Biz Courier: Xavier to get assist from $2M scoreboard

Xavier University plans to install a new $2 million scoreboard at the Cintas Center with its marketing partner, Texas-based Learfield Sports. The scoreboard will be installed in time for the 2010-11 basketball season and should help Xavier boost revenue. Athletic Director Mike Bobinksi told the Busines Courier Learfield Sports will pay for virtually the entire cost. The only cost the Athletic Department could be responsible for is anything through the bid process that exceeds Learfield’s funding.

According the Business Courier, new scoreboards generate additional revenue opportunities for teams, but Learfield will get a share, too, by keeping a big chunk of the revenue it brings in from selling ads and sponsorships on the board. The new scoreboard system will not only feature higher-resolution video than the current board, it will also feature so-called “ribbon” boards – thin scoreboards that run around the arena’s main seating section. The ribbon boards will replace fixed signs and offer more sales opportunities for Xavier and Learfield. The programmable capability of the scoreboard’s main display also will allow for more ads to be sold, too, just in time to take advantage of the rise in prominence of Xavier’s men’s basketball team. The team made the Sweet Sixteen of last season’s NCAA tournament, on the heels of an Elite Eight appearance the year before. The Xavier women’s team, like the men, was nationally ranked last year, too.

Opportunity to adopt animals removed from vacant residence

One of our readers sent us the following announcement by SPCA Cincinnati. We’re posting it in case any of readers would like to adopt one of the 23 animals the SPCA rescued in May.


Nearly two dozen animals removed by SPCA Cincinnati from a vacant residence in Clifton Heights in May will be available for adoption on Saturday, July 18 beginning at 12:30 p.m. A viewing of the animals will begin at noon. The adoptions will take place at the SPCA Cincinnati Humane Center at 11900 Conrey Road in Sharonville.

On May 11, 2009, neighbors of a home in the 2500 block of Vestry Avenue called the police about a terrible stench coming from the property. SPCA Cincinnati officers, Cincinnati Police Officers, and Cincinnati Fire Division firefighters paid a visit to the residence. SPCA Cincinnati Sgt. Brandon Corcoran discovered squalid living conditions and a total of 20 dogs, 2 birds and one cat. No owner could be found and the animals were filthy with a myriad of health problems.

SPCA’s veterinary staff has groomed, examined, and administered appropriate medical care to the animals and given them lots of TLC.

All the animals are now ready for adoption. The animals include:

1. 20 dogs: small to medium sizes
2. 1 cat: male domestic short hair
3. 2 parakeets: will be adopted out as a pair

All the animals, except the parakeets, have been spayed or neutered.

Some of the animals have health conditions that will cause the animal to need ongoing veterinary care. The adopter will receive detailed information about the health condition. Adopters should carefully consider their ability to provide the necessary veterinary care. SPCA Cincinnati cannot provide the necessary continuing veterinary care needed and cannot be responsible for any costs associated with continuing veterinary care.

A lottery system will be used if there is more than one person interested in the same animal.

Adopters must complete a pre-adoption questionnaire before they are eligible to adopt.

New rule: Stay on topic

Over the last several weeks, discussions under some of our blogs have veered away from our topics and into the realms of national politics and racism in our community, including unsupported accusations of racism, drug addiction, and other bad behavior directed at our police officers. Following are some recent examples:

1.) 7/2/09: NHS assistant principal Rob Amodio named superintendent
2.) 6/25/09: New Kroger: WOW!
3.) 6/29/09: New Surrey Square Kroger opens next Thursday
4.) 6/17/09: Rookwood brawl: the plot thickens

The goal of Citizens for a Better Norwood blog is to inform our readers about our Norwood community while offering everyone the opportunity to also inform by responsibly commenting on the topics we present for discussion. We are as interested in national politics as most Americans, and we’d be lying if we said we’ve never been tempted to blog about an important national event or issue…the historic election of our first African American president and health care reform come to mind. But Norwood, not national politics, is our beat, and as we like say, “Our blog is about all things Norwood.” We ask that you keep this in mind when you are commenting on our topics. If you happen to forget, we will post gentle reminders to get back on topic.

