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Jamestown couple still struggling two years after Wilmington DHL closing.

In Local News, Media, State News, Uncategorized on July 4, 2010 at 10:15 pm
By Gery L. Deer
Editor

 

JAMESTOWN – When DHL closed its Wilmington, Ohio operations in 2008, the company was losing an estimated $6 million a day in the United States market. The German-based transport service bought out Airborne Express, which had established one of its largest hubs at Wilmington’s abandoned air force base in 1980. More than 8,000 people worked at what became known as “the air park” and the loss of those jobs extends

Cathy Wolf shows off her silk flower packages in a home-made display on July 2nd during Xenia’s “First Friday” event.

far beyond the borders of Clinton County.

 Like the rest of the nation, Ohio’s unemployment rate continues to climb with no relief on the immediate horizon. Nearly two years after the closing of the DHL facility, many of the company’s former employees and their families are still struggling to find a new way to make a living.

 Dire enough for younger workers, the situation is even more desperate for those more seasoned employees who were displaced after many years of service. Some of the most experienced and valuable of the population is having the hardest time returning to work. 

 Cathy Wolf is about to celebrate her 55th birthday. She lived and worked in Wilmington with her 48-year-old husband Robert, until he became one of more than 7,000 employees discharged from DHL. After nearly two decades with the company, the hope of a secure retirement evaporated in an instant.

 Shortly after, Cathy also lost her job with a vending supplier that serviced the air park and surrounding area. It was fortunate that the Wolf’s three children were already grown and on their own, especially considering that the couple was forced to give up their Wilmington home to the mortgage company and file for bankruptcy.

 Their credit destroyed and living off of a cashed out retirement account, they managed to find a small house to rent in Jamestown and set to the arduous task of searching for new jobs. To complicate matters, Cathy and Robert have been doing what they can to help ailing parents and support their middle daughter who is raising a new baby after losing her husband to kidney disease in the summer of 2009.

 Now, almost twenty-four months after the layoffs, benefits are exhausted and, thanks to state cuts in job training and educational resources, Cathy and Robert have been left with few options. With rent to pay and food to buy, Cathy decided to take matters into her own hands.

 A 1974 graduate of the Greene County Career Center, then known as Greene Joint Vocational School, Cathy’s educational background was in horticulture. Over the years, she worked in nurseries, green houses and similar jobs though her skill and enjoyment was always in floral arrangement.

 Rather than lose to a lethargic economy and empty promises from the bureaucrats in Washington, Cathy chose to go into business for herself designing and selling pre-packaged silk flower arrangements for weddings. Cathy has branded her fledgling business, Cash, Carry & Get Married, marketing to smaller weddings on a limited budget.

 “I’ve made floral arrangements as wedding gifts for friends and family over the years,” she said. “And, the way things are now, many people can’t afford to pay a lot for wedding flowers but still want something nice.”

 Not to be left out, Robert has also been working to get a handyman service off the ground. A skilled maintenance worker and experienced forklift operator, Robert has taken to doing residential repair work passed along by acquaintances from their church.

 Cathy and Robert should have been looking forward to retirement in another 15 years but instead they are starting over. Armed with basic tools and supplies and a handful of home-printed business cards, the couple is determined to do for themselves that which Washington and Columbus have failed to achieve.

 As prospects for employment diminish for those older workers affected by today’s challenges it will take fortitude, faith and a little luck to make it in an economy that has all but turned its back on the elder population.

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Welcome to The NEW Jamestown Comet

In Local News on March 1, 2010 at 8:19 pm

By Gery L. Deer

Editor / Publisher

Prototype web-based publication is a spinoff of its own history.

In 1876, just past the time of the town crier and way before MTV, Jamestown, Ohio residents were introduced to The Jamestown Journal, a four-page weekly newspaper printed by William S. Galvin, editor and publisher. The newspaper offered readers everything from local news to train schedules.

Galvin later changed the name of the paper to The Jamestown Comet, with the first verifiable issue featuring the updated masthead printed in July of 1890. The circulation of each of the paper was about 1,025 with an annual subscription cost of $1.50, in advance.

 Printed with the news were advertisements for everything from miracle tonics to glassware and from livery service (not limousines but horse boarding) to a performance of the Century Theater at the opera house. Though traveling entertainment graced the stage of opera houses in most towns, the Century Theater was the resident theater company in Jamestown and often posted advertisements for each show and parades that were held just before a performance.

