Butler County officials weigh in on indictment of Auditor Roger Reynolds
Butler County officials have strong opinions about Auditor Roger Reynolds being indicted on bribery and corruption charges related to him allegedly using his office to facilitate the sale of his father’s property in West Chester Twp.
A Butler County grand jury today returned five indictments for bribery and leveraging his public office to further personal interest. Three are felonies and two are misdemeanors. The bribery charge is a 3rd degree felony and carries a potential 9 months to 3 years sentence and a fine up to $10,000. The other two felonies are 4th degree for unlawful interest in a public contract and carry penalties of 6 to 9 months.
Butler County Commissioner Don Dixon told the Journal-News, “if these charges are true, it’s corruption at it’s worst and it’s disgusting.”
Man dies after accidental fall from ladder at Fairfield business
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
A man died Wednesday after a fall from a ladder in the 6300 block of South Gilmore Road in Fairfield.
Fairfield police and fire responders were dispatched at 11:26 a.m. to the call at Dunkin’, 6315 S. Gilmore Road for a person who fell from a ladder, and scanner reports said he was bleeding from the head.
The Butler County coroner confirmed an investigator was dispatched to the scene.
The Fringe Coffee House seeks public’s help, owners say it faces closure
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
A Hamilton coffee shop that gives people a second chance is in danger of closing, say its owners.
Patrick and Sarah Davis opened The Fringe Coffee House, which is also a re-entry program for those formerly incarcerated. They have a handful of staff members and help them hurdle specific barriers for re-entry into the community, whether that’s getting a license re-instated, help with parenting issues, getting their GED, or removing tattoos.
“We’ve had a really hard few months just with a major decline in traffic,” said Sarah Davis of the coffee shop at 918 High St. “I think it’s a combination of not having a drive-thru and having a challenge with parking on top of it, also with everyone is in the middle of a pandemic, and their finances are impacted.”
Mexican restaurant opens in Middletown; owner says cooking in his blood
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
At a few minutes before 11 a.m. Tuesday, Hector Gonzalez walked to a corner of his restaurant, where he arrived five hours earlier to prepare the food, and turned on the two “OPEN” signs.
With that, the first downtown Middletown Mexican restaurant, which Gonzalez had said would open in September 2021, finally held its grand opening.
Gonzalez and his family — wife, Nora, and four children, Linda, 21, Noraly, 19, Hector Jr., 15, and Levi, 12 — attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the city’s economic development department. Then the family returned to the kitchen and dining room for last-minute preparations.
Liberty Center sues second former tenant for more than $175,000
Liberty Center has sued former tenant Lotus Pad Asian Cuisine for $175,378 in outstanding rent, making this the second time the $350-million mega mixed-use development has taken a former tenant to court.
The lawsuit was filed in Butler County Common Pleas Court late last month against Lotus Pad Asian Cuisine, which closed in May 2018, and Pies and Pints Development Partners as guarantors of the lease. The lawsuit claims Liberty Center is owed at least $1,000, but a letter sent to Lotus Pad after it closed sets the amount owed at $175,378, according to court documents.
This is the second time in less than a year Liberty Center has sued a former tenant. Last summer the new owners sued Illinois-based Family Entertainment Group LLC for $850,000 because it violated its contract by never moving In the Game into the mall development.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
‘We Don’t Talk About Burrow’ parody video scores big for Bengals fan
A Bengals superfan paid tribute to her hometown team, and its quarterback, in a parody song that’s seen nearly 80,000 views in less than two weeks.
Erinn Lewis, who grew up in Loveland, a Cincinnati suburb, penned a parody song of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from the movie Encanto to “We Don’t Talk About Burrow.”
“I got the idea the Wednesday before the (AFC) championship game,” said Lewis, who now lives in Kansas City.