Ohio Wesleyan’s greek members impacted the lives of a mother and her eight children with their service this year in the Delaware community.
The fraternities and sororities served the Delaware community in a new way this year. In the past, greek organization members came together on one day during the semester and did a service project. This year, the service was spread throughout the semester and called Greek Season of Service.
“I wanted to do more service than one day a semester,” said senior Kate Wallrabenstein, greek service coordinator. “This way it was also more flexible because everyone got to pick service opportunities that worked best with their schedule.”
Greek life service initiatives changed from environmental service projects in the past, such as planting trees and picking up trash around Delaware, to members engaging with people in the community, according to Wallrabenstein.
“This changed our goals from bettering the community aesthetically to helping the people within it,” Wallrabenstein said.
Greek Season of Service took place at the Common Ground Free Store in Delaware. Common Ground, 193 E. Central Ave., is a non-profit organization that provides essentials such clothing, shoes, diapers and toiletries to the shoppers at no cost. The staff also prepares a hot meal for their shoppers to enjoy at the store.
Greek members signed up for different dates to serve, and 10 to 15 members attended each event. Greek members sorted donated clothes, served food and assisted in running the store while families shopped and dined.
“We receive a lot of donations, which is a good thing,” said Jill Ignaszewski, Common Ground volunteer manager. “The sorority and fraternity volunteers from OWU were a tremendous help with sorting through those, as well as helping where needed and being a smiling face to talk to shoppers.”
Common Ground is an important service for many families. Isabel Baker is the mother of eight children all under the age of 15. She and her husband both work full-time, but struggle to maintain financial stability.
“I am so grateful for this store,” Baker said. “Common Ground helps take some of the burden off so we can use our income to pay for food, bills and rent. It really helps not having to buy as many clothes for eight kids.”
Delaware County is usually regarded as a wealthy county, but there are many families and individuals who live in poverty, according to Ignaszewski. An average of 50 to 75 families served each day the store is open, which is four days a week.
Many of these people are working hard, but there is still not enough income to make ends meet, according to its website.
Sunlight shone onto the floral wallpaper of an old Victorian themed home as Denise Randall shared where women struggling with homelessness and financial problems have found refuge in Delaware County.
Randall is the crew chief at the Women’s City Club of Delaware, Ohio, a non-profit organization that provides a home for single women of low-income. The Club’s house is located at 135 N. Franklin St.
Prior to moving into the house in June 2019, Randall lost her home after being catfished. To be catfished means to be manipulated by someone with a false identity on the internet. She battled severe depression and fibromyalgia. She still struggles with fibromyalgia but, as a result of her time at the Club, she is no longer depressed, Randall said.
“If any woman is in need of a place that she needs to call home temporarily, whether that be three months or a year and a half, Women’s City Club is always some place they should try,” Randall said.
According to the Club’s mission statement, the non-profit organization is “…dedicated to providing a safe, affordable and nurturing home for single working women of low income as they transition towards a self-supporting future.”
Women who live at the Club are required to pay a weekly rent of $70, according to MaryAnn Davis, president of the Club’s foundation board.
In addition to the Women’s City Club itself, the organization has a foundation that is responsible for fundraising, according to Jo Ingles, secretary of the foundation board. Both organizations are registered as nonprofits and have separate boards made up solely of volunteers.
The Club houses 10 women at a time and, as of Oct. 18, the home was full, according to Randall.
Some of the women associated with the Club said the stories of women who live there highlight the need for the county to offer more affordable housing.
“I think Delaware needs to have more affordable housing,” said Robyn Davis, previous resident. “And I think that’s a big discussion in this city and county.”
Lee Yoakum, a city of Delaware spokesperson, said there have been discussions among council members about the need for both affordable housing and a balanced housing stock. By this, he means housing that is not only affordable, but is also appealing to individuals looking to transition into a smaller or larger home, he said.
“What our goal as a city is, to make sure that our housing stock is robust and comprehensive,” Yoakum said. “Part of that is, yes, addressing the need for affordable housing.”
