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:


Monroe councilman censured for comments, actions

Monroe Councilman Tom Callahan, center box, shows a pair of baby pacifiers to fellow council members at the Aug. 25 virtual Monroe City Council meeting. Callahan, a retired businessman, said he would give pacifiers to people he determined to be "crybabies." He also displayed two larger pacifiers to Council members Christina McElfresh and Todd Hickman.

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For the past few months, dozens of Monroe residents have complained to City Council about remarks and actions they felt were inappropriate at two council meetings.

Councilman Tom Callahan said on July 14 that the government shouldn’t mandate mask-wearing, and that he hadn’t yet worn a mask. On Aug. 25, he showed baby pacifiers during a virtual meeting to complaining residents and Councilmembers Todd Hickman and Christina McElfresh, whom Callahan called “crybabies.”

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West Chester Twp. man killed at Trotwood construction site

Michael Franz / Staff

Credit: HANDOUT

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Credit: HANDOUT

The death of a West Chester Twp. construction worker in Trotwood is under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Martin Torres Lopez, 43, was killed Tuesday when a boulder fell on him while he was working in a trench. He was pronounced dead by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

Trotwood crews were dispatched to the construction site between Free Pike and Ohio 49 Tuesday afternoon on the report of man trapped in a 25-foot trench.

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Grand jury indicts man accused breaking leg off Jack Daniels statue in Hamilton

This statue was damage in an alleged property damage incident on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020.

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A Butler County grand jury indicted a Hamilton man charged with destroying a statue of Jack Daniels and hundreds of bottles of alcohol at a Main Street business.

Jacob Shane Wright, 26, of the 2000 block of Princeton Road, was indicted Wednesday on three counts of vandalism, obstructing official business, resisting arrest and attempted petty theft.

Wright is scheduled to have his arraignment at 1 p.m. Oct. 19 before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster, according to court documents.

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Absentee ballots delayed in Butler County, equipment failure cited

Voters line up at the Butler County Board of Elections on the first day of early voting Tuesday, October 6, 2020 in Hamilton. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

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Credit: Nick Graham

A problem with a vendor in Cleveland that prints and mails ballots delayed the delivery of absentee ballots in several Ohio counties, including Butler County.

Butler County officials said they are moving to having all their ballots printed and mailed in-house after a two-day delay.

Midwest Direct is a subcontractor for the company used to print and mail ballots, Integrated Voting Systems. Other counties that contract with these companies were also affected.

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Spain-based company breaks ground on new Hamilton facility: What to know about $72M investment

Officials held a groundbreaking on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020 in Hamilton for the first U.S. site of Saica Group. The 350,000 square-foot plant will manufacture corrugated packaging. The project marks Spanish company Saica’s expansion into the U.S. market, and represents a $72-million investment. CONTRIBUTED

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A project that will return Hamilton to the paper industry took the first big step of a $72 million investment in the city on Wednesday.

Spain-based Saica Group broke ground at the site of its first U.S. plant at Hamilton’s Enterprise Park that will make corrugated packaging from recycled paper.

The company plans to create a new 350,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the industrial park. That building will include 17,400 square feet of office space. It has promised to create 64 jobs.

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

Jack O’Lantern Junction at EnterTRAINment Junction celebrates fall season

EnterTRAINment Junction in West Chester Twp. is a train lover’s paradise with intricate, handmade sets and a rail line that takes visitors through three eras of trains throughout history.

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Jack O’Lantern Junction at EnterTRAINment Junction, one of the area’s common fall celebrations that is changing for coronavirus precautions, is continuing until the end of the month.

“People are still looking for fun things to do. I don’t know if there’s going to be a new normal or not, but people are still looking to get out and they want to find activities they can do as a family,” said Bill Balfour, general manager, at EnterTRAINment Junction.

The event features an indoor, no-scare maze featuring kid-friendly ghosts, skeletons, and cobwebs. While there won’t be individual trick-or-treat stations this year, there are more decorations, and each child will still receive a bag of candy when purchasing a ticket.

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