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Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Harrison, West Harrison, Crosby, Harrison & Whitewater TWPs.
City looks for cash to bring curbs up to ADA standards
WAITING FOR INSTRUCTIONS
Son: elderly parents get hung up on curb for 10-15 minutes An elderly couple’s misfortune of getting stuck on a Harrison curb while on mobility jawad@registerpublications.com scooters has convinced city officials to start a program next year to bring all curbs up to American Disabilities Act standards. The couple’s son, Howard Miller Jr., however, said waiting until 2015 is too long, and wants the city to begin the program immediately, despite being told there are no funds to begin work this year. Miller first visited the planning commission Tuesday, June 10, when he informed members his dad and mom, Donald Miller, 76, and Hazel Miller, 71, got stymied by a non-compliant curb on Murray Court for 10 to 15 minutes. They were headed to their Miller Court home from another son’s house on George Street, a trip they “scootered” several times. “One got hung up and the other one tried to help. My dad got hung up first, then my mom got hung up. … They didn’t call me. I was at my little brother’s, and I just had a bad feeling,” said Miller. “I drove around to make sure they were at their house, and I found them hung up on the curb.” The couple normally builds up speed on the motorized scooters to jump curbs but that technique failed, said Miller, adding the curb drop-off is 6 to 8 inches. Miller agreed building up speed to take curbs is not safe, and there would be no way to break a fall if a scooter tipped. He said he did not know his parents were gunning their scooters to jump curbs. Meanwhile, Harrison Streets Director Jim Leslie acknowledged there are curbs on both sides of the interstate that need to be made ADA compliant but the funds are not there. Joe Awad Harrison Press Editor
SEE CURBS, PAGE 12
PHOTO BY JOE AWAD/HARRISON PRESS
A 911 emergency call that a commuter plane crashed in the Whitewater Valley between Lawrenceburg and Kilby roads at about 8 p.m. Saturday, June 21, turned out to be a flight of fancy. Nevertheless, Whiterwater Township emergency crews and several other crews from Ohio and Indiana were dispatched to both sides of the river. After several hours of searching, including helicopter sweeps at dusk and daybreak Sunday, June 22, the search was called off. The area is a popular location for model airplane enthusiasts.
No breakthroughs in woman’s death The suspect responsible for the death of Jena Nicole Higgins was not yet apprehended by deadline Monday, June 15. According to news sources, Higgins was found dead in the passenger seat of a 1970 Pontiac LeMans on Cilley Road in Whitewater Township.
The driver is said to have struck a utility pole and tree before he abandoned the car and Higgins inside. Drugs and alcohol are said to be a factor and the Hamilton County Sheriff ’s Department is currently investigating the situation. Higgins leaves behind many
grieving family members, including four sons ranging in ages 2-10. Hamilton County Sheriff ’s department representatives said they could not comment on the case or provide or further information because the investigation continues. - Patricia Huelseman
Detours planned for interstate repairs Woman pleads guilty to shorting IRS $350,000
The Ohio Department of Transportation has phuelseman@registerpublications.com embarked upon a $27.9 million repair and reconstruction project of Interstate 275 that will leave certain ramps closed and traffic rerouted to Whitewater Township. Patricia Huelseman Harrison Press Staff Writer
Overall, repair and reconstruction will involve pavement and bridge work on 5.5 miles of I-275 between the Interstate 74 interchange and Colerain Road exit, according to ODOT. In late July or early August, two separate ramps will be closed at separate times. During the closures, crews will work on ramps that are otherwise too narrow to work on during normal traffic hours, said Elizabeth Lyons, ODOT District 8 public information specialist. The I-74 W to I-275 N ramp will be closed, and, then at a different time the I-275 S to I-74 E ramp will be closed. A re-routing plan, called a Texas Turnaround, has been developed to handle traffic during construction. “Basically it’s a big U-turn for I-74 and I-275,” said Lyons.
Motorists headed from I-74 W to I-275 E towards Cincinnati will stay on I-74 W until the Ohio 128 exit in Miamitown. From there, they can re-enter the interstate, this time headed east, and take the 275 E exit. Likewise, drivers on I-275 W headed to I-74 E will have to pass their typical exit and head to the Miamitown exit before entering I-74 E from Ohio 128. Drivers using the turnaround will not have to wait for the traffic signal at Ohio 128, and normal traffic on Ohio 128 will not be affected by rerouted traffic because the Texas Turnaround will have an express lane. During construction, the Miamitown Park & Ride will be closed. The Texas Turnaround is projected to add about five minutes to commutes under normal traffic conditions. The work will take about 60 days though it is just a portion of a major two-year effort that will include resurfacing I-275 between Blue Rock Road and Colerain Avenue, and resurfacing ramps to Ronald Reagan Highway and Blue Rock Road. Work on I-275 between the I-74 interchange and Blue Rock Road will involve reconstruction and resurfacing of I-275. Inside median shoulders in this stretch will be widened from 4 to 6 feet. The contract, with a bid of $27,993,563, was awarded to John R. Jurgensen Co., which should begin work next week.
A re-routing plan, called a Texas Turnaround, has been developed to handle traffic during reconstruction reconstruction of Interstate 275 near Miamiown in Whitewater Township. The Ohio Department of Transportation has embarked upon a $27.9 million repair and reconstruction project of Interstate 275 that will leave certain ramps closed and traffic rerouted to Whitewater Township.
A Lawrenceburg woman, who was a partner in a Harrison-based home health care service, has pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay $350,000 in employment taxes. Between 2003 and 2010, Peggy Dossman, 42, partnered with Gina Kerth, 45, Harrison, in Southwest Home Healthcare. Kerth deducted and collected income and FICA taxes in 2008 and 2009 but did not remit the cash to the IRS, according to federal prosecutors, who announced the guilty plea last week. Dossman will get a maximum five years, and pay $250,000 in fines, according to documents from the U.S. District Court for Southern Ohio in Cincinnati. U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart, in a release, said Dossman also agreed to pay the IRS $352,472 in restitution and $6,573 to the State of Ohio. Dossman was freed on bond, pending sentencing. Kerth, who pleaded guilty in May to not paying over-employment taxes, was released on bond. Her sentencing is set for September. - Joe Awad
On the Inside *Former AD shares stories of 25 years service, Page 10
*Veterinarian finds niche in Harrison, Page 9 *Histortic airplane flight stops in Harrison, Page 3 *Hero awarded medal for saving life, Page 4
Copyright Register Publications, 2014
89th Year, No. 26
PATRICIA HUELSEMAN GRAPHIC/HARRISON PRESS
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