HAMILTON — Nationwide, school districts are spending billions of dollars on technology to keep students and staff healthy and a Blue Ash company is on the forefront of the sales.

At Butler County Educational Services Center in Hamilton, the Head Start preschool classrooms all had NanoStrike units installed. So did staff areas. They've purchased 66 in all.

"We want kids at school as much as they possibly can be, so the reason we went with these is because they really help us with all the germs," said Suzanne Prescott, the early childhood programs director.

The preschool classes there got hit especially hard by RSV this winter. And that's not to mention continued COVID-19 cases, the flu, and colds.

"Kids can't learn if they're not here," she said.

The center turned to Blue Ash-based Protect|ED to bring the small, mountable air purifying units to the classes.

Indian Hill Exempted Village School District purchased enough units for all K-12 facilities in 2022, according to a district spokesperson.

"Clean air in schools is no longer a privilege, it's a requirement," said Lindsey Haglage, Protect ED's vice president of business development.

The white boxes aren't filters, though they have one to catch dust and anything that might disturb the technology inside. Instead, there are fans and coils the manufacturer says can destroy any pathogen that comes through intake.

"There's so much osmotic pressure in those coils that when pathogens come in contact with those coils, they actually burst," Haglage said.

Haglage said each NanoStrike unit costs about $2,500 but requires no ongoing expense.

It's one element in a huge amount of spending by districts nationwide using American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds (ARP-ESSER). A late 2022 report from the Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Councilshowed districts expected to spend more on air filtration and HVAC than any other health segment, except staffing - an estimated $5.5 billion in ARP funding.

The small, quiet NanoStrike units appealed to Butler County Head Start's somewhat unique needs.

"Sometimes we're in a building when they're there a year or two, so we're able to take them with us," Prescott said.

Like Indian Hill, the early reaction from staff and students has been positive - and healthy.

"We have kinda noticed that when we have people sick in a room, we haven't seen it spread as much," she said.

HAMILTON, Ohio — Local organizations are hosting a gun buyback event in Hamilton Saturday in an effort to curb gun violence.

Any unwanted guns, knives and ammunition will be accepted at the St. Paul Miracle Center, located at 630 S. Front St. The event will run between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

No questions will be asked and gift cards will be distributed to those who make drop offs.

The event is hosted by Street Rescue, HYPE and the Community Action Committee.

The organizations are hoping this event brings in community guns. Community guns are weapons illegally stored in public places for people to use anonymously.

“This is a time for people to stand up. If you know of these types of weapons that are stashed community guns, if you know people that may know of it, this is your point and your opportunity to stand up for your community that you love,” said HYPE Hamilton’s CEO Pastor Shaquila “Shaq” Matthews.

Organizers said collected guns will be taken to a licensed gun dealer if they’re in working condition. Broken guns will be safely discarded.

The work is personal for Matthews. Her brother was shot and killed in Hamilton nearly six years ago.

“I understand the pain, and the impact that it has on a family,” she said.

This is the fourth time the organizations have hosted a gun buyback event in Hamilton.

So far, they have collected more than a dozen weapons and more than 100 rounds of ammunition.

WLWT viewers gave from their hearts, and it's making a difference.This week, WLWT introduced you to Randy Bowling of Hamilton. Bowling is disabled, and his bicycle is his only form of transportation to and from work at Walmart in Fairfield Township.Last weekend, his bicycle was stolen."Your news story was barely over on the TV. I was watching it when my phone started ringing," said David Hood, executive director of Serve City. "I knew immediately this had struck a cord ... That line that Randy said, 'This made my life harder,' it was the big thing that struck me, and I think people heard that and said this is not OK. We need to do something." Serve City is the organization that owns the apartments where Bowling lives.Knowing Bowling was taken care of thanks to generous gifts from WLWT viewers, Hood created a way for people to help others like Bowling."This is probably not the first time this has happened, and unfortunately, might not be the last time it happens, and so we are setting up a fund called a 'Bike Matching Fund,' Hood said.They're collecting bicycles, or preferably money, to offer residents as a matching fund."So, if they're able to come up with $50, we'll match $50 dollars for them to get a bike," Hood said. "Bikes around here are a major source of transportation for employment, for doctors appointments, for therapy, for addiction recovery, all of those things, getting around to those things are critical to our residents." Donations can be made here. Any donations that include "BIKE" in the memo will go toward bicycles and locks to those in need of transportation.https://www.classy.org/give/313609/#!/donation/checkout

HAMILTON, Ohio —

With his laces tied tightly, Randy Bowling said he's ready to walk to work if he has to.

The nearly four-mile trek each way — from his apartment in Hamilton to Walmart in Fairfield Township — isn't ideal for the 50-year-old, who is also disabled. Bowling suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was 16.

That's one of the reasons he bought a $157 bicycle a few months ago.

"It's the first bike I ever bought myself," Bowling said.

He was proud of it. Now, it's gone.

It was stolen from outside Party Mart Express in Hamilton Saturday night.

