana and cocaine was found in the driver's door console,
wrapped in a rag," according to Court documents.
The suspected cocaine was sent to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Crime
Lab, where it tested positive.

Richwood Council looks at golf cart traffic
By CHAD WILLIAMSON
The village of Richwood is trying to stay on par with other
municipalities when it comes to allowing golf carts on the streets.
Village solicitor Victoria Stone-Moledor said the Union County Sheriff's
Department is establishing a system by which to inspect golf carts to
see that they are safe to drive on the roads of municipalities. The
vehicles must apparently be registered with the state and street legal
to be driven on roadways.
Richwood Police Chief Monte Asher said his department already inspects
golf carts within the village, making sure they are equipped with turn
signals, lights, a horn and windshield, as well as insurance. Asher said
there are currently three golf carts registered to drive on village streets.
Stone-Moledor said that simply registering the vehicles may not mean
they can be driven on village streets. She said her understanding of the
law is that the village must specifically put an ordinance in place
allowing them to be driven in Richwood.
Although the issue has been discussed before, no council member could
recall that such an ordinance had been passed. Stone-Moledor said she
could write a draft of such an ordinance for council to read.
Even if such an ordinance is approved, some village thoroughfares will
remain off limits. Stone-Moledor said golf carts may not be driven on
state routes, meaning routes 37 and 47 would be off limits.
Asher was asked if golf carts could be driven on the sidewalks on the
state routes. He said they could not, because the carts must be street
legal, meaning they are treated no differently than a car if found
driving on a sidewalk.
Council member George Showalter asked what a resident could be cited for
if found driving a non-street legal golf cart. Asher said in such a case
the driver would be cited for driving an unregistered vehicle.
Councilman Scott Jerew said he had reservations about allowing the golf
carts on village streets because it would lead to other vehicles, like
ATVs and snowmobiles, being driven in town.
In other business, council:
.Learned that the village mosquito fogger has been calibrated and will
be used when needed.
.Learned that the village has submitted to projects to the State Capital
Improvement Program. One is to resurface Beatty Avenue and the other is
to reconstruct Veterans Way.
.Learned from Asher that the police department is having issues with one
of the village's bars.
.Heard that the village may be purchasing a laser speed detection device
to help the police department catch speeding motorists.
.Learned that a cornhole tournament will be part of Park Day. Cornhole
practice and lessons will be offered at the Richwood Park on Sunday
nights at 6 p.m.
.Learned that the new veterans monument in the park is covered under the
village's insurance policy.
.Heard from Stone-Moledor that she finished the draft of the letter to
be sent to residents eligible for a parking fine refund.
.Heard from councilman Von Beal that he has been fielding questions
about the feasibility of opening the Richwood Lake beach area for
swimming. Mayor Bill Nibert said he will be meeting with the village's
insurance company next month and he will inquire about the necessary
steps to open the beach again.

Theft gets man a year in prison
From J-T staff reports:
A stolen generator has led to a nearly year-long prison term for a local man.
Michael Schaffer, 36, whose court-listed address is Tri-County Regional
Jail in Mechanicsburg, was sentenced Monday to 11 months in a state penitentiary.
In May, Schaffer pleaded guilty to theft, a fifth-degree felony. In
exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed a fifth-degree
felony charge of breaking and entering. Schaffer was initially indicted
on the pair of charges in November of last year.
If he had not pleaded, a jury trial was set for today.
According to court documents, Schaffer was arrested after law
enforcement officials determined that on May 12, 2005, Schaffer and two
other men broke into an unoccupied house in the 900 block of Walker
Woods in Marysville.
While in the home, which was under construction, the three men took a
generator, valued at $1,712. The men planned to sell the generator for
$400, it was reported.
At Monday's sentencing hearing, defense attorney Perry Parsons told
Union County Court of Common Pleas Court Judge Richard E. Parrott that
the defendant had simply fallen in with a bad crowd.
"Mr. Schaffer realizes he should not have been involved with the people
he was involved with that day," said Parsons.
Schaffer apologized to the court.
"I was in the wrong," Schaffer said, adding, "I'd like to get on with my life, clear."
Parrott said the presentence investigation was "substantially" in the
defendant's favor. He sentenced Schaffer to 11 months in prison and said
he would not allow Schaffer to be enrolled in an early release program.
Restitution was not ordered in the case because the generator was recovered.
Before the defendant was led from the courtroom, Parrott offered him a
word of advice.
"I'd stick with what you said in the presentence investigation," Parrott
said "It was pretty impressive, as long as you are not just mouthing words

Woman indicted for role in overdose
From J-T staff reports:
The Union County Court of Common Pleas recently indicted a Plain City
woman for her alleged role in a drug-related death that occurred last year.
Thursday afternoon Aerial Nicole May, 20, of 267 apt. B North Ave., was
indicted on eight felony charges. The most significant of those being
one first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter charge, as a result of
her allegedly committing the felony of aggravated trafficking in drugs
and/or permitting drug abuse that may have led to the death of a Hilliard man.
May also faces three fourth-degree felony aggravated trafficking in
drugs charges, one fifth-degree felony permitting drug abuse charge, and
three fourth-degree felony deception to obtain a dangerous drug charges.
All of which stem from her allegedly purchasing drugs such as Avinza,
Fentanyl and Oxycodone on or about April 1 through May 3 that year.
According to the indictment, the charges against May are a result of the
night of April 24 to April 25 in 2006.
Union County Coroner Dr. David Applegate said that on April 25 he was
called to the scene for the prescription drug overdose death of Eric
Amend, 24, of Hilliard. Plain City Police were also called to the scene
to investigate.
Applegate said Amend died after consuming several prescription drugs,
such as morphine, fentanyl and percocet. He said the case against May
deals with her alleged involvement in obtaining the drugs Amends took.
She was apparently with Amend the night he died.
Plain City Police Department's Lt. Jim Hill reported that he could not
comment on the case at this time.
May is expected to be arraigned on June 29 at 3:15 p.m. in the Union
County Court of Common Pleas.

Man sentenced to three years for burglaries
By MAC CORDELL
A Marysville man has been sentenced to spend the next three years in an Ohio prison.
In May, David R. Moots Jr., 39, of 851 Catalpa Place, pleaded guilty to
three counts of burglary, all felonies of the fourth degree. This
morning he learned his fate.
Union County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard E. Parrott sentenced
him to 12 months in prison on each count. The sentences are to be served
consecutively, giving Moots an aggregate sentence of three years. Moots
faced a maximum of 41/2 years in prison.
Defense attorney Michael Streng said his client was "a pillar of the
community" with no prior criminal record.
"The crimes that were committed here were not of his normal character,"
Streng told the judge.
The attorney explained that his client had some physical problems for
which he took medication that he ultimately became addicted to.
"He put those prescription medications before everything he held dear in
his life," Streng said.
David Creviston, whose home was broken into, addressed the court.
"The only thing I have asked is that the defendant admits how he entered
my property," Creviston said.
Parrott asked the man if he had anything he wanted to say before
sentence was imposed. After stumbling with his words a few moments,
Moots said he had done a lot of thinking about his actions.
"I can stand here and say I am blue in the face," Moots said. "I don't
even deserve to have that considered. My true apology has to come in the
future with my actions. I want to get through this so I can get back
home with my family."
The judge told Moots it would be "proper and appropriate," to answer
Creviston's concerns. Moots said, as he has all along, that he entered
through an unlocked back door.
Creviston told the judge that he was not satisfied.
"Somehow Mr. Moots entered my property, but not using the back patio
door," Creviston said, noting again that the back door had been locked for months.
After ordering Moots to serve three years in the penitentiary, Parrott
noted that Moots had been "a law abiding citizen up to this point." He
said the defendant was in "the small minority" of defendants who have
substantial support from family and friends.
The judge said he would allow the defendant to be assessed for
admittance to West Central Community Based Correctional Facility.
Parrott noted that the allowance for WCCBCF was due in large part to
Moots' family support and his crime free past.
Moots was arrested Thursday, April 12, after his law enforcement
officials quickly connected him to the burglary of Creviston's home
earlier that day. The defendant pleaded guilty to that burglary as well
as one which occurred between Dec. 26 and Dec. 30 and one which occurred
on Jan. 17.

'Marysville is my quiet time'
Local artist finds slow pace of area perfect for drawing inspiration
By MAC CORDELL
An area artist is crediting the serenity of Union County for her success in Florida.
A collection of 39 landscape paintings, "Three Women - Three Friends"
features Marysville summer resident Jan Fetters, along with a pair of
her friends and art students Willa Campbell and Char Revera Leipply. The
exhibit went on display June 7 at the Lake Wales Art Center in Lake
Wales, Fla., and will run through July 13.
"This is a huge honor," said Fetters. "It is such an honor to be asked.
We don't know exactly why we were asked, It was just such a big honor."
She said if she had to guess, it was because the three women were
friends and had painted together at several other local art shows.
Fetters is a painting teacher in central Florida and recently took home
"best in show" honors at Highlands Art Festival and the Helen Aufford
Memorial Award at the Lake Wales Art Show.
As proud as she is of her own work, she said the advancements of her
students offers "deep personal satisfaction."
"It feels really good when your students have progressed to the point
that they can show and sell their paintings," Fetters said. "You see
their work progress and improve and that makes you feel good as a teacher."
Gayle Barnum, of the Lake Wales Art Center, said the exhibit has been,
"very well," received.
"These women are well known and well liked in this community," Barnum said.
Fetters, is a lifelong central Ohio resident who now spends six months a
year at her Marysville home and studio and six months at her winter home
in Lake Wales, a strong arts community about 40 miles south of Orlando.
"I do my painting in Ohio," Fetters said.
"Ohio is my quiet time, my time to paint. I teach and do shows in
Florida. By the time I come to Ohio, I am tired. I need my quiet time.
Marysville is my quiet time."
Originally from Ridgeway, Fetters is a retired postal manager. She has a
daughter who lives near Richwood.
"Because our daughter lives here, we decided to relocate here," Fetters
said.
She said Marysville has proved to be the perfect community to be creative.
"For me, it is a very peaceful place," Fetters said. "I love it here."
Adding to the inspirational setting of her home she said is a large
window in her studio that offers a panoramic view of the woods that back
her home.
"It is beautiful," the artist said. "I have music piped in and it is
just a great place to paint and be inspired. I can really get away and
use my vision and let my brush go."
Though known primarily for her watercolors, "Three Women - Three
Friends" also showcases Fetters' ability to paint with oils and acrylics.
"I teach and show watercolors," Fetters said. "I do oils for fun.
"My watercolors are loosely painted and are bright and colorful. When I
put the paint on the paper, I let the water move the paint around and
that creates beautiful colors because they mingle."
Fetters realizes that most area residents will not have the opportunity
to enjoy the exhibit in Florida, but said those who want to see her work
can do so locally.
"They would have to call and could come to my studio by invitation,"
said Fetters. "I have some pieces here and am working on some pieces. I
also have some prints here."
Those wishing to contact Fetters may call 642-4646.

Red Cross puts out a call for blood
From J-T staff reports:
A number of serious traumas this week have drained the local blood
supply, leaving the Red Cross unable to fill hospital requests.
Since Monday, 13 patients at just three area hospitals have used 264
blood products to survive serious injuries. This extraordinary blood
usage has left the Red Cross with just hours worth of four of the eight
blood types, according to an e-mail message.
As of Thursday, the Red Cross reported there were no O-negative units,
which is the universal red blood cell, left in its inventory. Even an
emergency supply of O-negative, usually reserved just for infant
patients, has been used to try to fill the void. Hospital requests for
blood have outpaced the supply available.
The summer months bring a critical need for blood due to an increase in
motor vehicle crashes and traumatic injuries. With a number of
critically injured local patients in June using extraordinary amounts of
blood to survive, the local inventory is stressed. The local Red Cross
has requested help from the Red Cross in Cleveland, but there is not
enough blood to share, as shortages are being seen across the country.
"High blood utilization and low donor turnout have resulted in a
critical situation," said Rodney Wilson, Red Cross spokesperson. "If we
do not see an increase in the number of donors, our ability to continue
to supply hospitals with needed blood will be compromised."
Central Ohio has seen a sustained dip in blood donations since early
June. Of greatest concern for the local Red Cross is a critically
limited availability of type O-negative red blood cells, which are
generally safe for patients of all types and used most with trauma
patients. Ideally, the Red Cross tries to have a three to five day
supply of blood available, but currently there is less than a one-day
supply of four of the eight blood types.
Emergency rooms can use four to 40 units of blood to treat an auto
accident victim just in the first hour, and approximately 8,000 people
are injured in traffic accidents each day. Right now, one seriously
injured trauma patient would stress the supply beyond its limits.
All blood types are needed, with a special need for type O.
Added Bonus for donors:
Community partners have teamed up to help provide an added incentive for
people to give blood. All presenting blood donors this summer in
Central Ohio can enjoy these thank you gifts: A lease on a 2007 Saturn
AURA, donated by Saturn of Columbus; a $25 gas card after you donate
when you test drive any Saturn vehicle at a Saturn of Columbus location;
an $8 off coupon on a Cedar Point ticket, donated by Cedar Point.
For more information on blood donation or to schedule an appointment to
donate, call (800) GIVE-LIFE or visit the Central Ohio Region's Web site
at www.BloodSavesLives.org.
Blood donors must be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110
pounds, and be in general good health

