Top headlines of the decade in West Chester and Liberty Twp.

West Chester Twp.

• Former President George W. Bush held a record-setting rally at the Voice of America Park during the final week of September 2004, drawing tens of thousands of people en route to his second term in office. It also was an event that led to controversy about the actions of the township's former administrator and more than $35,000 in overtime pay. The VOA rally drew more than 50,000 to West Chester Twp. A day after the rally, a Liberty Twp. resident told police she was struck in the neck and back with a rubber traffic cone allegedly thrown by former Township Administrator Dave Gully.

• Fewer shocking stories emanated from West Chester Twp. during the past decade than when Tom West ripped the calm from a November 2003 morning. On Nov. 6 of that year, West, then 50, walked into his former employer, Watkins Motor Lines, 6431 Centre Park Drive, carrying two handguns, opened fire then fled the scene. By the time West was stopped by police about two hours later near Versailles, Ind., two people were dead and three were seriously injured. West, now 56, remains in the Lebanon Correctional Institution on a life sentence.• On what was once a 400-acre property owned by the Dudleys of West Chester Twp., now sits a state-of-the-art hospital, and the most recent addition to what some local officials refer to as "Pill Hill North." The West Chester Medical Center opened its doors May 11, 2009. The 383,000-square-foot, 160-bed facility touts wireless Internet, flat screen TVs in the private patient rooms, beds that can notify staff of certain emergencies, and computers that track the time nurses spend at a patient's bedside.

• At 8:28 p.m. March 9, 2007, West Chester Police Officer Mike Lopez stopped a dark grey Audi for a traffic violation on Cincinnati-Dayton Road. In a matter of minutes, the seemingly routine stop escalated into a short car chase and a series of shootings that left two officers injured and the shooter, Matthew Hutchinson, dead. West Chester Police Sgt. Matt Beiser and Officer Jeff Duma were shot by the 23-year-old Hutchinson, of Mason, who was the Audi's front seat passenger. Hutchinson fled after the traffic stop, then returned and opened fire on police before turning the gun on himself. John Brochu, the car's driver, and Bruce Suggs, the back-seat passenger, were taken into custody that night and are serving six- and seven-year sentences, respectively. Beiser and Duma have recovered from their injuries, and remain with the West Chester Twp. Police Department.

• At least two days before the IKEA West Chester store opened, lines of eager shoppers began camping out, braving the late winter air. By the time the festivities officially began March 12, 2008, the folks at the Swedish furniture retailer didn't disappoint, as the fanfare lasted all morning and included concerts, speeches, and of course, lots of furniture savings. (• An internal investigation into the near-hiring of a police officer led to the resignation of the West Chester police chief at the end of 2008. The investigation, launched in late September of that year, stated a police recruit - who also was the nephew of former Police Chief John Bruce - was not forthcoming to investigators about his background. The investigation also stated Bruce instructed his nephew to lie about his relationship to Bruce through marriage.Less than two months later, the investigation led to dissension in the ranks of the West Chester Police Department, as members of the union held a "no confidence" vote that was supported unanimously. Trustees decided against disciplinary action, and instead allowed Bruce to retire Dec. 1, 2008, after 30 years in law enforcement. He was replaced by Erik Niehaus.• In January 2008, more than 300 mourners, many dressed in Boy Scouts uniforms, filled the sanctuary at Lakota Christian Church to remember Daniel Ferraro, 19. The Eagle Scout, a Miami University sophomore, was killed Jan. 2 by shrapnel while trying to videotape a blast from a homemade pipe bomb. He and three other teens were attempting to blow up a wooden fort in the backyard of Ferraro's home at 6747 Apache Way.

Liberty Twp.

• The 10 years since Butler County Veterans Highway stretched its way from Hamilton to Interstate 75 have brought significant change to the county's southeastern townships, especially Liberty and West Chester townships.Once sporting the name "Michael A. Fox Highway," the road officially opened in December 1999, although officials from the county's Transportation Improvement District and the local townships are celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.In addition to retail development along the corridor - particularly Bridgewater Falls in Fairfield Twp., Liberty Commons in Liberty Twp. and the development along Cincinnati-Dayton Road - the highway was a key piece to the housing boom in Liberty and West Chester townships during the past decade.The highway opened seven years after state legislation created the county's TID, which took over the $158 million project - and others, including the Union Centre Boulevard interchange off I-75 - from the state's Department of Transportation.

