Florence recorder 122514

FLORENCEFLORENCERECORDER 75¢

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS

Your Community Recordernewspaper serving Florenceand Union

Vol. 20 No. 16© 2014 The Community Recorder

ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDNews ........................283-0404Retail advertising ......513-768-8404Classified advertising ..513-421-6300Delivery ......................781-4421

See page A2 for additional information

Contact usCHRISTMASQ&ASchool kids sharefavorite things aboutthe holiday. A4

YES,VIRGINIAHere’s the original 1897 responseto a little girl’s question “Is therea Santa Claus?” A7

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In the next few days, yourCommunity Recorder carrierwill be stopping by to collect$3.50 for delivery of this

month’s Florence Recorder.Your carrier retains half thisamount along with any tip yougive to reward good service.

This month we’refeaturing Dylan Looswho is in the seventhgrade at ImmaculateHeart of Mary.

In his free time heenjoys running and

taekwondo. His schoolactivities include Na-tional Honor Society,track and cross coun-try.

If you would likemore information

about the junior carrier pro-gram, call Karen Smith, Com-munity Recorder districtmanager, at 859-442-3463 oremail [email protected].

COLLECTION TIME

Loos

BOONE TEAMSBATTLE B1Take a look at the 33rd Districtbasketball action.

We asked, and you respon-ded. In a big way.

We asked if you knewsomeone who regularly em-bodies the spirit of NeighborsWho Care – maybe theybrought you food during an

illness, or looked after yourhouse while you were gone, orhelped pick up debris after astorm – or maybe they justprovide a friendly face, orlisten when you need to talk tosomeone.

We have picked some ofthe best stories and will high-light these special people overthe next two weeks.

Thanks to you, and to them,for making our holiday edi-tions memorable.

Shining a light on

FLORENCE — Ten years agowhen they moved into theSaddlebrook subdivison, Daveand Cindy Minear immedi-ately felt welcomed and start-ed helping take care of theirneighbors.

That’s why Myrna Ricenominated them as NeighborsWho Care.

“I am so fortunate to knowthese wonderful, caring andunselfish people and to be oneof the many people who re-ceive their love,” wrote Rice.

She said the Minears cuther grass in the summer andshovel her driveway in thewinter, and take out her trash,help feed her pets and justcheck in to make sure she isOK.

“It is not like they havenothing else to do, “ said Rice.The Minears both work out-side the home. They also pro-vide a home for three adultswith special needs.

“I love mowing grass,” saidDave. “Mowing and shovelingis exercise for me and I just

love doing it.”He said Rice has helped his

family with real estate needsand treats them like part ofher family, so he’s glad toreturn those kindnesses.

“Her family is just another

part of us,” Dave said.“Everyone on this part of

the street is pretty close-knit,” said Cindy. “It’s easy todo things for people who helpyou, especially if you careabout them.”

Neighbors become part of the Minear family

By Amy [email protected]

AMY SCALF/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Dave and Cindy Minear share their home with three adults with specialneeds and share their hearts with several neighbors.

HEBRON — Julie Swigert is aSpanish teacher at ConnerHigh School. According to herneighbor, JoAnn Harvey ofHebron, Swigert is a “wonder-ful person who truly caresabout her students.”

Harvey said Swigert is ex-tremely active at her church.Last summer she spent twoweeks on a missionary trip inMexico. Even though Swigerthas a lot going on in her ownlife, Harvey said she was stillthere for her in a desperatetime of need.

Harvey’s husband suddenlybecame ill in the summer andspent three weeks in the hospi-tal. She stayed there with him,only coming home for cleanclothes. Swigert helped out bytaking in the mail, cutting thegrass and watching over thehouse while it was empty. Har-vey said that after her husbandpassed away, Swigert wasthere for her, making dinnerand providing a shoulder tolean on.

According to Harvey, lastwinter it was a race betweenher and Swigert to see whocould shovel snow from eachothers’ driveway first. Sheexpects this winter to be thesame.

“Having Julie for a neigh-

bor is like having a member ofthe family right next door,”Harvey said in her nominationof Swigert for “Neighbors WhoCare.”

Swigert said she wouldargue that JoAnn is the betterneighbor.

“JoAnn and John have takengreat care of me from the dayI moved into the house,” Swig-ert said. “They’ve been likeadopted parents to me.”

When she isn’t teaching,Swigert works with The WayMinistries, a new missionsorganization that focuses onGuadalajara, Mexico.

Conner teacher providesshoulder to lean onBy Stephen Roy [email protected]

STEPHEN ROY WILDER/THE COMMUNITY

RECORDER

Julie Swigert teaches Spanish atConner High School. When she isn’tteaching at the school, she can befound helping her neighborthrough tragedy or in Mexico on amission trip.

BURLINGTON — LaVerneJohnson stays busy.

She delivers cards, gifts andmilitary care packages to thepost office, then prepares for aweekend event by copying lyricsheets, making salads, dips,cheesecake and snacks andgathering decorations.

For the past 20 years, John-son has been the organist at He-

bron Lutheran Church, playingnot only on Sundays, but also forfunerals and other events.

She will be 78 in January, andhas played the organ in churchsince before she was 14.

Although she texts herfriends and grandchildren,Johnson visits the post officenearly every day.

“I love to send cards,” shesaid. She sent out more than 100

Church organist stays busysending cards and textsBy Amy [email protected]

See ORGANIST, Page A2

A2 • FLORENCE RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEWS

FLORENCERECORDER

NewsNancy Daly Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1059, [email protected] Melissa Stewart Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1058, [email protected] Laughman Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . .513-248-7573,

[email protected] James Weber Sports Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .578-1054, [email protected]

AdvertisingTo place an ad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .513-768-8404,

[email protected]

DeliveryFor customer service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .781-4421 Sharon Schachleiter

Circulation Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .442-3464,[email protected]

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To place an ad in Community Classified, call 513-421-6300.

Find news and information from your community on the WebFlorence • nky.com/florenceFlorence • cincinnati.com/florence

cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

Calendar ........A ........5Classifieds ................CFood .....................A6Obituaries .............. B6Schools ..................A4Sports ....................B1Viewpoints .............A7

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Christmas cards.Johnson said she has

hundreds of cards forbirthdays, anniversaries,condolences and other oc-casions.

Her friend, JoAnne El-lena, nominated Johnsonfor “Neighbors WhoCare” for her endless gen-erosity, but Johnson saidif she had seen the notice,she would have nominat-ed her friend instead.

“JoAnne is wonderful,caring, considerate andkind. She is always trying

to do something for some-one,” said Johnson.

Ellena said Johnson is“a comfort and joy for ourwhole community.”

“I like to stay busy,”said Johnson. “I do notlike to sit idle. I’m not ahuge television watcher.If I am watching televi-sion, I’m usually readingor doing something else atthe same time.”

OrganistContinued from Page A1


Burlington’s LaVerne Johnson sends cards for every occasion.She also texts to keep in touch with her grandchildren.

Police arrested a sus-pect accused of stealing avehicle from a Florencegas station with a 20-day-old baby in it.

Florence Police ob-tained a warrant to arrestJonathan G. Sester, 25, ofCincinnati.

The warrant was is-sued on charges of theftby unlawful taking of anautomobile and kidnap-ping of a minor, said Capt.Tom Grau of the Florence

Police De-partment.

Thewarrantwas servedby theEvendalePolice De-partment

and Sester was transport-ed to the Hamilton CountyJustice Center.

Surveillance videofrom the Marathon GasStation in Fort Mitchellshowed the suspect leftthe vehicle – and infant –atthe gas station around 4:15

p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18.That’s about 10 minutes af-ter the car was stolen.

Kentucky State Policesent out an Amber alertand authorities in Ohioand Kentucky franticallysearched for almost threehours before two resi-dents spotted the vehicle.

Megan Lewin, 19, ofFort Mitchell, said sherecognized the stolenVolkswagen Passat be-cause of the Kentucky li-cense plate. She receivedinformation about thecar’s license plates

through several sourcesafter an Amber alert wasissued

The infant sat alone in achild seat of the vehiclethe entire time.

Officers said the carwas stolen after the moth-er walked inside the Flor-ence gas station to paywith her other youngchild.

Surveillance videoshows the unknown sus-pect get into the woman’scar seconds later andleave the parking lot head-ed westbound on U.S. 42

toward the interstate.Florence police Capt.

Tom Grau said the deci-sion about whether themother will face criminal

charges has not beenmade yet.

Reporter Patrick Bren-nan contributed.

Arrest made in theft ofcar with newborn insideBy Keith [email protected]

PROVIDED

This is the 20-day infant who was strapped in a car seat at thetime a Volkswagen Passat was stolen from a Florence gasstation.

Sester

FLORENCE — Familiarsounds of traditionalChristmas carols echoedthrough the aisles at Flor-ence Antique MallWednesday.

Led by Director An-drea Leffler, Camp ErnstMiddle School’s SelectChoir performed in thestore, completing theirfree concert by singingwhile strolling throughthe store.

Nearly 20 students,some of whom wore fes-tive hats, sang a variety ofcarols during their per-formance.


Camp Ernst Middle School’s Select Choir sang carols as theystrolled the aisles of the Florence Antique Mall.

ANTIQUE MALL FEATURESCHRISTMAS CAROLERS


Camp Ernst Middle School’s Select Choir performed at the Florence Antique Mall Wednesday.

By Amy [email protected]

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The Cincinnati Ballet’s40th annual production of“Frisch’s Presents TheNutcracker” will featurea cast of over 150 childrenfrom the Tristate areaDec. 19-27 at the AronoffCenter for the Arts.

