I’M RUTH BOOK THANKING YOU FOR CHOOSING WEEC FOR NEWS ON THIS MONDAY.
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTENDING THE EDUCATIONAL FAIR AND MEMORIAL FOR THE UNBORN HELD BY CLARK COUNTY RIGHT TO LIFE AT THE LAWRENCEVILLE CHURCH OF GOD YESTERDAY. THE YOUTH GROUP LED IN SONGS AND RIGHT TO LIFE PRESIDENT STEVE CORNETT EMCEED. STATE REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT HACKETT SPOKE ON PRO-LIFE LEGISLATURE THAT HAS BEEN PASSED AND OTHERS STILL BEING WORKED ON IN THE STATE OF OHIO, INCLUDING THE HEARTBEAT BILL. ALSO PRESENT WAS CITY COMMISSIONER DAN MARTIN WHO ENCOURAGED RESIDENTS TO KNOW WHERE THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS STAND ON LIFE! U.S. CONGRESSMAN STEVE AUSTRIA WAS PRESENTED A PLAQUE BY CLARK COUNTY RIGHT TO LIFE AND THANKED THE GROUP FOR THEIR HARD WORK IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE. CONGRESSMAN AUSTRIA HAS JUST FINISHED 14 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND IS A MEMBER OF THE PROLIFE CAUCUS IN WASHINGTON D.C. RON AND KATY TRICK SHARED ABOUT THEIR ADOPTION OF NOAH. KATY IS ALSO ADOPTED AND SHARED HER PERSONAL STORY AS WELL. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CLARK COUNTY RIGHT TO LIFE, GO ON-LINE TO: WWW.CLARKCOUNTYRIGHTTOLIFE.COM.
THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION’S GO RED FOR WOMEN MOVEMENT HAS BEEN FIGHTING HEART DISEASE FOR TEN YEARS. THEY HAVE WORN RED, SHARED STORIES OF SURVIVAL AND BEGUN TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH ABOUT WOMEN’S HEARTS AND HOW HEART DISEASE CAN BE PREVENTED. MORE THAN 627,000 WOMEN’S LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED. HEART DISEASE IS THE #1 KILLER OF WOMEN WITH ONE IN THREE AMERICAN WOMEN DYING FROM HEART DISEASE EACH YEAR. IT IS MORE DEADLY THAN ALL FORMS OF CANCER COMBINED ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION. FOR MORE INFORMATION YOU CAN GO ON-LINE TO: WWW.GOREDFORWOMEN.ORG .
SEVERAL VETERANS HAVE TOLD THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS THAT THE WAIT IS OFTEN LONG FOR DISABILITY CLAIMS TO BE RESOLVED AND APPROVED WITH THE VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION. ON AVERAGE THE REPORT SAYS IT TAKES 262 DAYS NATIONALLY AND 278 DAYS IN OHIO TO COMPLETE A VETERAN’S DISABILITY CLAIM. MANY VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE RUNNING INTO REALLY HARD TIMES AS THEY WAIT. BILL CORBER, A VIETNAM VETERAN WHO WAS EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE, SAYS HE HAS HAD “…BUDDIES WHO DIED WAITING FOR THEIR BENEFITS.” THE DELAYS ARE BECAUSE OF A GROWING BACKLOG THAT VA SPOKESMAN CRAIG LARSON ATTRIBUTED TO “INCREASED DEMAND, THE RESULT OF 10 YEARS OF WAR AND MANY VETERANS RETURNING WITH SEVERE, COMPLEX INJURIES.” LARSON SAYS, “THE VA IS CARING FOR MILLIONS OF VETERANS AND BENEFICIARIES OF ALL ERAS.” THE VA STATES IT HAS PROCESSED ONE MILLION CLAIMS IN EACH OF THE PAST THREE YEARS. JERRY MANAR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SERVICES FOR THE VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS SAYS THERE IS “HOPE ON THE HORIZON”. HE SHARED THAT THE VA IS UPDATING ITS COMPUTER SYSTEM, WHICH COULD DRASTICALLY CUT DOWN WAIT TIMES. THE VETERANS BENEFIT ADMINISTRATION HAS ALSO STARTED A NEW PAPERLESS, DIGITAL CLAIMS PROCESSING SYSTEM AT THE VA REGIONAL OFFICE IN CLEVELAND AND EXPANDED STAFF TRAINING. THE AGENCY IS ALSO WORKING ON PRIORITIZING CLAIMS SO “AT-RISK” VETERANS CAN GET THE HIGHEST PRIORITY. ANOTHER CHANGE IS THAT THE AGENCY IS PARTNERING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO LET SERVICE MEMBERS KNOW OF THEIR BENEFITS AND SHARE HEALTH RECORDS. THE VA HAS A GOAL OF PROCESSING CLAIMS WITHIN 125 DAYS BY 2015 WITH A 98 PERCENT ACCURACY. IF YOU NEED HELP, THE VFW NATIONAL HOTLINE IS 1/800-839-1899.
WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY IS FACING A FINANCIAL CHALLENGE AND A COMMITTEE FROM THE UNIVERSITY IS RECOMMENDING ELIMINATING 24 PROFESSORS TO COPE WITH A $7 M ILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL. THE EDUCATIONAL POLICIES COMMITTEE SAYS THE CUTS WOULD GET THE $2 MILLION SAVINGS THE UNIVERSITY IS ESTIMATING THAT IT NEEDS FROM FACULTY POSITIONS. THE EPC RECOMMENDS THAT ACROSS-CURRICULUM CUTS BE MADE RATHER THAN ELIMINATING SPECIFIC PROGRAMS AND COURSE OFFERINGS. FACULTY MEMBERS AND DEPARTMENTS HAVE UNTIL FEBRUARY 15TH TO COMMENT ON THE PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH THEN WILL BE TAKEN TO THE FACULTY AS A WHOLE. THE FACULTY SHOULD THEN ACT BY MID-APRIL AND FORWARD THE PROPOSAL TO THE ADMINISTRATION TO REVIEW AND PRESENT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN MAY.
CATHOLIC CENTRAL WILL START AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM IN THE FALL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BOSTON COLLEGE THAT FOCUSES ON STUDENTS’ INDIVIDUALITY, STRENGTHS AND NEEDS. KENITH BRITT, PRESIDENT OF CATHOLIC CENTRAL, SAID ALMOST $500,000 IN ANONYMOUS DONATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED TO SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE CALLED “CITY CONNECTS”. THE INITIATIVE WAS DEVELOPED BY BOSTON COLLEGE 11 YEARS AGO AND CENTERS ON THE PHILOSOPHY THAT CHILDREN FACE CHALLENGES OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL THAT IMPEDE ACADEMIC SUCCESS. THE PROGRAM’S MISSION IS TO CONNECT EACH STUDENT WITH SERVICES IN THE SCHOOL AND IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HE OR SHE NEEDS TO THRIVE, ACCORDING TO THE NEWS SUN ARTICLE. BRITT SAID, “IT’S A STUDENT SUPPORT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC OUTCOMES, FROM RETENTION AND TESTING, TO TRUANCY, ABSENTEEISM AND MOTIVATION.” HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT THE UNIQUE GIFTS AND TALENTS OF EACH CHILD. HE SHARED THAT IF A STUDENT ISN’T EATING OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL, THEY CAN HELP BY CONNECTING THE FAMILY WITH THE SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK, BECAUSE BRITT STATED, “WE BELIEVE IF THEY ARE NOT EATING, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE LEARNING.” A SMALL GROUP OF PARENTS AND FACULTY ARE ON A PLANNING TEAM FOR THE PROJECT AND ARE EVALUATING THE SCHOOL USING SURVEY AND TEST SCORES. ONCE THE DATA IS REVIEWED, THEY GIVE THEIR IDEAS TO AN IMPLEMENTATION TEAM, WITH THE PROGRAM BEGINNING IN THE FALL. CATHOLIC CENTRAL HAS COMMITTED TO RUN THIS PROGRAM FOR THREE YEARS.
BRANDON DILTS, AGE 19, OF RUSHSYLVANIA WAS KILLED IN A ONE-VEHICLE ACCIDENT EAST OF RUSHSYLVANIA IN LOGAN COUNTY WHEN HIS VEHICLE WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD, STRUCK A FENCE POST, THEN WENT AIRBORNE AND STRUCK A TREE. A PASSERBY REPORTED THE ACCIDENT SUNDAY MORNING AROUND 8:40. BRANDON HAS FAMILY IN THE SPRINGFIELD AREA AS WELL. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THIS YOUNG MAN.
THERE WAS A SHOOTING IN SPRINGFIELD LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THAT KILLED 34 YEAR OLD ERNEST EDWARDS AND INJURED THREE OTHERS AT THE NITE OWL TAVERN. INVESTIGATORS FROM THE SPRINGFIELD POLICE SAY IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS AN ALTERCATION AT THE TAVERN THAT PRECIPITATED THAT SHOOTING.
WE SURE HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING THE WARMER WEATHER! I HATE TO TELL YOU THAT TEMPERATURES WILL GET COLD AGAIN BEGINNING WEDNESDAY NIGHT. FOR TONIGHT…RAIN SHOWERS ARE PROBABLE WITH LOWS GOING TO 47 DEGREES. HIGHS ON TUESDAY WILL HIT 60 DEGREES WITH A 30 PERCENT POSSIBILITY OF PRECIPITATION, BUT THAT CHANCE GOES UP TO 40 PERCENT TUESDAY NIGHT AND TO 90 PERCENT ON WEDNESDAY! HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY WILL BE AT 58 DEGREES…BUT THEN…IT GETS COLD AGAIN! LOWS WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL DROP TO 23 DEGREES AND THAT RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. THURSDAY BRINGS SUNSHINE BUT IT WILL BE COLD THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND WITH HIGHS IN THE 20’S AND LOWS GOING INTO THE MID TEENS!
