plus 3, Granite Digital Battery System Adds Life to DiMora's $2 Million Sport ... - PR-USA.net

Granite Digital Battery System Adds Life to DiMora's $2 Million Sport ... - PR-USA.net
Custom motorcycle built for the battle against cancer Bay City; event ... - Midland Daily News
Some crimes linger in community's memory - Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Heath's cameras top local headlines - Newark Advocate

Granite Digital Battery System Adds Life to DiMora's $2 Million Sport ... - PR-USA.net

Posted: 03 Jan 2010 07:54 AM PST

Granite Digital is the latest world-class innovator to become a Technology Partner in DiMora Motorcar's program to create the Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan. Its Save A Battery system will be standard on-board equipment, providing real-time battery monitoring on the road and continuous testing, conditioning, and charging in the garage. This is the first time that a complete battery maintenance system has become an integral part of a production automobile.

According to Frank Gabrielli, President of Granite Digital/Save A Battery, "We are very excited to be a part of such a revolutionary automotive design and we take this job very seriously. Using our advanced charger technology to keep the Natalia SLS 2 ready whenever it is called upon means that our system will have to not only be the best but also keep the battery fresh, alive, and maintained to perfection. Our added monitoring features will also protect the charging and electrical systems by alerting the driver of problems before damage can occur."

Data from the customized Save A Battery 1702 Charging System will be integrated into the Natalia's dashboard information systems, allowing the driver to check the status of the battery and electrical system at any time. For an advanced electrical system like the Natalia, this means that the driver can be assured of the vehicle's reliability before setting out on a journey.

DiMora Motorcar Founder Alfred DiMora noted the importance of Save A Battery systems for the car collector. "When you have classic cars and custom motorcycles that you need to keep in showroom condition all the time, batteries rarely get enough activity to keep them healthy. Trickle chargers keep the voltage up but do nothing to overcome crystallization of lead sulfate, which ages a battery prematurely. I solved that problem by using Save A Battery systems, which perform desulfation as part of their automatic battery conditioning and maintenance."

DiMora went on to say, "Each Natalia will have a retractable 110 or 220 volt AC cord that the owner will extend to any power outlet when the automobile is parked. This is a unique feature, only to be found on the Natalia SLS 2."

About Granite Digital and Save A Battery
Granite Digital is the world's leading manufacturer of high performance SATA, IDE, FireWire, USB, and SCSI storage systems and peripherals. Their Save A Battery series of intelligent battery chargers was developed to test, monitor, rejuvenate, condition, and power cycle batteries as well as diagnose problems in vehicle electrical and charging systems. They produce battery chargers for use with almost any car, truck, motorcycle, boat, RV, or ATV battery. Please visit www.saveabattery.com or www.granitedigital.com.

About DiMora Motorcar and DiMora Custom Bikes
Based in Palm Springs, California, DiMora Motorcar and DiMora Custom Bikes handcraft automobiles and motorcycles designed to exceed expectations for safety, performance, technology, ecology, and luxury.

The founder, CEO, and driving force behind both companies is Alfred J. DiMora, who produced two of America's finest luxury automobiles, the Clenet (as owner) and the Sceptre (as co-founder). When President Reagan declared 1986 the Centennial Year of the Gasoline-Powered Automobile, Mr. DiMora's Clenet was selected as the Official Centennial Car. As a result, he and the Clenet were honored at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Michigan.

For more information, please visit www.dimoramotorcar.com.

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Custom motorcycle built for the battle against cancer Bay City; event ... - Midland Daily News

Posted: 03 Jan 2010 05:31 AM PST

A passion for motorcycles and finding a cure for cancer led Midland business owner Fred Pickering to design a motorcycle called The Diamond P and use it to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The Diamond P was built by Vinnie Dimartino and Cody Connelly of New York-based V-Force Customs. The pair were featured on the TLC show "American Chopper" when they worked for Orange County Choppers.

Pickering, owner of Pickering Automotive Service, said he's felt the impact of cancer and wants to make a difference in defeating the disease. His father, Oscar Pickering, died of cancer in 1984.

"My life has changed one too many times from cancer taking my dad and friends, plus there are others I know fighting it," Pickering said.

Pickering met Vinnie's brother, John Dimartino, through a snow plowing message board seven years ago and they became friends. That led to Vinnie's work on the bike, which was built this fall. At V-Force Customs, many parts were custom-built for the bike, including one of Vinnie's trademark brake rotors. Also included on the bike is a custom two-up seat pan and dash assembly.

