2
CITY/STATE
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Civilian Continued from page 1 regarding how much the community cares and cooperates with the police. “This guy was running all over the place and whenever we lost sight of him, we had lots of citizens pointing him out and the direction he went,” Jamison said. “This guy (Kappeler) actually took him (Keller) down. He didn’t hurt him. He wasn’t trying to be a hero. I think he just saw he could help, and helped.”
through it and I know a lot of the things that grandparents go through,” she said. “I’ve had to work through a lot of those feelings myself, so I just really would like to encourage and help other families going through it. The support group meets every fourth Thursday of the month in the conference room at the Miami Valley Centre Mall. The next meeting will be June 27. For more information
central “one-stop shop” for emergency notification to alert officials and the public in a variety of ways. Artz also commended Art Blackmore, Local Emergency Planning Committee and Jim Bowell, HazMat coordinator, as part of the team which that during the process to obtain the recognition from the National Weather Service. “We have a very robust communication system that works well with our first responders and the public,” Artz said. “We are excited about this recognition, which recognizes the efforts of those you don’t see working behind the scenes.” Parker said severe weather
Ernest I. ‘Ernie’ Lewis
Ryan A. Keller, 31, of Piqua, was arraigned Wednesday on a variety of criminal charges, including misdemeanor theft, receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of property charges, and two felonies, consisting of theft and obstructing official business. Court documents state Keller allegedly committed the felony theft on May 6, which is why he had a warrant out of his arrest. He was charged with obstructing official business following
the pursuit he had with Piqua police. He remained jailed Wednesday afternoon on a combined bond of $10,000. A June 26 preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Miami County Municipal Court. At the scene of the apprehension authorities also recovered an orange syringe that Keller allegedly had on his person, but that he discarded during the foot chase.
about the group, call Weller at 773-4221. Raising grandchildren can be a challenge and an exercise in sacrifice — of time, finances and energy, among other things. “We got the children when we were 47, so it was like starting all over again,” Weller said. “It is an adjustment to not having a life; you give up everything. Your privacy is gone. But sacrifice is not a bad word. It’s a loving word. I’ve never met a grandparent who minded the sacrifice.”
The challenges of raising grandchildren include going through the court system, explaining to children why they aren’t with their biological parent(s) and the emotional issues some children experience. “There can be a lot of sadness because of the reasons you’re raising them, but there’s a lot of joy, too,” Weller noted. “It’s been a joy to watch my grandkids grow up and turn out so well,” she said. “We would do it all over again if we had to.”
poses a significant threat around the country, and collaboration efforts from counties, such as Miami County’s Emergency Management teams, helps to improve the quality of awareness before, during and after severe weather. Parker said a major benefit of being designated a Storm Ready county includes how the county’s emergency management team assesses weather threats to increase the time and effectiveness of warnings for citizens and their property. The timeliness of the alerts is crucial to keep fatalities and property damage at a minimum during storms, Parker said. Parker said training and planning by officials such as the Miami County Emergency
Death notice Management team “goes a long way to saving lives.” TROY — Marlene Hannah, 81, of Troy, passed away 4:20 a.m. Parker commended the Wednesday, June 19, 2013, at her residence. Arrangements are county’s emergency officials for with Fisher-Cheney Funeral Home, Troy. pending offering the community programs such as storm spotter classes and for its emergency response drills to keep officials Policy: Please send obituary notices by e-mail to trained and ready in emergeneditorial@dailycall.com or by fax to (937) 773-4225. cies throughout the year. Deadlines: Notices must be received by 6 p.m. Miami County CommissionSunday and Tuesday-Friday, and by 4 p.m. on Moners Richard Coultice and John for Tuesday’s online edition. day O’Brien thanked the Miami Questions: Please call Editor Susan Hartley at County Emergency Manage(937) 773-2721, ext. 207 if you have questions ment officials their hard work about obituaries. to add Miami County to the list of Storm Ready counties in Ohio. For more information about VISIT US at the county’s emergency management team, visit miamiwww.dailycall.com countyema.org.