Yoakum also said that there are three multi-family apartment residential projects underway that are to be completed in 2020. In the last 10 years, Delaware has not had that many apartment related projects underway at the same time, he said.
Jane Hawes, director of communications for the Delaware County Commissioners, said housing and zoning are handled at the municipality and township level and the county government does not interfere.
Despite all needing a safe place to live, each of the women who stay at the Women’s City Club have had unique experiences.
Jacqueline Oen, a basketball official for Ohio High School Athletic Association, reached out to the Club while in recovery from alcohol abuse. She began abusing alcohol after her husband died and ended up losing a lot, including herself, she said.
The Club and foundation members’ willingness to help and provide housing and mentorship is the most beneficial aspect of the club, Oen said.
“God led me to the Women’s City Club,” Oen said. “I feel like He really did.”
Oen began living in the house in March 2019 and, as of Oct. 18, said she was 13 months sober.
Differently, Marlene Mckenzie, a current resident at the Club, was narcissistically abused and manipulated into moving out of her abuser’s home. After living with her son and his girlfriend’s family in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, Mckenzie found herself living in a car after learning the family was being evicted.
Mckenzie said the club helped and supported her emotionally and she doesn’t know where she would be without it.
“The Women’s City Club is a stepping stone for us women,” Mckenzie said. “We have been displaced in some kind of way or another, so we find ourselves here and we have support here and we have love here and it is a stepping stone for us to get back on our feet financially. But they also build you up here emotionally. They give you the drive and the ambition to go out and make yourself a little bit more self-sufficient.”
Delaware also has a Turning Point shelter that provides victims of domestic violence with a temporary place to stay, according to Robin Amstutz, president of the Club.
Sue Capretta, treasurer for the Club’s foundation, said she believes people in Delaware are naive to the fact that women in their community are at risk for homelessness and in need of help.
“I think they know, but yet it’s never in your neighborhood,” Capretta said.
To improve such a mindset, Capretta said society needs to become less self-centered.
“I think that our society has gotten to be very me-oriented and that concept of caring for others has kind of gone by the wayside,” Capretta said. “I think that we need to get back to where we realize that, no matter how bad your situation is, there’s other people that have a worse situation or equally as bad.”
To prevent individuals from circumstances similar to the women who live at the Club, MaryAnn Davis listed some solutions. The community should educate people about money and how to take personal responsibility, talk with parents about how to properly raise children, and find better ways to deal with mental health, she said.
Capretta said she recognizes that the circumstances of some of the women who live in the home are a result of bad choices. The members of the Club aim to give such women a second chance. Some have a history of substance abuse, according to Ingles, also public relations coordinator for the Club.
“We want to give them a shot because someone has got to give them a shot,” Ingles said. “That is the whole idea. You can’t make someone pay forever for mistakes.”
Ingles also said being involved with the Club is rewarding and she loves to celebrate the successes.
“We have far more success than we do failure,” Ingles said. “When we have success, it’s just really a cool thing to celebrate. And I live for that.”
Robyn Davis, who keeps track of electronic records for the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, lived at the Club from June 2017 until March 2019. While living at the Club, she eliminated credit card debt that she had accumulated after her two sons graduated high school and she no longer received child support. She is now a member of the Club’s board and is on both the Resident Relations Committee and the committee dealing with mentorship partnering.
Davis is an example of one of the Club’s successes.
The Club was originally founded in 1954 by Zuilla Way, whose husband bought the home for her to use as a social club with her friends, according to MaryAnn Davis. Following World War II, there was limited housing for women as soldiers returned to their homes and jobs, she said. So, from the beginning, the charter required the Club to offer housing for low-income women.
Many of the women who are involved in the Women’s City Club believe Way’s vision was ahead of its time.
Robyn Davis said, “I think Zuilla Way, that donated that house to the foundation to run, had a foresight and a vision into the future that other people probably didn’t have.”
Despite its historical presence, not all individuals are aware of the Club’s presence and mission.
