Butler County News

Pictured is an Oct. 11, 2017, file photo of Fairfield deputy fire chiefs Randy McCreadie, left, and Tom Wagner taking oaths of office when they were promoted to the positions. Both men will have stints serving as acting fire chief and are seeking the permanent position. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/FILE

Fairfield’s deputy fire chiefs to serve in acting roles

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Construction continues on Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill Monday, Aug. 15, 2022 in Hamilton. This entrance faces north and has a parking lot nearby. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Spooky Nook edges closer to opening sports complex side

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$Most high school classroom projects don’t include creating a race car from a junked vehicle and then getting it racetrack ready to compete but for the first time that’s exactly what Butler Tech students are doing. And not only are the students in Butler Tech’s Auto Collision and Automotive Technology programs (pictured around their racer) getting to build a racer from the wheels up but they are also raising money through race sponsors to buy school supplies for needy students. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Butler Tech students build first racecar in school history

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The Butler County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services Board has been studying models of mental health crisis stabilization centers in order to create on here.. GREG LYNCH/FILE

Mental health crisis center: Butler Co. officials explore best practices

The CVS pharmacy located at 1115 High Street in Hamilton will close Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, as part of a national store reorganization announced last year. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

CVS on High Street in Hamilton to close Thursday

Butler County’s largest school system re-opened its school doors for a new year Tuesday with parents and students sharing optimism and some concerns. With a staggered start that saw only half of Lakota Schools’ 17,200-students attending classes the first day – and the other half attending Wednesday – the district mirrored a scheduling used by many other area school systems designed to better ease into a new school year. Pictured are students entering Lakota West High School in West Chester Twp. MICHAEL D. CLARK/STAFF

Area’s largest school district reopens classes for new year

$It was a full-scale opening day Monday for all 6,300 students in Middletown Schools but those youngsters coming to Rosa Parks Elementary were also greeted by costumed movie characters, a bubble machine and school staffers in superhero capes. Middletown's 10 public schools officially began full-attendance classes Monday for the new school year. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Back to school: Movie-themed greetings, superhero capes greet Middletown students

The Middletown City Jail was modified inside during the pandemic as police used federal funding to upgrade the ventilation system and paint its jail with antibacterial “Pepto Bismol” pink and green paint. FILE PHOTO

Butler County police departments still dealing with pandemic’s effects on their work

Middletown City Schools and Middletown Division of Police recently went through active shooter training scenarios in drills repeated by many districts locally and nationwide as classes begin to open on the 2022-2023 school year. Prompted in part by the May deadly shooting massacre at a Texas elementary school, school officials in Butler and Warren counties are ramping up school building security measures, often with the help of new Ohio school safety grants. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Sweeping school security changes in place as classes begin to open

Middletown Police Officers Sheoki Reece and Jamie Patterson may show their tattoos while they are on duty. CONTRIBUTED/MIDDLETOWN POLICE DEPT.

Police agencies loosen tattoo policy in effort to recruit, retain officers

Butler County "Stone Age" garage automation slows slightly, it will now be operational by year's end. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

‘Stone Age’ Butler County parking garage automation project slows

Ann Marie Davis, 12, won a state design award for her "No Issue Tissue" designed to make it easier for people with mobility issues to grab a tissue while in bed. The Queen of Peace student came up with the idea and created the project for her makerspace class taught by Melissa Moser, right. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Queen of Peace student turns ‘tissue issue’ upside down, wins top state award for...

$Butler Tech students spent sunrise Thursday at the career school's main bus hub at its Fairfield Twp. campus as classes opened for the new school year. Butler Tech is one of the largest career schools in Ohio and it has four, high -school campuses across Butler County and many satellite learning programs at local high schools. Also starting classes on a staggered schedule Thursday morning was Middletown Schools. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Back to school: Butler Tech, Middletown students resume classes

$A new $1 million community service program will start when classes at Miami University resume next month and it will benefit both participating students and local assistance agencies, said school officials. The $1 million over three years for Miami’s “Service+ AmeriCorps” program comes from the state’s “ServeOhio” commission on community service and volunteerism and in its initial school year of 2022-2023 will pay 41 students to serve at 18 nonprofit organizations throughout Butler County. (File Photo\Journal-News)$

Miami University among area schools staying with optional student masking - for now

The West Chester Twp. trustees recently approved spending almost $200,000 for a two-year contract to install Flock license plate reader cameras. FILE

Credit: Submitted

West Chester Police latest to add license plate reader cameras

Adam Kraft is sworn in on Monday, August 8, 2022, as the newest member of Fairfield City Council. He was sworn in as the city’s Fourth Ward representative. He was accompanied by his family, to his right, which included (counter clockwise) his wife Tracy, and daughters Becca, 15, and Haylee, 9. Fairfield Municipal Court Judge Joyce Campbell (across from Kraft) administered the oath of office. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF

Fairfield swears in new City Council member

The city of Fairfield is working toward a 2024 start date for the South Gilmore Road road widening project between Mack and Resor roads. Pictured is the engineers drawing of the proposed project slated to start in the spring of 2024. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF

