WestChesterBuzz.com

A Liberty Township man faces attempted murder, felonious assault and weapons charges after Butler County Sheriff’s officials said he opened fire on a neighbor during an argument Sunday at Countryside Village Mobile Home Park.

Paul E. Maye, 52, of 214 Jacobs Street allegedly fired a revolver at his neighbor Joshua Warren, 26, of 215 Jacobs Street during an altercation. The bullet grazed Warren’s head and a physical struggle for the gun ensued, according to a release from the Sherriff’s Office.

During the struggle, another round was fired. The bullet hit a nearby porch railing.

Warren was eventually able to subdue Maye.

Both men were taken to West Chester Medical Center for injuries. As of Monday morning, Maye is still confined at the hospital.

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the incident.

Posted in: Crime, News |

Tags: Tags: Butler County Sheriff's Office, Liberty Township crime, Liberty Township trailer park, Shooting at Liberty Township trailer park

DV8 will kick off the 2013 season of the First Financial Bank After-Hours on The Square concert series in West Chester this Thursday. The band will perform from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Square at Union Centre.

The free concert series will take place every Thursday night, except July 4, through Aug. 29.

The Square at Union Centre is located at 9285 Centre Pointe Drive, adjacent to the West Chester Library. No alcohol is permitted on The Square unless purchased at the event. Beer sales also help support the event.

Below is the 2013 After-Hours on The Square schedule:

• May 23 – DV8
• May 30 – Stays in Vegas
• June 6 – Lt. Dan’s New Legs
• June 13 – SunBurners
• June 20 – SWAGG
• June 27 – My Sister Sarah
• July 11 – Color Blind
• July 18 – Naked Karate Girls
• July 25 – Parti Gras
• Aug. 1 – Lt. Dan’s New Legs
• Aug. 8 – My Sister Sarah
• Aug. 15 – Zack Attack
• Aug. 22 – Stays in Vegas
• Aug. 29 – Naked Karate Girls

Posted in: Business, Events, News |

Tags: Tags: After-Hours on the Square, After-Hours on The Square at Union Centre, Color Blind, concert, concerts, DV8, Lt. Dan's New Legs, My Sister Sarah, Naked Karate Girls, Parti Gras, Square at Union Centre, Stays in Vegas, SunBurners, SWAGG, Zack Attack

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday. This week, we decided to list some of the top stories from the past few weeks after missing last Monday.

WestChesterBuzz.com also added a new video page in 2013. To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.

Lip dub goes viral - Lakota East High School has already raised awareness and more than $13,000 for the Center for Spina Bifida Care at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, but that could only the be beginning as the school hopes its “lip dub” video goes viral and attracts the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. The video already has more than 67,000 views after being posted on YouTube last Tuesday.

Lib. Twp. tower may bring rezoning – The possibility of a cellphone tower being constructed near a residential neighborhood here has prompted trustees to look at rezoning some properties. At issue is a cellphone tower Verizon would like to construct off Millikin Road near the Hawthorne Hills subdivision, which is located north of Millikin Rd. and east of Maud Hughes Rd.

Lightning sparks fire – Lightning is to blame for a house fire at 6835 Stillington Drive in Liberty Township at about 1:45 a.m. May 10. The residents told emergency responders they heard a crack of lightning and then the roof and second floor caught fire, said Fire Chief Paul Stumpf. The fire completely gouged the roof, which collapsed.

Life Alert scam targeting seniors – As part of a nationwide scam, there have been reports of a person claiming to be a representative of Life Alert, who has been calling senior citizens in Butler County telling them that they have been preapproved by Medicare for free Life Alert equipment.

John Boehner’s daughter weds – It’s official: House Speaker John Boehner’s daughter Lindsay got married May 10. Lindsay Marie, 35, married Dominic Lakhan, 38, in Delray Beach, Fla.

Membership plan provides self-defense legal aid – With gun sales soaring, a West Chester Township trustee is banking that there will be a market for those who may need legal protection for armed self defense. George Lang, a West Chester trustee, and defense attorney Sean Maloney of Liberty Township came up with the idea of offering self-defense membership plans 2 1/2 years ago, before launching Second Call Defense.

Bruce Jewett to retire – Bruce Jewett, Butler County United Way Chief Executive Officer, is retiring June 1 after two years on the job. Jewett, former Butler County administrator, was appointed to the United Way post in 2011, after 15 years of service with the organization.

