Here is a look at five big Butler County stories today to catch up on the news.
Primary election is Tuesday: What to know before heading to the polls
Tuesday is Primary Election Day in the state of Ohio. Polls are open for voting from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
In Butler County, voters will select candidates for various elected positions and will decide on issues, including a 1-mill, 30-year fire bond in Middletown. There is a 1% income tax issue for those in the Madison Local Schools area, and the city of Fairfield is asking voters to eliminate two existing levies and replace them with a single 9.25-mill levy to pay for fire services.
Madison Twp. also has a fire levy on the ballot, and people in part of Liberty Twp. will decide on a local liquor option for Casey’s General Store.
Ohio 128 between Hamilton and Ross remains closed after crash that caused downed lines
A portion of Hamilton-Cleves Road (Ohio 128) remained closed Monday for repairs to utility poles and lines following a crash Saturday night, according to Hamilton and State of Ohio officials.
A vehicle hit a pole in the 1600 block of Hamilton-Cleves Road in St. Clair Twp. shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. That caused damage to other poles and lines and a power outage to residents in Hamilton and surrounding areas.
“It was like a domino effect,” said Dalton Marcum, Hamilton systems engineer for the city’s department of infrastructure.
Police investigating methadone robbery at West Chester clinic
Police are investigating an early morning robbery at a West Chester Twp. health facility.
A man walked into Community Medical Services on East Crescentville Road near the Hamilton County border about 6 a.m. today, displayed a gun and demanded a bottle of methadone.
The man fled with the methadone in a tan van or truck in an unknown direction, according to Barb Wilson, West Chester director of public information.
Ross Twp. selects new trustee
The Ross Twp. trustees have selected Jen Patterson to succeed Trustee Tom Willsey, who died last month.
Patterson was chosen largely because of her experience working with the city of Monroe.
Trustees Keith Ballauer and Ellen Yordy met in executive session Thursday and made their pick; they had until this weekend to fill the vacancy or the decision would have gone to Butler County Probate Court Judge John Holcomb.
No plans to beef up security for now at the county Government Services Center
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Those entering Hamilton City Council chambers will soon have to pass through a metal detector as an added security measure following the recommendation from the city police chief.
Will Butler County Commissioners follow suit with increased security to the county portion of the building that shares a lobby with the city?
The short answer is no, or not at least anytime soon. The court wing entrance to county common pleas and domestic relations courtrooms on the second floor have standard metal detectors, armed deputies and equipment for searching all bags, but the rest of the building remains open.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
Cook of the Week: Fresh ingredients key to Kathy Schlaeger’s dishes
Kathy Schlaeger’s love of cooking started as a journey of self-discovery in her early adulthood. In those days, she was recently married to her husband Jeff and both of them were navigating new careers in education. Flash forward more than 25 years and she insists her curiosity overcome a lack of experience in the kitchen at the time.
“I didn’t really know much,” Schlaeger said with a laugh. “I was in the dorms. I didn’t have to cook. We graduated, got married and I got my first teaching job. I never learned to cook at home, so I literally started with things like Hamburger Helper.”
Relying on convenience food was fine for a while, especially since the newlyweds worked on different schedules. Eventually, though, Schlaeger wanted to branch out to more fresh ingredients to add some variety and nutritional value to her meals for her growing family.