Middletown council OKs restructuring of police leadership, purchase of fire ladder truck
Middletown’s police and fire chiefs made presentations during Tuesday night’s city council meeting. One proposal will save taxpayers about $74,000 a year and the other will cost $1.2 million.
Police Chief David Birk told council he wants to restructure the department’s leadership team by eliminating one major position, converting two of the major positions into lieutenants and adding a traffic officer.
Fire Chief Paul Lolli said the department needs to purchase a Sutphen SPH 100 aerial platform ladder because the only ladder truck is 19 years old and frequently requires repairs that causes the city to request mutual aid.
He started making cakes at 12. Now he’ll have his own business in Hamilton
A decade after he sold his first custom-designed cakes at age 12, Luke Heizer is taking his business to a storefront on Hamilton’s High Street.
Heizer, who grew up in Trenton and is a 2017 Edgewood High School graduate, began his cake-designing with cakes depicting Ironman and Dora the Explorer.
Heizer’s father, Alan, is helping build out the interior of the former True West Coffee shop on High Street. The other True West, on Main Street, remains open. Heizer’s mother, Tammie, does most of the cake-baking, and he does the decorating of cupcakes and cakes that can be very elaborate.
Health director: COVID-19 vaccination incentive programs ‘attract certain people’
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Those who are reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine continue to receive incentives throughout the state, including Butler County.
The largest incentives are offered by the state through its Vax-a-Million program that is awarding five $1 million prizes to any Ohioan at least 18 years old who’s vaccinated and a college scholarship to any state school for anyone between 12 and 17 years old who receives a vaccine.
Suzanne Ward of Findlay was announced Wednesday as the fourth winner of the $1 million prize, and Sean Horning, 17, a 2021 Colerain High School graduate, won the full-ride scholarship.
2 Butler County lawmakers supported ousted Ohio House speaker to stay in office
Credit: Adam Cairns
Credit: Adam Cairns
Two Butler County lawmakers wanted to see now-former lawmaker Larry Householder stay in the Ohio House, who was the first member to be expelled in 164 years.
But State Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Twp., did vote for the former House speaker’s expulsion as he and others “have repeatedly asked Mr. Householder to resign from office and he refused.”
“The vote to expel a member from the Ohio House was something surely none of us wanted to do, but Householder’s misconduct and allegations of serious corruption have no place in the Ohio House,” he said. “We as elected members are held to a higher standard and our actions are measured each and every day.”
Man arrested after Butler County pursuit during which he jumped from moving truck
A man was arrested after a police pursuit during which he jumped from a moving truck in Oxford.
The driver of a truck, which passed a police officer on patrol in the 100 block of South Locust Street, was familiar to the officer from previous contacts and known to not have a driver’s license. The officer also believed the man to have warrants out for his arrest. This occurred at 3:36 a.m. June 8.
The officer initiated a traffic stop and the driver pulled into a gas station but then gunned the engine and fled south on South Locust.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
PHOTOS: How old Butler County businesses have changed through the years
The Journal-News went into the archives to find old photos of Butler County businesses through the years.