The production hasbeen going since 1974 andis in its 40th season. Thechildren have the oppor-tunity to dance alongsideCincinnati Ballet dancers.

Edgewood and Unionare represented by stu-dent dancers in this holi-day tradition. KaitlynKing is from Edgewoodand Ainsley Hoh lives inUnion.

KAITLYN KINGWhen Kaitlyn King

was 3 years old, her moth-er took her to see “TheNutcracker.” There was atable set up outside to signup for the Cincinnati Bal-let Academy, so shepicked up an ink pen. Hermother, Kathleen, said the

rest is history.Kaitlyn, of Edgewood,

is now 13 and loves beingon stage. “I love the ideaof having kids look up andsay, ‘Aww, maybe I can beup there one day,’” shesaid. “That is what I wasdoing when I was seeing‘The Nutcracker’ and Iwasn’t really involved inballet. But I think whatwas going through mymind is that I really wantto be up there.”

Even though Kaitlynlikes being on stage, shestill has stage fright often.

“A lot of it,” she said.“Especially while stand-ing in the waves. That’swhen my nerves get real-ly bad. Right before yougo on stage, you just getthis jolt of all thesenerves. Once you go onstage, it all kind of meltsaway and you forget abouteverything.”

She doesn’t know if shewill want to pursue a pro-fessional ballet career inthe future.

“It is something I liketo do,” Kaitlyn said. “But

I’m not sure it’s some-thing I’m going to do.”

AINSLEY HOHOut of pure interest,

Ainsley Hoh started balletwhen she was 3 years old,then began taking lessonsat the Cincinnati Balletwhen she was 4.

Ainsley’s mom, Han-nah, said that like all little

girls, her daughter wouldtwirl around in the familyroom.

“She really wanted todo it herself and be like(people on) “Dancing withthe Stars,” Hannah said.

Ainsley is now 12 yearsold, and her goal is to con-tinue to be a ballerina asshe grows up.

Ainsley said she has

watched “The Nutcrack-er” every year since shestarted ballet and knows itwell. “It’s fun to be in it be-cause it makes you feellike you’re part of thecompany,” Ainsley said.“You’re dancing with themembers and it makesyou feel older. It makesyou feel good about your-self as a dancer.”

After stretching, Ain-sley is always ready to hitthe stage. She said shedoesn’t even have stagefright.

Her most recent per-formance was in “PeterPan” and she will also per-form in “Alice in Wonder-land” in February, a pro-duction she has also beena part of in the past.

‘The Nutcracker’ includes local talent By Stephen Roy [email protected]

PROVIDED

Kaitlyn King, 13, dressed asThe Nutcracker during herclass with the CincinnatiBallet Academy when shewas 3 years old.

PROVIDED

Ainsley Hoh, 13, is fromUnion and will representBoone County in “TheNutcracker.”

A4 • FLORENCE-UNION RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014

It’s the most wonderfultime of the year and thekids aren’t just jingle-belling, but sharing theirthoughts on the Christ-

mas season with the Recorder. From opinions on Santa

Claus to presents to the mean-ing of the season, childrenacross Northern Kentucky areready for the holidays. Here’swhat they have to say:

Christmas Q&Awith the kiddies

MELISSA STEWART/THE COMMUNITY

RECORDER

Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: We don’t have a chimney, hegets in the front door.

George Kaiser, 5, Fort Mitchell


RECORDER

Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: He slides down.

Madelyn Staley, 5, of Florence


RECORDER

Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: I think he uses magic to getdown there, and then magic to getback out.

Nathan Dunn, 8, of Fort Mitchell


RECORDER

Q: What’s your favorite thing aboutthe holiday?A: Santa gives us presents.

Wyatt Rechtin, 5, of Fort Mitchell


Q: What do you leave for Santa?A: The elves get cookies. Santa getschocolate chip cookies and milk,and the reindeer get apples.

Dawson Stacey-Huelsman, 7, of ColdSpring


RECORDER

Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: I don’t know.

Thomas Roberts, 5, of Burlington


Q: Are you giving a special gift thisyear? A: Yes, I’m giving my momsomething from “Frozen.”

Lily Wefer, 6, of Alexandria


Q: What is your favorite thingabout the holiday?A: It’s when baby Jesus was born.

Madison Bowling, 7, of Alexandria


RECORDER

Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: He ... um ... well, reindeer landon the roof. He gets his bag andcomes down the chimney.

Brandt Stiles, 6, of Cold Spring


RECORDER

Q: How does Santa get down thechimney?A: I think he uses his magical fairydust.

Charly Harwood, 6, of Burlington


Q: What is your favorite thingabout the holiday?A: Being together with your family.

Gino Ramundo, 7, of Alexandria


Q: What’s your favorite thing aboutthe holiday?A: Getting presents. One year, I gotan American Girl doll that looks likeme.

Breahna Tate, 7, of Cold Spring


RECORDER

Q: Are you giving a special gift thisyear? A: Yes, I’m giving Santa a reallyspecial gift, milk and cookies.

Sarah Mitchell, 5, of Independence

Kudla awardedFounders scholarship

Noah Kudla, of Union, hasbeen accepted into Luther Col-lege and awarded a Foundersscholarship for the 2015-16 ac-ademic year.

Luther, located in northeastIowa, has an enrollment of2,400 students and offers a lib-eral arts education.

Grubbs, Bryngelsonnamed to WKU Phi Muboard

Western Kentucky Univer-sity’s Delta Tau chapter of PhiMu recently announced its2015 executive committee.

The announcement includ-ed two Boone County resi-dents.

Mackenzie Grubbs of Vero-na will serve as the vice presi-dent of committees. MorgannBryngelson of Walton willserve as chapter secretary.

Lambert attendsCampbellsvilleUniversity

Stephanie Lambert, of Flor-ence, is one of more than 1,000new students attending Camp-bellsville University for the2014 fall semester.

The school is a Kentucky-based Christian universitywith more than 3,600 students.

Zembrodt presentsautism therapy projectat SVSU

Jaclyn Zembrodt, of Wal-ton, was among 42 SaginawValley State University hon-ors students who presentedresearch projects on Dec. 5.

Honors students organizedinto 12 groups, each research-ing topics such as genetics,medicine, psychological dis-orders and visual literacy.

Zembrodt, a political sci-ence major, worked on theproject titled “Therapy forAutism Spectrum Disorder”with fellow honors student,Valerie Calandrino.

The project was part ofZembrodt’s class taught by Ju-lie Lynch, SVSU associate pro-fessor of psychology.

SVSU’s Honors Programcomprises curricular and ex-tracurricular programs andactivities for academicallytalented students. The initia-

tive allows students to pursuetheir degrees while experi-encing honors courses, semi-nars, research projects, andsocial activities.

Boone residents workwith Project Dragonfly

Three women with localties are graduating from Mi-ami University with mastersof arts degrees, while workingwith Project Dragonfly andthe Cincinnati Zoo & BotanicalGarden’s Advanced InquiryProgram (AIP).

Jessica Klosinski, a teach-er at Erpenbeck ElementarySchool, graduated with a mas-ter of arts in teaching in thebiological sciences. Sincejoining the master’s programin 2011, she has conducted pro-jects that have made a differ-ence in the Florence area,while working as a scienceteacher at Erpenbeck Ele-mentary School.

Lacey Laudick, of Burling-ton, is a horticulture techni-cian and volunteer coordina-tor at the Boone County UKExtension Office and Arbore-tum. She graduated with amaster of arts in biology.

Danielle Diehl, of Florence,is a math and science teacherat Erpenbeck ElementarySchool. She graduated with amaster of arts in teaching inthe biological sciences. Shehas explored conservationand education in Kenya.

The AIP, a groundbreakinggraduate degree, is focused oninquiry-driven learning andsocial change. It combinescoursework at Cincinnati Zoo& Botanical Garden and sevenother U.S. partner institutionswith collaborative work inDragonfly’s web-based learn-ing communities.

Project Dragonfly reachesmillions of people each yearthrough inquiry-driven learn-ing media, public exhibits, andgraduate programs world-wide. Since 2004 Dragonfly’sEarth Expeditions programhas engaged more than 1,700people in firsthand education-al and scientific research atcritical conservation fieldsites in Africa, Australia, Asiaand the Americas. Dragonflyis based in the department ofBiology at Miami Universityin Oxford, Ohio.

COLLEGE CORNER

Flu virus is keeping someFort Thomas IndependentSchools students at home asother Northern Kentuckyschools redouble their surfacecleaning as a prevention.

Fort Thomas’ enrollmenthas dipped by as much as 5 per-cent below the average dailyattendance rate of 97 percent,Superintendent Gene Kirch-ner said in an email Wednes-day.

District enrollment is 3,018students, Kirchner said.

“It is fair to say that district-wide we have been running ap-proximately 200 students perday absent for the last fewdays,” he said. More typical is70-80 absences, Kirchner said.

“We are seeing quite a bit ofillness among both studentsand staff,” he said.

The last day of school be-fore break is Friday, Dec. 19.

“We are hopeful that twoweeks off will help to limit anyfurther spread of illness andthat student attendance will beback to normal in January,” hesaid.

Precautions, including en-suring surfaces are cleanedand sanitized, are being taken,Kirchner said.

Attendance rates for thepast several days have beenbetween 92 and 93 percent, hesaid.

Boone County Schools hasnot had any reports of “massabsences,” according to com-munity relations coordinatorBarbara Cain-Brady.

