THE OHIO STATE HIGHWAY PATROL IS INVESTIGATING A SERIOUS INJURY CRASH INVOLVING A TROOPER ASSIGNED TO THE LEBANON POST. THE CRASH OCCURRED ON INTERSTATE 75 IN WARREN COUNTY AROUND 11:06 LAST NIGHT. NEWLY COMMISSIONED TROOPER, 26 YEAR OLD BRENT HILL AND HIS FIELD TRAINING OFFICER, TROOPER MIKE STEEL WERE ON THE SCENE OF A ONE-VEHICLE CRASH ON THE LEFT BERM OF I-75 NORTHBOUND. TROOPER HILL WAS OUT OF THE PATROL CAR INVESTIGATING THE INITIAL CRASH WHEN HE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD LOST CONTROL ON THE SNOWY ROADWAY. 22 YEAR OLD ANDREW COMBS OF VANDALIA WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD, SIDESWIPED THE PATROL CAR AND STRUCK TROOPER HILL AND THE VEHICLE INVOLVED IN THE FIRST CRASH. NO OTHER INJURIES WERE REPORTED. HILL WAS TRANSPORTED FROM THE SCENE TO ATRIUM HOSPITAL IN MIDDLETOWN, BEFORE BEING TRANSPORTED TO MIAMI VALLEY TRAUMA CENTER IN DAYTON WHERE HE IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. COMBS WAS RELEASED PENDING FURTHER INVESTIGATION. TROOPERS SAID THREE SEPARATE CRASHES WERE REPORTED IN THE SAME AREA AND THAT THE ROADS WERE SNOW-COVERED AT THE TIME OF THE WRECKS.
REMEMBER…FRIDAY IS THE DAY THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL START CITING YOU IF YOU TEXT AND DRIVE. THIS IS A MINOR MISDEANOR FOR THOSE 18 AND OLDER, AND YOU WILL NOT BE STOPPED FOR JUST USING YOUR HANDHELD ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS. HOWEVER IF YOU COMMIT ANOTHER OFFENSE, YOU COULD BE CITED FOR USING THEM. THOSE UNDER 18 CAN BE STOPPED IF OBSERVED USING ANY ELECTRONIC WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WHILE DRIVING, SITTING AT A LIGHT OR STUCK IN TRAFFIC. THIS IS CONSIDERED A PRIMARY OFFENSE FOR ANY DRIVER UNDER THE AGE OF 18. NOT ONLY WOULD THE TEEN HAVE TO PAY A FINE, BUT THEY COULD LOSE THEIR DRIVER LICENSE FOR UP TO 6 MONTHS FOR A FIRST OFFENSE AND SUSPENSIONS OF UP TO A YEAR AND A FINE OF UP TO $300 FOR REPEAT OFFENSES. THE STATE DOES ALLOW EXCEPTIONS FOR PRE-PROGRAMMED GPS, VEHICLES IN A STATIONARY POSITION AND OUTSIDE A LANE OF TRAVEL. EMERGENCY CALLS WOULD BE PERMITTED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, HOSPITAL, OR FIRE DEPARTMENTS. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS LAW FROM THE OHIO BUREAU OF MOTOR VEHICLES.
FAIRBORN CITY SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT DAVE SCARBERRY SAID YESTERDAY THAT TWO STUDENTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE SOURCES OF TWO SEPARATE THREATS MADE AT BAKER MIDDLE SCHOOL THIS PAST WEEK. THE INCIDENTS HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 19TH AND 25TH. NEITHER STUDENT HAS BEEN ARRESTED. SCARBERRY SAID THESE WERE TWO TOTALLY SEPARATE INCIDENTS AND THE TWO STUDENTS DID NOT COLLABORATE. SCARBERRY COMMENTED THAT THE FAIRBORN POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL, SAYING, “IT’S A CRITICAL RELATIONSHIP FOR A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE…THESE THINGS WORK THEIR WAY OUT. KIDS MAKES MISTAKES AND DO SOME SILLY THINGS AND IT SURFACES. OTHER KIDS START TO TALK, AND WE WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER AND FIND OUT THE WHO-DONE-IT, IF YOU WILL.” SGT. PAUL HICKS SAID THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THE INCIDENTS AND PATROL OFFICERS HAVE BEEN VISIBLE AT THE SCHOOL AS STUDENTS ARRIVE AND DEPART, AS WELL AS VISITING THE SCHOOL THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL DAY.
