Early Bird Newspaper 081918

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THE EARLY BIRD NEWSPAPER

WEEKEND EDITION - AUGUST 19, 2018

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE GREAT DARKE COUNTY FAIR!

The 162nd Great Darke Co. Fair is underway RYAN BERRY

MANAGING EDITOR editor@earlybirdpaper.com

GREENVILLE – The 162nd running of the Great Darke County Fair is now underway. The annual ribbon cutting ceremony held on Aug. 17 signified the opening of the event. The fair expects to host between 180,000 and 190,000 visitors during the nine days and nine nights of fun and excitement. Depending on weather and other factors, the fairgrounds could see as many as 200,000 people come through the gate. From the annual Sunday concert, featuring Big & Rich and Tracy Lawrence, to the Jr. Fair livestock shows, there is something for everyone.

For persons who don’t want to spend a lot of money at the fair, the board has put together a great line-up of free entertainment. If music is what you are seeking, the Gazebo is a great place to find talented local and regional artists. Also, there is now free admission to all horse races. Perhaps you want entertainment for your kids. Don’t miss the Sunshine Monkeyshine and Mary Lynn and her family of Capuchin Monkeys or the fishing pond. Not only are they fun shows, but they can be very educational. The Kiddie Tractor Pull, which is always a lot of fun, will allow kids to test their pedal power on Aug. 24, 6 p.m., in the Swine Barn. Registration begins at 5 p.m. You can also support

Directors of the Darke County Agricultural Society were joined by local dignitaries and the Darke County Chamber of Commerce for the annual ribbon cutting. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

the youth by attending the Band Spectacular in front of the Grandstand on Monday evening. The Band Spectacular gives high school music lovers their first look at the bands for this school year. New rides are coming to this year’s fair thanks to PrimeTime Amusements. There is still time to get your three- or five-

day passes through darkecountyfair.com. Those that went through the fairgrounds early were already commenting about how they can’t wait to ride the new rides in the expanded ride area of the Darke County Fair. Also making a return to the Great Darke County Fair is flat-track motorcycle racing. After a 10-year

absence, Western Ohio Motor Sports, LLC and the Darke Co. Agricultural Society teamed up to bring the AMA sanctioned event back to the fair. The dog show also has a new home this year. Visitors can find them in the south end of the fairgrounds to the west of the South Show Arena and just north of Gate 5.

Cardinal Center rumor ‘not true’ says Gettysburg mayor SUSAN HARTLEY

STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com

Board signs second five-year contract for stadium naming rights SUSAN HARTLEY

STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com

GREENVILLE – Thanks to a five-year contract with Premiere Health and Wayne HealthCare, the district will once again reap the benefits of a donation to be used for upkeep and renovations at its sports complex. During its regular monthly meeting Thursday night, the board accepted a $30,000 donation from Premiere Health for its portion of the contract, which grants the medical centers naming rights at the stadium. According to Superintendent Doug Fries, Wayne HealthCare’s donation is $15,000. This is the second fiveyear contract with the medical centers, Fries said. “We were glad to get it renewed,” Fries said of the contract. Also Thursday, the board accepted a $140,000 donation from Friends of Harmon Field, presented by Friends representative Dave Ernst. Board President Brad

From the Grandstand to Implement Row and from the South Show Arena to the Cow Palace, there is always something new to see or do. A single admission to the fair is $7 and children under 12 are free with an adult admission. Membership tickets are available for $20.

Gettinger thanked the Friends of Harmon Field, not only for the donation, but also for all the work behind its fundraising efforts. Another donation, $1,000 from Tribute Funeral Homes was approved for a scoreboard sponsorship. In his report, Fries noted several projects had been completed across the district for the beginning of the new school year, including the new parking lot at Memorial Hall and parking lot and playground improvements at the K-8 facility. In other business Thursday:  The board approved a bid in the amount of $85,700 from Patrick Moeller Inc. for replacement windows at Memorial Hall. Moeller was the low bidder for the job, Fries said.  Approved a $3 per day increase for the Greenville Learning Center. The new rate will be $20 per day. * Approved 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. as the new hours for Greenville Learning Center.