Store security video shows Bowling walking his bike close to the front doors after his shift at Walmart.

He's in the East Avenue store for less than a minute before a man rides up on another bike, grabs Bowling's bicycle and rides off with it.

Bowling walks out in disbelief.

"He's made my life harder," Bowling said.

Bowling lives alone at the Serve City apartments. He said he needs his job to pay bills, and the bus isn't always an option.

"When we had heard, it just broke our hearts. Our residents struggle with so many other life issues, to have something like this happen is a real challenge," said David Hood, executive director of Serve City.

Neighbor Brenda Stevens called what happened unacceptable in her neighborhood.

"It's just aggravating. I don't know why people do it. It's selfish," Stevens said.

Other neighbors have expressed frustration and support.

"There's a lot of people that care. If I had a bike, I'd give it to him," said neighbor Andrew Yeager.

Bowling said even though he should be angry, he'd rather talk to the guy who snatched his bike and help him get a job.

WEST CHESTER, Ohio — A bicyclist was killed on Friday morning after colliding with a vehicle on Muhlhauser Road.

According to West Chester public information officer Barbara Wilson, the driver of the car is cooperating with police. Law enforcement is investigating the incident and shut down Muhlhauser between International Boulevard and Allen Road.

Wilson said the incident occurred near the railroad tracks on Muhlhauser and expected the roadway to be closed for a while due to the police investigation.

WCPO will update this story.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine unveiled a new way of looking at the coronavirus pandemic Thursday afternoon called the Public Health Advisory Alert System. The idea of the project is to help local health departments and Ohio residents get a better idea of where the virus is spreading.

The system is color-coded and shows which counties are doing better than others in containing the spread of COVID-19. Currently, Hamilton County is coded as red.

“It might be a surprise for people in that community,” DeWine said. “To say, ‘Okay, we’re red.’”

Colors are coordinated based on seven indicators, including hospitalizations and new cases of COVID-19, among others.

“It informs us, not just to put orders on where we restrict something,” DeWine said. “It informs us to be able to surge in for more resources, to try to turn the tide."

So what do the different color codes mean to residents?

Level 1: Yellow – Spread of the virus is limited. Typically, many rural counties are coded yellow.
Level 2: Orange – There’s an increased risk or exposure or spread. Orange counties have shown an increase in COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks.
Level 3: Red – People should limit activities as much as possible, and the governor asks that you wear a mask when in proximity to others.
Level 4: Purple - No Ohio counties are yet in level four, or purple, which suggests people should only leave home for supplies and services.

Hamilton and Butler Counties are currently coded as red.

“It indicates we can do better,” Hamilton County Medical Director Dr. Steve Feagins said. “We can use more masks. We can be cognizant of social distancing.”

Feagins said that, while Hamilton County is at the red level, residents should know, they’re on the low end of that scale.

“While we’re increasing at a bit of a faster rate, we’re still at a lower level of hospitals,” Feagins said.

DeWine said the new data will be used more effectively at the local level.

“It’s giving mayors and community members more information,” he said. “So they can make decisions. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not engaged. It doesn’t mean that I won’t in the future will make decisions,

He said people can use the map as a reference – to know in what parts of the state they should use more caution.

“We’re not going to be Florida,” DeWine said. “We’re not going to be Texas. We’re not going to be Italy. We’re not going to let this happen. This is a long battle. We won round one, maybe round two, but this is a 15-round heavyweight championship, and we have to stay in there and stay punching.”

FREEPORT, Pa. —

A Pennsylvania man was reunited with a nurse who saved his life.

In July, Tom Kissel was with his dog when he fell into the river at River Forest Yacht Club in Freeport.

Mary Jo Lender and her husband saw the dog struggling in the water, then saw Kissel was unconscious.

They pulled Kissel from the river and Lender performed CPR until medics arrived.

"If it wasn't for my husband going in and getting him from the water, and then the help that he had to pull him out. We had a person call 911, stay on the line with 911. I had another person here who was trying to help give mouth to mouth. I didn't do it alone, but I really feel like we were here for Tom," Lender said.

This week, they reunited on the same dock where their paths first crossed.

"They thought I was dead. I had no heartbeat, pulse, nothing. They just kept working on me. They didn't stop."

Kissel was in a coma for the days that followed the accident.

Today, he says he is about 90% back to normal.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Undercover detective work led to the recovery of various narcotics, a gun and thousands of dollars in cash, the Butler County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.

The Butler County Undercover Regional Narcotics task force Tuesday conducted a search warrant at a residence on Sutphin Street in Middletown, according to a news release. The drugs seized included marijuana, dabs -- a highly concentrated marijuana extract -- pressed pills believed to be fentanyl, and associated paraphernalia.

In addition to the drugs, task force officers confiscated $8,000 in cash and a handgun.

Officers detained three individuals in relation to the seizure, one of whom was arrested on outstanding warrants. The release indicated that at least two additional arrests will result, pending lab analysis results.

