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BELLEFONTAINE, OH • PERMIT NO. 500
BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Vol. 124 • No. 84
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BELLEFONTAINE E EXAMINER
BELLEFONTAINE BOARD OF EDUCATION
High school associate principal hired College Credit Plus program discussed
BY MANDY LOEHR EXAMINER STAFF WRITER mloehr@examiner.org
Bellefontaine City Schools Board of Education members hired a new associate principal/dean of students for the 2015-16 school year at their Monday evening meeting. Current Kenton High School Principal Rick Abbott was extended a one-year contract, effective Aug. 1. He will be retiring from Kenton City Schools at the end of this school year, Superintendent Brad Hall noted. His salary was set at
$82,886. He will replace current associate principal Jason Brown, who plans to return to the classroom to teach social studies, Mr. ABBOTT Hall said. Christine Jeffers also was appointed as high school guidance counselor for the 2015-16 school year. She will replace Eric Hamm, who will fill a vacancy at the intermediate school. Members accepted the retirement resignation of
Virginia Fergus, cook, effective June 30. She has worked 1 in the district for 27 ⁄2 years. The board also accepted the resignation of Sheridon Storm, third grade, effective June 3. During the committee reports, members provided updates on the College Credit Plus Program, which recently has been rolled out by the state as a way to combine and revise previous offerings. Some of the advantages of the program include free access to the classes for students and a cost of $40 per credit hour for the district.
There also are no course prerequisites for the students. Christine Galvin, executive director of instruction, said there has been a jump in students taking dual enrollment classes this year. Last year, 109 students were enrolled, and this year 170 students are participating. One of the district’s goals is to make it possible for pupils to obtain an associate’s degree while still in high school by 2018, when the current freshman students graduate.
See BOARD on Page 7
COMMON PLEAS COURT
Woman pleads guilty in 100-year-old mother’s death BY REUBEN MEES EXAMINER STAFF WRITER rmees@examiner.org
A 77-year-old Rushsylvania woman admitted Monday she allowed her mother, Blanche Cowen, to live in squalid conditions for years and to eventually die under the care of a mentally-handicapped man barely capable of caring for himself. Mary Strawser, 7760 N. County Road 5, Rushsylvania, appeared in Logan County Common Pleas Court and entered guilty pleas to third-degree STRAWSER felony counts of reckless homicide and theft from the elderly. She originally was charged with a first-degree felony count of involuntary manslaughter — which was reduced to reckless homicide — theft and two counts of failure to provide for an impaired person, fourth-degree felonies that were dropped in exchange for the plea. Assistant Logan County Prosecutor Sarah Warren detailed the final years of Ms. Cowen’s life beginning with a 2008 doctor’s visit that, aside from her 100th birthday celebration in 2013, was her last real contact with the outside world.
See GUILTY on Page 7
Drug, theft cases handled BY THE BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER STAFF EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES
A fight breaks out between members of the Hatcher and McGee families during a Monday evening dress rehearsal for Calvary Christian School’s first production — The Ballad of Pistol & Rosie, a hillbilly version of Romeo and Juliet, that will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the church sanctuary, 1140 Rush Ave.
CCS presents first production BY THE BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER STAFF
Calvary Christian High School presents The Ballad of Pistol & Rosie, a hillbilly version of Romeo and Juliet, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, in the church sanctuary, 1140 Rush Ave. A dinner will be served by the cast before the show at 6 p.m. Friday, March 27, at the cafeteria, featuring applewood smoked chicken, twice baked potatoes,
corn on the cob, rolls, and turnovers with homemade ice cream. Prices for the dinner and play are $12 for adults or $8 for students, and tickets for the play only are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Purchase tickets at the door or in advance at the school. The comedy is an original script written and directed by English teacher Sharyn Kopf, and co-directed by Rebekah Dodson. Set along the Tug Fork River in West
Virgina, the story about forgiveness follows Pistol, played by Jake Watkins; and Rosie, played by Makayla Hartley; and the intense rivalry between their two families. The story also is loosely based on the Hatfield and McCoy feud. Other lead cast members include Will Kint, played by Stephen Smithers; Sweet Susie, played by Mia Printz; Floyd, played by Ben Tanner; Nanna, played by Aleesha Watkins; and Uncle Eustace, played by Noah Taylor.
Logan County Common Pleas Judge Mark S. O’Connor handled four drug cases and two theft cases during a busy afternoon Monday. Brian Mickley, 44, of Bellefontaine, and Holli Stiles, 40, of Bellefontaine, each was placed on the intervention program for their crimes.
See COURT on Page 6
11-year-old boy dies in crash BY THE BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER STAFF
Connor Strobridge, 11, of Bellefontaine, died following a twovehicle crash about 5 p.m. Monday on U.S. Route 68 near Township Road 219, troopers of the Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol report. The victim, a fifth-grade student at Benjamin Logan Middle School, was a passenger in a northbound car operated by Jacob
See CRASH on Page 7
Abraham awarded posthumous Meritorious Service honor BY THE BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER STAFF
EXAMINER PHOTO | T.J. HUBBARD
Accepting the Meritorious Service Award for the late Richard H. Abraham were, from the left, Daryl, Scott, Julie, Emily and Andy Abraham.
The late Richard H. Abraham was honored Monday evening with the 2015 Meritorious Service Award during the Mary Rutan Health Association’s annual meeting, honoring his more than 30 years of service as a member of numerous boards and committees of Mary Rutan Hospital. Scott and Daryl Abraham accepted the award on their father’s behalf during the
meeting at the Crossroads Business Center. Mr. Abraham passed away at age 79 in June. Scott is the third generation member of the Abraham family to serve on the hospital’s board. Foundation Board Chairwoman Nancy Knight shared about Mr. Abraham’s impact on the hospital and Logan County. “Mr. Abraham’s knowledge of the community, family background, experi-
ences in real estate, business and banking made him an excellent board member and valuable source of information when decisions were made impacting Mary Rutan Hospital and our community. “Dick will always be remembered as a caring, compassionate individual who knew the true meaning of ‘community.’” The award recipient’s connection to Mary Rutan Hospital goes back to his
See AWARD on Page 7
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