West Chester & Liberty Township News

$The public is being urged by Lakota school officials to consider attending an upcoming meeting and presentation on how the school district may address its facilities needs in the coming years. Some of the two dozen school buildings in Butler County’s largest school system are aging or increasingly inadequate when it comes to providing modern learning spaces for 17,000 students or even more in the future, Lakota officials said recently. (File Photo\Journal-News)$

3 public meetings to present Lakota facilities’ proposals, answer residents’ questions

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Road rage leads to shot fired on I-75 in West Chester Twp.

$Lakota East High School graduating senior Zoey Chappell not only excelled in learning cyber security skills from the district's innovative Cyber Academy but also served as an ambassador for the program, say Lakota officials. Chappell, right, recently represented the academy as school superintendents from around the nation toward Lakota's many cutting-edge programs. (Contributed Photo\Journal-News)$

Lakota graduating senior among pioneers for district’s first cyber academy

Defense attorney Charles M. Rittgers, right, speaks with his client Gurpreet Singh, charged in a quadruple homicide in West Chester Township, during a hearing in Butler County Common Pleas Court Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in Hamilton. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Three years after a quadruple murder, death penalty trial appears to be on track for fall

$Lakota Schools officials recently announced a series of public meetings to let residents and others learn more about not only the state of its 24 school buildings, but also what facility needs are projected in the coming years as the district’s two townships continue to grow. A “master facilities plan” is essential for Lakota’s future, say district officials. Pictured is Lakota's original high school, which was opened in 1959 and is now Lakota West Freshman School. (Contributed Photo\Journal-News)$

Lakota Schools will present facilities needs to public, provide tours

The American Cornhole Organization is considering several location, including Butler County, to locate its world headquarters. PROVIDED

Credit: Provided

American Cornhole Organization considers locating headquarters in Butler County

Attendees hold up signs during the Lakota Board of Education meeting that lasted over three hours Monday night, May 9, 2022, at Lakota Plains Junior School. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Embattled Lakota board member tells critics she’s not resigning

In January Darbi Boddy was sworn in as one of two new members of the Lakota School Board. In recent months and weeks Boddy has repeatedly clashed with fellow board members and Lakota district administrators - including Superintendent Matt Miller. Last week, Boddy was censured by fellow members and asked to resign, which she has refused to do. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Rancor and rifts: Lakota board member Boddy’s actions lead into next meeting

Fairfield Schools Lead Nurse Pam Buehler, seen here tending to a sick student, is among the many local school nurses now being lauded for their hard work during the initial school year - 2020 and beyond - after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. State and local school officials say the nurses were heroes in keeping thousands of students and school staffers safe during the deadlier days of the now fading pandemic. CONTRIBUTED

Front-line heroes: Area school nurses awarded, touted as pandemic warriors

Lakota Schools district officials said recent visits by school board member Darbi Boddy to two schools were unauthorized and criticized her for walking in hallways and being outside of classrooms without an escort of the principal or another school building administrator. Boddy was recently censured by fellow board members and also asked by them to resign from Lakota's governing board. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Lakota Schools issue no-trespassing notice to board member who visited buildings

Lakota East lineman Austin Siereveld (72) blocks Lakota West's Malik Hartford during their football game Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 at Lakota West High School in West Chester Township. Lakota West won 34-7. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

‘I can’t wait to get up there’ — Lakota East football standout commits to Ohio State

Shaq’s Big Chicken now set to open 3 locations in region, including West Chester

$Officials from Fairfield and Lakota schools have announced a student records hack on a third-party organization's data bases going back more than a decade. Area school officials say social security numbers are not part of the data breach. (File Photo\Journal-News)$

Fairfield, Lakota, other districts’ student records hacked

West Chester Police released a photo today of a man who robbed Community Medical Services at gunpoint Monday morning. SUBMITTED

Police release photo of West Chester methadone robbery suspect

Politically conservative school board candidates, who campaigned last fall as a slate for the Lakota school board, Dari Boddy - right standing in background - and Isaac Adi nest to her - are now in a public battle of words, according to recent social media postings from both. Adi and Boddy were the top vote earners among eight candidates for the school board, which governs Lakota's 24 schools and 17,000 students. They watch on as Kelley Casper was sworn on to the board in January. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Lakota board members, once campaign partners, now in social media fight