The 16-year state senator for Butler County and the man who will replace him both said Friday that the office has been used to seek lower tax rates for businesses and that is likely to continue going forward.

State Sen. Bill Coley, R-Liberty Twp., is leaving office after 16 years in the Ohio General Assembly. He and State Rep. George Lang, R-West Chester Twp., spoke Friday in a video-based interview about Coley’s tenure and Lang’s goals going forward.

Coley said a friend once told him one of the first things you should do after starting a new job is attend someone’s retirement ceremony to “learn what’s important.”

Before he took office, “I started thinking, ‘What am I going to say as I leave office in 16 years?’

He decided taxes would be an important measure.

“When I started, the top-end tax rate in Ohio, the highest bracket, was the fifth-highest in the country,” he said. “It’s now 28th or 29th.”

On the other hand, he and Lang said Friday, local governments also add taxes: “We have more local taxation than most states,” Coley said.

“I think we’re in a much better place than when we started,” Coley said. At that time, the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent. Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, “we were below 4 percent. We’re doing our thing of attracting business to the state and making Ohio a better place for young people to stay.”

“We were No. 1 in the country for a place people 25 to 34 would leave,” he said. “Fortunately, we’re getting a grip on that.”

“In the capital budget back in 2007, I inserted a provision relative to the digital learning clearinghouse — the whole concept of distance learning — and everybody said, ‘Nobody’s ever going to learn this.’ Then covid strikes 13 years later, and all of a sudden, that’s how we’re educating people. So it’s a positive thing.”

Lang was elected in November to fill Coley’s seat and spoke about his goals in a video conference the two held to discuss the year ahead.

“My focus will always be on making Ohio more business-friendly,” Lang said. He listed areas he will focus on, including reducing regulations; tax reform and simplification; making government smaller.

Some 53 years ago, he said, Ohio had 24 congressmen. The average Ohioan was earning 10 percent more than the average American.

“About 53 years ago, we implemented the income tax, not just on individuals, but on profits of corporations. One tax after another, one taxing jurisdiction after another, and regulation after regulation after regulation,” Lang said.

Ohio now has the fifth-highest rate of people leaving for other places, “and the No. 1 reason people leave: better economic opportunity elsewhere,” he said.

“Fast-forward to today, we’re down to 16 congressmen,” he said. “We know when the census comes out, we’re going to go down to 15, maybe 14, and no other state is getting their (butt) kicked as bad as Ohio as far as loss of representation. And by the way, the average Ohioan today makes 12 percent less than the average American.”

“We were working on a lot of pro-business things in the legislature last year, and two things got in the way of just about everything going on,” Lang said. “And that was the covid as well as the scandal involving the Speaker of the House (Larry Householder). So with those two things in the way, many things that we were working on were put on the sideline and did not get accomplished.”

In the state budget, “we lowered taxes for all Ohioans, and we preserved the business income deduction, for all small businesses — every single small business, every single farmer in Butler County takes advantage of. That was the main thing I worked on in the budget, and to be quite honest, I failed in the House. I could not convince the speaker of the house to get this done, so I took my fight over to the Senate after it passed out of the House, and the senators agreed to support it,” Lang said.

The speaker did not believe in giving incentives to businesses, he said. Instead, “he wanted to give incentives to individuals, and it was just a fundamental difference we had.”

He also expressed pride in his “commerce uniformity” bill, which was prompted because some local governments were trying to impose taxes on plastic bags. That legislation will expire in a year, “so we’re going to have to work again on that bill,” Lang said.

Another big focus for him in 2021 will be workforce development, including finding ways to help inmates and others with criminal records find jobs.

ST. CLAIRE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A 33-year-old Seven Mile man has been identified by the Butler County Coroner’s Office as the person who died Wednesday when his SUV was hit by steel coil that fell from a semi-tractor trailer.

Blake A. Mulder, of North Main Street, was killed when his Ford Edge was hit by a steel coil as he drove south on U.S. 127 in St. Clair Twp. He died of multiple traumatic injuries and his death was ruled an accident, according to the coroner’s office.

The crash that happened about 6:20 a.m. on U.S. 127 near Morganthaler Road, closed the busy road for about eight hours.

A semi-tractor trailer owned by Total Package Express Inc. was traveling north on U.S. 127, also called Hamilton Eaton Road and was carrying a steel coil, according to the sheriff’s office. The steel coil became unsecured, fell into the southbound lane and struck a Ford Edge, the sheriff’s office said. The driver of the Ford Edge was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the semi called 911 to report a coil had fallen in the road, but he didn’t know another vehicle had been hit, according to the call.

“I am on 127 north of Hamilton. I am in a big truck. I haul steel and one of my coils came off my trailer,” the truck driver told dispatchers. He said he was about an eighth of a mile from where the coil fell.

When asked where the coil went, he said “traffic is stopped back there so it must be in the road. Nobody is injured or anything, but it came out of my trailer.”

The truck driver said another motorist driving a truck had run him off the road into the grass several miles back.

The truck driver said he had stopped the other driver to talk about the incident, but he didn’t seem to understand what he was saying.

