On the day your street is due to have hydrants flushed, water from faucets may become cloudy or brownish. Should that occur, run cold water for 2-3 minutes from a faucet at the lowest area of your home – basement laundry tub, if possible.
Cloudy or milky water is usually caused by dissolved air bubbles coming out of the water, is harmless and should clear in a few minutes. Rusty or yellow water occurs when rust deposits are stirred up by flushing the hydrant. It will usually clear 2-3 hours after the fire hydrant is closed.
Rusty water can stain laundry. Residents are encouraged not to do laundry on the day hydrants are being flushed on their street. If clothes are stained keep them moist and use a rust remover or call 513-887-3066 for assistance.
Questions or concerns may also be directed to the West Chester Fire Department at 513-777-1133 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
f you drive in Ohio, get ready to put away your cell phones, iPads and other electronic devices, especially if you’re a teenager. There will be no texting on the state’s roads and highways when a text ban is signed by Gov. John R. Kasich.
But enforcing a ban is almost impossible for law enforcement agencies and similar local bans already in place haven’t been effective. Adults will still be able talk on the phone and the text ban allows a number of exceptions for using hand-held devices, even for teens.
The passage of the legislation comes in the shadow of the death of a Colerain High School student and her exchange student passenger on May 3. She may have been texting just before she ran a stop sign in rural Milford Township and slammed into a tractor trailer.
The Ohio House approved on a 82-12 vote Tuesday the Senate’s changes to House Bill 99, sending the legislation to the governor. Rob Nichols, a spokesman for Kasich, said the governor will sign the measure. (more…)
For the first time since December, the National VOA Museum of Broadcasting will be open for tours this Saturday and Sunday.
There were a few public tours in late 2011 before construction forced the budding museum to close its doors. Prior to those tours, the museum had been closed to the public for two years.
“We are just finishing some major construction work, so some items may not be redisplayed by those tour dates and some areas may not be as organized as they will be later,” said Ken Rieser, VOA museum board chairman. “We are opening to accommodate the many requests in association with the Dayton Hamvention and others.
“What you will be able to see is how wonderfully the building has been restored.”
The latest restoration work, which has forced the museum to be closed for tours so far in 2012, included installation of a new roof and block maintenance on the rear of the building.
In addition to a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission, which will reimburse the township for the latest restoration work, the township also received a $1 million grant in 2008 to repair the exterior facade, windows and entry doors, as well as some electrical. During the 2008 restoration, the township had to pay an additional $731,653. Overall, West Chester has spent around $1.68 million from its own budget on utilities and improvements since 2004.
If and when the museum is completed, it is expected to attract 25,000 visitors, bring in $475,000 in out of area direct spending and provide an overall economic impact in excess of $1.7 million annually, according to estimates by museum design firm Jack Rouse Associates.
“It would certainly be a real asset to West Chester and draw people all over the country and the world,” said Mark Hecquet, executive director of the Butler County Visitors Bureau.
“Hopefully it comes to fruition because it is a one of a kind thing and we should do all we can to make it a reality.”
Once construction is completed, it will be up to the museum’s board of directors to raise approximately $12 million to make it a revenue generating landmark.
The National VOA Museum of Broadcasting consists of exhibits featuring the Voice of America at the VOA-Bethany station; Media Heritage’s Greater Cincinnati Museum of Broadcast History; the Gray History of Wireless Museum; and the West Chester Amateur Radio Assn.
This weekend’s tours will take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. On Saturday, there will be a $5 per car parking fee for The West Chester Liberty Rotary Club and the Cincy Blues Society’s Backyard Bash to held at the museum. On Sunday, parking will be free, but there is a suggested $5 donation per adult and $1 donation per child to tour the museum.
Board members of the facility plan to set regular tour hours in the near future and are implementing a docent program for volunteers to learn about the museum and lead tours. Those wishing to volunteer can contact Dave Snyder at DavidSnyde@aol.com.
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.
Richard Hamilton is retiring after being principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years. Photo taken by Tony Jones.
Lakota to lose both high school principals- With the West Clermont school board’s recent approval of Keith Kline (current principal at Lakota East) as its new assistant superintendent, the Lakota school district will be entering the 2012-2013 school year with different principals at both high schools. Meanwhile, Richard Hamilton, who has served as the principal at Lakota West for the past 13 years, is retiring at the end of the school year in July.
