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

Credit: Kareem Elgazzar

Credit: Kareem Elgazzar

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


Kyle Schwarber sends pizzas to firefighters and police, who follow with food to Middletown firefighters

Credit: David J. Phillip

Credit: David J. Phillip

When a LaRosa’s driver delivered two pizzas to all four Middletown fire stations Friday night, the firefighters were “a little confused,” said firefighter Capt. Jon Harvey.

No firefighters had ordered pizza.

The receipt only read: “Go Red Sox,” Harvey said.

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Butler County prosecutor fires back on ruling in West Chester quadruple homicide case

Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser has fired back an objection to last week’s opinion by a judge to permit public funds to be used for defense experts in the case of a man accused of killing four family members in West Chester Twp.

In September, Judge Greg Howard heard from the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office and Gurpreet Singh’s defense team on his request to declare Singh indigent.

Singh, 39, is charged with four counts of aggravated murder for the April 28, 2019 homicides. With specifications of using a firearm and killing two or more persons, Singh faces the death penalty if convicted.

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This Butler County basement has one of the most unique baseball collections around

A Butler County basement holds one of the more unique memorabilia sets around, which has been part of its owner’s efforts at collecting items for decades.

Ron Zemko of Oxford has a basement full of memorabilia from the sport he loves, but baseball gloves hold much of his attention. Mixed in among the posters, banners, bats and other items are 245 gloves.

“In 2008, there were 150 gloves in my collection and I had pretty much decided to get off the glove collecting bandwagon, but it’s like an addictive drug. I went to an antique mall and found a Johnny Temple glove. No. No. It ends up in the car going home with me,” he said with a laugh. “A hundred and fifty, I just couldn’t stop. The walls were full, I just started lining them up on this table. I had a row of five leaning against the wall. Then, another row. Soon the table was full out to the end and I had nearly 200. Then, I quit. But 200 led to 201 and 202.”

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Mason city council passes ban on abortions in city limits

MASON, Ohio — After months of pushing off voting on legislation that criminalizes abortions in Mason, city council voted 4-3 to pass the ordinance Monday night.

The ordinance will go into effect in 30 days, because an emergency clause that would have caused it to take immediate effect upon voting failed.

The newly voted-in law cannot stop medical practices from opening in Mason, whether they provide abortions or not. It does, however, make performing or getting an abortion anywhere within the city limits of Mason illegal.

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Fenwick volleyball coach who led team to state championship with ALS dies

Pete Ehrlich, the emotional leader behind Fenwick High School’s state volleyball championship, died this morning, according to the school.

Ehrlich was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS two years ago. He was 58.

“Lost my precious husband this morning,” wrote his wife Jamie. “He is free from the chains of ALS. He will be greatly missed. Life well lived. As he told his players ‘I have great hope. I will be dancing, singing, and playing volleyball again. There is great hope in Jesus!’”

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

Southwest Ohio native pens intriguing tale of mystery in first book

Credit: S.V. Brown

Credit: S.V. Brown

Decades ago, Ross native S. V. Brown heard a tale so riveting it eventually inspired him to write his first book. Earlier this month, he released “Carnival Songs,” a novel set in a fictional Indiana town.

A 1985 alumnus of Ross Senior High School, Brown wrote “Carnival Songs” in the early 1990s following his graduation from the University of Cincinnati and living abroad in Paris to evoke the spirit of his favorite authors. However, he put the finished draft in a drawer and later began to question his artistic gifts.

“I just kind of lost faith in my writing,” Brown said. “I had a bunch of small press short stories and poems published, but at the end of the day, I just didn’t think I had it. I compared myself to my heroes.”

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