“I came across the railroad tracks and around the corner, and I just heard something,” he said. Then he stopped and discovered he was missing a coil.

On the other side of the crash, a woman called 911 reporting a SUV in a ditch with a strong smell of gasoline.

“There has been a bad accident, there is debris all the road,” the woman told dispatchers. She and others could not see in the vehicle to see if anyone was inside.

She said she could only see one vehicle. “I don’t even know what they hit.”

This story was first published by WCPO news partner The Journal-News.

CINCINNATI — A high school boys basketball game ended prematurely Wednesday night after an "unsportsmanlike act" late in the third quarter of the Oyler at New Miami matchup.

An Oyler player appeared to have kicked a New Miami player after fouling him with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter, according to game footage recorded by Butler County Sports Report. The game ended without resuming afterward.

Cincinnati Public Schools spokesperson Frances Russ issued a statement late Friday afternoon:

"During the third quarter, a hard foul occurred, followed by an unsportsmanlike act on the part of an Oyler player. Cincinnati Public Schools and Oyler High School do not condone such conduct, and administrators and coaches met with the Oyler student following the game. His actions were addressed in accordance with CPS student athletics policies.

"Subsequently, it has been reported on social media and elsewhere that, during the game, racial comments were directed toward Oyler players. CPS takes these reports seriously and is investigating.

"On December 4, 2020, the Board of Education implemented an anti-racism policy which has as its central purpose the elimination of racism in all of its forms in programs and activities of Cincinnati Public Schools. Critical to the implementation of that policy is ensuring that the young Black men and women of Cincinnati Public Schools know they are supported and heard."

The New Miami Middle School/High School Facebook page also posted a statement late Friday afternoon from superintendent Rhonda Parker.

"Wednesday evening there was an event that occurred during the Home Basketball Game between New Miami High School and Oyler High School that resulted in an injury to a New Miami player. As a result, the basketball game was ended by a school official. The events that took place during the game are under investigation. Both high schools are following their school district policies, and the issue is also being investigated by local law enforcement.
New Miami will not comment further, as this is an open investigation and involves minor-aged students. Thank you."

New Miami defeated Oyler 50-30 in the non-conference game, which was streamed by Butler County Sports Report.

Butler County Sports Report editor Chris Vogt, the solo broadcaster for the game Wednesday night, told WCPO Friday afternoon he was disappointed to see how it ended.

"I know the representation of high school basketball from point A to point B. That's just not what you want to see," Vogt said. "And I do hope that high school basketball in this area can make amends and hopefully we can learn from a situation like this."

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Vogt, who has operated the Butler County High School Sports Report since July 2018 and covers 13 Butler County high schools, expressed dismay live on the broadcast, too.

"It was unfortunate that the situation did occur," Vogt said. "Calling the game leading up to that instance — there wasn't really an ounce, a mindset, that would've led up to that situation.

"It surprised me on the broadcast. Seeing (New Miami senior guard) Deanza Duncan going up for a layup, he was relatively fouled with force. That did kind of put Deanza on the floor a little bit harder than a typical foul would (for a layup)."

The video shows players scrambling on the court and spectators standing up in the bleachers.

"The Oyler player did stand on top of Deanza, and then I saw him — he did kick him (Duncan) in the face," Vogt said. "That's what kind of threw me for a shock there. The entire game was going decently well. There wasn't really an instinct that I felt led up to a situation like that. I felt as though the entire game was called great by the refs. When you are concentrating on broadcasting a game, you really don't focus on your outside surroundings much. You're just focused on the task at hand and that's providing a broadcast for those who want to watch it."

Vogt said once the situation in the gymnasium improved, the Oyler team walked over and gave New Miami players fist bumps in a friendly gesture before the Madhatters left the gymnasium.

"That was a reassuring sign," Vogt said. "That was good to see after that situation."

New Miami (5-2) is scheduled to play host to Miami Valley Christian at 6:30 p.m. today, according to the school's Facebook page.

Oyler (2-8) is idle and will have its Friday night game rescheduled.

The Butler County Care Facility continues to struggle to find workers despite a raise in union wages as several management positions remain open, and the new federal vaccination mandate could complicate matters.

The county has spent about $554,000 this year on contracted front-line workers to man the county-owned nursing home. The commissioners have had a contract with Professional Review Network Inc. for a facility administrator and this week agreed to extend the contract on a month-to-month basis, it included an $85 per hour increase up to $200.

The county has paid $72,930 for the temporary administrator. Last year during the height of pandemic when vacancies soared the home paid $1.24 million for temporary workers.

The top job at the county-run nursing home — which pays between $84,223 and $124,800 — has been vacant since former administrator Chamika Poole resigned last October. County Administrator Judi Boyko told the Journal-News the hourly increase was included because Professional Review Network was “grossly undercompensated” under the previous agreement.

She needed a new month-to-month agreement in case she finds a new administrator soon.

