Latest news with #SpringfieldTownship
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Conservation group has secured an additional 55 acres in this Bucks County township
As more swaths of land across Bucks County are slated for development, Heritage Conservancy just secured protection for a 55-acre property in Springfield Township. Now protected by a conservation easement, the entirely wooded 55-acre Staff property is part of the 175-acre Kirkland Farm, where 120 acres were preserved last year through a Bucks County agricultural easement. "The Staff property and adjacent farm have a big 'footprint' in Springfield Township, and the easement assures that the property and its natural resources remain intact," Heritage Conservancy CEO and President Bill Kunze said in an email. "The land can never be developed." The newly protected land is "located within the ecologically important Cooks Creek Conservation Landscape and Watershed, an area vital for local wildlife habitat," Kunze added. "It has an 'exceptional value stream' that is a tributary to Cooks Creek." A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits the use of the land to protect its conservation values such as open space, natural habitats or historical features. To ensure compliance with these conservation easements, Heritage Conservancy staff monitor their protected properties across the region to ensure the land is being preserved appropriately. Over the last 67 years, the organization's members have protected more than 17,000 acres of land across Bucks, Montgomery and Northampton counties. They're on track to preserve an additional 600 acres by the end of the year, Kunze said. "Bucks County is known nationally for its bucolic views, rolling farmland, and forests," he added. "Our work protects the natural beauty that makes this place special. Beyond the preservation of natural beauty, projects like this have a deeper impact on the local environment, protecting and attracting local wildlife, contributing to clean air and water in the community, and helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change." Lacey Latch is the development reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. She can be reached at LLatch@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Heritage Conservancy obtains easement near Crooks Creek
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Black bears reported in Greater Cincinnati
At least one black bear was spotted early July 7 in Greater Cincinnati. A FOX19 viewer shared videos of the bear walking outside their home on Aspenhill Drive in Springfield Township around 4:15 a.m. A Greenhills police officer also spotted a black bear on the Commons the same morning. The bear was last seen behind Our Lady of the Rosary Church at 17 Farragut Road. It's possible they saw the same bear. The two locations are about an hour apart by foot, according to Google Maps. Hamilton County dispatch said someone also reported a bear around 6:45 a.m. July 5 on westbound Interstate 275 in Sharonville near Mosteller Road, but officers didn't find anything when they arrived. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has tracked black bear sightings in the state since 1993. Most bears spotted are young males, wandering long distances in search of a mate and territory. Reports are growing, according to ODNR, with most observed in northeast and southeast Ohio. In 2022, the most recent year data is available in the monitoring report, Ohio had both the highest sightings and confirmations of black bears on record. Here are the numbers dating back to 2019: 2019: 176 sightings, 77 confirmed. 2020: 154 sightings, 76 confirmed. 2021: 159 sightings, 61 confirmed. 2022: 285 sightings, 161 confirmed. Black bear attacks are rare. They are usually fearful of people. As long as they are given space and not cornered, bears do not seek to attack or kill children or pets. The bears are generally not aggressive and prefer to flee if they are aware of your presence. If you see a black bear, remain calm. If it hasn't noticed you, back away slowly and leave the area. If it is aware of you, avoid direct eye contact and give it an easy escape route. Don't run away or climb a tree, which may provoke a chase. State wildlife officials recommend remembering this using the acronym AWARE: Act calm and do not run. Warn the bear that you are near. Talk in a firm, calm voice. Allow space between you and the bear. Step aside and back slowly away. Do not make the bear feel trapped or threatened. Raise your hands above your head to appear larger if the bear approaches. Clap your hands or shout to scare the bear away. Exit the area. Did you see a bear? The state Division of Wildlife wants to know. Report sightings online at or the Wildlife Species Sighting Report. You can also contact your local county wildlife officer or regional District Wildlife Office. Enquirer media partner FOX19 contributed this report. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Black bears reported in Springfield Township, Greenhills and on I-275
CBS News
04-07-2025
- CBS News
Man charged with OWI after deadly ATV rollover crash in northern Michigan
One person was killed and two others were seriously injured after an off-road vehicle rolled over in Kalkaska County, police said. Michigan State Police say the crash happened around 2 a.m. on private property on Inman Road in Springfield Township when a side-by-side ATV carrying five passengers rolled over. Troopers say none of the occupants were wearing a seatbelt. One passenger was killed as a result of the crash, while a second passenger suffered a serious head injury, police said. A third passenger broke an arm. The driver of the ATV, a 33-year-old Albion man, was arrested and jailed on charges of one count of operating while intoxicated causing death and two counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury. An investigation is ongoing.
