Your WYSO Noonish News Update for September 19, 2022, with Chris Welter:
- Hamilton police officer arrested after Friday Night Lights fiasco
(WCPO) - City of Hamilton police officer Sergeant Casey Johnson has been charged with an OVI and vandalism after a crash on Friday night. Sergeant Johnson was allegedly involved in an altercation in Ross High School’s parking lot during a Friday night football game. After the altercation, Johnson left in a vehicle that was later involved in a two-car crash. He was arrested at the scene of the crash and charged with an OVI– he was also charged with vandalism for causing damage to a police cruiser door. The Hamilton police department says Johnson has been placed on administrative leave. He is currently in the Butler County jail. Johnson was off-duty at the time of the incident.
- Deadly batch of fentanyl reported in Troy
(WYSO) - The batch has caused nine overdoses in the last five days, according to local harm reduction non-profit The SOAR Initiative. It’s being reported that drugs in the batch have a funny smell. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that reduces pain. It can also cause overdose and death in extremely small doses. Drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine are sometimes laced with fentanyl because it gives people who use drugs a cheap high. Experts encourage people to test their drugs with fentanyl test strips (you can get them for free here). They also recommend everyone carry Narcan, which is a nasal spray that treats narcotic overdoses in emergency situations (you can also get that for free here). Recovery from addiction is possible. For help, please call the free and confidential treatment referral hotline (1-800-662-HELP), or visit this website.
- To understand the toll of gun violence, look to survivors and their families
(Side Effects Public Media) - Gun violence spiked during the pandemic – including in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Springfield. After shootings, much of the focus is on how many people died. However, research shows gun violence takes a toll on survivors – and their communities–for years after the incident. The findings showed in the two years after a person survived a shooting, they had higher rates of mental health needs compared to before the incident. The findings also suggested that most families affected by gun violence do not get the mental health care they need. This is bad news for children– as kids exposed to stress and trauma during their formative years are at higher risk of mental health problems later in life.
- Local officer shot during traffic stop in August has died
(AP) - Authorities said yesterday that eastern Indiana police officer Seara Burton has died. The news comes more than two weeks after she was taken off from life support at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. The Richmond Police Department said in a statement that Officer Burton died at a hospice facility in Indiana. The 28-year-old officer was a four-year veteran of the Richmond department.
- Dayton American Rescue Plan funds to go to former Good Sam Hospital site
(WYSO) - The money will go toward the first building at the site. It’s going to be a new, full service YMCA with a pool and fitness center. The plan is for the YMCA to be part of a larger, eighteen million dollar Northwest Health and Wellness Center. Organizations like CareSource and Goodwill also plan to offer services at the site. In total, the city has 138 million dollars of American Rescue Plan Money to spend. The YMCA is expected to open in late 2023.
Chris Welter is a reporter and corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
