Amherst News-Times, 2002-08-14

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Amherst News-Time
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WI I)NI SHAY, August   14, 2002
AMIII US I , OHIO
Wife apologizes for husband's abus
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by JASON HAWK
News-Times reporter
A four-year tragedy finally
reached a point of closure Monday
when former Amherst schools bus
driver Andrew Bishop, 56, pleaded
guilty to 19 felony counts of rape
and four counts of extortion.
He was sentenced to 28 years in
prison, with no chance for parole.
Lorain County Common Pleas
Judge Mark Bcdeski justified the
sentence, saying that Bishop received seven years for each of his
four victims.
Court documents state that
Bishop forced four teenage girls to
have sex with him, using as leverage
his claim that he had video footage
of them flashing a three-year-old
boy, and additional tape of one of
the girls having sex.
According to assistant county
prosecutor Vasile Katsaros, there
were an estimated 100 to 120 sexual
incidents between Bishop and the
girls.
"I wish he would have gotten
life," said Bishop's wife, Debbie,
who is filing for divorce. "He'll be
83 when he gets out," she said.
"He'll probably die in prison. But
that's not the point If I would have
heard the judge say 'life,' it would
have finally been over," she said.
Debbie, who has been married to
Bishop since 1983, said she never
saw any signs that he was a sexual
offender.
"I feel so guilty and keep asking
myself why I didn't see it," she said.
"This is someone I cared about,"
Debbie said. "But he was a con artist. He controlled me. And when
they arrested him, I had no idea he
was like that," she said.
Since his arrest in November,
1998, court proceedings have been
slowed by appeals and psychological evaluations.
"It's been a long four years," said
Debbie. "It seems like he had more
rights than the victims. It sickens
me."
One of the deciding factors in
Bishop's sentence length was testimony on his behalf from Westlake
CONTINUED on page S
Teachers await
BaCk tO SChOOl: kids, changes
by JASON HAWK
News-Times reporter
Amherst residents will hear parents breathe a collective sigh of relief when students return to school
on Thursday, Aug. 22.
Staffs at all five city schools and
St. Joseph's Catholic School have
been scrambling to ready buildings,
paperwork, curriculums, and
schedules.
New facilities, ongoing construction projects, some new teachers,
and additional programming will
greet students when they return to
Marion L. Steele, Nord Junior High,
Shupe Middle, Powers Elementary,
Harris Elementary, and St. Joseph's
schools next week.
To help reacclimate students and
their parents, here is a rundown of
information to make the transition
easier
Science wing,
cafetorium
new at Steele
Marion L. Steele High School
starts the day at 7:35 am., and classes end at 2:40 p.m. Last year,
1,250 students, including JVS students, attended the high school. A
slight increase in enrollment is expected this year.
Principal Jeff Riesen is looking
forward most this year to working
together with faculty, students and
staff, and seeing the benefits from
the new additions to the high
school and athletic facilities, he
said.
Students will find it hard to ignore ongoing construction efforts at
the high school, as work crews
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the niRh school, as work crews   si
City lackk
to buy $75,000
access road
from residents
by JASON HAWK
News-Times reporter
1 City council members raised both
questions and voices at tempers
flared last week in a debate over the
future of city access to Quarry Road
at an emergency meeting an Monday, Aug. S.
For five yean, the city has leased
property from Florence Lealie. 1030
Quarry Road, at a coat of $1,500 per
year. With Leslie's pemttuion. city
workers built aa access road across
bar property to allow f**affic ftow ar-
o-atd the condemned Quarry Road
Bridge.
**wmb the Quarry Road Bridge
was conderruied. we found we were
left without passage to 18 liornes,"
Mad mayor John Higgins. ''We'd
lake to see the existence of this road
eontinue," he said.
Since the lease expired in March,
aowever, traffic has continued white
orjmptnsation has halted.
Higgins was first to propose a
solution Monday night. He suggested that a lump sum of $10,000
be paid to Leslie, and an additional
sum of $1,000 per year be added to
her compensation until the cost of
the property is paid.