Pickering said he wanted the paint to tell a story, and he selected Justin Barnes of JB Graphix Custom Painting in New York to do the paint work.

"Justin's mom has been fighting cancer for three years," Pickering said. "I knew he would put his heart and soul into this job."

The two traded pictures through e-mail for more than a month and turned Pickering's vision into the graphics on the bike. According to Pickering, The Diamond P has 16 different color applications and graphics that include Silver Leaf and Diamond Pearl.

"Our ideas connected perfectly," Pickering said.

Final assembly began in November and on Dec. 18, the final product was ready for pickup.

"Seeing pictures and then seeing it in person were two different things," Pickering said. "Taking it for its first ride in 18 degree weather was also an experience."

Pickering worked with Great Lakes Harley-Davidson in Bay City to create an event to unveil the motorcycle before a national tour to raise awareness. Co-owner Anthony D'Errico took on the project with his staff, creating an event with music and a chance to meet Vinnie and Cody at 8 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Prime Event Center in Bay City.

Great Lakes Harley-Davidson employee Joe Yax, of Freeland, said it will be great to have Vinnie and Cody visit mid-Michigan, but the event is really about raising money for the American Cancer Society. The two custom bike builders have agreed to have breakfast Jan. 16 with a group of people who donate the most money to the ACS during the Jan. 15 event.

Lynn Weaver, director of the ACS Bay Area Service Center, said Pickering is humble about his effort and passionate about fighting cancer.

"Fred has such passion for the American Cancer Society and defeating this terrible disease. What he's doing is just incredible," she said. "It's a very incredible event and it's a very generous gesture -- not only the fundraising aspect, but making sure this increases awareness."

The motorcycle honors all people who have had cancer, and Weaver said it will be used to raise money for the organization in the next year. ACS will promote its information line, (800) ACS-2345, during the upcoming event.

"The more people who have that number, the more people who have access the information and services available to them," Weaver said.

Pickering said he hopes people grasp the personal significance of the project.

"I just wanted to give back to an organization I have seen in action many times," he said. "This isn't about business or self-promotion. What they do for patients and their families is just amazing and they need our help."

For more information on the event and the bike, visit www.DiamondPChopper.com.

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Some crimes linger in community's memory - Spartanburg Herald-Journal

Posted: 03 Jan 2010 12:16 AM PST

The following list is not a ranking, nor is it meant to diminish the significance of crimes not included.

Gaffney serial killer

The chaos started near a historic battlefield, shaking Cherokee County and regions of the Carolinas. It became a national story and ended with fatal shots in North Carolina when Gaston County police shot and killed Patrick Tracy Burris this past July. The task force that had been assembled announced that night that Burris, a burly man wearing a T-shirt with a cartoon insignia when shot, was responsible for killing five innocent people with a .25-caliber pistol.

The victims were Cline Cash, a 63-year-old farmer found in his home on June 27; retired teacher Hazel Linder, 83, and her daughter Gena Linder Parker, a 50-year-old teacher, who were found dead in Linder's home a short distance from Cash's house on July 1; Stephen Hyland Tyler, 48, and his 15-year-old daughter, Abby, were shot at their family business the following day. Stephen Tyler died at the scene, and Abby died in the hospital July 4.

Early on July 6, Michael and Terry Valentine called to report suspicious activity at a house across from theirs on Dallas-Spencer Mountain Road in rural North Carolina.

Authorities questioned Burris, and the man and woman he was with. Burris gave them a fictitious name. Authorities left but soon returned. Burris fired, shooting an officer in the leg, and authorities fired back, fatally wounding Burris in the head and heart.

The Valentines received a $30,000 reward for their tip that led authorities to Burris, and Cherokee County, able to breathe again, began a long healing process.

Quote of note: "We wanted to keep him from killing for one day. Just give us one more day. We got that day. And then the next day. That was all we asked for and prayed for." -- Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton, during a July 6 news conference in which authorities announced Burris had been shot and identified as the serial killer.

Superbike Motorsports

More than six years have passed since four people were gunned down in a motorbike shop on Parris Bridge Road near Chesnee. No arrests have been made.

Superbike Motorsports became the grisly murder scene where owner Scott Ponder, 30, his 52-year-old mother and part-time employee Beverly Elaine Guy, and employees Brian Lucas, 29, and Chris Sherbert, 26, were killed on Nov. 6, 2003. A friend and customer found the victims at 3:15 p.m.

