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Thousands of dollars in merchandise
stolen at Liberty sporting goods store
LIBERTY -- A woman reported seeing two teenagers in front of a local business the night a local sporting equipment store was broken into, resulting in thousands of dollars in merchandise being stolen.
According to a police report, officers were called to Wharmby Sporting Goods on Belmont Avenue on Monday morning for a breaking-and-entering report.
Officers spoke with the store's owner, who said he had arrived to work and saw the building's glass door was broken out, adding that he found a rock by the front door and a piece of brown landscaping stone further inside the store.
The store's owner said approximately 15 to 20 pairs of football shoulder pads worth $130 each, six to eight varsity letterman jackets worth $220 each and eight baseball bats worth $400 each were missing, adding that the cash register was not tampered with.
The owner said he does not have an alarm system or surveillance cameras, and he still needs to conduct an inventory check to see what else is missing.
An officer spoke with a woman later in the day, who said she saw two teenage boys, one white and one black, walking southbound in front of the business around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, adding that she told the teens to leave the business alone, leading them to run off.
Champion swears in 3 firefighters
CHAMPION -- For the first time since 1982, the township has added three full-time firefighters to the fire department staff.
The three new firefighters are Zachery Freyn, Nicholas Screckengott and Hayes Yocum. They were sworn in at a recent meeting.
Township officials said they can now hire full-time staff because of the passage of a fire levy and also with $260,000 in SAFER grant money for two years.
Residents of Champion approved the 2.65-mill, five-year additional levy in May, ensuring continued funding for the fire department. The levy will help increase staffing, maintain and replace key equipment and address facility needs as emergency call volumes rise.
Township officials have said the levy will generate an estimated $692,145 annually per year, and the owner of a $100,000 home would pay approximately $93 per year. Officials said they had not had the available funds in the past to hire full-time staff.
Staff reports