Triumph And Tragedy In 2014's Top 10 Local News Stories

Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 6:28 AM

By Mike Perleberg

The year 2014 was one folks in the tri-state won't soon forget. The past 12 months have been full of joyful moments, contrasted by others that caused many of us to shed some tears. Eagle 99.3 has been privileged to tell our listeners and website visitors about these stories that impact their lives. As we do each year, Eagle 99.3 News has compiled the list of the top 10 local news stories of 2014. These stories which had everybody talking were chosen based on their impact and importance, as well as their popularity on our website. Read through our top 10 stories and see those stories which earned an honorable mention at the end of the list. We also welcome you to share your thoughts on our top local news stories of the year on Eagle 99.3's Facebook page or in the comments section below. 1. Lauren Hill's Story of Hope, Courage Captivates the Masses

Lauren Hill goes for a layup in her November 2, 2014 college basketball debut. Photo by Andy Lyons, Getty Images. Perhaps not so surprisingly, the biggest local story of the year was the inspiring tale of Lauren Hill, a 19-year-old Greendale resident diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The former Lawrenceburg High School Lady Tiger was not deterred by her diagnosis and continued to play the sport she loves. On November 2, Hill made international headlines when she played and scored four points in her college basketball debut for Mount St. Joseph University. At that point, Lauren Hill became a rising star in the fight against cancer and a voice for children affected by her rare form of brain cancer called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG. Her efforts including the #Layup4Lauren Challenge have helped raise over $1.1 million for DIPG research through The Cure Starts Now Foundation. Hill has received many awards, recognitions and honors over the past couple months. This week, the Association Press announced she was second in the voting for the AP 2014 Female Athlete of the Year. At the time of her diagnosis in 2012, Lauren was told by doctors that she would only live for two more years. However, she has persevered and experienced one more Christmas with her family, in addition to seeing her $1 million fundraising goal met by the end of 2014. 2. HVL Native Grabs Bronze at Winter Olympics

Nick Goepper (left) with fellow Americans Joss Christensen (center) and Gus Kenworthy following the men's ski slopestyle competition at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia last February 13. Rewind back to February when the tri-state was watching Hidden Valley Lake-raised Nick Goepper compete at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The former East Central High School student was 19 when he grabbed the bronze medal in the men’s ski slopestyle competition. Goepper, ranked #1 worldwide in the action sport, helped the U.S. sweep the podium in the new Olympic event. “It was incredible. To come out on the podium I couldn’t be happier,” Goepper said after claiming bronze. “To have a field of 30 or 40 guys and whittle it down to three and to be one of those three on the podium is…I think I just have to sit back and realize how surreal this is. I think it’s going to give the U.S. a lot more confidence and it’s going to get a lot of people really excited. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to debut the sport to the world.” Goepper, who grew up skiing at Perfect North Slopes, is still competing and hopes to qualify for the next Winter Olympics in 2018 in PyeonChang, South Korea. After a whirlwind media tour and other obligations, Goepper returned to Dearborn County with much fanfare (and screaming young girls). “Everyone has potential to achieve their dreams," he told a crowd at Lawrenceburg High School. Our number one and number two stories collided last week when Goepper met Lauren Hill during the Winter Welcome Rail Jam at Perfect North Slopes. 3. Franklin County Courthouse Nativity Legal Battle

The Nativity scene on the Franklin County Courthouse lawn in Brookville. Photo provided. A local Nativity scene was put at the center of the so-called War on Christmas this month. For 50 years, a privately assembled Nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus Christ has been placed on public property outside the Franklin County Courthouse in Brookville. Nobody thought much of it until a couple years ago when an atheist group out of Wisconsin called the Freedom From Religion Foundation began sending letters to Franklin County Commissioners demanding that the Nativity either be changed or moved to private property. Franklin County resisted the requests and earlier this month the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of FFRF arguing that the Nativity scene violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution. An agreement was reached between Franklin County and the atheists to allow the Nativity scene to remain up this past Christmas, but the lawsuit is still pending in federal court. “We’re pleased to secure the right to showcase it on the Franklin County Courthouse lawn through Christmas,” said Peter Breen, vice president of the Thomas More Society which is representing Franklin County free-of-charge in the court battle. “The parties will now litigate the case on a normal schedule, without the threat of an emergency injunction forcing the removal of the Nativity scene just before Christmas.” 4. Twin Girls, 2, Drowned in Aurora

