Child severely burned now recovered, West Side honored with parade and more: 5 uplifting stories this week
Sep. 4—Here's a look at five positive Butler County stories that were in the news this week:
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McCrabb: Butler County child severely burned in bonfire now recovered as family looks back 1 year later
Drew Puckett was oblivious to the commotion around him.
He was at Hanover Park on a hot and humid Thursday morning with his mother, younger brother, Aiden, and grandmother along with two members of the media and a representative from Shriners Children's Ohio.
His mother was being interviewed while Drew's picture was being taken.
He didn't care. He was sitting on a miniature green bulldozer and was content scooping up rocks and sand in the bucket. His face, bare feet and clothes were covered in dirt.
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New taco shop coming to site of former pizza restaurant in Middletown
Hector Gonzalez believes he can succeed where two pizza restaurants failed.
The 47-year-old Beavercreek resident has leased the space formerly occupied by pizza restaurants and he plans to open Hector's Taco Shop by the middle of September. The restaurant will open at 1126 Central Ave. in Middletown, where Blast Pizza and later Don's Pizza operated until it closed in May due to an employee shortage.
Gonzalez owns and operates Hector's Taco Shop near Wright State University in Fairborn. After talking to his friend Ron Decker, a Middletown architect, and Scott Lewis, whose family owns several downtown buildings, Gonzalez was convinced to open his second location.
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Anticipated HUB on Main to open soon: What to expect
With marked progress in recent weeks, the HUB on Main bar and family-friendly indoor/outdoor eating place is hoping to open soon.
It's technically not a restaurant because dining options will be provided by food trucks that will rotate in a "food-truck court" at the back of the property.
In recent weeks, artificial turf has been laid down in the beer-garden style outdoor area, which will be covered and enclosed during the winter. The HUB in its name stands for "Hamilton's Urban Backyard."
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Company to expand its cardboard-box manufacturing, perhaps in Hamilton
It's possible that Hamilton, or some other area in southwest Ohio, could be the site of a new paper mill operated by Saica Group, the Spain-based company that's building a cardboard-box-manufacturing factory in Hamilton.
Saica Group President Ramón Alejandro told the Journal-News his company plans an aggressive $800 million expansion in the United States over the next five years, with plans to add other manufacturing plants and a paper mill in the Midwest. The expansion may include company acquisitions or new plant construction.
Overall, the company plans to spend $2.8 billion on expansions globally through 2030, Alejandro said.
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Spooky Nook latest: More than 2 dozen events already booked for 2022
Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill is close to having about 30 sports weekends booked for 2022, and they will be locked in once the local booking system is in place.
The immense indoor sports complex is still scheduled to open around the end of this year, but events are being scheduled for April and later, Lisa Disbro, the facility's director of hospitality, recently told an online audience gathered by the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.
So far, the only event announced for Spooky Nook has been the 65th Model T Tour held by the Model T Ford Club International from July 17-22, 2022. That was announced in June.
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AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
PHOTOS: Hamilton West Side Little League team honored with parade
Hamilton West Side Little League All-Stars were honored for their performance in the Little League World Series with a parade and ceremony on the stage at RiversEdge Amphitheater Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in Hamilton. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF
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