WestChesterBuzz.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.

Menchie’s West Chester location. Photo provided.

Menchie’s to open West Chester location Aug. 17- West Chester will have Greater Cincinnati’s second Menchie’s frozen yogurt location when it opens at 8177 Princeton-Glendale Road next Friday, Aug. 17. Owner and operator Jim Hach announced the grand opening date last Wednesday night.

Local siblings share unique bond – John Johnston of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote a story last week about a West Chester family with two siblings, who have both recently received heart transplants.

Ohio swine flu cases grow again – Sheila McLaughlin of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote last Thursday that the Ohio Department of Health reported the number of confirmed H3N2v swine flu cases from the Butler County Fair has risen to 16.

Eric Bauman. Photo provided.

Eric Bauman named principal at Lakota’s Liberty Junior- The Lakota Board of Education approved the appointment of Eric Bauman to principal of Liberty Junior School during a recent school board meeting. Bauman had previously served as an assistant principal at Lakota Plains Junior School and at Lakota East High School.

Liberty Township seeing a rash of vandalism – Sue Kiesewetter reported last week for The Cincinnati Enquirer that a rash of vandalism in parts of Liberty Township has officials working to increase Butler County sheriff’s patrols in targeted areas.

Lakota West senior Annie Bierman verbals to Furman – Lakota West senior Annie Bierman once thought of herself as a soccer player until her father forced her to play volleyball. After eight years of playing soccer, Bierman eventually quit and is now planning to continue her volleyball career in college.

Street name changes near West Chester Hospital – If you are having trouble finding directions to your local doctor’s office, it is likely the office hasn’t moved. But, it could mean, the name of the street of where it is located may have changed. University Court, which surrounds West Chester Hospital, now has two different names.

Lakota West grads play in Bengals preseason game – A pair of Lakota West graduates played in Friday night’s preseason game between the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Fullback John Conner started for the Jets, while linebacker Grant Hunter made a tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals in his first NFL game.

Former Lakota East wrestler to compete at Olympics Aug. 12 – Former Lakota East and Princeton wrestler Khetag Pliev wrestled for Team Canada this past Sunday, which was the last day of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Pliev had a unique journey to the Games, where he won his first match before losing to eventual gold-medal winner Jacob Stephen Varner of the United States and then to bronze-medal winner Kurban Kurbanov of Azerbaijan.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: Annie Bierman, Annie Bierman Furman, Annie Bierman Lakota West, Butler County Fair, Butler County Fair 2012, Butler County Fair flu, Butler County Fair swine flu, Furman volleyball, Grant Hunter Bengals, John Conner Jets, Khetag Pliev, Khetag Pliev Olympics, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Liberty Junior, Liberty Junior Eric Bauman, Liberty Junior principal Eric Bauman, Liberty Junior School, Menchie's, Menchie's Cincinnati, Menchie's West Chester, West Chester business, West Chester business news, Zhania Coleman, Zion Coleman

Sheila McLaughlin reports

Confirmed swine flu cases linked to fairs in Ohio have doubled since Monday, state health officials said.

Hamilton County has reported three cases although their fair didn’t start until today.

Butler County now has 16 confirmed, while Hamilton and Clark counties each have three, and four cases were confirmed in each of Gallia and Greene counties, state officials said.

They are not are not surprised by the increase because fair managers and county health departments are being more vigilant in detecting it.

“There has been a tremendous increase in surveillance across the state,” said Dr. Ted Wymyslo, director of the Ohio Department of Health. “Even as we identify additional illnesses, this strain appears to remain mild and does not seem to be any more severe than what we see during most flu seasons.”

The H3N2v virus, which is not uncommon in pigs, first surfaced in Ohio at the Butler County Fair in late July. Health officials said that those who fell sick in all cases had contact with hogs being shown at the fairs. The Ohio cases involved children and adults ages 6 months to 36 years old. One person was hospitalized as a precaution but has since been released after receiving treatment.

There have been no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus, state health officials said.

