Washington CH - Meals on Wheels Canceled, Saturday, Sunday and Monday

Image from St. John York

Due to an outbreak of flu, all activities at the Fayette County Commission on Aging are canceled until Tuesday, January 2nd.  The exception is today's Meals on Wheels delivery.

Roots in Ripon - Santa as a Kid

Santa image from Ripley Library

Roots in Ripon

Chuck Roots

25 December 2017

www.chuckroots.com

The Ripon Bulletin

 

I trust you all had a blessed and Merry Christmas! Our family got together several times during the month od December, each time having lots of fun and laughter. 

On Saturday afternoon we were sitting around the living room chatting merrily away when our ten-year-old granddaughter Alyssa, asked if she could read some of the short stories she has been writing. Apparently, her fourth-grade teacher at Colony Oak Elementary has been working with the kids on their writing skills. Not just composition, but the formation of thought, development of ideas, along with sentence structure and expanded vocabulary. 

Intrigued, we six adults in the room encouraged her by all means to read her stories. The favorite story is one entitled, Santa as a Kid. We all laughed at this twist on the Christmas character so readily recognized. I asked Alyssa if I might share it with my friends who read my weekly Roots in Ripon column. She happily agreed. I made only a few punctuation changes. Otherwise, this is exactly how Alyssa wrote her story. 

Santa as a Kid

Everyone has to be a kid once in their life. This is about Santa as a kid. You probably don’t think much about it because in all the stories he is a jolly old guy. He is actually Santa the 15th, so when he was little he liked to play games.

Video games were just coming out and Santa the 15th wanted to play some of the games that came out. So, Mrs. Claus took him to a store and bought some games. She told him he had to promise to not be on it all the time. When they got back home they put it together and Santa 15th started to play on it right away. Time passed so quickly it felt like morning a couple minutes ago. Now it is nighttime. Mrs. Claus called upstairs to Santa 15th for dinner. He said he would be a few minutes, but he took two hours! So, Mrs. Claus came storming up the stairs and burst into his room. “That is enough playing games for today!” she yelled.  

Editor's Note:

It has been a very long time since this editor has had a break and it is long past due.  Therefore, until sometime after the first of the year, posts will be few and far between.  I look forward to getting back into full swing.

Until then, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Fructify

WORD OF THE DAY December 15, 2017

fructify    verb | FRUK-tuh-fye     Definition   1 : to bear fruit   2 : to make fruitful or productive   Scroll down for more about fructify       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   Star Wars Words Quiz   Is the Force strong in you?     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   Fructify derives from Middle English fructifien and ultimately from the Latin noun fructus, meaning "fruit." When the word was first used in English in the 14th century, it literally referred to the actions of plants that bore fruit; later it was used transitively to refer to the action of making something fruitful, such as soil. The word also expanded to encompass a figurative sense of "fruit," and it is now more frequently used to refer to the giving forth of something in profit from something else (such as dividends from an investment). Fructus also gave us the name of the sugar fructose, as well as usufruct, which refers to the legal right to enjoy the fruits or profits of something that belongs to someone else.     Examples of FRUCTIFY

The White House - 1600 Daily: The closing argument for tax reform

First Lady Melania Trump attends a Toy for Tots event | December 13, 2017 (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks) 

The closing argument for tax reform
President Donald J. Trump spoke before a crowd in the White House Grand Foyer yesterday to lay out—in concrete terms—what tax cuts would mean for the typical American household. “As we speak, Congress has reached an agreement on tax legislation that will deliver more jobs, higher wages, and massive tax relief for American families and for American companies,” the President said.
Here’s the President’s case by the numbers:

• $2,000+: What the typical family of four earning $75,000 will see in income tax cuts, slashing their tax bill in half
• $4,000: How much incomes are expected to rise across the board as a result of tax cuts on U.S. businesses
• 1/3: The amount one sample Ohio family in the 25-percent bracket and paying nearly $14,000 in taxes would reduce their yearly tax burden
• 3%: The level of growth the U.S. economy has already surged to—tax reform would take it even further

Watch President Trump and five working families make the case for tax reform.
Bonus: “Tax bill is Christmas present Americans have been waiting for,” says Alfredo Ortiz

‘Transparency and engagement is the right way to go’

Senator Brown - Getting Our Veterans the Healthcare They Deserve

There’s no place for partisanship when it comes to caring for the women and men who serve this country, and the families who sacrifice alongside them.

