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THE BROWN COUNTY PRESS Serving Brown County, Ohio since 1973
Vol. 39 No. 8
Sunday, October 2, 2011
2012 Brown County Fair opens to great weather and rave reviews By Martha Jacob The Brown County Press It was a great week at the 2011 Brown County Fair, according to Dennis Broughton, one of the 16 Fair Board directors. "We are all very pleased with this year's fair and are also thrilled that the weather has cooperated as well as it has all week. After raining all day on Monday it completely cleared up for our opening parade. It was a real blessing, as if God was excited about the parade." Broughton said there were well over 200 entries in the
parade which lasted over two hours long as it traveled from Georgetown High School parking lot through town into the fairgrounds. "We always appreciate how cooperative the fire departments are," added Broughton, "We know how much the kids like to hear those sirens, but they not only scare small children, they scare horses in the parade which can be dangerous. We try to place our fire department vehicles every ten entries, so that if they have an emergency, they can get out of the line quickly. We've also established a couple side roads that the emergency
vehicles can use, sort of a back-up plan.” He continued, "This year's Monday crowd was one of the biggest we've ever had, then on Tuesday night, with the show by Neal McCoy, the stadium was packed, and it seats about 2,500 people. Then there was another 200 seats in the grass and hundreds of people standing up. And at the same time, there was probably another 2,000 people at the demolition derby. All total, we figured there was at least 10,000 people here on Tuesday." Broughton said the fair CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
Boxer battle underway in Municipal Court after dog taken by dog wardens BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press The Brown County Press/KELLY DAY
2012 Fair Queen Madison Buck and Fair King David Burns were crowned on opening night of the fair, Monday, Sept 26.
2012 County budget will be a tight one The Brown County Commissioners are looking forward to 2012 with a preliminary county budget. “This is a planning document right now”, said County Commission President Ralph Jennings. “Elected officials have made their requests to us and we have to take a look at how we can match those requests to the revenue we have available.” Jennings said adjustments will have to be made, because the preliminary budget figure for the 2012 County General Fund is $8,987,215.37. That is nearly $750,000 higher than last year’s General Fund Budget of $8,246,091.77. “We may see a revenue increase of one or two percent, but there is no way we’ll get another three quarters of a million dollars coming in”, Jennings said. The commissioners have built some flexibility into the budget, with $100,000 in the Miscellaneous fund and $291,785.75 in a contingencies fund. Both numbers are similar to the 2010 budget with the contingencies fund slightly higher. Jennings said the contingencies fund came in handy earlier this year. “That’s the money we used to fix the air conditioning and the roof at the Sheriff’s Office”, he said. The commissioners also have $400,000 in a Budget Stabilization Fund. Jennings said that money was strictly for emergencies and would only be spent as a last resort. “We have to be ready for just about anything to come down the road at us”,
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Index Classifieds..........Page 21 Court News......Page 18 Death Notices.........Page 7 Education...............Page 8 Opinion ..............Page 4 Social..................Page 8 Sports ........Pages 14-17
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Jennings said. Meeting the requests contained in the preliminary 2012 budget would require the county to use all three discretionary funds, only leaving about $50,000 for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. Moving forward, the county will also have to pay an additional $164,000 per year to pay off two loans taken out to buy the Aicholtz Building and repair the roof of the courthouse. One of the largest increases in the 2012 budget request went to the Board of Elections.
More money will be necessary for that office because 2012 is a Presidential election year with a statewide primary also scheduled for March. At a public hearing for the budget held on Sept. 28, Jennings, Commissioner Bill Geschwind and Commissioner Rick Eagan all commented on how money was still tight in the county. They also said they were aware that county employees were working very hard and have not received a pay raise in three years. A final temporary budget is due by December 31.
