Florence recorder 082417

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F LORENCE RECORDER

CELEBRATING

120 YEARS page 3A

Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Florence and Union

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017

$1.00 BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS

New ‘Rebels’ logo replaces Confederate mascot at Boone County High School Melissa Reinert mreinert@enquirer.com

FLORENCE – The Mr. Rebel image, part of Boone County High School for 60 years, is getting phased out. Mr. Rebel is a Confederate general who stands tall in a light blue uniform, feathered cap, and English mustache. Principal Timothy Schlotman said the decision has nothing to do with nationwide efforts to remove symbols of the Confederacy. Those nationwide movements amped up after a June 2015 mass shooting at an Emanuel AME Church Bible study in Charleston, S.C. Soon after the killing of nine black worshippers, a photograph of the shooter, Dylann Roof, was circulated showing Roof waving a Confederate flag.

PROVIDED/BOONE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS

FILE PHOTO

The new “Rebels” logo at Boone County High School.

The Confederate character mascot is no more at Boone County H.S.

Calls to remove Confederate statues and other symbols have intensified after this month’s deadly car attack at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Here in Kentucky, the city of Lexington voted unanimously Aug. 17 to remove two Confederate statues,

pending approval by the Kentucky Military Heritage Commission. At Boone County High School, the removal of Mr. Rebel has been a local decision that is considerably more low-key. Last year Boone County High School’s Site-Based Deci-

mreinert@enquirer.com

swartman@nky.com

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Melissa Reinert

Scott Wartman

AN APP ‘U’ SHOULD ‘C’

A student-created logo – featuring the letter “B” for Boone with “Rebels” in smaller letters and at a right angle inside the “B” – has replaced the Mr. Rebel image. Schlotman said the school has changed its letterhead, business cards and some signage in the building. “We are replacing things as quickly as possible,” the principal said. The gym floor was also redone prior to last school year and the Mr. Rebel logo was removed. Schlotman said the administration is eliminating the logo as it can considering the costs of replacing items. Some signage was originally provided by outside companies through sponsorship contracts and are not as easy to quickly replace. “It is a process,” Schlotman

Boone vote sets motion for hotel bed increase

Scrap for turkeys case could be costly What started as a holiday program trading scrap metal for turkeys in Boone County could cost $150,000. That’s the amount Boone County will pay former Public Works Director Greg Sketch if the Fiscal Court approves a settlement Tuesday night. Insurance will pay $100,000 of the cost, officials told The Enquirer. The county will pay $50,000. Sketch was placed on unpaid leave in 2013 after the county discovered he paid for turkeys with money collected by the county for scrap metal. The turkeys were given to needy families with children in Boone County Schools. Sketch used the secret fund of more than $12,000 for five years to pay for the turkeys, an investigation by authorities revealed. Unfortunately for Sketch, the county Fiscal Court never approved using the money for

sion Making Council – which includes faculty and parent representation – decided to enact a policy stating the school would phase out using the Mr. Rebel logo. Schlotman approached the council with the idea “because (the logo) did not fit with the global community of our building and the unity we were embracing.” Schlotman said the idea grew heavy on his heart in July of last year. He belonged to a group that hung flags representing 37 nationalities of students the Florence high school had at that time. “Personally, I felt that the messages the flags sent did not coincide with the message some may think of with the Mr. Rebel logo,” he said. “That logo just did not capture the image portrayed in the school.”

ENQUIRER FILE

Former Boone County Public Works Director Greg Sketch was placed on unpaid leave from his job in 2013 and then resigned rather than face an administrative hearing.

turkeys. The county tried to charge Sketch with abuse of public trust. But a grand jury refused to indict him. Sketch retired once faced with an administrative hearing. Two other public works employees resigned. But then Sketch sued the county, claiming they forced him out without due process. Sketch claimed in court documents no county statute prevented the use of scrap

metal proceeds for charitable purposes. “Rather than have the scrap metal simply wasted, (Sketch) properly approved the charitable use of scrap metal,” the lawsuit stated. The county and Sketch for the past three years have worked on a resolution. They even went through a closed mock trial in March 2016. Three months later, federal Judge David Bunning dismissed Sketch’s claim and sidSee SCRAP, Page 2A

BURLINGTON - The Boone County Fiscal Court unanimously passed the 1 percent increase to the transient room tax Aug. 8. Campbell and Kenton counties previously approved the tax increase. Under state law, the county fiscal courts can raise the transient room tax, or hotel bed tax, by 1 percent. Monies from the increase would help develop a capital fund that would be used primarily for expansion of Northern Kentucky Convention Center, located in downtown Covington. Once that is complete, monies will be allocated to tourism projects throughout the Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties. Eric Summe, president, and CEO of meetNKY, applauded all three fiscal courts on their support. The organization, meetNKY, has a mission to serve as an aggressive destination sales, marketing and service organization. Its primary responsibility is to boost the Northern Kentucky economy through conventions, meetings and visitor expenditures. “This modest 1 percent in-

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FILE PHOTO

Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

crease in the region’s hotel tax will pay tremendous dividends for the development of a capital fund that will be used to expand the 204,000-square-foot convention center in downtown Covington,” Summe said. “This will create jobs, attract visitors to hotels, restaurants, businesses, and attractions throughout the region and allow our center to remain competitive with other cities and regions.” At that time, meetNKY and convention center staff will immediately begin initiating and funding a Center Tourism Master Plan to assess and plan for an expanded center, including a potential timeline. Vol. 22 No. 51 © 2017 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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