“Some of our nurses are re-porting that we are seeing anincrease in numbers of ill stu-dents and staff, but it’s not justflu: we are seeing strep, viral-like illness with fevers, and(gastrointestinal) illness in ad-dition to those out with the flu,”she said.

Kenton County schools aresanitizing classrooms andcommon areas to help elimi-nate germs, said spokeswom-an Jess Dykes. Schools are alsousing the automated phonesystem to remind parents notto send students to school ifthey have a fever or othersymptoms.

Reporters Amy Scalf and MelissaStewart contributed to this article.

Flu hits Fort Thomas schoolsas NKY districts prepBy Chris [email protected]

SCHOOLSSCHOOLSACHIEVEMENTS | NEWS | ACTIVITIES | HONORS Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

COMMUNITYRECORDEREditor: Nancy Daly, [email protected], 578-1059

DECEMBER 25, 2014 • FLORENCE-UNION RECORDER • A5

FRIDAY, DEC. 26Art Exhibits50 Years of Photojournalismin Northern Kentucky, 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., Behringer-CrawfordMuseum, 1600 Montague Road,Through selection of imagestaken by local photojournalistsworking for The Kentucky Post,The Kentucky Enquirer and theAssociated Press, premiereexhibit celebrates NorthernKentucky life and culture duringwinter season and commem-orates those who have dedicat-ed their careers to capturingcommunity’s memorable mo-ments. $7, $6 seniors, $4 ages3-17, free for members. Present-ed by FotoFocus. 491-4003;www.fotofocuscincinnati.org.Covington.

Translations, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Covington Arts, 2 W. Pike St.,Curated by Saad Ghosn, exhibi-tion features four artists whosework examines nature of in-terpretation through use ofabstraction. Presented by Co-vington Arts District. 292-2322;www.covingtonarts.com. Co-vington.

Two Exhibitions, noon to 5p.m., The Carnegie, 1028 ScottBlvd., Clay Street Press: Cincin-nati Portfolio I-IV and OverTime: John Lanzador, WilliamMesser, David Parks. Free.Through Feb. 7. 957-1940;www.thecarnegie.com. Coving-ton.

Exercise ClassesJazzercise Classes, 9:30-10:30a.m., Edgewood JazzerciseCenter, 126 Barnwood Drive, $38for unlimited monthly classes.Through March 30. 331-7778;jazzercise.com. Edgewood.

Holiday - ChristmasHoliday Toy Trains, 10 a.m. to 5p.m., Behringer-CrawfordMuseum, 1600 Montague Road,Layout features Lionel trainsand Plasticville. More than 250feet of track. Patrons welcometo operate more than 30 acces-sories from buttons on layout.Through Jan. 18. Included withadmission: $7, $6 ages 60 andup, $4 ages 3-17; free ages 2 andunder. Wednesday Grandpar-ent’s Day: one grandchild ad-mitted free with paying grand-parent. 491-4003; www.bcmu-seum.org. Covington.

Scuba Santa’s Water Wonder-land, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., NewportAquarium, Newport on theLevee, Holiday decorationsthroughout Aquarium. Un-derwater Santa show alongsidesharks, shark rays and Denverthe Sea Turtle. Through Jan. 1.Included with admission: $23,$15 ages 2-12, free under age 2.800-406-3474; www.new-portaquarium.com. Newport.

Light Up the Levee, 6:50 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, 1 LeveeWay, Featuring more than one

million LED lights dancing insynchronization to holidaymusic. Lights dance every 20minutes. Through Jan. 1. Free.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

Christmas Town, 5-8 p.m.,Creation Museum, 2800 Bullitts-burg Church Road, Featuringfree live nativity, lights and livedramas. Through Dec. 27. Free.800-778-3390; creationmuseu-m.org. Petersburg.

BRICKmas, 4-8:30 p.m., Newporton the Levee, 1 Levee Way,Features more than 13 large-scale LEGO displays includingmodels of the Roebling Suspen-sion Bridge, Music Hall andWashington Park. Also featuresinteractive area where childrencan build “brick” masterpieces,color and decorate mini-figmasks and write letters to SantaClaus. Through Jan. 1. $8. 291-0550; www.newportonthelevee-.com. Newport.

Literary - LibrariesMahjong, 1 p.m., SchebenBranch Library, 8899 U.S. 42, Allskill levels welcome. 342-2665.Union.

On Stage - ComedyDave Landau, 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m.,Funny Bone Comedy Club, 1Levee Way, $15-$17. 957-2000;www.funnyboneonthelevee-.com. Newport.

On Stage - TheaterStriking 12, 8-10 p.m., Mon-mouth Theatre, 636 MonmouthSt., A disenchanted young manskips a New Year’s Eve party andinstead picks up a copy of TheLittle Match Girl. He’s trans-ported to a place where thesmallest things can be mirac-ulous. Musical trio Groove Lilywrote play as holiday concert.$20, $18 students and seniors.Presented by Falcon Theater.Through Dec. 27. 513-479-6783;www.falcontheater.net. New-port.

SportsHoliday Race Meet, 11:15 a.m.,Turfway Park, 7500 TurfwayRoad, Live thoroughbred racing.Free admission, free parking.Through Dec. 31. 371-0200.Florence.

SATURDAY, DEC. 27Art Exhibits

50 Years of Photojournalismin Northern Kentucky, 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., Behringer-CrawfordMuseum, $7, $6 seniors, $4 ages3-17, free for members. 491-4003; www.fotofocuscincinna-ti.org. Covington.

Two Exhibitions, noon to 5p.m., The Carnegie, Free. 957-1940; www.thecarnegie.com.Covington.

Cooking ClassesSushi Rolling and Dining, 7p.m., Sushi Cincinnati, 130 W.Pike St., $25 per person, threerolls, includes training andBYOB, reservations required.Reservations required. ThroughDec. 26. 513-335-0297;www.sushicinti.com. Covington.

Dining EventsManna Mission Meal, 5:30-7:30p.m., Erlanger United MethodistChurch, 31 Commonwealth Ave,Free dinner and groceries.727-2136. Erlanger.

EducationWinter Acting Intensive withTop LA Actress and Coach, 10a.m. to 4:30 p.m., UpTech, 112W. Pike St., $250. Registrationrequired. Presented by GaladrielStineman. 949-297-6235;www.facebook.com/officialga-ladriel. Covington.

Exercise ClassesJazzercise Classes, 8:15-9:15a.m., 9:30-10:30 a.m., EdgewoodJazzercise Center, $38 for unlim-ited monthly classes. 331-7778;jazzercise.com. Edgewood.

Holiday - ChristmasHoliday Toy Trains, 10 a.m. to 5p.m., Behringer-CrawfordMuseum, Included with admis-sion: $7, $6 ages 60 and up, $4ages 3-17; free ages 2 and under.Wednesday Grandparent’s Day:one grandchild admitted freewith paying grandparent.491-4003; www.bcmuseum.org.Covington.

Scuba Santa’s Water Wonder-land, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., NewportAquarium, Included with admis-sion: $23, $15 ages 2-12, freeunder age 2. 800-406-3474;www.newportaquarium.com.Newport.

Light Up the Levee, 6:50 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, Free.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

Christmas Town, 5-8 p.m.,

Creation Museum, Free. 800-778-3390; creationmuseum.org.Petersburg.

BRICKmas, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, $8.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

Karaoke and Open MicKaraoke, 8 p.m., SouthgateVFW, 6 Electric Ave., With DJ TedMcCracken. Free. Presented byVFW Post 3186. 441-9857. South-gate.

Literary - LibrariesCheck it Out: Family ActivityDay, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., R.C. DurrYMCA, 5874 Veterans Way, Free.Presented by Boone CountyPublic Library. 534-5700. Bur-lington.

On Stage - ComedyDave Landau, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.,Funny Bone Comedy Club,$15-$17. 957-2000; www.funny-boneonthelevee.com. Newport.

On Stage - TheaterStriking 12, 8-10 p.m., Mon-mouth Theatre, $20, $18 stu-dents and seniors. 513-479-6783;www.falcontheater.net. New-port.

SportsHoliday Race Meet, 11:15 a.m.,Turfway Park, Free admission,free parking. 371-0200. Florence.

SUNDAY, DEC. 28Art Exhibits50 Years of Photojournalismin Northern Kentucky, 1-5p.m., Behringer-CrawfordMuseum, $7, $6 seniors, $4 ages3-17, free for members. 491-4003; www.fotofocuscincinna-

ti.org. Covington.

Dining EventsAll You Can Eat Breakfast, 8a.m. to 1 p.m., Fort ThomasMasonic Lodge No. 808, 37 N.Fort Thomas Ave, Eggs, ham,bacon, goetta, spam, bologna,potatoes, grits, pancakes andwaffles with strawberries andblueberries and whipped cream,toast, white or wheat, juice,milk, coffee, tea. $7, $4 children.Presented by Fort ThomasMasonic Lodge No 808. 442-9050. Fort Thomas.

EducationWinter Acting Intensive withTop LA Actress and Coach, 10a.m. to 6 p.m., UpTech, $250.Registration required. 949-297-6235; www.facebook.com/officialgaladriel. Covington.

Exercise ClassesJazzercise Classes, 9:30-10:30a.m., 4-5 p.m., Edgewood Jaz-zercise Center, $38 for unlimitedmonthly classes. 331-7778;jazzercise.com. Edgewood.

Holiday - ChristmasHoliday Toy Trains, 1-5 p.m.,Behringer-Crawford Museum,Included with admission: $7, $6ages 60 and up, $4 ages 3-17;free ages 2 and under. Wednes-day Grandparent’s Day: onegrandchild admitted free withpaying grandparent. 491-4003;www.bcmuseum.org. Coving-ton.

