Amherst News-Times, 1998-10-28

              Brinkley to run in state meet — Page 7      Spikers out after tourney — Page 8
i
A mherst News-Times
x> o
Wodno
< o
FIc
tur
ce Twp
m
<e batt e
ov ayment
of fire contract
7
by QLEN MLLER
Nawa-Timas raporter
No money, no fire protection;
that's the way the city plans to do
business.
The city has canceled one fire
service contract with the Ohio Turnpike Commission and may cancel
another unless it gets paid.
A 10-year-old contract to respond
to accidents and fires along the toll
road in the eastern half of Florence
Township has ceased because of
nonpayment
Another for service within
Brownhelm Township will cease
Jan. 1 unless an agreement can be
reached between turnpike and township officials as to who will pay for
it That contract expires Dec. 31 and
also is at least 10 years old, according to mayor John Higgins.
Amherst firefighters stopped responding to turnpike wrecks and
fires in Florence Township several
weeks ago after turnpike officials
failed to respond to letters from
Higgins about the outstanding bill.
The Amherst Fire Department responds to accidents on the turnpike
through the turnpike plaza located
off Plaza Drive.
Until recently, Higgins said turnpike authorities were the contractual
parly responsible for making
payment
"After all it (the turnpike) is state
property run by them, but now they
say differently,*' he explained.
Turnpike officials claim the
Brownhelm Township trustees are
responsible for making payment in
their township.
The mayor said he doesn't care
who is responsible as long as the
city Rets paid for responding to
calls, something that hasn't occurred
for more than a year.
"I can't tell you exactly, but I
know it's in the thousands of dollars, maybe more,'' he added.
Fire chief Ralph Zilch estimated
the amount to be between $1,500
and $2,000.
Talks are reportedly taking place
between Brownhelm Township trustees and turnpike officials in an attempt to reach an agreement, but
Higgins said his patience is waning.
In the meantime, turnpike officials claim cancellation of turnpike
fire service within the township
would be a violation of the contract
Nonpayment by the turnpike also
is a violation and a valid reason to
cancel the contract, the mayor
responded.
"I'm not going to send our guys
out there on a busy super highway
and ask them to risk their lives for
nothing. Neither should they ask
Amherst taxpayers to pay for it," he
added.
A Florence Township firefighter
was seriously injured and disabled
when he responded to an accident in
the western half of the township
several years ago.
Turnpike officials did not return
calls from the News-Times.
In a related development, Higgins
said he is waiting for the Amhent
Township trustees to continue talks
on the renewal of their fire contract
with the city.
It expired Oct 1 but was extended to Dec. 1 to give trustees additional negotiation time.
In the meantime, trustees David
Urig and Ron Leoni have placed a 2
mill levy fire service levy on the
Nov. 3 ballot It will raise an estimated $185,000 a year for a township fire department
Things that go
bump in the night
aren't always as
bad as they sound
by QLEN MILLER
Nawa-Timas raporter
It's that time of year again, when
things go bump in the night and
people suddenly see strange beings
or shadowy things that vanish into
thin air before their eyes.
They might be ghosts — or spiritual apparitions — as some people
prefer to call them. Whatever they
He's a king when
it comes to busting
bad guys for drugs
Halloween hauntings
Last Saturday was a goodd&y for a haunttrmjat least in
downtown Amherst where the youngsters —"aixfafew oldsters
— turned out for the annual parade. At top, Jack the dog gets
ready for his moment of fame. He's a devil in costume, and perhaps in spirit, too. At right, Amherst Police Department patrolman Les Carrendar is a scarecrow, and below, members of the
Police Explorers Unit fingerprint kids.
are, they're here in Amherst
A few people in town have
them, although not all are willing to
talk about them as much as Lois and
Okey Stevens, and their daughter,
Donna Fleming.
But then again, the two spirits —
a man and a woman — are fairly
benign. They've been part of the
family since the Stevenses moved
CONTINUED on page   3
by
forcemeat family, bae of Ms cousins is a Cleveland police dog,
trKrtlwis tmwrsbwof fter
I. who has a big £^mem.A|e22[? (DBA)
drug offenders, toad ana taak force set teat
imhant  Police   **• nentten of Otter potea
Newa-Timea reporter
King Heineken II
MB for «•—5**"!
has joined the Amhent Police ,
Depavtrneat tatam ia the UJL, Hans i
He's not really royalty, although !w°m«*» °******* ■*• Cton>
he comes from a long line of four- tand police dog trainer with
Ifjflgc J police offictn whose liningB Cawthon, the rtttjartnan's new K.-9
has been traced to Oermeny and ot_3r' _
Belgium. The trainer, Tim WaniM. Ie •
Called Hans by hit partner,
rohnan Mark Cawdton,
officers, he is the <        	
flrmaan Shenhnd nouce doe. A depaftateM apaator
^nXadtoZff o«dn* Haas weeks. Haas Hvei with
nwn> . cCffTJNUftVeit pap f
Qtrmany and euicor.
The trainer. Tin Wan aM. Is a
■ pntaer.paft- qevekad police officer cxper-
oo, and other ***** ■ cheesing dap win na
MMai'taew tea mate then pod notes dap
lice doe. A dapnnnat apart* tor tone
Writer finds herself
in ghostly career
by PAUL MORTON
Nawa-TaTsM raporter
AJVIHC    of ghosts all her life,
Wcodyardufrightftadyco
talking and writing ahon
Woodyard, the enter
such aa "Innead OWot
it** a*a*Ea**sm State." "San
13Tradnn*T**kV'sed
OlUb IV: Iteatitn Spirits."
ind at the Anheret Petite
to
Chris
ittbto
of tolas
"I told it to my mother because I,
couldn't write very weft," Woo-'
dyard said. "Thee I illustrated a in
crayon and stapled it in a red
ttnictine papw
: said she i
Slw said ate earned to read before
she entered school, aad so was
bond with the nop* clan work oa
which her chstneaats wen worktoa.
mm mmmmwmma  asa^^aj   *a***1BBBa**v**OTBBPB*BBaFW   mm^mmm>ma   mmmsmaemsmmmmssssm
While otter ohttnea were ate*
ling with -See tew int," Wte>
dyard was reading at an eight-
grada level; ate east lo amek
J****
Woodyaad
writer. It was
>. for a  JJ-Jjf^J
HM»
).-J*__\
H*ai-
. MP**' 'innnn!
■ tLmf'
■si
DHBanMni