Top local news for Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022

Have you seen Kara Hyde? She has been missing since Dec. 5. Hamilton Police looking for information on her whereabouts. HAMILTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

Have you seen Kara Hyde? She has been missing since Dec. 5. Hamilton Police looking for information on her whereabouts. HAMILTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

Here is a look at five big Butler County stories today to catch up on the news.


Mother makes plea for information regarding missing daughter who disappeared last month

Have you seen Kara Hyde? She has been missing since Dec. 5. Hamilton Police looking for information on her whereabouts. HAMILTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

icon to expand image

A 23-year-old woman last seen on Grand Boulevard early last month remains missing, according to Hamilton Police.

Kara Lorynn Hyde went missing on Dec. 5 after leaving her home in the 2200 block of Grand about 2 p.m. that day according to the police report.

Hyde was reported missing by her mother, Lisa, on Dec. 18, police said.

READ THE FULL STORY


Middletown works to acquire former AK Steel property for redevelopment

The City of Middletown hopes to acquire the former AK Steel Research and Development/Headquarter buildings to convert the property into a business park. Council approved transferring $47,000 to the Middletown Port Authority to hire an environmental expert. NICK GRAHAM.STAFF

icon to expand image

Middletown City Council took the next step in helping the city acquire the former AK Steel Research & Development/Headquarters, a major piece in the redevelopment of the Ohio 4 corridor.

Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to transfer $47,250 to the Middletown Port Authority to allow it to hire a professional environmental agent to work with the city, the port authority and Cleveland Cliffs, formerly AK Steel, to reduce the liability of the 24-acre property.

Then, because this project has been contemplated to be funded within the American Rescue Plan Act budget, the city would transfer $47,250 from the ARPA fund as “revenue replacement” consistent with federal guidelines.

READ THE FULL STORY


Two Hamilton firefighters, including a deputy chief, retired this week

Firefighter Mike Jones, a longtime driver of Engine 24 in Hamilton, retired this week. PROVIDED

icon to expand image

Two longtime Hamilton firefighters, including a deputy chief and a driver, worked their last days for the city earlier this week, and looked back proudly on their careers when contacted for interviews.

Both said they would recommend the job to young people who have yet to decide on a career and said they were proud of their colleagues in Hamilton.

Deputy Chief Ken Runyan, who worked part time for Colerain before joining Hamilton as a full-time firefighter, and and Driver Mike Jones, who was an Air Force firefighter before joining Hamilton’s force in 1993, were wistful about their departures, but said battling blazes is a young person’s job.

READ THE FULL STORY


Madison Twp. residents seek compensation for constitutional violations in Dollar General lawsuit

This land at the corner of Middletown Germantown Road and Keister Road in Madison Township could soon become a Dollar General store. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

icon to expand image

Credit: Nick Graham

A group of Madison Twp. neighbors who claim the Butler County and Madison Twp. Alan Daniel trampled their constitutional property rights by granting variances for a new Dollar General have appealed to the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and want damages.

In November, a federal judge ruled while Daniel’s actions regarding a zoning vote on the new Madison Twp. Dollar General store, were “offensive” they aren’t grounds for granting a temporary injunction. The neighbors filed an appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals six days later asking that court to cancel the zoning decision and compensate them for damages, attorneys fees and costs.

Several neighbors near the controversial new Dollar General store proposed for the corner of Keister and Middletown Germantown roads, filed a federal due process lawsuit hoping to cancel variations the Butler County Board of Zoning Appeals granted because Daniel, a township trustee — who has resigned from the zoning board — had a financial conflict of interest when he voted in favor of several variances.

READ THE FULL STORY


Alcohol at Oxford Senior Center events no longer requires city council approval

A glass of Beaujolais Nouveau wine is pictured in a restaurant of Boulogne Billancourt, outside Paris, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. Each year, on the third Thursday in November at the stroke of midnight, the world welcomes in the new Beaujolais Nouveau vintage, a light red wine, produced in the Beaujolais region of southern Burgundy. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Credit: Christophe Ena

icon to expand image

Credit: Christophe Ena

Groups renting the Oxford Senior Center will be able to serve alcoholic beverages at their functions with authorization from the city manager in the future rather than going through an action by City Council.

The ordinance changing the procedure was approved by Council in December.

This will apply only to renters serving alcohol to guests but will not permit sales of alcohol under any circumstances.

READ THE FULL STORY


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

‘2L8TE:’ These proposed vanity plates were too much for the Ohio BMV

Miami County engineer wants the commissioners to increase license fees by $5 to help generate money for road repairs and paving. Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

icon to expand image

Motorists are free to request personalized vanity license plates in Ohio. But they need to make sure the proposals aren’t too ... vain. Or vulgar. Or just plain ugly.

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles released the latest list of proposed “special plates” it denied last year.

The single-spaced list is 18 pages long, if that offers any notion of just how many plate ideas the BMV shot down.

READ THE FULL STORY