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West Chester’s John Boehner becomes Speaker of the House

It didn’t take long for West Chester resident John Boehner to make news in 2011.

Just five days into the year, Boehner was officially elected the 61st Speaker of the House.

Locally, more news surrounding Boehner took place as protesters picketed throughout 2011 outside his West Chester office.

However, on Jan. 5, many local residents witnessed something that they may never see again.

“Well I am 63 and this has never happened before and I doubt it will ever happen again in my lifetime,” said Bill Langdon, owner of Grand Ole Pub in West Chester. “So, to me, it is much bigger than the Super Bowl. That happens every year. Having the Speaker of the House be your congressman? Never happened to me. This is a monumental event.”

• Photos of John Boehner’s Speaker of the House office
• Photos of John Boehner preparing for swear-in with staff
• Photos of John Boehner swearing-in party at Grand Ole Pub
• Photos of John Boehner through the years
• Photos of John Boehner becoming speaker

While many of the people felt a personal connection to Boehner just because they shared the same hometown, others have actually known the man before he was a congressman.

“I am trying to let this soak in,” Gary Cates, who has known Boehner for 28 years, said while watching the swearing-in of Boehner at the Grand Ole Pub. “To see this happen to someone you know is unbelievable. Outside of knowing the President of the United States personally, this is pretty big stuff.”

Cates actually knew him from the beginning when Boehner served as the president of the Lakota Hills homeowners association and as a Union Township trustee. At the time of Boehner’s swear in, Cates was an Ohio Senator. Now, Cates is the Senior Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Enterprise Development at the Ohio Board of Regents.

“He has really started at the grassroots level. It is a real great accomplishment on his part to persevere to get to where he is today,” Cates said. “I am sure I speak for a lot of people, we are all really proud of him for what he has done for our area.”

Former Cincinnati Enquirer caricature artist Jerry Dowling, who was involved in the Lakota Hills homeowners association back in the late 70s, was also at the bar to witness Boehner’s special moment.

“It is unbelievable that this could happen. No one expected John to rise up the way he has. This is just flabbergasting. We are so thrilled,” Dowling said.

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Tags: Tags: Gary Cates, Grand Ole Pub, Grand Ole Pub West Chester Ohio, John Boehner, John Boehner Cincinnati, John Boehner office, John Boehner photos, John Boehner West Chester, Senator Gary Cates, Speaker of the House, West Chester top 11 stories of 2011, West Chester top stories of 2011

Protesters staged a human oil spill Wednesday morning outside of House Speaker John Boehner’s office, upset about his support of a proposed continental oil pipeline.

About 30-40 people, many of whom were dressed in black or dark clothing, stood at the door of Boehner’s local office that is located near a strip mall on Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Protesters were denied entrance to the office. Some carried a mock pipeline and later protesters laid on the ground to represent an oil spill.

Protesters also had large white fake dollar bills with Boehner’s photograph on one side and oil derricks on the other side.

“By being here today we’re sending a loud and clear message to the speaker and the rest of Congress that the people do not support this pipeline,” said Northside resident Danny Berchenko, 29, an organizer with the environmental group 350.org.

The protest was peaceful and only attracted only two police officers.

The House on Tuesday approved a bill that speeds up construction of the pipeline and extends a payroll tax cut, among other provisions. The pipeline would run from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to Texas oil refineries.

• For updates on this story visit Cincinnati.com

Republicans say work on the pipeline would create 20,000 or more jobs. Opponents say the real figure is more like 3,500.

The House measure would keep 160 million workers from seeing their payroll tax jump on Jan. 1 from this year’s 4.2 percent back to its normal level of 6.2 percent – a $1,000 difference for a family making $50,000.

It would also renew expiring extra benefits for long-term jobless people and head off a cut in doctors’ Medicare reimbursements, a reduction that could prompt some to stop seeing patients who use that program.

But it has drawn nearly universal Democratic opposition because it would also force work to begin on the 1,700-mile-long Keystone XL oil pipeline, which President Barack Obama would rather postpone. It would also trim federal spending without forcing the wealthy to contribute as much as Democrats want.

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Tags: Tags: John Boehner, John Boehner office, John Boehner office protesters, John Boehner Protesters, John Boehner Protesters West Chester, John Boehner West Chester

Approximately a hundred protesters showed up at House Speaker John Boehner’s West Chester office Tuesday. The crowd, which reportedly got rowdy, was there in protest of rising unemployment and lack of job creation in Boehner’s district.

“He has never represented this district in the 20 years he has been office,” said protester Holly Denlinger, who drove down from Piqua.

>>>PICTURES FROM TUESDAY’S PROTEST AT BOEHNER’S OFFICE<<<

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, protesters wanted to send two protesters inside to speak to staff, but staffers locked the doors and would not let anyone in. The Enquirer is also reporting that one protester kicked the door several times.

West Chester police officers were in attendance throughout the protest, which lasted from 11 a.m. to noon. No one was arrested.

>>>CINCINNATI ENQUIRER REPORT OF ROWDY PROTEST AT BOEHNER’S OFFICE<<<

After the protest, Miami University graduate Dan Woolf of Columbus led a group of 25 protesters to The Country Club at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Boehner was at the country club at a fundraising golf outing.

“We want to ask him, why he is not here,” Woolf said.

There are also many other community moments captured on our Flickr photostream. And more West Chester and Liberty Township related photo galleries on our Photos page.

Also, remember to share your photos through the Photos page.

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Tags: Tags: John Boehner, John Boehner office, John Boehner West Chester, photo gallery, photos, protest, protesters

Fox 19 is reporting that hundreds of protesters plan to gather at House Speaker John Boehner’s West Chester office Tuesday in protest of rising unemployment and lack of job creation.

A portion of the Fox 19 story is below:

Local unemployed workers will be joined by hundreds of members from local labor unions, progressive organizations, social justice group, and local activists on Tuesday to protest Speaker Boehner for “putting politics in Washington ahead of job creation in his district.”

Speakers will address John Boehner’s focus on Washington politics rather than the rising unemployment in his district. Unemployed individuals from Speaker Boehner’s district will be speaking and demanding a meeting with Speaker Boehner to discuss the unemployment issue.

The local television station did not provide a time for the protest.

Two weeks ago, local tea party members gathered at the shopping center across the street from the Speaker’s local office in a rally in support of Boehner’s stance on the nation’s debt crisis.

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Tags: Tags: John Boehner, John Boehner office, John Boehner West Chester, protest, protesters