Former Lakota East wrestler to compete in 2012 Olympics – About 10 years ago, Pliev had offers to wrestle at universities throughout the United States. He was coming off back-to-back state and national wrestling titles at Lakota East and seemed destined to accomplish his dream of becoming an Olympian. His journey, however, took a few unique turns.
Mandy Corrado, mother of twins Andrew and Luciana, found support after a miscarriage from the West Chester Mothers of Twins and More Club. Photo provided.
Mothers of twins grow special bond in West Chester– One of the largest mothers of multiples groups in the nation is right here in West Chester. The local twins club started in 1988 with six members. It has grown to more than 230 members today.
U.S. News ranks Lakota high schools among nation’s best – Lakota high schools made U.S. News & World Report’s list of top-ranked public high schools in the state and nation. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on a range of performance indicators, such as state proficiency standards and how well they prepare students for college. Both schools were among 93 Ohio public high schools to earn a silver medal.
West Chester firefighters have new pact – The West Chester Board of Trustees approved a three-year contract with the township’s fire lieutenants and firefighters last Tuesday. The contract affects 57 full-timers who are represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3518, and replaces a contract that expired at the end of last year.
AK Steel makes Fortune 500 list – AK Steel, which is headquartered in West Chester, was recently named to this year’s Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. The company was ranked 381st on this year’s list and generated approximately $6.5 billion in revenue in 2011.
West Chester day care child abuser gets 80 years – Dan Horn reported that a Mason man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for molesting boys at his mother’s in-home day care in West Chester and sharing photos of the abuse over the Internet. A federal judge sentenced Andrew Keith, 29, to 80 years in prison last Wednesday for producing and sharing child pornography.
Sectional tournament update: Lakota teams advance – The Lakota West baseball team, along with the Lakota East and Lakota West softball teams, won their postseason matchups in the sectional tournament last Wednesday. Both baseball teams also advanced to district semifinal games with wins last Thursday. All four teams will play in district semifinal games this week.
House Speaker John Boehner visited United Performance Metals in Hamilton May 11, 2012, to listen to the concerns of local small business owners. He also took a few jabs at President Obama. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.
Boehner listens to small business owners in Hamilton- House Speaker John Boehner Friday accused President Obama of being “AWOL for about eight months” as he campaigns non-stop for re-election. Boehner’s remarks came during a visit to United Performance Metals here where he listened to the concerns of local small business owners.
Lakota East teacher investigated over prom funds – A Lakota East High School teacher is the focus of an investigation by police in connection with missing funds from the Butler County school’s prom fund. The teacher, who resigned earlier this week, was not named by Lakota school officials in their released statement last Friday.
Fallen West Chester Marine to receive Purple Heart – The body of Marine Sgt. John Patrick “J.P.” Huling will return to his Butler County hometown Sunday as the latest recipient of the prestigious Purple Heart Award, military officials said last Friday. The Moeller High School graduate and bomb disposal specialist, 25, was shot in the chest and killed Sunday by someone, possibly a Taliban member, wearing an Afghan National Army uniform – a person supposed to be an ally of U.S. forces.
The West Chester Township Fire Department’s Cincinnati-Dayton Road fire station has begun its 2012 fire hydrant flushing program.
Hydrants will be flushed weekdays through June 4, with makeup days scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays.
The following locations are scheduled this week:
Monday – Station, Walnut Ridge, Meadow Creek, Rose Mallow, Maple Ridge
Tuesday – Cincinnati-Dayton (West Chester to Allen), Dimmick (Cincinnati-Dayton to R/R tracks), Lake, Aviation, Imagination
Wednesday – West Chester (U.C.B. to Cincinnati-Dayton), Turfway, Gulfstream, Hialeah, Belmont Park, Steeplechase, Santa Anita, St. Leger
Thursday – Eagleview
Friday – Muhlhauser (West Chester to R/R Overpass), Schulze Drive, Floer Drive, Centre Pointe Drive (east of Muhlhauser)
On the day your street is due to have hydrants flushed, water from faucets may become cloudy or brownish. Should that occur, run cold water for 2-3 minutes from a faucet at the lowest area of your home – basement laundry tub, if possible.