Gentis, joined by his wife Patty and his daughter Kylie, said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve as the high school principal at Miami East. Gentis earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Wright State University in 1996 and earned his master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Dayton in 1999. In other news: Miami East Local Schools renewed its liability, property and fleet insurance from the Ohio School Plan through The Hylant Administrative Services from July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014, for $49,870. The renewal policy was $4,572 more than last year’s policy due to claims from wind damage from last year’s derecho in June 2012. Treasurer Lisa Fahncke said the renewal policy was still $15,000 less than other policies’
premiums which were reviewed last year. Fahncke also reported that the district was “right on budget” at the end of fiscal year 2013. Fahncke said increased kindergarten enrollment and new casino revenue boosted the revenue for the year by $25,000. Fahncke also reported expenditures were slightly lower than anticipated dues to retirement and benefit claims down by $50,000. “We are pretty much on target everywhere else,” Fahncke said. “Not over in expenditures and not under in revenue.” Board president Kevin Accurso said the report “sounds good.” The board accepted for the following donations: $1,010 from ETS for the junior high school’s principal’s fund, $100 from ETS for the general fund,
Storm Continued from page 1
• PIQUA DAILY CALL
Obituaries
Grandparents Continued from page 1
WWW.DAILYCALL.COM
TROY — Ernest I. “ E r n i e ” Lewis, 84 of Troy, passed away peacefully at his residence on T u e s d a y, June 18, 2013, after a LEWIS lengthy illness. Born May 12, 1929, in Tipp City, to Frank C. and Pearl M. (Hickman) Lewis. Ernie served his country proudly in the Navy during the Korean War. He retired from A.O. Smith Corporation, Tipp City. Preceded in death by his parents; his stepmother, Mary Lewis; his son, Steven Lewis in 2000; brothers, Richard and Kenneth Lewis; and sisters, Opal Fuls, Via Walley and Jean Hornbeck. Surviving Ernie are his loving wife of 62 years, Barbara E. (Thompson) Lewis; children, David and his wife, Catherine Lewis, Troy; Deanna and her husband, Don Young, Troy; and Gary Lewis, Troy. Brother Tom and his
wife, Connie Lewis, New Haven, Ky.; grandeight children, Bruce (Lisa) Carey, Gig Harbor, Wash.; Kyle (Mijanou) Lewis, Yellow Springs; Michelle Scott, Troy; Brent Lewis, Tipp City; Nicole Greenwood, Troy; Steve (Kelsey) Lewis, Sidney; Stacie Lewis, Englewood; and Cheryl (Nathan) Scott, West Milton and 13 great-grandchildren. Ernie attended the Tipp City Church of the Nazarene. He loved fishing, old cars, and especially his family, grandkids and all his friends. Funeral services will be held at noon on Saturday at the Tipp City Church of the Nazarene, 1221 W. Main St., Tipp City, Pastor Brad Warkentine officiating. Visitation will be Saturday from 10 a.m. until time of service at noon, all at the church. Contributions may be made in memory of Ernie to Hospice of Miami County. Arrangements entrusted to Frings and Bayliff Funeral Home, 327 W. Main St. Tipp City, www.fringsandbayliff.com.
BOE Continued from page 1 language arts, credentialed Ohio Teacher Evaluation System evaluator, lead member of district instructional improvement system pilot team (one of only 19 pilots districts in Ohio), head of the district athletic council and member of the Race to the Top’s transformation team. Gentis’ wife Patty is a second grade teacher at Miami East Elementary. Miami East Local School’s Superintendent Dr. Todd Rappold said Gentis was selected by a committee of nine individuals to serve as the district’s high school principal. “The loss at Tri-Village is our gain,” Rappold said. “We are very fortunate and very pleased to welcome Mr. Gentis to our district.”
$600 from the Victoria Theatre’s Association to the elementary school’s principal fund for transportation to the Shuster Center, $50 from Pomona Grange for the FFA, choir risers valued at $500 from Bethel Local School district and $3,000 from the Miami East PTO to the elementary principal’s fund for purchase of computers for the elementary computer lab. Due to two large junior high school classes, the board approved Heather Gilliland to full-time for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. Gilliland previously was teaching on a part-time basis at the junior high, said Rappold. Due to the two large class sizes, Gillialand will teach the full school day for the two years of the “bubble classes.” The board approved Betsy Borchers as a first grade
teacher on a one-year limited contract, step 1 for the 20132014 school year. The board approved the following personnel for the 2013-2014 school year effective Aug. 1.: Brenda Aviles as a bus driver, Karen Follrod as the technology facilitator at step 7, Jeanie Marlow as assistant cook at step 0, and Susan Blocher as the K-8 cashier, step 0. The board also approved Matt Rutledge at step 6 as the boys varsity assistant basketball coach, Kevin Evans as the boys junior varsity coach at step 6 and Tami Dehart and Jessica McCoy as girls junior varsity soccer coaches with 1/2 step compensation per coach. The board also approved the Miami East High School choir’s out-of-state trip to Orlando, Fla., on April 1-5, 2014.