South Gilmore Road bottleneck in Fairfield set for widening in 2024

$Despite her opposition, Lakota’s school board passed a revised visitation policy Monday evening that member Darbi Boddy, right, claimed was designed to curtail her access to school buildings. The Lakota Board of Education voted 4-1, with Boddy the lone opposition, to amend its school building visitation policy adding more detailed procedures to how visitors – including school board members - are to proceed with future tours of Lakota’s schools. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Lakota Local Schools board approves new visitation policy

Construction continues on the Ohio 129 extension and I-75 and Liberty Way interchange Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Liberty Way ramp to I-75 to be closed at night this week

More than a century after plans were first proposed to deal with railroad tracks’ negative impact on traffic, the city of Hamilton dedicated the Jim Blount South Hamilton Crossing overpass. The five-lane overpass was touted by Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller - and other local and state officials - as a “game-changer” for the city and the regional that will speed economic development and add to the quality of life in the Butler County city. FILE

Fairfield seeks funds to address railroad crossing problem

$A proposed board resolution that would further regulate school board members’ access to school buildings and classrooms has already drawn criticism from Lakota member Darbi Boddy and her attorney. The resolution, which was released by the Lakota Board of Education Sunday evening, would amend the existing district’s policies regarding visits by elected school board members and is part of Monday evening’s board meeting agenda. Boddy’s lawyer said if approved by fellow board members, the resolution would “would effectively gut a board member's ability to evaluate the atmosphere and teachings in the schools.” (File Photo\Journal-News)$

Credit: Nick Graham

Lakota board president fires back as Boddy, lawyer blast visitation policy

Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds is running for reelection despite the fact he is facing criminal corruption charge. Political signs were posted at the Butler County Fair last week, including one for Reynolds.

Credit: NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Will delay in auditor’s corruption trial help, or hurt, reelection bid?

$The embattled Lakota school board member Darbi Boddy, who has already been asked by colleagues to resign and was censured by them, is now the target of a growing public petition-gathering effort by critics seeking to remove her from office. Pictured is one of the leaders of the Recall Darbi Boddy effort, Alex Argo (center) gathering petition signatures recently outside of MidPointe Library. Argo is a Lakota school parent who says Boddy's many clashes with fellow members and district officials are hurting the 17,000-student district. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Lakota board member says recall petition is ‘product of mob mentality’

$The leader of Southwest Ohio’s largest suburban school system said he is optimistic that though the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the coming school year “will be a more normal school year than we have seen in the past couple of years.” Matt Miller, superintendent of the 17,000-student Lakota Schools, shared that and other thoughts earlier this week during an online chat with school parents and residents in Butler County’s largest school district. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Lakota superintendent hopeful school year will be less impacted by COVID-19

Butler County Commissioners Donald Dixon, left, T.C. Rogers, middle, and Cindy Carpenter listen to comments during a commission meeting Monday, Jan. 10, 2022 at the Butler County Government Services Center in Hamilton. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Help wanted: Butler County still needs to fill director roles

$Earlier this week Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced more than 1,000 K-12 individual school buildings and districts will be sharing parts of a $47 million in grants to enhance school security. Two Butler County school districts – Lakota and Fairfield – are among the top five school systems in the state to receive the largest amounts of money. Pictured are Middletown Police officers recently training for an active school shooter scenario. (Photo By Nick Graham\Journal-News)$

Lakota, Fairfield schools get biggest portion of state funds to boost security

The West Side Little League practices on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, at their home field in Hamilton. They depart on Thursday afternoon for Whitestown, Ind. for the Great Lakes Region tournament set to take place between Saturday, Aug. 6, and Wednesday, Aug. 10. WSLL will play its first game at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, against the winner of the Illinois/Kentucky matchup. The game will air on ESPN+. MICHAEL D. PITMAN/STAFF

Credit: Michael D. Pitman

Hamilton’s West Side All-Stars ready for Great Lakes tournament

$Higher sports fees and more program budget cuts are coming in the wake of Tuesday’s rejection by voters of a proposed Ross Schools tax hike, say district officials. And some school parents and residents Wednesday criticized the leadership of the 3,200-student district, contending the wide margin of defeat for the tax levy, which was voted down 64% to 36% according to the unofficial vote tally from the Butler County Board of Elections, was also a “message” to officials. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Ross Schools to make budget cuts, raise sports fees following levy defeat

A "vote here" sign is seen at the Butler County Board of Elections headquarters in Hamilton on May 2, 2022. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Butler County shifts focus to general election in fewer than 100 days

$Voters in Ross Schools widely rejected a property tax hike Tuesday and will now see sports fees jump along with an expansion of other program budget cuts, said district officials. The 5-year, 7.99-mill, emergency property tax levy lost by a 64% to 36% margin, according to unofficial results posted Tuesday evening from the Butler County Board of Election. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Ross Schools levy defeated, officials say cuts are coming

Butler County Children Services has received $406,000 from the state to help the stem the tide of social worker turnover. GREG LYNCH/STAFF

Grant to help Butler County Children’s Services fight labor shortage

Butler County’s statehouse incumbents win primary elections