You never knew who you would find in the rose garden during 2012. There were people who passed out money and others who tried to take it away. Some folks had plenty to say and others left us speechless.
It all makes for quite a list when selecting the year’s best of roses and the worst of thorns. So here we go, counting them down:
BEST OF ROSES …
No. 10 — To the mystery woman who approached customers at the east side Wal-Mart during the Christmas season and gave them $50. “I was dumbfounded and just froze,” said Samanthia Pettigrew, one the people to receive the gift.
No. 9 — “I’m not on a single medication. I’ve never been in the hospital. I eat my vegetables and fruit every day.” — Dorothy Hadding, on celebrating her 85th birthday in April and her 50th anniversary at Lima Bargain Center.
No. 8 — One hundred lucky motorists were treated to gasoline prices of $1.84 per gallon at the Shawnee Fuel Stop on Breese Road. It was part of a rollback the prices promotion to June 2009. After the promotion, prices reverted to $3.29 per gallon.
No. 7 — To Tim McLaren, of Lima. After retiring in 2011, he rode his bicycle 4,470 miles across the United States, going from Oregon to Virginia.
No. 6 – Two Lima brothers, Cortez and Ceyshon Huggins, ages 16 and 12, told their father, Calin, to forget their vacation to Florida. They would rather spend the time helping tornado victims in southern Ohio.
No. 5 — To Wittenberg University wide receiver Desi Kirkman, who landed on ESPN’s Top 10 plays on Oct. 13. Kirkman caught a 19-yard touchdown pass at the goal line — and a la Cincinnati Bengals’ Jerome Simpson — flipped over a defender and landed in the end zone. The spectacular play by the former Lima Central Catholic star athlete was rated No. 2.
No. 4 — To Teresa Coleman and her husband, John Turntine, of Lima. Earlier this year they began adopting a 2-year-old boy. When they learned the child had two older siblings, ages 6 and 5, they welcomed them all into their home. This will be the first Christmas the children have a tree.
No. 3 — In a span of five days, Pat Joseph saw her home in Kossuth burn down and then had her insurance money snatched by a bank robber as she stood in line to make a deposit. Her reaction — “meh.” She explained she’s been through worse things, including a kidney transplant and the loss of her hearing.
No. 2— To Emily McKissick, 5, who visits Lima Manor at least twice a month to give residents candy. She began distributing the candy at age 2 while visiting her grandmother and aunt at the Brower Road facility. She’s kept it up even though her family no longer has anyone at Lima Manor.
No. 1 — Two Westminster brothers have been married to two sisters for 70-plus years. Brice Richardson married June Rose on June 9, 1941. The following year Paul Richardson married Jean Rose at the age of 16.
… WORST OF THORNS
No. 10 — A 64-year-old man said a woman wanted to borrow one of his shirts to wear to a court appearance. He believes she also left his apartment with his wallet and a $50 money order.
No. 9 — Cattle rustlers made off with 10 to 14 Holstein steers taken from a Delphos farm in February.
No. 8 — In September, Lima Police Department officers were called to an East Elm Street residence where a naked man was outside feeding his dog..
No. 7 — A Lima middle school student made 35 counterfeit $1 bills on his home computer and turned them in to his class fundraising project.
No. 6 — “We’re not seeing the gross deformities that we have in the past.” — Ed Moore, of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, explaining the water quality of the Ottawa River in Lima is improving.
No. 5 — Along with chicken nuggets, seasoned curly fries, a whole grain dinner roll and fresh strawberries, lunch during the first week of school for some Shawnee Middle School students included a few cooked ants.
No. 4 — One of the more unusual crimes of the year saw a golf ball bandit targeting Wal-Mart stores located along Interstate 75. The thief walked off with more than $2,000 worth of golf balls from the Lima store on Harding Highway in September. Similar heists occurred in Piqua and Wapakoneta months earlier.
No. 3 – A truck loaded with 30,000 pounds of beer in Putnam County spilled all of its liquid nourishment onto a road and into farm fields when it collided with a car. The driver of the car was cited with failure to yield.
No. 2 — A Lima woman who likes to walk around naked with her window blinds open complained to police officers in August that she received a handwritten note from a teenage neighbor boy saying he enjoyed the view and would like to speak with her.
No. 1 — Ten teenagers, some as young as 13, were arrested in a burglary spree that targeted 15 houses on Lima’s north side.