Six weeks into the investigation, former Spartanburg County Sheriff Bill Coffey announced that deputies had chased hundreds of leads to no avail. Coffey released fliers with computer-generated images of possible vehicles and an artist's rendering of a possible suspect who, witnesses said, was in the shop the day of the killings to inquire about a motorcycle. The drawing is a white male who was believed to be between 25 and 35 years old, about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. The suspect drawn had dark hair and was last seen wearing a black leather jacket and blue jeans. Coffey also announced in December 2003 that the reward for tips leading to an arrest had increased from $2,000 to $25,000 because of contributions from the victims' family members. The reward is still being offered for information that leads to a conviction.

Sheriff Chuck Wright added a page of unsolved homicides on the Web site for the sheriff's office (www.spartanburgso.org) in 2008. An updated flier is on display at the sheriff's office. It has computer-generated images of a light blue extended cap truck, a dark blue full-size truck and a small red car.

Quote of note: "It's a senseless tragedy. We have no idea why, who or what would have snuffed out four people's lives like that."

-- Scott Ponder's uncle, Jack Henry, during a Nov. 6, 2003 interview with the Herald-Journal hours after the quadruple homicide.

Blue Ridge Savings

A space the size of a single-wide trailer serving as a Blue Ridge Savings Bank branch in Greer became the site of a triple homicide in May 2003.

Sylvia Holtzclaw -- the only bank employee on duty -- and married customers James "Eb" Barnes, 61, and Margaret Barnes, 58, were fatally shot on May 16, 2003. Authorities believe James Barnes, who worked at the University of South Carolina Upstate; Margaret Barnes, an employee of the National Beta Club headquarters in Spartanburg; and Holtzclaw were left in the bank by two suspects who took "very little" cash and hurriedly left the area in a bright red, two-door car. After reviewing video surveillance systems from nearby businesses, the Disney Corp. and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement helped enhance the grainy images, automotive experts identified the car as an Oldsmobile Alero produced between 1999 and 2003.

Investigators have conducted hundreds of interviews to no avail. Greer Police Lt. Jimmy Holcombe said authorities have received "a couple of new leads" this year. Holcombe said that a reward of $100,000 is still being offered for information that leads to a conviction.

Quote of note: "These kinds of profiles get the community looking at their neighbors. It's probably not your neighbor, it's probably not my neighbor -- but it's somebody's neighbor. ... We know it works sometimes, we just don't know how often." -- Will Pelfrey, who was a faculty member at the University of South Carolina's College of Criminal Justice in June 2003, to the Herald-Journal about a criminal profile.

Deputy Kevin Carper

A traffic stop, no matter how routine, will never be the same for at least a generation of law enforcement officers in the Upstate because of Feb. 27, 2007. Spartanburg County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Carper, a 39-year-old father of three, chased Terry Lee Brooks, a 48-year-old with a long criminal history, near Wellford and neither survived that night.

Carper stopped the car Brooks was driving at 9:57 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 129 and I-85. Brooks didn't appear to have a driver's license, and after Carper went to his patrol car to check out information on Brooks, the suspect sped down Highway 129, turning into Midway Trailer Park. Carper followed, with deputy Billy Hopkins behind him in a second car.

Brooks jumped out of the car and ran into the woods. Carper realized Brooks had a gun, and a scuffle ensued. Brooks shot Carper with a .38-caliber pistol in the chest under his right arm, an area his bulletproof vest did not cover. He also was shot in the kidney area, but the vest stopped that bullet. Both deputies returned fire with standard-issue 40-caliber Glocks, striking Brooks at least three times.

Carper was the first on-duty officer to die in Spartanburg County since June 9, 1967, when Chesnee Police Chief Cletus J. Wall was shot while making an arrest.

Quote of note: "I always told him to be careful. Of course, they know all that, but you still have to tell them." -- Carper's father, Donald D. Carper, to the Anderson (Ind.) Herald-Bulletin on March 1, 2007.

Heather Brooke Center

Responding authorities called the scene "tragic" and the crime "heinous." Some, nearly half a year later, would add unforgettable to that list.

Heather Brooke Center, 8, planned to spend this past July 8 swimming at an acquaintance's house on Ridings Road near Chesnee, just two days after the Cherokee County serial killer saga ended. Deputies responded to the house and found Brooke face down in the driveway. Witnesses pointed to a house next door, where they found an armed man identified as Ricky Lee Blackwell behind the home.