“The Women’s City Club is one of Delaware’s best kept secrets,” said Randall, a retired nurse.
To spread awareness, the Club has put on fundraisers, such as a princess tea, and rented out the first floor of the home for special events.
“We’ve done a lot of fundraisers,” MaryAnn Davis said. “We need to find a better way of getting the word out and also raising money.”
The Club relies on donations, grants and fundraisers to pay for renovations and other necessary home repairs. The foundation is responsible for this money, which remains separate from the women’s rent. Rent is handled through the Club’s treasury and is used to cover home utilities and insurance, said MaryAnn Davis.
Data show in:
2017: $1,161.05 in personal donations from individuals and $14,145.33 in public donations from corporations and businesses (including a $8,333.33 grant from the Delaware County Commissioners for new upstairs windows).
2018: $601.96 in personal donations from individuals and $1,433.30 in public/private donations from programs such as Kroger, Amazon Smiles and other donors.
2019: $414.31 in personal donations from individuals and $1,209.50 in public/private donations from programs such as Kroger, Amazon Smiles, and other donors (as of Sept. 29, 2019).
Additionally, the Club’s foundation received $3,078.79 in charitable withholdings in 2018 and $5,492.80 in 2019 (as of Sept. 29, 2019).
None of the money the Club or foundation receives goes toward paying for staff or administration. All of the board members for both the Club and the foundation are volunteers.
“They are truly a society of women who want to see other women succeed, and they’re there when you need them,” Oen said.
The women who volunteer for the Club and the foundation aim to help the women living at the home transition into a “self-supporting future,” as stated in its mission statement.
Capretta said, “Our goal is to help these ladies move forward and to be able to get out of our house and into their own.”
King’s neighbor heard his cries of fear through the walls of a southern Columbus apartment just nine days before humane agents removed the beaten pit bull terrier from the building.
King was lucky. Since his rescue, he has recovered and found a new home. Not all abandoned and abused pets have the opportunity to heal like King did.
Columbus Humane seized 18 animals from a Grandview Height’s Home on Sept. 10, 2019 after obtaining a search warrant because of reports of sick animals. The seizure included 10 cats, two dogs, two rabbits and four dead guinea pigs, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus Humane seizes over 1,100 animals annually, according to its website.
Still, while animal cruelty and neglect cases are present in Central Ohio, they are a small percentage of the ways in which individuals in the area have an impact on animal welfare.
When talking about cases of intentional abuse and neglect, Charles Jones, assistant dog warden for Delaware County, said “those are really few and far between type cases for us.”
A greater number of animals in Central Ohio are harmed by a misunderstanding of the proper companion animal care. The Ohio Revised Code describes companion animals as “any animal that is kept inside a residential dwelling and any dog or cat regardless of where it is kept.”
Jana Cassidy, executive director of the Humane Society of Delaware County, said that, although animal welfare in the area is good, more could be done to ensure residents are able to provide the right care for their pets.
“I would say, in terms of companion animals, I think that we’re doing a good job,” Cassidy said. “I think that, as a community, we can do better.”
To solve this problem, legislators in Ohio need to pass stronger laws and Central Ohio counties must provide more education and foster greater community collaboration, according to officials.
The humane societies and animal shelters in Central Ohio look to Chapter 9 of the Ohio Revised Code for information regarding animal welfare. The code states that no owner should willingly abandon or injure a domestic animal, and outlines prohibitions concerning companion animals and cruelty.
Despite such laws, human understanding and mindset about required animal care affects the way in which such humans determine how a companion animal should be treated. Cassidy said Ohio law regarding how individuals view and treat animals is not strong enough to protect animals from harm and neglect.
“What an animal is, by law, required to be given is access to food, water and shelter,” Cassidy said. “The definition of food, water and shelter depends on your perspective.”
With a vague legal outline of proper companion animal care, pet owners may develop their own individual mindset on what that care includes.
