Chillicothe Gazette from Chillicothe, Ohio • 3

Local and state news Saturday, October 15, 2005 Chillicothe Gazette 3A Lori McNelly, City Editor lmcnellynncogannett.com Festival reign Briefs l.t $1.5 million more earmarked for fight against bad lenders COLUMBUS (AP) Ohio's na 1 tionally-high foreclosure rate has prompted Gov. Bob Taft to devote another $1.5 million this year to fight predatory lending. Taft directed the Commerce De partment to seek approval from the State Controlling Board to spend the additional money. "These additional dollars will IT allow us to build on our current licensing, enforcement and con "These additional dollars will allow us to build on our current licensing, enforcement and consumer outreach initiatives, but we must do more to protect Ohioans from fraud." Gov. Bob Taft and loan officers, as well as other consumer-finance companies.

Although the Commerce Department collected $5.8 million in licensing fees from the companies for enforcement this year, the department may spend only $43 million -V sumer outreach initiatives, but we must do more to protect Ohioans from fraud," Taft said in a news release from his office while he's on a European trade mission. The money would be used to hire 14 more people in the Commerce Department, which polices the mortgage-lending industry. Currently, 25 employees oversee the licensing and enforcement of more than 10,000 mortgage brokers Submitted photo The 2005 Fall Festival of Leaves queen and court are, from left, 2nd Attendant Courtney Countryman, 4th Attendant Heather Jo Walter, Queen Melanie Lyle, 3rd Attendant Kala Conn and 1st Attendant Melanie Leach. The festival in Bainbridge runs through Sunday and includes crafts, entertainment, games and rides. "Last year when we got second in the state, it was incentive for us to do better, it just took off." Scott Clary, 2004 Southeastern graduate who will be attending the national forestry competition i 1 if i 4 I Hunting, fishing fees target of unrest Battle developing over how to use cash TOLEDO (AP) For decades, hunting and fishing license fees collected by the state have gone back into paying for such things as restocking Ohio's lakes and managing the state's deer population.

But now the Ohio Department of Natural Resources wants part of that money to supplement its administrative costs and cover cuts in state funding that had until two years ago paid for those costs. Anglers and hunters want the money to stay right where it has been. Lawmakers are set to decide the issue in a bill that would stop natural resources leaders from using the wildlife money for administrative costs. The department says its approach is only r- fills i 1 Discovery Day showcases ancient times Fragments of everyday life in Ohio during ancient times will be featured at Hopewell Discovery Day: An Adventure in Archeology, 10 am. to 3 p.m.

today at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Demonstrations will include flint knapping, and an archaeologist with the Ohio Historical Society will inspect and identify artifacts brought by visitors. Among other activities, National Park Service guides will lead tours of the grounds and offer lessons in throwing spears with a device called an atlatL The event is free. For more information, visit xmv.rips.govhocuAndepth.htm, or call the visitors center at 774-1126. Design Review Board sets regular meeting The Chillicothe Design Review Board will conduct its next meeting at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday in the City Administration Building's first floor conference room IS, 35 S. Paint St. Any matters that need to come before the Board will be discussed. Youth Crime Watch to host food drive Youth Crime Watch of Chillicothe is conducting a food drive Monday at Kroger on North Bridge Street in cooperation with UPS. Volunteers will be on hand from 10 a.m.

to 3 p.m. to accept all non-perishable food donations. All donated food will go to the Good Samaritan Network. Great Seal band seeks new musicians The Great Seal of Ohio Band is inviting musicians to join it for practice from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Chillicothe High School band room.

The band will be practicing for its upcoming holiday concert at the Majestic Theatre. For more information, e-mail greatsealcfohiobaTufflyahoo.com. Small airplane collision kills two in each plane ROOTSTOWN Two small airplanes collided Friday over northeast Ohio and crashed in a field, killing four men, two in each plane. No one on the ground was hurt, the State Highway Patrol said. Donald Litsinger, who raises steer on about 100 acres near the crash site, was in his garage when he heard an explosion.

"It was the weirdest thing I've ever seea The planes were on the ground before the wings were. The debris was floating in the sky, wings flipping and the planes were both spiraling out of control," he said. The identities of the victims and the origins and destinations of the flights weren't immediately known, Patrol Capt. Jim Holt said. All four people who died were from Ohio, said Portage County Sheriff Duane Kaley.

The FAA said investigators from the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board were sent to the scene and the NTSB would lead the investiga-tioa The NTSB office in Chicago said it had no information yet because an investigator still was on the way to the scene. Water ride coming out at Cedar Point SANDUSKY Cedar Point says it will remove a water flume ride to make room for future developments at the amusement park. White Water Landing, which sits near the back of the park, will be removed after the season ends Oct. 30. There are no immediate plans for the space, said park spokesman Bryan Edwards.

"We might have something better to put in the area," he said Thursday. The ride's DODularitv has 1 i i XT-. LrM '('ff- r' it Jessica BurchardGazette The Southeastern FFA forestry team has been ranked best in the state of Ohio and will have four members traveling to national competition later this month. liHiiMtdre tin fair because other divisions within the agency have been tapped in recent years to cover the costs. That includes fees paid by boaters.

