Local News

Man Dies After East Fork Incident

Image courtesy of OhioTraveler.com.

BETHEL – Cincinnati.com is reporting that a 58 year-old man died Tuesday evening following a “water-related incident” at East Fork State Park.

The cause of the death is under investigation by the Clermont County Coroner’s Office.  Clermont County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene around 5:00 pm.  Someone had pulled the man from the water and was performing CPR on him when emergency crews arrived.  The man’s identity has not yet been released.

Read the full story at Cincinnati.com.

Jungle Jim’s “Hiring Frenzy”

Cincinnati .com reports that Jungle Jim’s is looking to hire between 300 and 400 employees for their new Eastgate grocery store location.  Interested applicants can attend their two-day event called “Hiring Frenzy” at the Eastgate store,  located at 4350 Aicholtz Road

Hiring Frenzy will be held Tuesday July 31 and Wednesday August 1 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.  The unique grocery store will be hiring for all departments, and those applying must be able to work nights and weekends.

Read the full story at Cincinnati.com.

Eastern Corridor Meetings Planned

The Community Press reports that the Oasis Rail Transit project will be the subject of several upcoming meetings.  Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their opinions.

The project includes a 17-mile rail line that would extend from the Riverfront Transit Center in downtown Cincinnati to the Interstate 275/U.S. 50 interchange in Milford.  The meetings will be at the following places and times:

• 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, at Milford High School, 1 Eagles Way; 6-8 p.m. Wednesday,
• Aug. 1, at the Leblond Recreation Center, 2335 Riverside Drive; and 5-8 p.m,
• Thursday, Aug. 2, at Nagel Middle School, 1500 Nagel Road.

A question-and-answer session will begin at 7 p.m. each meeting.

Read the full article at the Community Press.

State Cuts Result in Milford School Levy

The Milford Exempted Village School District is facing a shortfall.  Because of changes in how the state funds school districts, Milford’s revenue is decreasing by $4.1 million, a 7.5 percent reduction in the budget.  Because of these funding cuts, the School Board voted unanimously to place a four-year, 4.5 mil operating levy on the November ballot.

The Milford Schools website reports that, “The levy is expected to generate approximately $4 million annually to replace the money lost from the state.  A 4.5 mill operating levy will cost a family $137 annually per $100,000 of assessed valuation.”  The schools website states that Milford has cut nearly $20 million since the last levy that passed in 2008.  In a statement on the site, Milford Superintendent, Dr. Robert Farrell is quoted as saying, “This levy is being requested for the sole purpose of replacing state and federal funding cuts. We are working diligently to provide a quality education to our students at [a] price the community can afford.”

A communitypress.com article reports that if the district waits until May 2013, then the mils needed will jump to 6.3, costing an owner of a $100,000 home $192 annually.  As more time passes, and the debt continues to mount, the mils needed will increase further.

In a Guest Column in the Milford Advertiser, School Board member Andrea Brady states “I can say with confidence the district is doing all it can to reduce expenses and increase revenue, and we cannot meet current revenue reductions without severely slashing support.”

School levies in the Milford District have met with fierce opposition in the past over questions of fiscal responsibility.  The 2008 levy passed with just 46 votes.  Prior to that, four levy attempts by the district had not been successful.

Milford-Miami Twp. Sharefest

Bethel-Tate School Board Meeting Summary

                  Members of the BTLSD Board of Education met last week and the meeting was very well attended. During the meeting, students from each grade level were recognized for their hard work and achievement during the third and final trimester of the school year. Additionally, the Lions Club presented a Certificate of Appreciation to student, Briana Hamilton, for wining their poster contest.

                  Presentations were made to the Board by the High School Principal, Susan Arn and Treasurer, Amy Wells. Mrs. Arn presented results of the OGT from years 2010 – 2012 and pointed to the amazing improvements made at Bethel Tate High School. Additionally, she explained the Success Academy and the wonderful results the program has seen ~ an increase in graduation rates from 46% to 94.4%!     Mrs. Wells provided a short overview of the Five Year Forecast and Assumption, which are done in October of each year and updated each May. This report is filed with the Ohio Department of Education. Of particular interest to the community, the forecast includes assumed raises of .5% for district employees, unless contracts commitments dictate otherwise. Additionally, our projected end of year balance will near $0 at the end of fiscal 2016.

                  The Board is in the process of adopting new policies to replace outdated policies, mostly from 1990. Some sections were not presented for adoption and other proposed policy was pulled from the vote at the request of member, Buffy Clements. These policies and others will be discussed at a Board work session on Saturday June 16 at 9am. The tentative location of this meeting is Bick Primary. Further information on this may be found online at http://www.betheltate.org/ Board work sessions are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend.

                  The next regular meeting of the Board is Monday June 18, 2012 at 7pm. Please remember that your attendance is appreciated.

Busy Summer for Clermont Roadways

Cincinnati.com reports that the Clermont County Transportation Improvement District (TID) is about to launch $12 Million in new roadway projects in 2012.  The TID is funded by the Board of County Commissioners, the County Engineer’s Office, Miami township, Union township, and the City of Milford.

TID Secretary-Treasurer, and also Clermont county Engineer Pat manger said, “This long term financial commitment enables the TID to secure state and federal funds for projects that require a local match.”

Read the article at Cincinnati.com.

Upcoming Bethel-Tate School Board Meeting

The next regular meeting of the Bethel Tate Board of Education is Wednesday, May 23 at 7pm. The meeting will be held in the Middle School.

Board of Education meetings are open to the public, public participation is welcome and your attendance is encouraged.

New Organization to Assist Veterans

Open Arms…Always, is a newly formed organization to assist active duty soldiers, their families, and Veterans of the American armed forces.

Plans are for an employment referral site and liaison to services, links to other Veteran organizations, a food bank and finances to give assistance to active duty families.

Open Arms … Always is working on “Vets Got Talent”, a talent competition of bands.  At least one member of the bands must be a veteran.  There will be four small competitions before the finale.  The grand prize is a booking in Las Vegas.  A date has not been set.

The next meeting will be Monday, June 4th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Mt. Orab LaRosa’s. Questions can be directed to 937-515-9543.

Uible Brings Entrepreneurial Approach to Clermont County

Clermont County Commissioner Dave Uible was the subject of a feature story by Cincinnati.com on Tuesday.

Uible, who was appointed to the post by the Republican Party Central Committee.  That appointment came after former Commissioner Archie Wilson resigned just before Kenton County charged him with trading drugs for sex.

Uible believes he brings, “a different perspective, not as a politician, not as a corporate guy, but as an entrepreneur. I tend to look at things differently.”

Read the story at Cincinnati.com.