Bridges, trail dedicated
By CORINNE BIX
North Lewisburg had a lot to celebrate Thursday morning as the
community hosted a dedication celebration for its own multi-use trail,
along with several covered bridges and the Big Darby Plains Scenic Byway.
Officials from Union and Champaign counties and the state were on hand
to properly dedicate the new public landmarks.
"It's a great day for the village of North Lewisburg," Mayor Dick Willis
said. "It's wonderful anytime a small village can partner up with
another county as well as ODOT District 6 to accomplish a big project
such as this."
It has been more than two years in the making, but North Lewisburg can
now boast an almost two-mile walking and biking trail running from East
Street to Inskeep Cratty Road just inside the Union County border.
In addition, North Lewisburg worked with the Union County Engineer's
office to rehabilitate and move the Pottersburg Bridge originally
located at the North Lewisburg site, along with construction of a new
North Lewisburg bridge and the new Buck Run Road covered bridge.
The celebration became a five-fold event when the Big Darby Plains
Scenic Byway committee learned that the newly established corridor had
received its new designation just last month.
The Byway committee included members from all the participating
counties, townships and municipalities that are identified on the
corridor's main 27-mile route along existing county, township and state routes.
"Ohio now has 26 scenic by-ways," said Sue Irwin, Union County
Engineer's office business manager. "The Big Darby Plains Scenic Byway
and its spurs is actually 49 miles long and spans four counties, Union,
Champaign, Madison and a little bit of Franklin."
Irwin said the corridor runs parallel to Big Darby Creek, which has been
designated a state and national scenic river.
Irwin added that the byway has been described as having panoramic views
of some of the most fertile farmland, vistas of the Big Darby Creek, six
covered bridges, three nature preserves, historic homes, century old
farms and pioneer cemeteries.
Thursday's dedication also christened three covered bridges, one old and two new.
The transplanted Pottersburg Bridge now sits on the North Lewisburg
Multi-use Trail.
The Pottersburg Bridge was originally built in the late 1860s- early
1870s. The canopy was added in 1937 and extensive repairs were made to
the structure in 1949.
The Shaw and Holter Company of Lancaster constructed the two-mile
multi-use trail and rehabilitated the Pottersburg Bridge at a cost of
$640,000. A federal transportation enhancement grant totaling $448,000
paid for 80 percent of the cost while the remaining balance was shared
by the village, Union and Champaign county commissioners and the Union
County engineer's office.
The newly constructed North Lewisburg Road covered bridge and Buck Run
covered bridge are both located in Union County close to the Champaign
County border.
The choice to build wood covered bridges was a well-researched one,
according to Steve Stolte, Union County engineer.
"A typical conventional bridge would not work because we were prevented
by ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) and other environmental
agencies from installing any permanent structures in the water," Stolte
said. "In order to meet that requirement, we had to construct bridges
that would span the entire width of Big Darby Creek and only
non-conventional bridges such as steel trusses, covered wood trusses,
cable-stayed or cable suspension, or cantilever types would work."
Stolte said after completing a comparative study of the different bridge
types, it was determined that although not the cheapest initial cost,
the covered wood truss bridges were the most cost efficient per year
cost based on present worth analysis.
Both bridges accommodate two lanes of traffic and were designed by
Smollen Engineering of Jefferson, and were constructed by the Righter
Company of Columbus.
The North Lewisburg Bridge is 135 feet long and was built to handle
legal loads, including modern truck traffic, as explained by the Union
County Engineer's office.
"The new Buck Run Road covered bridge is officially the longest single
span timber bridge built to carry legal loads in Ohio and spans 160 feet
of the Big Darby Creek," Stolte stated in a May press release.
The total cost of both bridges was approximately $3.2 million and 80
percent was paid for with federal grants generated from federal gasoline taxes.
The Union County Commissioners contributed $307,000 and state gas tax
and license plate fees were used for the remaining local share.
Union County has a total of six covered bridges and the new Buck Run
road covered bridge is currently the longest single span wooden bridge
in Ohio which can carry legal loads.

Driver killed in deer crash
From J-T staff reports:
A deer crashed into the windshield of a car driving in Union County,
killing a Dublin man and injuring members of his family Thursday night.
According to OSP reports, at 11:40 p.m. driver Frank A. Perry, 44, of
Dublin was pronounced dead at the scene by Union County Coroner Dr.
David Applegate. Perry had been heading east on Route 161 in a 2001 GMC
Sierra pickup truck when he struck a deer in the roadway.
Reports show that the deer was thrown through the windshield, causing
injuries to those inside the truck, and then exited through the rear
window and landing in the bed of the truck.
The state patrol clarified that the deer was not trapped inside the cab
of the truck, meaning Perry was not killed as a result of being kicked
by the animal. Reports state that the deer struck Perry as it initially
came through the windshield and then it immediately went out the back window.
After the collision, Perry continued off the right side of the road and
struck two fences before the truck came to rest in a corn field.
Front seat passenger, Tamara L. Perry, 45, of Dublin was injured and
transported by MedFlight to Grant Medical Center. She sustained non-life
threatening injuries.
Third passenger Angelina Perry, 3, of Dublin was transported to Union
County Memorial Hospital by Union Township EMS. She also sustained
non-life threatening injuries.
The Union County Sheriff' Office assisted at the scene and the crash
remains under investigation.
The OSP Marysville Post reported that this is the fourth fatal crash in
Union County this year.
An additional Union County Sheriff's report filed this morning also
explained that there was an injured dog at the scene of the crash.
State patrol reported this morning that the dog had been inside the
truck during the crash and was also injured. As a result, a sheriff's
deputy was subsequently bitten by the dog as he tried to move it out of
the roadway for its own safety.

Triad finds a treasurer in one of its building principals
By CORINNE BIX
Triad has a new treasurer with a familiar name.
Craig Meredith, elementary school principal, will be the district's new
director of business beginning in August.
Meredith is qualified to be a superintendent and has previously
completed course work in school finance and school law.
He needs to complete nine hours of accounting to be certified as a
treasurer and plans on having his remaining courses and internship with
the district current interim treasurer, Jill Smith, by December.
"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity," Meredith said, "I am
pleased with the confidence that the board of education has in me."
In March, the board approved the employment of interim treasurer Jill
Smith, following the March resignation of Maureen Scott.
Smith was treasurer for the district from 1999-2005. She is currently
employed as treasurer for West Jefferson Local Schools.
Meredith was approved for a three-year contract at a salary of $348.46
per day for the 2007-2008 school year.
Superintendent Dan Kaffenbarger said the board would more than likely
appoint someone from within the district to the position of elementary
school principal by the July board meeting.
Kaffenbarger presented to the board a proposal to include Mandarin
Chinese as a foreign language option beginning as early as the 2008-2009
school year.
The Ohio Department of Education is offering an opportunity to school
districts to participate in a two-year visiting teacher program to
jump-start a Mandarin Chinese curriculum.
Cost to the district is approximately $20,000 annually to cover various
costs, including insurance and transportation. The district is also
required to find a host family to house the visiting teacher.
Kaffenbarger said this is a savings, because with salary and benefits a
foreign language teacher would cost $50,000. At the end of the ODE
visiting teacher program the district would need to hire a full-time
Mandarin Chinese teacher.
The district would need to take parent surveys and put together focus
groups before the program can be fully considered.
Kaffenbarger said research has shown that students who learn a foreign
language earlier in their education are more than likely to have
increased test scores, higher levels of cognitive development and be
better prepared for post-secondary education.
If implemented, the program would begin with grades kindergarten through
fourth and progressively add grade levels each year.
The district is expected to get an additional $162. per student or
$162,000 total in state funding once the budget is passed at the end of this month.
Kaffenbarger said the district also is expected to get approximately $.5
million in parity aide from the state budget.
Parity aide is awarded to districts that have lower property evaluations
as compared to other school districts statewide. Kaffenbarger said he
would have more information later this summer.
The district will reduce its overall transportation operational expenses
for next school year.
Kaffenbarger said the district would combine and eliminate some bus
routes at a savings of $25,000.
Last year the district purchased computerized routing/transportation
software which features high-tech mapping and comprehensive tools with
the intent to help bus drivers be both efficient and cost effective when
transporting students.
The next regular board meeting will be July 19 at 7 p.m. in the modular
board room.
In other business, the board:
.Accepted the financial statement as presented by the treasurer.
.Approved initial one-year certified contracts for Beth Campbell as
kindergarten teacher and Nancy Dunham as English teacher for the
2007-2008 school year.
.Approved an initial one-year classified contract for Michelle McConnell
as elementary library aide for the 2007-2008 school year.
.Approved a one-year contracted service agreement to Darlene Rice as
food service program coordinator for the 2007-2008 school year.
Compensation is to be $13.44 per hour.
.Approved certified supplemental employment for Peg Green (2006-2007),
teacher mentor; Roxie Nauman, eighth grade tour organizer and eighth
grade department chair; Norma Bottom, middle school activities manager,
middle school NHS, middle school Student Council; Michell Sidner, JV
cheerleading advisor for basketball and Spanish club advisor; Ken Ford,
freshmen class advisor; Doug Kitchen, senior class advisor; Tara Perry,
fifth grade department chair; Julie Jenkins, sixth grade department
chair; Shawna Cardoza, seventh grade department chair; Janet Schlabach,
middle school specials department chair; John Sharritts, instrumental
music director and pep band; Ben Moore, assistant instrumental music
director; Patrick Johnson, high school NHS advisor; Deb Alltop,
elementary safety patrol; Erica Boone, elementary yearbook; and Melissa
Lasley, middle school yearbook.
.Approved a supplemental classified position for Shannon Rodgers as
eighth grade volleyball coach for the 2007-2008 school year.
. Approved certified stipend positions for Patrick Johnson as virtual
learning academy coordinator at $1500., as OGT coordinator at $500., as
summer OGT intervention for social studies at $15. per hour; Norma
Bottom as summer OGT intervention for math at $15. per hour; and Melissa
Lasley as summer OGT intervention for science at $15. per hour. The
summer intervention teachers will only be employed per interest of
students in the program.
.Approved the following certified personnel to lead professional
development efforts for the 2007-2008 school year in Triad Learning
Communities for a stipend of $400 - Erica Boone, Norma Bottom, Brenda
Boyd, Jill Brown, Terra Byrd-Grupe, Shawna Cardoza, Shari Dixon, Kyle
Huffman, Doug Kitchen; Melissa Lasley; Will Nichols; Tara Perry; Lindsay
Quirk, Jennifer Reminder and Tammy Walls.
Payable at the end of the school year. If the staff members participate
in two days of leadership training and planning, they will be paid an
additional $100. Compensation will come from building block funds
through the state foundation
.Approved the following certified and classified personnel for
corrective reading training on Aug. 17 at a rate of $100 for the day -
Cindy Alltop, Barb Boggs, Tina Campbell, Sherri Crowder, Meredith Ford,
Deb Hayslip, Joyce Holland, Don Moore, Lindsay Quirk and Tammy Walls.
.Approved the following classified personnel for summer employment as
custodian and maintenance - Sally Coleman ($8 per hour) and Mike Wagner
($8.50 per hour).
.Approved the following classified personnel for summer substitute
employment - Shaun Dunlap, office/custodian/aide; Jon Simonelli,
custodian/maintenance; Gretchen Kaffenbarger, office.
.Approved a salary of $25,000 for the transportation coordinator for the
2007-2008 school year to comply with requirement of the O.R.C. and Fair
Labor Standard Act.
.Approved an extension of the current unpaid leave of absence of Nancy
Thompson as bus driver through Sept. 3.
.Accepted with regret the resignation of Nancy Thompson as bus driver
for the purpose of retirement, effective Sept. 4.
.Approved an unpaid leave of absence for Lori James as bus driver for
the 2007-2008 school year to pursue education.
.Approved the eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C. from May 13 to May 17, 2008.
.Approved student and faculty handbooks for the elementary and high
school with changes presented by each building principal.
.Accepted the bid from Nickles Bakery to provide bread products and
Smith's Dairy to provide dairy products for the 2007-2008 school year as
presented by Metropolitan Educational Council (MEC.)
.Approved the use of the high school gym on June 21 and June 22 and the
middle school gym on June 25, June 27, July 23 and July 25 for the
purpose of volleyball camps and practices. Fee waived per athletic
director's request.
.Accepted with gratitude the donation and installation of wall mats from
the Triad Junior Basketball Association for all gymnasiums valued at $13,000.
.Approved revised certificate of estimated resources and appropriation
amendments as presented by the interim treasurer.
.Approved Naomi Nance from Woodstock bus route to North Lewisburg bus
route beginning the 2007-2008 school year.

School employee suspended over alleged misuse of computer
By MAC CORDELL
Officials from the Marysville School District are investigating alleged
misuse of a district computer by one of its employees.
District Superintendent Larry Zimmerman confirmed Wednesday that
district head mechanic Bob Fraker had been placed on paid administrative
leave pending the investigation. He said Fraker, who makes $54,000 per
year, was placed on leave Tuesday, June 5.
"We have an investigation going on and we are trying to confirm some of
the items that have been alleged," said Zimmerman.
He later wrote in an e-mail, "These are serious allegations and we will
treat them that way. We will have no tolerance if the allegations are
indeed true and we will act accordingly."
The superintendent said several district employees notified the district
that Fraker had been using the computer in the bus garage to access
"inappropriate material." Zimmerman would not specify the nature of that
material, but said it did not involve juveniles or any type of criminal activity.
"If at some point in our investigation we find that there is anything
criminal here, we will notify the police department and quickly," Zimmerman said.
He added that law enforcement officials were made aware of the district's investigation.
"As we dug into it, we found enough that we felt it appropriate to put
him on leave," Zimmerman said. "That could turn into something totally
different. If what is alleged is found and confirmed, it cannot and will not be tolerated."
Despite this incident, Zimmerman said parents need not worry that
students can access inappropriate material on school computers.
"It won't happen in the buildings," the superintendent said. "It can't. It just can't."
Zimmerman explained that the computer in the bus garage did not operate
with the same filtering system as other district computers. Because that
computer downloaded large blueprints, manuals and other materials, the
filtering system was minimized. He stressed all computers that faculty
and students have access to are safeguarded so offensive and
inappropriate material cannot be accessed.
"There is a series of firewalls and filters that are there," Zimmerman
said. "Those filters just do not allow you to go to those sites that
aren't allowed or contain content that is not allowed. These filters are
maintained by our own technology department.
"This occurred in the bus garage. That particular computer had more
access than any computer available to the students."
The superintendent said the district has a written policy regarding Internet usage.
"The Internet is to be used for business and education purposes. Not for
any other purposes," Zimmerman said.
He added that the policy, "talks specifically about materials that would
be offensive. Those type of sites that contain that material are specifically prohibited."
Violations of the policy, Zimmerman said, would be met with, "discipline. Period."
Zimmerman said he hoped the investigation would be concluded quickly,
but added that thoroughness and accuracy was more important than
expediency. Once the investigation is complete, the superintendent will
make a recommendation to the board regarding Fraker's future with the district.
Fraker has been with the district "about 10 years," Zimmerman said. The
superintendent confirmed Fraker had "a few" discipline problems in the past.
"But nothing to this degree."

