No charges at this time in West Chester bomb threat incident
West Chester Twp. police are investigating the bomb threat at Walgreens this afternoon and no charges have been filed.
A large group of first responders and the Butler County bomb squad flooded the parking lot of Walgreen’s in West Chester Twp. Friday afternoon for a possible explosive device, but no bomb was found.
“A report of an explosive device was made by an individual who came to the West Chester Police Department. Further investigation revealed the Walgreen’s at Union Centre and State Route 747 as the location of the threat,” spokeswoman Barb Wilson said. “Police will continue to investigate the threat. There are no charges filed at this time.”
Hamilton buying another property on Main Street to help apartment development
Hamilton City Council on Wednesday authorized the purchase of a vacant lot at 340 Main St. for $100,000 to assist in the development of the approximately 70 apartments and four retail spaces that developer Jim Cohen plans for that block.
The property is owned by Douglas A. Lakes and the Butler County Auditor’s Office in 2020 valued it at $13,770.
“The city is interested in acquiring the parcel to allow for the expansion of the proposed development,” said Tim Werdmann, the city’s director of internal services.
‘It’s all a political game’: Hamilton, Middletown bars face punishment over curfew violations
Dozens of bars across the state, including two in Butler County, face liquor license suspensions or fines after the state says they violated state laws and public health orders.
The Liquor Control Commission this month took action against 80 liquor permit holders for 95 violations — a big increase over the caseloads in previous months.
The commission found:
Hamilton woman indicted for fatal pedestrian crash that killed woman near her home
A Butler County grand jury has returned indictments against a Hamilton woman for allegedly fatally striking a pedestrian on Jan. 20 on Millville Avenue.
Miranda Perry, 28, was walking in the 1300 block of Millville about 2:20 p.m. was hit by a vehicle that fled the scene, according to Hamilton police. The mother of a 5-year-old daughter was pronounced dead at the scene.
Perry’s husband, Jackie Reese, said she was just 20 feet from their home.
Sorg Opera House partnering with community theaters to expand shows in Middletown
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The Sorg Opera House has partnered with several community theater groups to bring plays, comedy, musicals, and a variety of theatrical productions to town.
“We have over 200 seats available, and some of these small, local theater companies have a very limited number of seats, like 15, or 18, so it’s a good partnership for both of us and it helps mix up our programming,” said Nancy Griffith, board president, at the Sorg Opera House Revitalization Group.
In partnership with Xenia Area Community Theater, the Sorg will bring several upcoming shows to the stage. Beyond Glory, a one-man presentation based on true stories of eight Medal of Honor recipients from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, will be at the Sorg on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m., nightly.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
Archdeacon: Miami women’s basketball standout ‘a rare breed’
Credit: Scott Kissell
Credit: Scott Kissell
It was one of the first games of the season in a Brown County basketball league for little boys, all of them around third grade.
But when the out-of-county team from Lynchburg took the court, it had a girl in uniform.
And that’s when one of the boys from the opposing Ripley team came over near the Lynchburg bench and sniffed his disbelief that the scorekeeper, Heather Scott, happened to hear.