Afternoon catchup: 5 Butler County stories you need to know today

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


Two charged after shots fired in Hamilton

Two people have been charged after shots were fired Thursday night in Hamilton.

Police responded to the 800 block of Ross Avenue about 10 p.m. after multiple reports of shots fired, according to the report.

Residents reported hearing two sets of shots with a pause in between. Officers found shell casings behind a residence in the 900 block of Main Street.

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Hamilton seeking pop-up coronavirus testing site after results raise concerns

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

The City of Hamilton Health Department will ask the state to host a pop-up coronavirus testing site in the city in response to rising cases and test results in the state’s wastewater monitoring program.

Hamilton Health Commissioner Kay Farrar updated the City Council during its Wednesday meeting and said the city’s participation in a state program to test wastewater for coronavirus showed a 10-times increase in viral load this week. Samples are taken from the wastewater to identify areas of concern, even if individual resident test results are not available.

“It’s not a perfect science, but it definitely tells us we’re trending in the wrong direction,” Farrar said.

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Butler County deciding plan for $18.7M in coronavirus relief funding: How could it be spent?

Butler County Administrator Judi Boyko presented the commissioners a tentative plan this week for spending $18.7 million in federal coronavirus funding, the bulk of it targeting virus spread and pandemic repercussions.

The county has received the CARES Act money and has until Nov. 20 to decide how to spend it and Dec. 30 to spend it.

Boyko said the county has already spent about $500,000 installing plexiglass, sanitizing county buildings, undergoing other protective measures, creating a community awareness campaign and providing staffing help for the health department.

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Man charged with murder for shooting death outside Middletown bar

A man has been charged with the shooting death of a Middletown man two weeks ago outside a Verity Parkway bar.

Marquan Cardelle Cortez Cook, 28, has been indicted by a Butler County grand jury on the charge of murder, according Middletown police, who said the indictment was unsealed this morning. He is accused of shooting Brandon Frank Nathanial Moneyham Sr. to death during the early-morning hours of Oct. 11.

Middletown police are asking for assistance in locating Cook.

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Coronavirus: 12 Butler County schools or districts reported new cases this week

The state of Ohio reported its weekly data on coronavirus cases in schools on Thursday.

Here’s a look at which districts and schools in Butler County reported new cases in the past week:

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AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...

HISTORICAL PHOTOS: How voting technology has changed in Butler County

The Journal-News went into the archives to check out election and voting history throughout the county, with some eye-opening images.

SEE ALL OF THE PHOTOS