“The county is continuously seeking candidates and evaluating qualifications for compatibility at the facility. Based on the greater market of health care candidates have been few and far between,” Boyko said. “I thought I had identified a candidate but terms couldn’t be reached.”

The director of nursing also recently quit and they have posted that position. Human Resources Director Laurie Murphy said there are 4 to 5 vacant nursing positions and 10 to 12 openings for front-line workers. She said they are hoping the pay raise in the recently negotiated union contract — from $13.35 to $15 per hour — plus generous county benefits will help them attract more job candidates.

“There remains an overall shortage of clinical workers in the healthcare field and the hiring challenges we face are not unique to the Care Facility,” Murphy said. “The global impact of the pandemic and recent uptake in the Delta variant cases continues to impact hiring and retention across the entire healthcare industry.”

The assistant nursing director and assistant business office manager positions are also open. Boyko said they are holding off on filling those jobs because the daily census of patients has dropped to less than half capacity at around 50 in the 109-bed facility. Because of strict nursing home restrictions during the pandemic, families were choosing to remove their loved ones from congregate care.

“Since the census now has been below 50 we’ve been maintaining that just from a business operations and funding perspective,” Boyko said. “Definitely we will replace the director of nursing and we’ll just continue to monitor to see if there is a void without an assistant director of nursing and assistant business office manager.”

Adding to existing staffing issues, President Joe Biden has tied Medicaid funding to mandatory vaccinations for nursing home employees. The county home’s main source of revenue is reimbursement from Medicaid for patient care. Murphy said it is too soon to predict the impact of the new directive.

“The mandate was just reported yesterday and the actual regulation has not been issued,” Murphy said. “We will certainly continue to monitor the impact of the mandate and its implications on county operations at the Care Facility.”

Commissioner Don Dixon, who is in the elderly care field, said he personally thinks it’s a good idea but believes it could cause a “whole lot of problems.”

Commissioner T.C. Rogers said he is also concerned about the mandate’s impact on the Care Facility, especially with what is going on in the area where hospitals have already mandated vaccines for their employees.

“I’m also concerned about all of our hospitals which have made vaccinations mandatory for their medical staff and doctors have told me that they’re short-handed now,” Rogers said. “Yeah I’m concerned.”

A Brookville man was arrested after leading law enforcement on a chase through three counties early Thursday morning, the Journal-News reports.

Robert Lee Bergman III, 28, was transported to Atrium Medical Center for minor injuries. It was determined that Bergman was impaired and in possession of illegal drugs, said Lt. Clint Arnold, Hamilton Post commander for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Bergman is charged with failure to comply with an order or signal of police, possession of a controlled substance, felonious assault and a holder for Montgomery County, according to the Butler County Jail log.

Numerous Ohio Highway Patrol cruisers were damaged, according to Lt. Clint Arnold, Hamilton Post commander.

At about 1 a.m., troopers received a report of a 1997 Cadillac that fled from a Miami Twp. Police department traffic stop near Miamisburg.

A male passenger moved into the driver’s seat of the vehicle during a traffic stop while officers were attending to the female driver who was believed to have overdosed, Arnold said.

A short time later, troopers from the Hamilton Post spotted the vehicle traveling south on Interstate 75 between a rest stop and the exit to Ohio 129 and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle did not pull over and attempted to flee from the trooper. The Cadillac quickly accelerated and exited onto west 129.

Once on 129, the vehicle abruptly stopped in the roadway and did a U-turn in the middle of westbound lanes. Prior to getting completely turned around and going the wrong way in traffic, the trooper used his patrol car to block and push the fleeing suspect into the ditch. The Cadillac was pushed off the roadway but was still able to get out of the ditch going through the median and getting back onto the eastbound side of 129 heading east towards Interstate 75, according to Arnold.

The driver entered back onto Interstate 75 northbound continuing to flee from the troopers. The vehicle was able to avoid stop sticks at the Ohio 3 Monroe exit and continued north.

At the Ohio 122 Middletown exit, the suspect attempted to avoid troopers again by doing another U-turn on 75. In efforts to keep the suspect from driving the wrong direction on 75, troopers used their cruisers to block and push the Cadillac into the concrete wall. The Cadillac was spun to the proper direction on the highway, however it withstood the impact and continued north on 75 until exiting at the Ohio 123 Franklin exit.

Once on Route 123, the suspect fled west entering into Franklin while being pursued by troopers. The suspect continued to drive erratically and dangerously, attempting to drive his car into the cruisers.

Arnold said troopers boxed in the Cadillac, but the driver was able to back out while driving in reverse through town. Once at the intersection of First and Main street the troopers were able to completely stop the Cadillac. The suspect attempted to run on foot but was quickly apprehended without further incident.

“We have no intentions of damaging our cars and other people’s cars but this individual was a danger to himself, the officers and other motorists,” Arnold said.

One trooper was transported to a hospital for minor injuries and was released. Franklin, Monroe and Middletown police departments assisted with the incident.

The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO 9 News.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — An investigator hired by the Land of Illusions Water Park in Butler County said no laws were broken or regulations violated when 14-year-old Mykiara Jones died after being pulled from the water July 20.

