Council gives green light to new home construction
By Leigh Ann Glass
Council members addres-sed numerous issues at the Monday, Oct. 24 Richwood
Council meeting.
Jason Wills of Wills Construction approached Council concerning two
building permits for Green-wood Subdivision. Council had previously denied
Wills¹ request for the permits because the terms of the original contract,
including paved streets, had not been met.

Celebrate North Union - Partners in Pride
event planned for Saturday, Nov. 5
By Leigh Ann Glass
Dr. Carol Young reminded those in attendance of the upcoming Celebrate
North Union ­ Partners in Pride when the North Union Board of Education met
in regular session on Monday, Oct. 17.
  The Partners in Pride event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5 at North
Union High School and North Union Elementary School.

County Economic Director addresses Village Council
By Leigh Ann Glass
At the Monday, Oct. 10 Village of Richwood Council meeting, Jim Dew was
appointed Village Zoning Inspector at a salary of $200 per month.
Union County Economic Developer Eric Phillips approached Council with
three resolutions for consideration.
The first concerned an Incentive Program for the Village. Phillips said he
had already received support for the proposal from Super-intendent Dr. Carol
Young and the Union County Commissioners. Approval of the agreement would
come before January 1, 2006.

Candidates vie for Council, School Board and Trustees
Voters in northern Union County will be casting ballots for their choice of
candidates  on Tuesday, Nov. 8 .
Richwood Village Coun-cil, which has four seats up for grabs, had eight
candidates file for the positions. They include incumbents Arlene Blue, Wade
McCalf, George Showalter and Peg Wiley. Others hoping to secure their seats
are Cynthia Blackburn,  James I. Dew,  James K. Thompson and Julie A. Tumeo.
The North Union School Board will have three candidates vying for three
seats. Incumbents Kevin Crosth-waite and Dennis Hall will be joined by
newcomer Donald Tumeo, who will replace Marcy Elliott, who chose not to seek
re-election.
Voters in Claibourne, Jackson, Washington, Lees-burg and York Township
will be selecting two trustees for each township.
Claibourne Township candidates include Joe Wiley (incumbent), Jim Wiley
and Doug Wilson.

Essex Festival to benefit hurricane farm families
By Dr. MONICA DECKER   
The Essex  and Central  United Methodist Churches are sponsoring their first
Fall Festival on Sunday, Oct.16, 4-6 p.m. rain or shine. Proceeds will
benefit farm families in the areas of Mississippi and Louisiana ravaged by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Gary's Discount Outlet opens new Richwood location   
Question: What¹s new, different and exciting in downtown Richwood?   Answer: Gary¹s Discount Outlet!   This week saw the opening of the much anticipated new downtown business, Gary¹s Wholesale, Inc., also known as Gary¹s Discount Outlet. Located at 12 N. Franklin St. in the former Sieg¹s Drugstore building, it is the fifth chain store to be opened by owners Gary and Carol Grogg of Mansfield.   Around 38 years ago, the Groggs, who were operating only a wholesale business from a small building located in Mansfield, had people continually stopping by wanting to purchase ³one of this² or ³one of that.² So, the decision was made and the first retail store opened. Although that location has since closed, a new Mans-field store was opened at the West Park Shopping Center.   A few years later, the second store opened in Ash-land. The third location opened when one of the wholesale employees moved to Piketon and spotted an empty storefront - the rest is history. Cardington, the fourth store in the chain, opened around a year ago. However, prior to the Grand Opening, a car accidentally ran through the front window of the building, causing a lot of excitement.   Gary¹s Discount Outlet has a large variety of different and unique items, everything from hand and air tools to toys. The business will feature knick knacks, picture frames, greeting cards, wrapping paper and gift bags, porcelain dolls, cleaning supplies, candles and items for crafts, parties, school, sewing, household, baby, pet and health and beauty. Customers will also find an assortment of mops and brooms, knives, seasonal items and much more - something for everyone.   With Christmas just around the corner, customers will be pleased to find that Gary¹s offers a Christmas Layaway program, with a 10% down payment. All major credit cards will be accepted.   Store Manager Joy Retterer will be assisted by Sales Clerk Flo Thompson. The Grogg¹s daughter and the company¹s District Manager, Deb Wiles, will be working at the Richwood location for several weeks to meet and greet patrons.   Store hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sundays. However, open hours will be expanded during the Christmas holiday season.   According to Wiles, ³Customers seem amazed at our diversified stock of items. You never know what Gary will be bringing into the store next.²   

People, Pets and Personalities
A great pet is just a hop away
By SYLVIA ZIMMERMAN   
The county and independent fair season is about over and many young people have a feeling of accomplishment. They have successfully stuck with a project, prepared their animal for show, performed well in front of judges and watched, sometimes tearfully, as their ³Pet² is sold. Along the way, skills are learned, especially showmanship.   Watching Monica Cream-er show her Pen of Three Rabbits at the Richwood Fair was like watching Bobby Fischer play chess!   All the other contestants were fidgeting with their rabbits¹ ears, straightening and aligning them, then, readjusting them again before and after the judge passed. Creamer stood motionless, eyes straight ahead, her hands held quietly behind her back, her New Zealand rabbits were crouched in a frozen position reflecting their owner¹s demeanor.   Creamer won her class, but did not win Best of Show this year. Her rabbits were not so well matched, one surpassing the quality standards, while two fell short.   But Creamer has won in her seven years of showing rabbits - Reserve Champion for a Pen of Three and a Best Showman Award.   She didn¹t always show rabbits. Her entrance into the show ring was with Dor-set sheep, but Creamer said, ³They pulled me around the ring and I got tired of wrestling with them.²   Rabbits are more easily controlled, but not always a shoo-in when it comes to having champions. Creamer buys her breeding pairs from Boutwell Bunny Barn in Henry, Ohio, but has found that they don¹t always breed like rabbits! In fact, in the past couple of years, she has only gotten one litter a year. And, it is from those bunnies that she must pick her three.   Creamer said she has tried changing the rabbits¹ diet, has substituted with a different buck, and has tried a new doe. But, she¹s still only getting an average of one litter per year. The most rabbits Creamer has had to choose from at one time is twelve.   Along with the New Zealand whites, Creamer raises Netherlands, known as ³Fancy Breeds.²   Creamer admits, ³I used to play with the rabbits more and I let my black lab scamper with them, but the rabbits didn¹t seem to like that very much.²   Creamer, a senior at Elgin High School, has always shown at the Richwood Independent Fair and not the Marion Fair. After graduation, Creamer plans to attend college, major in English and someday become a teacher. It is evident that Creamer has the discipline, learned in the show ring, to do anything she wants, and a good English teacher is a fine choice.