Posted in: Events, News |

Tags: Tags: Butler County Fair, Butler County Fair 2012, Butler County Fair flu, Butler County Fair swine flu, Butler County Fairgrounds, Centers for Disease Control, H3N2v swine flu, H3N2v swine flu Ohio

Sheila McLaughlin reports

The number of confirmed H3N2v swine flu cases from the Butler County Fair has risen to 14, the Ohio Department of Health reported Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control also confirmed a case from Clark County linked to swine at the Ohio State Fair.

Last week after the outbreak of the flu was questioned at the Butler County Fair, public health officials began warning fair goers to avoid direct contact with hogs, not to eat or drink in the swine barns and to use hand sanitizer.

With county fairs running through the first week of October, the Ohio Department of Agriculture is asking fair veterinarians to report sick hogs and to obtain swab samples so they can be tested for H3N2v.

Swine flu symptoms are much like that of the seasonal flu and include cough, sore throat, fever, body aches and possibly nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

It is not life-threatening in people with a normal immune system.

The Ohio cases involved children and adults ages 3 to 36 and none resulted in hospitalization.

The H3N2v virus is typically spread from pigs to humans, or vice versa. Health officials are studying the virus to determine if it is mutating to allow transmission more readily between humans.

Cases of the same flu virus have been confirmed in Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia since last month.

Posted in: Events, News |

Tags: Tags: Butler County Fair, Butler County Fair 2012, Butler County Fair flu, Butler County Fair swine flu, Butler County Fairgrounds, Centers for Disease Control, H3N2v swine flu, H3N2v swine flu Ohio

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.

Mellow Mushroom in West Chester set to open on Labor Day – The owner of the Mellow Mushroom in West Chester said last week that his restaurant is looking to hire more than 100 employees and is targeting Labor Day, Sept. 3, as its opening date. The location of the Mellow Mushroom is in the former Rafferty’s at 9238 Floer Drive and Union Centre Boulevard.

Portion of LeSourdesville-West Chester Road reopens – The Butler County Engineer’s Office reported Tuesday that LeSourdsville-West Chester Road has reopened. A portion of the road, .6 mile north of Cherry Lane Farm Drive/Lyonhil Drive and ten feet south of Beckett Ridge Boulevard, had been closed since July 23.

Paulette Grady. Photo provided.

Paulette Grady named principal at Cherokee Elementary- The Lakota Board of Education approved the appointment of Paulette Grady to principal of Cherokee Elementary School during a special meeting last Monday. Grady had previously served as Cherokee’s assistant principal and will replace Jennifer Forren, who left to take an administration job in the Loveland school district.

West Chester Fresh Market to open Aug. 22 – A public relations specialist, who works for The Fresh Market, announced last Tuesday evening that its new West Chester store will open Aug. 22. Jordan Worrall of BRAVE Public Relations said there will be a “large-scale grand opening event” when the business, 7720 Voice of America Centre Drive, opens its doors at 9 a.m. that day.

Local athlete featured in Cincinnati Children’s ad – This summer, Cincinnati Children’s has been airing an advertisement featuring 2011 Lakota West graduate and now Michigan volleyball star Lexi Dannemiller, who went Children’s for rehab on her knees. Lexi’s mom, Maria, who was also interviewed for the commercial, discussed the experience with WestChesterBuzz.com.

Black Cherry Chocolate Chip is Graeter’s ‘Mystery Flavor’ – Graeter’s revealed its latest “mystery flavor” last Wednesday. The new flavor is … Black Cherry Chocolate Chip. According to Graeter’s Facebook page, it is all natural black cherry flavored ice cream loaded with black cherries and its signature dark chocolate chunks.

Joe Morgan talks baseball in West Chester – There to interact with fans and help publicize his new Honda dealership in Monroe, Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan visited the Sports Gallery in West Chester last Thursday night for an autograph session. While at the event, the senior advisor of the Cincinnati Reds talked about the current team.

Swine flu confirmed at Butler County Fair – The Centers for Disease Control confirmed last Thursday that nine of 10 suspected influenza cases at the Butler County Fair have tested positive for the H3N2v swine flu. That puts Butler County in the lead for confirmed H3N2v cases so far this year throughout the country.

Suspect, who is being described as a heavy set male with a European accent, used credit cards he stole from lockers at West Chester fitness clubs to purchase electronics, police say. Photo provided.