VIDEO: Lakota school board calls emergency meeting

In past two years, two Lakota board members have drawn cries to resign

Lakota Schools board censures, calls for resignation of member

$Lakota Schools Superintendent Matt Miller spent part of his Wednesday online chat with school parents pitching for more in the public to apply for substitute teaching jobs in the wake of the district's recent hike in pay. Earlier this week the Lakota Board of Education approved raising the daily pay for substitute instructors from $85 to $125. (File Photo\Journal-News)$

New state rule forces early discussion of Lakota Schools’ financial forecast

$Starting next school year, Lakota's Virtual Learning Option (VLO) for K-12 students to learn from home will be limited to students in grades 9-12 at the district's two high schools and freshman buildings. The move, say Lakota officials, reflects the once popular VLO program's declining enrollment and the waning COVID-19 pandemic, which kept many students from live classes in the earlier months of the outbreak. (File Photo\Journal-News)$

Lakota’s number of virtual learning students drop dramatically; program to change

Knowledge Turner prepares food at Tano Bistro Thursday, April 21, 2022 in Hamilton. Tano is one of many restaurants that have limited days open due to staffing issues. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Multifaceted approach needed to address restaurant staffing shortage, local business...

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today launched operations at the newest division of the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center In West Chester Twp. SUBMITTED

Governor launches Southwest Ohio branch of Narcotics Intelligence Center in West Chester

At least one person was killed Tuesday afternoon, April 12, 2022, in front of AMC movie theater on Civic Centre Boulevard in West Chester Twp. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Liberty Twp. woman killed in West Chester Twp. crash

Matt Miller, superintendent at Lakota Local Schools, has been named the 2022 EmpowerED Digital Superintendent of the Year. CONTRIBUTED

Lakota’s Matt Miller named digital superintendent of the year

Credit: Nick Graham

At least 1 person killed in 2-vehicle crash in West Chester Twp.

In January, Lakota Board of Education members looked on during a meeting as former school board president Kelley Casper (foreground) was sworn on to the board after winning the fall election for a second, consecutive term. On the right (facing front) is Darbi Boddy, who since joining the board has repeatedly clashed with Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller. Casper - and fellow member Julie Shaffer (far left) - say they are concerned such contentiousness may result in Miller wanting to leave the job. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Critical Race Theory clash at Lakota: Two board members say leadership could be affected

Lakota Board of Education member Darbi Boddy, shown here being sworn on to the board in January, has sharply criticized Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller and claims he is being unresponsive to her request for more information and his personal definition of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Boddy says her election to the board was in large part due to her publicly stance against CRT lessons and her allegations such lessons are being taught in Lakota schools. Lakota officials, however, have contended CRT is not taught to students. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Exclusive: Documents reveal Critical Race Theory battle between Lakota leader and board...

Officials broke ground Tuesday on the 326-unit luxury Residences at Clocktower in West Chester Twp.

Groundbreaking celebrates $50M luxury apartment complex going in heart of West Chester

Lakota Board of Education member Darbi Boddy is the target of an online petition campaign to have her censured by fellow board members. Sponsors of the petition claim Boddy is unfairly critical of Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller. Boddy dismisses the petition as politically motivated by those who oppose her as political conservative on the governing board of the 17,000-student school system. Photo by NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Petition to censure Lakota school board member gains signatures

$Lakota students were front and center in dozens of exhibits earlier this week at the district's annual State of the Schools event at Lakota East High School. The yearly showcase this time around had many students showing off their learning including students pictured from Union Elementary’s Culinary Center. (Contributed Photo\Journal-News)$

Lakota’s state of schools event back live, popular with public

$The Lakota Board of Education altered a series of district policies concern student masks, curricula and public participation during school board meetings during its Monday evening meeting. The sometimes lengthy discussions around policies revealed some sharp divides among some board members. (Photo By Michael D. Clark\Journal-News)$

Lakota school board approves policy changes; treasurer announces retirement

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost spoke to cadets and honored Butler Tech Police Academy as a STAR Academy Thursday, March 17, 2022. The designation of a STAR Academy is for agencies that are continuously raising the bar, have achieved a higher professional standard of excellence among law enforcement approved by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA). NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Butler Tech police academy honored as among the best by Ohio attorney general