Dry well makes reservoir a priority
By RYAN HORNS
Work on the Marysville reservoir project is expected to begin just in time.
City administrator Kathy House said recently that the town's oldest
water well has recently dried up. The development has made the reservoir
construction a priority.
House said the city asked the Ohio EPA if it could start drilling a new
well, which the environmental group then denied. She said that leaves
Marysville with four wells left, along with Mill Creek, to service the city.
The lack of the city's oldest well is not a dire situation, but she said
if the ongoing summer draught continues it could potentially pose a problem.
"We may be faced with a decision to make about rationing water," House said.
Asking residents to ration water would not only annoy residents, she
said, but it would hurt the city as well. Some future projects are
funded through revenue expected to come from water rates. Then there is
the issue of having to keep track of policing resident's water use.
"It would be bad all around," House said.
Even if the EPA granted its approval to drill another well, she said, it
is a lengthy process. The most recent well, which became the city's
fifth, was initiated in late 2004 and was completed in 2006.
Amidst these issues the city of Marysville has begun moving forward on
its reservoir project. It will be located off Raymond Road on a piece of
land the city has owned and rented out for agricultural use since the
1990s. House said that rental process stopped last summer when the city
started work demolishing a house and getting rid of some trees in the projected area.
She said the city has been working with consultants to get a new look at
the details of the four projects associated with the reservoir. Those
projects include the reservoir itself, a dam to be constructed across
Mill Creek, a pump station to send water to the water plant near Mill
Creek (to be located just west of Poppy and Sassafras lanes) and then
the underground water lines.
She said the entire construction process for the four projects is
expected to last 18 to 24 months.
"It takes time to dig out enough earth to hold a billion gallons of
water," House said.
She said the estimated cost for all four projects is at $25 million. The
bids for each project will go out separately to different contractors in
order to make sure that all of the projects begin at the same time.
Over the years, the cost of the reservoir project has risen.
City engineer Phil Roush explained that back in the late 1990s the
original reservoir project cost was expected to be $9 million - just for
the reservoir alone. He explained that when he joined the city
administration in 2001 the estimate for all associated reservoir
projects was $17 million. That is the figure the city has used until
recently. He said inflation was part of the cause for the ongoing price
hike, however, other factors such as the high cost of steel and
electrical equipment were also to blame.
Roush said that Marysville may have to get its two-year reservoir
construction permit from the Army Corps of Engineers extended after it
expires this summer. Other permits are required, such as one from the
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio EPA and the Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
During the construction process, House said that some residents may be
inconvenienced by road closures on Raymond Road and a partial
dismantling of the Jim Simmons Trail during construction of the pump station.
Ultimately, she said that the finished reservoir will look rather like a
smaller Delaware Lake, as people drive by on Raymond Road. The water
will not be visible from the roadway because of mounds built up around
the water. Where it differs is that the Marysville's reservoir will not
be open to public recreation. This way the city can keep the water
conditions stable and prevent Union County Sheriff's deputies from
having to police the area.

Fairbanks awards bids for new school
By KARLYN BYERS
Fairbanks School Board members accepted bids for site work on the new
elementary school Tuesday evening, as well as bids for air conditioning
at the existing high school/middle school.
Board members Star Simpson, Dave Huber, Jaynie Lambert, Mark Lippencott
and Kevin Green awarded a contract to Trucco Construction of Powell for
site preparation. Trucco's winning bid was $778,460.
They also accepted a $748,987 bid from Haslett Heating and Cooling of
Columbus for mechanical work and a $308,888 bid from Electrical
Solutions for electrical work at the middle/high school.
The next regularly scheduled board of education meeting will be Monday
at 7:30 p.m. in the board office.
In other business, the board:
.Employed Kristen Bond-Moxley and Joshua Rine, both intervention
specialists; Michelle Burns, part-time reading tutor; and Sara Shaffer,
second grade teacher. All were approved as one-year contracts for the
2007-2008 school year.
.Accepted resignations from Jennifer Harral, middle and high school
Family and Consumer Science teacher; Joy Ballard, middle school math
teacher; Michelle Burns, elementary teacher; and John Finney, cross country coach.
.Approved athletic contracts for the 2007-2008 school year to Andy
Pinkerton, assistant boys soccer coach; Jennifer Thrush, reserve girls
basketball coach; Kevin Kilfin, freshman girls basketball coach; Shannon
Runyon, assistant band directors; Eric Stauffer, Darin Hurst and Brad
Jerew, band camp assistant; Bob Williams, assistant golf coach; Mike
Vanwinkle, high school cross country coach; Kris Moder, middle school
football cheerleading coach; Krista Fogle, seventh grade middle school
volleyball coach; Allison Gorton, eight grade middle school volleyball
coach; Kyle Burns and Richard Rausch, volunteer middle school football
coaches; and Dustin Green, middle school football coach. (Board
president Kevin Green abstained.)
.Employed Dustin Francis as reserve baseball coach for the 2007-2008
school year.

Benny's Pizza to showcase new facility during charity events
By RYAN HORNS
Fresh off of a new expansion project, Marysville's Benny's Pizza will
host its Ninth Annual Cruise In.
Located at 968 Columbus Ave. the restaurant will host the event on
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to the owners, all proceeds from the Cruise In and a Poker Run
scheduled for July 14 will be donated to a Special Wish Foundation.
There will also be door prizes, a silent auction, Benny's Choice trophy
and a 50/50 raffle.
Starting in November of 2005 Benny's Pizza owner Fred Neumeier began the
expansion of his business to accommodate a growing customer base in the
area. He said 2007 is expected the be the busiest year to date for the
restaurant and new customers will see the difference in service.
Neumeier spent 15 years at Bogey Inn in Columbus before buying Benny's
Pizza in the mid-1990s. There has already been a seating and an outdoor
patio expansion.
However, he said two years ago they noticed a lag in wait times from his
kitchen and a lack of space was a large part of the cause. So he sat
down with an architect and planned what became the most recent
expansion. The result houses a new carryout kitchen, additional parking,
new menu items, staff and extra areas for dining. The new building
opened on June 6.
Neumeier said the 3,000 square feet and roughly $700,000 expansion for
the new carryout building has allowed Benny's to add a hickory smoker
for items like Carolina chicken and hickory smoked roast beef.
He said he is excited to see the project take shape in time for this
year's Cruise In and Poker Run.
"It is all about making a wish come true for terminally ill children. It
takes approximately $3,500 per wish," Neumeier said. "Our Cruise In this
year will break the $100,000 mark in donations to the Special Wish
Foundation, which we are very proud of, especially since the first
annual Car Cruise In was $1,500."
Neumeier said if it weren't for the support of countless Marysville and
Richwood area businesses and all of the motorcyclists their goal to help
the foundation would not have been possible.
He said the charity does not solicit funds from the public, it depends
solely on donations by motivated people. Donations can be sent to: A
Special Wish Foundation, 1250 Memory Lane, Suite B, Columbus, Oh. 43209.

Honda modifies smoking policy
Employees will be allowed to light up in personal vehicles and in
'smoking areas'
By MAC CORDELL
Honda of America is not softening its stance on employee smoking.
However, the company is offering a "modification of our smoking policy,"
said Ed Miller, Honda spokesman.
"Starting today (Monday), we are creating some smoking areas on our
property," he said.
The modification also allows employees and visitors to smoke in their
personal vehicles.
The entire Honda campus went smoke-free Feb. 8, in response to the
statewide smoking ban passed by Ohio voters in November. That policy led
some associates, contractors and visitors to drive off Honda property
and park along Honda Parkway and other surrounding roads so they could smoke.
Miller said the Union County Sheriff's Office conveyed concerns to Honda
management, which set out create a safer policy.
"I know that we had multiple meetings with Honda administration to
express our concerns about associates that would leave the property and
smoke," said Tom Morgan, Union County Sheriff's Office chief deputy.
"Obviously, we had concerns about not only the cars parking out there,
but we also had pedestrians standing out there. We had concerns that we
would have more accidents out there and more pedestrians hit along those areas."
Miller did not know how many of the smoking areas would be created but
said it would be, "as few as possible, but enough to alleviate the problem."
"We know our solution isn't perfect, but we wanted to make these
modifications," Miller said. "We thought what we had was a public safety
hazard because there just was no other place to go."
He added, "we saw this as essentially a public safety issue and nothing
trumps safety at Honda."
Miller said he believes the modification will make the situation safer.
"We hope to see less and less of the people parking out there and
standing out there to smoke," Miller said. "I hope this takes care of
the issue. This gives those associates the opportunity not to leave
Honda property to smoke. We appreciate the opportunity to work with
Honda administration to try to maintain the safety of the area."
Honda leaders feel the company has the same policy it had in February,
just with the modification of some new smoking areas. Miller added that
the company also remains committed to "a pretty robust anti-smoking program."
"Our tobacco ban remains in effect in all our buildings in compliance
with the state regulations," Miller said. "Meanwhile, we are encouraging
all our associates who smoke to join our anti-smoking classes and we are
encouraging them to bring their families along and the contractors we
work with are invited to join our smoking cessation classes."
Honda offers several classes providing nicotine education and assistance
in quitting. Those who participate are offered nicotine patches.
Employees are also offered hypnotherapy and acupuncture to assist in
quitting smoking.

City has several ongoing studies
By RYAN HORNS
Storm water, streets and traffic issues were brought up to date by
members Dan Fogt and Mark Reams, city administrator Kathy House and city
engineer Phil Roush during the Monday evening Marysville Public Service
Committee. The outlook was better than expected.
Roush said that the study for east side storm water lines should be
completed and published by the end of the month. For the most part, he
said, the line conditions are good because of work over the past few
years to repairs the lines and stop flooding in homes.
"Most of the neighborhood stuff is much better than I expected," Roush said.
He said the older lines underneath Fourth and Fifth streets have issues
with age. The problems were discovered by using television cameras to
view the interior or the lines. The rest of the storm water lines within
the east side study were adequate to sustain a 100-year storm.
Fogt mentioned that Upper Arlington just had to deal with a water main
break because of storm water problems caused by an aging system.
"It's not only our city that has that has problems," Fogt said.
Roush said the city would hire a firm in the fall to finish the studies.
Reams recommended that the city include the oldest portion of Mill
Valley in the storm water studies. He said there was supposed to be a
detention pond where the current school sits on Millwood Boulevard.
Apparently the storm water has been dumping right into Mill Creek. It
may have been considered the right thing to do at the time, but has
since been discredited. Now the area is left without proper drainage.
"We could take a look at it as part of the study," Roush said.
In another discussion, members dealt with traffic count studies. City
administrators and council members have noted in past city meetings that
as the city grows traffic is an issue that is only going to get worse.
Roush said the plan is to use studies to be completed by an undetermined
firm, which can highlight "key needs" and traffic problem areas. Then
the city could enact an impact fee towards new business to generate
funds to use on those specific projects.
Reams said the east side traffic concerns are the most important and the
impact fees could help pay for it.
Roush added that a traffic study would be needed for the annexation of
the Cook property off Route 4 on the city's northside. Eventually he
can link all the studies together for an entire glimpse into traffic
flow throughout Marysville.
Reams said at some point the city needs to finally do something about
the intersection at Milford Avenue and Maple Street near the Community Market.
As odd as that intersection is, Roush said, there are no car crashes
there. That fact could make acquiring an ODOT grant difficult to help
defer the cost. He said the engineering will be included in the July
budget discussions and the project can be added to the five-year plan.
He should have some direction to take on it by the end of the summer or by fall.
In other news:
. The city's new sidewalk repair program has reportedly been off to slow
start. Only a few phone calls have been made by businesses and residents
seeking the "free money" of $500 to share the cost of repairing aging
sidewalks in Marysville's Historic Uptown area.
Members felt that not enough Marysville residents know about the program
and they will discuss ways to fix that.

Residents have numerous ways to stay informed
From J-T staff reports
The Marysville Fire Department recently explained numerous in the ways
it is alerting residents about emergency situations.
In the case of storm and tornado warnings, the city incorporates an
outdoor warning device, called the Early Warning System (EWS) which is
commonly referred to as "tornado sirens." The service consists of a
networked system of 10 sirens.
The department reported that these undergo "silent testing" on a daily
basis, are audibly tested on a weekly basis and once a month by a
back-up system located at the Union County Dispatch Center. The test is
a steady siren for a 15 to 30 second period.
In the event of an actual tornado warning the sirens will sound for a
three minute period in a steady mode. This is repeated every 10 minutes
until the warning is canceled by the appropriate authority. Notification
of the cancellation is made through the cable TV community alert system.
The city of Marysville, in partnership with Union County, has also
instituted the new Code Red System. This is a system where thousands of
homes can be notified in the span of a few minutes, alerting them to a
an emergency requiring prompt action.
The department reported that recently came online with another means to
keep the community informed. Citizens of Marysville can tune into AM
Radio 1650 to receive emergency broadcasts and other useful information
regarding traffic, city services, and upcoming events.
"This system is also directly tied to our 'tornado sirens' so that when
they are activated, an emergency alert/message is also transmitted as
well," the fire department explained in a notice.
The Emergency Alter Radio Station (EARS) is designed to keep citizens of
Marysville better informed of not only threatening weather, but other
important community information and events.
"This system will gradually evolve over the next 30 days," the
department reported, "and after that be updated as needed to keep you
better informed and prepared, to meet the sudden threat of severe
weather."