Mitchell Garrett, assistant dog warden for Delaware County, said, “There is a big push in society’s way of how we have evolved and everything where dogs have become family members…and it’s morphed into dogs are treated like children…but there is a lot of people out there that their dog isn’t their kid. Their dog is their dog.”
Many of the humane societies and animal shelters in the area aim for pet owners to adopt the mindset of their pets being like kids.
Crystal Richie, volunteer for PAWS (Powel Animal Welfare Society), said, “I would love to see more people kind of adopt that mentality that, ‘Hey, my dog is my family. My dog is like a four-legged kid with a tail.’”
However, with such differing mindsets, the way in which companion animals are treated varies from owner to owner.
Daniel James, another assistant dog warden for Delaware County, said, “There are a lot of dogs that sleep on beds and couches and pillows and blankets, and then there are a lot of dogs that sleep outside in the doghouse. It depends on the owner, basically.”
Various humane societies in the area, such as the Humane Society of Delaware County and Columbus Humane, follow and encourage pet owners to follow the ASPCA’s five freedoms.
Individuals who don’t adopt the mindset of their dogs or cats being family may intentionally or unintentionally neglect their pet from care and freedom that many other pet owners see as necessary.
Reproduced under the terms of click-use license, U.K. Farm Animal Welfare Council. Obtained from the ASPCA website.
Todd McCullough, director of the Fairfield County Dog Adoption Center and Shelter, in an explanation of a newly enacted dog licensing policy, shared how difficult it can be to adjust the behavior of pet owners.
“It’s challenging to change behavior of people that don’t really want to change their behavior,” McCullough said.
The main priority of various shelters and humane societies is to ensure good health of the animals.
“We really emphasize both physical and mental health for the animals,” McCullough said. “That’s a priority for us.”
In an attempt to achieve such a goal, the humane societies and animal shelters in Central Ohio aim to place and keep animals in homes.
Data from 2018 and the first eight months of 2019 show (respectively) customers adopted:
1,239 and 815 animals from the Humane Society of Delaware County
44 and 17 dogs from the Delaware County Dog Shelter
582 and 435 animals from the Marion Area Humane Society
189 and 107 dogs from the Marion County Dog Pound
3,281 and 2,261 animals from Columbus Humane in Franklin County
426 and 238 dogs from the Fairfield County Dog Adoption Center and Shelter
Additionally, the Union County dog warden returned 25 dogs to owners in 2018 and 52 dogs in the first eight months of 2019.
In addition to adoption numbers, the shelters and societies also have significant intake numbers that represent how many animals they bring into their facilities each year.
Shelter
2018 Total Intake Numbers
Humane Society of Delaware County
1,570
Delaware County Dog Shelter
528
PAWS (Powell Animal Welfare Society)
70
Marion Area Humane Society
969
Marion County Dog Pound
481
Columbus Humane
9,804
Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center
9,303
Union County Dog Warden
72
Fairfield County Dog Adoption Center and Shelter
864
The Union County Humane Society and the Fairfield Area Humane Society did not release data for this story.
There are a variety of actions and behaviors that play a role in lowering the number of animals in need and, in turn, the number of animals brought into the various shelters. One remedy that staff at the humane societies and shelters call for is increased education. Such education may cover pet ownership, humane procedures or an understanding of overpopulation problems.
“It kind of all goes back to education on pet ownership,” said Payton Shanaberger, shelter manager for the Marion Area Humane Society. “So, if people kind of reach out to other organizations to get help, whether it’s financially or behavioral training, things like that, it may help animals stay in a home. And if there’s more education, then they know how to deal with their own pets better.”
Similarly, Kerry Manion, chief humane agent at Columbus Humane, explained that an understanding on the humane requirements of animal care goes a long way in improving overall animal welfare.
“The enforcement aspect is pretty much after the fact…but to prevent abuse and to teach compassion and empathy in the schools I think is needed at this point,” Manion said.
