7-year-old boy drives and crashes dad’s car on busy Middletown road
A 7-year-old Middletown boy took his father’s vehicle without his knowledge Thursday morning and crashed head-on into a parked Jeep on Roosevelt Boulevard, according to Middletown police.
The boy, driving alone in a 2014 Kia SUV, was traveling east on Roosevelt around 8:30 a.m. when he crossed over the median, hit the guardrail and crashed into a parked Jeep in the westbound lanes.
The driver of that vehicle told police when he saw the car traveling toward his vehicle and noticed a young boy driving, he put his vehicle in park and got out.
Pour House opens at The Marcum in downtown Hamilton
The Pour House, a 42-tap self-pour digital taproom, will celebrate its official opening today with a 4 p.m. ribbon cutting.
The bar and restaurant was the final tenant at The Marcum, a building that features restaurants, bars and apartments adjacent to the RiversEdge Amphitheater and across from the Courtyard by Mariott.
Co-owner Toni Salem said she’s “super excited” to have its grand opening a week before the RiversEdge concert season.
Judge denies dismissal of majority of charges against Butler Co. Auditor Roger Reynolds
HAMILTON — A judge hearing the criminal case against Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds has denied the motion to dismiss four charges and requested additional arguments on one count.
Reynolds, 52, is facing charges of bribery, two counts of unlawful interest in a public contract and misdemeanor charges of unlawful use of authority and conflict of interest. The charges stem from allegations that Reynolds used his public office to further his own interests.
In March, defense attorney Chad Ziepfel said in the motion to dismiss all charges, and the case is based on what he says is a flawed bill of particulars, or outline for the alleged crimes, filed by Special Prosecutor Brad Tammaro, who was appointed by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
Middletown’s Ohio 122 bridge to close for several weeks
A bridge that connects two Butler County communities will be closed for 45 days, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The bridge was supposed to close on Monday, but the contractor delayed the start date until May 31. At the end of the month, the Ohio 122 bridge over the Great Miami River that links Middletown to Madison Twp. will be closed as contractors make major repairs and remove debris from the main channel of the river.
Separate detours for cars and trucks will be posted using Carmody Boulevard, Germantown Road and Trenton Franklin Road, according to Kathleen Fuller, public information officer for ODOT.
A first for Badin HS: New leadership structure created for school’s future
HAMILTON —For the first time in its more than half century existence, Butler County’s only Catholic high school is altering its top leadership structure.
Brian Pendergest, the 12-year veteran principal of Badin High School, will become the school’s first president for next school year.
Pendergest’s position will be filled, starting in the 2022-2023 school year, by current Badin Assistant Principal Patrick Keating, said school officials in a statement sent to school families of the west Hamilton high school.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
$10 million may buy high speed internet countywide
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
There are around 157,000 households in Butler County and it is estimated about 45% are lacking adequate internet access so the Butler County commissioners are preparing to spend an estimated $10 million to rectify the situation.
When the commissioners held work sessions last summer on requests to share their $74.4 million allotment of federal American Rescue Plan Act money they heard from two groups about the dire need to get high speed internet access countywide.
Oxford Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene told them during the height of the pandemic when students in the Talawanda School District were forced into remote learning, the city spent $16,000 purchasing 380 hot spots so they could. She said the problem is much more pervasive.