Cloudy or milky water is usually caused by dissolved air bubbles coming out of the water, is harmless and should clear in a few minutes. Rusty or yellow water occurs when rust deposits are stirred up by flushing the hydrant. It will usually clear 2-3 hours after the fire hydrant is closed.
Rusty water can stain laundry. Residents are encouraged not to do laundry on the day hydrants are being flushed on their street. If clothes are stained keep them moist and use a rust remover or call 513-887-3066 for assistance.
Questions or concerns may also be directed to the West Chester Fire Department at 513-777-1133 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
House Speaker John Boehner Friday accused President Obama of being “AWOL for about eight months” as he campaigns non-stop for re-election.
Boehner’s remarks came during a visit to United Performance Metals here where he listened to the concerns of local small business owners.
During the open forum, business owners asked questions about the upcoming presidential election, President Obama’s health care law, and the uncertainty of the economy, among other items.
Before opening the forum for questions, Boehner began by slamming President Barack Obama for being “campaigning 24/7.” The West Chester Republican added that Obama is trying “to make this election about everything other than his policies,” which the Speaker said “have failed.”
The Ohio Democratic Party countered that thanks to Obama, Ohio has added 140,000 jobs over the last two years and the state’s unemployment rate has fallen from 8.6 percent when he took office to 7.5 percent today.
“While President Obama has helped our economy start to turn the corner, Speaker Boehner, Robert Portman and Mitt Romney want to bring back the failed policies that sparked the economic crisis,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern said in a statement.
Boehner told the group of business owners that the country had racked up more than $5 trillion in national debt in the last three and a half years and has a $1.3 trillion deficit for this year.
“While the president and I tried mightily to reduce this giant debt, it is continuing to build,” Boehner said. “In the year and a half that I have been Speaker, my biggest disappointment is that I couldn’t come to an agreement with the President to reduce our debt and our deficit so we could get America on a firmer fiscal path.”
During the forum itself, the upcoming presidential election was brought up. In response, Boehner shared his confidence in Romney.
“For Mitt Romney to be basically tied with the President of the United States today, after getting his rear end kicked from one end of the country to the other by his political opponents in the primary, is really pretty remarkable,” Boehner said.
“This election is going to be about the economy. It is going to be about jobs. The president’s policies have failed and have actually made things worse. I believe Mitt Romney has a great success story and a great economic plan that will stand in sharp contrast to the President. Watch it all unfold. I think it will unfold pretty well.”
House Speaker John Boehner visited United Performance Metals in Hamilton May 11, 2012, to listen to the concerns of local small business owners. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.
One of those policies discussed during the forum, was the President’s 2010 health care reform law.
“Under ‘Obamacare’ it would be more attractive to our company to violate federal law then pay a $340,000 a year fine to not provide healthcare to our employees than to face the rising costs and decreasing benefits that we see every single year,” said Laura Doerger-Roberts, president of Hamilton-based Vinylmax Windows, which employs around 170 workers.
“It eliminates choice for the employee and the employer about what type of health care is appropriate for an individual’s needs.”
Doerger-Roberts said her company currently pays $7,000 per employee to provide health insurance. Under the health care reform law, Doerger-Roberts claims that she could pay a $2,000 fine and remove that benefit.
Boehner agreed with the small business owner and wanted those healthcare decisions to be out of the government’s hands.
“In my opinion, it will the ruin the best health care delivery system the world has ever seen and it will bankrupt our country,” Boehner said.
“There are flaws in our current system, but we can fix those flaws without putting the government in charge of our healthcare.”
One of the last items brought up by the group of business owners was the uncertainty of the economy and its affect on their businesses.
“One of the things that is killing all of us is the uncertainty and our reluctance therefore to hire people because we don’t know what is around the corner,” said Trevor Stansbury, president and founder of Supply Dynamics in Loveland.
The self-defense class will take place from 10 a.m. until noon. According to a press release from the township, the class is designed to encourage women to be prepared and confident when faced with a potentially dangerous confrontation.
Classes are for women age 16 and is offered at the police department on Beckett Road.
Participants should dress comfortably in order to participate fully in the class.
To register for the free class, call 513-759-7254.
Four new board members, Terry S. Jacobs, Chris Wunnenberg, James L. Jaeger and Melinda Zemper have joined the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting in West Chester.