Posted in: Events, News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Amelia Murphy, Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen DeGeneres Lakota East, Ellen DeGeneres Lakota East lib dub, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen DeGeneres Show Lakota East, Ellen DeGeneres Show Lakota East lip dub, Ellen Lakota East, Ellen Lakota East lip dub, Lakota East, Lakota East lip dub, National Honor Society, National Honor Society Lakota East, Verizon, Verizon cellphone tower, Verizon cellphone tower Liberty Township, Verizon cellphone tower Liberty Township Ohio, Verizon cellphone tower Ohio

Sue Kiesewetter reports:

West Chester Township’s Memorial Day Parade will leave Union Day School at 10 a.m., May 27.

Organized by the West Chester Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7696, marchers are asked to gather in the school’s north parking lot, 8735 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, at 9 a.m.

Korean War veteran Ralph Grothjan and his wife, Betty – active in the VFW’s Ladies Auxiliary – will serve as grand marshals of the parade. It will proceed down Cincinnati-Dayton Road, to West Chester Road to Brookside Cemetery.

Beginning at 10 a.m., the West Chester/Union township Historical Society will begin reading names of the veterans buried in the cemetery. When that is completed and the parade arrives, a 45-minute service begins, said Micky Vidourek, the VFW’s parade organizer.

The service includes the playing of Taps and the Star Spangled Banner by the Lakota East and West high school bands. Air Force Reserves Lt. Col. Roberta LaPlant will speak at the service.

The West Chester Township resident has been in the reserves since 1992 and is an operations officer in the Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism in Washington D.C. She is also a captain for Delta Airlines.

The program ends with the Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes and Drums Band’s rendition of Amazing Grace.

Posted in: Events, News |

Tags: Tags: Memorial Day Parade, Memorial Day Parade West Chester

Surabhi Tewari, a junior at Lakota West High School, earned a top composite score of 36 on the ACT test. Nationally, on average, less than one-tenth of one percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. Among all test takers in the high school graduating class of 2012, only 781 of more than 1.66 million students earned a perfect score.

Tewari had a GPA of 4.9 after her first semester this school year. While she has not yet narrowed down her top choices for college, she is interested in pursuing a career in medicine or engineering. According to her mother, Jaya Tewari, she often talks about Washington University in St. Louis and has dreamed of going to Duke University since her freshman year.

“Surabhi is oftentimes recommended for scholarships, awards and leadership positions,” said Lakota West counselor Andrea Bryant. “The staff thinks very highly of her and she has certainly earned their respect, including my own.”

Tewari is co-president of Lakota West’s math team and is also involved in InterAlliance and Relay for Life. She was voted next year’s co-president of student government and spends much of her time volunteering as a peer mentor and tutor for students with special needs in the district.

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores. Some students also take ACT’s optional writing test, but the score for that test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.

Posted in: Schools, Student achievements |

Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West High School, perfect ACT, Surabhi Tewari, Surabhi Tewari Lakota West, Surabhi Tewari perfect ACT

Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:

So much for spring.

Summer-like temperatures and humidity will sizzle Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky the first part of the week.

After a bit of fog this morning, our high temperature will skyrocket to near 90 degrees under a mostly sunny sky.

That’s just a few degrees shy of the record of 92 on this date, set in 1934, and almost 15 degrees above normal for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Warm air from the south has thrown our region into heat typically seen in July and August, said meteorologist Andy Hatzos.

• Cincinnati.com’s weather page with interactive radar, 7-day and hourly forecasts & more!
• National Weather Service: West Chester 7-day forecast
• AccuWeather.com: West Chester extended forecast

It’s already 70 degrees this morning at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. Typically, overnight lows hover around 55 at this point in May.

The hot and humid weather will last through Wednesday with highs in the upper 80s and overnight lows in the upper 60s.

There will be chances for showers and thunderstorms starting Tuesday morning through Thursday night. The probability for severe weather is low, according to the weather service.

We’ll see a bit of relief from the heat by Thursday. The mercury will slide back into the upper 70s during the daytime as a cold front and high pressure system moves in from the north, Hatzos said.

Overnight lows will fall into the 50s.

The upcoming Memorial Day weekend looks pleasant with plenty of sun and daytime highs in the low 70s.

