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Troy Post 43 knocks off Piqua Post 184, 5-3 PAGE 14
June 20, 2013 It’s Where You Live!
www.troydailynews.com
Volume 105, No. 146
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An award-winning Civitas Media Newspaper
‘Selfless servant’ honored Taylor named winner of community service award BY NATALIE KNOTH Staff Writer nknoth@civitasmedia.com
As the West battles one catastrophic wildfire after another, the federal government is spending less and less on its main program for preventing blazes in the first place. A combination of government austerity and the ballooning cost of battling the ruinous fires has taken a bite out of federal efforts to remove the dead trees and flammable underbrush that clog Western forests. The U.S. Forest Service says that next year it expects to treat 1 million fewer acres than it did last year. See Page 9.
“I was surprised and shocked because there are so many people in Troy that do so many things to serve, and that I would be nominated and selected was a surprise,” Taylor said. “I know some of the people who have received it in the past, and I was really humbled that I could be a part of it. I felt I wasn’t in the same class — I’m not sure if that’s the right word.”
But Taylor indeed has a long history of helping the c o m m u n i t y. In 1990, he helped form Partners in Hope, a conglomerate TAYLOR volunteer group composed of 15 local churches. The intention was to form a united
• See TAYLOR on Page 2
MIAMI COUNTY
County rated ‘Storm Ready’
Actor James Gandolfini dies James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO’s “The Sopranos” helped create one of TV’s greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy. He was 51. Gandolfini died while on holiday in Rome, the cable channel and Gandolfini’s managers Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders said in a joint statement. No cause of death was given. See Page 5.
BY MELANIE YINGST Staff Writer myingst@civitasmedia.com
Correction A letter to the editor written by Paul Sarber last week should have stated the U.S. Army had 1.5 general officers for every 10,000 uniformed personnel during World War II and 6.9 general officers for every 10,000 uniformed personnel in 2010. The Troy Daily News apologizes for this error.
INSIDE TODAY Advice ..........................7 Calendar ......................3 Classified ...................11 Comics.........................8 Deaths .........................5 Patricia Hickman Ernest Lewis Marlene Hannan Horoscopes .................8 Opinion ........................4 Sports ........................14 TV ................................7
Concert on the lawn Thousands of people gathered for music and worship at the free summer Concert on the Lawn Wednesday at Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City. Above, Christian music band The Afters performs. At right, Brett Casey of Tipp City responds to the music of Leeland.
Staff Photos/ ANTHONY WEBER
U.S. hopes to save Taliban talks
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Hopes dimmed for talks aimed at ending the Afghan war when an angry President Hamid Karzai on Today Mostly sunny Wednesday suspended security negotiHigh: 82° ations with the U.S. and scuttled a Low: 56° peace delegation to the Taliban, sending American officials scrambling to Friday preserve the possibility of dialogue Mostly sunny with the militants. High: 85° What provoked the mercurial Low: 60° Karzai and infuriated many other Afghans was a move by the Taliban to Complete weather cast their new office in the Gulf nation information on Page 9. of Qatar as a rival embassy. The Home Delivery: Taliban held a ribbon-cutting ceremo335-5634 ny Tuesday in which they hoisted their flag and a banner with the name they Classified Advertising: used while in power more than a (877) 844-8385 decade ago: “Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Karzai on the phone, 6 74825 22406 6 telling him that his concerns were jus-
OUTLOOK
tified and that he would work to resolve the issue. An American official, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to disclose the information, said he still expects to have the first public meeting with Taliban representatives in the next few days in Qatar but that no exact meeting date has been set. Nevertheless, the militants’ attempt at a publicity coup clearly played to Karzai’s longstanding distrust of both the Taliban and the United States, who had announced Tuesday that they would pursue negotiations in the Qatari capital of Doha at least initially without the Afghan government. It may have also given Karzai an excuse to try to head off the Doha talks, which he probably agreed to support only reluctantly and under U.S. pressure. Karzai has for years opposed
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with Retired NewsCenter 7 News Anchor
JIM BALDRIDGE and his wife, SUE
talks outside Afghanistan and dominated or directed by the U.S. The Taliban, on the other hand, have never really wanted to negotiate with Karzai, preferring to talk directly with the U.S. “To have this whole ceremony, televised worldwide, without a single mention of the Afghan government having a role in whatever process is going to happen … they (Karzai and his peace delegation) suddenly realized, basically they weren’t out in front, they didn’t feature at all,” said Kabul-based analyst Martine van Bijlert. In a statement released by his office, Karzai lashed out at the U.S., using his leverage with Washington by suspending negotiations over what presence the United States will keep in Afghanistan after 2014. He said his High Peace Council would not enter talks with the Taliban until the negotiations were “completely Afghan.”
National Weather Service officials honored Miami County Emergency Management officials who work behind the scenes to keep the community safe before, during and after severe weather by designating the county as “Storm Ready” on Wednesday. Miami County joined just 21 other Ohio counties as a “Storm Ready” county, as deemed by National Weather Service officials in the Miami County Commissioners chambers in a brief award ceremony. Mary Jo Parker, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Wilmington, presented Miami County’s Emergency Management officials with a certificate recognizing their emergency planning efforts in front of Miami County Commissioners. “We’re really excited to recognize the county and its officers for obtaining Storm Ready recognition,” Parker said. Miami County Commissioner Jack Evans commended the efforts of the county’s emergency management team for its “behind the scenes efforts” during catastrophic events. “We really appreciate you making Miami County safer,” Evans said. Brian Castner, of the Storm Ready committee of the state of Ohio Emergency Management Agency, said the process to become a Storm Ready county takes approximately three months. Kenny Artz, director of the Miami County Emergency Management organization, said his team started plans to become a Storm Ready county after reviewing the concepts three years ago.
• See READY on Page 2
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Funding cut for fire prevention
Jim Taylor said he was pleasantly surprised and honored to be named the recipient of the 2013 Individual Community Service Award, presented by the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce. The owner of Troy Ford, Inc. will be presented with the award during intermission of the Cincinnati Pops concert on Friday on Prouty Plaza.
TROY
front for addressing the community’s needs. He also helped form Health Partners Free Clinic, an offshoot of Partners in Hope that specifically addresses medical needs. In addition, Taylor has been involved with the Family Abuse Shelter and New Path, as well as serving on the leadership board of Ginghamsburg Church. John Jung, who nominated Taylor, spoke highly of Taylor’s volunteer work in the community. “Jim is a selfless servant giving