Friday, November 10th, 2006

Underage drinking considered number one Mercer County problem

By Laura Walker
Numbers from a $9,200 Mercer County Community Assessment survey are complete and indicate alcohol abuse is a prevalent local problem.
The numbers were presented by David Jones, Center for Urban & Public Affairs, Wright State University, Dayton, on Thursday morning to members of Community Organizations Linking Together.
Questions included everything from age, height, weight, insurance use, knowledge of community services, alcohol consumption and exercise. The last question of the survey asked the respondent to identify a problem in their neighborhood and identify the top three problems that need addressed in their neighborhood.
The last question's top three replies are as follows:
• Underage drinking was reported as the number one neighborhood problem by 89 percent of Mercer County respondents. This was also the top problem responders said needed addressed in their neighborhoods.
• Almost 85 percent said alcohol abuse is a problem in their neighborhood. Four out of 10 respondents put alcohol abuse as one of the top three problems needing addressed in their neighborhoods.
• Almost three quarters of respondents reported drug abuse as a problem in their neighborhoods. Slightly less than half of the respondents selected this as one of the top three problems needing addressed.
The assessment numbers were generated by more than 600 random phone calls across the county. Now that Jones has the numbers, he can run "crosstabs" to generate statistics for certain sections of the county and as a whole.
The numbers show where needs are met and where there are gaps, according to Mercer Health Department employee Sara Beiler. This aids organizations to go after and maintain funding, she adds.
Once the numbers are tabulated as COLT officials will plan a community presentation, she said. Additional numbers will be released periodically in future Daily Standard articles.
This assessment was called for and paid for by a group of organizations, including: the Mercer County Health Department; the Child and Family Health Service Program, a division of Mercer Health; Job and Family Services; Mercer County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities; the Tobacco Foundation and the Mercer County Commissioners.
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Signs decorate Natalie Feliciano's locker at Celina High School in silent tribute to a caring teenager who packed a lot of living into 17 short years [More]
FAIRBORN - New Knoxville advanced to its first-ever state volleyball title game after winning a grueling four-game match against Toledo Christian in the Division IV state semifinals on Thursday night at the Ervin J. Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Officials began discussing the topic more than a year ago
Efforts for a joint water system between Mercer County and Celina are in limbo as the city works toward a solution for its water woes and county officials play the waiting game.
Mercer County and Celina city officials continue to move forward with plans for a joint sewer system, including a new treatment plant northeast of Celina.
Celina city officials have received tentative approval to increase the city sewer plant's permitted capacity from 2.5 million gallons per day to 3 million gallons.
ST. MARYS - Library board members voted to put a mileage limit on the proctoring service currently offered.
Effective immediately, St. Marys Community Public Library will offer proctoring to students of colleges/universities located only in excess of 50 miles from St. Marys.
The Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation District is developing a protocol for reporting alleged violations of regulations for spreading manure on frozen ground, SWCD board members learned on Thursday.
A Celina man has been sentenced to community control sanctions after pleading guilty to aggravated assault in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
Bra
A co-worker here at the newspaper office recently began watering the potted amaryllis bulb on her desk. It sat there, un-touched and unwatered, all summer long after offering up a beautiful display of large red flowers last winter.
Before the Rev. David Dennis ever packed his bags for college decades ago, he felt he was being called to serve the Lord.
There were "nudges" he couldn't ignore while studying to earn a degree in biology at Illinois State University.
FAIRBORN - The last time New Knoxville went to state in volleyball was in 1989.
One year later, their current coach got her chance.
New Knoxville
7 p.m. Saturday - Alexander Stadium/Purk Field, Piqua
Now we have The Rematch.
After meeting in week one - with a week-one meeting set for 2007 - and seeing the Redskins humble the Spartans by 28 points, the teams meet again with the loser out of the postseason.
7 p.m. Saturday - Lima Stadium
Highlights: The Roughriders brushed off fumbling the ball three times - twice in the opening minutes of the game - to hold off Tippecanoe 21-14 at Ti