Twin sisters Shaylyn and Jocelyn Spurlock, 2, of Aurora, accidentally drowned on April 8, 2014. File photo. Many tears were shed over Eagle 99.3's fourth biggest news story of 2014. On April 8th, two-year-old twin sisters Shaylyn and Jocelyn Spurlock ventured away from their new home on Dutch Hollow Road in Aurora and fell into a neighbor’s water-filled swimming pool cover. After a frantic search, the sisters were discovered drowned by another neighbor. Not only was the girls’ family devastated (their parents had been married just four days earlier), but so were firefighters, EMTs, police, and neighbors who had joined the search. In the wake of the deaths of the "Tornado Twins", many individuals, businesses, and community organizations put together fundraisers to support the Spurlocks. “I just wanted the community to know who the girls were and how they touched so many people’s lives. I want to thank everyone for helping us through this,” said Brea Spurlock, the twins' mother. 5. #SaveBela Becomes #BelaIsSafe

Bela gets acquainted with some of his new caregivers at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. Photo by Best Friends Animal Society. In December, Bela the German shepherd’s plight resonated through social media, radio, television, and newspapers across the country. The seven-year-old dog’s deceased owner, Connie Ley, of Aurora, had in her will that Bela was to be euthanized, cremated, and their ashes mixed together. Lucky for Bela, his owner also allowed for him to be sent to Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. Just last week, Bela was picked up at P.A.W.S. of Dearborn County Humane Center in Lawrenceburg and taken to his new home at the country’s largest no-kill pet sanctuary. “Bela’s situation is a poignant reminder that our animals are our family, and families need to plan for their pets who survive them,” said Best Friends co-founder Francis Battista. As the story was developing, some on social media hurled vile comments at the parties involved in determining Bela's fate. “It was this lack of information and the unfounded social media backlash about Connie Ley, myself, and the provisions in her will about her pets, that caused the delay in resolving Bela’s future,” explained Doug Denmure, the attorney for Ley's estate. 6. Freeze Me a River: January was Downright Cold

The surface of the Ohio River froze on January 29, 2014. File photo. Let’s all hope this coming January is nothing like this past one. Record cold temperatures gripped the tri-state for much of the month. Several days saw low temperatures fall below ten below zero or further. Some windy days saw the wind chill plummet more than -30 below. Some days were so cold that even the Ohio River began to freeze and Perfect North Slopes closed. Many area school districts had to cancel classes for several days in January, extending the 2013-2014 school year well into June for students. Making matters worse for some area residents was a shortage of propane used to heat their homes. As supply dwindled, those who could get their hands on propane had to pay nearly double the normal price. 7. GOP Reigns Over November Election Much like their national counterparts, Republicans dominated local and state elections in southeast Indiana this past November 4. GOP candidates took every one of the local seats in the Indiana House and Senate. Every race was a virtual landslide with re-election won by House District 68 State Rep. Jud McMillin (R-Brookville) and District 55's Cindy Zeimke (R-Batesville) and first time victories for Senate District 43's Chip Perfect (R-Lawrenceburg) and Senate District 27's Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond). At the county level, Republicans in Dearborn County kept a tight grip on the county commission and county council. The Ripley County Superior Court Judge race was decided by just nine votes, with Republican Jeff Sharp getting the win over Democrat John Kellerman. The result was verified in a recount on December 9. Republican sheriffs were elected in Ripley, Ohio, and Franklin counties. Switzerland County saw some democrat victories, with party members winning offices including sheriff, judge, prosecutor, and assessor. 8. Indiana's First Gay Marriages After Court Ruling

