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Sunday, October 16, 2011
Teen driving forum impacts local students Event held by Clermont County Safe Communities Sun staff
Select high school students from across Clermont County participated in a teen driving forum Oct. 5 hosted by the Clermont County Safe at the Communities University of Cincinnati Clermont. And while the topics covered at the summit, such as impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding and more, are frequently discussed with teenagers, the forum left an impact on those who attended the event. “It impacted me to where it makes me think differently when I pick up my cell phone,” Alexis Ingram, a senior from New Richmond High School, said. Representatives from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Children’s Hospital Trauma Center, Students Against Drunk Driving and more were there to speak with students at the forum. Ingram said they heard several personal stories from the speakers, including keynote speaker Skip Phelps who lost his daughter in a car accident
several years ago. “I would never want my parents to have to go through what they’ve gone through,” Ingram said. Rutherford, Amanda Ingram’s friend, also a senior from New Richmond, said the forum made her realize that anyone can be affected by distracted driving, even if someone else is behind the wheel. “I’ve always had the attitude ‘it can’t happen to me,’” Rutherford said. “And it can.” Martha Enriquez, Clermont County Safe Communities coordinator, said the event was designed so that students at high schools in the county including New Richmond, Amelia, Glen Este, Batavia and more, could take what they learned at the forum back to school to share with their peers. “The goal is to give these teams some tools to work with,” Enriquez said. “They have the ability to have a greater impact on their peers.” She said students were selected by teachers to attend the forum, which ran from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and many are members of student organizations at their schools. “I’d share it with most peo-
PHOTOS / KRISTIN BEDNARSKI
High School Students from several districts in the county participated in the Clermont County Safe Communities Teen Driving Forum Oct. 5. The forum was designed to educate students about safe driving habits.
ple,” Kyle Sand, a junior at Glen Este, said about the information presented. “Even if you are a safe driver it doesn’t hurt to know more.”
Sand said he learned about basic driving procedures, such as avoiding the breaks when skidding, that he wasn’t aware of before the pre-
Milford soldier returns from deployment in Afghanistan Huff excited to be home for a visit Sun staff
BY KRISTIN BEDNARSKI Sun staff
PHOTOS / KRISTIN BEDNARSKI
Staff Sergeant Shane Huff of the U.S. Army was honored upon his return from Afghanistan. From left are Commissioners Archie Wilson and Bob Proud, Huff, Rodger Young of the Veterans’ Service Commission, Commissioner Ed Humphrey, and Stephen Caraway of Congresswoman Jean Schmidt’s office.
School. He said he was looking for a career and his duties in the army involve repairing and maintaining $28 million Apache helicopters. “It’s a lot of work,” Huff
said about his job. “I think it’s something like eight maintenance hours for every one flight hour.” But joining the army, and gaining skills he can use his
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The Batavia Township Community Center is already more than just a place for trustees to hold their meetings. But soon, the multi-use property could also become the home field for University of Cincinnati Clermont baseball players. “It goes back to a presentation the owner of the Reds made,” Dr. Gregory Sojka, U.C. Clermont Dean, told trustees at their Oct. 4 meeting. He said the presentation was about the the Reds Community Fund, a baseballthemed outreach that underwrites expenses for field projects and improvements throughout Greater Cincinnati. And one area he noticed was untouched by the outreach was Clermont
County. Dean Sojka contacted Charlie Frank, executive director of the Reds Community Fund, and pretty soon he made a visit to Clermont County. “I have a baseball team with 40 young players and we don’t have a field to play on,” Dean Sojka said. He said currently, the players are practicing and playing games on rental fields in Blue Ash. With the help of the Reds Community Fund he said the players could be brought back in the county and play on a field that actually has their name on it. The Batavia Township Community Center’s baseball fields were selected as a contender by Dean Sojka, baseball coach Joe Spriggs and Reds officials, and they visited the fields to check out their condition and location. “I think they were very impressed with the facility,” Dean Sojka said about the See Batavia, Page 3
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entire life has left an impact on Huff. He said he gained a lot of self confidence and also a lot of pride for the country.
ries have impacted me more than anything else,” Sand said. “Distractions that are simple can be a disaster in someone’s life.”
UC Clermont baseball might utilize Township Community Center College working to secure funds, location for team
BY KRISTIN BEDNARSKI Being deployed is nothing new for Staff Sergeant Shane Huff of the United States Army. But returning to his hometown of Milford and being able to reunite with his two sons never gets old. “It’s really good,” Huff said about how it feels to be home. “I definitely miss them, being gone all the time.” Huff returned from his most recent deployment to Afghanistan the first week of September. Before that the soldier was deployed to Iraq and before that he was in Korea. While he insists that the Army lifestyle is not bad, he said back-to-back deployments were a little difficult, especially having two children; Brayden, 6, and Bryson, 3. Huff joined the army after graduating from Milford High
sentations. He said he will be more cautious when he is driving after attending the forum. “Most of the personal sto-
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This week’s picture, submitted by Wayne Lynam, was taken on Clover Road. The Clermont County Beauty Spot is one of a series of weekly pictures published from nominations from our readers. If you know of a spot, public or secret, in the county you think is without compare, tell our photographer where it is located by calling (513) 732-2511, Ext. 119, or email a photograph of that special someplace to clermontsun@fuse.net.
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