Fairfield-Echo.com

The county beat

By Josh Sweigart | Saturday, May 10, 2008, 08:00 AM

Things have been pretty busy at the Butler County desk lately, and I’ve been lucky to have help from some great fellow reporters.

• Read about progress at the new Board of Elections building here. Spoiler alert: it’s still behind schedule.
• Read about the impact a weakened economy will have on sales tax yields here. It was a major topic of conversation at a chamber of commerce meeting Friday, I’m told.

Go team!

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County pay - Environmental Services

By Josh Sweigart | Friday, May 9, 2008, 08:00 AM

Butler County commissioners froze pay increases for county employees yesterday. Read the story here.

I happen to have the pay of employees in Environmental Services laying around, along with their job titles and start dates. You can read that below at EnviroSvcs.htm.

Do you think this is on par with the private sector?

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The Dynus court documents

By Josh Sweigart | Thursday, May 8, 2008, 11:24 AM

It’s like a puzzle coming together in pieces, the sequence of events that led to a multi-million dollar company’s collapse and the downfall of the county auditor and several executives.

Read the stories here, including two pieces and a timeline posted yesterday.

Much of the clues are scattered throughout the court documents, the indictment of Orlando Carter and plea agreements with James Smith and Karin Verbruggen. Here they are (pdfs below: Smith plea agreement, Verbruggen plea agreement and Carter indcmt):

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Three charged in Dynus investigation

By Josh Sweigart | Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 04:40 PM

The FBI’s investigation into the now-defunct Dynus Corp. — accused of fraudulently taking out a multi-million dollar loan in Butler County’s name for unapproved fiber optics contracts — has resulted in charges against three more people.

A federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment of former Dynus owner Orlando Carter today, May 7.

Carter, 42, of Mason, is charged with making false statements to secure more than $10 million in loans and lines of credit for personal real estate and the operation of his business.

Continue reading "Three charged in Dynus investigation"...

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Seniors and Money

By Josh Sweigart | Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 11:00 AM

Just got this press release from Butler County Treasurer Nancy Nix:

Senior citizens in Butler County are invited to learn about protecting their financial health at a free Seniors and Money workshop. In partnership with Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray, Butler County Treasurer Nancy Nix is bringing this free seminar to Butler County. The workshop was created by the Ohio Department of Aging and Ohio Treasurer of State Richard Cordray’s office.

Continue reading "Seniors and Money"...

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Dynus and George Lang

By Josh Sweigart | Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 10:11 AM

While rumors are now circulating that West Chester Twp. Trustee George Lang might be one of the next to be caught in the FBI’s net concerning Dynus, some of those rumors are overblown.

Contrary to scuttlebutt, for example, Lang’s former business partner says he did not have an extended conversation with the FBI recently. The only one confirmed in that predicament is Michael Fox.

But Lang did play a prominent role in the Dynus debacle.

Currently in his second term as West Chester Twp. trustee, George Lang owns several West Chester businesses. In March 2005, he started as president of the now-defunct Dynus Financial services.

Continue reading "Dynus and George Lang"...

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While I was out

By Josh Sweigart | Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 01:00 PM

Things move fast in this business. I was out of town Friday through Monday, and here’s what I missed (I’m listing them here in case you missed them as well):

• The Government Services Building in Hamilton was evacuated when fire alarms went off. Fellow reporter Joshua Rinaldi covered for me with a story here and a blog here.
• Speaking of Rinaldi, he and I put an age-old question to rest last week and the story ran Sunday. Read the story here, my personal tale of triumph here and Rinaldi’s shame here.
• On a more serious note, Rinaldi did a great job covering a farm protection program here and a Children Services plea for foster parents here.

For obvious reasons, it’s now Rinaldi’s turn to take a vacation.

Anything else I missed?

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