Latest news with #Otten
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Beavercreek bond issue reappears on May ballot
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (WDTN) — The Beavercreek City School District is asking voters for the second time to pass a bond issue on Election Day next Tuesday. If it passes, funds generated will help build a new high school, something that school officials say would help address a major increase in student enrollment after several years of steadily increasing numbers. Beavercreek PD catching more thieves with help from social media One local resident agrees with school officials, saying the time to pass this bond issue is now. 'I think it's needed, so therefore, it's going to continue to come up,' said Kees Vandersluijs, Beavercreek resident. The 4.9 mill bond issue would cost local homeowners $172 annually for each $100,000 of appraised real estate value. These funds would be used to build a new high school. The issue was rejected by voters last November, but Beavercreek Superintendent Paul Otten says local school officials want to try again for the sake of the students in the district. 2 NEWS spoke with several Beavercreek residents who were not in support of the issue, citing the cost as their main concern. Those residents did not wish to be on camera. One resident, Vandersluijs, says voters should consider how this one local bond issue would benefit students, going on to say that students deserve up-to-date facilities. 'You just think that overall it's going to be better for the community to have somethingm and that the kids have more up-to-date equipment,' said Vandersluijs. 'Because it's not just a matter of getting the high school, it's the upgrade of all the other schools, too.' According to the school district, they have already surpassed their projected numbers for student enrollment for the upcoming school year — and now they are preparing for how they will manage even more students if the bond issue fails again. Ohio Gov. DeWine speaks on bird flu after touring Darke County farm The district currently uses portable classrooms that can cost nearly $300,000 to rent annually, but the superintendent says they are a temporary and costly solution. Otten adds that they fail to address other logistics like limited cafeteria space, how student's schedules are designed and other infrastructure in the buildings. 'It becomes problematic because we can't just keep adding portables. We need to come up with something that not only addresses the need now, but we don't want to come back to our voters in ten years. We want something that will stand the test of time,' said Otten. The bond issue would provide funds for a new high school to be opened for students in the 2029-30 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Project Prison Reset begins to meet
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Project Prison Reset, the group of lawmakers and other leaders taking a new look at how and where to build a new men's prison in South Dakota, has met for the first time. The task force visited a rural section of Lincoln County between Canton and Harrisburg where the state was planning to put a new men's prison until a bill to appropriate money to build the facility failed in February. SFSD cell phone survey results are in The group also toured the current state penitentiary in Sioux Falls on Wednesday. Minnehaha County State's Attorney Daniel Haggar is not mincing words on what he saw. 'I think everyone would agree, walking through those facilities this morning, we have a lot of people in there,' Haggar said. 'We have a lot of people packed in there. It's not safe.' Republican State Sen. Ernie Otten, who's also on the task force, lives around 10 miles from the Lincoln County site. 'One thing I think is a given, no matter where you try to put this, you're going to have resistance from folks,' Otten said. 'Nobody wants a prison next door to them.' And he's heard a lot from people who live nearby. 'They're not happy,' Otten said. Even though the state had focused on a putting a new men's prison at the Lincoln County site, when announcing the task force's creation. Otten wants to hear about other spots. 'We have to find out what were the other sites that they looked at, and so we'll take a peek at those,' Otten said. After all, in more ways than one, the new look at a familiar question is about what comes next: not only for the state and its Department of Corrections, but for the people behind bars, wherever that might eventually be. 'We need to have a plan to address how we're going to incarcerate folks safely, but also that other big component, have the spaces for rehabilitation, for preparing for reentry,' said Republican Sen. Chris Karr of Sioux Falls, who sits on the task force. The group will gather at the Military Heritage Alliance in Sioux Falls Thursday for discussion, presentations and public commentary. KELOLAND News will have a camera there so viewers can watch the afternoon session live on our website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Banquet shrinks the world for Valparaiso University with food, performances from many nations
The entire world fit inside a ballroom at Valparaiso University during the annual World Banquet sponsored by the Valparaiso International Student Association and VU's Office of International Programs. Foods and performances from a variety of nations were celebrated on Saturday at the Harre Union, along with a parade of nations as participants marched across the stage carrying a paper flag of a country they identified with. Eugene Lin, an instructor teaching students training to become physician assistants, said the event is an opportunity to 'bring the whole world to our little corner of the world.' Ramisha Mushfiq, a VU junior from Bangladesh, is studying to become a nurse. 'The U.S. is to use like a dream country,' she said. Her father was adamant that she attend college in the States. 'If you're studying, you're studying in America,' she said. Adjusting to life here was difficult for her, especially when she didn't have a car available. Quiet little Valparaiso is a big change from her home in Bangladesh. 'I come from a place where it's honking 24/7,' she explained. 'After 7, it's so nice and peaceful' at VU. Anand Agrawal, an Indian who grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal, studied engineering at VU because it was one of the top 10 undergrad engineering schools in the country. After graduating in May 2023, he became a robotic engineer for Eli Lilly & Co. At VU, Agrawal helped organize the World Banquet. 'It meant more than any other event,' he said. 'This was a slice of home for us.' 'I really like the representation from a lot of different cultures,' said Chance Ericson, of Lockport, whose mother immigrated from China. 'The tofu, that's something my mom would make,' he said. Ericson is a big fan of the K-pop group Soul of Sol who performed at the banquet. In addition to South Korea, performances brought the audience a taste of Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Nepal, Ghana, Brazil, India and Spain. Yanish Chudaly, a freshman, is from Nepal. 'It's nice over here. The teachers are great,' she said. Chudaly and her friends posed at the time capsule booth for photographic evidence of the gala event. Lucia Otten, of Valparaiso, is studying Spanish and international relations. She explained the time capsule being assembled Saturday night would be opened at next year's event. 'We get a better understanding of what people valued in the past' when time capsules are opened, she said. Otten, along with Lydia Klabunde, of Logansport, and Fayol Zeudom, of Cameroon, were emcees for the event. Otten is a sophomore studying business management. Zeudom is studying physics and computer engineering. After meeting with faculty at other schools, Zeudom was sold on VU after meeting with the dean of Christ College, VU's honors school. 'Valparaiso was the only school where I felt like I was cared about,' he said. Otten was attracted to the study abroad program giving students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language and culture of a foreign country for a semester. Zeudom said he appreciates the cultural diversity celebrated at VU. 'People might not realize how diverse the community is in Valparaiso,' Otten said. The World Banquet is 'a really great way to bring together so many people of so many backgrounds,' Klabunde said. 'It's really beautiful.' With all the political instability in the world now, Zeudom was glad to see the World Banquet bringing together people from a variety of cultures. An event like that brings understanding and decreases the odds of enmity toward others, he said.