Change ahead for Goodyear
Marysville plant among portion of company which is sold to EPD
By RYAN HORNS
Marysville's division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber is soon expected to
sell it's "Rubber" portion to a new company.
On Thursday night, Marysville City Council members passed a resolution
to approve the transfer of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company's
Enterprise Zone Tax Incentive Agreement to its future owner EPD, Inc.
which is an affiliate of the Carlyle Group, a private equity fund.
The resolution explains that Goodyear will sell its Engineered Products
Division, which focuses on rubber conveyor belt production, to the Carlyle Group.
Economic Development Director Eric Phillips explained that the transfer
will not affect the name of the company.
The resolution states that EPD would then be required to meet the terms
and conditions of the city's Enterprise Agreement already in place with
Goodyear. This entails promising to hire a certain amount of people
and/or expand services within a certain time period.
Goodyear's Dave Wheeland is currently the company's plant controller and
will soon work under EPD. He explained that meeting these terms would
not be a problem, especially since Goodyear has already met them. He
said the sale would allow the conveyor belt factory to continue on and
even expand. As a result, it could continue to thrive in the Marysville community.
"We're the 'and Rubber' portion," Wheeland said. "The Marysville
facility produces 50 percent of our whole portfolio. We're the largest
selling business in the division."
Phillips said that EPD plans to invest $12 to $17 million in the plant
and streamline operating systems. That could result in the loss of some employees.
Councilmen John Gore and John Marshall both said that Goodyear has
always been a vital part of the community and they look forward to
continuing that relationship with EPD as well.
Council members then passed the emergency Enterprise Zone Agreement
resolution unanimously.
In other business, the proprietors of Portable Storage Devices (PODs)
plan to meet with council and hash out a plan on how long the units can
sit in residents' driveways..
At the May 24 city council meeting, members made steps to prevent the
amount of time POD's sit in driveways. A few citizen complaints
explained that the bins were sitting in some driveways for months on end
- one as long as a year. The concept of requiring people to pay for a
permit before renting a POD was discussed. This way the city could
control removing PODs that stay too long, it was reported.
At Thursday night's meeting, representatives from the regional POD
company asked that the city reconsider the permits. POD has worked with
other communities on the issue and in Columbus the bins are only
permitted to stay for 14 consecutive days. If issues arise with PODs
staying too long, the cities work directly with POD representatives
instead of requiring a permit.
Representatives said the problem with a permit is that out of 209 PODs
delivered to customers in Marysville, only 5 to 10 percent of those
violated the time period. The permit would burden 95 percent of their
clients. Residents keeping them for a year is extremely rare and the
average time on properties is six days. In addition, a $25 city permit
fee would raise the price of renting PODs by 30 percent.
"Just tell your customers when they come to rent that they can only have
them for 30 days," Gore said. "It's just a thought."
"I think both sides have some valid points that we can probably mesh
together," Marshall said.
Marshall then volunteered to "act as a liaison" between the two parties
and find some resolution. As a result, POD representatives, along with
Marshall and councilman Dan Fogt, will come up with a plan to present by
the June 28 city council meeting.
Other news discussed:
. City administrator Kathy House provided an update on city projects.
She said the construction of the city's future Wastewater Treatment
Plant is moving along nicely. To date, builder Korna Kokosing is only
one week behind schedule. Workers have already poured 13,000 yards of
concrete and a total of 250 workers are expected to be involved.
She said many residents have asked about the large tower crane, which is
visible from U.S. 33. She said the tower is 100 feet tall and the
counter-weight boom extends out 250 feet.
. House explained the cause of a recent natural gas leak, which occurred
Monday on Taylor Avenue. She said a mislabeled gas main was struck by
city crews as they worked on a storm water project. As a result, much of
the surrounding area homes had their gas turned off for up to six hours
as the line was repaired.
She said it provided a good opportunity to inform residents of the
situation through the new Code Red system, in which residents can
receive telephone calls regarding emergency situations in their
neighborhoods. More information on the service can be found on the
city's Web site.
. House reported that Marysville's Third Friday Nights will kick off
tonight. A rib cookoff will be held, along with live music and other
events. The party will take place on the Union County Courthouse lawn,
at the intersection of Court and Fifth streets.

Springenfest set for this weekend
By CORINNE BIX
This weekend will mark the 30th anniversary of Richwood's Springenfest
sponsored by the North Union Athletic Complex group.
Festivities will begin on Friday night in downtown Richwood with the
return of the chicken dinner, a favorite from years past.
Sherryl Sheets, NUAC secretary, said the chicken dinners will be on
Friday night only with a la carte items available both evenings
including hamburgers, hot dogs, fried bologna, pork tenderloins, brats,
cream puffs and lemonade.
The Annual Sun Run 5K and one mile fun run will begin at 6:30 p.m. There
will be square and line dancing from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Friday night's entertainment will feature the band "Amanda Overboard"
from Marysville at 8 p.m.
Sheets said members from the Marion Mayhem, professional arena football
team, will be stopping by on Friday to sign autographs from 7-8 p.m.
Members of the Marysville Meteors basketball team are scheduled to stop
by on Saturday night to sign autographs.
Saturday's activities will begin at 9 a.m. with a three-on-three
basketball tournament at the middle school outdoor basketball courts.
A cornhole tournament will begin at 1 p.m. on South Franklin Street.
Sheets said those interested in either of the tournaments can sign up on
Saturday if they wish to participate by arriving a half-hour early to register.
From 5-7 p.m. on Saturday evening the grand auction will be held with
Johnny Regula volunteering as auctioneer.
Sheets said there will be a variety of merchandise, services and gift
certificates from area businesses to be auctioned off.
Saturday night will also feature the announcement of the winners of the
raffle drawing. The grand prize will be a pair of Ohio State Football
tickets to all the 2007 home games.
Sheets said that members of NUAC are expecting to receive the tickets in
August however in the event the tickets are not obtained for reasons out
of NUAC's control the first prize winner will receive a $500 cash prize.
The second place winner will receive $300 and the third place winner
will receive $150. Sheets said the winners don't need to be present to win.
Fogery Run will be the featured band on Saturday night beginning at 8 p.m.
Sheets said there will be Bingo both evenings along with kid's games,
miniature golf and an inflatable MoonWalk.
Proceeds from Springenfest directly benefit the North Union School's
Athletic Association and NUAC has raised more than $400,000 over the
last three decades.
Some NUAC projects have included the building of the football stadium,
track, baseball and softball fields and the NUAC sports complex adjacent
to the high school athletic fields.
"It saves money in our athletic department budget so that our student's
have never had to pay to play," Sheets explained, "We are one the only
few in the MOAC athletic conference that can say that."

Shriners taking to the streets
From J-T staff reports
The Union County Shrine Club will be canvassing donations for "Shriners
Hospitals for Children" on June 13, 14, 15 and 16 throughout Marysville,
Richwood and Plain City.
Residents may recognize any Shriner by looking for the "Red Fez" hat
that he will be wearing. The Union County Shrine Club is one of 52 clubs
affiliated with Aladdin Temple in Columbus.
Along with the support of the local club efforts are more than 400,000
Shriners nationwide who work all year to support 22 Shriners Hospitals
for Children throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The cost of maintaining these hospitals is $23 per second ($1,975,000
per day) and they are dedicated to giving free care to children 18 years
old and under suffering with orthopedic conditions, burns of all
degrees, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate problems in a
family-centered hospital environment.
For more than 85 years, approximately 835,000 children have been treated
by Shriners Hospitals. There are currently 15 local children throughout
Union County who are under Shriners Hospital care.
The Union County Shrine Club maintains a program called "Cans for Kids,"
collecting aluminum cans throughout Union County and aluminum waste is
dedicated by Honda of America to the club in meeting its objectives.
Through the efforts and support of its 123 members, local businesses,
merchants and residents, the Union County Shrine Club has turned in the
most funding for the past two years of any of the members clubs in the
Columbus Aladdin. In 2005, $55,000 was raised, $71,000 in 2006 and they
are approaching in excess of $100,000 for 2007.

Campaign leads to 121 citations
From J-T staff reports
The Union County Sheriff's Office reported the recent "What's Holding
you back?" enforcement campaign, which ran from May 21 to June 3,
resulted in 121 citations for drivers not wearing a safety belt.
The increased enforcement was part of a statewide goal to raise seat
belt usage to 85 percent all across Ohio in 2007. This heightened
awareness placed on this two-week period coincided with the Memorial Day
holiday and the traditional beginning of the summer travel season.
"We are continuing our zero tolerance approach to those not wearing
their seat belts," Sheriff Rocky Nelson said. "It's a plain and simple
fact - seat belts save lives and it is our job to get this message out
to the motoring public. In cooperation with the Governor's Highway
Safety Office and the media, we make every effort to educate the public
about this important issue. If handing out citations is what it takes to
get this job done, we are prepared to do so."
In addition to the seat belt citations, deputies also issued two
citations for not having children properly restrained in a child safety
seat, arrested 17 impaired drivers, cited 14 unlicensed drivers, made
four felony arrests, issued 30 other traffic citations and wrote 253
friendly warnings.
These overtime enforcement operations were possible due to grants
received from the Ohio Department of Public safety and the Governor's
Office of Highway Safety.

Family shocked by parole board decision
By RYAN HORNS
Despite reported community support, Marysville's Ann Lowe said it was
not enough to keep her brother's murderer in jail.
"We had a lot of support and help," Lowe said. "But it was obviously cut
and dry. (The parole board) had made their decision before we even got there."
Convicted murderer Robert Strausbaugh was granted his release Monday at
a hearing before the Ohio Adult Parole Board in Columbus.
After the board announced Strausbaugh's release, Lowe said she did not
hear anything else.
"We lost all contact because we just started crying," she said.
On March 1, 1981 a reportedly intoxicated Strausbaugh allegedly shot
Lowe's 19-year-old brother, George Shockey, six times in the back with a
.357 Magnum over a money-related dispute. Shockey had been covering a
shift for another worker at the former Omega Oil gas station, now the
location of Advance Auto Parts on Delaware Avenue. He had just become a
father seven days earlier.
Sentenced to 17 years to life for the crime, Strausbaugh, now 48, has
spent the past 26 years behind bars in the Allen Correctional
Institution in Lima.
The Ohio Parole Board's decision statement explained, "All release
factors . were considered at today's hearing. The offender has served
above the suggested guideline range, and has completed relevant
programming to reduce his risk to the community. Additionally, recent
institutional conduct has been acceptable. Based on these factors, the
full board has determined that release is appropriate at this time."
The document also details Strausbaugh's conviction of the murder, as
well as a charge for having a weapon under disability for participating
in the smuggling of a weapon and ammunition into a correctional facility.
Strausbaugh was originally set to be released from prison on Aug. 31,
but the date was changed to Aug. 13 after it caused an uproar among the
Shockey sisters.
"I told them, 'Not on my mom's birthday you don't,'" Lowe said.
Shockey's surviving relatives believed that a life sentence should mean
a life sentence. They also expressed worry over Strausbaugh returning to
live in their community. The Monday hearing was intended to give the
parole board more details before officially granting Strausbaugh's release.
Lowe said the sisters went to the hearing and tried to persuade the
board with dozens of letters and petitions to keep Strausbaugh in jail
but it wasn't enough. Her family attended the hearing, along with Union
County Common Pleas Court's Victim Advocate Connie Sabins. The sisters
were also armed with 25 letters culled from Union County residents who
also requested that Strausbaugh stay in prison.
Lowe said they didn't stop there, as the sisters then went around the
county looking for support and ended up culling a petition of 370 people
who joined their side.
Union County Prosecutor David Phillips and former county prosecutor
Larry Schneider both submitted letters strongly opposing Strausbaugh's release.
Lowe said her family members, Rachel Miller and Angie Davidson, spoke
before the board and raised a number of concerns the family had about
Strausbaugh's potential release. She said none of those concerns were
addressed at the hearing.
Lowe said she never got a response to the complaint that when
Strausbaugh was released from prison the first time, he ended up killing
her brother. Released from the Franklin County jail from a previous
prison term, Strausbaugh was let loose with the understanding that he
would be closely supervised and could be a reliable informant to a
critical drug investigation. Three days into that release, he killed
Shockey while he was intoxicated.
"It's pretty obvious that he was not being watched," she said. "Who is
going to watch him?"
At the hearing, Strausbaugh's sister explained to the board that her
brother is a changed man and is ready to be released. She was joined in
support by a lawyer and a counselor.
The board then adjourned from the courtroom to make its decision.
Lowe said dealing with knowing her brother's murderer will be out free
is not easy.

Honda of America co-sponsors statewide education conference
Editor's note: The following information is supplied by Honda of America
---
From a mock parent-teacher conference to unique learning environments,
students, teachers, administrators and school board members from local
schools throughout Ohio demonstrated innovations in education Monday at
a statewide conference near Columbus.
More than 500 educators from throughout the state attended the fifth
annual Ohio Quality in Education conference, co-sponsored by Honda of
America Mfg., Inc. and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). The
conference featured top educators, along with students and local
teachers and administrators who presented classroom innovations that are
taking education to new levels.
Sessions included team activities and collaboration in quality tools
that are designed to make education more effective. The sessions
included panel discussions on new roles for school board members and
school administrators to support teaching in the classrooms.
Students from Kenton City Schools helped open the conference with a mock
parent-teacher's conference. In addition to taking responsibility to
present to their parents and teacher what they accomplished, the
students used their unique new-world electronic tools to convey the
information. In addition, teachers, administrators and students from
Marysville, Tecumseh, Lake, West Liberty-Salem, Liberty-Benton and Mad
River schools participated in the workshops and other sessions, along
with the Butler Technology and Career Development School District.
A key theme at the conference was to look for ways to strengthen
collaboration among parents, teachers and students and to include
participation of school administrators and school board members in this
partnership. For the first time, a panel of school board members
discussed their involvement in implementing quality-based initiatives.
When considering how a company could best support public education,
Honda started by looking at its own strengths, said Lynn Dennison, Honda
of America Mfg. vice president of Company Services. The initiative
focused on the quality tools Honda uses to assess a situation and then
come up with the best path forward. Importantly, these tools also
encourage students, school administrators and teachers to take
additional responsibility to plan and develop their own learning.
"At Honda of America, we believe that quality schools are just as
important as quality products," said Dennison said. "As a member of our
communities, we have a responsibility to support our schools in ways to
make them more effective at teaching critical life skills."
Honda of America's Education Outreach Program started in 1999 to provide
Total Quality Management (TQM) training and continuous improvement
planning to public schools in west central Ohio. The program has
expanded to enrich student achievement in the classrooms, where the same
tools encourage students to plan and take responsibility for their own learning.
Since 1999, more than 16,500 administrators, teachers and students have
received quality-based training through Honda's education outreach
programs. The program continues to evolve and add new initiatives as
Honda works with local schools in partnerships to strengthen educational
initiatives.
Honda and the Ohio Department of Education sponsored the first Ohio
Quality in Education Conference in 2003 to further support development
of quality initiatives in schools throughout Ohio.

