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

Dr. Dheeraj Goyal is an infectious disease specialist with Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital. PROVIDED

Dr. Dheeraj Goyal is an infectious disease specialist with Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital. PROVIDED

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


‘I shot somebody near Douglass Park’: Woman walks into police station after allegedly shooting woman in Middletown

Jasmine Foster

Credit: Middletown Division of Police

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Credit: Middletown Division of Police

An 18-year-old woman is recovering in the hospital after she was shot in the back late Saturday while sitting in a car near a Middletown park, Middletown police said.

Officers were called at about 11:40 p.m. to Kettering Health Middletown for a woman suffering from a gunshot wound, police said.

The gunshot victim, Tyjhana Walton, told police that she was part of an ongoing argument with another woman, when she was shot while sitting in a car the 1900 block of Minnesota Street across from Douglass Park, police said. Walton was taken to the hospital by private vehicle.

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Fairfield doctor: Antibiotic overuse creates super infections and ‘super-superbugs’

Dr. Dheeraj Goyal is an infectious disease specialist with Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital. PROVIDED

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An infectious disease specialist with Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital is cautioning both his fellow doctors and patients that overuse of antibiotics simply when bacteria are found in someone’s urine is not only unnecessary and wasteful but also can be dangerous to the patients’ lives.

Dr. Dheeraj Goyal studied 251 adult patients with urinary tract infections who were admitted to hospitals because of highly antibiotic resistant bacteria “superbugs” known as ESBL over a 15-year period and compared them with 251 adult patients admitted with non-ESBL infections of the urinary tract.

“The key here is just to avoid antibiotics, unless they are needed,” Goyal said in an interview. “Having the symptoms of infection is very important.”

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Former Middletown airport manager has charges reduced

Dan Dickten has retired as manager of the Middletown Regional Airport. The city will seek a replacement for his position. FILE PHOTO

Credit: Nick Graham

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Credit: Nick Graham

MIDDLETOWN — The former manager of the Middletown Regional Airport had two charges reduced last week in Middletown Municipal Court.

Daniel Dickten, 67, was charged with unauthorized use of property and two counts of aggravated menacing. He allegedly menaced an airport tenant and his wife in July 2020.

Dickten retired from the city in August 2020.

When Dickten appeared Thursday before visiting Middletown Municipal Court Judge Tom Hannah, his charges were reduced to menacing and disorderly conduct.

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Report of woman with gun prompts evacuation, short standoff in Middletown

ajc.com

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A suicidal woman prompted a police response on Franklin Street in Middletown Tuesday night.

Officers were dispatched about 7:35 p.m. to the first block of Franklin about a 53-year-old woman who reportedly had a gun to her head and may have taken some drugs.

Other residents of the apartment building were evacuated and officers began talking to the woman with a loud speaker. The woman came out with her hands up about 45 minutes later and was taken to Atrium Medical Center for treatment.

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Butler County sheriff seeking $6.6 million to improve medical facilities

The Butler County sheriff's office consumes a significant portion of the county general fund at $40 million. For 2021 elected officials like the sheriff were asked to 3.3% but officials say the public shouldn't notice reduced service. GREG LYNCH / STAFF

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The Butler County Sheriff’s Office has applied for a $6.6 million state grant to expand the jail medical pod to 36 beds after feeling facilities were inadequate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state’s two-year capital budget included $50 million for construction of or renovations to county jail facilities, and Sheriff Richard Jones received county commissioner approval this week to go for $6.6 million.

The jail has four medical beds, and during the height of the pandemic infected inmates were moved to the minimum security Resolutions facility for social distancing. Sheriff’s Office Chief Anthony Dwyer told the Journal-News even before the pandemic they realized their medical facilities have been inadequate from the start when the jail was built about 20 years ago.

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

Middletown hopes sweepstakes lures residents to register for paperless billing, auto pay

The three flags outside the Middletown City Building were lowered to half-staff Tuesday in honor of Anita Scott Jones, the city's former vice mayor who died April 11. RICK McCRABB/STAFF

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Middletown City Manager Jim Palenick hopes a sweepstakes will provide “an added incentive” for utility customers to register for Paperless billing and/or enroll in AutoPay.

Five residents who sign up for the program will be eligible for $100 Visa gift cards, he said.

Paperless billing allows payers to save time and easily access up to 24 months of payment history at any time, the city said. AutoPay automatically deducts from a customer’s preferred payment method on the payment due date. This feature is secure for payers and posts to their account faster than mailing in a payment, the city said.

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