Jeff Chambers, director of communication services at the Ohio School Boards Association, said all schools are set up to meet the needs of their local community. So, each school may provide coursework on animal welfare if it is in their interest. However, he also said, because it is not something required by the state of Ohio, not all schools have time for such education.
“In terms of bringing in speakers, probably so,” Chambers said. “In terms of creating a whole new semester coursework for it, I don’t know if they do have the time for that for most school districts.”
Manion also emphasized that knowledge on animal cruelty and neglect is important for the community to have because residents are responsible for reporting such cases to the various humane societies.
“The vast majority of the complaints we receive are from the general public. They’re kind of our eyes and ears in the community to report animal abuse to us,” Manion said.
Obtained from Columbus Humane’s Website
In addition to knowledge about how to properly care for a pet and how to recognize cruelty, staff members at humane societies and animals shelters in Central Ohio call for greater education about the overpopulation of companion animals.
Richie, involved with the Ohio State Bar Association Animal Law Committee, said one of the biggest problems with animal welfare in Central Ohio is people being unaware of overpopulation. She said that many people get their dogs from breeders while other healthy, and sometimes full-blooded, dogs are available for adoption.
“That can easily be remedied through programs and education and just making the public aware that you can get a really wonderful dog at your local shelter,” Richie said.
Education about overpopulation also ties into education about the necessity of spay and neuter procedures.
McCullough, Fairfield County’s dog warden, said. “Communit[ies] paying attention and supporting the efforts of not creating unnecessary or unwanted litters is really critical.”
Data from 2018 and the first eight months of 2019 show (respectively) agencies euthanized:
250 and 185 animals at the Humane Society of Delaware County
82 and 36 dogs at the Delaware County Dog Shelter
53 and 25 animals at the Marion Area Humane Society
9 and 8 dogs at the Marion County Dog Pound
79 and 30 dogs at the Fairfield County Dog Adoption Center and Shelter
The shelters and societies do not euthanize for overcrowding or lack of space, according to officials in Delaware and Marion counties. Euthanasia only occurs when requested by owner or when an animal’s health or behavior cannot be helped or controlled.
The Fairfield County Dog Adoption Center and Shelter works hard to ensure that its population does not get too high so that they don’t have to resort to euthanasia for overcrowding, McCullough said.
In addition to stronger laws and greater education, continued and increased collaboration between the community and animal rescue organizations is necessary in improving the welfare of companion animals in Central Ohio, according to officials.
McCullough emphasized the role cooperation between organizations and county residents plays.
“Examining the entire organization and reorienting it to having high standards of care for both the animals in our care,” McCullough said, “but also the public, and forming good partnerships with people in the community and rescue groups has been also really critical.”
The humane societies and animal shelters in Central Ohio rely on support from the community.
Cassidy said the Humane Society of Delaware County wants to do better to help out its community, but it is restricted by the resources the community provides.
“I’d love to be able to do more for the community, but we are limited by the physical constraints of our building and the funding that comes along with that,” Cassidy said.
As non-profit organizations, the Humane Society of Delaware County, PAWS and the Marion Area Humane Society rely solely on donations. Columbus Humane receives some government funding for its law enforcement work, but also relies on donations.
“We’re limited by the support of our community,” Cassidy said. “So, the more they support us, from either fostering, volunteering and of course financially, the more we can do.”
Humane Society of Delaware County 2019 Medical Cost of an Animal
Female Dog (40-60 pounds)
Medical Cost ($)
Spay
70.00
Veterinary Exam
20.00
Heartworm Test
20.00
Rabies
10.00
DA2PPC Vaccination
12.00
Bordatella
12.00
Influenza
15.00
Flea Preventative
10.00 (per month)
Heartworm Preventative
5.00 (per month)
Microchip
20.00
Dewormer
5.00
Total
199.00
Adult Female Cat
Medical Cost ($)
Spay
45.00
Veterinary Exam
20.00
Feline Leukemia/FIV Test
20.00
FVRCP
12.00
Rabies
10.00
Dewormer
5.00
Flea Preventative
10.00
Microchip
10.00
Total
132.00
The adoption price for a female dog weighing 40 to 60 pounds is $150 and the adoption price of an adult female cat is $60. After paying for each animal’s medical costs, the humane society does not make profit on adopted animals.