Unionville Center continues search for clerk-treasurer
By AUDREY HALL
Mayor Denver Thompson announced at Tuesday night's Unionville Center
Village Council that a new clerk-treasurer has not been appointed.
Tracy Rausch submitted her resignation at last month's meeting to be
effective June 12. Rausch agreed to continue the duties until a
replacement is selected. Thompson expects to name a replacement soon.
Union County Dog Warden Mary Beth Hall introduced herself to council.
She is new to her position and has been visiting the communities and
townships within the county.
The dog warden is a one-person department that reports directly to the
county commissioners. The warden's office is at the Union County Ag Center.
Dogs that are picked up are taken to the Humane Society. Animal control
problems may be reported at (937) 645-3016 or the Union County Sheriff's
Department.
Deputy Robert Partlow informed council that golf cart guidelines are
still being reviewed by chief deputy Tom Morgan.
Representative to the Pleasant Valley Fire District Phil Rausch reminded
council that the bridge over the Big Darby at U.S. 42 near the
intersection with Route 736 will be closed on June 25 for a complete
replacement. The closure is projected to last 120 days. The Pleasant
Valley and Jerome fire district have a reciprocal agreement to provide
fire and emergency medical service coverage in areas affected by the closure.
The installation of a new sidewalk on the Main Street side of The Green
was discussed. Council will investigate the financial feasibility.
There was discussion but no action taken regarding the cars that park
along Main Street and block the view of oncoming traffic.
Following discussion, Council reiterated that a building ordinance is in
effect. A building permit is required for all new structures of any type
and for building additions.
Council members present were Ron Griffith, Mary Lou Morris, Phil Rausch,
Brenda Terry, and Peggy Williamson.
The next scheduled meeting will be on Tuesday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Two fires in three months
Flames break out at 617 E. Sixth St. again
By RYAN HORNS
For the second time in the last few months, firefighters were called to
the same property in Marysville for a fire.
Fire investigators are now looking into how the blaze started at 617 E.
Sixth St. Monday and why it is the second time crews have responded to
the property.
On March 30 at 8:30 p.m., fire crews were called there after a garage on
the property caught fire, threatening to destroy nearby homes. It was
later determined to be arson and the case remains under investigation.
"That case is not closed," Marysville fire investigator Keith Watson
said. "It is still suspected to be arson."
Regarding Monday's fire, Fire Chief Gary Johnson said that dispatchers
first received the report at 3:57 p.m.
"We were initially told that there were people trapped inside," Johnson said.
Dispatchers had first indicated that a woman and a young girl were still
inside the home.
On the scene, neighbors gathered on their lawns along East Sixth Street
to watch as smoke billowed out of the two-story home. Many onlookers
watched with tears, hugging one another, waiting to see if any victims
were going to be pulled out of the fire. Medics stood nearby with a
stretcher in case that occurred. Some neighbors commented how the woman
of the house often baby-sat children and many people could still be inside.
Despite initial reports, Johnson said, the house was empty at the time
the fire erupted.
However, he said the trouble with believing that victims are still
inside a burning building is that firefighters and law enforcement
officials often do things they normally wouldn't do, disregarding safety
in hopes of saving anyone inside.
As a result of those efforts, a Marysville Police officer reportedly
received six stitches on his hand after reaching into a broken window. A
Marysville firefighter also received heat exhaustion and was treated by medics.
Watson said that the cause of Monday's house fire remains under investigation.
"We've narrowed the point of origin to being in or near a stand up
freezer," he said.
Watson said officials do not know if the cause was faulty electrical
wiring. He added that it does not appear to be arson.
"I'm pretty certain we have ruled out any incendiary cause," Watson said.
Johnson said fire crews had the fire contained by 4:47 p.m. and they
remained on the scene until 7:30 p.m. to make sure any hot spots did not re-ignite.
He said fire crews did a great job containing the blaze and that no
surrounding homes were damaged.
He expressed his thanks to Marysville Police officers for helping out.
Also responding to the fire were crews from Allen, Union, Jerome and
Liberty fire departments.

Shotgun fired into home
From J-T staff reports
Marysville police officers are investigating a drive-by shooting that
occurred Monday night police on a normally quiet city street.
Marysville Assistant Police Chief Glenn Nicol said this morning that at
1:29 a.m., police responded to 1013 Clover Knoll Court "after unknown
suspects fired at least three shotgun rounds into the residence."
He said no one was injured in the incident and police are continuing to
investigate the crime.
Buckshot reportedly struck an upstairs window and the front door of the
residence, Nicol said. An 11-year-old male was awake in an upstairs room
at the time the house was fired upon and was sprayed with broken glass
from the upstairs window.
Nicol said the boy was examined by medics, who determined he suffered
only minor injuries. They treated at the child at the scene.
Three other family members were home when the suspect began firing into
the building, Nicol said.
"Witnesses saw a silver light-colored vehicle leave the area," Nicol
said. "The case remains under investigation."
Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden said that Clover Knoll Court is
normally a quiet street and that crimes occur did not often occur in the neighborhood.

JA board approves two projects
By CORINNE BIX
The Jonathan Alder school board approved two building projects at Monday
evening's meeting.
The board accepted a bid from Strawser Paving Company for the building
of four tennis courts at the high school. Total cost of the project will be $132,950.
Superintendent Doug Carpenter said the tennis courts were originally
included in the building plans for the high school, which was completed in 2005.
However, the project was put on hold until after the school levy passed.
The .75 percent-earned income tax levy passed in November of last year
after three failed levy attempts in November 2005, February 2006 and August 2006.
Carpenter explained that the bid came in well under the architect's
original estimate for the project, which was $180,000 and included lighting.
The Strawser bid does not include lighting.
The project is set to begin within the next several months. This will be
a first for the district, as they have not had tennis courts in the past.
The board also accepted a quote for dropped ceilings and lights in the
halls and cafeteria of the Plain City Elementary from the Myron Cornish
Company of Columbus. Total cost of this project will be $24,980.
Carpenter said this would complete phase two of the Plain City
Elementary renovation, which was started last year.
He explained that because it is an older building, lighting needed to be
improved along with cosmetic ceiling work to hide excessive wiring and
cords which are associated with updating an older building with new technology.
The board voted to grandfather in two classified district employees so
that they could take advantage of the retire/rehire policy.
Both classified employees have been affected by recent changes by the
State Teachers Retirement System which now counts years served in terms
of actual hours worked.
These changes occurred after the two classified employees had been
working towards the original requirements for qualified retirement.
"We just try to take care of our people and treat them fairly,"
Carpenter said, "We didn't think it was fair under the new system that
they should be penalized."
Jamie Pund, new director of teaching and learning, presented to the
board on several new textbook recommendations.
Pund will be replacing Elizabeth Beach, who will be retiring at the end
of her contract.
Beach has been in education for 37 years, of which 35 have been at Jonathan Alder.
Pund presented information on Holt's French book "Bien Diet" levels one
to three, Holt's Spanish "Expresate" levels one to four, Prentice Hall's
"Problems of Democracy" from MacGruder's American Government and
Harcourt's Science grades K-5 from Ohio Harcourt Science.
The board approved the new curriculum for the new Honors biology course
to be offered at the high school and received information on the
recommended text "BSCS Biology, an Ecological Approach."
Carpenter recognized Lynne Farmwald who retired as principal of Plain
City Elementary at the end of the school year. Farmwald has been with
the district for 32 years.
Kelly Hicks, who was a teacher in the building, will replace Farmwald.
The board moved to go into executive session to consider the
appointment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion or compensation
of a public employee. No action was taken
The next regular meeting will be July 9 at 7 p.m.
In other news:
.Approved various financial reports as presented by the treasurer
.Approved property, fleet and liability insurance for the 2007-2008
fiscal year with Ohio school plan in the amount of $49,554.00
.Approved the revised teacher evaluation instrument
.Approved second resolution for the Plain City Library Board declaring
if necessary to levy the tax.
.Approved the resignation of Tonya Grove as cafeteria aide, D. Robin
Brown as intervention teacher at Monroe and Sarah Devore as Spanish teacher
.Approved Tammy Robinson as a nurse's aide at $17 per hour, two hours
per day for 179 days per year.
.Approved David Lanka as math teacher at Canaan
.Approved David Lanka and Becky Leonard as summer intervention teachers
.Approved Meg Wood as student council supervisor at Plain City
Elementary for the 2007-2008 school year.
.Approved the following employment for the 2007-2008 school year at
Jonathan Alder Junior High: Harriet Merriman - student council advisor
and declamation advisor; Patricia Brately ? seventh grade spelling
coach; Ron Thomas, Sr. -seventh grade football coach and assistant
track coach; Tom Vargo - eighth grade football coach and track coach;
Ron Thomas, Jr. - assistant football coach; Mike Baird ? assistant
football coach; Gayle Carter - seventh grade volleyball; Sara Kennedy ?
eighth grade volleyball; Danielle Bray - fall cheerleading advisor; Nate
McDowell - assistant wrestling coach; Sam McDowell - assistant wrestling
coach; Rich Gray - seventh grade boys basketball coach; Cris Janda
- junior high athletic director and eighth grade boys basketball coach;
Robert Wehner - eighth grade girls basketball coach; Jamie Wallace -
intervention specialist at Canaan; Keely Armstrong - language arts
teacher at Cannan; Robin Brown - library aide at Monroe; Brynn Craney -
spelling coach at Cannan; Shannon Gatsch - first grade teacher at Plain
City Elementary; John Snively - assistant high school football coach;
Keesha Knox and Joyce Schrock - cheerleading volunteers.
.Received policy revisions on the following to comply with state
mandates, to be approved at an upcoming meeting: distribution/student
use of medicines/medications; attendance;
bullying/harassment/intimidation
.Commended physical education teachers Kim Sinkhorn, Zetabarbara
Holcombe and Erin Farmwald for helping raise $7,252.22 for the Central
Ohio Chapter of the American Heart Association

Richwood clock tower broken
By CHAD WILLIAMSON
Richwood might have to change its town slogan.
The village motto "Richwood where the clock strikes hospitality" appears
off base as the 104-year-old clock tower isn't striking at all.
Village administrator Larry Baxa reported to village council Monday that
his work crews spent much of last week attempting to get the clock back
in working order. The workers' best effort resulted in the clock running
from noon until 8 p.m. before it stopped working again.
Baxa said the gear mechanism itself seems to be working fine, but a
drive unit that stretches two stories up into the clock tower may be the
problem. He added that there appears to be some water damage up in the tower.
Village financial officer Don Jolliff told Baxa that there is some money
set aside in village funds for repairs of the clock. The money was set
aside for the village in the estate of a village resident who died.
Council member Scott Jerew also noted that there is money set aside for
repairs at village hall where the clock is located. There was some
debate over whether or not the money could be used for repairs to the
clock or if it was only for structural repairs. Council agreed that at
the very least the money could be used to fix the leak that has led to
the water damage.
Baxa was told the use the money from the memorial gift to try to get the
clock back in working order.
Vandalism at the village park continues to be a problem.
Baxa reported that he is looking into installing a fence around a lift
station at the park. Someone apparently used an unknown object to beat
on the control panel serving the lift station.
Inside that box are high voltage wires, prompting Baxa to look into
having more than $1,000 worth of fencing placed around it. Council told
Baxa to solicit additional quote for the fencing, but went on to discuss
the vandalism problem at length.
Also, flotation rings at the park continue to be stolen and concrete
benches have been tipped over.
The recently built bathroom facility at the park continues to be a
target of vandals. Council member George Showalter said someone recently
removed the entire faucet system from one of the restrooms, but then
oddly returned it.
"Apparently it didn't work at their house," Showalter said.
The individual then removed another faucet at the facility.
"And it hasn't come back," Showalter said.
Council said the only way to stop the vandalism at the park is for
residents to take an active role in watching for crimes.
"I don't understand with all the people in that park how nobody has seen
anything," council member Jim Thompson said.
Council member Peg Wiley urged residents who witness vandalism at the
park to call the village police department. Mayor Bill Nibert added that
citizens can assist police in identifying individuals at the park who
are performing the acts.
In other business, council:
.Was invited to attend the dedication of the North Union District
Veterans Memorial on July 4 at 11 a.m. Project manager Gail DeGood-Guy
said the monument was set on its base on Monday and only some small
projects remain to be completed.
.Voted 5-0, with council member Wade McCalf absent from the meeting, to
enter into an agreement with R.D. Zande and Associates for engineering
work in the village.
.Learned from Jolliff that there are more than $3,000 in bills for
engineering work at the industrial park that are due. Jolliff said he
was told the village would need to pay the bills and then solicit
reimbursement from the state for the money.
.Learned that the village police department will have its bicycle unit
back in service soon. Apparently there are some uniform and equipment
issues that must be resolved before officers can use the bicycle again.

Village to give back parking fines
From J-T staff reports
Richwood residents who paid fines for parking citations between Nov. 1
and May 15 may get their money back.
Village council member Von Beal explained that roughly $3,700 in fines
were collected improperly because the village failed to follow the
proper procedure when putting the parking regulations into law.
Beal indicated that the village put the parking regulations in place to
improve the safety and appearance of Richwood. He said the move was not
intended to be a money making venture.
Beal said that although council held three readings on the parking
ordinances prior to November, the wording of the legislation was not
published in a newspaper until mid April. The legislation should not
have officially been in place until 30 days after it was published.
Beal said that because of this he believes any fines collected before
May 15 should be returned. Council voted 5-0, with member Wade McCalf
absent, to approve the refunds.
Discussion was then held on how to best go about returning the money.
Village financial officer Don Jolliff said the names and license numbers
of the individuals ticketed by the police department are on file. He
said the village could run the license numbers through the police
department computer to find addresses for those who paid fines.
Village solicitor Victoria Stone-Moledor said she would advise against
sending out checks to various addresses. She recommended sending notice
to residents who received tickets during that time frame to notify them
that they were eligible for a refund.
She said this puts the responsibility on those individuals to collect their refunds.
She also recommended working on the letter that indicated that all
parking regulations are currently enforceable and the refund does not
indicate that the action leading to the ticket is acceptable.