“We’re happy to have such dedicated new talent on the board and look forward to continuing to make great progress in developing the museum,” said Ken Rieser, museum board president.
Jacobs is chairman and CEO of The JFP Group, LLC, a real estate development company, and chairman emeritus and founder of Jamos Capital, LLC, a private equity firm specializing in alternative investment strategies. He is founder and former CEO of radio station holding companies Jacor Communications and Regent Communications, and is chairman of the board for Adelante Media Group, LLC, a privately held radio and TV company specializing in Spanish language programming.
Chris Wunnenberg. Photo provided.
Wunnenberg is development director of Schumacher Dugan Construction, LLC, where he has worked for the last 36 years. Wunnenberg is a 24-year West Chester resident and is vice-chairman and central committee member of the Butler County Republican Party.
Jaeger is a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Cincinnati Microwave, manufacturer of the Escort Radar Warning Receiver. He has worked for Motorola Corp. and R. L. Drake Co., where he was system designer on the TR-7 HF Amateur Radio transceiver. He has been an amateur radio operator since 1964.
Zemper is president of Oak Tree Communications, a West Chester publicity and media relations company. A former educator at Miami University, Zemper has lived in West Chester for 24 years.
Other museum board members include Rieser, Mark Hecquet, Patti Alderson, Clyde Haehnle, Jeffrey P. Monroe, Gary West, Clifford Perry, Greg M. Stevens, Mike Martini, Susan Redman-Rengstorf, Bob White and Dave Snyder.
The board is implementing a docent program and is seeking volunteers to learn about the museums and help lead tours. Those wishing to join the VOA Museum docent family can contact Dave Snyder at DavidSnyde@aol.com.
Melinda Zemper. Photo provided.
The National VOA Museum of Broadcasting consists of exhibits featuring the Voice of America at the VOA-Bethany station; Media Heritage’s Greater Cincinnati Museum of Broadcast History; the Gray History of Wireless Museum; and the West Chester Amateur Radio Assn.
The West Chester Board of Trustees approved a three-year contract with the township’s fire lieutenants and firefighters on Tuesday.
The contract affects 57 full-timers who are represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3518, and replaces a contract that expired at the end of last year.
“The contract provides the standard step increase historically found in collective bargaining agreements and an annual 2.5 percent cost-of-living increase in each year of the agreement,” a township news release said.
But the contract also increased employee premium contributions for healthcare.
“West Chester vigorously negotiates contracts with all collective bargaining units, representing the community’s best interest and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” the release said.
“Through responsible management, fiscal mindfulness, and meaningful implementation of alternative strategies relating to delivery of service, the West Chester Fire Department continues to maintain costs within the constraints of a levy approved by voters in 2006.”
The West Chester Township Fire Department’s Cincinnati-Dayton Road fire station has begun its 2012 fire hydrant flushing program.
Hydrants will be flushed weekdays through June 4, with makeup days scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays.
The following locations are scheduled this week:
Monday – LeSourdsville-West Chester (Beckett Ridge Boulevardd. to Cincinnati-Dayton), Lyonhil, Kates Way
Tuesday – Beckett Point, Chappelfield, Marcus, Matthes, Old Shaw Way, Pinter, Spruce Run, Stuart, Tennyson Dr/Ct.
Wednesday – Cherry Lane Farm Drive., Carey Woods, Hedge Row, Ash Hill
Thursday – Holly Hill, Martins Way, Willow Crest
Friday – Cincinnati-Dayton (I-75 to West Chester), Cresthaven, Apple Blossom, Seminary, Walnut, Brookside
On the day your street is due to have hydrants flushed, water from faucets may become cloudy or brownish. Should that occur, run cold water for 2-3 minutes from a faucet at the lowest area of your home – basement laundry tub, if possible.
Cloudy or milky water is usually caused by dissolved air bubbles coming out of the water, is harmless and should clear in a few minutes. Rusty or yellow water occurs when rust deposits are stirred up by flushing the hydrant. It will usually clear 2-3 hours after the fire hydrant is closed.
Rusty water can stain laundry. Residents are encouraged not to do laundry on the day hydrants are being flushed on their street. If clothes are stained keep them moist and use a rust remover or call 513-887-3066 for assistance.
Questions or concerns may also be directed to the West Chester Fire Department at 513-777-1133 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