 Keep in mind that one of the jobs of the Fourth Estate has always separate what seems important from what is and deliver that information to the public as quickly and clearly as possible. But what seems important in one era could seem somewhat silly later in time. Here is one of the actual news items exactly as it appeared in the Friday August 1, 1890 edition of The Jamestown Comet.

 NEW JASPER – Mr. William Lewis Levalley was thrown from a load of oats Monday and received severe injuries in the arm and limb and was also badly cut and bruised about the head. Dr. Cunningham reports him in bad condition.”

  Whatever the information, it was valuable to the people of the time, just as it is important to people today to have the latest update of the next rehab-stricken reality show star. Then again, I might like to see a good story about a guy thrown from a load of oats – it would be more interesting and less predictable.

 It is important to note also that there were no photos in The Jamestown Comet, nor most other papers of the time. Plates required to reproduce tin type photos or hand sketches were expensive and time-consuming. Local newspapers could simply not afford the equipment nor did they have the expertise to provide this kind of luxury. Editors and writers had to depend on their words to create the picture for the reader.

As larger newspapers such as the Xenia Daily Gazette and the Dayton Journal-Herald took a larger portion of the market, the days of the Comet were numbered. In 1899, Galvin sold the newspaper to the Press Publishing Company which changed the overall look of the publication and renamed it Greene County Press. The paper continued to be published until 1955 when it finally closed.

 Over all, a 79-year run for a newspaper is nothing to sneeze at, but all media has a shelf life. Today, as newspapers around the country plan more layoffs and cut back on circulation in an effort to stay afloat, it should be noted that newspapers are not dying, they are just changing. The big issue is whether or not publishers are willing to change with the times.

When the  Dayton Journal-Herald, a conservative morning paper, merged with its liberal afternoon competitor, the Dayton Daily News, in 1987 many readers were outraged. The merger came from necessity since there was simply not enough of a market in the Miami Valley for two mammoth newspapers. The choice in the changing economy was to merge, or both could go under. The decision seems to have been correct.

Twenty years later, publishers who find themselves in yet another economic transformation but are unwilling to change with the times might find themselves selling off their publications or closing them permanently. However, the solution is not as simple as making a move to an all-digital newspaper. There must be a way to make any news publication profitable amidst the flurry of instant news provided by behemoths like CNN.

Quality content is paramount and smaller publications are focusing on more locally-based content and providers and free access to the online version. Whatever the solution, the changes in the newspaper business are going to continue for some time.

 As an independent publication the staff of The NEW Jamestown Comet would like to thank you, the readers and advertisers, for having a look at this revitalized publication. From a 19th Century weekly newspaper to an online news resource for the Jamestown, Ohio region, The Jamestown Comet will grow and expand thanks to you – the reader. For information, contact editor@jamestowncomet.com.

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TV’s Extreme Makeover descends on Beavercreek

In Local News on October 11, 2009 at 10:32 am

BEAVERCREEK, OH – Hollywood descended on Greene County this week as ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition made another family’s dreams come true by providing them with a brand new house. The Emmy Award-winning reality show featuring host Ty Pennington is entering its 7th season.

thefamilyThe Beavercreek home of the Terpenning family, 548 Carthage Dr., was chosen for the makeover out of hundreds of applicants and they received the news early Thursday morning, July 31. After filming the famous “Door Knock” sequence, the Extreme Makeover production staff met with the family throughout the day to finalize plans for the project.

Later, hundreds of volunteers gathered up the street from the home for the “Braveheart Walk.” After a couple of takes to get the perfect shots in the can, James Terpenning and his family climbed aboard a limousine and were off to a Disney World vacation thanks to Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Terpenning works in civilian technical support at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He grew up in a wheelchair having been crippled by polio during infancy and abandoned by his American G.I. father in Vietnam. Growing up, he was competitive in wheelchair sports and eventually represented the United States at the Paralympics, where he earned both gold and silver medals.

Today he and his wife, Shannon, are raising their four children, Josselyn, age 6, twins Justin and Jacob, age 2, and Joshua, who is 1 year old. The couple also cares for James’ adopted brother, Peter, who is also confined to a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy. Peter was left in a group home after his mother died, but came to live with his brother three years ago. The entire family was crammed into a 1,100 square-foot home.

Terpenning may have had to deal with adversity, but he also does what he can to give back to his community. He spends much of his limited free time as a speaker, visiting schools and other civic organizations and educating children, teens and veterans about living with special challenges. The Terpenning family was nominated for the Extreme Makeover by Col. Sue Busler (Ret.), who worked with James at Wright Patterson Air Force Base for 7 years.