Grill sparks house fire
Family escapes home unharmed
From J-T staff reports
A barbecue grill ignited a fire which burned down a house in Plain City
early Sunday morning.
Pleasant Valley Fire Chief Greg Pinney said that at around 4:51 a.m., a
husband and wife were asleep at 819 Murlay Drive when they were awakened
by the noise and smoke after a barbecue smoke cooker caught the back
porch on fire.
The flames overtook the porch and went up the side of the house to the
roof. The family members were able to get out of the house in time.
Pinney said that no one was injured from the blaze and fire crews
remained on the scene until 9:47 a.m. At around 5 a.m. today, the fire
rekindled for a short time and crews responded to extinguish any
remaining hot spots.
"The house was a total loss," Pinney explained.
He said at such an early hour the fire unfortunately had a head start.
No one was awake to catch it before it spread to the rest of the home.
Fire investigators determined that the cooker on the back porch had been
going for 12 consecutive hours when it spread outside its container.
Pinney said that the family's property loss has been taken care of by
their insurance and the husband and wife currently have another place to
stay.
The Pleasant Valley Fire Department was assisted at the scene by Jerome,
Washington, Norwich, Union and Prairie township fire departments. The
Union County Emergency Management Agency also responded to help crews
with rehabilitation.

Shuster attains rank of Eagle Scout
From J-T staff reports
Ashton DiMorgan Shuster has received the Boy Scouts of America highest
rank of Eagle Scout.
He is a member of Troop 119 chartered by the Church of Christ, 18077
Route 31. He also has been elected into Tecumseh Lodge, Mwk'Alaakwa
Chapter of the Order of the Arrow, BSA's Honor Campers organization.
Tapped out to receive Order of the Arrow's highest rank of vigil honor,
Shuster is active in the chapter as vice chief and serves on the ritual
team and dances on the Native American Dance team. He serves as health
and safety chairman in the lodge.
During his affiliation with scouting, Shuster has earned 33 merit
badges, worked at Cub Scout Day Camp four years, worked at Camp Berry
Summer Camp (Findlay) as chief scout in the Black Swamp Spirit Society
two years, served as a den chief to Cub Scout Packs 119, 604 and 644,
held many offices in his troop and attended Eagle Feather Junior
Leadership Training.
His Eagle Scout project was building shooting benches and designing an
archery range at the Richwood Gun and Game Club which has opened its
doors to help train youths in 4-H, Boy Scouts and venturing crews.
Shuster has volunteered more than 3,500 hours to the community,
including working at three local food pantries, training service dogs
and visiting long-term and elder care facilities and hospitals. He has
trained with the American Red Cross to respond to emergencies.
He is active in 4-H as a member of two clubs, PSI Union County Shooting
Sports and Pawsitive Pals Dog Club. He is a member of Venturing Crews 8
and 490, and a trained National Rifle Association apprentice in rifle,
shotgun and pistol. He is active in Safety First youth training.
Shuster is in the ninth grade. He is home schooled and takes classes at
The Ohio State University.

System will keep citizens informed
From J-T staff reports:
Union County residents may now sign up to be kept in the loop when it
comes to emergencies in the community.
A new service called CodeRED has been in the works for the past year in
order to create a way for law enforcement and emergency officials to
notify residents by telephone about critical community alerts. It is
capable of delivering thousands of messages per hour.
The Marysville Police Department has already seen some positive results
from the new mode of telephone communication. On April 25, officers
responded to a report of a missing 3-year-old female from an apartment
complex in the 400 block of Windmill Drive. Officers searched the area
and were unable to find the girl. After using the phone notification
system, word spread and a local bus driver later reported the girl had
been found.
According to Marysville city officials, for those worried about
increased and random calls tying up their phone lines, CodeRED will only
be used during emergencies. Residents only hear from the service during
emergency situations in their area, such as tornados, severe weather,
floods, water main breaks, alerts concerning missing children or adults,
road closings, traffic alerts, law enforcement emergencies, or hazardous
material spills.
"If power goes out, you may not be able to depend upon radio and TV," a
city release stated. "However, because telephone lines are self-powered,
we can continue to keep you informed through messages delivered by
CodeRED."
The city reported that the service does not cost anything extra for
residents and is "entirely paid for by Union County/City of Marysville
at a cost of less than 40 cents per resident per year." That funding is
taken out of taxes.
On June 1 the home pages of the Union County and City of Marysville Web
sites (www.co.union.oh.us or www.marysvilleohio.org) will have links to
a CodeRED Residential Data Collection Form to be filled out online.
Residents without Internet access, can fill out a paper form that will
be available at any Union County or city government office. This form is
a duplicate of the online form. Residents may also call the Union County
Sheriff's Office at (937)-645-4110 or the City of Marysville main
switchboard telephone number at 642-6015 and staff will assist.

Hundreds of homes lose power
From J-T staff reports
A transformer explosion in Marysville on Thursday left hundreds of
residents without power.
The Marysville Fire Department responded to 743 Kenny Lane after
residents at an apartment complex discovered a power line down and on
fire at approximately 2:20 p.m.
Children were playing in the area, although none were injured.
While firefighters were on the scene for approximately 20 minutes
extinguishing the blaze, reports show that Dayton Power and Light
officials spent the next hour dealing with power outages throughout the
city caused by the explosion.
Dayton Power & Light customer service officials reported this morning
that the transformer blast left 775 homes without power. It took utility
workers a little more than an hour to restore service.
The power outage also disabled some city traffic lights, which may have
resulted in an injury accident that occurred at the intersection of
Fifth and Maple streets at 4:44 p.m. A woman riding a bicycle was struck
by a man driving a pick-up truck.
Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden said the crash remains under
investigation. He said after the traffic lights stopped functioning,
police placed temporary stop signs at the intersection. When the lights
began working again the stop signs were still in place, which may have
caused some confusion to drivers.
Police reports state that driver Ian Aristotle Jacob Higginbotham, 16,
of 20847 Westlake Lee Road was eastbound on West Fifth Street as
Michaelene A. Vincent, 57, of 253 Residence Drive was riding her bike
south on the Maple Street sidewalk.
Vincent attempted to cross the intersection and was struck by
Higginbotham's vehicle. She was injured in the collision and was
transported by Marysville medics to Memorial Hospital of Union County.

Pool to cool summer swelter
By CORINNE BIX
School is out and the pool is in.
The Marysville Municipal Swimming Pool officially opened for the summer
season on May 26, and this year adults and families can take advantage
of some special evening swim times.
Steve Conley, Marysville Parks and Recreation superintendent, said new
this year the pool will feature two Saturday evening adult swims and two
Saturday evening family swims from 8:15 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The adult only swims will be held on July 7 and Aug. 4. Anyone who
wishes to attend must be a minimum of 18 years of age. An ID may be required.
The family swims will be on June 16 and July 21 and a parent or guardian
must accompany all children under 18.
"We are just trying to give families and adults special times beyond the
normal swim hours to get together," Conley said.
The cost per person for both the adult and family swims will be $2.
Patrons with a pool membership will be admitted for free.
Conley said at this point no other activities are planned for the
special evenings. The pool will close on these Saturdays at the normal
time, 8 p.m. and then reopen at 8:15 p.m.
"We are trying to give people some more opportunities to participate in
some good wholesome recreational activities," Conley said.
Regular pool hours throughout the summer will be Monday-Saturday from
noon to 8 p.m. Sunday hours will be from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The pool will close early at 4:30 p.m. on June 13, June 20 and June 27
for home swim meets.
The annual "A Day in the Park" event is scheduled for Saturday, July 14.
Residents may visit the American Legion Park and enjoy live
entertainment, free food, drinks, ice cream and free swimming at the
Municipal pool until 4 p.m.
The pool will again offer "Learn to Scuba Dive" classes from July 16
through July 19. The Underwater Connection, a PADI certified facility,
will instruct the classes from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information about
the program, including cost, contact the Parks and Recreations division.
Conley reminds pool visitors about the weather guidelines.
"When lightning or thunder is seen or heard, the pool will be cleared
for 20 minutes," Conley said. "After each reoccurrence of thunder or
lightning, the 20 minutes will begin again."
He added that if the weather is questionable, patrons may call the pool
at 642-1046 to find out the current status.
"It's very important for the patrons to know that safety is number one
and the pool rules were developed with their safety in mind," Conley
said. "Please listen to the lifeguards; they are there to protect and
keep you and your families safe."
The Concerts in the Park program will begin Sunday at 6:30 p.m. with the
local Mo Jo Road band. Concerts will be held throughout the summer on
the following Sunday evenings: June 24, July 8, 14 and 22, Aug. 12 and
26, and Sept. 9 and 23.
Conley said full descriptions of each band along with other parks and
recreation information will be available on the division page on the Web
site at www.marysvillohio.org or by contacting the parks and recreation
superintendent's office at 642-0116.

Farmer's Markets to begin
From J-T staff reports
The Union County Farmer's Market will begin its 22nd year this weekend.
The event is scheduled to begin Saturday in the Marysville city parking
lot at the corner of Sixth and Main streets. Seasonal fruits and
vegetables, baked goods, jams and jellies, honey, herbs and fresh
flowers will be available throughout the summer and fall.
According to a recent market news release, expansion of the market at
two other locations showcases the abundance of offerings from many
growers and vendors within the county.
Those locations and days are Tuesdays at Mill Valley at Cobblestone Way
from 4 to 7 p.m. starting on June 12, and Thursdays at Green Pastures at
Connolly Construction and the WECO Credit Union Parking lot starting on
June 14.
New this year will be the Farmer's Market Festival on Aug. 11 from 8
a.m. to 2 p.m. at the city parking lots at Sixth Street, between Main
and Plum streets

N. Lewisburg eyes storm water fee
By CORINNE BIX
North Lewisburg will look into holding a public hearing to discuss
implementing a storm water utility fee.
The fee would be added onto resident water bills at a rate of $1 to $2
per month with all money generated to be kept in a storm water specific
fund intended to head off storm water runoff problems.
Joe Kestella, 20 Alma Lane, spoke to council regarding recent repairs
made to his home due to standing water underneath the foundation.
Kestella owns one of eight homes in the Weaver and Castle Addition NO. 1
built in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
He said his home is one of seven that collect water on a regular basis.
Kestella advocates a storm water utility to be added to help prevent
storm water runoff issues.
Barry First, village administrator, said such a program would be
pre-hazardous in that a system and funding would be in place to help
alleviate future problems due to storm water.
"Everyone creates storm water, everyone is part of the problem" First said.
A public hearing on the topic is expected to be announced sometime this summer.
Council passed a resolution in opposition to House Bill 154, which would
abolish mayor's courts in municipalities with populations under 1,600
based on 2000 census numbers.
As of the 2000 census, the village had 1,588 total residents. It is
estimated that the village now has 1,700.
If mayors' courts were abolished, the county seat's municipality would
handle all matters, which would be Urbana in the case of Champaign County.
First reported that the village would lose approximately $30,000 if the
mayor's court were shut down. Total cost for policing and courts in the
village is $130,000.
The $30,000 gleaned from mayor's court pays for computers, equipment,
vehicles and radios for the police division. All other policing costs
such as personnel and staffing are paid for through the general fund.
It was learned all but 10 water meters are in place within the village.
Water bills based on usage will begin in July.
Those customers who didn't receive two preview bills will only pay the
base rate of $45 per month for the months of July and August.
The base rate for water and sewer includes 3,000 gallons of water. The
former flat rate for water and sewer prior to water meters was $54 per
utility account.
The wastewater treatment plant is 70 percent completed and is expected
to be finished at the end of July.
The park restroom project will not be completed until later this fall.
It was anticipated that the restrooms would be done for the July Fourth fireworks.
The grant-funded project will feature a heated building with hot water
so that the restrooms can be accessed year round.
First reported that the village was awarded $8,984 in funding from the
Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Natureworks grant to be used
towards playground equipment. The local contribution is around $3,000.
The village also is looking into eventually constructing a shelter house
and obtaining a caboose to be positioned at the north side of Spain's
Creek near the multi-use path entrance.
Initial plans would include restroom facilities within the caboose along
with a lunch table.
The opening and dedication of the multi-use path, The Big Darby Plains
Scenic Byway, the new Buck Run Covered Bridge, the new North Lewisburg
Covered Bridge, and the rehabilitated Pottersburg covered bridge will be June 21.
Council approved re-negotiating the village lighting agreement with
Dayton Power and Light. DPL has asked the village to sign a four-year
contract with fixed rates whereas council would prefer a two-year
contract with no fixed rates.
The next regular council meeting will be July 3 at 7 p.m.
In other business, council:
.Heard the reading of a proclamation thanking former council member
Nancy Stuart for nine years of service to the village. Stuart stepped
down earlier this year and Gwen Beech was sworn in last month to finish
Stuart's term
.The village was declined federal funding through a FEMA grant to be
used towards a pre-mitigation plan to include an emergency operation
center for residents in Champaign County. The village will re-apply in 2008.
.The Champaign County household waste and collection day will be June 16
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Champaign County Engineer's parking lot.
.Approved the annual request from the Triad Junior Baseball league for
$1,000 to be used for July Fourth fireworks.
.Heard Deputy Glenn Kemp give the Champaign County Sheriff's report for
the month of May. It included 19 traffic citations, nine warnings issued
for traffic violations, 15 incident reports, 35 cases of assistance
given to citizens, 11 arrests, two civil and criminal papers served, 41
follow-up investigations completed, two open doors, seven instances of
juvenile contact, one civic activity and two auto accidents.