When they confronted Blackwell, authorities said he shot himself in the stomach. From witness testimony, deputies said Blackwell put Brooke in a headlock and shot her in the head. Deputies said Brooke's father was dating Blackwell's estranged wife.

Blackwell was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy served notice he would seek the death penalty while Blackwell was still in the hospital.

Blackwell was taken to the Spartanburg County jail July 15, and charged with murder and kidnapping. Hundreds of bikers participated in Brooke's funeral July 12, an homage to the motorcycle rides she enjoyed with her father.

Quote of note: "He didn't just kill my baby. He hurt all her friends. Every one of them. They came up to me and handed me blankets and cards, and … it's devastating to them. They're only 8, 9 years old. How do you explain that to a child?" -- Brooke's mother Kelly Center, in an article published in the Herald-Journal July 19.

Union cheerleader

Vivacious, popular and talented, a Union County 16-year-old cheerleader was targeted by a college football player and his wife in January 2008. A judge sentenced Pernell Thompson, 22, and his wife, Yolanda Thompson, 21, to life without parole for their roles in the brutal killing of Marisha Jeter.

Pernell Thompson was a junior on football scholarship at Wingate University when he and his wife lured Marisha Jeter from a McDonald's to a YMCA parking lot in Union on Jan. 3, 2008. Yolanda Thompson admitted she held down Marisha, in whom Pernell had a romantic interest, while demanding Pernell "prove his love" to his wife. The Thompsons stabbed Marisha 33 times, dumped her body in the Broad River in Chester County and set her car ablaze.

An art student taking pictures near the river found Marisha's body two days later, and authorities found the charred car and charged the Thompsons a day after that. Yolanda Thompson pleaded guilty in March 2009 and agreed to testify against her husband. Pernell Thompson pleaded guilty in September 2009 to avoid the death penalty.

Quote of note: "There will never be any closure from this. My family has been sentenced for life. This is something we have to deal with every day. (Marisha) was just a baby that had such a promising future of life." -- Marisha's father, Manning Jeter, on the day Yolanda Thompson was sentenced.

Tamika Huston

Tamika Huston's family wondered where their spunky and thoughtful loved one went. After 15 months of worrying, they learned she hadn't left Spartanburg County but would not be coming back.

Spartanburg Public Safety investigators believe Huston died May 27, 2004. Christopher Hampton, an acquaintance made by Huston a short time before her disappearance, eventually confessed in August 2005 to killing Huston with a hot iron. Hampton led authorities to a spot where Huston's remains were located, then he pleaded guilty to murder in 2006. A judge sentenced him to life without parole.

Hampton, who was in jail on a minor traffic charge when Huston's disappearance became nationally publicized in June 2004, told the Herald-Journal shortly after his arrest that the couple had an argument about money and he threw the iron at her, striking her in the head. Hampton also said he left the apartment, and when Huston was motionless upon his return, he took her body to a wooded area near Duncan and buried it. Hampton said he dug up Huston's body and thought about turning it and himself in, but did not.

Huston's aunt Rebkah Howard and family are committed to preventing future cases like hers. They launched www.tamikahuston.org, the Web site for the Tamika Huston Foundation for the Missing on May 27, the fifth anniversary of her death.

Quote of note: "It took too long to come clean with it. I should have told a long time ago." -- Christopher Hampton, in a jailhouse interview with the Herald-Journal shortly after he was arrested for killing Tamika Huston.

Double murder

Friends and family said Rhonda Ward Goodwin would do anything she could to help someone else. Goodwin's help didn't stop with her death in February 2003.

The 32-year-old former cigarette store manager was raped, murdered and left in an apple orchard, but evidence left by her killer helped Spartanburg Public Safety investigators identify a suspect in the September 2002 rape and murder of librarian Damaris Huff, 55, near her Duncan Park home.

Fredrick Antonio Evins, 41, has been on death row since November 2004, when he was convicted of raping and murdering Goodwin. DNA tests of evidence left at Goodwin's murder scene produced a 100 percent match with evidence left at Huff's murder in March 2003, allowing investigators to clear the Huff case.

Prosecutors opted to try Evins in the Goodwin case first because of the progression of evidence. Huff's case was not tried, but the charges remain pending and would be brought if Evins' death sentence in the Goodwin case is ever reversed.

