Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued June 18 at 5:46PM EDT until June 18 at 6:30PM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

SVRILN
The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Darke County in west central Ohio... Mercer County in west central Ohio...
* Until 630 PM EDT.
* At 545 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 6 miles southeast of Bluffton to 10 miles north of Hagerstown, moving northeast at 60 mph.
HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Emergency management.
IMPACT...Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.
* Locations impacted include... Greenville, Celina, Coldwater, Versailles, St. Henry, Bradford, Union City, Fort Recovery, Ansonia, Rockford, Webster, Wabash, Wayne Lakes, Mendon, Gettysburg, Osgood, Chickasaw, Burkettsville, North Star, and Rossburg.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued June 18 at 4:51PM EDT until June 18 at 10:00PM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 437 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO RIPLEY SWITZERLAND
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 12 COUNTIES
IN NORTHEAST KENTUCKY
LEWIS
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE BRACKEN CAMPBELL CARROLL GALLATIN GRANT KENTON MASON OWEN PENDLETON ROBERTSON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AUGUSTA, AURORA, BATESVILLE, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKSVILLE, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, BUTLER, CAMDEN, CAMP DIX, CARROLLTON, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, CRITTENDEN, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, DRY RIDGE, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FALMOUTH, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HEAD OF GRASSY, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MAYSVILLE, MIDDLETOWN, MILAN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT OLIVET, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OSGOOD, OWENTON, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TOLLESBORO, TROY, URBANA, VANCEBURG, VERSAILLES, VEVAY, WAPAKONETA, WARSAW, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILLIAMSTOWN, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Chase is on - geese patrol

By Margie Wuebker

Photo by Margie Wuebker/The Daily Standard

Chase, a Border Collie destined to become New Bremen's director of goose control, poses with New Bremen wastewater superintendent Jerry Fischbach, left, and helper Dave Goodwin. The village purchased the dog to scare feathered intruders from the village's fenced pond near the wastewater plant.

NEW BREMEN - The village's newest employee works cheap and requires no health insurance or various fringe benefits with the exception of well-balanced meals, a roof over his head and occasional dog treats.

Chase, a 2-month-old Border Collie, met village council members Tuesday night. They hope he solves a continuing problem with Canada geese. Approximately 300 of the fowl have found a home in the fenced-in area near the village's wastewater plant.

The mild-mannered pup will become director of goose control by late summer or early fall.

"Border Collies herd geese but don't kill them," said council member Dennis Burnell, who first proposed the idea after other methods failed. "The geese get tired of the hassle and move on to a safer environment with fewer interruptions."

The black and white pup arrived in New Bremen last week. He spends nights at the homes of wastewater superintendent Jerry Fischbach or assistant Dave Goodwin.

The village bought Chase for $190 from a northern Indiana breeder. A dog house and run, computer chip identification, neutering, shots and food will be additional costs.

Chase, so-named by Goodwin, accompanies village employees on their rounds. He soon will take obedience classes.

"I've been a council member for 12-plus years and nothing has generated more concerns or comments than this ongoing problem with geese," Burnell said. "We spent $2,500 on a sound system that is sitting in a drawer somewhere because it didn't work."

Chemicals also failed and even village administrator Wayne York's nighttime forays into the fenced area around the large pond at the wastewater treatment plant failed to scare off the unwelcome critters. The village even obtained a permit from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to shake nests to keep eggs from hatching.

"I've done a lot of research and talked to a lot of people," Burnell said. "What we are doing now may be unique to us, but it's not unique elsewhere."

Contacts at Ivy Hills Country Club and Lunken Airport in the Cincinnati area reported Border Collies solved their problems involving geese. The dogs enjoy riding in trucks and aboard golf carts, but their natural chasing instinct kicks in at the drop of a feather.

"Geese create a health hazard with all their droppings," Burnell said. "We need to get rid of them, and Chase is the dog to accomplish the task. He just needs interaction with people and some treats in return."

Archive of January 26th, 2011

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