Crash details released
Report of six injured was incorrect; four were transported from the scene
From J-T staff reports:
Emergency services cleared up misinformation regarding injuries
resulting from Tuesday morning's serious crash in Darby Township.
The Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol explained that
troopers were initially told that six people were involved in the
two-car crash that occurred at 8:53 a.m. at the intersection of
Middleburg-Plain City Road.
This morning the OSP reported that since then they have discovered there
were a total of four people injured.
Crash reports explain that driver Jin Hae Park, 39, of Dublin was
traveling west on Middleburg-Plain City Road in a black four-door 2003 Saab.
When Park entered the intersection, he was struck in the left side by a
1993 Chevrolet 3500 pickup truck driven by Daniel P. Vollrath, 38, of
Milford Center. He was headed northbound on Route 38.
Both vehicles collided and spun off the northwest side of the
intersection and came to a rest down an embankment and into a grassy area.
Daniel Vollrath was ejected from the vehicle after the impact and was
transported with serious injuries to Grant Medical Center by medical
helicopter. His passenger, Samuel M. Vollrath, 6, was transported to
Memorial Hospital of Union County with minor visible injuries.
OSP reported that Park had to be extricated by medical personnel using
metal cutting equipment at the scene. They were forced to rip the top
off the vehicle to ensure his safety.
Park and a passenger Sang Sun Han, 37, of Dublin were both transported
by medical helicopters to Grant Medical Center with serious injuries.
The OSP reported that the intersection where the crash occurred is
posted with stop signs on Middleburg-Plain City Road in both westbound
and eastbound locations. Route 38 does not have stop signs posted for
north or southbound traffic.
OSP officials said that it has not been determined if Park ran the stop
signs. That part of the crash will reportedly remain under investigation
for the next several days.
The Union County Sheriff's Office, Marysville Fire and EMS, Jerome
Township EMS, Pleasant Township EMS, Life Flight EMS and MedFlight EMS
all assisted at the scene.

State director visits U.C. Board of Developmental Disabilities
facilities
J-T staff reports
Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
Director John Martin visited the Union County Board of Developmental
Disabilities Tuesday and lauded the local program on its excellent
quality of services.
"The number one thing I'm really impressed with your program is the
creativity and enthusiasm of staff," Martin said in comments to the
staff and community. "You have the two elements that can accomplish
great things. You have a lot to be proud of in Union County."
In addition, he cited local efforts in "establishing a county parent
advisory committee as being an incredible planning asset."
During his visit, Martin toured the Harold Lewis Center, U-CO
Industries, and WorkNet and was given an in depth overview of the entire program.
He also was shown the exterior of the future site of U-CO Industries at
16900 Square Drive and made remarks at a luncheon hosted by the program.
The new director also offered comments on current efforts underway at
the Department of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities and noted:
.The first few months focus was made on the whole budget process;
.The department is looking at the amount of new dollars in the budget
first and the Medicaid reimbursement system;
.A new department staffing team has been put in place to effectively
meet challenges in the system statewide;
.A "Future Study Commission" is set to provide planning and priorities
for the first few years;
.The department is looking at increasing "flexibility in our system,
especially as it relates to waivers"
.The biggest current challenge faced is " finding adequate resources to
meet significant unmet need."
Additional information on the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities may be obtained at www.MRDD.Ohio.Gov.
Questions/comments on the Union County Board of Developmental
Disabilities may be addressed to Superintendent Kim Miller at 645-6733.

North Union High School honors top students
From J-T staff reports
North Union High School will hold its commencement ceremony Friday at 7
p.m. in the high school gymnasium. Valedictorian and salutatorian of the
2007 class will be Chelsea Anne Foos and Kelsey Rachelle Smith respectively.
Foos is the daughter of Mitch and Carol Foos and Sue and Randy Thacker.
She will attend the Ohio State University Marion branch and plans to
major in early childhood education.
Her academic honors include earning all A's during four years of high
school; honor roll all four years; academic letters, nine; bar 10, star
11; perfect attendance, nine, 10, 11; National Honor Society, 11, 12 and
historian, 12; scholastic gold medals, English, geometry, keyboarding,
physical science, all nine; Algebra II, biology and Spanish I, 10;
English III, Chemistry I and advanced math, 11; silver medals in world
history, nine; English II, 10; Spanish II, 11; bronze medals in live
skills and Word, both nine.
She also received McElheney book awards, science nine, history 10,
advanced math 11; MOAC Scholar Athlete, nine, 10; Buckeye Girls State
Alternate 11.
Her extra curricular activities during her high school years include
being a member of the Mock Trial team, nine, 10, 11, 12; Student Council
representative, nine, 10, 11, 12 and as secretary/treasurer, 10 and 11;
history club, nine; track, lettered nine, 10, 11, 12; National Student
Athlete, nine, 10, 11; art club, 11, 12, president 12; Spanish club, 11,
12, historian 12; newspaper, 11; drama, 11 and 12.
Community activities include working as a volunteer during bloodmobile
drives all four years; REAP Food Pantry Drive, 10; North Union Recycling
Drive, 10, 11, 12; recycling day, 11; Adopt a Highway, 11 and
Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 11 and 10.
Foos also was active in observing students at North Union Elementary,
Forest Lane Daycare and baby-sitting at her church.
Smith is the daughter of Nevin and Jean Smith. She will be attending
Capital University in the fall, majoring in nursing and playing on the
volleyball team.
Smith's academic accomplishments include being on honor roll and having
straight A's during her high school career; academic letters, nine, 10,
11, 12; academic gold medals, Algebra 1, nine, Art 1, 10, American world
history 11; silver medals in keyboarding nine, agriculture science 10;
Spanish 10, 11; biology 10; chemistry 11; bronze medal in Spanish, nine.
She also was a Scholar Athlete nine and 10 and National Student Athlete
nine. She is also a member of the National Honor Society
Extra curricular activities include being a member of the FFA, nine, 10,
11, 12; Green Hand Award nine; Green Hand Degree nine; FFA Academic
Achievement nine; Chapter Degree 10; volleyball all four years, varsity
letter, 10, 11, 12; MOAC First Team 11, 12; Second Team 10; District
First Team 11, 12; basketball all four years, varsity letters all four
years; MOAC First Team 12; MOAC Honorable Mention 9; MOAC Second Team
10; varsity letters in track nine, 10, 11; MOAC 12-point award, 10 and
MOAC 30-point award, 12; and Who's Who Among America's Athletes and Students.
Smith was active in community activities helping 4-H recycling nine, 10;
Richwood Fair clean-up nine, 10, 11, 12; Springenfest set-up nine, 10,
11, 12; club volleyball 9, 10, 11, 12; Junior Fair Board member nine,
10, 11, 12; United Way Day 11 and Beef Expo clean-up nine, 10. She also
has been a Memorial Hospital Junior Volunteer, working 48 hours her
senior year.
The following North Union High School students received scholarships and
accolades for their hard work in the classroom at a recent awards
ceremony held at the school:
Ohio Academic Scholarship, Luke Brill, The Ohio State University.
Kinney Scholarships, Adam Conrad, Nikki Erwin-Jolliff, Gus Jerew and
Marybeth Stoltzfus.
Richwood-North Union Alumni Scholarships, Olivia Britton, Jeff Gallant,
Amber Hellwarth and Brandon Reiser.
Burnside-Imbody Scholarships, Emily Davis, Nathan Dunham, Nikki
Erwin-Jolliff, Kelsey Smith and Casey Retterer.
Donald D. and Dorothy Parrott Family Scholarship, Casey Retterer and
Emily Rasey.
Byhalia-York Alumni Scholarship, Jeff Gallant.
Class of 2007 Scholarship, Emily Buettner, Britney Colwell, Jacob
Dunnington and Joe Wasserbeck.
Richwood Police Under-dog Scholarship, Gus Jerew.
Craig Cooley Memorial Scholarship, Sam Rees.
Wildcat Challenge Grant, Rachel Miller.
Karen Neel-Babbini Scholarship, Cierra Mathys.
Sherril Ann Grandstaff Eubanks Scholarship, Rachel Miller.
Dan B. Kyle Memorial Scholarships, Olivia Britton, Adam Conrad, Emily
Davis, Kelsey Smith and Blaine Wilson.
Kevin Smith Scholarships, Jeffrey Gallant, Shannon Jones and Blake McElroy.
NUEA Scholarship, Chelsea Foos.
Richwood Bank/4-H, Emily Davis.
North Union Band Boosters, Molly Foreman.
Union County Bar Association (Savings Bond, top government student,
selected by Brian Terrell), Holly Sheets (class of 2008).
Mt. Carmel Free Masons (Bixler Scholarship), Emily Davis.
North Union High School Student Council Scholarship, Casey Retterer.
Marysville Elks Association, Luke Brill, Most Valuable Student Scholarship.
Union County Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Career Passport, Casey
Retterer and Kelsey Smith.
Union County Farm Bureau Scholarship, Nikki Erwin-Jolliff.
Richwood Garden Club Scholarship, Luke Brill and Adam Conrad.
Brittany Crabtree Memorial Scholarship, Kelsey Smith.
North Union Wildcat Arts and Music Scholarship, Cierra Mathys.
Union County Retired Teachers Association Scholarship, Alicia Moore.
VFW Auxiliary Scholarship, Emily Davis and Emily Buettner.
MKC Investing in our Future Scholarship, Casey Retterer.
Marion Area Phi-Kappa Delta Scholarship, Casey Retterer.
Erin Y. James Memorial Scholarship, Tyler Patton.
Kory Keigley Memorial Scholarship, Blake McElroy.
Memorial Hospital of Union County Medical Staff Award: Kelsey Smith.
Other awards:
Senior Leadership, Casey Retterer; Senior Service, Emily Davis; Senior
Dependability, Emily Rasey; Senior Sportsmanship, Kelsey Smith and
Blaine Wilson; DAR American History Medal, Jessica Tolliver; DAR Good
Citizenship Award, Gus Jerew and Kelsey Smith; Marysville Elks
Outstanding Male Student, Blake McElroy; Marysville Elks Outstanding
Female Student, Olivia Britton; Marysville Elks Student of the Year, Cierra Mathys.
Not being presented at the assembly:
Murphy Foreman Scholarship (FFA). Luke Brill; North Union FFA
Scholarship, Adam Conrad, Nikki Erwin-Jolliff, Kelsey Smith, Cierra
Mathys; North Union Farmers Scholarship, Blake McElroy; Northwest
(Raymond) Lions Club Foundation Scholarship (FFA), Tyler Patton and
Emily Davis; Wal-Mart Community Foundation Scholarship, Adam Conrad;
Fred Ryan Memorial Scholarship (Tri-Rivers), Zach Gibson; Tri-Rivers
Alumni Asso-ciation Scholarship, Cassandra Goodrich; Tri-Rivers
Director's Award for Career-Technical Excellence, Kyle Holbrook and Amy
Ishler; Tri-Rivers Outstanding Junior Award, Jordan Speakman (class of 2008).
College scholarships:
Luke Brill, Ohio State University Trustees Scholarship; Ohio State
University College of Food, Agricultural and Environ-mental Sciences
Academic Merit Scholarship.
Emily Buettner, Marion Technical College President's Scholarship.
Emily Davis, University of Dayton President's Scholarship.
Nathan Dunham, Valparaiso University Presidential Scholarship.
Molly Foreman, Ohio State University Marion Campus Scholarship.
Zachary Gibson, Marion Technical College Tech Prep Scholarship.
Renee Goins, Marion Technical College Tech Prep Scholarship.
Cierra Mathys, Bluffton University Tuition Equalization Scholarship.
Rachel Miller, MedCentral College of Nursing Dean's Scholarship.
Alicia Moore, Capital University Presidential Scholarship and CAP Grant Award.
Robert Organ, University of Findlay - Findlay Scholarship.
Brandon Reiser, Marion Technical College Tech Prep Scholarship.
Casey Retterer, Ohio State University Marion Campus Scholarship.
Joshua Sands, Marion Technical College Tech Prep Scholarship.
Kelsey Smith, Capital University Presidential Scholarship.
Marybeth Stoltzfus, Marion Technical College President's Scholarship.
Elliott Toland, Marion Technical College Tech Prep Scholarship.
Joe Wasserbeck, Ashland University Football Award.
Blaine Wilson, Otterbein College - Scholar Award and University of
Charleston Scholarship.

Six injured in crash
Three medical helicopters called to scene
By RYAN HORNS
A half dozen victims suffered serious injuries as the result of a
two-car crash this morning in Darby Township.
Just after 8:45 a.m., Union County Sheriff's deputies, Ohio State
Highway Patrol troopers and three MedFlight helicopters responded to the
intersection of Middleburg-Plain City Road and Route 38 when a car and
pickup truck collided just south of Fairbanks High School and Big Darby Creek.
Details and names of the victims were unavailable at press time.
Upon their arrival on the scene, medical crews and law enforcement
officials worked to extract the victims from the wreckage. Three males
were eventually evacuated from the scene by MedFlight, with one
helicopter responding from as far away as Toledo.
Lt. Rick Zwayer, commander of the Marysville post of the Ohio State
Highway Patrol, said a black Saab, which contained four persons, was
headed westbound on Middleburg-Plain City Road.
A red Chevy pickup truck was headed north on Route 38 at the same time.
Zwayer said it appears the Saab was struck in the driver side door as
the result of the collision.
"There is a trail of evidence that leads up to the crash," Zwayer said,
pointing toward the tire marks on the roadway and the broken glass
strewn around.
He said the momentum of the impact forced both vehicles off the
roadside, down an embankment and into a farm field. The truck was left
on its side and the Saab was left pointed toward the roadway.
Within the first 30 minutes, the male driver of the pickup truck and his
young male passenger were taken from the scene by medical helicopters
and a third was waiting for the Toledo MedFlight to arrive.
Crews from different counties cut the Saab roof top to extricate the
remaining victims.
Zwayer said the young male victim was under the age of 10.
Union County deputies cut off traffic feeding into the intersection,
causing a small backup of traffic in each direction.
Fire personnel and medics responded from Pleasant Valley, Union
Township, Jerome Township and Marysville.
More information on the crash is expected to be released later today.

