The News-Messenger from Fremont, Ohio • 1

TEAMS GEAR UP FOR FINAL SBC-SLL CLASSIFIEDS Everything you need, from real estate to items for sale, help wanted and more i B3 COUPONS Find $154.68 worth of savings in Saturday's News-Messenger ALL-STAR GAME SPORTS B1 "(5D Friday June 10, 2011 75 cents www.TheNews-Messenger.com Fremont, Ohio A GANNETT COMPANY comld helB OMo cities Legislation will make sewer projects more affordable, Damschroder says fa strapped communities. "In these tough economic times, these communities can't take unfunded mandates," Damschroder said. Ohio Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lan-caster, sponsored the Senate bill and Damschroder introduced a similar companion bill in the House. The bill includes 10 factors the state EPA must consider before it issues National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, requires and approves long-term plans for wet weather discharges and enforces the federal Water Pol system, but needed a lot of time to complete its projects and manage costs in the process.

He said Fremont and other cities were concerned about potentially higher sewer and water rates that result from compliance with EPA mandates. "I'm not sure that it's going to help us, because we're so far into the process already," Derr said of the new legislation, adding that it may help other communities in the region that haven't started their See SEWER, page A6 By Daniel Carson Staff writer Cities across Ohio may get some regulatory relief on their sewer system projects, after the passage of legislation designed to make the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency take a closer look at the costs and timelines associated with their mandates. Ohio Rep. Rex Damschroder, R-Fremont, said Wednesday that Senate Bill 22 will help make large-scale sewer projects more affordable over time for cash- lution Control Act for publicly owned sewer systems. Those factors include the ability of cities to pay for or get funding for projects, an evaluation of the effectiveness and cost of a long-term control plan, reducing economic effects on communities with EPA mandates and allowing for time flexibility in the implementation of long-term plans.

Sam Derr, Fremont's safety-service director, said Fremont has committed to upgrading or replacing its sewage treatment plant and making improvements to its sewer Fremont Police Dispatcher Kim Baker shown in a recent department photo, submitted photo Dispatcher retires after 30 years with force ST) Meed. tow A boater receiving a tow passes Marblehead headed east Monday morning. If the owner didn't have insurance, the tow could easily run upwards of $400 or $500. james PROFFITTNEWS-MESSENGER By Mark Tower Staff writer FREMONT The third retiree with three decades of experience, dispatcher Kim Baker, will be leaving Fremont Police Department at the end of June. Baker was hired by the department originally in October 1980 through a government funding initiative and hired and paid by the city in June 1981.

She is the first person to retire from the department who worked solely as a dispatcher. "You have to be the right personality to be a dispatcher," she said. "You have to take control a lot of times." Baker said the ability to prioritize tasks and do several things at once is absolutely crucial. She went through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in 1981, the basic academy in 1984 and served as a reserve police officer for the department for a portion of her career. Baker said she was hoping to use those experiences to better relate to her fellow officers, but See RETIRE, page A3 Experts: Policies can help boaters save money TOW PLANS Inquiries and tow plan purchases can be made online at www.boatus.com, at West Marine in Portage Township or at the Rescue Marine office at 8640 North Shore Blvd.

in Danbury Township. 'riF, i much like AAA's roadside assistance programs. "It costs $58 a year and you're good to go," he said. Croft said the tow policy follows the owner from vessel to vessel, so that a person who operates more than one boat would be covered in whichever one he or she is operating. "As long as you're the captain, the towing plan follows you," he said.

Three area towing operators are part of the TowboatU.S. towing network and operate out of marinas in Danbury Township and Port Clinton. Jacob Dunfee operates Rescue Marine and runs five towboats, ranging from 23 to 40 feet, on the lake. He is almost finished building a 43-foot aluminum towboat, which will be placed into service next year. See TOW, page A3 By James Proffitt Staff writer PORT CLINTON Tens of thousands of boaters head out onto Lake Erie every year from area marinas and boat ramps.

