$1.25
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020
World War II vet going strong on 75th anniversary
Freeport residents question fees, hear project update
By JD LONG
jim@harrisonnewsherald.com HOPEDALE – The 75th anniversary of VJ Day, victory over Japan, which ended all of World War II will be observed on Sept. 2. But for Lemmie Causby, he is still going strong at 94 years of age. The Hopedale resident opened up his home for some company this week and talked a little about his life in the service. Causby served in the Army’s 75th Infantry Division and saw combat while on the frontlines in Germany near Dusseldorf. But Lemmie doesn’t care to talk much about that, which always carries unpleasant memories. Yes, he admits he probably did some killing but understood it was kill or be killed. He knows some soldiers came home after the war and talked about it but that was never his cup of tea. He preferred not to talk about that part of the war. He spoke of how young many of the German soldiers were by that time with many being mere boys. Lemmie’s first action came after the Battle of the Bulge and some of it being fierce, he recalled. He also remembers the time he came across his first dead soldier, a German near the Rhine River. He said it’s something that sticks in his mind to this day. “I spent lots of sleepless nights in foxholes,” he recalled. “I was pretty lucky though, but that’s the way I felt about war.” He also remembers the Polish prisoners and when the time came to take care of their needs they wanted weapons so they could go and fight-revenge was on their minds. “We had a heck of a time keeping them inside,” he said laughing. Lemmie didn’t enter the war until September of 1944 and became one of those replacements where he made the rank of sergeant and what Lemmie remembers best is the friends he madeeven with a few German soldiers. As Germany was surrendering his squad was each assigned a German prisoner or two. They would clean the barracks and perform other menial tasks and he and “his Germans” got along quite well. In fact one became so fond of Lemmie he wrote him a letter thanking him for being treated so well. And Lemmie still has that letter in his possession. Heinz Lampe from Hannover, Germany wrote from the British Zone remembering Lemmie fondly: “Glad to be free men.” Lampe wrote of how poor they were and how good the meals were in the prison camps and getting cigarettes, which he seemed to cherish. “That is not a lot but we have to be content,” Lampe wrote of the 40 cigarettes he received. “You have been a good friend” he told Lemmie then wrote, “not likely a guard,” probably meaning Lemmie didn’t
See VET - Pg. 2
By JD LONG jim@harrisonnewsherald.com FREEPORT – The massive sewer line and sewage treatment plant project that is forced upon the village of Freeport by the EPA, is rolling forward as members of Hull & Associates, Prime AE Group and RCAP were all present under the pavilion roof in an outdoor meeting held in Freeport Wednesday evening. The engineering firms of Prime and Hull have teamed up in this project and both fielded questions from residents trying to understand why they have to pay an additional $40 fee before the project is even completed, let alone started. Senior Project Manager for Hull & Associates, Cheryl Green explained to the villagers that once the EPA sent out a Notice of Violations (NOV) after several inspections, apparently resulting from some complaints years ago, the village fell under the rule of the EPA and
SCIO - The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) failed to come through with grant monies for Scio’s East College Street and 646 intersection that so often floods and is too narrow for its semi truck traffic. Back in the 50s and 60s before the EPA existed, Scio ran out of money halfway through installing a new sewer system.
HARRISON
NEWS-HERALD
are now forced to have a sewage system complete with a sewage treatment plant. The first question right out of the box from a male resident was the $40 question and how did that come about. All three commissioners were present and Dale Norris fielded the first one explaining that the $40 rate was a starting point based on the cost of the project. “…In order to get some of these grant monies [and] loan monies that we’re going to be required to do, we have to show that we’re collecting a fee to help pay that loan back,” Norris explained. Pam Ewing of RCAP fielded that same question later in the meeting adding that money is needed to pay for the engineering, which is where the $40 fee comes in. “You can’t ask for a loan and have nothing to pay it back,” she told
See UPDATE - Pg. 3
Commissioner Dale Norris (left) and Cheryl Green, senior project manager for Hull & Associates explain to a large gathering of Freeport residents their major sewer line and plant project, which is expected to begin in late 2021. Commissioner’s Don Bethel and Paul Coffland look on from behind. Total cost is estimated at $8.4 million with a possible $5.4 million in grants and loans coming in. The project is being forced on the village by the EPA.
Lemmie Causby served in the 75th Army Infantry in World War II and saw combat action just after the Battle of the Bulge. Displayed is one of two letters he received years after the war sent to him by a German prisoner he guarded thanking him for how good they were treated. His wife Lucille of 62 years passed away just a few years ago.
Funding on hold for Scio’s water line project By BONNIE RUTLEDGE
harrisonnewsherald.com
Against protocol, they combined the storm drain and sewer into one line. This is now formally opposing EPA regulation and the lines must be separated in order for the rest of the project on East College Street to be fixed. Scio has about $500K dollars lined up from the Oil & Shale program, but they are still about a quarter of a million dollars short. They are back to the drawing board after the
Area
ARC grant fell through, but Village Administrator Jason Tubaugh says they have not yet exhausted all their resources and will continue to apply for other funding. A concerned resident visited the council meeting Wednesday night to inquire about paving protocol and
See SCIO - Pg. 2
Local Salvation Army unit reopens The Harrison County Unit of the Salvation Army is again open to assist county residents who find themselves in need. They were forced to close their office in the Cadiz Presbyterian Church because the building had to be closed in response to the Covid 19 pandemic. During the closed period, most utilities were prohibited from disconnecting service. That order has now been lifted. They have been able to make arrangements with the Presbyterian Church to reopen under a system designed to accommodate the restrictions imposed by the virus. The office is resuming regular hours. Help will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon
Sports
Events
to 3 p.m. They are not permitted to allow visitors to enter the church building. Consequently visitors will be served through an open window at the back of the church office building adjacent to the county jail exercise area. Visitors are asked to come with identification and proof of income. Masks are required and no one will be served without one. Visitors will be seen one at a time at the window. Those waiting are requested to wait in their vehicles in the church parking lot until the window area is clear. The church is located at 154 West Market Street. Access to the rear of the church and the parking lot is off Muskingum Street.
Obits Sandra Asmo Jewett, Ohio Robert F. Henry Scio, Ohio Violet D. Maxwell Bowerston, Ohio
Harrison Hills reopens for fall classes | PG 3
harrisonnewsherald.com
Huskies soccer team starts season on the road | PG 6
Freeport UMC to host outdoor concert | PG 7
facebook.com/harrisonnewsherald
Floyd H. Stewart Flushing, Ohio
newsroom@harrisonnewsherald.com