We showed that last month when we passed bipartisan legislation to improve access to care for our heroes – the Caring for Our Veterans Act of 2017 – out of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee by a broad, bipartisan vote.

This bill includes my Community Care Core Competency Act, which will give specific training to doctors outside the Veterans Affairs (VA) system on how to address the unique medical needs of veterans, which can improve detection of invisible injuries, like post-traumatic stress disorder. We need to make sure veterans can see not just good doctors, but doctors who have the training and experience necessary to address their special needs.

The bill also establishes the “Veterans Community Care Program” to better provide timely care to veterans closer to where they live, so veterans and their doctors can decide whether to seek medical care through the VA or in their community.

It would also strengthen opioid safety for veterans. Right now, veterans who receive care outside the VA system don’t have the same protections that monitor opioid prescriptions. This bill will make it easier for veterans to get care in their own communities, while still receiving the protections that are meant to prevent opioid addiction before it starts.

And finally, this package includes my legislation to expand much-needed support for caregivers of veterans. All caregivers, and particularly caregivers of those who served in uniform, shoulder incredible responsibilities. They often put their lives on hold, and sacrifice their own health and finances to care for loved ones.

We already have a successful program to help caregivers for critically wounded or ill veterans, but that aid is only available to caregivers of veterans who served following 9/11. This bill will change that to include veterans from all eras.

Our legislation is on the way to the full Senate, and I’m hopeful we can get this passed with strong, bipartisan support. Our servicemembers and their families sacrifice so much to keep our country safe. We need to ensure that when they return home, they have access to the best healthcare available. This is one area where we can all come together and work for veterans and their families.

Sherrod

FBI Releases 2016 NIBRS Crime Statistics in Report and CDE, Promotes Transition of Agencies

On December 11, the FBI released details on more than 6.1 million criminal offenses reported via the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 2016. The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s latest report, NIBRS, 2016, presents data about victims, known offenders, and relationships for 52 offenses, which, for the first time, include animal cruelty offenses and the fraud offenses of identity theft and hacking/computer invasion. The report also provides arrest data for those crimes as well as 10 additional offenses for which only arrest data is collected.

Although NIBRS data is not yet nationally representative, 37.1 percent of all law enforcement agencies that participated in the UCR Program in 2016 submitted their data via NIBRS. The FBI expects that number to rise as more agencies make the transition from the traditional Summary Reporting System to NIBRS. Ultimately, the detailed data will provide a better understanding of crime issues from one locale to another, indicate trends, and help law enforcement make more informed policing decisions. To reach more user platforms, the FBI is presenting NIBRS data through the report, an interactive map, and the UCR Program’s Crime Data Explorer (CDE). CDE is an interactive tool that allows users to build customized data tables.

Top Story - 2016 NIBRS Data Released

Highlights of NIBRS, 2016
In 2016, 6,849 law enforcement agencies, representing coverage of more than 100 million U.S. inhabitants, submitted NIBRS data. Agency-level data is available for the reporting year through an interactive NIBRS map found on the home page of the electronic publication, as well as in offense tables that present statistics for each agency that reported 12 months of NIBRS data.

• Based on aggregate data, NIBRS agencies reported 5,237,106 incidents involving 6,101,034 offenses, 6,437,018 victims, and 4,963,644 known offenders. (Currently, the FBI does not estimate for agencies that do not submit NIBRS data.)
• There were 3,261,521 arrestees reported through NIBRS.
• Of the reported offenses, 62.5 percent were crimes against property, 22.7 percent were crimes against persons, and 14.8 percent were crimes against society, which now include animal cruelty offenses in addition to crimes such as gambling and prostitution. (Due to rounding, percentage breakdowns may not total 100.0 percent.)