Many of them return under tow, and a small minority of those return with substantially less money than they started out with. "The average cost for a tow runs about $600," said Scott Croft, spokesman for Boat Owners Association of the United States. "It just doesn't make sense to not have a tow policy." Croft said people who captain vessels onto Lake Erie, or any body of water, without a tow policy are making a financial gamble if they should suffer a mechanical breakdown of any type and require assistance in returning to port. BoatU.S.' towing service, called TowboatU.S., which has more than 600 boats coast-to-coast, operates 1 ft- i. One of Rescue Marine's tow vessels, Charlotte Marie, docked at Shrock Marina in Danbury Township, james proffittnews-messenger Ohio hatchery source of salmonella outbreak Pet monkey injures two kids while on the loose By Mark Tower Staff writer FREMONT After running loose in a city neighborhood for about 2'j hours Thursday afternoon, a grivet monkey owned by a Hickory Street resident was finally caught by its owner around 6:30 p.m., but not before it injured and frightened local children.

Fremont police first took a complaint that a monkey was loose in the area of Spruce Street at 3:51 p.m. Capt. Ken Buchele said some children in the area were apparently chasing the monkey and it scratched one of them, a 9-year-old girl. Another young girl was scratched after Sgt. Anthony Emrich reported he saw the monkey jump out of a tree near the Fremont Police Station, 1141 W.

State St. "I saw the monkey jump onto a small child on the south side of the street," Emrich said. "She immediately panicked. I don't think she had a clue what it was." Neither scratched child required medical treatment, but Buchele said the second girl was rattled by the frightening experience. "She was very scared," he said.

After the monkey ran in front See MONKEY, page A6 ADVICE TO CONSUMERS Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they live and, roam. Adults should supervise hand washing for young children. If soap and water are not readily available, use hand sanitizer until you are able to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Clean any equipment or materials associated with raising or caring for live poultry outside the house, such as cages or feed or water containers. Do not let children younger than 5, elderly people or people with weak immune systems handle or touch chicks, ducklings or other live poultry.

These people should also avoid entering the area where the poultry live. Do not let live poultry inside the house, in bathrooms or especially in areas where food or drink is prepared, served or stored, such as kitchens or outdoor patios. Do not snuggle or kiss the birds, touch your mouth or eat or drink around live poultry. yielded the outbreak strain of Salmonella Altona. "In this particular instance, the main source of contamination is from handling baby chicks or ducklings, their fecal material or their equipment (for feeding and watering)," said Andy Ware, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Ware and ODH Director Ted Wymyslo, M.D., underscored the importance of good sanitation by handlers of any potentially infected animals. "I encourage anyone who purchases baby chickens or ducklings to use caution when handling the birds and to always thoroughly wash their hands after touching them," Wymyslo said. The Ohio departments of See OUTBREAK, page A3 By Abbey Roy Special to the News-Messenger COLUMBUS State officials have reported eight salmonella illnesses in Ohio are part of a multi-state outbreak associated with poultry purchased this year at agricultural supply stores sourced from an Ohio hatchery. The infected chicks and ducklings were sold at "numerous agricultural outlets across the state," an Ohio Department of Health news release stated Thursday, urging purchasers of baby chicks to use caution when caring for them. The eight ill people range in age from 3 months to 76 years and live in Ashtabula, Columbiana, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Licking, Medina and Wood counties, according to the Department of Health.

Chad Brown, director of com- of Health spokeswoman Jen House said who since "has recovered and is back to normal activities." Specimens obtained from chicks belonging to one of the Ohio cases munity health at the Licking County Health Department, said Thursday he had made contact with the ill person in Licking County a 55-year-old woman, Ohio Department DEATHS I A2 The News-Messenger is printed on recycled paper. THURSDAY LOTTERY Pick 3: 1-4-5 (day); 7-5-3 (night) Pick 4: 5-6-8-4 (day); 7-9-1-8 (night) Rolling Cash 5: 2-4 30-34-38 Ten Oh: 2-3-7-12-16-17-19-26-36-44-46-47-48- 55-58-60-66-75-77-80 (day); 1-2-3-6-7-9-10-17- 1 8-2 1 -33-35-38-43-44-61-62-70-74-80 (night) Copyright 2010 INDEX Local A3 Community Opinion A5 Sports B1 Classifieds B3 Comics B5 Neighbors B6 Martha Jane Burr, Bellevue Richard H. Gahn, Wellston ClaraEllen Jenck, Fremont Dorothy M. Weirich, Genoa Dorothy J. Mi ley, Oak Harbor Mannie Lloyd Entsminger, Bradner Norma Jean Stark, Perrysburg Walter F.

Benner, Scottsville, Ky WEATHER Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid-60s. Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Highs in the mid-80s, lows around 60. MlCTT.