Scuba Santa’s Water Wonder-land, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., NewportAquarium, Included with admis-sion: $23, $15 ages 2-12, freeunder age 2. 800-406-3474;www.newportaquarium.com.Newport.

Light Up the Levee, 6:50 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, Free.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

BRICKmas, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.,Newport on the Levee, $8.291-0550; www.newportonthe-levee.com. Newport.

Karaoke and Open MicKaraoke, 9 p.m., Molly Malone’sIrish Pub and Restaurant, 112 E.Fourth St., With DJ Will Corson.$10 buckets and $4 grape andcherry bombs. Ages 21 and up.Free. 491-6659. Covington.

On Stage - ComedyDave Landau, 7:30 p.m., FunnyBone Comedy Club, $15-$17.957-2000; www.funnyboneon-thelevee.com. Newport.

RecreationBingo, 5 p.m., Southgate VFW, 6Electric Ave., Early games startat 6 p.m., regular games at 7p.m. Free. Presented by VFWPost 3186. Through Jan. 25.441-9857. Southgate.

SportsHoliday Race Meet, 11:15 a.m.,Turfway Park, Free admission,free parking. 371-0200. Florence.

MONDAY, DEC. 29CivicTea Party Meeting, 6-8 p.m.,Sub Station II, 7905 Dream St.,Meet and discuss limited gov-ernment, free markets and fiscalresponsibility. Free. Presented byGrassroots Tea Party of BooneCounty. 586-9207; www.teapar-tyboonecounty.org. Florence.

THINGS TO DO IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

ABOUT CALENDARTo submit calendar items, go to Cincinnati.com/northernken-

tucky and click on “Share!” Send digital photos to [email protected] along with event information. Items areprinted on a space-available basis with local events takingprecedence.

Deadline is two weeks before publication date. To find morecalendar events, go to Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky andchoose from a menu of items in the Entertainment section onthe main page.

FILE PHOTO

All You Can Eat Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28, Fort ThomasMasonic Lodge No. 808, 37 N. Fort Thomas Ave. Feast on eggs, ham, bacon, goetta, spam,bologna, potatoes, grits, pancakes and waffles with strawberries and blueberries and whippedcream, toast, white or wheat, juice, milk, coffee, tea. Cost is $7, $4 children. The breakfast ispresented by the Fort Thomas Masonic Lodge No 808. For more information, call 442-9050.

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A6 • FLORENCE-UNION RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEWS

I wanted to wish each of youa blessed holiday season, re-

gardless of howyou celebrate.

This littlepearl of wisdomsays it all: Re-member to focuson blessings, andput burdens inGod’s hands.That’s wherethey belong,anyway. Content-ment is not the

fulfillment of what you desire,but the realization of how muchyou already have.

Easy potato latkes forHanukkah

The secret? Drain all mois-ture out of the frozen hashbrowns and add a bit of bakingpowder.

1 generous pound frozenhash brown potatoes, thawedand drained

Minced onion to taste - Iused 1/2 of a small onion

2 eggs, lightly beaten2 tablespoons flour1/2 teaspoon baking pow-

derSalt and pepperMix everything together. Put

1/4 cup mounds of latke mixturein skillet coated with oil andheated, flattening out moundswith spatula. Fry until goldenbrown on each side.

Tip from Rita’s kitchen:Swap frozen for fresh shreddedpotatoes, drained well.

Shaker friendship soupin a jar

A healthful and much appre-ciated gift for holiday giving.You can also pack in a baggie,tied with ribbon or raffia. Astudent favorite.

Layer soup mix in quart jarin order given:

1/2 cup dried split peas1/3 cup beef bouillon gran-

ules1/4 cup pearl barley - I like

quick cooking1/2 cup lentils1/4 cup dried minced onion2 teaspoons Italian sea-

soning mixed with 1 teaspoongarlic salt and 1 teaspoonpepper

1/2 cup rice, either brownor white

Put in plastic baggie ormake pouch of:

1/2 cup very small pastaRecipe:Soup mix1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds lean

ground beef1-1/2 quarts water1-1/2 quarts beef broth plus

more if needed28 oz. diced tomatoesGarnish: Shredded cheese

Set pasta pouch aside. Filmbottom of pot with olive oil andbrown beef. Add water, broth,tomatoes and soup mix. Bringto a boil. Reduce heat; coverand simmer about 30 minutes.Add pasta and cover and sim-mer another 15-20 minutes oruntil pasta, peas, lentils andbarley are tender. Adjust forseasonings. Ladle into bowlswith garnishes and serve.Serves 8-10.

Readers want to knowabout: Chia Seeds

This time of year you see allsorts of clay items sproutingChia seeds. You can’t eat theChia greens that sprout fromthem. But you can buy Chiaseeds at the grocery for con-sumption. These miniature

black seeds are mostly flavor-less, but add a nice texture tosalads and soups.

Good for you:A single serving of chia

seeds provides a hefty dose ofantioxidants, protein, fiber,zinc, iron, and omega-3 fats-—for only 140 calories. Chia’shigh dose of omega-3s can helpreduce inflammation, treat orprevent anxiety and depression,and even slow the aging proc-ess. You don’t have to grind chiato reap the maximum benefits,and the seeds don’t spoil quick-ly, making them much moreconvenient than flaxseed.

How to eat them:Sprinkle chia seeds on cere-

al, yogurt, salads, pasta, what-ever! The seeds form a gelwhen mixed with liquid, so

they’re great for thickeningsmoothies, salad dressings, andsoups.

Sprouting your own:Yep, you can do that. Just

place in a glass canning jar andpunch holes in the lid. Pour athin layer of Chia seeds in thejar and add water to cover.Drain excess water - theyshould be moist but not swim-ming in water. Turn jar on itsside and place in sunny window.Change water and turn jar ev-ery 2 days. After several days,seeds will sprout.

Rita Nader Heikenfeld is an herb-alist, educator, Jungle Jim’s East-gate culinary professional and au-thor. Find her blog online atAbouteating.com. Call 513-248-7130,ext. 356.

Fry up some latkes, shake it up with soup

THANKS TO RITA HEIKENFELD

Latkes, or potato pancakes, are an easy, traditional treat for Hanukkah.

Rita HeikenfeldRITA’S KITCHEN

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APR is Annual Percentage Rate. Terms and Conditions apply – APR referenced above is guidance and is based on available rates as of Dec 19, 2014 for a 30-year fi xed rate and a 15-year fi xed rate refi nance, a loan amount of $250,000 in Kentucky, at least 20% equity in the subject property, a single-family home, primary residence, minimum 720 credit score and verifi able income for the borrower(s) with a total Debt-to-Income ratio below 38%. An escrow account for property taxes is required. Rates mentioned in any advertising are guidance and are based on a sampling of available rates. Specifi c rates and terms offered to our applicants may vary. Rates are subject to change daily without notice. Not available in all states. The Principal and Interest payment on a $250,000 loan at 3.875% on a 30-year fi xed rate is $1,175.59/month and at 3.25% on a 15-year fi xed rate is $1,756.67/month.

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VIEWPOINTSVIEWPOINTSEDITORIALS | LETTERS | COLUMNS | CH@TROOM Cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

COMMUNITYRECORDEREditor: Nancy Daly, [email protected], 578-1059

FLORENCERECORDER

Florence Recorder EditorNancy [email protected], 578-1059Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-FridaySee page A2 for additional contact information.

228 Grandview Drive, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017654 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas, KY 41075phone: 283-0404email: [email protected] site: cincinnati.com/northernkentucky

A publication of

DECEMBER 25, 2014 • FLORENCE RECORDER • A7

(Editor’s note: We are happyto run, in its entirety, the origi-nal wording of Virginia O’Han-lon‘s letter to the New-York Sunon Sept. 21, 1897, and the news-paper’s famous response. It wasironically written in just under500 words, which as many ofyou know is our suggestedlength for guest columns. Thiscopy was obtained from theLibrary of Congress. We’re alsosharing a photo of Turkey FootMiddle School’s play staged lastweek, “Yes Virginia The Mu-sical,” based on this editorial.)

We take pleasure in answer-ing thus prominently the com-munication below, expressing atthe same time our great grat-ification that its faithful authoris numbered among the friendsof The Sun:

Dear Editor—I am 8 years old. Some of my

little friends say there is noSanta Claus. Papa says, “If yousee it in The Sun, it’s so.” Pleasetell me the truth, is there aSanta Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon115 West Ninety Fifth StreetVirginia, your little friends

are wrong. They have beenaffected by the skepticism of askeptical age. They do not be-lieve except they see. They

think that nothing can be whichis not comprehensible by theirlittle minds. All minds, Virginia,whether they be men’s or chil-dren’s, are little. In this greatuniverse of ours, man is a mereinsect, an ant, in his intellect ascompared with the boundlessworld about him, as measuredby the intelligence capable ofgrasping the whole of truth andknowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a SantaClaus. He exists as certainly as

love and generosity and devo-tion exist, and you know thatthey abound and give to yourlife its highest beauty and joy.Alas! how dreary would be theworld if there were no SantaClaus! It would be as dreary asif there were no Virginias.There would be no childlikefaith then, no poetry, no ro-mance to make tolerable thisexistence.

We should have no enjoy-ment, except in sense and sight.

