5 Butler County stories you might have missed over Memorial Day weekend

Credit: Journal News

Here’s a look at five big Butler County stories today to catch up on the news:


Cincinnati arts organization may expand into historic Hamilton firehouse

The city could put up for sale the historic fire station at 1224 Shuler Avenue. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

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Credit: Nick Graham

A Cincinnati arts organization that serves artists, immigrants and its surrounding community is looking to expand into a historic firehouse in Hamilton’s East End Neighborhood, at 1224 Shuler Ave.

Artist Calcagno “Cal” Cullen, a founder of Wave Pool, said her seven-year-old organization works with that community to offer art classes and other fun opportunities people in that neighborhood want and provides jobs to artists, many of them immigrants.

Under a plan developed by Butler County residents Kate Yerigan and Heather Bernal of Primo Property Services, their company will restore the fire station with the help of Bernal’s husband, Arnulfo, a journeyman tile layer; and father Bill Duerkson, who owns Duerkson Woodworks in Hamilton. They plan to invest $60,000, plus an estimated $100,000 in sweat equity over the next two years go make it ready for the arts organization, with spaces for an “air bed & breakfast.”

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Large logistics center near Miami Valley Gaming gets latest approvals in Lebanon

State law signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday readies 196 acres next to the Miami Valley Gaming racino to Warren County.

Credit: Lawrence Budd

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Credit: Lawrence Budd

A proposed 296-acre logistics center off Ohio 63 has received the approval of the Lebanon Board of Education and Warren County commissioners for a Community Reinvestment Area tax abatement.

The tax abatement was the next step in the process for CFPN Ohio LLC and its parent company Core 5 Industrial Partners LLC to invest $116 million on the former prison farm property north of Ohio 63 and east of the Miami Valley Gaming racino. Plans on the CRA application call for the construction of four to five speculative warehouses in multiple phases that would create between 2.5 to 4 million square feet of space.

The application indicates the owners estimate of creating in multiple phases cumulatively, 1,200 full-time equivalent employee positions with an aggregate annual payroll of $45 million with zero part-time or temporary jobs when the project is completed. The hiring of employees is expected to begin September 2022 and continue incrementally over the following eight years of 100 to 200 jobs each year.

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Hamilton hesitates to fly Pride flag, fearing hate groups would want to display theirs

The Hamilton Pride organization wanted to fly this flag outside the city government tower, but officials wanted to create an official flag policy first, to protect against having to fly the flags of hate groups there. PROVIDED

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Hamilton City Council on Wednesday approved a resolution supporting the city’s first-ever Pride event and said nobody should ever feel under attack for their sexuality.

But the city leaders did not agree to put up the Hamilton Pride flag on city property throughout the month of June. Officials said they first want to create a policy about what flags the city will display, to avoid being forced to fly flags of hate groups.

Taylor Stone-Welch, board chairman of Hamilton Pride, noted the organization planned to have its first-ever event last summer, but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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6 charged in connection to fights that closed Kings Island early Saturday

Why are there so many police officers around Kings Island?

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Six people, including five juveniles, have been charged in connection to fights that caused Kings Island to close early Saturday night and investigators are working to identify more people who were involved.

One of the juveniles is 17, two are 16 and the another two are 14, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said Friday.

The suspects are facing a combination of inducing panic, obstructing official business, assault and disorderly conduct charges.

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Memorial Day: In solemn Butler County cemeteries, officials working to improve areas where servicemen rest

This gravestone cross, for a World War I soldier, is at Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

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In one of Butler County’s cemeteries that holds remains of many killed in battle, recent improvements have been made to honor those who served and died during the past year.

And there’s hope that one of the county’s most sacred buildings someday will be restored.

The Public Receiving Vault in Greenwood Cemetery is the place where bodies of slain local soldiers from various wars, and bodies of others who died of other causes, were kept during cold-weather months until they could be buried.

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