The off-topic comments accusing our police officers of racism, drug addition, etc. were posted anonymously and without proof. These are extremely serious accusations against professionals who are charged with extraordinary power over civilians. Unsupported allegations like these are highly inappropriate for our blog and should be directed to the proper authorities for investigation. Should an investigation of the NPD ever ensue, we would certainly post any media reports about it for our readers to discuss. In the coming days, we are going to delete these inappropriate comments. If similar accusations are made in the future, even in the guise of "this is my opinion," we will delete them on the spot because we are responsible for all content here, including the comments.

We will be happy to answer any questions in the comment box.

Open House at Cornerstone Christian Academy & Preschool

Phyllis Wilson, Director of Cornerstone Christian Academy, asked us to help publicize their upcoming Open House:

Who: Cornerstone Christian Academy and Preschool
What: Open House
When: July 26 - 2-4 p.m.
Where: 4255 Ashland Ave. (Corner of Ashland and Lafayette Aves. in Norwood - behind Surrey Square)
More Information: call 351-7900 or 264-1412

Part IV: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

See Parts I-III of this Real Detective article below.

The two officers went rampaging through the place, using their training to single out the obvious hiding places of so incriminating a piece of evidence as a murder gun. But they couldn't find it.

Then Dockum spied a suitcase which, when picked up, seemed fully packed. He pried its lock open, rummaged through an assortment of men’s clothing, and finally struck a hard metallic object with his hand.

The Norwood detective drew out a fully-loaded .38 caliber revolver. Familiar as he was with Anthony Overberg's .38, the officer could not believe he had it in his hand after two and a half years.

It took Kiley to verify the discovery. "Sure, there's Davis's special grips and Wilson's trigger guard!" he exclaimed. "Wait'll Fritz hears this."

Mrs. Linna Louise Carter, wife of the suspect, was revived and taken to Louisville headquarters. There, shown the weapon, she fainted again. With a doctor now in attendance, the wife refused, between sobs, to talk. But she did agree to go back to Norwood the following morning with Kiley and Dockum.

Her arrival on Saturday, January 20, was an event, what with half the city already celebrating, news of the case's solution. Flashlight bulbs popped and Mrs. Carter fainted twice more.

read on

Don’t miss Friends of the Library Book Sale at Norwood Library!

Susan Grote with Friends of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County sent us a guest blog below publicizing FPL’s first ever two-day book sale at our Norwood Branch Library this Friday and Saturday. This is a terrific sale for two reasons: the prices are so low your pocketbook will barely notice, plus part of every purchase will go to our local library for hosting the event. See you there!


The Friends of the Library will hold a Book Sale at the Norwood Branch Library on Friday, July 17, from 12 noon to 6 pm and on Saturday, July 18, from 10 am to 5 pm. This is the first time the Norwood Branch has hosted a Friends of the Library Book Sale.

Gently used books, CDs, audio and video tapes, and books-on-tape will be sold at bargain prices. Hardback books are priced at $1 to $5, and paperback fiction at $.50.

The Sale will offer hardback and paperback fiction in every genre: general fiction, mystery, romance, science fiction, horror and westerns. The non-fiction collection covers a wide array of topics, such as art, business, crafts, cooking, gardening, history, home improvement and sports, just to name a few. An extensive collection of children’s books also will be offered for sale.

Students will find classic literature paperbacks on sale for $.50, as well as dictionaries and thesauruses available for purchase. These items are a great way to get started on summer reading assignments or stock up for the next school year.

Purchases may be paid for by cash, check, Master Card or Visa.

All proceeds from the Sale will be used by The Friends of the Library to fund numerous free programs for children, teens and adults throughout the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library system. The Norwood Branch Library also will receive a portion of the proceeds in appreciation for hosting the Sale.

Please visit our website http://friends.cincinnatilibrary.org for more information.