Goldblum's attorneys said the case is built on a "house of cards" and a "terrible" police investigation. During cross-examination, they highlighted inconsistencies in the girls' testimony.
woman did jail time
State briefs Critic of Kasich's school plan steps down FRANKLIN (AP) — A critic of Gov. John Kasich's school funding plan is resigning as superintendent of a southwest Ohio school district. Franklin City Schools leader Arnol Elam tells The Middletown Journal he wants to spend time traveling with his wife, watching their grandson play sports, and doing other activities. The 61-year-old Elam has 38 years of Ohio education experience. Elam had written to parents in February after Kasich released his funding proposal, which Elam and some other officials said wouldn't do enough for poor districts. Elam agreed to pay back costs of his letter.
Judge dismisses suit over ballot issue COLUMBUS (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Ohio's elections chief over a sidelined 2012 ballot issue. The group Fair Elections Ohio had sought to have voters decide last November whether
certain election rules in the state should be rejected. The group's issue qualified for the ballot, but state lawmakers later repealed the underlying law. Secretary of State Jon Husted then didn't consider the group's issue for the ballot. The group sued for damages and another chance for the ballot. U.S. District Court Judge George Smith said Wednesday the group failed to show a clearly established right to place a referendum on the ballot regarding a repealed statute. Smith said Husted acted "rationally and constitutionally" when he decided not to place the referendum before voters.
Crews recover teen's body in canal HAMILTON (AP) — Emergency crews have found the body of a 15-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in a southwest Ohio canal. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says the body of William Allen, of Hamilton, was recovered just before midnight Tuesday.
Crews responded to the canal in Hamilton several hours earlier on a report of people in the water. Authorities say Allen was swimming in the canal when he started to struggle. They say another boy who had made it to shore went back to try to rescue Allen but was unable to save him.
Girls say doc abused them in his home DAYTON (AP) — Two teenage girls have testified in court about alleged sexual abuse at the hands of a former Dayton emergency room physician during sleepovers at the family's home. The girls, who were younger than 13 when the alleged abuse occurred, told a jury Tuesday about the incidents in the trial of Dr. Keith Goldblum, a former doctor at Good Samaritan Hospital in the city. The Dayton Daily News reports the 59-year-old Goldblum is standing trial for 14-sex related charges against four girls during a nearly nine-year period beginning in 2002. None of the girls are his children or former patients.
Appeals court nixes prison tax
ASHLAND (AP) — A mentally disabled Ohio woman who authorities say was enslaved for two years with her daughter recently spent time in jail after pleading guilty to beating the girl. Court records show that a child endangering complaint was filed against the woman in October 2012. That came just after the woman was charged with shoplifting and asked to be jailed because three people had been mean to her. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged those three people with forced labor. The woman was sentenced to 150 days in jail in February after pleading guilty to child endangering.
YOUNGSTOWN (AP) — A state appeals court says the city of Youngstown can't impose a per-inmate tax on a privately operated federal prison. The Seventh District Court of Appeals this week nullified a $1 a day tax the city has been imposing per prisoner at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, run by the Corrections Corporation of America. The Vindicator newspaper reported that the court ruled it's an occupation tax that's illegal because it was enacted by city council and not by voters. The decision overruled a Mahoning County judge who last year ruled against the Corrections Corporation of America, * Your 1st choice for complete Home which has asked for relief from Medical Equipment the tax. The company contended it was an occupational tax because it targets a specific occu1990 W. Stanfield, Troy, OH pation or business. 45373 • 937-335-9199 www.legacymedical.net Allegedly enslaved
Lift Chairs
40138599