Frequently Asked Questions
|
Eagles get ready to depart |
|
|
|
|
Written by Carly Tamborski
|
|
Wednesday, 15 May 2013 |
For five years, Fayetteville resident Fred Taylor has been seen sitting in his spot on the side of US 52 outside the Brown County Rural Water Association.
It’s a prime locale for his camera, approximately 600 feet from the nest of an eagle family perched in a tree on the BCRWA property.
“I come here about two to three times a week depending on the weather,” Taylor said. “If the weather holds out, I stay here anywhere from five to six hours a day.”
Taylor has been dabbling in photography for about 20 years now and has become an eagle connoisseur of sorts through his weekly treks down to the river.
“It gets me out of the house,” Taylor said. “I enjoy watching them because they’re the American bird, they’re a beautiful bird. At one point our forefathers wanted to make the turkey the American bird. Can you believe that?”
But Taylor isn’t the only one who’s been keeping an eye out on the birds since they began nesting in the Brown County riverside treetops. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Memorial Day events planned |
|
|
|
|
Written by Staff
|
|
Wednesday, 15 May 2013 |
|
Villages and American Legion Posts across Brown County are currently preparing for Memorial Day on Monday, May 27. Numerous events are planned across the county, and residents are encouraged to attend and to honor those who have served in the United State military.
RIPLEY
The Ripley American Legion Post 367 will be holding Memorial Day services on Sunday, May 26. The Legion will begin the day 1 p.m. at Red Oak, and will also visit Hickory Ridge 2 p.m., Ebenezer Church 2:30 p.m., and Hyatt’s Chapel 3 p.m. The Legion will be downtown 6 a.m. Monday, May 27, to lower the flags to half mast, but will also visit Maysville 8 a.m., Aberdeen 9 a.m., Main Street Cemetery 10 a.m., Pisgah Ridge 11 a.m., Higginsport Cemetery 11:30 a.m., and Shinkles Ridge Cemetery at noon.
The Legion will have lunch 12:30 p.m., followed by a downtown parade 1:30 p.m., and will finish the day’s events at Maplewood Cemetery 2:30 p.m.
The Ripley Memorial Day Committee has also announced their holiday plans. U.S. Congressman and Ripley native Steve Stivers will be the guest of honor and speaker for the Memorial Day ceremony. He will be delivering his remarks at Maplewood Cemetery 2 p.m.
Village events begin at Front and Main Streets 12:30 p.m. with a bicycle decorating contest. Organizations and citizens who wish to join the walking procession to the cemetery will line up at that location 1 p.m. An opening ceremony will be held at the foot of Main Street 1:30 p.m., followed by the procession to the cemetery with a brief pause at the Red Oak Bridge where a wreath will be tossed into the water in a solemn ceremony to remember the fallen Navy men and women.
From the bridge, the group will advance to Maplewood Cemetery to the monument dedicated to the memory of unknown soldiers. Stivers will then speak. Stivers is currently serving his second term as a congressman, representing Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. He has served over 28 years in the Ohio Army National Guard and holds the rank of Colonel. He served the United States overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he led 400 soldiers and contractors and said he is proud that each and every one returned home safely to the United States. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Kinkead Ridge Winery is for sale |
|
|
|
|
Written by Carly Tamborski
|
|
Wednesday, 15 May 2013 |
Although Kinkead Ridge Winery is for sale, owners Nancy Bentley and Ron Barrett want the public to know they are still tending the vineyard, making wine and open for business starting Memorial Day weekend.
That weekend, the winery will be open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday and Monday. It will then be open 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. every Saturday.
“We’re in our social secutiy years so it’s time to retire,” Bentley said. “We’re probably going to move to North Carolina and we will not be growing grapes or have a winery down there.”
The duo expects to be in the area for one or two more years and plans to mentor whoever purchases the vineyard and winery.
“We’re looking for someone who wants to keep the quality up that we’ve developed,” Bentley said. “We have an international reputation.”
The winery is listed by Ron Kallam Realty and the vineyard is for sale by owner. The vineyard is comprised of 126 acres and all the wine-making equipment is included in the sale.
