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FLORENCE RECORDER

Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Florence and Union $1.00

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016

SPORTS 1B Boone football stars lead the way

BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS

Wenrich catches curve-ball surprise Karen Meiman

Community Press Contributor

KAREN MEIMAN/FOR THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Florence Freedom player Isaac Wenrich reacts to seeing Nate Boyer of Chandler, Arizona, who is credited with saving his life after a heart attack earlier this year.

FLORENCE – Florence Freedom catcher Isaac Wenrich rocked from leg to leg on the baseball field Friday night, choking back the tears. But it was inevitable. He cried. The fans cheered. Seconds earlier, Wenrich had been thrown a curve ball – of sorts. He had turned around from a staged photo op and had seen the young man who saved his life on March 28. The 26-year-old, physically fit athlete’s mouth flew open. He pumped his fists like he had just hit a home run and ran to give 14-year-old Nate Boyer a long hug. Then the catcher found his emotions overwhelming. “I didn’t see that one coming,” Wenrich said. “I had no idea. I can’t say enough good things about him.” Nate threw out the first pitch of the game. Wenrich caught it. Then, Nate discovered June 10 had been proclaimed Nate Boyer Day in the City of Florence, as Mayor Diane Whalen read the proclamation. With a big grin, Nate gave Wenrich a knuckle tap. For six weeks, Florence Freedom host family coordinators – Scott and Vicki Walker, Bev Snider and Shirley Brown –

Pallet company burns in Florence

“Dancing with the CLC Stars” helps NKY children. 4B

worked on their covert operation to pull off a surprise reunion for Wenrich and Nate. They secretly booked a flight for Nate and his mom Julie to fly from Chandler, Arizona, to Kentucky to surprise Wenrich on Boy Scout campout night at UC Health Stadium. It was a perfect night for the surprise, they thought. Nate had learned CPR in Boy Scouts when he was 10 years old. And on March 28, the skills he acquired saved Wenrich’s life. Wenrich, who often spends time in Arizona, had been coach of Nate’s baseball team, The Grinders. Nate, who plays second base, became buddies with Wenrich and started taking hitting lessons from him. “Isaac and I give each other grief,” Julie said jokingly. “That night (March 28) Isaac was running 15 minutes late, as usual, and I told

Sarah Brookbank sbrookbank@communitypress.com

sbrookbank@communitypress.com

CELEBRITY DANCERS

NATE BOYER 14-year-old boy who saved Isaac Wenrich

SARAH BROOKBANK/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Firefighters arrive on the scene at a fire at A-One Pallet Distributing Co. in the 7400 block of Industrial Road in Florence.

time. Florence Fire Marshal Bob Krebs said the Florence Fire Department received a call from A-One Pallet that a pile of skids caught on fire outside of the building just before 6 p.m. on May 7. Employees evacuat-

ed when crews arrived. One firefighter was hospitalized Tuesday night after the heat of the flames and exertion. They were treated and released later that night.

RITA’S KITCHEN Make dad filet mignon for Father’s Day. 6A

See PALLET, Page 2A

UNION – After a month without a city administrator, Union has hired a replacement. Matt Dowling will start as city administrator on June 22. Dowling is currently a procurement and contract specialist for Sanitation District 1 and has worked for Fort Thomas and Covington. In Covington, Dowling was the business manager for the City Solicitor’s Office. The position in Union opened after former city administrator David Martin was appointed to the Rural and Municipal Aid Division of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Union Mayor Larry Solomon said the position was filled

See WENRICH, Page 2A

See page A2 for additional information

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quickly because it is essential. During the City Commission meeting on June 6, Solomon and Dowling were already discussing what was on the new administrator’s plate. development Dowling’s background makes him an asset for Union, which has already seen significant growth. With construction on Mount Zion Road predicted to bring more growth, having someone to assist with the Economic Development Committee is a must. “I have a lot of background in development, with SD1 as well as local government in Covington. I thought this was a perfect fit. Obviously there is a lot of growth happening in Union and it’s important to create smart See UNION, Page 2A Vol. 21 No. 41 © 2016 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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him not to mess with me. I was going to a dinner.” Everyone who works at Florence Freedom knows Wenrich’s contagious “over-the-top” personality, said Director of Group Sales Amanda Sipple. “He always has a big smile. He’s always joking around. When he came here, everyone knew him within a week. He’s just a super sweet guy.” Knowing his former coach’s humor, Nate didn’t know what to think when he saw Wenrich slump – seconds after using his phone – from the bucket of baseballs on which he had been sitting a few minutes into Nate’s baseball lesson at Desert Breeze Park in Chandler. Nate initially thought it was a prank. “When he didn’t respond to, ‘Are you OK?’ about five times, I knew he wasn’t joking around. Then I saw abnormal breathing,” Nate said. Wenrich, who was having a widow maker heart attack – his artery 100 percent blocked – soon stopped breathing. “I saw Isaac’s phone and tapped it, because I knew he had a lock on it. I called 911 and the dispatcher told me to perform CPR.” Nate repositioned Isaac and began pumping his chest. “The ambulance was there within minutes,” Nate said. “I’ve

Union hires new city administrator

Sarah Brookbank

Emergency crews responded to a four-alarm fire at AOne Pallet that sent large clouds of smoke above Florence May 7. Assistant Fire Chief Scott Knoll said the Florence Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire and how much in damage was done. Knoll said due to the extensive amount of damage it is difficult of know how 100 percent what caused the fire at this

“I’ve thought about this many times and if I had had the time to think about the situation, I would have been scared.”