CBS News
20-05-2025
- CBS News
Man, woman found dead during welfare check in western Wisconsin
Minnesota Legislature headed for special session, and more headlines Minnesota Legislature headed for special session, and more headlines Minnesota Legislature headed for special session, and more headlines A man and a woman were found dead in western Wisconsin on Monday evening. The St. Croix County Sheriff's Office says the woman's family member asked for a welfare check around 9 p.m. Deputies responded to a property north of Hersey in Springfield Township. There, they found a man and a woman, who were both dead. Deputies recovered a firearm at the scene. Family members told the sheriff's office that the two knew each other. The sheriff's office doesn't believe there is a threat to the community. The incident is under investigation.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ohio officials to help Chewy the raccoon find a home after meth incident
What do you think of when you picture a raccoon in your head? Maybe one rummaging through your trash cans under the cover of darkness, or even "Rocket Raccoon," the foul-mouthed mercenary in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy." Odds are you aren't picturing one caught in the driver's seat of car with a meth pipe in its mouth while its owner is being arrested. But that's exactly what happened in Springfield Township on May 5 when a normal traffic stop turned into something quite abnormal. Chewy the raccoon: Akron woman arrested on drug charges Monday after pet raccoon was found with her meth pipe When Springfield Township police conducted a traffic stop on South Arlington Road after flagging a vehicle whose owner, a 55-year-old Akron woman, had an active warrant, no one expected to encounter "Chewy," the meth-pipe-holding raccoon. Here's what we know about Chewy, including what happened to him following his owner's arrest and what raccoon ownership laws are in Ohio. Officers initially conducted a traffic stop at about 7:15 p.m. after identifying a red SUV whose owner had both an active warrant and a suspended driver's license. The vehicle had two occupants at the time of the traffic stop, the suspect and her mother, police said. There were two dogs in the vehicle at the time as well, police confirmed. After officers detained the driver, they then discovered a raccoon named "Chewy" sitting in the driver's seat with a meth pipe in its mouth, police reported. Officers discovered the raccoon had dug a hole through a Sheetz bag that was on the driver's seat and ended up finding seven bags of meth, as well as crack cocaine and three used glass meth pipes, police noted in a press conference shared on Fox 8 News' Facebook page on May 7. "On Arlington we see some interesting things but seeing a raccoon holding some drug paraphernalia was a very interesting part of my day," officer Austin Branham said during the press conference. The father of the suspect secured transportation for Chewy after he arrived on the scene, and the raccoon was released to the mother of the suspect, Branham said. Police contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to make sure the owners had the proper paperwork for Chewy. Police will either help Chewy be re-homed to a new location or help the owners get the proper certification to own the raccoon. Branham noted the suspect was in-between living in her car and a residence she provided police. Police said they want to make sure Chewy is properly cared for as the woman battles a meth addiction and faces houselessness. "It's very sad to see someone in that condition with that addiction that is battling that everyday," Branham said. "We want to make sure that obviously the raccoon gets help but she is able to get the paperwork that she may not be able to obtain or afford because of her current situation." Officers don't believe Chewy was able to ingest any meth as it was stored in a sunglasses case, police noted. "There was no indication that he made it inside of that case and the pipes themselves did not have any residue inside of them, just the burned amount that was on the outside of them," Branham said. "There was no inherent risk for Chewy to have exposure." Raccoons captured in the wild are not able to be legally owned, but if they were bred in captivity a person could own one with a commercial or noncommercial prorogating license, ODNR wildlife officer Zach Hillman said. "If it's a captive raccoon, we are going to try to re-house it, which is most likely what will happen. We have protocols and we are going to find the best available option for the animal," Hillman noted. This story was updated to add a video. Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@ or on Twitter @athompsonABJ This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Chewy the raccoon in need of home after meth pipe incident in Ohio