Quote of note: "I feel that every parent should remember every day to tell their children how much they love them. That's the most important thing a parent can do. I miss my daughter very much. She always had a smile on her face."

-- Cathy Tessier, Rhonda Goodwin's mother, to the Herald-Journal in April 2003.

Drayton couple

Prosecutors secured a death penalty conviction against Andres Anotonio "Tony" Torres in October 2008 after jurors found him guilty of beating a well-respected Drayton husband and wife with a hammer as they slept in May 2007.

Torres, now 29, had 42 criminal convictions in the seven years that preceded the murders. Jurors also found him guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count each of first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and attempt to burn.

Torres, who knew the Emerys through their adopted son, entered the home with a hammer and struck Ray Emery on the back of the head, then he killed Ann Emery, raping her at some point during the encounter. Torres then stepped over the bodies to take jewelry and possessions from the residence, doused the Emerys with gasoline and turned the stove burners and oven on high, trying to set the residence on fire. He stole their van and crashed it in Union County. Deputies found the Emerys in their bedroom about an hour after Torres crashed the stolen van.

In court, 7th Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy told jurors Torres chose the "most intimate, personal way to kill a human being" and displayed "conscious disregard for human life."

Torres is in the appeals process granted to all sentenced to death in South Carolina.

Quote of note: "I'd like for him to be killed today. It's about killed us all." -- Mary Lawson, Ann Emery's sister, to the Herald-Journal in June 2007 when prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty against Torres.

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Heath's cameras top local headlines - Newark Advocate

Posted: 01 Jan 2010 03:53 AM PST

NEWARK -- The economy continued its downward spiral, causing a longtime family-owned business to close and local unemployment to skyrocket during 2009 in Licking County. Community members also mobilized in Heath to remove traffic cameras.

Newark residents received national attention as the Newark High School Sinfonia was profiled by The New York Times, and one man's adventure in a motorized bar stool was picked up by news outlets across the United States.

These are the top stories of 2009, as voted on by Advocate readers:

1. HEATH TRAFFIC CAMERAS GO UP, SHOT DOWN BY LOCAL VOTERS

The cameras went up quietly, and began recording, on June 1. By the end of the month, a local group of citizens, led Duane Goodwin and Ronnie Kidd, spoke out against the cameras.

"I've talked to people that live outside of town, and they said they'll avoid Heath," Goodwin said in a June 27 Advocate story. "They're going to go somewhere else. They don't like the police state."

The opposition put together a petition to place a charter amendment on the November ballot, seeking the cameras' removal. They pointed to lower traffic through Heath, and the fact that a for-profit company was in control of the fines.

Greg Powers, who opened Leghorns restaurant in 2008 on 30th Street, wrote a letter to the editor in August claiming his business was down 13 percent in July -- the first month the fines counted. Other business owners agreed they also had seen a decline.

In return, Heath council members and Mayor Richard Waugh pointed to a drop in crashes on Hebron Road and said safety always was the top concern. Traffic-count numbers from Redflex Traffic Systems also showed a decline in traffic after the cameras were installed.

The cameras were shut off at midnight after the Nov. 3 election, in which voters decided to ban the cameras.

During the four months of fines, the city received more than $750,000 in revenue, while Redflex earned more than $300,000.

2. CHESROWN CLOSES AFTER 50 YEARS AS LOCAL FAMILY-OWNED CAR DEALER

The pressures of the economy and national concerns led to an abrupt closure for the 50-year-old business owned by Dave Chesrown Sr.

The problems began with the loss of Oldsmobile a few years ago, and were compounded by General Motors' decision to end its Pontiac line this year.

That move cost Chesrown about $1 million.

Chesrown's 200 cars were removed from its Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Kia lots beginning on May 1.

The Kia dealership later was bought by Coughlin Automotive.

3. LOCAL LAYOFFS/ECONOMY AS LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 23-YEAR HIGH

The economy continued to be a major story in 2009, as local unemployment rates hit 22-year highs in June, jumping past 10 percent.

Most of the county's largest employers, including Owens Corning, Holophane, Boeing and Longaberger each laid off or furloughed workers either in late 2008 or 2009. Some businesses, such as Ecolab and the Chesrown car dealership, also closed their doors this year.

By the end of the year, the unemployment rate had fallen slightly, as local job specialists mentioned companies re-hiring -- including Longaberger recalling 50 employees -- or new companies opening in the area.

