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Ex-pres vows to take on Oregon teachers union By J. Patrick Eaken Press Staff Writer news@presspublications.com
Police pursuit not needed
When a Latcha Road resident arrived home Tuesday he discovered he was witnessing a burglary in progress and used his truck to block the would-be burglars from getting away. Lake Township police arrested two men. Story on page 2. (Photo courtesy of Lake Township Police)
Giving back
Ottawa County honors wounded heroes Ottawa County packed a patriotic punch in a pre-July 4th excursion honoring wounded heroes. Political leaders, county staff, students, veterans, businesses and local organizations united to deliver the best the area has to offer to 61 travelers from the Kentucky Wounded Heroes Project, an organization serving a five-region area including Ohio. And the Ottawa County efforts didn’t disappoint. “I’ve decided one of the best parts of God’s creation is walleye fishing on Lake Erie,” said Jim Oates, a chaplain from Shelbyville, Ky., who accompanied the group on the trip dubbed Walleyes for Wounded Warriors. “This is a unique place. You can really feel the heart of the people.” The anglers spent five days on the Lake Erie shoreline, June 25-29. And the weather seemed to be a willing partner in the three-day fishing adventure, serving up warm days and sunshine the entire trip. Chris Epperson thought he’d be bored fishing. He gets restless easily, he said. The member of the National Guard couldn’t have been more wrong. “Today was just action packed. It was non-stop. We were hitting the moment the
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This community is amazing. You’ve got some real patriots – more than the average town.
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By Cynthia L. Jacoby Special to The Press
line hit the water,” Epperson smiled. Local crews cleaned and filleted the fish. Then the bounty is split among them. Last year, each person took home about 30 pounds of walleye to their families. They expected the same or better this year. Off the lake, the men and women got a taste of local life from one end of the county to the other. They stayed at Shady Acres and stops included a meet-and-greet with charter captains at Magee East Marina, a night out at Rob’s Limestone Tavern in Rocky Ridge, a trip to Put-in-Bay and dinner at TJ’s Smokehouse and breakfasts at Ala Carte in Port Clinton. Their experience culminated with a fish fry at Tall Timbers Campground near
Port Clinton. As they ambled off the boats Saturday, the wounded heroes were met by Port Clinton and Catawba fire trucks, police and sheriff’s deputies who escorted them to the shelter house. As the procession entered the campground gates, young and old campers alike lined the stone road waving flags and clapping as an honor guard saluted. “This community is amazing. You’ve got some real patriots – more than the average town,” said the Wounded Heroes Project President Chuck Reed. “They’ve been bending over backgrounds for months to help make this happen.” At the helm of that effort were Veterans Services Commission Director Sara Toris, County Commissioner Jim Sass, Facilities Director Jim Adkins and Kara Hart of the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome Center. “I had the pleasure of sitting by a veteran, Jim, who flew helicopter missions,” Sass recalled. “Though he was modest, I found out he was written about by fellow vets who wrote some books about their part in the war. Talk about a career. He was a test pilot at some point in his career. He eventually retired and joined the Guard.” The Wounded Heroes organization initially catered to veterans of military service. In recent years, it has expanded its reach to include those police, fire and Continued on page 2
Former Oregon School board member P.J. Kapfhammer continued his criticism of the teacher’s union, the Oregon City Federation of Teachers, during a board meeting Monday. Soon after, lifetime Oregon resident Dan Saevig, 52, was appointed by the school board Monday to fill the vacancy left by Kapfhammer, who resigned last month. Kapfhammer, who had served since 2011, promised that he will continue attending every board meeting. He believes he can be more effective as a resident than he was as a board member. “I will be here every month with new information. God knows, I can back this up,” Kapfhammer said. “I took it all with me. I know everything. I am well-rehearsed in what goes on in this district every day. So, I’m still coming around. “So if some of you think I wasn’t coming back, get used to it, because I have more rights on this side than I’ve ever had on that side. I am going to be here every time to tell the truth, and if I lie, please fix me up.” Kapfhammer referred to the union as “the bully.” “Do the right thing and finally take on ‘the bully.’ I know you think I was the bully, but this district has been going backwards for 10 years,” Kapfhammer said. “You’ve lost two superintendents, you’ve lost board members who never seek re-election, and you lost two levies in a row, once by almost 80 percent.” Kapfhammer also vowed to fight school levies, alleging that Oregon’s teachers’ and administrators’ salaries are higher than other districts that have performed better in standardized testing. The coowner of Maumee Turf Center in Oregon, Kapfhammer said he now believes he can be more involved by not serving on council. “I will tell you that I can be me again, and I like being me, and I don’t give any excuses for it. So, if you think I’m a bad guy, I’m OK with that. If you think I’m a good Continued on page 4
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An attitude of “woe is me” leads to passivity. Bryan Golden See Opinion page
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