On the main stage
Christian concert promoters call Marysville home
By RYAN HORNS
"There's an old saying in this business: We're lucky to be doing what
we're doing," Marysville's Cliff Reiser said.
Almost 10 years ago he left a job as vice president of marketing for the
Columbus Convention Center, in order to start his own company: Rush
Concerts. The company specializes in promoting Christian-based music
concerts across the country.
Reiser is happy to say that he has built his life on the prospect of
risk and a passion for doing what he loves. Leaving behind a career of
15 years and having to start from scratch was risky. But the move paid
off and his Marysville-based company has since risen to become the
second-largest promoter of Christian music in the country and recently
reached Pollstar's top 20 of promotion companies worldwide.
Sitting in his office off of Square Drive on Friday with his son and
business partner Jake, Reiser said promotion isn't risky if it is
something you enjoy doing.
"Our offices are here because we live here. Jake went to school in
Marysville, my wife and I live here. I doesn't matter where we locate.
We just have to be near an airport and have Internet access. We've been
fortunate to be able to do what we like. But most important, I get to
work with my son. He's part of the business and will take it over. And
just the independence of working for yourself that's part of it too," Reiser said.
Together the two have watched a burgeoning Christian music industry grow
and have worked hard to get ahead.
"It was very scary at first when you leave a position like I had at the
convention center and start a new business, when you really don't know
how well it's going to do and especially the costs associated with it,"
Reiser said. "I did all mainstream concerts from John Cougar Mellencamp
to whoever. But because they knew I was a Christian, I also did
Christian shows. We were doing great business there with the shows we
had, four or five thousand people sometimes. At that point I decided I
gotta do this before I get too old. It's a passion of mine."
Reiser and his son left behind the mainstream market of concert
promotion, in favor of getting into the Christian Rock market early.
"Years ago people wouldn't play that kind of music because they would
say, 'that's Jesus music,'" Reiser said. "But in those days, beginning
in 1990, there weren't very many acts."
By 1997 the Christian music scene had grown and Reiser said the music
groups had become too good for people to ignore.
"The art got better," Reiser said. "I mean 15 years ago it was simply
someone singing about their faith and they'd get up with their guitar
and everybody was overwhelmed. Now (the bands) have three semi
trucks out back."
During this time he said Rush Concerts started small, organizing just
over a dozen shows a year. His son had not graduated from college yet
and Reiser worked alone from an empty office, organizing 15 to 20 shows
a year. That figure has since risen to 100 shows a year and is growing
into new markets every year.
Reiser said being a concert promoter is "kind of like the baseball
player song, we'd do this for free."
He said that feeling continues on with everyone who works in the
business, down to those who volunteer to work shows simply because they
love the music.
Currently Rush Concerts is attempting to organize one-days festivals in
Columbus, as well as hold its new Faith Night tours - Christian concerts
at minor league baseball games. Those shows will kick off in July. This
fall the two are also planning a tour for bands Switchfoot and Reliant K.
Reiser said the two bands started out as Christian acts but over the
last four years have crossed over into the mainstream. The bands have
not been selling any dates to Christian music promoters, but have
recently come back. He said they are realizing that Christian promoters
can really do a better job at getting them out there toward their core audience.
For more information on Rush Concerts visit them online at
www.rushconcerts.com.

Two area students attain rank of Eagle Scout
From J-T staff reports:
Local scouts Greg Elchert and Jim Palmer will be awarded the Eagle Scout
Award June 10 in a 1 p.m. court of honor at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
Elchert, a sophomore at Marysville High School, is the son of Jim and Becky Elchert.
Palmer is a sophomore at Fairbanks High School and the son of Jim Jr.
and Julie Palmer.
Both 16 year olds are members of Troop No. 634 which meets at Our Lady
of Lourdes and which is under Scoutmaster Jim Hodnichak.
Elchert's scouting honors include Order of the Arrow and the
conservation award. Leadership positions he has held include patrol
leader, scribe, den chief and quartermaster.
He has attended Boy Scout summer camps at Camp Berry, Camp Falling Rock
and Camp Woodland Trails. He has hiked at Zaleski State Forest, Mohican
State Park, the Ohio and Erie Canal Trail and completed a 20-mile hike
on the Logan Trail.
He assisted at the Veterans Monument dedication May 19 and will be
honored at the Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner June 7 at the Aladdin
Shrine Center in Columbus as a member of the Boy Scouts of America Eagle
Scout Class of 2006.
Elchert is an honor student and a member of the marching band, jazz
ensemble, "In the Halls" staff and WALK youth group. He is an
Extraordinary Minister at Our Lady of Lourdes and has studied piano for nine years.
He also has received the President's Education Award, MHS Academic
Honors Award and OMEA Solo and Ensemble Superior Rating for piano
performance. He has been accepted to attend Baldwin-Wallace College this
summer to study entrepreneurship.
His Eagle project was the renovation of the large storage shed at the
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Cemetery. He raised more than $400 from
individuals and area businesses, purchased the needed materials and
supplies and enlisted more than 20 volunteers for the work day.
Volunteers waterproofed the metal roof, completely rebuilt the door and
one wall of the shed, hung new rain gutters and downspouts, made
necessary repairs and painted the shed, foundation and adjacent fence.
Palmer moved and landscaped a memorial for the unborn children at Our
Lady of Lourdes. He added seating, a brick sidewalk and the landscaping
to create a meditative outdoor sanctuary.
He started Cub Scouts in September 1998 as a Wolf Scout of Pack 634. He
received his Arrow of Light in January 2002 and bridged to Boy Scout
Troop 634 in February 2002. Palmer made Tenderfoot rank in May 2002,
second class and first class rank in August 2002, Star Scout rank in
August 2003 and Life Scout rank in September 2004. He joined Order of
the Arrow in July 2003 and became brotherhood member in July 2005.
He has helped out at Cub Scout day camp every year since joining Boy Scouts.
A recipient of 26 merit badges, Palmer attended Eagle Feather Junior
Leadership training course in 2004. He has been a patrol leader at Troop
634, assistant senior patrol leader two years and a senior patrol
leader. As part of a scouting day camp staff, he has been assistant
senior patrol leader and senior patrol leader.
He has been in marching band three years at FHS, pep band four years,
concert band two years, and competed on the track and cross country teams.

MHS grad gets a kick out of cartooning
By CORINNE BIX
Kelly Croy couldn't be happier.
And, given that others, including presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary
Clinton, are getting a kick out of his artwork only makes life that much better.
Croy, a 1987 Marysville High School graduate, is the official political
cartoonist for the Ohio Democratic Party.
"I always wanted to be a cartoonist," Croy said.
Croy, who will turn 38 in July, reminisces about growing up on Walnut
Street and enjoying the Sunday comics.
His parents, Richard and Pat Croy, said they aren't surprised that art
has found its way back into their son's life.
"I knew sooner or later he would get into his passion for art," Pat Croy
said. "He always looked at the comics and loved to sketch his own characters."
Kelly Croy said for many years his art was a hobby that he only
entertained in his spare time.
After graduating college, getting married and starting a family, the art
supplies soon found themselves put away in a closet.
However, in December of 2005, Croy was inspired by a story he saw on
MSNBC news and the next thing he knew one of his "pop art" cartoons
gained him national attention after he put the cartoon up for auction on eBay.
Croy created a cartoon of the stolen cinnamon bun or "Nun Bun" bearing
the likeness of Mother Teresa. He put it up on eBay as a joke to
entertain family and friends.
The "Nun Bun" was stolen in 2005 from a Nashville coffee shop where it
had been on display for almost 10 years.
Croy titled his cartoon "Thou shall not steal" and the response from his
eBay auction was amazing, including 6,980 hits and a selling price of $300.
Almost immediately Croy found himself using his art a lot more.
Within the last 18 months, Croy's art is no longer a secret passion, and
he now has a small studio set up in the corner of his northwest Ohio home.
Since January of this year, Croy has been submitting cartoons to the
Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) which are featured on its Web site.
The opportunity came about after having dinner with Chris Redfern, ODP
chairman and state representative.
Redfern asked Croy about his dream job.
Croy responded that he hoped to someday be a syndicated political
cartoonist, and before he knew it, Croy was hired on as the official ODP cartoonist.
The teacher and coach from Oak Harbor, said he finds inspiration
everywhere for his cartooning.
"I look at things in the newspaper that jump off the page," Croy said.
After he sketches out his ideas, he chooses his favorites to ink and
then scans the drawings into the computer.
Croy actually uses the computer to color in the majority of his cartoons.
He said he is currently working on developing his own unique style and
sense of humor.
Croy recently had the opportunity to present some of his artwork to Sen.
Clinton at the ODP dinner in May.
Croy did a cartoon portraying Clinton as Rosie the Riveter. The piece is
currently hanging in Sen. Clinton's campaign headquarters.
"The week I met Hillary I was on top of the world," Croy said.
He also had the opportunity to meet and present his work to Gov. Ted Strickland.
However, with every praise comes critique. Croy said the day after
attending the ODP dinner he got constructive criticism from a more
established cartoonist encouraging Croy to work on developing his style further.
Overall, Croy has received positive feedback but he knows the road to
become a syndicated cartoonist won't be easy.
"It's a difficult career to break into," Croy said.
He expresses gratitude to Redfern and the ODP for the great exposure.
"I'm an unknown and he (Redfern) gave me an opportunity," Croy said.
In addition to cartooning, Croy is a performance chalk artist. He also
teaches middle school language arts and is an assistant high school
football coach.
He lives with his wife, Lorrain, and their three daughters.

Boerger leaving St. Paul after 24 years
J-T staff reports
Longtime St. Paul Lutheran School Principal and teacher Karen Boerger is retiring.
She will turn in her keys July 13, officially ending an education career of 24 years.
Teacher of fifth, sixth and seventh graders at the Chuckery school,
Boerger has held that position since 1992, the same year she became
principal. She said she is retiring to spend more time with her grandchildren.
"I want to be part of their lives ... it's hard to let go but the family
and the grandchildren are kind of tugging at my heartstrings," Boerger said.
A Dublin native, Boerger knew in high school that she wanted to teach,
but a lack of money forced her to attend Franklin University to train as
a secretary. She had hoped to earn the funds to pursue her dream;
however, that didn't happen until after her marriage to Marvin Boerger,
now a retired farmer, and after raising their three children to school age.
Boerger, who taught piano and organ, decided she would like to study
music. She attended Wittenberg University, where music education majors
had to observe non-music classrooms as well as those where music was
taught. It was then that Boerger decided she really wanted to fulfill
her dream of being a teacher.
She earned a bachelor's degree in education in four years, even while
caring for her growing family. A master's degree in leadership from
Wright State University was added while she was teaching at Trinity
Lutheran School.
She taught sixth grade at Trinity, where she stayed for eight years
before accepting the positions at St. Paul. She also taught in the
Marysville School System, where she taught one-half year at Edgewood and
the other half at the middle school.
Boerger said the highlight of her teaching career has been the students.
"They make you laugh and give you joy. It has been a very fun
occupation," she said.
She said it's been "neat" being a teacher and a principal.
She also worries that children may be too active, too involved in
extracurricular activities. Even when they are not actively engaged in
sports, etc., they are playing with electronic games or on the computer.
That leaves them little time for reading or quiet times, she said.
Boerger and her husband plan to visit their son Warren, who works for
Syngenta and is now based in Switzerland, and his wife Pam and their
children, Haley and Jordan.
Their other son, John, and his wife, Dawn, and their children, Grace and
Thomas, operate the family farm near Rosedale.
Crystal, their daughter, followed in her mother's footsteps and is a
teacher. She lives in Indiana with her husband, Dean Castleman, and
their two children, Caleb and Joshua.
Boerger recommends teaching as a career, despite what others may see as
poor dividends.
"I think it's been a very rewarding endeavor ... it's a great occupation
to be in because it's new and fresh everyday. There's nothing boring
about this job," she said.

Power company offers summer tips
Editor's note: The following information is supplied by Dayton Power
and Light.
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Pools, projects, and patio living - summer in Marysville means that
people spend time either enjoying or trying to avoid the warm
temperatures. Dayton Power and Light offers some tips on staying cool
and staying safe this summer.
Outdoor safety
. Watch for overhead power lines when performing home maintenance such
as roof and gutter repair, tree trimming, house painting, or any
activity that involves using a ladder. Keep tools, equipment, and
yourself at least 10 feet away from power lines. Don't use power tools
while the ground is wet or while standing in water.
. When planning to build a deck, plant trees or shrubs, or any other
activity that involves digging, be sure to have underground lines
marked. Call the Ohio Utilities Protection Service (OUPS) at
1-800-362-2764 at least 48 hours before you begin your project, and they
will contact DP&L to have electric lines marked at your home.
. Remember to never touch an electrical appliance while in a pool or hot tub.
. Make sure that outdoor electrical outlets are weatherproofed and
protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) to protect you
from electrical shock.
Staying cool in your home
Set your thermostat to the highest temperature that is comfortable for
you to stay cool. The higher the temperature setting, the more money you
will save on your electric bill. You can reduce your cooling bill by 2
percent just by raising your thermostat by 1 degree.
. If you have a programmable thermostat, program it to start cooling
your home about one hour before you arrive home from work in the
evening. Then have the thermostat raise the temperature after you leave
the house in the morning.
. Make sure air conditioning units are clean and well-maintained to
ensure the most efficient use of energy.
. Keep blinds and drapes closed on windows during the day.
To stay safe during a storm-related power outage
. Keep handy an emergency kit with flashlights, batteries, and a
battery-powered radio.
. Call 1-877-4OUTAGE (1-877-468-8243) to notify DP&L that your home is
without power. This helps the company direct resources effectively and efficiently.
. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to keep food cold as long
as possible. If you keep the doors closed, a full freezer should stay
cold for approximately 48 hours, a half-full freezer for 24 hours, and a
refrigerator for 2 hours.
For more information, visit www.waytogo.com and click on 100 Ways to Save.