Supporters of the bill say hunters and anglers have been promised in the past that the money wouldn't be used for other purposes. "They've agreed to accept higher license fees with assurance it would go back to wildlife causes," said Rep. Stephen Buehrer, R-Delta "There's something about keeping your word," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Charles Calvert, R-Medina. Hunting and fishing licenses each cost $19 for Ohio residents.

In addition, there are special permits for deer and turkey hunting. Buehrer said using that money in another way would jeopardize what outdoors enthusiasts bring to Ohio. "Hunting, trapping and fishing are a multi-billion dollar economic driver in the state," he said. Jim Lynch, a spokesman for the natural resources department, said that if the legislature puts restrictions on the money, about $600,000, the rest of the agency will need to absorb the costs. State parks would take the biggest hit, about $140,000 per year.

"That's a significant amount," he said. "Our parks have tightened their belts as much as they can." It's only fair, he said, that the wildlife division pay its share of the administrative costs when all the other divisions are paying into it. Pet of the week 111 mm tBifep Mb Going national What: National FFA Forestry Career Development Event. When: Oct. 26 to 29.

Where: Louisville, Ky. For more info visit www.ffa.org. forestry as fun. "We've got a lot of people this year," said Chase. "We made it fun this year by doing different things." Learning forestry takes a lot of time and effort.

It consists of a series of activities ranging from basic tree identification to mathematical formulas. "There's a bunch of different areas you're tested on in forestry," Clary said. "There's a written test, a general knowledge test, a compass course. The main thing is the actual timber cruising. That's when you figure out the board count for each tree." The board count determines how many pieces of wood, such as 2x4s, can be made from each tree.

It's the configuration of the tree's width and height using specific measuring tools. Being able to understand how trees are examined and measured can help students in several ways, DeLong said. "Whether the kids go into forestry or not, there's still things they can use from it," he said. (Burchard can be reached at 772-9369 or via e-mail atjburcharnncogarmeU.com.) Four students bound for national event in Kentucky By JESSICA BURCHARD Gazette Staff Writer 1 With a tape measure and measuring stick in hand, four members of the Southeastern High School Future Farmers of America forestry team will compete in national competition Oct. 26 to 29.

The team, composed of seniors Steven Baxter, 17, Chase Carroll, 17, Jeffrey Davis, 17, and sophomore Brian Brown, 16, will compete in Louisville, Ky. This marks the first time the school's forestry team has competed in the national competition. Andres DeLong, adviser to the school's FFA program, said the invitation to nationals came Oct. 7 when the team topped 40 others to be named best in state. The team had competed and placed well at the Big competition in Massachusetts and at one in Zanesville prior to October.

4, -i The high school's FFA program is a satellite of the Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center program and has 95 active members. Of those members, 20 are heavily involved with forestry, and the top four regionally rated students are attending nationals. Also attending the national forestry competition is Scott Clary, who graduated in 2004 after placing first in the state championships. He said the forestry class at the school has grown since last year. "Last year when we got second in the state, it was incentive for us to do better.

It just took off," said Clary. One of this year's students describes dropped of in recent years, Ed wards said. It was built in vju and has given more than 28 million rides. The amusement park announced earlier this year that it is trying to sell Demon Drop a 131-foot tall ride that Ohio State says campus reactor site is secure drops riders at speeds up to 55 mph. Compiled from staff, wire reports Agenda see radiological effects beyond the boundary of the facility," he said.

For perspective, Burnell said the Davis-Besse power plant near Toledo generates 2,772 megawatts of thermal energy, while OSU's reactor generates one-half of one megawatt. Burnell said the NRC disagrees with ABC's findings but is checking into them nonetheless. "Any time anyone comes to us and says, We have this safety or security we're going to take a look at it." toured the building. Nevertheless, Holland said the tours of the reactor might have to end because of the story. The ABC report said one fear is that suicide bombers could blow up reactors, spreading life-threatening radioactivity.

But Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Scott Burnell said the 33 research reactors in the U.S. are so small that they wouldn't pose a public-health threat even if they were blown up. "Even at the largest facility, you wouldn't COLUMBUS (AP) A network television report found security breaches at nuclear reactor sites on 25 college campuses, including The Ohio State University, but an OSU spokesman said security procedures were followed. Spokesman Earle Holland said IDs were checked and photocopied and bags taken after the college students sent by ABC News to pose as visitors entered the building. The ABC story said the students got access to the reactor and the control room, but Holland said thousands of people have Frank RobertsonGazette This 2-year-old black male Labradoodle is available at the Ross County Humane Society and Animal Shelter at 2308 Lick Run Road.

For more information, call 775-6808 or visit Clarksburg Village Council, 10 a.m., municipal building. Editor's note: To report changes or additions to the Agenda, contact Phil Foreman at 772-9370 The fax number Is 772-9505..