Morehead is contesting Fischer for ownership of Tango, which she has renamed “Hooch”. State law requires that all dogs picked up by dog wardens be held for 72 hours to give their owners time to
reclaim them. That amount of time would have allowed Fischer to reclaim her dog. However, Tango was declared “abandoned” and removed from the shelter by CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
New Wildlife Officer Assigned to Brown County
Nick Owens announces his candidacy for the Ohio House of Representatives Nick Owens of Batavia has announced his candidacy for the Ohio House of Representatives in the newly created 66th District for the Republican primary election in 2012. “I am a lifelong representative of the new house district and I would be honored to represent its citizens in Columbus”, Owens said. Acknowledging his youth, Owens said he hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the state legislature and to help his generation and others work toward a brighter future for Ohio. Owens is a graduate of Batavia High School and the University of Cincinnati. Currently, he is in his last year of law school at the University of Dayton where he is scheduled to graduate this May. Prior to entering law school, Owens worked nearly five years for U.S. Representative Jean Schmidt with separate stints in her Cincinnati district and Washington, DC offices. “The most important issue facing Brown and Clermont Counties today is jobs. The 66th Ohio House District deserves a representative in the state legislature who will fight tirelessly for jobs in Southern Ohio. The latest unemployment numbers of 9.1 percent for our state is completely unacceptable and while leaders in Columbus are working hard for Ohio, we must continue to do better,” Owens said. “The citizens of Brown and Clermont Counties
The Brown County Press/WAYNE GATES
Mary Fischer (right) testifies during the hearing on Sept. 28. Judge Joseph Worley is at left. Brown County Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Little and Brown County Deputy Dog Warden James Massie are in the foreground.
XENIA, OH – Eric S. Lamb, 35, of Wilmington, Ohio has recently been assigned as the state wildlife officer for Brown County according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Wildlife officers have statewide jurisdiction to enforce wildlife regulations, investigate allegations of waterway pollution, protect state property and make arrests. They also conduct educational programs, advise landowners on dealing with
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wildlife, and keep local agencies and conservation organizations updated on wildlife projects and regulations. They frequently work alone and can be assigned anywhere in the state. Lamb is a 1993 graduate of Clinton Massie High School in Clinton County. In 1999, he received an Associate’s Degree in wildlife management from Hocking College. Before becoming a state wildlife officer, Lamb worked for the Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Submitted Photo
Nick Owens
deserve the opportunity to the live the American dream and should not have to leave the State and their loved ones to find gainful employment. It is time for Ohioans of all backgrounds to work together and put our state back in the right direction and I’m prepared to roll up my sleeves and get right to work,” he continued. The newly created 66th House District includes all of Brown County and most of Clermont County, including Village of Batavia, Batavia Township, Village of Amelia, Pierce Township, Village of Williamsburg, Williamsburg Township, Ohio Township, Village of New Richmond, Monroe Township, Washington Township, Village of Moscow, Village of Neville, Franklin Township, Village of Felicity, Village of Chilo,
Tate Township, and Village of Bethel. Owens graduated from Batavia High School in 2003, and also enrolled at Clermont College as a fulltime student during his Junior and Senior years of high school. Owens graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Owens is currently pursuing a law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. He is scheduled to graduate in May of 2012. During his last year of law school, Owens has worked for the Brown County Prosecutor’s Office where he has assisted in the prosecution of numerous criminal misdemeanor CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
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BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press
A battle over a Boxer is underway in Brown County Municipal Court. “Tango”, a Brindle Boxer, was picked up by dog wardens from the Brown County Animal Shelter on Aug. 22. He was at the home of Earl Kerns on Kincheloe Road and was not wearing a collar or tags. The dog was declared abandoned on animal shelter paperwork and adopted out to Pardoned Pooches, an animal rescue group on Aug. 23, the next day. The group then turned the dog over to Jill Morehead, a Hamilton County resident. On Aug. 24, Mary Fischer of Stony Hollow Road came to the animal shelter asking about Tango. After finding out that he had been adopted out the previous day, she became very upset and began the legal process to reclaim the dog.
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Submitted Photo
Eric Lamb, Brown County Wildlife Officer, Division of Wildlife