Local Archived News

New Red Cross Director announced for Union County
The Union County Chapter of the American Red Cross announced last week that Cynthia L. Morley-Shanklin will serve as its new Director.

Council swears in new member
The first order of business during the village council meeting was to swear in Todd Hoffman as the newest member to council. Hoffman was selected by council among several applicants to fill the vacated seat of Peg Wiley, who resigned at the close of the 2010 year.

IRS kicks off 2011 tax season with extended deadline
The Internal Revenue Service opened the 2011 tax filing season by announcing that taxpayers will have until Monday, Apr. 18 to file their tax returns. They also remind taxpayers impacted by recent tax law changes that using e-file is the best way to ensure accurate tax returns and get faster refunds.

Donors set record for United Way
Boosted by year-end donations and last-minute gifts, the United Way of Union County will raise more than $852,000 during its annual campaign, making it, in terms of dollars raised, the most successful in the 52-year history of the organization.

Union County Drug Free Youth Coalition meets in Richwood
North Union High School will host the Union County-Drug Free Youth Coalition (UCDYC) meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27. The school is located at 401 N. Franklin St., in Richwood and the meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the media center.
During this meeting, there will be a discussion on plans for a county-wide youth initiative beginning in mid-February. A presentation will be made by Circle of Support, and the committee chairpersons will present information on any current projects.

Village council selects Hoffman to fill open seat
Members of village council interviewed six candidates last week, choosing Todd Hoffman to fill the vacant seat of Peg Wiley, who resigned last December.

Union County Safe Communities report zero traffic fatalities
The Union County Health Department’s Safe Communities program is proud to report that no traffic fatalities occurred in Union County from October 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010. This compares with zero deaths for the same period in 2009.

CPAs offer free tax preparation for Ohio’s deployed military troops
This tax season, Ohio’s deployed military personnel can receive free tax preparation services from volunteer Certified Public Accountants (CPA) members of The Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA).

Elementary students to collect “pennies for pets”
The student body and staff invite the public to help them help the Union County Humane Society.

Police make five arrests at high school
Eric Holman, North Union High School principal, has called the Richwood Police Department four out of five days last week, in regards to possible drug related situations at the school.

Council sets date for candidate interviews
Village council member Peg Wiley submitted her resignation during the December, 2010 meeting, after 14 years of service to the village. Council members have set the date of Thursday, Jan. 13 at 6:30, to interview six candidates who submitted resume for the position. The successful candidate will fill the position, which expires December 3l, 2011. The new council member will be announced at the Monday, Jan. 24 meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at the village administration office, 153 N. Franklin St.

Governor appoints former Prospect resident to staff
Ohio Governor John Kasich appointed Gary Mohr as the Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitations and Corrections last week. Mohr, who has more than 36 years of experience and leadership in both the public and private corrections systems, attributes his success to his upbringing as a youngster, growing up in Prospect.

Steve Stolte appointed as Union County Commissioner
Former Union County Commissioner Tom McCarthy stepped down last December, leaving an opening to fill. Saturday, the Union County Republican Central Committee announced former Union County Engineer, Steve Stolte, was selected among 10 qualified candidates as the new county commissioner.

School district setting up improvements in the classrooms
The North Union School Board heard an update on the future of the district’s Race to the Top participation.

Police calls for service down in 2010
According to statistics given by Richwood Police Sgt. Becky Frazier, a total of 1,290 adult and juvenile calls were received during the 2010 year. That figure is down from 2,073 in 2009. Of those 1,290 calls, 403 warranted a full report, also down from least year’s total of 512.

NUCFD announces year-end report
Northern Union County Fire Chief Randy Riffle, has released figures of activity for the Northern Union County Fire District for 2010. During the year, a total of 736 fire and EMS runs were calculated.

Residents look back at 2010 happenings
Many turn of events will be remembered in 2010, the economy is still trying to rebound, gasoline prices continue to rise, unemployment continues the upswing of homelessness and hunger and healthcare causes controversy. The nation continues to find answers.

NU High School seeks Hall of Pride nominees
It’s that time of the years when North Union High School officials begin searching for graduates of Richwood and North Union High Schools. They want to inform the public about those who have given back to their communities since their graduation.

Snowplow drivers offer tips for safe driving
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials report that only one month into the winter weather season, there are been more crashes involving drivers hitting ODOT snowplows than last year. In this time period, there have been 63 crashes statewide, compared to 57 all of last winter.