Witnesses at the scene paint a dramatic picture of the incident.

“It just felt very chaotic that there wasn’t a procedure,” said Kristen Grossman, who witnessed the scene that day. “A standard kit that comes out to help with the search like this one.”

The report by Dan Wood of Industrial Safety Services said: “Land of Illusion follows all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations and in many areas has policies, practices and procedures that exceed the requirements of those regulations.”

But there are questions about how the park is regulated. Ohio State Representative Thomas Hall, who lives near the park, told the Journal-News a loophole allows the water park to operate without state regulations. Officials don’t oversee the park because it’s a pond.

Hall said he’s working to change the way ponds are governed.

“It was pure chaos when we were in the water. When the lifeguard did come over, he was yelling, trying to get other lifeguards,” Grossman said. “It took time, but we were asking for things. They didn’t have goggles on them. Paddles. Things that we can use to help with the search.”

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said he’s investigating complaints about the park including not having certified lifeguards, life vest rules not being enforced, and no rescue equipment.

The report recommends the park get underwater technology that detects non-movement and emergencies, employing trained underwater divers and dive equipment on site as well as a jet ski.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture accused the park of operating an unlicensed inflatable on the grounds. Land of Illusion has 30 days to respond and a right to a hearing. If found to be in violation, it could face a $500 fine.

Trenton native Zach Apple is an Olympic gold medalist, according to the Journal-News.

Apple, a 2015 Edgewood High School graduate, swam the anchor leg on the U.S. men’s winning 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay team Monday morning in Tokyo.

Becker won the race in 3 minutes, 8.97 seconds, the third-fastest time in history. Competing in his first Olympics, Apple swam a sizzling 46.69-second split to bring home the gold for the U.S.

Italy finished second in 3:10.11, and Australia took the bronze in 3:10.22.

Apple will begin his quest for an individual gold on Tuesday in the 100 freestyle. The prelims and semifinals are Tuesday, with the finals set for Wednesday. He likely will compete on other relays this week in Tokyo.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — A Butler County grand jury on Friday added a bevy of new charges to prosecutors’ case against Brittany Gosney, who confessed to killing her 6-year-old son, and her boyfriend, James Hamilton, who stands accused of helping her conceal and dispose of the first-grader’s body.

Gosney, 29, now faces a single count of murder, one count of involuntary manslaughter, one count of tampering with evidence, five counts of endangering children, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of abduction and two counts of gross abuse of a corpse.

Hamilton, 42, stands charged with three counts each of kidnapping, abduction, endangering children, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.

According to police, Gosney had attempted to abandon 6-year-old James Hutchinson and his two second-grade siblings in Rush Run Wildlife Area on Feb. 27. A Preble County Sheriff’s Office report indicated Hamilton had been pressuring her to get rid of them.

She took the children to Rush Run and let them out into the parking lot, then attempted to drive away. Hutchinson tried to hold on to her car.

He died after being dragged and possibly run over, according to police and court documents. Prosecutors said Gosney loaded his body into her car along with his living siblings, drove them back to her Middletown home and concealed Hutchinson’s body overnight.

She and Hamilton would drive an hour away to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to dump the body in the Ohio River, according to police.

They next attempted to report Hutchinson missing, but discrepancies in their stories led to their arrests and Gosney’s confession.

FAIRFIELD, Ohio — One by one, they kept walking through the front door of the Skyline Chili on Hicks Boulevard.

They were longtime Skyline customers, Fairfield firefighters, neighbors, co-workers and the mayor.

They were all there to see Duane Sparks and celebrate his retirement after 35 years as dishwater, bus boy and greeter at the Butler County chili parlor.

Sparks, 52, was hired when he was an 18-year-old client at Butler County Developmental Disabilities. He started at the Skyline across the street and moved to the Hicks Boulevard location when it opened about 25 years ago.

His mother, Jean Sparks, believes Duane’s 35 years working in a public setting is one of the longest in Butler County Developmental Disabilities history.

Sparks, wearing a cardboard crown with the words “The Legend Has Retired,” bounced around the inside of the restaurant, seemingly more excited to greet the next guest.

One of his highlights was riding in a blue convertible Corvette with Fairfield Mayor Steve Miller. He waited for the traffic to clear then “burned rubber” down the street, as Sparks put it.

“It was fun, very exciting,” Sparks said during his open house that was hosted by the restaurant’s owners, Dennis and Robin Kurlas.

Sparks was presented a 35-year pin by the owners.

Dennis Kurlas was asked what it’s been like having an employee with developmental disabilities working in his restaurant.

“We learned from him more than he learned from us,” he said. “It’s a gift that he gave us. He gave our community a gift.”

Rick McCrabb, Journal-News

His wife added: “He is such an integral part of not only the Skyline family but what he has done for the whole community. He has just touched everybody.”

His mother didn’t know he had developmental disabilities until he was 18 months old. He didn’t start talking until he was 5. He attended schools in Fairfield and Ross.