A closer look at other aggregate data in NIBRS, 2016 shows the following:
Victims
NIBRS victim types, collected for all reported offenses, may be an individual, a business, an institution, or society as a whole.

• Of the 4,460,994 individual victims reported in 2016, 23.8 percent were between 21 and 30 years of age.
• A little more than half (50.9 percent) were female, 48.3 percent were male, and gender was unknown for 0.8 percent.

Photo of the Day

Marty (R) and his brother, Kevin raise new flags over VFW Post 4964. Marty is co-owner of Fayette Flag and Banner Supply

If you have a great photo from anywhere in the south central Ohio vicinity (or elsewhere) that you would like to share, please forward it for consideration for the Photo of the Day to SouthCentalBulldog@gmail.com.
(Unless otherwise credited, all photos are taken by the editor.)

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day - Gravamen

WORD OF THE DAY December 14, 2017

gravamen    noun | gruh-VAY-mun     Definition   : the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint   Scroll down for more about gravamen       WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE   Star Wars Words Quiz   Is the Force strong in you?     PLAY NOW     Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE     Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!         Did You Know?   Gravamen is not a word you hear every day, but it does show up occasionally in modern-day publications. It comes from the Latin verb gravare, meaning "to burden," and ultimately from the Latin adjective gravis, meaning "heavy."

The White House - 1600 Daily: The military’s biggest raise in 8 years

President Donald J. Trump signs H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year of 2018 | December 12, 2017 (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) 

The military’s biggest raise in 8 years
President Donald J. Trump has signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018, which approves one of the largest defense spending increases since the Reagan presidency to help rebuild America’s Armed Forces.

Here is a quick list of what the NDAA does for America's military:

• Increases rather than shrinks the size of our forces for the first time in 7 years
• Ensures that our military remains the world’s preeminent fighting force, which is vital to the Administration’s peace-through-strength strategy
• Authorizes funding to allow for the continued defeat of ISIS and cover critical missile defense capabilities to confront the threat posed by North Korea
• Takes concrete steps to rebuild U.S. military readiness
• Approves a 2.4 percent pay raise for our troops—the largest in 8 years

Read more about how the NDAA will strengthen America’s military for the year ahead.

Today: The closing argument for tax cuts
Tax reform is in the midst of a crucial week as members of the House and Senate negotiate final details of a bill to pass and send the President.

Red Notes From a Blue State - Victory for On-Campus Free Speech

Editor's Note:  While Don's column originates from The Nutmeg State, his topics often address problems that extend beyond its boarders.  In this commentary, he tackles the issue of on-campus fascism.  If you don't think this goes on in Ohio, think again.

by Don Pesci

Wintrich Vindicated: Torquemada At UConn

Lucian Wintrich is the intolerable conservative nuisance – and victim – who was arrested by UConn police and charged with breach of peace for having made an unsuccessful attempt to exercise his First Amendment rights at Connecticut’s flagship university. Wintrich had been invited to speak by the University of Connecticut Young Republican Club on campus.  

A raucous crowd – seeded, one commentator noted, with fascists – prevented Wintrich from delivering his thoughts on “It’s OK To Be White.”

The speech, which no one appears to have read, is a defense of a slogan launched by 4chan, the anonymous meme center of the internet, “It’s OK To Be White,” the title of Wintrich’s address. It contains one screamingly offensive, intentionally provocative line – “There are currently two Americas, one full of cherry-trees, apple pie capitalism and pragmatism and another, bizarro, America run by illegal immigrant tranny communists" – that Wintrich’s Mom, had he consulted her, probably would have edited out. But otherwise, the address is an attack on leftist identity politics.

