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. (Stories are listed in order of date)
Rick Santorum wins local Tea Party straw poll: With many of the same participants in last Monday’s poll as the first Liberty Township Tea Party straw poll Feb. 6, Santorum finished with 42 percent of the vote. Overall, there wasn’t much change at the top spot since Santorum netted 41 percent of the vote in February. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, gained significant ground jumping up to 31 percent of the vote last Monday from only 19 percent of the vote in February.
Lakota presents late budget proposal: Lakota officials presented its fifth and final budget reduction proposal last Monday. The proposal, which focused administration, district-wide personnel and supplementals, could eliminate 50 jobs and save the district $3.5 million. The cuts include an assistant superintendent position, two school building administrator positions, deans of students at both high schools, as well as the elimination of 11 licensed school nurses and 13 clinic aides.
West Chester and Liberty Township residents talk Super Tuesday: It turned out to be a late night, as Ohioans chose Mitt Romney over Rick Santorum by one percentage point. Earlier in the day, while the polls were open, many voters in West Chester and Liberty Township shared the reasons why they voted in the Republican presidential primary.
Republicans select Swain for county clerk: For the second time in just over a year, Mary Swain defeated former deputy clerk Jeff Wyrick in a vote to represent the Republican Party as the Butler County Clerk of Courts. Swain received almost 61 percent of the vote, while Wyrick finished with 39 percent on Super Tuesday. In January 2011, after Cindy Carpenter left the clerks position, Swain also narrowly defeated Wyrick in a vote administered by the Butler County Republican Party.
Butler County commission race too close to call: West Chester resident and political newcomer T.C. Rogers has a 24-vote lead over 
long-time politician Courtney Combs in Super Tuesday’s Republican primary for Butler County commissioner. Official results aren’t expected until March 20 when all provisional and mailed absentee ballots will be counted. There is no question that incumbent Chuck Furman, who has held his seat since 1996, won’t be back next year.
Anti-tax group offers cash to needy Lakota athletes: The Enquirer reported last Tuesday, that a group of anti-school tax activists who campaign against school tax hikes now plan to raise money for needy students. The group has privately funded $10,000 to help students pay for sports fees, which were raised in the spring of 2011. This announcement has caused a stir among residents of the Lakota school district.
Lakota West grad excels at U-of-L Pro Day: University of Louisville tight end Josh Chichester made great strides of accomplishing his “ultimate goal” of playing professional football during the school’s pro day last Wednesday. According to his former high school coach, Lakota West’s Larry Cox, Chichester measured out at 6-foot-6 235 pounds, had a vertical jump that cleared 37 inches and turned in a 40-yard dash time of 4.58 seconds in front of representatives of 20 NFL teams.
Former West Chester cop sent to jail for tipping off dealer: A former West Chester police officer, who pleaded guilty to two felony charges in a case where he was accused of alerting a drug dealer to an undercover bust, was sentenced to six months in jail last Thursday. In two prior court appearances, Busemeyer, who claimed to be addicted to steroids and painkillers, requested to complete a court-ordered drug treatment program in exchange of a felony conviction and jail time. Both times, those requests were denied.
Shamrock Shuffle draws thousands of participants: This past Saturday’s Shamrock Shuffle was expected to draw more than 4,000 people and raise more than $10,000 for approximately 50 local charities or causes. Tony O’Connor, 18, of West Chester won the 5K portion of the Shuffle with a time of 16:36. Brady Holmer won the 10K portion with a time of 34:26. O’Connor (Lakota East) and Holmer (Lakota West) are both seniors in the Lakota school district and plan on running at Northern Kentucky University.
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