Jean Sparks said she felt a little sadness for her son.

“It’s an end of an era for him,” she said.

The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO 9 News.

Health officials in Butler County are urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because the number of confirmed cases has increased 117% in the past two weeks and the vaccination rates have slowed significantly.

The Ohio Department of Health is reporting that about 30% of current cases are from the new Delta variant and numbers are expected to rise in the next two weeks. The Delta variant spreads faster than other forms of the virus and makes people sicker. Current vaccines are showing good protection from the Delta variant.

“News of increases in the Delta variant across the US, Ohio and Butler County are concerning. We are worried about our citizens who may be vulnerable to this more severe form of COVID,” Butler County Health Commissioner Jennifer Bailer said. “If you, or your loved ones have not yet gotten vaccinated, now is the time.”

Pop-up vaccine clinics are taking place throughout the county at retail stores, apartment complexes, and at a variety of community events.

During the Butler County Fair which begins Sunday, the “Helping Butler County Get Vaccinated” bus provided by Butler County Regional Transit Authority will be onsite every day with clinics held at various times.

Hamilton Health Commissioner Kay Farrar is also urging residents to get vaccinated.

“The people having to go to the hospital because of COVID-19 are almost entirely unvaccinated,” Farrar said. “Getting vaccinated is an easy way to protect yourself and those around you from serious illness.”

In an effort to increase vaccinations before the school year starts, all three local health departments with partners at the Butler County Emergency Management Agency and the Fair Board are collaborating to host a large vaccine clinic on August 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Butler County Fairgrounds.

To pre-register for Aug. 7, click or tap here, enter your zip code and find clinics near you. Walk-ins are welcome.

“Vaccination remains the single best protection against COVID-19 infection in all its forms,” Middletown Health Commissioner Jackie Phillips-Carter said. “Current vaccines are showing good protection from the Delta variant.”

This story was originally published by the Journal-News.

A damaged American flag local soldiers carried during Civil War battles will return to Hamilton in early 2022 to be prominently displayed in the Butler County Historical Society’s newly renovated auditorium, according to the Journal-News.

“I think it’s incredibly important,” historical society President Brian Smith said. “I think it’s an incredibly valuable piece that we have,” maybe not for dollar value but for the national and local crisis it represents.

But when it arrives, it won’t be the same battle flag the historical society thought Smith delivered last July to Cleveland for restoration.

This ancient silk flag indeed was used by the 35th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry, also known as “the Butler Boys” for the county where they assembled. But it wasn’t the flag residents of Cynthiana, Ky. sewed for the 35th regiment. This flag was provided by Lebanon, Ohio.

An observant area historian saw photos the Journal-News published last year of the flag and noticed it had 35 stars — not the 34 that would have been on the flag sewn by those in Cynthiana, Ky., in 1861, while the regiment was headquartered nearby at Camp Frazer. Instead, it had 35 stars, the number U.S. flags had after July 4, 1863, when West Virginia became a state.

But in some cases, a 35th star was added to the existing 34-star flags to account for West Virginia’s addition. So the historical society asked the Intermuseum Conservation Association-Art Conservation to see how many stars originally were placed on the flag. The answer was 35, meaning this flag was the one used later in the war, after the Cynthiana original was retired following the decisive Union victory at Missionary Ridge in November 1863.

Image provided.

The Cynthiana flag was so damaged, the regiment wrapped it around its pole and gave it the nickname “The Old Invalid,” and apparently never have unfurled it again.

“Sometime in December of 1863 or early 1864, the unit was presented a new flag by residents of Lebanon, Ohio,” Smith wrote in an email to William Penn, the editor of the Harrison County (Kentucky) Historical Society.

Penn had been hoping it was the Cynthiana flag because that city is in his county. Instead, the flag being restored was the one the Butler Boys flew during the Battle of Resaca (Georgia, in May 1864), Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (Georgia, June 1864), Peachtree Creek (Georgia, July 1864) and Siege of Atlanta (July and August 1864).

Big-time danger

Soldiers were especially courageous when carrying such flags during battles because commanding officers from a distance used them to identify where various units were deployed. So opposing troops would shoot at those holding the flags, trying to create chaos among the enemy.

When Smith last year drove the flag to Cleveland in his Toyota Highlander, it “was a little tedious and a little anxious” because Jane Hammond, the textile conservator for Intermuseum Conservation Association, told him, “if it’s vibrating a lot, that’ll just continue to deteriorate it to powder — those fibers will break off with every vibration.”

Even after giving that warning, Hammond last year was surprised when it arrived.

“It’s probably one of the more deteriorated flags I’ve ever seen,” she said last year. “I was a little shocked at its condition — nobody knew what to expect.”

Because both flags had gone unseen since the 1860s, it was impossible to know which was which, but society leaders believed it was the Cynthiana flag because a unit history states that after the war, the regiment’s original 1861 flag was given to Ferdinand Vanderveer, the general who organized the unit and later became a Hamilton lawyer and died in 1892. The other flag was given to Captain Samuiel L’Hommedieu.

