Representatives from the Union County Fair Board and Union County Health Department say they have a strong working relationship, as they navigate repairing damages caused during COVID-19 mass vaccination clinics. “The Union County Fair Board has had an open and good working relationship with the UCHD and looks forward to continuing to serve the health and safety of our community,” according to a written statement from Michelle Kuhlwein, with the fair board. Kuhlwein said the estimate for $282,785.36 worth of damages, quoted by Goodwin Services, was obtained in order to start the process of applying for funding from the Federal…
Author: Kayleen Petrovia
A proposal provided by the Union County Fair Board, with a quote from Goodwin Services, estimates repairing damage to the fairgrounds caused by COVID-19 mass vaccination clinics will cost more than $280,000. The project is broken into seven areas of roadway that would be repaired, each labeled with a letter and highlighted above. Section A represents the Route 4 entrance, while Section F surrounds the rabbit/poultry barn where vaccines were administered. (Graphic submitted) The Union County Health Department could be liable to pay the Union County Fair Board what it claims is more than $280,000 in damages to the fairgrounds.…
Triad families will see a difference in building leadership during the upcoming school year. The Board of Education recently approved a new principal and moved another to a new building. Vincent “Vinnie” Spirko was hired as the middle school principal while Doug Lowery, who formerly filled the position, will shift to the high school. Triad High School’s principal position opened when Kyle Huffman accepted the same position at Madison-Plains High School over the summer. Superintendent Vickie Hoffman said she “immediately” knew that she wanted Lowery to lead the high school. “It wasn’t a great time, in my eyes, to have…
Triad officials believe the district’s choice to continue in-person instruction through most of the 2020 school year is paying dividends. Chief Academic Officer Morgan Fagnani said Triad’s spring test scores are approximately 10% higher than the state average. “I was really happy to see that,” she said during Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting. Fagnani said she recently received preliminary results from spring state testing. The state has not yet sent scores from students who participate in alternate testing, so Fagnani said she cannot provide concrete results until then. However, she said the conclusions she has drawn thus far are positive.…
Women at the Ohio Reformatory for Women use clear plastic trash bags as ponchos during a rainy Parent Day event hosted Saturday by Prison Fellowship, a Christian non-profit that advocates for justice reform. The program featured testimony from former inmates, resources from Rock City Church of Columbus and a performance by 216 Stix, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ drumline. Nearly 400 women filled the ORW yard during the event. (Journal-Tribune photo by Kayleen Petrovia) On Saturday, hundreds of women gathered to share their parenting tips. In the yard of the Ohio Reformatory for Women, these women weren’t seen as prisoners, but first…
Before I even knew how to drive, I remember a family member telling me about one thing I needed to be especially careful about once I did have my license. If I was stopped at a gas station, she told me I should never accept a business card from any man who approached me. She apparently read on Facebook that groups of men were posing as car detailers interested in gaining women’s business. They wore rubber gloves to protect themselves from a harmful chemical their business cards were contaminated with. If you left the gas station with a business card…
Investigators are looking for the suspects who vandalized at least 40 new vehicles, including the Acura pictured above, at a Honda of America storage lot overnight Monday. (Photo submitted) Dozens of new vehicles were vandalized at the local Honda plant earlier this week. Chief Deputy Tom Morgan with the Union County Sheriff’s Office said at least 40 “brand new Hondas and Acuras” were spray painted and keyed. Among those damaged were 2021 Honda Accords and 2021 Acura ILXs. He said the Union County Sheriff’s Office was called to Honda of America, 24500 Honda Parkway, just after 8 a.m. Tuesday. Morgan…
After a dormant year during the COVID-19 pandemic, Plain City will be bustling during the Miami Valley Steam Threshers Association annual show. Mayor Jody Carney said the show is an integral part of the village. “We want to be known as the home of the Steam Threshers,” she said. The annual show will take place Thursday through Sunday at Pastime Park on North Chillicothe Street. Opening ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday. The 2021 Steam Threshers show will feature Massey Ferguson-Massey Harrison implements. Carney said the show, which showcases antique tractors and farm implements along with family attractions, “helps…
Plain City officials are working to make the village’s noise ordinance more easily enforceable. While the village does have regulations in place surrounding excessive noise, Mayor Jody Carney said they can be difficult to uphold because the ordinance does not include “specific, measurable details.” Plain City Police Department Chief Dale McKee said this shifts too much of the burden to his officers. “From the very creation of the ordinance, I didn’t like it being up to the discretion of a police officer to determine if something is annoying,” McKee said. Plain City’s excessive noise ordinance prohibits noise that “plainly audible…
First responders were at the scene of a bus crash on Mitchell Dewitt Road Thursday morning. The bus, owned by All R Friends of Westerville, was transporting four local adults with special needs when it crashed. (Photo submitted) A Hilliard woman was cited following a bus crash in Jerome Township while she was driving four local adults with special needs. Sydney G. Phillips, 23, of Hilliard, was issued a citation for failure to control following the incident. The Union County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call that was transferred from the Dublin Police Department at 8:56 a.m. Thursday. The caller…
Jerome Township Trustees recently approved two zoning amendments surrounding the Jerome Village neighborhood. Earlier this week, the board voted unanimously in favor of rezoning two separate areas, after the initial public hearing was held June 14. A 69.59 acre area on the southeast corner of Jerome Road and Blaney Road will be rezoned from Rural Residential District (RU) to Planned Development District (PD). The rezoning will allow for the development of 149 lots for single-family homes. The development will have a density of 2.14 units per acre, with 36% open space. Trustee Chair Megan Sloat noted that medium-density residential developments…
Jerome Township Trustees are hopeful that a police levy will strike a balance between protecting their community without footing the bill for the entire county. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to place a 1.1 mill renewal with a 0.1 mill increase on the November ballot. The funds generated by the levy would be used to fund the Public Safety Officer (PSO) program that places Union County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Jerome Township. Trustee C.J. Lovejoy described himself as “super pro-blue,” but said he is concerned about how much Jerome Township is funding the county’s deputies. “Where do we stop?” he…
Residents listen as Plain City Police Chief Dale McKee, pictured at center, speaks during a tour of the new Plain City Police Department. Directly behind McKee is a door to the department’s safe room, which is open 24/7 to individuals in distress. Those in need can enter a door on the other side of the room, which will lock behind them until an officer is on the scene to assist them. (Journal-Tribune photo by Kayleen Petrovia) As residents toured the new Plain City Municipal Building, they saw a number of features in the police department designed with them in mind.…
Plain City officials gathered recently to host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the village’s new municipal building. Officials initially planned to hold an open house for the building, which houses the Plain City Police Department and administrative offices, last year but delayed the public celebration until pandemic restrictions were loosened. Pictured are, from left, Council members John Rucker and Sherry Heineman, Former Mayor Darrin Lane, Police Chief Dale McKee, Mayor Jody Carney, Village Administrator Nathan Cahall and Council members Lauren Giaimo and Frank Reed. (Journal-Tribune photo by Kayleen Petrovia)
Plain City residents bothered by live music performances in the Uptown district are asking council how much noise is considered too much. Resident Mike Walter spoke during the most recent council meeting surrounding noise specifically from musical acts at The Grainery, 138 W. Main Street. “It is clearly audible, clearly a nuisance and clearly excessive,” he said. Walter said he lives approximately 1,350 feet from The Grainery, but hears music from the restaurant “as if there was a radio right beside me.” He cited local ordinances and EPA regulations, arguing all property owners have the right to “quiet enjoyment” of…