Wintrich closed his speech on an anti-alt-right note: “Now I don’t want you running off and joining the alt-right. As conservatives, we should all reject white nationalism on principle. It’s collectivist for all the wrong reasons and it’s anti-capitalist. It says race is more important than the individual and doesn’t want competition from other races.” The speech was ended by fascists in the crowd before this declaration. Wintrich’s preferred slogan, “It’s OK to be White,” the speaker noted, “is not a white nationalist one. Don’t let the media fool you. It can’t tell racism from anti-racist.”

The fascists were successful in preventing the speaker from delivering his remarks, later printed in full by the Gateway Pundit. And when a woman, disputing with Wintrich at the lectern, stole his speech and ran up the aisle with it, Wintrich pursued her in an attempt to recover his property. A struggle ensued, UConn police intervened, Wintrich was arrested and hustled by police to a “safe space,” away from disruptive fascists who were prepared to make life difficult for the departing Wintrich when he exited the building, a common tactic among Antifa fascists at other universities. Why does no one consider it odd that universities these days should provide “safe spaces” for disrupters of the peace, but not for speakers whom the disrupters successfully shout down? And why must speakers be arrested to protect them from fascists? Why not arrest the fascists?

Eleven people from Canton indicted for firearms violations, including firearms trafficking and illegal sale of a machine gun

Eleven people from the Canton area were indicted in federal court for firearms violations, including

firearms trafficking, illegal sale of a machine gun and drug charges, law enforcement officials said.

Indicted are: Rasheed Babb, 25; Shawntez Block, 25; Andre Bowers, 41; Ikasha Clark, 38; Darnell Curtis, 39; Kamari Kidd, 21; Tae’Vontae Miles, 22; Jesse Gulley, 44; Thomas Lorenz, 60; Arthur Keeney, 28, and Sean Foster, 33.

All the defendants live in Canton except Lorenz, who is from Dover, and Block, who is from Massillon.

Bowers was charged with illegally dealing firearms while Kidd and Miles were charged with assisting his firearms trafficking.

Bowers engaged in the unlicensed dealing of firearms between December 2016 and February 2017. Bowers’ previous convictions include aggravated assault, cocaine trafficking, domestic violence, escape and other crimes.

At various times he sold or possessed a Harrington & Richardson .32-caliber revolver, a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Glock .40-caliber pistol, another Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Marlin .22-caliber rifle, a Rossi 20-gauge shotgun and a Kel-Tec 5.56 mm pistol, according to the indictment.

Bowers also distributed heroin, according to the indictment.

Gulley, Clark and Lorenz were indicted for a transaction in July 2017 in which Lorenz transferred to Gulley and Clark a Heckler and Koch, 308-caliber machine gun, according to the indictment.

Gulley on July 25, 2017, possessed the aforementioned machine gun, ammunition and six other firearms, despite prior convictions for felonious assault and possession of cocaine. On the same day, Gulley and Clark possessed a sawed-off shotgun, according to the indictment.

“Cases like these are exercises in homicide prevention,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said. “These defendants have no business carrying firearms, given their previous criminal conduct. This operation has made Canton safer.”

“The value of these types of cases can be measured in human lives,” said Canton Police Chief Bruce Lawver. “These cases involve illegally possessed firearms in the hands of criminal. They demonstrate the cooperation that exists between the Canton Police Department and our federal law enforcement partners.”

“These arrests are just the next step in our work with our partners at the Canton Police Department and the FBI,” said Trevor Velinor, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division.  “We will continue to work together to make Canton and the surrounding communities safer by removing individuals who use violence to further their criminal activities from our streets.”

“These dangerous individuals will now be held accountable for their numerous criminal violations involving guns,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony. “The FBI commends the collaborative work done by all agencies involved, especially the ATF and Canton Police Department.”

Keeney possessed a Hi-Point 9 mm pistol and nine rounds of 9 mm Winchester brand ammunition on Dec. 7, 2016, despite prior convictions for felonious assault and improper handling of a firearm in a mother vehicle, according to the indictment.