A grandson of Vanderveer, whose mother was the general’s daughter, in the mid-1950s gave the society the flag now being restored, which sat in storage until last year. Before the donation, the flag had traveled with her from Hamilton to Michigan, where the daughter lived with her husband, and later to California.

Butler County’s society now plans to investigate whether anybody knows something about the Lebanon ladies who donated the regiment’s flag. A plate on the pole says it was made by Longley & Brother Flag Manufacturers in Cincinnati. The society also is still looking for descendants of the unit’s soldiers, and already have found some.

Meanwhile, conservators will re-humidify small sections of the flag, which had the consistency of very fragile tissue paper, so more of the silk doesn’t deteriorate into powder, and flatten the sections, before carefully cleaning it. It will be attached to a translucent mesh and mounted in a humidity-controlled frame.

Mike Rutledge

HAMILTON, Ohio — Strong winds sometime after midnight knocked down steel beams at a building that’s part of the Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill indoor sports complex, which is under construction, the Journal-News reports.

Nobody was injured.

Spooky Nook owner Sam Beiler spoke about the damage during a Hamilton Community Authority meeting.

“Yesterday, the National Weather Service warned of high winds causing potential widespread damage, such as falling trees, power lines and more,” Beiler said. “Shortly after midnight this morning, the structural steel on Building 500 fell.”

Building 500 is at the southern tip of the complex that’s located west of North B Street.

“No one was on the property at the time, and there were no injuries,” he added. “An analysis of the cause and impact on the project’s schedule will occur over the next couple of days, at which time we’ll provide more information.”

Beiler said he expected engineers and insurance officials to be on site possibly as early as Friday.

The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO 9 News.

The coronavirus pandemic put a lot of lives on hold for over a year, but Butler County’s health commissioner said she sees a silver lining that might save people from another crisis – this one involving drug overdose and intervention.

In 2020, Ohio emergency rooms saw more than 32,000 overdoses. Butler County statistics show that there were 177 deaths and, according to the coroner’s office, the county is on pace to exceed that number in 2021.

In the past 30 days, Butler County had just one day without an overdose.

“Now that I’m starting to be able to think outside COVID, we’re really ramping up our efforts to reduce overdoses,” Butler County health commissioner Jenny Bailer said

She said local agencies don’t plan to use the same old attack against drug addiction.

“I have most of the important heads of agencies in my cellphone,” Bailer said. “I have their contacts right there. I might not have known them before this, but I know them now and they know me. They can call me anytime, day and night, and I’m happy for them to do that – and we’ll leverage that.”

The Hamilton County addiction coalition, consisting of 40 state, local and federal agencies, launched six years ago when Cincinnati saw its first surge of fentanyl deaths in 2016. Connections between police, fire, public health and others helped get NARCAN on the streets within a week and save lives.

While Butler County isn’t forming an official coalition, Bailer expects partnerships that brought vaccine to fairgrounds, to drive-throughs, pop-up bus clinics and more – to remain a team able to plan, forecast and better respond to addiction and social issues contributing to overdoses.

“So those relationships are not lost and I hope they won’t end,” Bailer said. “We’ll continue to work on things for the citizens of Butler County.”

She also said that local hospitals who were forced to share supplies during the pandemic formed relationships that can be redirected toward addiction and overdose problems

A Dayton man has been identified as the pedestrian who was struck and killed Saturday morning on Ohio 4 in Butler County, according to the Journal-News.

Tommy James Johnson, 44, died of multiple traumatic injuries and his death was ruled an accident, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office.

On Monday, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office and coroner’s office asked for help identifying a man struck and killed Saturday morning while he was walking on Ohio 4, south of Keister Road in Madison Twp.

The man walked into the path of a northbound truck at about 2:15 a.m. Saturday, the sheriff’s office said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the 2019 Kenworth tanker truck was not injured, according to the sheriff’s office. No charges have been filed against the driver, an official said.

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Butler County prosecutor's office said Friday that there will be no charges brought against any law enforcement officers who shot a Ross Township man attempting "suicide by cop" in May.

"After the independent investigation and review by the Butler County Grand Jury, no charges against any officer or agent have been returned," Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser wrote in a statement. "The use of force as stated was justified."

Officials with the Butler County Sheriff's Office said around 12:30 p.m. on May 10, deputies were serving a federal warrant from the Department of Homeland Security at a home in the 4200 block of Jennifer Drive in Ross Township. The prosecutor's office said the suspect, 26-year-old Alex Hoskins, pointed a loaded pistol at the deputies "for the stated purpose of eliciting a lethal response..."

“The deputy told him to drop the weapon. He didn’t. The deputy shot him,” Jones said. "You can’t point guns at the police and expect the police to let you shoot them first."

Jones said Hoskins sustained a non-life-threatening injury. Investigators interviewed Hoskins at the Butler County Sheriff's Office, and he confessed to possession of child pornography as well as sending and receiving images and videos of child pornography.