The external light with whichchildhood fills the world wouldbe extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus!You might as well not believe infairies. You might get yourpapa to hire men to watch in allthe chimneys on Christmas Eveto catch Santa Claus, but even ifyou did not see Santa Clauscoming down, what would thatprove? Nobody sees SantaClaus, but that is no sign thatthere is no Santa Claus. The

most real things in the worldare those that neither childrennor men can see. Did you eversee fairies dancing on the lawn?Of course not, but that’s noproof that they are not there.Nobody can conceive or imag-ine all the wonders there areunseen and unseeable in theworld.

You tear apart the baby’srattle and see what makes thenoise inside, but there is a veilcovering the unseen worldwhich not the strongest man,nor even the united strength ofall the strongest men that everlived could tear apart. Onlyfaith, poetry, love, romance, canpush aside that curtain andview and picture the supernalbeauty and glory beyond. Is itall real? Ah, Virginia, in all thisworld there is nothing else realand abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God!He lives and lives forever. Athousand years from now, Vir-ginia, nay 10 times 10,000 yearsfrom now, he will continue tomake glad the heart of child-hood.

“Is There a Santa Claus?” reprintedfrom the September 21, 1897, numberof The New York Sun.

IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS?

THANKS TO JON MASON

On Dec. 11-13, Turkey Foot Middle School staged a production of “Yes, Virginia The Musical.”

Dec. 18 question

What is the best Christmasor holiday present you evergave? What is the best pre-sent you ever received?

“Best given: A homemadeteddy bear for a child whosename I’ll never know. I sat uphalf the night working on it sohe/she would have a gift. I amthe one who received the bless-ing! Best Received: Christmas1959 I received the most beauti-ful baby doll from my aunt anduncle. Oh the anticipation be-cause there was a ‘Do Not OpenUntil Dec. 25th’ sticker on thebox and I dared not disobey it! Istill have that doll today alongwith precious memories thatinclude my mother sewing awhole wardrobe for said dollfrom scraps where she madeour clothing!”

Juanita Locke Hogg

“My best gift was a fewyears ago when my son whowas stationed at an outpost inAfghanistan was able to comehome for the holidays.”

Bonnie Kirby Cronin

“In 2001, my daughter madea picture quilt for me. Numberone, I had no idea she was socrafty. Two, this must havebeen the best kept secret sincethe CIA, because I didn’t have aclue. One of the few gifts in mylife that made me cry. I trea-sure it still.”

Sheila Rider Lea

CH@TROOM

THIS WEEK’SQUESTION

What do you consider themost significant event of 2014 –either internationally, national-ly, locally or personally?

Every week we ask readers a questionthey can reply to via email. Send youranswers to [email protected] with Ch@troom in thesubject line.

A friend wrote a memory ofwhen she and her familywould come out to our Christ-mas tree farm in Boone Coun-ty.

For more than 20 years myhubby Sid Walters grew andshaped a large field of Christ-

mas trees,when I nolonger hadhorses in thesame field.

On WaltersChristmasTree Farm wehad big dogswho triedvery hard toease my miss-ing my horses.We had New-ton the New-

foundland and Maggie Mae,the St. Bernard, who weren’tas large as horses but nonethe-less pretty big dogs.

Those dogs loved their rolesin the Christmas tree business,too. They loved people andwere so helpful and diligent intheir jobs, even though asMaggie Mae got up in years,she felt her greatest duty wasto wait for dropped doughnuts(keeping the environmentclean) or for a customer topitch her a doughnut treat.

Newt and Maggie lovedchildren and would toleratekids rolling all over these“Christmas Tree Dogs,” rais-ing up their lips to check outcanine teeth – whatever any-one did was fine with them!

One day after we hadn’tbeen home, a lady called to tellus she had come out to get atree but didn’t see anyone.Newton met her at the gate,took her ever so gently by thehand and led her to the secondgate where the trees are. Shewas a little worried at first, she

said, especially when you havea 200-pound dog take yourhand. But she said it was gen-tle and she knew he was lead-ing her. When she got to theback gate, he just sat down,looked at the field, then at heras if to say, “OK there are thetrees. You’re on your own now,go get one!”

I was always interested ineveryone’s description of “thePerfect Christmas Tree.” Ev-eryone had a different view.Some folks wanted a very full“perfect” tree, others wanted atree that had open branchesthat you could see through.

Sid would spend manyhours throughout the summerin the Christmas tree field

shaping the trees. Yet evenwith his shaping, each treewould take on its own person-ality and appearance.

Each family had a differentritual. I have even seen fam-ilies encircle a tree, hold handsand pray around the tree asthey thanked God for the beau-ty of nature.

One day we watched ayoung newly married couplecome out to get their first tree.The hubby brought a rustyhandsaw. It began to rain, thenrained harder. They foundtheir tree; hubby was lyingdown in the cold, wet grasssawing, sawing and sawing.New wifey was standing overhim trying to shelter him withher umbrella. He was gettingnowhere with his rusty saw.

Sid finally went out with hischainsaw and asked the youngman if he would like him totake down the tree. The wifesaid, “No!” As he lay in the wetgrass, continuing to saw andgetting nowhere, Sid went outagain, wifey still adamant thather heroic husband saw downthe tree even though it wasvery apparent he was growingmore and more frustrated.Finally on the third visit fromSid, even though the sweetwife was still holding the um-

brella and still believing hubbywould conquer the staunchtree, he looked at Sid and said“Just saw down the damn treewouldja!” They came out ofthe field, Sid carrying the tree,hubby cold and wet and wifeywith a sorrowful look on herface. Wonder how that eveningwent? So much for love Iguess.

There were times when afamily wouldn’t have the mon-ey for a tree. Sid would givethem a deep discount, or per-haps just “give” them the treeat no cost. Everyone shouldhave a Christmas tree!

We always tried to addambiance in the tree field. Itold Sid searching for a Christ-mas tree was much more thanjust the search. It was aboutfamilies, tradition, experienceand adventure. We had Christ-mas music piped into the field,a roaring fire with benchesaround the fire, hot chocolate,doughnuts, sometimes havingkids roast marshmallows,bringing kids out of the fieldon the wagon tractor with“their” Christmas tree.

It was a time for families tocreate memories. Sometimesfamilies, including their owndogs, would linger in the fieldor around the fire for hours.

Not much money was madein the Christmas tree business.But it was a special time for allof us, for families and for Sidand me (even though I some-times grumbled on very coldor rainy days).

Merry Christmas to all, andmay you forever be searchingfor that Perfect ChristmasTree – and making your ownmemories.

Sherry and Sid Walters operatedthe Walters Christmas Tree Farmon Longbranch Road in Union.

Boone County Christmas tree farmholds vivid memories

SherryWaltersCOMMUNITYRECORDER GUESTCOLUMNIST

THANKS TO SHERRY WALTERS

Newton the Newfoundland transports a Christmas tree at the WaltersChristmas Tree Farm in Union.

THANKS TO SHERRY WALTERS

Maggie Mae, the St. Bernard,relaxes on Christmas Day after aseason of helping at theChristmas tree farm.

A8 • FLORENCE-UNION RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 NEWS

DECEMBER 25, 2014 • FLORENCE-UNION RECORDER • B1

Boys basketball» Boone County beat Coop-

er 59-39 in a district seedinggame Dec. 19. Brenden Stanleyhad 19 points and Haven Bor-kowski 15.

» Cooper beat Ryle 51-20Dec. 16 in district seeding.Sophomore guard Sean McNealscored a game-high 24 points tolead the Jaguars. Junior guardTrevor Rohlman added 10points.

» St. Henry beat Bullitt Cen-tral 58-44 Dec. 19. Paul Wallen-horst poured in 15 points, AdamGoetz added 14 and ConnorKunstek 13.

» Walton-Verona beat Emi-nence 68-46 Dec. 16. Juniorguard Zach Townsend and sen-ior guard Shea Evans scored 16and 15 respectively to lead theBearcats. Junior center ElliotBrook recorded a double-dou-ble with 13 points and 12 re-bounds, while also recordingfive blocks.

» Cole VonHandorf scored18 points and pulled down fiverebounds to help CovingtonCatholic pull away and defeatCampbell County 60-45Dec. 18. Bo Schuh, Andy Floodand Cooper Theobald alsoscored in double digits to lead abalanced Cov Cath attack.

» After starting the season0-2, Simon Kenton has wonfour straight including an 81-65win over Conner Dec. 16. Seniorforward Matt Mullins scored a

game-high 28 points – 12 ofwhich came in the third quarter– for Simon Kenton in only 11minutes of playing time. Seniorguard Jaeger Pracht added 14points and junior center AustinFries finished with 11 points.

» Newport Central Catholicbeat Boone County 75-43Dec. 16. Senior center DrewMcDonald scored a game-high28 points off 12 made shots in-cluding three of NCC’s eight 3-pointers.

Girls basketball» Boone County beat Coop-

er 59-51 Dec. 16 in a districtseeding game. Boone Countyhad three players reach double-digits. Senior guard AlexisSwitzer led the way with 17points. Senior guards SadieMoore and Macey Ford scored

14 and 13 respectively.» Conner beat Lawrence-

burg 58-41 Dec. 16. Taylor Gam-brel had 12 points.

» Cooper beat Walton-Vero-na 53-47 Dec. 18. Sophomoreforward Hailey Andersonscored 14 points and senior for-ward Kinley Zingshein added10 for the Jaguars. MorganSimpson and Hailey Isonscored 17 and 16 respectivelyfor Walton-Verona.

» Holy Cross beat LincolnCounty 60-37 Dec. 19. Deja Tur-ner, Aleah Tucker and AllyMayhaus all finished with 14points for Holy Cross. Mayhausrecorded a double-double with14 rebounds.