Suspect wanted for stealing credit cards from local gyms – The West Chester Police Department is looking for information to help identify a suspect, who is wanted for taking credit cards out of lockers at local fitness clubs in West Chester. The suspect, who is being described as a heavy set male with a European accent, was able to get into locked lockers at both Urban Active and LA Fitness in West Chester on July 21 and 22.

Music retailer opening at Bridgewater Falls in late August – A music retailer featuring guitars, amps, drums, keyboards, microphones and more is expected to open in the Bridgewater Falls Lifestyle Shopping Center in late August. Play on This! specializes in music wares and wearables and is the nation’s only authorized retailer for Two Old Hippies merchandise.

Returning starters primed for fast start for Lakota East – With nine returning starters on offense, including a junior quarterback who was a backup at this time last summer, Lakota East head coach Rick Haynes feels that his team should get off to a fast start in 2012. WestChesterBuzz.com previews the season, as summer practice officially began last week.

Expectations are high at Lakota West – The Firebirds are hoping to return to the postseason after it has suffered back-to-back losing seasons. The main question heading into the season, however, is who will be the quarterback? WestChesterBuzz.com previews the season, as summer practice officially began last week.

Posted in: Board of Education, Business, Crime, Fall sports, News, Schools, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Butler County Fair swine flu, Cherokee Elementary School, Fresh Market, Fresh Market West Chester, Graeter's mystery flavor, Graeter's West Chester, H3N2v swine flu Ohio, Joe Morgan, Joe Morgan Cincinnati Reds, Joe Morgan signing, Lakota Board of Education, Lakota East football, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Lexi Dannemiller, Mellow Mushroom, Mellow Mushroom West Chester, Michigan volleyball, Paulette Grady, Paulette Grady Cherokee Elementary, Play on This, Play on This Bridgewater Falls, University of Michigan volleyball, West Chester fitness club thief

Austin Weekly, a member of the 4-H Milford Mini Farmers, kept his pigs calm at the Butler County Fair July 24, 2012. The Centers for Disease Control confirmed that were nine cases of the H3N2v swine flu that came from the fair. Photo by Tony Jones.

Sheila McLaughlin reports

The Centers for Disease Control confirmed Thursday that nine of 10 suspected influenza cases at the Butler County Fair have tested positive for the H3N2v swine flu.

A 10th case is still being tested, state health officials said.

That puts Butler County in the lead for confirmed H3N2v cases so far this year throughout the country. Cases were confirmed in Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia and the majority were linked to hogs.

The strain in Butler County matches he virus that infected four people at the LaPorte County Fair in Indiana last month, health officials said.

All those who fell sick in Butler County had direct contact with hogs that were being shown at the fair. None were hospitalized with the illness which includes typical flu symptoms.

Several hogs being shown became sick at the fair.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is expecting results on Friday of tests done on three hogs. That would confirm the fair animals as the source of the virus.

Most of the hogs at the Butler County Fair are sold for slaughter, so that limited the number of samples the state agency could collect, said agriculture spokeswoman Erica Pitchford. The cooked pork is safe to eat.

“We’re very concerned right now with making sure reaching out to the other fairs that haven’t started yet and to the 4-H clubs getting them some information to post, some safety precautions for the folks that are going to be spending a lot of time in the barns,” Pitchford said.

“The state veterinarian has been on the phone with fair vets all throughout the day making suggestions about extra hand sanitation stations and signs about not bringing food into the barns.”

The Butler County and state health departments are continuing their investigation to determine the extent of the illness from the fair.

Pat Burg, director at the Butler County Health Department, said earlier that 41 people, including 39 children – ranging in age from 1 to 15 – had reported getting sick with flu-like symptoms. Most of the children were hog exhibitors or friends who had spent time in the barn.

No testing was done on those cases because the people had already recovered by the time they called the health department.

Burg said test samples from an 11th case also were being evaluated by the Centers for Disease Control but results were expected to come later.

Posted in: Events, News |

Tags: Tags: Butler County Fair, Butler County Fair 2012, Butler County Fair flu, Butler County Fair swine flu, Butler County Fairgrounds, Centers for Disease Control, H3N2v swine flu, H3N2v swine flu Ohio