The Cincinnati Post from Cincinnati, Ohio • 3

I2B (l 1)11 (III II JIM 1 jg- Friday December 14 19S4 Regional report Details of cleanup awaited What bothers Miss Gillens Is that litigation often Involves compromise Before anything Is final there will be more public hearings Miss Gillens wonders whether the public hearings will matter only to those whose houses overlook the Chem-Dyne site She said the decision to award $21 million for the cleanup was based on Information that the UJS EPA supplied before the community Involved had the opportunity to add Its thoughts to the By Dick Perry fti ff ppffy HAMILTON The city and residents who live close to the Cliem-Dyne hazardous waste site are still waiting to find out exactly what Is happening with the cleanup "The city has yet to hear details of the out-of-court settlement by the generators of materials stored at the former Chem-Dyne hazardous waste Hamilton Assistant City Manager Hal Shepherd said Thursday night i-- Still the that Is how the site can be made safe Is already being questioned Possible clay capping of poisonous matter cracks and leaks and needs con? stant Judy Gillens of the the Hamilton Appalachian Peoples Service Organization which represents area residents told Hamilton City Council Wednesday and Butler County commissioners Thursday Also up In the air Is monitor-' lng of that might later be discovered still nervous about Miss Gillens said happens when these cleanup crews leave? We In the neighborhood would like guarantees that possible future dangerous sites would be covered No one has offered us these Shepherd said city would like to know the same thing her organization With the $21 million out-of-court settlement the cleanup of the site could begin next year Should the matter go to court and be resolved In the behalf through subsequent litigation the cleanup might not begin until a year later provided the UJS Environmental Protection Agency wins Its case against the generators L'' -Vw s'- "I- s' 1 j-v Judgeship bill goes back to House The Ohio Senate on a 30-to-2 vote has approved a bill creating 13 Judgeships across the Including one each for Clermont and Warren counties The bill must next be approved by the House which on March 6 passed a similar measure creating 11 Judgeships In Ohio That proposal was amended before the Senate voted Wednesday The bill the Senate passed would provide two appeals court Judges nine common pleas court Judges and two municipal court judges Rep Sam Bateman R-Mllford said Thursday he expects the bill to be approved by the House Former Warren County bailiff dies SPRINGBORO Brooks Stockmon a former Clear- creek Board of Education member and Warren County Common Pleas Court bailiff died Thursday at South view Hospital In Centerville Stockmon 88 apparently suffered a heart attack at home and died shortly after being admitted to the hospital He was bom In Loudonvllle and moved to Dayton In 1918 and Sprlngboro In the 1940s Stockmon worked for Master Electric for more than 40 years before retiring In 1960 as production manager Stockmon was a director and vice president of the Franklin National Ran until retiring In 1965 He also was treasurer of the Clear-creek school board was treasurer and president of the Southwest Ohio School Boards Association and was an Ohio School Boards Association director He served as court bailiff under four Judges and was a member of the Warren County Park Board and the Clearcreek Township Zoning I Board Survivors Include his wife Lois Services are scheduled for Saturday Tax guides for farmers available HAMILTON The new farmer tax guides are available at the Butler County Cooperative Extension Service 1810 Princeton Road Fairfield Township The guides provide Information from the Internal Revenue Service about all the changes In the 1984 Deficit Reduction Act The change Include the depreciation period for real property the holding period for capital gains and Income averaging regulations HEAP applications to be taken PISGAH A representative of the Butler County Community Action Commission will be at Union Township Hall on John Street from 1 pm to 3 pm Jan 17 to take applications for the Home Energy Assistance Program which helps low-income families pay utility bills during the winter Applications can also be obtained from Patricia Williams the township clerk at her office 19292 Clnclnnatl-Columbus Road Tri-state report Bill Thornton Jr with some of the Christmas trees he sells He's watched tree business evolve By Mike Agin I ftat Soft flwporW MAINEVILLE "You can pick out a wife for somebody easier than you can pick out a Christmas A flippant remark? No Bill Thornton Jr Is serious about how difficult It Is to pick out the Christmas tree '-I Thornton has been selling Christmas trees since he was a boy and now works at the wholesale nursery founded by his father Thornton Landscaping Inc operates A nursery In Warren County and a retail outlet T-K Garden Store In Montgomery The Christmas tree marketing business Is vastly different today from the way It was when Thornton was a boy He remembers when Second Street In Cincinnati "was a mass of Christmas trees Some people sold trees right out of (railroad) box i In those days of the 1950s and 1960s produce wholesalers who sold food to groceries at other times of the year turned their businesses Into Christmas tree outlets Down to the river came the owners of "little grocery to purchase trees for sale back In their neighborhoods Thornton recalls Then large grocery chains began sell- tng trees buying directly from tree growers and eliminating the middle man Today tree plantations In Northern and Northwestern and states and Canada ship trees directly to retailers Thornton says his business now has shifted to community service organizations such as athletics boosters and churches which sell trees as money-making projects Thornton sells about 10000 trees a year down from about 40000 in peak years he says Ohioans will buy about 3 million trees this year The Christmas tree Industry is expected to have more than $700 million In retail sales nationwide according to the National Christmas Tree Association Those who sell Christmas trees have branched out and added other evergreen products: pine rope wreaths holly branches and mistletoe Nurseries also have had to adjust by getting In trees and Christmas products earlier says Thornton Ordering of trees Is done In mid-summer and while Dec 5 used to be the opening of the tree season on Second Street some retailers now begin before Thanksgiving As with other businesses sales pick up steadily as Christmas approaches Thornton whose supply of trees Is nearly exhausted says sales throughout the area were