Obtained from Columbus Humane’s website
Additionally, the assistant dog wardens at the Delaware County Dog Shelter emphasized the importance of purchasing dog licenses to support the shelter and ensure the safety of the dogs.
James, Delaware County’s assistant dog warden, said, “So dog licenses, the funds that come from that, they run the shelter. They give all the dogs their shots, spays and neuters, they pay for gas in the trucks.”
Jones, also a Delaware County assistant dog warden, agreed. “If you want to help your local shelter, buy a dog license.”
Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano proposed a pilot project that would move the annual registration deadline for dog licenses from Jan. 31 to March 31, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Officials said they hope the change will result in greater licensing compliance.
The employees at the humane societies and animal shelters in Central Ohio encourage such change and support because they are passionate about the safety and wellness of animals.
“We’re in the profession because we care and we want to protect animals,” Manion said. “It’s our primary responsibility, and we strive to make a difference every day.”
He also emphasized the difficulty of the job. “It takes a special person to do these types of criminal investigations because you see the ugliness of human nature,” he said.
Manion adopted King, who after being brought into Columbus Humane, failed the canine good citizenship test he needed to pass to be adoptable. Today, King spends his days at Manion’s side, whether that be in the office at Columbus Humane or camping or shopping on the weekends. Manion said he loves the pit bull terrier.
“I also hope that, you know, he’s a reminder to the agents who rescued him,” Manion said. “The positive impact they make on animals, on the people … having him here every day hopefully reinforces to them the good work that they do as they can see a success story every day in front of them.”
Ohio Wesleyan students and Delaware County residents don’t have to travel far to purchase gourmet cheeses and candies from Wisconsin, Indiana and Britain.
The Greater Gouda, located between Typhoon Asian Fusion Bistro and Hamburger Inn Diner on 12 N. Sandusky St., opened June 19 and business has been booming since, said co-owner Terri-Lynne Smiles.
Smiles said she and her husband Mark opened the shop in downtown Delaware because they discovered they had to drive to Amish Country, Plain City or Columbus to purchase Amish cheese, meats and other gourmet foods unavailable in Delaware County.
“We kind of looked around and loved downtown Delaware,” Smiles said. “We would just see a lot of people walking around and hanging out and thought, ‘Delaware’s ready for [the Greater Gouda].’”
Most of their customers have been Delaware County residents, but the store is attempting to widen their audience to include OWU students. During freshman orientation, the Greater Gouda provided coupons, giving all freshmen a 5 percent discount.
The shop is also organizing a September giveaway specially for OWU students. If OWU students sign up with their email address, they will be entered into a random drawing to win a 4.5 pound bag of Mike and Ike’s candies. No purchase is necessary to enter the giveaway.
Sophomore Anna Pakrasi said the co-owner suggested she sign up for the giveaway when she first visited the store.
“I haven’t tried anything from the store yet … but I saw some jams that looked good and I want to try their cheeses,” Pakrasi said.
The shop carries more than 80 different types of cheese, along with various deli meats and candies. Most cheeses cost about $4-6 per pound, and are imported from various parts of the country and world.
Some of their bestsellers include the Wensleydale with cranberry and the Cotswald from Britain, both of which were introduced to the store after customers requested it, and Big Ed’s gouda, originally made in Wisconsin. Customers can sample cheeses on request.
Kevin Farino, a customer who frequents the store at least once a week, said he purchases something different every wee.
“The Cotswald cheese is actually my favorite cheese,” Farino said.
The Greater Gouda also recently introduced “toastabags,” which are useful for students, Smiles said. Toastabags are used to make grilled cheese sandwiches in a toaster. The bags can be reused up to 50 times.
The store is also eventually planning on introducing non-food related events to the store, like musical performances, book readings and recipe demonstrations, Smiles said.
