A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES. SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE TUESDAY MORNING WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW FALLING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED DUE TO REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. WE’LL TELL YOU A LITTLE MORE SHORTLY!
KARI JOBE, RECORDING ARTIST HEARD ON WEEC, IS LENDING HER SUPPORT TO THE NEW FILM “NOT TODAY” IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING. THIS FILM HELPS AUDIENCES PUT A HUMAN FACE ON THE WORLDWIDE PROBLEM OF MODERN SLAVERY AND EXPLOITATION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. KARI SAYS, “WE ALL HAVE TO PLAY A ROLE AND DO OUR PART TO FIGHT AGAINST THE PLAGUE THAT AFFECTS 27 MILLION PEOPLE AND GROWING.” JOBE COMMENTED THAT, “MOST OF THESE VICTIMS ARE GIRLS LIKE ME, AND I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT LIFE WOULD BE LIKE IN THAT PLACE.” KARI JOBE IS CURRENTLY PERFORMING WITH THE CHRIS TOMLIN BURNING LIGHT’S TOUR.
A UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON GROUP IS WORKING TO END GLOBAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING BY ELIMINATING ONE VICTIM AT A TIME. THE NEWS RELEASE FROM U.D. STATES THAT A GROUP OF STUDENTS IS HOLDING A CONSCIOUSNESS RISING CONFERENCE MARCH 7TH – 9TH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON TO EXPOSE STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF, AS WELL AS THE GREATER DAYTON COMMUNITY, TO THE ISSUES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR FOR THE CONFERENCE WHICH HAS BEEN INCREASED THIS YEAR TO THREE DAYS FROM ONE DAY LAST YEAR. THE 2013 EVENT WILL BE HEADLINED BY NICHOLAS KRISTOF, TWO-TIME PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST AND CO-AUTHOR OF “HALF THE SKY: TURNING OPPRESSION INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE.” HIS FREE, PUBLIC TALK IS ALSO PART OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON SPEAKER SERIES AND WILL BEGIN AT 1PM SATURDAY, MARCH 9TH IN THE 1700 SOUTH PATTERSON BUILDING ON THE UNIVERSITY’S RIVER CAMPUS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CONFERENCE CALL 937/229-3391.
LAST WEEK, CLARK COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVED A PLAN TO HIRE TWO CLARK COUNTY DEPUTIES WHOSE PRIMARY JOB WILL BE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE LOCAL SCHOOLS, REVIEWING SCHOOL SAFETY PLANS AND THEY WILL GET TO KNOW STAFF MEMBERS AND TEACHERS. CLARK COUNTY’S PROGRAM WILL COST ABOUT $96,000 IN ITS FIRST YEAR, THEN $118,000 THE NEXT YEAR. CHIEF DEPUTY CARL LONEY SAID THE PLAN IS A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO HELP ENHANCE SCHOOL SAFETY. GREENON SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ARE CONSIDERING SOME OPTIONS TO ENHANCE SCHOOL SAFETY AS WELL, INCLUDING A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD ARM STAFF MEMBERS AND TEACHERS. GREENON BOARD MEMBERS HEARD AN HOUR-LONG PRESENTATION BY RICHARD PITZER, A RETIRED ENGINEER WHO DEVELOPED THE “OHIO SCHOOL PROTECTION PLAN” WHICH ADVOCATES SEEKING TEACHER VOLUNTEERS TO BE TRAINED AND LICENSED TO CARRY CONCEALED WEAPONS. THESE FIREARMS WOULD BE STORED IN A LOCKED FINGERPRINT-STYLE GUN VAULT IN SOME CLASSROOMS AND REMOVED FROM THE SCHOOL AT THE END OF THE DAY, ACCORDING TO THE NEWS SUN REPORT. PITZER SAID IN CASE OF A SCHOOL SHOOTING, THE TEACHERS WOULD LOCK DOWN THE CLASSROOM, GET THE FIREARM AND POSITION THEMSELVES BETWEEN THE CLASSROOM DOOR AND STUDENTS. GREENON LOCAL SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT, DAN BENNETT SAID THE DISTRICT IS DEVELOPING A SAFETY TEAM THAT WILL MAKE ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SCHOOL BOARD TO ENHANCE PLANS ALREADY IN PLACE. THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS NOT APPROVED OR REJECTED PITZER’S PROPOSAL. IN URBANA, DISTRICT OFFICIALS HAVE HAD A HANDFUL OF CASES THIS YEAR WHERE SCHOOLS HAD TO BE LOCKED DOWN BECAUSE OF THREATS WRITTEN ON BATHROOM STALLS. THE DISTRICT HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE URBANA POLICE DIVISION AND CHAMPAIGN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND TWO INDIVIDUALS WERE CHARGED BECAUSE OF THOSE THREATS. URBANA CITY SCHOOLS DO HAVE SAFETY PLANS IN PLACE, BUT SUPERINTENDENT CHARLES THIEL SAID HE’S NOT NECESSARILY COMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA OF ARMING TEACHERS. SCHOOL EVERYWHERE ARE DISCUSSING AND SETTING UP PLANS TO KEEP STUDENTS SAFER AFTER SHOOTINGS AT PLACES LIKE SANDY HOOK AND COLUMBINE.