4. TROOPER MOTORCYCLE SPEEDING CASE ON INTERSTATE 70 AT 147 MPH

An Ohio Highway Patrol Trooper, Jason E. Highsmith, and two others were clocked speeding at twice the speed limit on June 28 on Interstate 70.

The information came to light more than a week later after he was issued a ticket. A report by the Ohio Inspector General's Office criticized the patrol's handling of the incident, during which Trooper Bryan Lee pulled over the speeders, recognized them as "friendlies" and allowed them to leave without tickets.

Days later, Highsmith and Gahanna Police Officer Christopher Thomas, who was clocked at 149 mph, were served with tickets.

Thomas was fired, while Highsmith was suspended for five days and moved from the exclusive Motorcycle Unit to the Marysville Post for "conduct unbecoming an officer."

5. NEWARK SINFONIA COMPETES IN NEW YORK, PROFILED IN NEW YORK TIMES, VISITS WHITE HOUSE

Perhaps more than any other local story in 2009, the Newark High School Sinfonia put a national focus on the city and the school district.

The group's journey began in April with a second-place finish at the National Orchestra Cup in New York City, while competing with a variety of private schools, or those concentrated on the arts, from across the United States.

During that same trip, the Sinfonia was profiled and featured on the front page of The New York Times. The writer focused the story on Tiffany Clay, a senior first violinist who earned top grades at school, lived on her own and worked almost full-time at Sonic Drive-In.

Donations from across the nation poured into the Sinfonia, and Clay accepted a scholarship to Oklahoma City University, where she is majoring in music.

Some Sinfonia members later were invited to a November White House reception celebrating classical music.

6. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE KILLING IN PARKING LOT OF NEWARK DRUGSTORE

A troubled and abusive relationship came to a violent end Aug. 4 in the parking lot of CVS on West Main Street.

Robert Channel, 50, shot and killed his estranged wife, Vicki Channel, 47, early in the morning before returning to his car and shooting himself. The two were in the middle of a divorce, and Vicki had placed a restraining order against her husband.

The Channels had two children.

7. CRUMPTON GUILTY PLEA IN 2005 TRIPLE HOMICIDE

The families of Misty Butts, James Bryant and John Boyce received a measure of closure when Iradell "Ike" Crumpton, then 32, pleaded no contest in February to their murders.

On May 16, 2005, Butts, 21; Bryant, 22; and Boyce, 48, were found dead of gunshot wounds in the East Main Street duplex Butts and Bryant shared.

In a February 2009 hearing, Crumpton pleaded no contest on three counts each of aggravated murder and murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Court records indicated Crumpton's motivation was payback for a drug deal between Bryant and either himself or an associate. Butts and Boyce were killed because they were bystanders who witnessed the shooting.

8. NEWARK SCHOOL LEVY PASSES; DISTRICT CHANGES LEADERSHIP

The past year has been yet another busy one for the Newark Board of Education.

The year began with the board naming $1.9 million in cuts to balance the budget, followed by the search for a new treasurer and a levy campaign.

Voters approved a May 5 levy that should keep the district solvent for a few years -- barring unexpected state decreases -- and seven-year superintendent Keith Richards announced his retirement.

Doug Ute, formerly with Elgin Local Schools, was hired and began Aug. 1.

9. H1N1 FLU KILLS TWO IN LICKING COUNTY

H1N1 flu was a constant concern throughout 2009 and will continue to be a concern in 2010.

The flu claimed two Licking County lives late in the year: A 53-year-old man from Newark died in October, and a 50-year-old man from Heath died Nov. 2.

The Licking County Health Department continues to hold flu clinics and urges residents to be wary of the flu.

10. NEWARK MAN CHARGED WITH OVI ON MOTORIZED BAR STOOL

When Kile Wygle crashed his motorized bar stool on Kelley Lane in March, he didn't expect to be charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated -- after drinking 15 beers.

The revelation of the bar stool led to national media interviews for its creator, Vonn "Skeeter" Watson, and Wygle's driver's license was suspended.

The contraption later was confiscated by the Licking County Child Support Enforcement Agency and auctioned on eBay for $1,125, though the bidder never came forward. After searching for other bidders through eBay, LCCSEA pulled the bar stool off the site.

Agency director Elizabeth Winegar said the agency will auction it off in a live auction the weekend of Jan. 21-23 at Apple Tree Auction Center.

Advocate reporters can be reached at (740) 328-8821 or advocate@newarkadvocate.com.

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