Thursday, May 15, 2008
ACLU CONTINUES INVESTIGATION OF ALLEGED STRIP
SEARCH AT BUCYRUS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Reports have surfaced that American Civil Liberties Union representatives met
with the parents of several Bucyrus Middle School students last night who were
allegedly strip searched last month. At the time, administrators suspected that
some or all of the students had been smoking and may have still been in
possession of tobacco or other drugs. While ACLU legal director Jeff Gamso would
neither confirm nor deny that any such meeting took place, he did say that his
organization is investigating the incident. In an interview with WBCO, Gamso
explained that if initial reports of the searches are true, then the school has
violated the students’ right of freedom from unreasonable searches guaranteed by
the U.S. Constitution and Ohio Law. It was reported that several students were
asked to pull down their pants as part of the search. Gamso went on to say that
the search was invasive based on the fact that students were believed to be in
possession of tobacco, because cigarettes pose no immediate danger to the
students or staff. He also explained that the ACLU has taken an interest in this
case, because they hope to prevent similar searches from taking place in the
future.
BPD ADDING K-9 UNIT
The Bucyrus Police Department is preparing to introduce a new four-legged member
of the force to the community. According to Chief of Police, Ken Teets, Amigo,
the German Sheppard, will join forces with Lieutenant Neal Assenheimer as half
of a new K-9 unit. In an interview with WBCO, Teets explained that Amigo came to
the United States from Germany about a month ago and he and Lt. Assenheimer have
been getting acquainted ever since. In addition to serving as a partner for Lt.
Assenheimer, Teets says Amigo will also be used during drug searches. He will be
formally introduced to city council and city administration at the next council
meeting this Tuesday. The addition of the K-9 unit was made possible by the
donations of the Bucyrus Community Foundation and the Crawford County Kennel
Club.
NO STRIKE AT ONTARIO GENERAL MOTORS PLANT
Workers at the General Motors plant in Ontario have withdrawn a threat to
strike. GM spokesman Dan Flores announced yesterday that the United Auto Workers
Local 549 won’t go on strike this morning as planned at the stamping plant.
Union leaders at the plant are continuing to negotiate a local contract with GM.
Meanwhile, GM has cancelled health care and life insurance benefits for striking
workers at its Delta Township assembly plant near Lansing, Michigan. Workers
there have been on strike since April 17th. Flores says it is within the
company’s rights to discontinue benefits during the strike. Workers also are
striking over local issues in Kansas City, Kansas. GM could cancel benefits at
that plant as early as June 1st.
BRATWURST FESTIVAL SEEKING QUEEN APPLICANTS
The Bratwurst Festival Committee is searching for applicants for this year’s
competition. Interested individuals and their parents should attend an
informational meeting Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Bucyrus Public Library Annex.
Applications will be available at the meeting. They are also available at the
Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce, the Bucyrus Public Library, and all Crawford
County High Schools. They are due June 12th. Female residents between the ages
of 16 and 21 are eligible to apply. For more information, call Queen’s Committee
Chairman Karissa Murphy at 419-563-4590.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
$3.95 FOR A GALLON OF GAS
Gas prices topped out just under $4 a gallon yesterday in north central Ohio.
Meanwhile, according to AAA’s National Fuel Gauge Report, the national average
for a gallon of regular is $3.76. In the City of Bucyrus, the price for regular
peaked at $3.95. Chuck Frobose, of Bucyrus, stopped to fill up his tank
yesterday. He says that regardless of the price, he still needs to get to work,
and carpooling isn’t an option. His only strategy is to fuel up in small amounts
in the hopes that prices will drop in the coming days. Jenifer Jividen travels
with her husband between their two congregations in Bucyrus and Chillicothe on a
weekly basis. She says current prices have made visits to sick members of their
church an expensive proposition. Also, they were compelled to skip their annual
trip to a church camp in Florida for the first time in years. The current
national average is the highest in U.S. history.
CONCERNED CITIZENS LEAD CHARGE TO PRESERVE OLD GALION HIGH SCHOOL
A group of area residents is leading the charge to preserve the former Galion
High School. However, they are not alone. Thomas Palmer is the Executive
Director of Preservation Ohio. He’s organizing the efforts of the Adaptive Reuse
Committee. Yesterday, the group conducted a press conference to remind the
public that the fight to prevent the demolition of old GHS continues. Last
week, the Galion Board of Education approved bid documents for the demoliton
contract. Palmer hopes that residents will supply the committee with
effective ideas to help their cause. Some of the board’s requirements include a
cash or surety equal to the cost of demolishing the structure in the event that
the new owners cannot turn the building into a profitable conference and
cultural center. Palmer insists that won’t happen. He expects the property to
produce $1-2 Million in revenue over the next 5-10 years. He cites a study of
the Galion area that concluded that the city would serve as a good meeting place
for local companies and civic groups.
ONTARIO GM UNION THREATENS TO STRIKE
A General Motors union in Ohio has threatened to go on strike. According to GM
officials, the United Auto Workers Local 549 has given the company notice it
will strike at 10 a.m. Thursday at a metal stamping plant in Ontario. The threat
to strike is the second in recent weeks, and it came as the union and management
continued negotiations regarding contract issues. If workers choose to strike,
it would be the third against General Motors over local contract issues.
Meanwhile, GM workers near Lansing, Michigan and Kansas City, Kansas have been
on strike since mid April and early May respectively.
CHARGERS SELECTED TO COMPETE IN SPECIAL OLYMPICS
A dominant Crawford County team is heading to a national tournament. The
Crawford County Chargers unified volleyball team has been selected by Special
Olympics Ohio to attend the 80th Open Volleyball Championships national
tournament in Atlanta, Georgia. Unified volleyball involves the participation of
an even number of mentally disabled and non-mentally disabled athletes playing
together. Over 500 teams are expected to participate in the week-long
competition. The Chargers are scheduled to play May 23-25. The local team has
won nine state championships since 1996. According to team advisor Guy Chapman,
they’ve also won 79 straight matches in Special Olympics Ohio competition dating
back to a 1998 loss in the state championship and 88 of their last 90 matches
overall, with the last two losses coming at the national tournament in 2005.
Their overall record is 108-6. The Chargers won the national championship in
Atlanta in 2004. Participating on the squad will be Dave Clark, Doug Cotsmire,
Nic Crim, Tina Crim, Doug Davis, Rob Farson, Brett Mutchler, Kim Mutchler, Jim
Plasencia, Rickey Price, and Jeff Turner. The team is seeking donations and
conducting fund-raising activities to pay for the experience. For more
information, contact Chapman at 419-562-3321.
