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Harrison News-Herald E-Edition 11/12/22

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Harrison News-Herald |

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Lakeland left with no answers amid scandal

Saturday, November 12, 2022

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022

Veteran’s day comics a hit

HARRISONNEWSHERALD.COM

BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter FREEPORT—The Lakeland Academy board of education met on Tuesday and began with public comment. Many parents and staff members showed up to raise concerns over recent events and allegations at the school that teacher Mark Tyler Miller made lewd comments to a female student. There was great concern over the investigation into the accusation being performed by Dr. Mark Miller, the school superintendent, and Mark Tyler Miller’s father. School solicitor Adam Shira reminded attendees that this meeting was their opportunity to voice their opinions, and it was not a Q&A session with the board. He assured everyone that the board would address questions and concerns at the end of the meeting. Mark Bardall had several questions for the board pertaining to Dr. Mark Miller’s timesheets, which Bardall alleged were inaccurate, “He claimed that he worked, and he didn’t.” Bardall also asked what reprimands were given to Mark Tyler Miller and when the board responded that he had been let go, Bardall stated, “Just to clarify, you didn’t get rid of him; he resigned.” “I just want to know what we’re going to do for these kids,” parent Levi Robey said. He questioned if there needed to be better background checks since allegedly nothing concerning showed up on either Miller when the school ran checks for their initial employment. “If we do hire somebody else, we need to know who it is, where they come from, and what their background is. We need to protect these children,” Robey said. Kendra Kugler, a parent of three students attending the school, raised concern over Miller’s future, “He was never reprimanded, so he walked away from this with nothing. So he’s going to do it again.” Shannon Duda spoke about what she viewed as retaliation by Dr. Miller. She said, “He had our preschool teacher removed. That jeopardized an immediate right to public education for those children.” She said the board needed to “right the wrongs before someone seeks some kind of civil legal ramifications on behalf of the students.” “We understand that Miller’s background check came back okay,” parent Adam Spencer said. “But did anybody bother to call references or do any other kind of research? I mean, when I pick out my babysitter, I don’t just make sure they’re not in cuffs. I go a little further than that.” He also asked about the hierarchy of Lakeland and expressed it was unclear who to go to for guidance when there was no superintendent on the premises. Spencer also asked about the sudden appearance of attorney Shira at recent meetings. “I’m just curious if this is an ongoing thing or if there are other issues that we’re going to be addressing that need an attorney.” Board President James Fleming said Shira was present due to the sensitivity of the issues. Many questions were raised, and apart from a few short responses, board members remained mostly silent. After public comments, the board quickly moved through several pieces of business and went into an executive session. When they came out of that session, Fleming announced they had approved the resignation of Dr. Miller. The board will be reaching out to two candidates for the superintendent position. They said that each candidate would work two days a week, giving four days of coverage for the school. After the meeting, one teacher told Fleming he should resign from the board. Fleming’s response to her was that for him to do that, there had to be a meeting. Fleming claimed he would be more than willing to schedule one. The Harrison News-Herald asked Fleming if he had anything he would like to say, and he responded, “no comment.” The next regular board meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at the Academy in Freeport.

From left to right: SAL Adjutant Dan Watson, sixth graders Mike Smith, Mason Best, and Grant Thaxton, fourth graders Corbhyn Coen and Wyatt Ferrell, with Middle School Principal and SAL member Don Madzia. NH PHOTO/CORNELIA GRACE

BY CORNELIA GRACE Harrison News-Herald Reporter CADIZ—Students at Harrison Hills Elementary received comic books with patriotic themes. The books are sponsored and distributed by the American Legion National Headquarters and were handed out locally by Squadron 34 of Cadiz and the Sons of the American Legion (SAL). Each book is designed for a specific grade

in both reading level and content. The annual comic giving is made possible by Commander Stan Twarog, Vice Commander Chuck Yoho, and Finance Officer Jeff Greer. This is the fourth year that the comics have been handed out at the elementary school, and SAL Adjutant Dan Watson has been honored to be part of the distribution every year. "I've been here every time," Watson said. "It's wonderful; COMIC BOOKS See Pg.- 10

Encino and MPLX reinstate K9 Unit

Sitting on the table is first response equipment for the dog, including an oxygen mask, a heated blanket, Narcan, and much more. Toys, dog beds, dishes, and extra supplies were also donated. From left to right: Adam Bush of Encino Energy, Lieutenant Ron Carter, Police Chief Ryan McCann, George Bailey of MPLX, and Officer Brandon Groves. NH PHOTO