Coaching News» Beechwood has an open-

ing for head varsity volleyballcoach. If interested, please senda letter of interest and resumeto Suzy Wera, Athletic Director.Email :[email protected]

Basketball Camp» Ken Shields will have his

annual basketball shootingcamp Dec. 29-31 at Sports of AllSorts Mt. Zion Rd. Camp is 9a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Cost is$100. Guests include formerNKU standout Paul Cluxton,who set the NCAA record forconsecutive free throws. Con-tact 760-7466.

Baseball Camp» Lloyd Memorial High

School is hosting a six weekbaseball camp starting Jan. 11.

Lloyd head coach Aaron Moorewill direct the program in con-junction with U.S. BaseballAcademy. Classes are availablefor players in grades 1-12 andare limited to six players percoach. Sessions are offered inadvanced hitting, pitching,catching, fielding and baserun-ning. Space is limited. Registra-tion is now under way. For moreinformation, visitwww.USBaseballAcademy.com, or call toll-free 866-622-4487.

Cheerleading» Results from the KHSAA

Competitive Cheer Champion-ships earlier this month:

Dixie Heights was fifth inthe All-Girl Large standings.

Ryle was sixth in the All-GirlMedium standings. Simon Ken-ton was seventh and Scottninth.

Highlands was 15th in the All-Girl Small competition.

Connerfinished first in theAll-Girl Super standings.

Girls soccer» Walton-Verona sopho-

more Taylor Cox was selectedfirst team all-Eighth Region bythe coaches. Earning honorablemention were junior Jordan De-renthal, sophomore SarahJohnston and freshman BlairWilliams.

Bowling» Highlands beat Newport

in both boys and girls Dec. 18.Highlands had 2,820 pins inboys. Jake Farley shot 535 fortwo games (246-289). James Kil-

len had 457 (210-247) and AndyCampbell 400 (196-204). Thegirls team had 2,115 to 1,989 totalfor Newport. Tessa Woody had150 for Highlands (193-157) andAbbey Parrott 349 (189-160).Katlyn Hoeh had 425 for New-port (190-235).

TMC Notes» Thomas More senior de-

fender Alex Dean (Highlands)has been named to the NationalSoccer Coaches Association ofAmerica (NSCAA)/ContinentalTire All-American team. Dean,who played in all 22 matches forthe Saints, was a third team se-lection. He anchored a Saints’defense that posted 12 shutouts,while only giving up 14 goalsand 181 shots, including only 77on-goal. Dean also had ninepoints on four goals and one as-sist. At the conclusion of theseason, he has been named firstteam All-PAC and first team All-Great Lakes Region.

Dean is the third-ever Thom-as More men’s soccer student-athlete to be named All-Ameri-can as Alex Oeswein ’12 wasnamed to the NSCAA All-Amer-ican team in 2011and current ju-nior forwardAustin Juniet(Newport Central Catholic)was named All-American in2013.

The Saints finished the 2014season with a 18-2-2 overall rec-ord and won their sixth-straightPresidents’ Athletic Confer-ence tournament championshipand advanced to their sixth-straight NCAA Division IIITournament.

SHORT HOPS

By James [email protected]

GEOFF BLANKENSHIP/FOR THE RECORDER

Ryle’s Jack Driscoll gets a shot off ofConner’s Justin Rabe Dec. 19. TheCougars defeated the Raiders,64-56.

Boone County schools gottogether on the basket-ball court several times

last week for key 33rd Districtgames. Here is a look at someof the action.

JIM OSBORN/FOR THE RECORDER

Conner’s Bethany Vest and Ryle’s Mallory Schwartz went to the floor in the first quarter. Vest led the Cougars with12 points, while Schwartz finished with a game-high 22 for the Raiders.

Boone teams battlein basketball

JIM OSBORN FOR THE RECORDER

Ryle’s Mallory Schwartz passes the ball inside during the second quarter.


Conner’s Kierra Dages drives onRyle’s Maddie Scherr during thesecond quarter. The Raiders’ winsnapped a two-game losing streakagainst their district rival with a64-56 victory.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — TheNorthern Kentucky Univer-sity women’s basketball teamis not only learning how to winat the Division I level, but theNorse are also learning not tobe intimidated.

The Norse are 7-5 headinginto Christmas break, with an-other game not on the horizonuntil Dec. 30 at home againstIUPUI. NKU has won its lastthree games, two of themagainst major-conference foesin Marquette (77-68) and Cin-cinnati (66-52). The win overMarquette, from the Big East,came on the road in Milwau-kee.

While MU and UC only havea combined record of 3-15, thewins have boosted the confi-dence of the Norse.

“We’ve been able to ignorethe name on the jersey and justgo out and play,” said juniorguard Christine Roush. “Wejust try to play our game andwe feel we can go out there andwin.”

The resume includes an 18-point loss at Kentucky, who isranked eighth in the country at10-1.

“I thought our kids did agood job of competing over-all,” NKU head coach DawnPlitzuweit said that night. “Ithink they played really hard,but we obviously need to takecare of the ball a little betterand keep them off the free-throw line. We do that if we re-bound a little better, but wewere challenged tonight withtheir size, athleticism andspeed, but that is a scenario weare going to continue to workand get better at. Overall, Iwas really proud of their ef-fort, and it was a great oppor-tunity to play Kentucky ontheir home court.”

The Norse have beaten Del-aware, Delaware State, UNC-Greensboro and Grand Can-yon. NKU has won four gamesthis year on neutral sites andtwo on the opponent’s homefloor. The UC game was NKU’sfirst home win.

The Norse have a pair oflopsided losses of 30-pluspoints to Mid-American Con-ference teams, but havegrown from those losses withdepth. NKU has 10 players av-eraging 10 minutes or moreper game.

Senior Melody Doss leadsthe way at 12.9 points pergame, including a high of 21 atIllinois State. Doss scored 15points on 6-for-10 shootingfrom the floor to lift NKU to a63-58 victory over DelawareDec. 19.

Doss added 11 of her pointsin the second half to help NKU,which improved to 7-5 with thewin, hold off a second-half Del-aware (4-5) rally.

Norse learninghow to winBy James [email protected]

JAMES WEBER/THE COMMUNITY

RECORDER

NKU senior Kaitlyn Gerrety drivesagainst UC sophomore Marley Hill.NKU beat Cincinnati 66-52 Dec. 17at the Bank of Kentucky Center.

See NORSE, Page B2

SPORTSSPORTSHIGH SCHOOL | YOUTH | RECREATIONAL CommunityPress.com

COMMUNITYRECORDEREditor: Melanie Laughman, [email protected], 513-248-7573

B2 • FLORENCE-UNION RECORDER • DECEMBER 25, 2014 LIFE

Roush averages 12.4 agame and had 29 at Mar-quette.

Senior forward KaitlynGerrety posts 7.6 a gameand Kelley Wiegman 6.0.Gerrety posts six re-bounds a contest.

Offensive balance hasbeen a key in the winningstreak. Eight playersscored in the win overDelaware Dec. 19. Fresh-man Faith Sanders scoreda career-high 11 points offthe bench.

Freshman Kasey Ue-trecht, who had 10 totalpoints in her first five ap-pearances, notched six inboth the Cincinnati andDelaware games. AgainstUC, she had two straightbaskets, both from three-point range, in a key runlate in the first half.

“Kasey Uetrecht hadtwo huge baskets for us,”Roush said.

Rianna Gayheart, a ju-nior guard from OwenCounty, had six straightpoints to give the team thelead for good in the game.

“Offensively, we wantto feed the hot hand,” add-ed Plitzuweit. “But thatcan be any player on anygiven night for us. We arean equal-opportunity of-fense, trying to take ad-

vantage of mismatches.But, I don’t think we aretotally there yet.”

The Norse have homegames Jan. 3 againstWright State and Jan. 6against Georgetown Col-lege before starting con-ference play Jan. 10 atLipscomb. The sevenwins so far is already ahigh for non-conferencefoes in the third season ofDivision I, and the grindcan help prepare theNorse for conference sea-son.

“It should help us be-cause we’ve played a lot ofteams that are bigger andstronger and that helps usin the long run,” Roushsaid.

“We have our thirdgame in five days whenwe take on Delaware,”said Plitzuweit. “We haveone day to prep for Friday.And, playing this caliberof teams will hopefullyprepare us for conferenceplay.”

NKU was picked to fin-ish third in the A-Sun be-hind Florida Gulf Coastand Stetson. Doss was vot-ed by the conference ontothe 10-member preseasonall-conference team, andDoss was voted by fans asthe player of the year in apoll sponsored by the con-ference.

Follow James on Twitter,@JWeberSports

NorseContinued from Page B1


Ryle’s Madison Jones puts up a shot in front of Conner’s TaylorGambrel during the second quarter. Jones finished the gamewith 12 points for the Raiders.

The holidays are niceon their own, but the sea-son without hoops kind offeels a little naughty. For-tunately, there is plenty ofaction on the hardwoodfor Northern Kentuckyfans to enjoy, includingmany chances to enjoy afull day of hoops festivi-ties.

The Lloyd MemorialInvitational Tournamentreturns as the area’s larg-est holiday showcase.Thirty-two games of boysbasketball start Dec. 27.Teams are Lloyd, Wood-ford County, Walton-Vero-na, Richmond Model, Con-ner, Newport, Holmes,Silver Grove, LouisvilleCollegiate, Boone County,Scott, Bracken County,Iroquois, Augusta, Stew-arts Creek and McCrack-en County.

