CATCH A STAR
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Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Florence E-mail: kynews@communitypress.com T h u r s d a y, J u l y 2 3 , 2 0 0 9
RECORDER
W e b s i t e : N K Y. c o m
B E C A U S E C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S
Florence seeks arms grant
Emily Robinson volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Volume 14 Number 44 © 2009 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Collection time
In the next few days your Community Recorder carrier will be stopping by to collect $2.50 for delivery of this month’s Florence Recorder. Your carrier retains half of this amount along with any tip you give to reward good service. This month we’re England featuring Jordan England and Lauren Haddigan. Jordan attends Camp Ernst Middle School and is on the A/B honor roll and Haddigan the basketball team. He likes to skateboard and play basketball and video games. Lauren attends Camp Ernst Middle School and is on the A honor roll and the select band. She likes to read, likes to be outdoors and plays the flute. For information about our carrier program, call Victoria Martin at 442-3463 or e-mail vmartin@communitypress.com.
$1,500 cash giveaway
Through July 24, you can win daily cash prizes and get entered for a $500 jackpot from CincyMomsLikeMe.com. Go to MomsLikeMe.com/cincy contests for all the info.
A mission of mercy
An ordinary red-brick house sits atop a hill on Turfway Road. Occupants are a family of strangers all working for the same thing: a better life. Since 2001, Mercy Maternity Home has been housing pregnant woman ages 18-25. Applicants are accepted at any stage of pregnancy and can stay up to four months. – LIFE, PAGE B1
Kings Island bound Readers who won tickets to Kings Island as part of our Readers Choice survey are: • Mark Class of Alexandria • Michael Brunner of Cincinnati • Tara Reese of Hamersville • Darla Hartmann of Cleves Watch the newspaper for more Readers Choice announcements in coming weeks.
To place an ad, call 283-7290.
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Ammunition, rifles part of application By Justin B. Duke jbduke@nky.com
PATRICIA A. SCHEYER/CONTRIBUTOR
Get out of jail
Fifteen-year-old Maggie Maloney of Fort Mitchell doesn’t seem too upset that her friends put her in the St. Paul Jail Saturday night at the St. Paul Festival. She said she knew she had plenty of company, and that they would eventually release her.
Some free rifles and rounds may be coming to the Florence Police Department. The department is seeking a grant that would allow the department to purchase new rifles, Tasers and ammunition. The Law Enforcement Personal Protection Program grant is handled through the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security and could bring in around $21,000 for the department. With the money, the department would buy three rifles, five Tasers and ammunition, said Police Chief Tom Szurlinski. The costs of rifle bullets and Taser cartridges are on the rise, so any help covering costs is welcome, Szurlinski said. “It allows us to practice more,”
The Law Enforcement Personal Protection Program grant is handled through the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security and could bring in around $21,000 for the department. he said. The money would have an added benefit beyond new equipment and supplies. “It does free up money for use in other areas,” Szurlinski said. While getting the grant would be nice, it’s not something the department has to have in order to function properly, and officers will still have the ammunition they need, he said. “We don’t do the rifles or additional Tasers if we don’t get the grant,” Szurlinski said. Florence received the grant several months ago and was able to buy $6,500 worth of ammunition. Like most grants, it’s hard to know for sure if Florence will be awarded the money, but the department is hopeful, Szurlinski said.
Basement holds royal fun house By Justin B. Duke jbduke@nky.com
A place for kids took on the look of a place for kings. Steve Brook built a combined castle and ’50s-style restaurant in the basement of his Florence home. When he moved into his home eight years ago, Brook wanted a way to safely cover the sump pump in his basement. Some friends suggested building a box around it, but Brook felt the box could be more useful They as a playhouse playhouse for his three sons. took on its “It just mixed motif expanded from there,” Brook because one said. They playson, Ethan, house took on now 8 years its mixed motif old, wanted a because one son, Ethan, castle, and now 8 years Elliot, now 10 old, wanted a castle, and years old, Elliot, now 10 old, wanted a years wanted a restaurant. restaurant. The whole project took about a year for Brook, a doctor by profession, to build. “It’s just an overall crazy project,” Brook said. Building the 240-square-feet, two-floored project required Brook to learn some new skills to get the carpet, electricity, cable, phone and intercom to work. “We built it for the kids to enjoy,” Brook said. Originally from England,
JUSTIN B. DUKE/STAFF
Steve Brook enjoys the castle and restaurant themed playhouse he built in his basement with his two sons Ethan, left, and Oliver. friends rarely pass on the opportunity to make jokes about a Brit’s home being his castle, he said. “I just wanted to build something more unique that would inspire the kids’ imaginations,” Brook said.
For the kids, the playhouse is always a popular attraction for friends, Ethan said. “They always say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s awesome,”” he said. As Ethan and Elliot grow older, it’s getting harder to enjoy the
area – the 5-feet ceilings make Elliot have to duck, but the 1year-old son Oliver is just now starting enjoy the castle he’s inheriting, Brook said. “It’s been a big success,” he said.