Susan Grote
grotesm1@msn.com
Publicity Committee
Friends of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Part III: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

See Parts I and II of this Real Detective article below

In spite of these disappointments, Fritz had been keeping the promise to himself and Sergeant Overberg that he would overlook no lead in the crime no matter where it took him. Although other duties encroached on his time, the officer was ever ready to plunge back into the murder mystery at the drop of a clue.

Thus it was on April 25, 1944, that Fritz, Flower and Hein rushed to Colorado Springs, where a prisoner, seized in a $3,700 diamond robbery, had confessed he once killed a policeman and left his gun behind.

The man, who looked discouragingly unlike the Norwood bandit, was later found hopelessly insane.

Often, when alone at his desk, Chief of Police Fritz would open a drawer, remove the .45 caliber automatic and the three leaden pellets and study them. He wondered, with a shake of his head, whether an opportunity ever would come when he might tie them up to a callous killer.

THE year 1945 arrived, and on January 18, Detective Kenneth Vassie received a visitor at police headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky.

It was a friend who during war-times held down the position of auxiliary policeman. He had a problem which seemed to demand professional attention, and Vassie was an offcer to whom he could talk freely.

"It's about a fellow who's threatened my life," the auxiliary officer said.

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Casey Brown blogs about 4th of July Hometown Fireworks

You may have heard our fireworks Saturday! They went great despite the rain. About 800 people came and enjoyed themselves!

A special guest stopped by Saturday. Norwood residents may remember Specialist Brandon Rork, our hometown hero we honored at the 4th of July fireworks in 2007. In June of 2007 Brandon shot and killed a suicide bomber whose intentions were to kill as many soldiers as possible. The bomber intended to drive a truck through the base’s protective perimeter and detonate the explosives contained in it. The bomb that was in the vehicle that day was 24,500 lbs of explosives. Brandon stopped this evil person from hurting many, innocents included. It was found later that additional insurgents waited nearby with the intent to enter the base in the chaos after the explosion and finish who was not already dead. We honored him during the 2007 fireworks program.

It was great to finally meet Brandon and his lovely fiancée. Brandon is home in Norwood right now, but he will be deployed in August for another tour of duty to Iraq. We brought him down on the field during the program, and many Norwood residents showed their appreciation to him for preserving our freedoms as Americans.

Many thanks to all our entertainers: our clowns who did balloon animals and face-painting, Wings of Wonder, Steve Carson with his moon bouncers, DJ Eddie Bryla with All Dance Systems and B105 with on-air DJ Stattman. Stattman even got in the act assisting Vic Schneider with MC duties!

Thanks to the following Norwood volunteer groups who came to provide food, drink, inform us about their groups or sell their wares: Norwood Citizens on Patrol, Norwood Historical Society, Norwood Girl Scouts Service Unit 690, Norwood Boy Scout Troup #9, Norwood Athletic Boosters, American Legion and the Holy Trinity Festival.

Our National Guard unit, who always so graciously brings military equipment to display and provides our color guard, where deployed the weekend before July 4th, so many thanks to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who practiced diligently and provided a very honorable color guard for the evening!

Many thanks to the City of Norwood, Norwood City Schools, the Norwood Fire and Police Departments and Hamilton County Sheriffs for their cooperation, without which we could not stage our great event.

Many thanks to the generous donation of the Carl H. Lindner family, without which we would not be able to sustain this event. Thanks to our other donors who gave generously, both in funds to help us stage the event, and in gifts for the kids who are chosen as finalists for the Master of the Fireworks drawing.

And finally, thanks to all the volunteers who so generously give of their time and talents to make this day a continued reality.

Hope we can see you next year, 2010, for another great event!

Casey Brown
Norwood Fireworks Committee

Part II: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

See Part I of this Real Detective article immediately below

By morning the haggard, sleepless police of both cities found themselves empty-handed in more ways than one. Not only were they lacking a definite suspect, but the fingerprint men had found no worthwhile impressions either in the drugstore or on the .45 caliber pistol dropped by the slayer.