brisk last weekend and thinks retailers will be at their busiest this weekend But earlier sales mean problems with dryness the key concern with evergreens Real mistletoe usually be sold much more than a week before Christmas and It Is flown In from western states The changes In the- business have meant high-quality trees says Thornton However some of the Scotch pines the top seller In the Cincinnati area come In with a light coat of green paint on their branches to cover up some yellow needles he says Newer strains of evergreens are being developed to hold their color better The balsam fir Is a standard In the Industry and Is demanded by people who get It year after year he says The Douglas fir a more expensive variety also has become popular The artificial-tree market has taken away some sales but a lot of people come back to the live tree because of Its fragance Thornton say And oh yes about picking out that Christmas tree Freshness Is the most Important consideration And while there are several methods for testing freshness the key says Thornton Is how soft the needles are to the touch Hoosiers screened for hepatitis HUNTINGTON Ind Officials from the Centers for Disease Control In Atlanta began screening residents Thursday following an outbreak of hepatitis that has hospitalized several people and has caused two deaths August The testing began about 1 pm at Huntington Memorial Hospital and was expected to last four days Officials are trying to determine how far the outbreak has spread Hepatitis a sometimes fatal inflammation of the liver was traced In September to Richard Burket a local dentist who realized he was a passive carrier when three of his patients contracted the virus He voluntarily suspended his practice Eleven cases of hepatitis have been reported In Huntington and all victims were either Burkett patients or relatives of his patients authorities said The CDC will screen 1300 people during the four-day period to determine how far the disease has spread Those who have been diagnosed as having hepatitis must pay for vaccinations themselves officials said By late Thursday 1000 people had made appointments for screening officials Ruppert fired as special prosecutor DAYTON Ohio A Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Thursday tired James Ruppert as special prosecutor Investigating the Dayton Police Department and replaced him with a former Miami County prosecutor action came after Ruppert chose as members of his Investigating team three police officers who were themselves under Investigation Kessler appointed Jose Lopes a West Milton attorney to fill the position Lopez Is to look Into allegations of wrongdoing in the police organized-crime unit Trial delay for treasurer denied FRANKFORT Ky A Judge has declined to postpone next trial of state Treasurer Frances Jones miii and seven others accused of misusing state workers ni property In a political campaign Franklin Circuit Judge William Graham said because the charges Involve a high-ranking official he believes that the public deserves a speedy trlaL Mrs Mills Is charged with 10 felony counts of theft by deception She Is accused of unlawfully obtaining the services of state employees during her 1983 campaign for treasurer She Is also charged with 15 mUdamimnor counts alleging misconduct and abuse of the merit system The trial Is scheduled to begin Jan 21 Fund-raising for memorial expected to pick up soon Schirmer objects to pay raise bill HAMILTON Butler County Commissioner Donald Schirmer opposes any state-mandated pay Increase for elected county officials In Ohio The Ohio House has approved pay Increases that will average about 14 percent In 1985 and 14 percent In 1987 However the bill became stalled In the Senate Thursday night The bill Includes pay Increases for state legislators Schirmer said he Is not opposed to such he says they are needed "As a taxpayer upset as much as I am as a Schirmer said of the salary Increases for county He said that the burden of paying the salary Increases would be on the county and that "It will have an immediate and long-range effect This Is a very serious concern to all county He said he was advised by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio that 1 1 would cost Butler County about $62j000 a year "but I estimate It will be closer to In a related matter commissioners have taken under advisement the approval of the partial budget for 1985 totaling $98 million By Nancy Berlier fott Staff Rtporttt Fund-raising for a memorial to the Ohio soldiers who were killed taken prisoner or remain missing In Vietnam will move Into full swing now that the charity has received Its non-profit corporation papers Earl Corell past president of Cincinnati Chapter No 1 of Vietnam Veterans of America said Memorial Day 1986 Is the target date for completion at the Butler County Memorial Park In Trenton It will be patterned after the Vietnam memorial In Washington The names of the 3069 Ohioans who were killed captured or listed as missing In Vietnam will be engraved on a granite wall at the park The veterans group has collected only about $1200 toward construction of the memorial and establishment of a scholarship fund for the children of Ohio veterans Corell said However the group only recently received Its corporation papers for the memorial The group completed a $65100 memorial In Cincinnati's Eden Park earlier this year dedicated to the living veterans of Vietnam "This will be bigger than the one In Corell said The group plans to raise $250000 to build the memorial and $250000 for the scholarship fund Although children of Vietnam War veterans are eligible for the GI Bill Corell said he considers the money provided through the federal program Insufficient to pay for a college education "You go to school today on the GI Corell said Despite the size of the project Corell said he believes that his organization can collect enough money across Ohio to build the memorial "I feel very confident with he said going to take a few years but I feel we're going to get It The Butler County park was chosen as the site for the wall of names Corell said because Gen William Westmoreland commander of UJS troops In Vietnam came to the park for a dedication ceremony In 1976 Donations to the Vietnam memorial may be made to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of OhloPO Box 157 Trenton Ohio 45067 4 Homemade Rudolph In the spirit of Christmas Kevin Macy of Converse Ind has put together a makeshift reindeer in the front yard of the home of his parents Bob and Evelyn Macy of Peru Ind This variety of reindeer was made with elm logs golf-batl eyes with false eyelashes and a red reflector for a nose.