Middletown Ohio Snow January 2009

This is our UPS man stuck in the street today. He tried to abort a turn into our drive, because of a down limb, but he was unable to make that happen and ended up stuck on the curb.

For more pictures of the Middletown, Ohio January 27th and 28th snow storm please visit our Flickr account linked below:

Middletown, Ohio Snow Storm Pictures January 27, 2009
Middletown, Ohio Snow Storm Pictures January 28, 2009

Former Graduate Hits $1,000 Shot at Alma Mater

For the past 3 or 4 years, Middletown Christian High School has ended each half time of their varsity boy's basketball home games with a small competition: a shoot out. Each home game at half time 4 people are randomly chosen from a list they willingly sign up for to perform in a shoot out. The premise is simple: each person has 30 seconds to make a layup, a free throw, a three pointer, and a half court shot. Their prize? The person who completes all shos in 30 seconds wins a cash prize. Now the pot, which grows by $25 each game nobody wins, started out as $100. For 3 years people tried and for 3 years nobody one, until last Saturday night.

Peter Highly, a former graduate and basketball player for Middletown Christian, stepped up to take his turn. He was the last to go of the night and he was determined to win. Peter made the layup and free throw easy but missed his frist three pointer. Things looked slim for Peter but he quickly made his second attempt at the three point shot and moved on to the final half court, money winning shot. He had around 12 to 15 seconds, enough time for two shots if he hurried but his strategy was to take his time and do it right the first time, and thats exactly what happend. With 3 seconds left Highly let the ball fly and........swish! Right in the net! The crowd, which packed the entire gymnasium, erupted into thunderous applause. "I've been waiting for that sound all year." said Middletown Christian Coach Eric Gwinn, who heard the enormous reception by the fans from the locker room. Peter Highly had just won a grand total of $1,075 dollars!

Since its conception 3 years ago people have watched Peter try his luck multiple times. Always a crowd favorite, Peter attempted this challenge one time last year, two times the year before that, and a few times the first year. Always Peter would make it to the half court shot but was stoppeed there each time.

Speaking to Peter after the game I asked him what he was going to do now, jokingly he said, "I'm going to Disneyworld!" I asked him how he felt, "I'm just excited. I've tried this a couple of times and $1,000 is a lot of money, I mean, who couldn't use an extra $1,000 bucks in their pocket?" He also joked about all the friends and family asking for dinner dates.

Peter will recieve his check at Middletown Christian's next home game.

Middletown Christian Eagles Soar to Victory Over Emmanuel Christian Lions

The Eagles of Middletown Christian matched up against the lions of Emmanuel Christian last night at Middletown Christian. The Eagles, coming off a win last week against Summit Country Day, the Eagles were eager to keep their win streak going.

Both teams played well in the first half. The Eagles capitalized on some easy buckets around the rim while Emmanuel Christian worked well on the perimeter and with jump shots. Throughout most of the first two quarters the teams were neck and neck with the Eagles holding on to a tight lead going into half time.

Senior Kenneth Gaynor, the leading scorer for the Eagles averaging 23 points and 9 rebounds, was capped at 14 points for the night. This, however, was not due to a superior defensive performance by the lions, but was the result of other Eagle players stepping up and making baskets. Senior Tim Knorr supported the Eagles with 12 points while Ross Green, also a senior, lead the team with a game high of 15 points. "I'm really proud of how Ross played", stated Gaynor after the game, "He did a nice job of hitting open shots and finishing around the basket." Green had this to say about the team, "I'm pleased with how we pulled together as a team to come out strong in the second half and finish the game. I think that's our biggest problem. We have a lot of talent on the team but we have trouble closing out games."

Coach Eric Gwinn had this to say about his team's performance, "I thought we did a nice job of limiting Emmanuel Christian's shots and performing well on defense." Gwinn was especially pleased with the overall unity of the team. "We had a lot of guys step up and start playing like Green and especially Tim Knorr, he did a really nice job of making open shots around the basket and really came through for the team."

The Eagles finished the night with a 60 to 48 victory over the Lions. The Eagles play again next Tuesday night away at Xenia Christian, varsity game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Not dead yet

By: Randy Lewis

They say that Middletown is a dying city and it has nothing left to offer, but there are two people in Middletown that don’t see things that way. A local minister Kevin L. Aldridge and his friend Ron Mosby do not believe that statement, nor do they want you to believe it. Aldridge and Mosby are doing their part to try and bring this city back to life.

A pastor at the Kingdom Vision Ministries, Aldridge is a native son of Middletown and his friend Ron Mosby, a former spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation and business consultant are reaching out to help the community. They are holding a local seminar to encourage and give the tools to bring small business back to Middletown.

The seminar will focus on networking, obtaining referrals along with selling yourself.
The Forbes article that placed Middletown in the top 10 dying cities really struck a cord with people in Middletown and the hope is if people are given the knowledge to start and run a small business they will do so in their on town. “I feel this is away for small businesses to rally behind Middletown in a positive way and jump-start business owners to do business in times like these,” *Aldridge said. He goes on to say,” You can be successful without a college degree and provide for a family as well in an economy like this. People have to understand that it’s more than a education.”*

The city of Middletown has seen some hard times as of late and its programs and people like Aldridge and Mosby that will aid in getting the city back on the right track.
The seminar will be held on Jan. 24, from 3 to 6 P.M. at the Chamber of Commerce on Central Ave. The cost is$50 and will include materials and refreshments.


