The Village of Owensville lost a staunch supporter on Saturday, Nov. 28 with the death of Agnes Cecelia Schmidt Gauche. Mrs. Gauche was born March 21, 1919. She was 90 when she died. After the death of her husband, Stanley Gauche, Agnes Gauche approached council in 1999 to state her intention to donate her home and nine acres to the village.

With operating revenues declining for two years in a row, the Clermont County Board of Commissioners took a hard look at how to balance the budget and made the decision Monday, Nov. 23 to cut $4.5 million from the general fund budget. According to board of commissioners President Ed Humphrey, the largest pieces of the operating expense pie are the criminal justice department and the general government.

The Batavia High School Girls Ensemble traveled to Morehead State University on Nov. 9 and 10 to participate in the 50th annual Choral Festival. While there, they sang in a 150-member choir, learned many new singing techniques, learned some great music, and had a great time.

A large crowd of students, their families and area residents were on hand at Batavia Township Community Center on Tuesday, Dec. 1, to take part in the annual tree lighting ceremony. The Batavia Middle School Choir, under the direction of Emily Smith, entertained the crowd with a number of Christmas songs and invited the audience to sing along.

In 1883, Dr. C. E. Belt envisioned an English style cottage at the corner of Market and Broadway streets in Batavia. His dream became a reality and according to a mechanical drawing and article in The Clermont Sun on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 1887, the outward appearance of the home was peculiar to the area.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving with your family or friends. We had all our family here on Thanksgiving evening. Ruth Ann was cooking and baking for two days, not all day, but parts of each day. She is like her Mother when setting a meal for our family.

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