Cost is $7 adult/$4 stu-dent per day; with $1 ofthe ticket cost being do-nated to the team of fan’schoice. An all-tourneypass for all four days is$20. Games will be splitbetween Lloyd’s Schebengym and Tichenor MiddleSchool, which is adjacentto Scheben.

On Saturday, actionstarts at 10:30 a.m., withthe last game at 9 p.m., allgames at Scheben. First-day schedule is Conner vs.Bracken County (10:30),Newport vs. Iroquois(12:15), Woodford vs. Wal-ton-Verona (2:00), Holmesvs. Collegiate (3:45),Boone vs. Augusta (5:30),Model vs. Scott (7:15) andLloyd vs. Stewarts Creek(9:00).

On both Sunday andMonday, first game atScheben is 2:45 and lastone at 8 p.m., and at Ti-chener, first game is 3:15p.m. and last game 8:30p.m. On Tuesday, the firstgame at Lloyd is 2:45 p.m.with the championshipgame at 8 p.m. At Tichen-er, first game is 1:30 p.m.and the last one at 6:45p.m.

Sponsors are the Er-langer-Elsmere Board ofEducation, Mach IIIClutch, Inc., Mazak Corp.,Nova Care, Jersey Mike’s,Parfetti Van Meller and

Bumble Bee Team Sports.Covington Catholic and

Simon Kenton are in oneof the state’s biggestshowcases, the RepublicBank Classic at LexingtonCatholic Dec. 26-30. Otherteams include Bryan Sta-tion, Boyle County, PerryCounty Central, Male,Oldham County, Apollo,Casey County, North Lau-rel, Henderson County,Henry Clay, Bullitt Eastand Lexington Christian.

Dixie Heights and Ho-ly Cross will play at theAshland Blazer tourneyDec. 27-29.

Cooper will play at theLouisville Eastern tour-ney Dec. 29-31.

Leading regularmatchups in the new yearFriday, Jan. 2 are the Co-vington Catholic at High-lands rivalry game in FortThomas, and DixieHeights playing at St.Henry in a 34th Districtseeding game.

Cooper will host an all-day weekend showcaseSaturday, Jan. 3. Cooperwill host Harrison County8 p.m. that night. St. Hen-ry will play BrackenCounty at 2 p.m., HolyCross vs. Pendleton Coun-ty at 4 p.m. and North Old-ham vs. Ryle at 6 p.m.

In girls hoops, theschedule for the annualLaRosa’s Holiday Classicat Conner High SchoolDec. 29-31 has been re-leased. Eight teams willparticipate.

Monday: Brossart vs.Lexington Catholic (1p.m.), Boyle County vs.Highlands (2:30 p.m.),Walton-Verona vs. Owens-boro Catholic (4 p.m.),Conner vs. Bullitt Central(5:30 p.m.).

Tuesday: Boyle vs.Walton-Verona (9 a.m.),Highlands vs. OCath(10:30 a.m.), Bullitt vs.Brossart (12 p.m.), Lex-Cath vs. Conner (1:30p.m.), Boyle vs. OCath (4p.m.), Walton-Verona vs.Highlands (5:30 p.m.),Bullitt vs. LexCath (7p.m.), Conner vs. Brossart(8:30 p.m.).

Wednesday: 7th place (9a.m.), 5th place (10:30a.m.), 3rd place (12 p.m.),championship (2 p.m.).

Conner will also bebusy in showcases at Lew-is County Dec. 27 and atFranklin County Jan. 3.

Cooper will participatein an eight-team tourna-ment at Allen County-Scottsville Dec. 29-31.

St. Henry will play inthe eight-team MercerCounty tourney Dec. 27-30.

In regular matchups,St. Henry and DixieHeights will play theirdistrict game Jan. 2. Bros-sart and Campbell willplay their rivalry/districtgame Friday, Jan. 2 atCCMS.

Follow James on Twitter@JWeberSports

’Tis the season for holiday hoops

JAMES WEBER/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER

Boone County’s Brenden Stanley and his teammates will be among the schools taking part inthe The Lloyd Memorial Invitational Tournament beginning Saturday.

BRANDON SEVERN/FOR THE RECORDER

Freshman Blake Roth of Walton-Verona, right, locks up with junior Oscar Santana of Glen Estein the 106-pound match at the Ryle Raider Rumble Dec. 13. Roth placed fourth whileWalton-Verona finished 11th out of 17 teams.

By James [email protected]

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St. Elizabeth received a$15,000 Grief Reach grantfrom the New York LifeFoundation to support itsgrief archery program.

Dealing with the deathof a loved one is nevereasy, but facing this con-fusing process as a childcan be even more diffi-cult. The St. ElizabethSTARS program helpskids better understandtheir loss and findstrength through theirgrief journey.

“We are grateful forthe New York Life Foun-dation’s investment in thisprogram, which will helpus build our capacity in or-

der to fulfill our mission,”said Gail Rizzo, St. Eliza-beth Hospice bereave-ment coordinator. “Thesupport will help manygrieving children andtheir families in our com-munity to begin the heal-ing process.”

“Grief Reach applica-tions tripled in numberlast year, which demon-strates there is a greaterneed for bereavementservices across the coun-try, and we wanted to sat-isfy the demand,” saidMaria Collins, vice presi-dent, New York Life Foun-dation. “We are pleased toassist St. Elizabeth Hos-

pice in providing moregrieving youth and theirfamilies with the supportthey need to deal with thecomplex emotions follow-ing the death of a lovedone.”

The New York LifeFoundation created theGrief Reach program tohelp providers overcomebarriers to bringing griefsupport services to youthnot served by existing be-reavement programs.

More than 110 GriefReach grants totalingnearly $4 million havebeen awarded since theprogram’s inception in2011.

St. Elizabeth receivesGrief Reach grant

Gray Middle School’sNational Junior Honor So-ciety and Student Councilsponsored a donationdrive to buy holiday giftsfor school families inneed.

The drive ran from

Nov. 17 through Dec. 12.The Gray communityraised over $4,000.

On Dec. 15 the NJHSand SC students, accom-panied by teachers PamColeman and Kara Nixon,along with parent volun-teer, Lori Dolwick, went toWalmart on Houston Road

to buy the requesteditems for the families.

After three hours ofshopping fun, most of therequested items were pur-chased. Walmart gave a 10percent discount on theentire purchase andGray’s own checkout lane.

Gray studentsraise $4,000 forholiday gifts

THANKS TO SANDY COCHRAN

National Junior HonorSociety members JoshJohnson, left, and DrewJanszen organizing gifts.


National Junior HonorSociety members JoshJohnson, and Cole Januski.


Student Council memberAnalisa Castronovo organizesgifts.

Community Recorder

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No Dental Insurance?Ask about our wonderful discount plan!

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Women’s Basketball vs. Wright State at IPMand Men’s Basketball vs. Toledo at 4PM

DOUBLE HEADER SATURDAY, JAN. 3

It’s a Gold Rush - Wear Your NKU Gold!

Take A Kid to the Game Day - Free Admission for Kid’s 12

& Under with the purchase of an Adult Ticket (includes both

games)Shoot Around Saturday - Shoot

on court with the NKU Men’s Basketball Team Post-game and

Receive Player Autographs

norsetickets.com

#4for404 Tickets/4 Hot Dogs/ • 4 Soft Drinks for $40

Join in the wintertime fun at...

2638 Anderson Road • Crescent Springs, KY 41017859-344-1981 ext 0 • www.nkyicecenter.com

Christmas Holiday ScheduleAll public sessions have general skating on the main rink and either beginners only or stick time on the studio rink.

1:00-5:00pm $6.00December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31,

January 1, 2, 3.Beginners only on the studio rink

7:30-9:30pm $6.00December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,

January 1, 2, 3.Stick time on the studio rink

Skate rental for all sessions $2.00Children 10 yrs and under:

$1.00 off admissionGroup and Family rates also available

Buy One Admission, Get One Admission

FREEFor public sessions only. Must present coupon.

Learn to SkateWinter Session 16-week program for ages 3 yrs. - Adult6 1/2 hour lessons / 6 1/2 hour practice each week.

6 free public session passes.Free skate rental all lessons and public sessions.

Classes begin:Tuesday, Jan. 6 6:00-7:00pm, Thursday, Jan 8. 6:00-7:00pm, and Saturday, Jan 10. Teen/Adult class also available beginning Thursday, Jan 8 7:00-8:30pm

$65.00Register by Jan. 4 and receive a $10.00 Discount

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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church(LCMS)

9066 Gunpowder Rd. Florence, KY(Between US 42 & Mt Zion Rd., Florence)

746-9066Pastor Rich Tursic

Sunday Worship 8:30 & 11:00Sunday School - All ages 9:45 AM

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LUTHERAN

HEBRON BAPTIST CHURCH3435 Limaburg Road, Hebron, KY 41048(corner of Cougar Path & North Bend Rd.)

9:30 AM Morning Worship & Sunday School11:00 AM Morning Worship & Adult Sunday School5:45 PM Wednesday Church Supper (Sept.-May)6:00 PM Wednesday Discipleship Class,

Youth Bible Study, AWANA for Children

859-689-7282http://www.hebronbaptist.org

BAPTIST

Ruth AdamsRuth “Connie” Adams, 65, of

Avon, Indiana, and formerly ofWalton, died recently.

She was a retired customerservice agent with AmericanAirlines.

Survivors include her daugh-ter, Amy Prastio; sisters HelenBoyle and Kathy Yunker; andtwo grandsons.