Barrett is a winegrower and engineer who grew up in Columbus. Bentley grew up in New York City and is a certified chef — among several other professional accolades — and says she has always appreciated a good wine. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Preparing for the musical |
|
|
|
|
Written by Steve Triplett
|
|
Wednesday, 24 April 2013 |
The cast and crew at RULH are finalizing all the details of their production that will showcase this Friday through Sunday, April 26-28. Director Amy Smith cast 59 students from the elementary, middle and high school. Alumni have come back to help design backdrops and work on lighting and sound.
“This is a show for the whole family,” Smith said. “The high schoolers have been working since January and the elementary and middle schoolers were added a couple months ago.”
This is Smith’s second time directing a musical at RULH. Two years ago she directed “Seussical the Musical” which also featured a large cast.
Smith said, “We have a smaller stage but we make it work. More cast members means more people getting to experience fine arts. It’s a great way to step outside of yourself and build confidence It also brings in a bigger audience and it’s fun to perform for a big audience.”
Backdrops painted by the art teacher and art students at the high school.
Show times will be 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 28. Concessions and flowers will be sold before the show and during intermission. Hotdogs, chips, cookies, cotton candy, popcorn and drinks will be available.
Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased in the high school office or at the door.
|
|
|
Skinner’s contract is under review |
|
|
|
|
Written by Carly Tamborski
|
|
Wednesday, 24 April 2013 |
In its most heavily attended school board meeting this year, largely due to community members showing up to support high school principal Susie Skinner, the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington School District Board of Education immediately went into executive session following the meeting’s commencement.
During the March 19 meeting, the Board voted not to renew Skinner’s employment contract, which surprised the community as well as Skinner, who was not given any indication of such a decision prior to that meeting.
Almost 100 people were in the cafeteria at the Tuesday, April 16, meeting and sat through an executive session that lasted for about two and a half hours. Twice during the session, Skinner and her lawyer, Erik Laursen, were called to join the board, and each time the duo walked back to the session and returned to the cafeteria, they were greeted with applause and cheers from the crowd.
Earlier that day, and prior to the meeting, Laursen filed paperwork on Skinner’s behalf officially suing the RULH Board of Education, “commanding the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Board of Education to renew [Skinner’s] employment contract, which is required under operation of the law because Board failed to give timely written notice of its intent not to renew her employment contract,” which is a violation of the Ohio Revised Code.
“I do not believe that they cannot renew her at this point based on the procedural steps that the Board took,” Laursen said. “They are required under the law at this point to renew her contract for two years. The statute provides for it. Essentially they hadn’t provided her notice that they were going to take action. They failed to live up to certain requirements in the law…When they don’t follow those rules, the law requires them to renew the contract. The general practice is you’re supposed to give notice at least 60 days before and they have to issue her a review by the superintendent, which they did. He didn’t just approve of her, he gave her a glowing review.”
Board members Jeff Cluxton, Robert Carpenter, Glenda Huff, Barry Sims, and Richard Applegate are all named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Applegate, board president, was not present at the meeting, and his resignation from the RULH Board of Education was approved later in the meeting.
No one has gone on the record of why Applegate resigned or why three board members voted not to renew Skinner’s contract.
“I have looked, trying to find a basis for why they failed to renew the contract and I don’t see it,” Laursen said. “When you look at Principal Skinner’s reviews from the superintendent, they glow. Things have been on the up and up since she became principal is my understanding.” The documentation from the lawsuit reviews several facts relative to the issue. The Board voted in favor of employing Skinner as the high school principal on August 6, 2010 and entered into a contract with Skinner where she would serve as principal from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. The Board, thereafter, voted to renew Skinner’s contract to employ her as high school principal from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013.
The lawsuit also details actions of Superintendent Pat Kimble who, through his reviews, never indicated any performance issues with Skinner and in fact highly recommended her.
Kimble reviewed Skinner’s performance on Nov. 7, 2012. According to the lawsuit, in Kimble’s Evaluation of Administrator, 1st Evaluation — Progress Report, “he noted that of the seven standards reviewed, she achieved a distinguished rating on one standard, accomplished ratings on four standards, and proficient ratings on two standards.”
|
|
Read more...
|
|
| |
|
|