Posted in: News, Weather |

Tags: Tags: Butler County weather, Cincinnati weather, Cincinnati weather report, Liberty Township weather, National Weather Service, West Chester weather

Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Lakota East senior outfielder Tyler Schlensker hit a one-out RBI single to bring in senior designated hitter Brett Colburn for the game-winning run in a 5-4 win over Glen Este in a Division I sectional semifinal Saturday.

The hit was Schlensker’s only of the game, but it propelled Lakota East, ranked No. 3 in the Enquirer Division I area coaches’ poll, to the sectional final against No. 6 Loveland (20-6) at 5 p.m. Thursday at Western Hills.

Lakota East junior pitcher Kyle Lepper came into a tie game in the top of the seventh inning and didn’t allow a run.

W–Lepper (6-1); L–Moore (1-4). Leaders: L–Minniear 2B; Elam 2-4. G–Rieck 3-4; T. Burdick 2-3. Records: L 24-3, G 11-14.

Meanwhile, Lakota West (15-13) upset No. 5 Hamilton, by score of 5-3, in its sectional semifinal Friday. The Firebirds had lost to Hamilton (20-7) twice in the regular season. Lakota West will now play No. 7 Harrison (18-8) at 5 p.m. Thursday at Kings High School.

SOFTBALL

After advancing last week, Lakota West (20-6) will take on Springboro (18-5) at 5 p.m. Monday at West Carrollton and Lakota East (19-8) will now face Centerville (22-5) at 5 p.m. Monday at Miamisburg.

BOYS’ TRACK

Greater Miami Conference Championships at Mason High School

Senior Jordan Combs, who is committed to Miami, won the pole vault for Lakota East.

Team scores: 1. Mason 190, 2. Sycamore 93 3. Colerain 73, 4.Oak Hills 71, 5.Middletown 68.50, 6.Princeton 58.50, 7.Lakota West 49, 8.Lakota East 37, 9.Hamilton 18, 10.Fairfield 3

100M–Chanatry (Ma) 10.99; 200M–Cummings (Ma) 22.08; 400M–Konkoly (OH) 48.59; 800M–Valentine (Ma) 1:54.64; 1600M–Notton (Ma) 4:19.77; 3200M–Clark (Ma) 9:21.98; 110 hurdles–Maiden (Ma) 14.66; 300 hurdles–Mainden (Ma) 38.41; 4×100–Mason 42.65; 4×200–Mason 1:26.95; 4×400–Mason 3:19.84; 4×800–Mason 7:58.73; Shotput–Wiesman (Co) 56’8”; Discus–Sorrell (Mi) 153’04’; Long jump–Marshall (Mi) 23’.50”; High jump–Marshall (Mt) 6’4”; Pole vault–.Combs (LE) 12’6”.

Coach of the Year: Hank Ray (Sycamore)

Field Athlete of the Year: Jalin Marshall (Middletown)

Runner of the Year: Billy Chanatry (Mason)

GIRLS TRACK

Greater Miami Conference Championships at Mason High School

Junior Autumn Heath won the 100 and 200 meter runs for Lakota East. She was also named GMC runner of the year.

Team scores: 1. Mason 183, 2.Sycamore 149, 3.Lakota East 95, 4. Princeton 72, 5. Colerain 53, 6.Lakota West 30, 7.Middletown 26, 8. Fairfield 21, 9.Oak Hills 19, 10.Hamilton 14

100M–Heath (LE) 12.22; 200M–Heath (LE) 24.74; 400M–Knue (Ma) 58.49; 800M–Rhodenbaugh (Sy) 2:16.50; 1600M–Wood (Ma) 5:02.23; 3200M–Wood (Ma) 10:39; 100 hurdles–Horning (Ma) 14.90; 300 hurdles–Horning (Ma) 45.25; 4×100–Sycamore 49.26; 4×200–Sycamore 1:44.06; 4×400–Sycamore 3:54.74; 4×800–Mason 9:28.35; Shotput–Brown (Ma) 37’10.50”; Discus–Sherrer (Co) 115’10”; Long jump–Mbah (LE) 17’9”; High jump–Horning (Ma) 5’2”; Pole vault–Nelson (Ma) 10’6”.

