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THE BROWN COUNTY
PRESS
The Brown County Press Sunday, July 12, 2015 • Volume 42 No. 49 Serving Brown County, Ohio since 1973
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www.browncountypress.com bcpress@frontier.com Phone (937) 444-3441 Fax (937) 444-2652
BCRWA water coming to Aberdeen BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press Residents of Aberdeen can expect water from the Brown County Rural Water Association to flow from their taps next summer. Ground will be broken on the $3.7 million dollar project next month. The project is scheduled to be complete in July of next year. Details on the construction project were laid out during a July 9 meeting at BCRWA headquarters near Ripley. “I think it’s going to be a great addition to Brown County Rural Water, and more importantly, we are helping a community in need, and that’s what we’re all about,” said BCRWA
Board Chairman Lowell Allen. Allen said that the new infrastructure being built will not only help Aberdeen, but other BCRWA customers in the area as well. Approximately 1000 new customers are expected to be added once the construction is complete. The work includes building a new high capacity water tower near Ohio Valley Manor on US 68 and running a new eight inch water line from that point to connect with the Aberdeen system. The project is being funded primarily by a $3.5 million dollar loan from the Ohio Water Development Authority. Construction is CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Wayne Gates/THE BROWN COUNTY PRESS
Board members and staff of the Brown County Rural Water Association, along with representatives of the Village of Aberdeen and local elected officials, celebrated the July 9 announcement of a construction timetable to bring BCRWA water to Aberdeen in July of next year.
Save-A-Lot to Marijuana question closer to ballot open in Bethel BY Megan Alley Sun Publishing Staff
BY Wayne Gates Managing Editor Save-A-Lot is coming to Bethel. The store will be opening at the site of the former Bethel IGA on West Plane Street within 60 days, according to building owner Chris Munafo. “We’re happy for the community that they will have a grocery store,” said Munafo. He added that there will be approximately 10,000 square feet of retail space remaining in the building,
and that he was seeking another tenant to join SaveA-Lot. Munafo also owns the building where the now closed IGA in Ripley was operating. He said he was still seeking a grocery operator for that building as well. The IGA stores in Ripley and Bethel were both closed suddenly on June 4 when Munafo locked out store operator Charles Collins over missed lease payments. Save-A-Lot is already seeking employees at the Bethel location.
The campaign to legalize marijuana in Ohio is one step closer to qualifying for the November 2015 ballot. Responsible Ohio, the group working to legalize marijuana for medical and personal use by adults 21 years of age and older, submitted more than 695,000 petition signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office on June 30. “We’re feeling really good right now,” said Faith Oltman, spokesperson for Responsible Ohio. “It’s promising and exciting that we were able to gather
these signatures to get on the ballot.” Organizers collected 7,306 signatures from Clermont County. A number of signatures were collected in Brown County as well. Those signatures were being counted at press time. Responsible Ohio needs at least 305,000 verified signatures to qualify for the ballot. The signatures are currently being checked by the local Boards of Elections in which they were gathered. Responsible Ohio projects that the industry will generate $554 million in new tax revenue statewide by 2020. Clermont County
and its municipal governments are projected to receive a total of $8,411,472 in new tax revenue each year if the amendment passes, according to a press release from Responsible Ohio. “People all over Ohio are excited about the idea of legalizing marijuana,” said Oltman. “The folks who are reaching out to us believe that marijuana prohibition has failed, and they want the localized benefits of legalization. This will help bolster local economies.” She added, “This is certainly an opportunity for additional revenue to come back to municipalities and
county governments all over Ohio. This will provide money for roads and safety services that was depleted by industries being lost and government cuts made by the state.” If the amendment passes, there will be 10 commercial scale growing facilities located throughout the state. Three facilities will be located in southwest Ohio, with one facility each in Hamilton, Butler and Clermont counties. “Right now, 10 growing facilities are slated to allow for regulation of the industry, to ensure they are safe