Currently, the store offers weekly taste testing opportunities to the first 10 people who sign up.
Since the store’s opening, the owners have organized two “Gouda Gives Back” days and plan to do one every month.
“We pick a local charity and … on that day, a percentage of all of our sales are donated to that charity,” Smiles said. “We also try to put out, through our social media outlets as well as some literature in the store, just some more information about the charity to get them some more exposure.”
One of the charities the store supported was People In Need Inc. and the day is designed to give back to the community of Delaware.
Beehive Books, located at 25 North Sandusky St., is closing on Jan. 31 because the two owners, Linda and Joe Diamond, could not find a buyer to purchase the bookstore.
“We want something that will complement Delaware,” Linda Diamond said. “We’ve had a few offers but the business must be good for Delaware and be comparable to Beehive.”
Beehive has been open for more than six years and sells local artists’ work, various books and magazines, coffee, and handcrafted merchandise. It hosts events such as book signings and readings by local and national authors.
Senior Naomi Abrams, member of the Interfaith House, said she used to do homework there and held a book club for her house project at Beehive.
“The place is cozy, like everyone knows everyone, somehow,” she said. “The owners were super accommodating and even charged us less for books.”
The Diamonds also own the space where Global Village, Button-Up and Whit’s Frozen Custard are located. Linda Diamond said their decision would not affect these businesses, stating she and her husband decided to sell the bookstore so she could focus on her job at the Health Department and because of Joe’s ailing health.
“We had to stop and think where we wanted to spend our time,” she said.
Lisa Ho, associate chaplain and Beehive Books employee, said the Diamonds told employees it would close at the store’s annual Christmas party.
“It sounds kind of crass, but it wasn’t,” Ho said. “They wanted us all to know at the same time.”
Ho said the Diamonds’ search for a Beehive buyer had been public knowledge for a few months but she did not know the store would close.
Some customers are upset about the closing. Greg Myers, a Delaware resident, said he had gone to the bookstore every weekend since it opened for a latte and to read Baron’s magazine.
“It was my Saturday morning habit,” he said. “[Beehive] has this energy. It was like a focal point for the community. You can’t get that anywhere else.”
Junior Taylor Johnson, who had just started working at Beehive two months ago, said she had wanted to work there since she was a freshman. According to Johnson, the store is closing partly because of financial reasons, in addition to slow business.
“It’s like, if you really wanted to keep it open, you should have been here,” she said. “But they get, and we all get, that this is the best decision for the owners. It’s just sad to see it go.”
The book’s prices have been marked down for the past three weeks and all artwork and furniture is sold.
Diamond said Delaware residents have been the most avid buyers. “People come in and say, ‘I want something from Beehive to remember it by’ and so now bits of Beehive are scattered throughout Delaware,” she said.
Diamond also said she will sell the leftover books to other bookstores, the closest of which is twelve miles away. She also said she would donate books to organizations in the town.
On the last day the store is open, the Diamonds are hosting an Irish wake so the community can say goodbye to Beehive.
“Joe and I are both Irish and we want to celebrate, not to mourn,” Diamond said.
Ho said a committee has formed to recreate the atmosphere and opportunities that Beehive offered. The Community Education and Outreach committee will meet within the next month to find a place where community members and OWU students can attend educational events. Places like Choffey’s Coffee, Something Sweet and Barley Hopsters have been discussed as options.
A man was shot Thursday night on the Woodward Elementary School playground at 200 S. Washington St., three blocks from the Ohio Wesleyan campus.
Delaware Police Department (DPD) officers responded to a 911 call at 8:15 p.m. reporting a fight outside the school, according to DPD Captain Adam Moore. When they arrived, they were informed the fight had resulted in a shooting.
Joshua Mosley, Jr. of Columbus was arrested and charged with felonious assault after police conducted an investigation at the scene, detaining and interviewing seven witnesses.
Moore said Mosley “made some statements” indicating he committed the shooting. Some witnesses’ testimony also contributed to the probable cause for the arrest.