Runner of the Year: Autumn Heath (Lakota East)

Field Event Performer of the Year: Ashley Brown (Mason)

Coach of the Year: Liz Gonda (Sycamore)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Autumn Heath, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports

Deirdre Shesgreen reports:

Outgoing IRS Commissioner Steve Miller defended himself and the federal tax agency under intense grilling from House lawmakers Friday, saying the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups was not politically motivated but rather “foolish mistakes” made by “people trying to be efficient.”

Miller told members of the House Ways and Means Committee that he did not mislead Congress, even though he and other top IRS officials failed to tell lawmakers that IRS workers in Cincinnati had flagged tax-exempt applications from tea party and similar organizations for special scrutiny.

“I did not mislead Congress, nor the American people,” said Miller, who resigned under pressure from the White House earlier this week. “I answered the questions as they were asked.”

The line of questioning in the cavernous House hearing room quickly divided along partisan lines. Republicans tried to wrap the White House up in the scandal and suggested it was the “tip of the iceberg,” while Democrats tried to insulate the president and cast it as a limited incident caused by a handful of rogue IRS workers.

Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., said the IRS targeting appeared to be part of a “culture of cover-ups and political intimidation in this administration,” with the truth “hidden . . . just long enough to make it through an election.”

The panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Sander Levin, of Mich., said the IRS had “completely failed” the public, but warned against turning the scandal into a political football. “If this hearing becomes essentially a bootstrap to continue the campaign of 2012 and to prepare for 2014, we will be making a very, very serious mistake.” he said.

During the highly charged session, which lasted nearly four hours, no new evidence emerged showing that top IRS officials were involved with developing or implementing the inappropriate criteria used to single out groups with “tea party,” ‘’patriot,” or “9/12” in their names.

J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which probed the IRS’ actions, said that policy was developed by a team of IRS specialists in the IRS’ Cincinnati office, which reviews applications for tax-exempt status from groups around the country. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Government, News, Tea Party |

Tags: Tags: Cincinnati Tea Party, IRS Tea Party, IRS Tea Party scandal, Liberty Township Tea Party, Tea Party, West Chester Tea Party

Members of the board of the Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester visited the VOA offices in Washington, D.C. this week to learn more about the organization.

“The VOA is a best-kept secret for many Americans, but is a primary source of accurate news for 134 million people each day in 45 languages,” said Ken Rieser, VOA Museum board chair. “Its mission has always been to broadcast accurate news in oppressed countries that are media-censored or democracies at risk.”

The VOA Museum in West Chester is the only attraction in the U.S. that shares the history of the VOA and Cincinnati radio’s role during World War II and the Cold War.

Earlier this year, West Chester Township Trustees entered into a lease agreement with the museum’s board, putting them in charge of maintaing the landmark and allowed them to raise funds as a non-profit corporation.

• Story: Anniversary of VOA marks beginning of national museum
• Story: Voice of America Museum rich in Cincinnati history
• Story: Voice of America Museum Board gets official go ahead

It will take roughly $12 million to convert it into the revenue-generating museum.

Before that happens, people can tour the museum, 8070 Tylersville Road, this Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.voamuseum.org.

Posted in: Events, News |

Tags: Tags: Ken Rieser, National VOA Museum of Broadcasting, National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, VOA Museum, VOA Museum of Broadcasting, Voice of America Museum

Nearly 50,000 pounds of food was collected last weekend in Butler County by members of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

The food will go to the Shared Harvest Foodbank in Fairfield, where it will be distributed to food pantries when school ends. That’s when families need additional food when children are no longer receiving school lunches.

“This drive consistently provides food our pantries desperately need during the summer months,” said Tina Osso, Shared Harvest’s executive director.

During the past 18 years the food drive has brought in nearly 1.2 million pounds of food.

The two Hamilton post office carriers brought in more than 17,000 pounds of food, followed by Middletown carriers, who collected nearly 14,000 pounds.

Other area totals were: Fairfield, 8,750 pounds; West Chester Township, 3,285 pounds; Monroe, 2,454 pounds; Oxford, 2,185 pounds; and Trenton, 1,672 pound

Posted in: News |

Tags: Tags: National Association of Letter Carriers, Shared Harvest Foodbank, Shared Harvest Foodbank Butler County, Shared Harvest Foodbank Fairfield, Shared Harvest Foodbank Ohio, Tin Osso