“He is just an all around nice guy, super honest, and has all kinds of integrity, does everything with passion and he is a wonderful family man,” Busler said. “He serves his community, he serves the military (as a civilian) and he serves his family. He is a wonderful human being.”

Before retirement, Busler worked for Lt. General John Hudson, who also knows the Terpennings well. Hudson is the commander of the aeronautical systems center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. “More than 30 years ago the Air Force air-lifted James from Vietnam as an infant in what was called Operation Baby-Lift and brought him to the United States,” said Hudson.

“James works for us in the command section of the aeronautical systems center, there’s nothing he can’t do,” Hudson continued. “He is a fantastic person at work and is an inspiration to us all. He comes in nights and weekends and he gives much to our United States Air Force.”

The producers of Extreme Makeover Home Edition work with more than 1,500 volunteers from local builders to support staff and suppliers who donate materials and labor to the effort. The family and their belongings are removed and the original home is demolished and replaced with a new house.

In addition to providing a new home for one fortunate family, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Coventry Fine Homes also support three local nonprofit organizations during the project. The Foodbank, Community Blood Center and Life Connection of Ohio, are each holding events in conjunction with the makeover build.

To make the project a success requires hundreds of volunteers and donations from area businesses and individuals. “We bring communities together to make a difference—not just in a family’s life—but in their own,” said Conrad Ricketts, Executive Producer for Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

“Whether you are nailing shingles on the roof, signing up to become an organ donor, donating blood or a can of food, you are making a difference for the betterment of this community and the nation as a whole,” Ricketts said.

Keeping with the local support concept, the production company makes use of as many regional resources as possible. Signs Now located at 1277 N. Fairfield Rd. in Beavercreek provided the signage for the project.

One of many Greene County area sponsors, Signs Now is owned by Roger and Cathy Peters. Tabitha Miller, is the general manager of the Beavercreek shop.  “Every sponsor involved -from the builder to the food – has been donated. It’s amazing to see how everyone comes together to do this,” Miller said.

According to Miller, Signs Now produced 154 sponsor banners for the event. The City of Beavercreek will be installing 12 street banners and two 40-foot banners over the N. Fairfield Rd. overpass. Most of the preparation work began several months ago but everything really got moving once the family left the home on Thursday.

Crews spent most of Friday July 31 removing the Terpenning’s belongings and cutting down trees around the home and surrounding lots. By late afternoon on Saturday, however, there was nothing left of the Terpenning house but a wet pile of rubble. It wasn’t a fire or tornado that destroyed the Beavercreek residence, but a crew clad in blue t-shirts sporting a gold banner on the back that read, “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.”

Hundreds of spectators gathered at the site to watch Ty Pennington, his Extreme Makeover crew, and dozens of volunteers demolish the Terpenning home in preparation for new construction. Airmen and officers of the United States Air Force got the wrecking ball rolling by ripping up the wooden wheelchair ramp and other pieces of the exterior before bringing in the heavy machinery.

American Idol star Kelly Pickler and Extreme Makeover Home Edition host Ty Pennington may have to be classified as heavy equipment as well. The pair chased around the house wielding sledge hammers, taking hunks out of walls and fixtures before the bulldozer plowed through.

As the crew worked to get various filming done for the show, there was little for the crowd to do but wait. Fortunately, medics from the Beavercreek Fire Department and other first aid experts were available to assist those overcome by the heat of the mid-day sun.

Finally, around 1:15 p.m. Saturday, the crowd cheered wildly (prompted by the show’s director) as the first backhoe cut into the front of the Terpenning home. Extreme Makeover Home Edition designer Didiayer Snyder pulled the levers that brought down the first sections of the house. Shortly after, Coventry Fine Homes, owner and president, Rob Arnold, got into the act as well, knocking down another corner of the home before a workman on a bulldozer took out the garage walls.

Once the ceremonial destruction had begun, the demolition crew went to work from three sides, bringing the home to the ground in a matter of minutes. Beavercreek Fire Department was active on the scene as well helping to contain the clouds of debris and dust with heavy sprays from two fire hoses.

Framing of the new home began on Sunday. The new home will be completed and revealed to the family during the filming of the segment known as “move that bus,” sometime on Thursday, August 6. To follow the progress of the project or learn about the various charities and sponsors involved, go to http://www.greenecountydailies.com and click on the Extreme Makeover Home Edition link.

The show airs on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. on the ABC Television Network – locally, WKEF-TV, channel 22 but there is no word yet on when this episode will be broadcast. Watch the Greene County Dailies Newspapers for further updates.