Foster possessed a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol , a Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol, a Fabrique Nationale .40-caliber pistol and 35 rounds of ammunition on Oct. 1, 2017, despite prior convictions for trafficking cocaine and possession of cocaine, according to the indictment.

Block possessed a Ruger 9mm pistol on Jan. 16, 2016, despite prior convictions for aggravated drug trafficking and endangering children, according to the indictment.

Curtis possessed a Remingon 12-gauge shotgun and a Harrington and Richardson 12-gauge shotgun on May 11, 2017, despite a prior conviction for aggravated robbery with a firearms specification, according to the indictment.

Babb possessed a Harrington and Richardson .32-caliber revolver on Oct. 19, 2017, despite a prior conviction for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, according to the indictment.

Approximately 30 firearms were seized as part of the operation, along with ballistic vests, ammunition, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine.

These cases were investigated by the Canton Police Department, the ATF and the FBI, with assistance from the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron P. Howell and Henry F. DeBaggis.

If convicted, the sentence in this case will be determined by the Court after consideration of the federal sentencing guidelines, which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the unique characteristics of the violation.  In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

A charge is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Spirit Finder - Grief, Children and Family

Contributed by David Garcia, of "Spirit Finder", followed by the editor's personal story.

Anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one knows how difficult that loss can be. For children, it can be even more difficult. Grasping the concept of mortality is tough enough for them.

There are plenty of ways, however, to guide a child through the pain of losing someone or something special. Quite often it can be just as therapeutic for the adults as it is the children.

In addition, many adults find that with aging and infirm loved ones, they are faced with decisions and instances they’ve never encountered before, on top of handling the likely death of a parent or close relative. All of this can be quite a bit for the entire family to bear.

In order to alleviate some of the stress children and families might endure, I’ve put together a list of resources that can benefit everyone.While not all of these resources pertain to children, it’s important to remember that children will feel the effects of death that echo through the family, and I think several of these resources can be a great help to parents and extended family. I hope you will find them useful.

Saying Goodbye: Talking to Kids About Death

Preparing for the Death of a Terminally-Ill Loved One: What to Expect, and How to Help the Entire Family Move Forward

Good Hope Lions' Candy Store Open Now Through Dec.24th

The annual Good Hope Lions' Candy Store will be open from Nov. 15-Dec. 24 or until we run out of candy.  Our new location is the old Gusweiler Toyota Building at 333 W. Court St., Washington C.H. All of our profits go to charity.  Your patronage of the candy store in 2016 allowed the Good Hope Lion's to donate over $33,000 to local charities and Lion's Sight Saving Activities.  Please stop by and see us so we can give even more, this year.

We have over 40+ types of candy with several sugar free selections, gift baskets, and can make special order's upon request.  For the first time in history you can also make your purchase via Visa/MasterCard.

Photo of the Day

This can be seen at the WCH PD.  Photo by Dan VanDyke

If you have a great photo from anywhere in the south central Ohio vicinity that you would like to share, please forward it for consideration for the Photo of the Day to SouthCentalBulldog@gmail.com.

Merriam-Webgster Word of the Day - Diaphanous

WORD OF THE DAY December 13, 2017

diaphanous  adjective | dye-AF-uh-nus   Definition 1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through 2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal 3 : insubstantial, vague Scroll down for more about diaphanous WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE Star Wars Words Quiz Is the Force strong in you?   PLAY NOW   Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try!  TAKE ME THERE   Plus:   SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW!   Did You Know? Can you guess which of the following words come from the same Greek root as diaphanous? A. epiphany B. fancy C. phenomenon D. sycophant E. emphasis F. phase The Greek word phainein shows through more clearly in some of our quiz words than others, but it underlies all of them. The groundwork for diaphanous was laid when phainein (meaning "to show") was combined with dia- (meaning "through"). From that pairing came the Greek diaphanēs, parent of the