IN CLARK COUNTY, COMMISSIONERS ARE PLANNING TO SPEND MORE THAN $96,000 THIS YEAR AND $118,000 NEXT YEAR TO HIRE DEPUTIES TO BOOST SCHOOL SECURITY, ACCORDING TO A REPORT IN THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS SUN. COMMISSIONERS VOTED TO PAY FOR THE EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT OFFICERS PROGRAM STARTING JUNE 1ST THAT WILL ALLOW THE CLARK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE TO HIRE TWO NEW DEPUTIES. SHERIFF GENE KELLY SAID THE ADDITIONAL MANPOWER WILL GIVE HIM THE RESOURCES NEEDED FOR THE PROGRAM IN WHICH DEPUTIES PATROL COUNTY SCHOOLS SIMILAR TO THE RESOURCE OFFICERS AT SPRINGFIELD CITY SCHOOLS. CLARK COUNTY COMMISSIONER RICK LOHNES SAID DEPUTIES PATROLLING THE SCHOOLS EACH WEEK COULD HELP MAKE SCHOOLS SAFER.
CONTINUING WITH NEWS ON OUR SCHOOLS, THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELEASED ITS FINAL 2011-12 STATE REPORT CARD DATA YESTERDAY. SPRINGFIELD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT KEPT ITS EFFECTIVE RATING ALONG WITH GRAHAM, TRIAD AND NORTHWESTERN SCHOOLS. THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REPORTS THAT MECHANICSBURG, URBANA, WEST LIBERTY-SALEM, GREENON AND TECUMSEH ALL EARNED EXCELLENT RATINGS. CLARK-SHAWNEE, NORTHEASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN GOT THE HIGHEST RANKINGS OF EXCELLENT WITH DISTINCTION. REPORT CARD RESULTS ARE CUMULATIVE RATINGS BASED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS PASSING THE STATE EXAMS, AN INDEX SCORE OF THE PERFORMANCE OF ALL STUDENTS ON ALL TESTS AND VALUE-ADDED, WHICH MEASURES WHETHER STUDENTS MAKE A YEAR’S WORTH OF PROGRESS.
OFFICIALS FROM THE OHIO EDUCATION ASSOCIATION WILL JOIN VOLUNTEERS FROM WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE DURING THE READ ACROSS AMERICA “READ-IN”…THE LARGEST EVENT OF ITS TYPE IN OHIO. VOLUNTEERS WILL READ AVIATION-RELATED STORIES, AS WELL AS BOOKS BY DR. SEUSS, TO MORE THAN 1,000 AREA SECOND AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS AT VARIOUS READING STATIONS PLACED THROUGHOUT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE. THIS WILL BE HELD TOMORROW MORNING FROM 9:30-10:30.
DR. CYNTHIA JACKSON-HAMMOND WILL BE SWORN IN AS THE EIGHTH PRESIDENT OF CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY ON THURSDAY, MARCH 7TH. JACKSON-HAMMOND IS THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT IN CENTRAL STATE’S 126-YEAR HISTORY. CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY WAS FOUNDED IN 1887 AND ACADEMICALLY PREPARES STUDENTS WITH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS FOR LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX AND RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD.
THE CITY OF DAYTON IS GOING TO USE UP TO $750,000 FROM ITS GENERAL FUND TO TEMPORARILY COVER THE COST OF A MAJOR HOMELESS HOUSING PROGRAM SO THAT 330 LOCAL HOUSEHOLDS WILL NOT BE EVICTED IN MARCH. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE DELAY IN RECEIVING AN ANNUAL GRANT FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS STORY TOMORROW ON OUR 12:20 WEEC NEWS!
THE SNOW OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING DELAYED SCHOOLS AROUND THE AREA FOR THIS THURSDAY! WE COULD STILL SEE SOME SNOW TONIGHT…MAYBE TOMORROW AS WELL. HIGHS ON FRIDAY WILL PEAK AT 34 DEGREES THEN WEEKEND HIGHS WILL ONLY RISE TO ABOUT 30 DEGREES. OVERNIGHT LOWS TONIGHT DROP TO 26, THEN GO ON DOWN TO 21 FRIDAY NIGHT AND 18 DEGREES FOR BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY OVERNIGHT. WE MIGHT EVEN SEE SOME SUNSHINE ON SUNDAY!