The victim, Darryl Ginyard of Delaware, sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body and was airlifted to an Ohio State University hospital. Moore said he was told the man went into surgery for his injuries last night.
According to Moore, in the coming days DPD will continue to collect evidence and determine any other involved parties, as well as figure out the motive for the crime. He said officers are “still pursuing the location of the weapon.”
“We know kind of what happened now; the next question is, ‘Why did it happen?’ or ‘What was behind it?’” Moore said.
Moore said the incident bears no relationship to Woodward Elementary School other than its location. He said it’s questionable whether the parties were trespassing because many local schools offer their playgrounds for public use.
“Obviously they were not using the playground for its intended purpose by getting into a fight or shooting firearms, but I really can’t comment on what the school’s policy is about who can use their equipment and when they can or cannot use it,” he said.
Around 9:30 p.m. a Public Safety (PS) alert was sent to OWU warning of a shooting on Liberty Street with the suspect still at large. The alert told students to stay inside.
Director of PS Robert Wood said PS was “not able to confirm immediately who the shooter was” with DPD.
The Babbling Bishops, OWU’s improvisational comedy troupe, were performing their final show of the year in Chappelear Drama Center. During the show, a member of the theater staff took a member of the troupe aside. After the show ended, the troupe informed the audience that “something had happened on Liberty Street.”
By then, many had already seen the first PS alert and a later one from around 10:20, saying police were still searching for suspects and that no students or OWU employees were involved in the shooting.
“Stay inside with doors and windows locked,” the alert said.
Shortly after the Babblers informed the audience the campus was on lockdown and the building was in “crash” position, Officer Jay McCann and Investigator Art Reitz of PS arrived to escort students from Chappelear to the residential halls.
“We’re going to move you in a couple of large groups,” McCann told the audience. “…It’s still an active situation, we are still asking you to stay inside (and keep) doors locked.”
After learning that almost everyone in the audience were going to Bashford, Thomson or Welch Halls, or Small Living Units on Rowland Avenue, McCann announced that they would move as one group, with one PS officer in front and another at the rear.
“Please stay close together, we’re going to go as quickly as possible,” he said. “And again, let me reiterate—until an (all clear) alert comes out, please stay inside. I know this is the last day of classes, I know this is Blackout Thursday…this is very unexpected, and it is a very dangerous thing …the police department is still advising us to stay inside.”
He told the audience he didn’t want to see a student encounter the alleged shooter and be shot.
“You know me well enough, I wouldn’t be telling you this if it wasn’t the truth, I need you to really follow this, okay? Get in your dorms and stay there.”
The audience filed out into Rowland Avenue. Many walked in silence; some had their arms around each other or held hands. They reached the residence halls without incident.
Shortly after midnight, another alert went out, updating that the investigation – now listed at Woodward Elementary, when previous alerts said it was on Liberty Street or off-campus – was ongoing, but that “the scene is quiet.”
“BE CAUTIOUS if out in area,” the alert concluded.
Director of University Communications Cole Hatcher sent a campus-wide email at 12:38 p.m. Friday saying no OWU students or employees were involved in the incident. The message encouraged students, faculty and staff to contact DPD with any relevant information and to sign up for the OWU Alert system that kept the campus informed as details unfolded.
“We hope to provide as much information as we can as quickly as we can, and we hope we succeeded this time,” Hatcher said.
UPDATE: As of 3:42 p.m. on May 3, DPDt issued an arrest warrant for Chante N. Durr on a felonious assault charge. Durr is also suspected in the May 2 shooting incident. According to the DPD press release, anyone with information on Durr’s whereabouts should contact police at (740) 203-1111 or file an electronic report at crimereports.com. DPD is also seeking information about the location of the gun used in the shooting.
UPDATE, May 7, 8:33 a.m.: According to DPD Captain Adam Moore, the warrant for Durr’s arrest was issued because investigation indicated she had been involved in the confrontation leading up to the shooting and had made some threats during the incident.
