NORTHEAST
SUBURBAN LIFE
Your Community Press newspaper serving Blue Ash, Montgomery, Sycamore Township, Symmes Township
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013
75¢
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Sycamore Twp. administrator leaves post By Leah Fightmaster
lfightmaster@communitypress.com
Bruce Raabe is leaving his position as Sycamore Township’s administrator. Raabe, who has worked at the township since 2010, has been on paid leave for the past month. Law Director Doug Miller said he wanted to dispel rumors about the situation, adding that both Raabe and the township agreed that “a separation is in order.” He added that no grievance has been filed against him and he’s not under investigation. “This is simply a matter of a difference of opinion of where the township is going,” he said. The Board of Trustees voted Aug.15 to allow Board President Tom Weidman to work out a compensation package for Raabe’s departure. Miller added that when those details are worked out it will be discussed during a public meeting. Raabe’s earned $80,000 per year, plus use of a township car,
Raabe
Weidman
according to the resolution passed by the trustees in 2010 that officially hired him. Planning and Zoning Director/Assistant Township Administrator Greg Bickford has been serving as administrator since Raabe’s paid leave began. Trustee Cliff Bishop said the board didn’t know whether Bickford would continue as the administrator or if a new one will be hired. He added that the terms of Raabe’s departure could be resolved by the next workshop meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, or soon after. Want more updates for Sycamore Township? Follow Leah Fightmaster on Twitter: @LCFightmaster.
As part of tradition, when the Boutilier family reacher Oregon at the end of the trip, they dipped their front wheels in the Pacific Ocean at Seaside, OR. THANKS TO DONNA BOUTILIER
Symmes family cycles across U.S. By Leah Fightmaster
lfightmaster@communitypress.com
New law aims to slow head trauma Arguably the best player on the field, wasn’t. A week into contact drills during preseason football practices at New Richmond High School, a four-year starter and team leader had participated for part of only one practice. Not because of bad grades. Not for disciplinary reasons. Not even because he didn’t feel up to playing. Rather, he’d been held out to comply with the law. A new Ohio requirement – signed into law in December of 2012 and enacted in April of this year –
prevents players with concussions from returning to action too soon. This particular player took a blow to the head on the first day of practice and had yet to receive medical clearance to play. (The Community Press is not naming the student-athlete for privacy reasons; he has since been cleared to play.) “You can’t be too careful,” first-year Lions head coach Josh Stratton said. “He had his bell rung, for sure. But with this See TRAUMA, Page A4
The Boutilier family of Symmes Township spent nearly two and a half months riding their bikes across the TransAmerica Trail this summer, from May to July. From left: Emily, Joanna, Donna and Glenn hold up one of the maps they used to follow the trail across the United States. LEAH FIGHTMASTER/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
Collection time Now you can get more for your dollar! In the next seven to 10 days your carrier will be collecting for your Northeast Suburban Life. When you pay your carrier the monthly charge of $3.50, you will receive a coupon worth $3.50 off a classified ad, Not only will you be helping to supplement your carrier’s income, you will also be saving money doing it. This month we salute Steven Paul. Steven has been a carrier
WELCOME SOUNDS B1 The Sycamore Community Summer Singers recently completed another successful European choral tour.
since 2007. He is a sophomore at Seven Hills School. He volunteers at the Newport Aquarium during the summer. Paul For information about our carrier program, call circulation manager Steve Barraco at 248-7110, or e-mail him at sbarraco@communitypress.com.
FLOW CHARTS Sycamore High School students build rain garden. See Schools, A6
TRANSAMERICA TRAIL The TransAmerica Trail was set up in 1976 by a group called Bikecentennial, which changed its name to Adventure Cycling Association. Here are a few facts about the trail. » The trail begins (or ends, depending on the direction) in Astoria, Ore. and crosses 10 states and four mountain ranges to Yorktown, Va. » It’s 4,233 miles from start to finish, if the cyclist follows
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the designated trail. » The trail runs through both Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. » It can be traveled during the months of May to September, and scheduling three months to travel the trail is recommended. » The highest pass is more than 11,500 feet above sea level in Colorado. —Information from www.adventurecycling.org
News ..........................248-8600 Retail advertising ..............768-8404 Classified advertising .........242-4000 Delivery ........................576-8240 See page A2 for additional information
Looking at the Boutilier family, one would notice they all have a similar slim build. Jaws hit the floor when they tell people they just spent part of their summer riding their bikes across the United States. This Symmes Township family has cycling in its blood. Donna, 59, attempted to make the cross country trip before, but she ran out of vacation days and had to stop and return to work. Glenn, 60, had open-heart surgery in April and went back to cycling soon after. Emily, 21, is a senior at Xavier University and Joanna, 19, is a student at Ohio State University. All four put their busy lives on hold for nearly 10 weeks to make the more than 4,000-mile trip. Beginning in Yorktown, VA, May 19, they started on the TransAmerica Trail, a cycling route from Virginia to Oregon that crosses four mountain ranges and 10 states, set up in 1976 to celebrate America’s bicentennial. Following maps and the information that the Adventure Cycling Association, who maintains the trail, proSee CYCLES, Page A2 WATCH: The Boutiliers offered some advice for anyone considering a long bike trip. Watch it here: http://cin.ci/17SaFh8
Vol. 50 No. 23 © 2013 The Community Press ALL RIGHTS RESERVED