CADIZ—The Cadiz Police Department and Harrison County Sheriff's Office have operated with K9 units in the past. Recently, Cadiz lost their K9 to retirement and could no longer afford the program, leaving the entire county without a police dog. "I have been in law enforcement for over 22 years. During my time, I realized quickly that a K9 is one of the most valuable tools a department could have," noted Carter. Harrison's law enforcement has had to rely on other counties for K9 support, often wasting precious time waiting for a response from another county. Lieutenant Carter noted the frustrations that daily arise as he feels helpless in combating the growing drug problem that he feels may be worse than ever. "How do you get narcotics out of a vehicle without a K9? I stopped a car with known narcotics in it and asked permission to search the vehicle. The driver laughed and said, 'You don't have a K9—you're not searching anything.' This left me outraged that I could do nothing to get those narcotics off the street. I immediately asked Chief McCann if I could attempt to get funding, and he gave me his blessing." Carter first reached out to George Bailey, Mayor of Jewett and MPLX employee, and explained the situation. Mr. Bailey immediately got the ball rolling and, within a few weeks, confirmed that MPLX would donate $10,000 to the K9 program. Carter then reached out to Encino Energy, who donated $12,500 to cover the remaining cost. "This left me speechless that in a matter of three weeks, I had the funding needed to start the

program back up with just two companies stepping in," said Carter. "I cannot, nor will I be able to express my gratitude to all the parties involved for helping bring back a much-needed asset to our department. This goes to show that MPLX and Encino Energy, along with Cadiz Police, will put public safety first and will not tolerate narcotics being brought into our community. On behalf of the Cadiz Police Department, I would like to thank Encino Energy, MPLX, George Bailey, and Jackie Stewart for all their help." Carter received word last Sunday that his $14,000 dog had arrived from Europe. He will spend six weeks of rigorous training in Youngstown with K9 Tyson and feels that his prior experience as a handler will streamline the training process. Carter reached out to Purina, who agreed to provide a lifetime supply of dog food to the program. "We were shocked when we heard that the Village of Cadiz didn't have a K9 Unit to keep its community safe," said Jackie Stewart of Encino. "When Lt. Ron Carter reached out to see if we could help, we didn't hesitate to contribute to their efforts. Encino holds the health and safety of the citizens in its asset area in the highest regard and is committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure it." Carter and Tyson's training will begin in November, which means Tyson will be mobile in Harrison County before the end of the year. Carter's cruiser is being fitted with a temperaturemonitored kennel, should the officer be away from the car too long and the dog be stuck in the cruiser, and a K9 unit door release, a wearable button that opens the door should the officer need the dog.

Williams donates response trailer

SCIO—A brand new eighteen-foot trailer gleamed in sunlight last Tuesday in the parking lot of the Scio Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) as characteristically white oil and gas pickup trucks pulled into the parking lot one by one. This new HAZMAT response trailer is the second of its kind to grace Harrison County. It will provide a consistent and timely safety net that Scio and the surrounding villages previously lacked. Representatives from Williams Energy made it clear they were more than happy to hear of a need in Scio and kick in the $8,000 donation to the VFD. Williams Public Outreach representative Emma Kirschler explained, “We have a pretty large facility here at the Harrison Hub, so we are constantly looking for opportunities to benefit the communities that are benefitting us by letting us be here. We are committed to really working with local first responders because you are also our first responders, and we want to make things happen where we can. We are so pleased to be able to help you when you are always there to help us, should we ever need it.” The multi-purpose response trailer will soon be stickered with brand new decals and equipped with tools like a stokes basket (stretcher), rescue rope, harnesses, decontamination kits, a generator, a pump, a leaf blower, brooms, shovels, fire retardant foam, booms for leakage into a lake, and pads and pipe for makeshift dams and crossovers in the event of a toxic spill on the ground. The department even plans to install a cascade system to refill air bottles on the scene of a fire and fit the trailer with exterior scene lighting. Scio Fire Chief Ron Thompson told Williams representatives the department sourced the trailer from Georgia for a good price and is still looking for other donations to completely furnish the necessary items inside. The department looks forward to quicker response times and more resources to comprehensively take care of immediate environmental concerns that invariably arise in emergency situations. The trailer will be stored directly behind the pickup for quick hookups. “We had a condensate truck wreck this year on Gundy ridge,” explained Thompson, “and the entire side of the truck was ripped open, and condensate was pouring into the ditch line. We were able to contain it before it went into one of our big drains up there, but we didn’t have a trailer available, and I didn’t call for one on the other side of the county because it was one o’clock in the morning and wouldn’t get there in time. We were able to dam it up and keep it contained, but…the goal is to have this trailer when we respond to any semi-truck emergency, and if anyone calls us in an emergency, we’re coming as quickly as we can.” Representatives from the Ohio Oil & Gas Association (OOGA) were also in attendance during the unveiling of the trailer. This organization works to connect large oil and gas partner companies with local officials. Mike Chadsey, OOGA Director of Public Relations, found out about the need from Thompson and explained William’s grant application process (which can be done through their website). Mike Chadsey added, on behalf of OOGA, “It has been a privilege to make the connection between Williams and the fire department here in Scio, the county’s Emergency Management Agency, to be able to meet a need and use the resources available here. We are happy to be the connection point between Williams and the community to provide something that will serve not only the village but also the entire county and beyond.” WILLIAMS See Pg.- 2

OBITUARIES

Over 60 years of experience in Oil and Gas USPS Publication No. 236-080 One Section, 10 Pages Vol. 55, No. 27

Katherine M. Knight Kimble, Oil and Gas Attorney

740-942-4054 | www.eques.law

Julie Littlejohn Thomas Henderson Mildred Burrier


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