Fritz, before retiring for a few hours of needed rest, dispatched the weapon's serial number to the manufacturers, asking for the name of the dealer to whom it had been sold.

By nightfall, back on the job, he learned the gun was part of a consignment to a Louisville, Kentucky, sporting goods establishment which had gone out of business within the past year. Contact with a member of this firm revealed that no records of gun sales had been kept.

Fritz was disappointed.

To make his disappointment more keen, Fritz's pawnshop squad reported no results in connection with the Overberg pistol. The bandit apparently had made no effort as yet to dispose of it. Fritz ordered the weapon's description circularized to police departments throughout the by middlewest.

By this time, the Sergeant Overberg slaying had stunned the city of Norwood and brought its 35,000-odd citizens rallying to the raising of a fund to aid Overberg's young widow and her two small children, Carole Ann and Kathleen.

In addition, rewards totaling $700 were immediately offered for the apprehension of the slayers. Soon business firms began contributing sums until the price on the killer's head went over the $2,500 mark.

read on

Part I: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD

Earlier today, Ward 2 Councilperson Steve Thornbury sent us a lengthy article that appeared in a 1945 issue of Real Detective magazine. The article is a riveting account of the only case of a Norwood police officer tragically killed in the line of duty. Sergeant Anthony H. Overberg lost his life on July 8, 1942, 69 years ago yesterday. One of our police officers gave Mr. Thornbury the article and other material related to the crime just this morning, and we want to thank him for getting this important piece of Norwood history to us quickly so we can know the story and honor Sergeant Overberg’s memory.

We plan to publish the entire article in 3-4 parts over the next several days.


Part I: Clue of the Killer’s CALLING CARD
PISTOL pressed against the holdup man’s belly Sergeant Anthony H. Overberg, of the Norwood, Ohio, police, snapped a command, "Lay that gun of yours on the counter-and make it fast!"

Facing Overberg, hands upraised, stood a surprised youth. A moment before he had started backing the drugstore's proprietor, Howard J. Lawson toward a rear room where the robber knew there was a safe. He hadn't figured that an armed policeman would be concealed there.

Overberg was only one of ten Norwood officers hidden that night July 8, 1942, in as many local establishments --lying in wait for the boasted return of a bold young thug who had been terrorizing merchants in the greater Cincinnati area.

The trap had been arranged by Chief of Police Charles Fritz at the urging of Mayor Allen C. Roudebush and business leaders, following visits of the bandit to Wester's and Hein's pharmacies on Section and Sherman avenues respectively.

On June 27, the thug had taunted Hein as he relieved the druggist's cash register of $200 receipts. "When you see your cops," he had said, "tell them this town's soft pickin's. I'll be around some more." Now on this July night, it seemed as if the egotistical youth had fallen victim to a snare of his own making.

read on

Free Health Fair at Norwood Presbyterian Church

HEALTH FAIR

(Free to the general public)
Norwood Presbyterian Church

4400 Floral Avenue
531-1546
Corner of Floral &
Washington Avenues

Wednesday, July 15
3:00 pm – 7:00 pm


Services Provided:
Height & weight measurement
Blood pressure check
Blood screening (sugar, cholesterol, hemoglobin)
Vision check, dental screening, hearing check
Information about health related topics
Every person will receive a free health kit at the conclusion of the screening. (shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.)

Sponsored by Presbytery of Cincinnati in cooperation with
Synod of the Covenant Mobile Health Fair Program

New Cornerstone Christian Preschool accepting applications

Phyllis Wilson, Director of Cornerstone Christian Academy, sent us the following announcement to share with our readers:

Cornerstone Christian Preschool is opening this fall. We are now accepting applications for PK3, PK4 and Kindergarten. Give your child the advantage of a strong academic beginning in a safe, happy place with loving, qualified and excited teachers. Tuition for full 5 day preschool is less than average babysitting cost!

CCP is located in the lower level of Ashland Ave. Baptist Church at 4255 Ashland Avenue (previous location of ABC Kiddie Kollege)

For information call 351-7900 or 264-1412