THE RESIDENT AT A HOME IN XENIA SUFFERED BURNS AND WAS TAKEN TO GREENE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WHEN HIS HOME SUFFERED AN EXPLOSION ABOUT 8:00 THIS MORNING. THE MAN WAS IN THE BACKYARD WHEN THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED AND WAS BURNED. XENIA FIRE CHIEF KENNETH RIGGSBY SAID A PERSON LIVING ACROSS THE STREET HAD CALLED VECTREN TO REPORT AN ODOR OF NATURAL GAS IN THE AREA. VECTREN IS INVESTIGATING, ALONG WITH POLICE AND FIRE OFFICIALS IN XENIA. THE FIRE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE HOMES ON BOTH SIDES, BUT NO ONE ELSE WAS INJURED.
ALSO IN GREENE COUNTY…AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED JUST BEFORE 1AM ON SUNDAY… PLUNGING A VEHICLE INTO A CREEK ON KINSEY ROAD. THE DRIVER WAS ALLEGEDLY DRUNK SAID STATE TROOPERS, BUT HE ALSO HAD HIS WIFE AND THREE CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE. THE CHILDREN AND THE WOMAN SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES AND WERE TRANSPORTED TO GREENE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. TROOPERS SAID THE DRIVER COULD NOT ONLY FACE OVI CHARGES, BUT CHILD ENDANGERMENT AS WELL. APPARENTLY THE FAMILY HAD BEEN AT A FRIEND’S HOUSE AND WERE ON THEIR WAY HOME.
TRAVELLING TO SHELBY COUNTY, A SEMI LEFT THE FREEWAY AND CRASHED SATURDAY MORNING WHEN THE DRIVER APPARENTLY SUFFERED A MEDICAL CONDITION. A 64 YEAR OLD TEXAS MAN WAS PROUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE. NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED.
GOING ON TO RIVERSIDE IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, THE 62 YEAR OLD MAN FOUND DEAD WHEN HIS HOUSE CAUGHT FIRE ON SATURDAY WAS IDENTIFIED AT JEFFERY REUSCH. NEIGHBORS WERE NOT ABLE TO GET INTO THE HOME TO HELP, AND FIREFIGHTERS FOUND REUSCH IN THE HOUSE UPON ARRIVAL. THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE WAS CALLED TO INVESTIGATE.
OHIO STATE TROOPER BRENT E. HILL IS CONTINUING TO RECOVER AT MIAMI VALLEY HOSPITAL AFTER BEING HIT BY A VEHICLE AS HE WAS INVESTIGATING ANOTHER CRASH ON INTERSTATE 75. HILL HAD JUST GRADUATED FROM THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL ACADEMY ON FEBRUARY 8TH AND WAS WORKING WITH HIS TRAINING OFFICER, TROOPER MIKE STEELE OUT OF THE LEBANON POST. HILL SUFFERED HEAD TRAUMA AND EXTENSIVE INJURIES TO HIS LEG. HE HAD SURGERY ON HIS LEG ON THURSDAY, AND LT. ANNE RALSTON, SPOKEPERSON FOR THE PATROL, SAID HE WILL LIKELY HAVE AT LEAST ONE MORE SURGERY. TROOPERS SAID THERE WAS A TOTAL OF THREE ACCIDENTS IN THAT STRETCH OF I-75…LIKELY CAUSED BY WINTERY CONDITIONS WITH SNOW COVERED ROADS. THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ACCIDENT IS CONTINUING. NORTHBOUND I-75 WAS CLOSED FOR NEARLY FIVE HOURS BECAUSE OF THOSE ACCIDENTS.
THE WEATHER IS IN THE NEWS AGAIN! AFTER CLOUDY CONDITIONS AND LOWS DROPPING TO 28 DEGREES TONIGHT…GET READY FOR RAIN AND SNOW…AND THEN ALL SNOW! SNOW IS LIKELY TUESDAY MORNING, THEN RAIN AND SNOW BETWEEN 11AM AND 1PM, FOLLOWED BY ALL RAIN AFTER 1:00, THEN AS TEMPERATURES COOL RAIN WILL MIX WITH THE SNOW, THEN AFTER ABOUT 8PM AS THE AIR COOLS TO 28 DEGREES, WE WILL SEE ALL SNOW AGAIN THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOME OF THE SNOW COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTER WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4-8 INCHES POSSIBLE! HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY WILL BE AT 35 DEGREES, WITH WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 25 MPH. SNOW WILL DISSIPATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND LOWS WILL DROP TO 25 DEGREES. THURSDAY BRINGS SUNSHINE BACK WITH HIGHS NEAR 40.