Burial was at Ghent Cemeteryin Ghent, Kentucky.

Louise BonarLouise Benton Bonar, 86, of

Walton, died Dec. 12 at herhome.

Her and her husband, James,owned the Benton-Bonar De-partment Store in Walton for 38years. She was a member of theFirst Baptist Church of Walton,where she served as a formerSunday school teacher andWMU member.

Her husband, James Bonar;daughter, Beverly Benson;brother, John Christopher Ben-ton Jr.; and granddaughter,Amber Lee Benson, died previ-ously.

Survivors include her son,John Bonar of Lakeside Park;daughter, Jayme Bridges ofWalton; sister, Hazel BentonSpegal of Demossville; and sixgrandchildren.

Burial was at New BethelCemetery in Verona.

Kenneth Boster Sr.Kenneth Barry Boster Sr., 73,

of Union, died Dec. 12 at hishome.

He was an alumni of theUniversity of Kentucky, a Ken-tucky Colonel, and he attendedthe First Church of Christ in

Union.Survivors include his wife,

Judy Landen Boster; childrenKenda Rogers of Villa Hills andBarry Boster Jr. of Franklin,Tennessee; sister, Paula Porter ofMcMinnville, Tennessee; and sixgrandchildren.

Burial was at Cemetery Chapelin Bracken County.

Memorials: American Diabe-tes Association, 644 Linn St.,Suite 304, Cincinnati, OH 45203.

Gerald GrigsonGerald Franklin Grigson, 79,

of Hebron, died Dec. 10 atLakeridge Acres Care Center inCincinnati.

His stepchildren Linda Paceand Vickie Joe Brown; andbrother, Paul Wendell, diedpreviously.

Survivors include his wife, BeaH. Grigson; children Jeff Grigsonof Hebron, and Karen Grigsonand Lisa Garrett, both of Erlang-er; stepchildren Clifford Marks-berry of Verona, Rhonda Pelfreyof Jacksonville, Florida, JimmyMarksberry of Petersburg, andDallas Marksberry of Glencoe;siblings Jean Hiltibrand ofCovington, Ruth Irey of Tolles-boro, Kentucky, and DonaldGrigson of Wallingford, Ken-tucky; and 24 grandchildrenalong with 13 great-grand-children.

Memorials: Alzheimer’s Asso-ciation, 6100 Dutchmans Lane,Suite 401, Louisville, KY 40205.

Halie Lynn GuelfiHalie Lynn Guelfi, 22, of

Gainesville, Florida, and for-merly of Burlington, died Dec. 7at Shands Hospital in Gainesvillejust two days after being in-volved as a passenger in a mo-torcycle accident.

She graduated from NaplesHigh School in 2011 magna cumlaude and went on to TheUniversity of Florida in Gaines-ville, were she was an ambassa-dor for The College of LiberalArts and Sciences, worked as aresearch assistant in the Depart-ment of Rheumatology, and wasa Gator Premedical SectionEditor. She was also a memberof the University of FloridaHonors College, volunteer at theGators For Haven Hospice, andwas set to graduate this springwith two BA degrees in biologyand psychology. She planned onattending medical school in thefall of 2015.

Her mother, Sharon Guelfi,died previously.

Survivors include her father,Ron Guelfi; brother, JosephGuelfi of Naples; and grandpar-ents Fran Guelfi of Naples andBertha Couch of Burlington

She was an organ donor.Memorials: Halie Guelfi

Memorial Scholarship fund,checks made payable to TheCommunity Foundation ofCollier County, 2400 Tamiami

Trail North, Suite 300, Naples, FL34103.

Shirley HoardShirley Rose Foley Hoard, 81,

of Union, died Dec. 10 at St.Elizabeth Hospital in Union.

She was a retired teller forPNC Bank and a fan of UKbasketball as well as the Cincin-nati Reds.

Survivors include her husband,Ebby Hoard; son, Dan Hoard;daughter, Kristi Chapman; andthree grandchildren.

Interment was at Forest LawnCemetery.

Memorials: The Cure StartsNow, 10280 Chester Road,Cincinnati, OH 45215.

Patricia KlemanPatricia Sue Downing Kleman,

63, of Florence, died Dec. 10 ather home.

Her parents, Charles and KateDowning; brother, Bill Downing;and her first husband, JimNewton, died previously.

Survivors include her husband,Donald Kleman; son, JamesNewton; daughter, Jenny Wi-nals; stepchildren Jeffrey Kle-man, Kevin Kleman, and KristenKleman; sisters Diane Miller,Sandy Frazee, and Mary Good-win; brother, Mick Downing;and eight grandchildren.

Memorials: Hospice of theBluegrass, 7388 Turfway Road,Florence, KY 41042; or SalvationArmy, 1806 Scott St., Covington,KY 41014.

Herbert Newgent IIIHerbert M. Newgent III, 75, of

Walton, died Dec. 13.He was a retired terminal

train master with Norfolk South-ern Railroad and a member ofSt. Cecilia Church in Independ-ence, American Legion Post No.20 in Elsmere, Holy Name Soci-ety at St. Cecilia Church, and St.Vincent de Paul Society.

His sister, Bonnie Lee Clutter,died previously.

Survivors include his wife,Vicki Newgent; daughtersDebbie Drake and MichelleSaunderson; brother, Robert LeeNewgent; and five grandchil-dren.

Burial was at Mother of GodCemetery in Fort Wright.

Memorials: American LungAssociation, 4050 Executive ParkDrive, No. 402, Cincinnati, OH45241.

Paulette RobinsonPaulette J. Ducker Robinson,

68, of Florence, died Dec. 11 atSt. Elizabeth Health Care inEdgewood.

She was a retired documentclerk for Emerson Power Trans-missions in Florence and formerowner of Ducker’s GardenFurnishings. She was a memberof Kentaboo Baptist Church,where she taught Sunday schoolfor many years.

Survivors include her husband,Charles E. Robinson; son, WillRobinson of Florence; daughtersLeslie Clark of Burlington andLisa Tucker of Dry Ridge; andfive grandchildren.

Interment was at BurlingtonCemetery.

Memorials: American CancerSociety, 297 Buttermilk Pike, FortMitchell, KY 41017.

DEATHS

Ohio Valley Goodwillwas pleased to receive agenerous holiday dona-tion from new NorthernKentucky partner, theCon-Way Freight compa-ny of Richwood.

As a result of an em-ployee donation drive ef-fort, a Con-Way truckfilled with 5000 pounds ofthoughtfully donateditems was delivered to theorganization’s headquar-ters on Dec. 17.

Richwoodfirm makesholidaydonation toGoodwill


Lots of Christmasspirit was shown by ourfriends and neighborsthis past week.

Randyand DeniseLawrenceand theirfamilyhelped inmaking aPancakeBuffet forthe fam-ilies at theRonaldMcDonaldHouse at

Children’s Hospital. TheLawrence family hashelped serve in fundrais-ers and activities the pastfew years, due to the loveand care by the nursesand staff to the loss oftheir first granddaughterOlivia. As a memorial totheir Olivia, they alsoshare with other familiesin similar experiences.

Lawrence family

members sharing wereMark and Lauren Fergu-son, parents of Olivia andtheir children Ali andTrey, Daniel and LindsayArnold and their childrenPayge, Landon and Bray-don. Great grandparentsare Jim and Betty Law-rence of Ala Vista, whowill be celebrating their64th wedding anniversa-ry on Christmas Day.

The Walton-Veronabasketball players andcheerleaders enjoyed apleasant evening singingChristmas carols to someof the Alta Vista resi-dents. Rosemary Clem-ents really enjoyed hear-ing all the old familiarcarols.

The Walton Home-makers shared theirChristmas luncheon atTriple Crown. Twelvemembers and two guestsattended. In lieu of giftexchange they chose todonate to the Walton

Verona Community Min-isterial Fund. Thanks somuch for their generousgift of $104.

Thanks to Bro. DavidWiggins for conductingthe canned goods andsupplies drive for ourWalton Verona Pantry,also to all who have con-tributed in the past twoweeks.

Please keep in yourprayers our families andfriends who are sick orhaving problems thisChristmas season. Mil-dred Robinson is at homenow with her daughterJoy Simpson. Rememberall our veterans, wher-ever they may be.

My wishes for a mer-ry and blessed Christmasto everyone.

Ruth Meadows writes a col-umn about Walton. Feel freeto call her at 859-391-7282with Walton neighborhoodnews items.

Walton teens bringChristmas cheer

Ruth MeadowsWALTON NEWS

Want to Stay Busy Year Round? Tired of Chasing Jobs?Qualifi ed contractors get the opportunity to bid weekly on pre-screened, third-party paid-for jobs. The contractors who will be allowed to bid on these jobs are restricted to a small number (see below).The NKCAC Weatherization program is seeking Weatherization Private Contractors for Heat Systems and Hot Water repairs or replacements and Energy Conservation installation. Applicants must have profi cient carpentry and energy conservation material skills, and/or HVAC and Plumbing Licensure as well as communication skills with clients. Applicants must comply with current codebooks and State Weatherization manuals..

Must be willing to travel and work throughout an 8 county designated service area in Northern Kentucky. Certifi cates of Insurance for General Liability and Comprehensive Coverage should meet minimum $800,000. Master HVAC minimum Certifi cates of Insurance required in amount of $500,000 for general liability and $300,000 for property damage. An orientation meeting is mandatory and can be scheduled upon receipt of application.

Application packets can be obtained on our website or by calling (859)-655-2944

www.nkcac.org

CE-000

0610

462


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