GETTYSBURG – Rumors about the Cardinal Center in Gettysburg closing its doors are “not correct,” says village mayor Jason Lance. The former Gettysburg School building is now in the hands of village officials, Lance said, following the Friends of the Cardinal Center’s disbanding earlier this year. A rumor the building was going to close and be completely demolished, Lance said, came about following a discussion by village leaders about the possibility of demolishing just the west end – or former classroom section. “What happened is we had a council meeting and it was brought up we needed to shut down the entire building and let it rot, but we have a mortgage on the east end,” Lance said. “It would not be financially responsible to just shut the entire building down.” The former school is essentially divided into two separate sections, with the former classroom sec-

The Gettysburg Cardinal Center, on the east side of the village’s former school building, remains open. Village officials are looking into the possibility of razing the west side of the school. (Susan Hartley photo)

tion on the west end and the Cardinal Center, which includes the gymnasium, kitchen, meeting room area and restrooms on the east end. The goal is to keep the Cardinal Center up and running and available to rent for groups, churches and individuals looking for event and meeting space. “It’s been more heavily rented this past year than ever before,” Lance said of the Cardinal Center facility. “But it has not been profitable. The park board was looking in the direction to get some grants or

funding to demolish the west side of the building.” Lance said the village had a preliminary quote of $250,000 to demolish just the classroom section. He also said the village had recently parted ways with their fiscal officer, who Lance believes has a lot to do with the rumor about the village wanting to get rid of the entire facility and that it was no longer available to rent. “A lot of the source of wanting to shut it down came from our former fiscal officer – he no longer works for the village,”

Lance said. “No decision has been made. It is still very much for rent.” For now, Lance said, village officials will continue to seek answers concerning demolishing the classroom section as well as taking a look at utilizing the space if the west side of the building does come down. A green space with additional basketball and/ or tennis courts is just one possibility. As for the former Friends of the Cardinal Center group, Lance said the village was “very appreciative for what they’ve done. The Friends did a really big job managing it. It was mostly older people” who belonged to the Friends group. Several upgrades have been completed in the Cardinal Center portion of the school, including installation of heat and air conditioning. For more information about renting the Cardinal Center, call the village office at 447-2171. Leave a message with the dates you are interested in renting the facility and someone will return your call, Lance said.

Honeywell retirees will reach out to U.S. Supreme Court RYAN BERRY

MANAGING EDITOR editor@earlybirdpaper.com

GREENVILLE – After being told a few weeks ago they would be losing their health benefits, retirees of Honeywell Fram have decided to continue the fight. This time they are hoping the Supreme Court of the United States will hear their plea and rule in their favor. On Aug. 8, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a stay in the previous rulings

that would have stripped the retirees of their health benefits. The order from the Sixth Circuit wrote the stay will allow the appellees time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari, and thereafter until the Supreme Court disposes of the case. If the petition is not filed within 90-days, the stay will be lifted. The retirees have had a rollercoaster ride of emotions over the past few years. After learning Honeywell was dropping the benefits, the union rejoiced in a victory by Judge Walter Rice in

Dayton’s U.S. District Court that ruled the retirees had proven Honeywell offered lifetime healthcare benefits. Earlier this year, the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals reversed Judge Rice’s decision and left approximately 600 Honeywell retirees from the local plant searching for health insurance and prescription coverage. Plaintiffs in the Michigan court case — the UAW and its retirees — had sought summary judgment and a permanent injunction against Honeywell, in a bid to block the company from

ending health benefits, something the company had warned in April that it planned to do. Honeywell has held to its belief there was an absence of “clear vesting language” requiring lifetime health benefits. More recently, U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood ruled Honeywell is not required to provide retirees healthcare coverage or to make any minimum premium contributions. Read more at www.bluebagmedia.com.


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