• Liberty Twp. resident Amy Rezos fought more than once for her life in 2004. Since 2005, the law that bears her name has helped others do the same.Christopher Rezos, Amy's former husband, was arrested July 2, 2004, after he beat his wife unconscious with a flashlight in a motel room and tried to drown her.He posted bail almost immediately and was released, only to attack Amy again 24 days later, shooting her in the head after waiting outside her Liberty Twp. home.In January 2005, police stopped a third murder plot by Christopher Rezos, who had tried to hire a hit man from his jail cell to murder her and her brother, prosecutors said.On May 25, 2005, Amy's Law was signed into effect by former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft. The law makes it tougher for people accused of domestic violence to get out of jail and adds additional protection for domestic violence survivors.

• Cincinnati Children's Hospital purchased a 65-acre tract of land in May 2005 near the Cincinnati-Dayton Road exit off Ohio 129 to build its Liberty Twp. campus.Following nearly two years of construction, the 230,000-square-foot campus opened to the public Aug. 11, 2008.Touted as Cincinnati Children's most comprehensive neighborhood location, the facility also is one of the largest pediatric outpatient facilities in the nation and features a 24-hour emergency department .

• The completion of the long-awaited Liberty Way Interchange opened earlier than scheduled and under budget in 2009.Described by state, county and township officials from Liberty and West Chester as a milestone for the area, the interchange opened up nearly 600 acres of land for commercial development.The nearly $43 million Liberty Way Interchange opened to vehicular traffic Oct. 13, although early estimates put the opening sometime during the spring of 2010. Additional details - such as landscaping - will finish at that time.The interchange's major work consisted of constructing on-and-off ramps at Liberty Way - formerly Hamilton-Mason Road - and Interstate 75, as well as widening Liberty Way between I-75 and Cincinnati-Dayton Road to the west. The renaming of Hamilton-Mason Road was an important step for Liberty Twp., as trustees emphasized the community's brand heavily in 2009.The project's financing was split three ways, with Liberty Twp. responsible for 49 percent of the funding, the county's TID for 36 percent and West Chester Twp. for 15 percent.

• Following a public hearing June 18, 2007, trustees voted unanimously to adopt a limited home rule government. The change from rural township to urban township took effect July 18. The change gave Liberty Twp. officials the option and the ability to fine residents for overgrown grass, issue debt for township road projects and borrow money for three times as long as before. Lakota Local Schools

• Lakota celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 with a parade and Lakotafest celebration. Schools competed by creating floats and banners. Alumni rode or marched in the parade, and the district honored the Lakota West Marching Band for getting selected to march in the Tournament of Roses parade at the Rose Bowl.

• In 2003, the Lakota Local School District opened Lakota Plains Junior School on Princeton Road, its Central Office on Princeton Road and VanGorden Elementary on LeSourdsville-West Chester Road.

• Mike Taylor was hired as the district's superintendent in 2006. The Lakota alum served as an eighth-grade American history teacher at Hopewell Junior School, assistant principal at Lakota High school, principal at Hopewell Junior School and assistant superintendent of secondary education.

• In the beginning of the 2008 school year, lengthy negotiations took place between the Lakota Local Schools Board of Education and the Lakota Education Association. The union's previous contract was approved Sept. 1, 2005, and expired Aug. 31, 2008. Both sides agreed to continue the contract until an agreement was reached. More than 300 teachers led a silent protest at the Sept. 8 school board meeting. It took three meetings with a federal mediator before the two sides came to a tentative agreement in late October. On Nov. 11, 2008, teachers overwhelmingly accepted a two-year contract. Of the more than 1,200 LEA members, 936 voted on the ratification, which was approved 915-21.