(left to right) Jack Gerwin is marriage to his partner, Joe Dishon, during a brief ceremony officiated by Lane Siekman at Aurora’s Lesko Park on Friday, June 27. It was one of the first gay weddings in Dearborn County. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle 99.3 The state’s first ever same-sex marriages were held during a three day period in June following a ruling by a federal judge declaring Indiana’s statute defining marriage as between one man and one woman unconstitutional. Some of the state’s first gay weddings were held in Dearborn County following that ruling. “We get the equal treatment the same as everybody else finally. We lose our second-class citizenship. So we’re pretty happy about that,” said Joe Dishon after tying the knot with his partner, Jack Gerwin, at Aurora's Lesko Park on June 27. An injunction was issued putting a halt to the same-sex wedding pending the outcome of the court case on that same date. However, gay weddings were allowed once again Indiana this past October when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider a lower court ruling. More marriage licenses were then issued in Dearborn, Franklin, and Ripley counties. Many were to couples from other states where gay marriage is still illegal. 9. As Demographics Shift, Sunman-Dearborn School Board Votes to Close School Last month, the Sunman-Dearborn Community Schools Board of Trustees voted to shutter North Dearborn Elementary School after this school year. The school district’s declining enrollment and millions less in tax revenue than a few years ago forced the decision to close the 55-year-old building due for $1.7 million in updates and repairs. The enrollment decline is happening at the younger grade levels. While the junior and senior classes at East Central High School each number around 300 students, third grade classes at the district's elementary schools total around 250 students, according to superintendent Dr. John Williams. Sunman-Dearborn Community Schools will move those North Dearborn Elementary students and some of the teachers to what is currently North Dearborn Intermediate School next year. Community members and parents of children at the school have taken up a letter-writing campaign to Indiana lawmakers. Legislators are likely to consider changing the state's school funding formula to the benefit of the state's rural school districts. That is not the only district taking steps due to lower enrollment. South Dearborn Community Schools officials have formed a committee to assess enrollment trends and identify possible changes in the years ahead. “We have hundreds of transfers in and transfers out. Although we have had net gains in some buildings and from some other school districts, if you examine historical data of the net transfers K-12, it appears over the years that we have lost more students than we have gained primarily to transfers going to out of the area, to Milan, and to Lawrenceburg,” said South Dearborn Schools superintendent John Mehrle. 10. New Event Center & Hotel's Mission to Revitalize Downtown Lawrenceburg, Aid Casino Revenues

Operated by Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg, the Lawrenceburg Event Center and DoubleTree by Hilton opened earlier this year. File photo. The $55 million Lawrenceburg Event Center and Hotel is an investment in the future of Lawrenceburg. Whether its a good investment could be determined in due time. The event center funded largely by the City of Lawrenceburg opened this past summer. It has hosted the first ever Whiskey City Festival, weddings, expos, conventions and concerts. Downtown Lawrenceburg has been noticeably more crowded on some days and evenings of events, something which neighboring business have recognized. The nine-story, 168-room DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel began welcoming its first guests in early December. Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg is operating the facility, with hopes that the folks who attend conventions or stay at the hotel will try their luck at the casino as it battles to stay atop an increasingly competitive tri-state area gaming market. If the event center works as well as supporters plan, the event center and hotel could signal a new era for downtown Lawrenceburg. City leaders are currently trying to carry out a "Downtown Action Agenda" developed by consultants with HyettPalma to revive the historic district and possibly develop the Ohio River levee between the hotel and the casino. “This is what the people of Lawrenceburg told us they’d like to see,” said Doyle Hyett in an October oral presentation of the 98-page report (PDF). Honorable Mention Stories of 2014 Police chase, officer involved shooting ends with alleged serial burglar's arrest Two deadly fires in Dearborn County; one in Greendale, other in Aurora Danielle Green accused of murdering ex-husband in Ohio County, hiding body Driving school instructor faces criminal, civil complaints Large multi-state methamphetamine ring busted, ringleader sentenced Lawrenceburg mother sent to prison for smoking pot with other people's kids Dillsboro troublemaker Billy Luke receives multiple prison sentences New restaurants opening throughout Dearborn, Ohio counties