* source Middletown Journal.

For more on middletown,Ohio news click here, Middletownusa

Middletown Christian v.s. Dayton-Jefferson 1-16-09

Last night my old high school basketball team from Middletown Christian faced off against one of the toughest teams in their conference, Jefferson High School from Dayton. Many people were excited about this game for two reasons: it was a big conference game for both teams and because both teams have two outstanding players. Im talking, of course, about Jefferson's Adreian Payne and Middletown Christian's Kenneth Gaynor.

Both players are fun to watch and both can do an amazing job with the ball. Through out the night the game seemed less like a game between the two teams and more like a game between Gaynor and Payne. Both are among the leading players in their Metro-Buckeye Conference and in the area. The battle between Gaynor and Payne was hard fought but in the end neither was the victor as both players had an astounding team high of 28 points a piece. Both players made some big plays for their teams during the game. Gaynor, who hit his 1,000 point career mark a few games ago, had two shot blocks against Payne along with a couple of steals and some huge rebounds and Payne had two dunks.

The Eagles, who entered the game with a record of 7 wins and 4 losses, stayed with the Broncos most of the game holding the Bronco's lead to two most of the second half. But late in the fourth, with the Broncos up by two, the Eagles made some key turnovers which Jefferson capitalized on. The Eagles ended up losing the game with a final score of Jefferson 65 to the Eagles 52. Lucky for the Eagles they get another shot at the Broncos later in the season. The eagles record moves to 7-5 and the broncos move up to 8-2. The Eagles play again Tuesday night, January 20, away at Summit Country Day.

Madison Mohawks break top 15 in 2009 Associated Press Poll

The first Associated Press Poll of the year is out and made quite an impact for one local team. When the Madison High School boy's basketball team read the results they were overjoyed when they saw that their team was ranked in the top 15 of the associated Press Poll!

The Mohawks placed as the number 13 ranked team in all of Ohio for division III basketball. A little bit of pressure for the team whose record currently stands at 8 wins and 1 loss. Head Coach Jeff Smith however, says that this rank is a positive pressure for his team. "We are very excited, now we have to step up and earn that kind of respect. I hope our kids use it as the right motivation."

The Middletown Middies are also ranked in The Associated Press standings as the number 9 team in the state of Ohio.

Middies Undefeated in 2009 GMC

After last Friday's game against the Lakota West Firebirds (4-4, 2-3 GMC) the Middletown Middies improved their record to 9 wins and 1 loss overall and a respectable 5 wins and 0 losses in their Greater Miami Conference.

With great performances from Senior guard Allen Roberts who averages 13.2 points per game and Senior forward Bill Edwards Jr. who averages 18.8 points per game and was last years GMC player of the year the Middie's are on the road to a great season with their second place finish in a Florida tournament, their 9-1 record and their undefeated GMC record.

Needless to say, fans of the Middie's boys basketball team are all expecting great things from this years team and are eager to see some exciting basketball played out this season.

Cincinnati's UFC Champ Rich Franklin to fight overseas in Ireland

A high school math teacher from Cincinnati, Rich Franklin probably isn't the first person you would think to be stepping into a fighting ring and going toe-to-toe in an all out brawl with fighters from all over the country and the world. Even with a master's degree in education and a bachelors degree in mathematics from the University of Cincinnati, Rich Franklin decided to drop teaching and become a full time Mixed Martial Arts fighter.



Rich "Ace" Franklin has a very impressive track record in the UFC. Franklin had an amazing record of 17 victories and only 1 defeat on his way to his fight for the title. His only loss was against Lyoto Machida by TKO in the second round. However his road to the title was anything but a simple one. Going head-to-head with such well-known and respected fighters like Evan Tanner, Jorge Rivera, Edwin Dewees, and Ken Shamrock, Franklin proved himself to be worthy of the title fight, which he won. Franklin also defeated Evan Tanner a second time for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 53 which also lead to him landing the spot of coach on the second season of the t.v. series The Ultimate Fighter.

Franklin has defended his title twice so far, once on November 19, 2005 against Nate Quarry who he knocked out in the first round and again on March 4, 2006 against David Loiseau. After breaking his left hand in the fight with Loiseau and sitting out for seven months, Franklin returned to fighting only to be dethroned of his title by Brazilian Anderson Silva on October 14, 2006. But, eager to win back his title, Franklin stepped up against middleweight contender Yushin Okami on June 16, 2007 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This victory named Franklin the number one contender for Anderson Silva's middleweight championship. Franklin won and regained his title. However, Franklin's Victory was short lived. On October 20, 2007, Franklin faced Anderson in a rematch for the middleweight championship and unfortunately lost by TKO in the second round.

On January 17, 2009, Franklin will be competing in the biggest fight of his career. Sporting a 24 win and 3 loss record, Franklin steps overseas once again in his fight against former PRIDE Fighting Championships 183lb. and 205 lb. champion Dan Henderson at UFC 93 in Dublin Ireland. This isn't just your run-of-the-mill fight however. It is the first UFC event of the year, Franklin is the first person to main event a UFC show in Ireland, and the winner of the fight will be given the job of coach for the American Team on The Ultimate Fighter season 9 US v.s. UK.