The appraised cost of the property
is $75,000.
**I think there are some ethical
issues here," said Higgins. "Mrs.
Lealie went out of her way to help
us when we needed it; now we
should help her." he added.
Not all members of council and
the city administration agreed with
the mayor's plan, including treasurer Kathleen Litkovitz, who suggested a renewal of the city's tease
for $1,500 per year.
The budget for next year is already going to be tight without expending those kinds of wsourect,
she said.
Cou-Kilman Ed Cowger agreed,
backing his position by citing possible layoffs and unemployrnent increases next year that will further
deplete the budget
Members ol council debate how they will pay for an access road.
"At of April 1. that if not city
property, it's private property," he
said, indicating that Leslie is no longer obligated to kaep the road open
Council president John Dietrich
agreed. "We don't have $75,000 to
give Mrs. Leslie. I'm sorry, at this
time," he said.
"I was under the uudastaatding
that at the end of the lease, the land
would be bought and that we would
have a bridge." Leslie said.
Amis call vote to table discus-
sion on the issue nanowty tailed in
a 3-4 decision, and -atanben
a measure to exaniiae a
reading of the resosvtiou.
At a second emergency -Meting
held on Aug. 8. cc-urcilinembers
voted a 5-1 to tease the property one
The
Fourth Ward cc*uncilmember Jen-
nifer Warilk. Cowger did not attend
the meeting to lodge hit opposition.
Councilmember-at-large David
Williams proposed posting signs
near the property's enffsace indicat-
mg to local reshknts that public usage will be restricted effective after
the tease expires on March 31.
2003.
OtMacU's resolution may not
solve all he city's problems, however, as Amherst Utilities may still
require access to the tntofficiaUy-
named Leslie Lane.
"Anient Utilities has a 12-inch
water main on Leslie Lane en the
east ade ot tne road that allows us
an easy access to our wafer -Mia
sad win cut down on lawn repair
Ronald Merthe In a tetter, to Hf-
gi-as. "In the sear tWrrate, we nay
intents frota the erepetiy
bring a Mm from she (we-
and friendly school.
Many students believe lunch to
be the most important aspect of the
school day. Students eat during the
third period, which is divided into
four 30-minute segments. Full (regular) lunches cost $2.25 each, and
milk costs 40 cents. These prices
apply to all the Amherst district
schools.
According to school personnel,
many new options will be added to
the selection this year, including a
salad bar, snack bar, and pizza. The
setup is similar to a college
cafeteria.
This year, the foods and services
director, Mrs. Wanda Warford, is
nstituting a computerized lunch
ard that can be prepaid, and delta-is purchases like a debit card.
Although students will return en-
nass on Aug. 22, high school fall
ports teams have been practicing
iince Aug. 5. The starling date for
:ach sport is determined by the
3hio High School Athletic
Association.
"The Amherst community has always been very supportive of the
schools in our district," said Riesen.
"One of the important issues we
will be planning for this school
year is the passage of a Permanent
Improvement Levy," he said, adding that such a measure would not
increase taxes or establish new
taxes.
Nord staff
includes 12
new teachers
At Nord Junior High School, students report at 7:35 a.m. and leave
at 2:34 p.m., although students are
CONTINUED on page 6
Two say
voting
districts
not fair
by JASON HAWK
News-Times reporter
Two members of the city council
have accused mayor John Higgins
of "sliameless get-rymsndering" hi
efforts to rediatrict the city's voting
wards.
A tetter to the mayor said that his
•••districting proposal if unconatitai»
tional and only for political gain.
The historical purpoec of geny-'
maMtering has bees to manipulate
the division of voting diatricts ao
that rJispropoitiorsate aumams of
partisan etectan are located in hey
du-tricts while giving other parttes
prac--dence in as few districts m
possible. PoHucal power, as s tees*aV
is skewed to one party.
Aaindcoendem review of the po>
pulation of the km newly
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