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18 indicted by Annual Blevins ride set for July 18 Grand Jury BY Martha B. Jacob The Brown County Press
Eighteen people were indicted by a Brown County Grand Jury on July 6. Timothy Freeman, 46 of Sardinia, faces one count of Illegal Manufacture of Drugs and one count of Aggravated Possession of Drugs, both second degree felonies. He is also charged with Illegal Assembly or Possession of Chemicals for the Manufacture of Drugs, a third degree felony and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, a first degree misdemeanor. The drug in question on the indictment is methamphetamine. Samantha Watkins, 42 of Fayetteville, faces one count of Illegal Manufac-
Index Classifieds....19, 20 Court News.........17 Death Notices...6, 7 Legals ...........15, 16 Opinion .................4 Sports ...........13, 14 219 South High St. Mt. Orab, OH 45154
ture of Drugs and one count of Aggravated Possession of Drugs, both second degree felonies. She is also charged with Illegal Assembly or Possession of Chemicals for the Manufacture of Drugs, a third degree felony. The drug in question on the indictment is methamphetamine. Jennings Childress, 38 of Cincinnati, faces one count of Possession of Heroin, a fifth degree felony and one count of Possessing Drug Abuse Instruments, a first degree misdemeanor. Ronald Marshall, 28 of Ripley, faces two counts of Trafficking in Heroin, both fifth degree felonies. Sammi Carroll, 26 of Aberdeen, faces one count of Trafficking in Heroin, a fifth degree felony. Billy Strange, 37 of Aberdeen, faces one count of Trafficking in Heroin, a fifth degree felony. Karen Maddox, 40 of Mt. Orab, faces one count of Aggravated Vehicular Assault, a third degree felony, one count of Failure to Stop After an Accident, a fifth degree felony, and three counts of Operating a CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
The word is go,go,go for the 5th Annual Seth Blevins Memorial Scholarship Motorcycle Ride set for Saturday, July 18 at 1 p.m.. Riders will meet at RD’s Wayside Inn in Russellville. Last year nearly 140 motorcycles took part in this big event, according Lisa Vogel, member of the scholarship committee. All proceeds will go towards the SPC Seth Blevins Memorial Scholarship Fund. Blevins lost his life on May 23, 2011 while in combat operations serving the Second Battalion 27th Infantry Regiment 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Afghanistan. He was born and raised in Brown County and a 2008 graduate of Eastern High School. The first ride was organized by Vogel, a Russellville resident and employee of RD’s Wayside Inn. Vogel said that she believes that Seth Blevins would have been happy and proud that a scholarship fund had been set up in his name. “I know that Seth would be pleased to know that some Brown County student will have a chance to go to college because of this scholarship fund,” Vogel said.
Provided/THE BROWN COUNTY PRESS
This photo was taken at the 2nd Seth Blevins Memorial Scholarship Bike Ride in Russellville, held on June 23, 2012. Over 110 bikes took part and over $5,146 was generated from the ride. This year the event will take place on July 18 in Russellville.
This year’s event will begin around 11 a.m. with registration at RD’s. It will include a dinner served when the riders return. The cost of the ride is only $10 per rider. Ride tee shirts will be available at a cost of $11 each. “We’ll be having a splitthe-pot drawing, a cow dump and a quilt raffle, Vogel said. “There is also going to be a special raffle for either a Mac toolbox, a
Bose soundbar and an Amish made wishing well. Raffle tickets can be purchased in advance at RD’s.” Vogel would like to invite everyone out to take part in this fun event or just watch as the bikes roar into and out of town for this ride. “If you want to feel good about doing something,” she said, “Join us Saturday, July 18 around noon when the festivities begin. With so much negativity going on in
the world today, this is something positive with a lot of good people taking part.” For more information on this upcoming event please call (937) 377-2401 or 9937) 515-4445. Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the SPC Seth Blevins Memorial Scholarship may do so by mailing their donation to 9443 St. Rt. 353, Russellville, Ohio 45168.
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BY Wayne Gates The Brown County Press