Butler County recently had an open swine flu vaccination event at the Butler County Fairgrounds where it distributed a great deal of the doses of vaccine allotted to the county. The Hamilton Police provided traffic and crowd control and said that they had seen numerous out of state license plates from states such as Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.

Should people from out of state be permitted to have the same access as Butler County residents to line up to get the vaccine on a first-come-first-serve basis or should people from Butler County and then, if there is some left over, others from the state of Ohio be permitted only?

Severe thunderstorms ripped through Butler County, causing significant widespread damage in Hamilton and the surrounding areas for the second time in approximately nine months.

First there was the storm in September 2008 that knocked out electricity in nearly all Butler County for three days in some areas and up to two weeks in others. Now, this past Wednesday evening (June 24) and into Thursday morning (June 25) another round of severe storms hit and caused similar problems of shorter duration. According to Duke Energy, 1,281 homes and businesses lost power because of the storm in the power district surrounding Hamilton. Most of Hamilton city was out of power until yesterday reportedly because of flooding in a building that is crucial to the city's electrical generation. Some Duke customers are still without power, though many have had their power restored. However, the power issues were only part of the picture.

As the storms passed through, they left damage in their wake. There were numerous reports of damage to houses and, particularly, to cars from the hail, which ranged from golf ball to tennis ball in size. One man that I spoke with had too many dents to count and the paint job ruined on his SUV. However, the most severe damage that I found was on Liberty Avenue. The pictures to the right document the damage. A neighbor said that it was believed that the tree was weakening early Thursday morning but that it ultimately snapped and fell into the house at around 6:30 AM. Given the extent of the damage, the occupants of the house had to gather their belongings and seek shelter elsewhere. It would seem that dry rot was a significant factor in the collapse given the state of the tree inside the trunk that was revealed after the collapse. Another large tree was felled on Stahlheber Road inside the construction area at Cleveland School. Thankfully there appeared to be no injuries or damage to property from the second tree collapse.

Flooding, unfortunately, seemed to be widespread also. A great deal of flooding was reported in basements both in Hamilton and farther in the outlying areas such as Hanover Township. One couple in Hamilton said that in the thirty years they had lived in their home they had experienced no flooding until this latest storm. In addition to this, several creeks overflowed, blocked roadways and left debris after the waters receded. Parts of Millville Avenue just east of the Wasserman Road intersection span small creeks which overflowed and deposited large amounts of gravel on the road by the time that the water level went down.

The Hamilton Police, Fire Department and EMS (ambulances) functioned well during the emergency. The Hamilton Police quickly deployed to busy intersections without working traffic signals and had officers managing the flow of traffic to prevent accidents. The Hamilton Fire Department was seen all day responding to emergencies along with EMS when needed. The Butler County Sheriff seemed to do well too, patrolling the Butler County Veterans Highway (formerly known as the Michael A. Fox Highway) that connects Hamilton to I-75 and officiating at accidents along it.

Unfortunately, the Butler County Emergency Management Agency was nowhere to be seen during this latest weather-related emergency. The EMA's former director, William Turner, resigned under fiery criticism of the agency's performance during the September storm and the resultant blackout. The current director is temporary until the EMA board chooses a new applicant and is Sue Isaacs (no relation to the author) according to the state's list of county EMA directors.

On March 20th, 2009, Bill Tenore was selected for the position that he was groomed to fill for years. Although he ascends to the position five seasons after many wanted him to take the post, that hardly matters now. We are happy to have Coach Tenore and very thankful that he chose to leave the athletic director position he'd held for three seasons and the head coaching position he'd held for two seasons at Aquinas High School in Augusta, Georgia.

The Stephen T. Badin High School football program was always at its best when it promoted teamwork, hard work and sacrifice. When it taught skills and character traits that would make young men into solid, successful pillars of the Catholic community in Hamilton, Ohio: perseverance, integrity and responsibility. When it offered opportunities for young men to hone their leadership skills, the chance to see the difference between operating in practice and at game time and situations for young men to learn how to control their emotions and perform under pressure.

Young men shaped by a football program such as this graduate ready to become policemen & firemen, businessmen & administrators, teachers & fathers. This kind of football program is a great addition to the success of a community. It turns out young men of the high performance caliber that can make a positive difference in the world around them. But Bill Tenore knows this.

Bill Tenore knows all of these things, what makes a football program that is more than just a success on the field, because he has lived it. He played under Coach Terry Malone and graduated from Badin in 1988. Tenore then returned to coach under Malone from 1997-2001 as an assistant. Bill Tenore knows Badin's high standards and he knows how to meet them. Bill Tenore has come home and Badin should do everything in its power to make sure that Tenore leaving is never a viable option.