CLAIRSVILLE — Area residents gathered in St Clairsville on Thursday to mark the 74th annual National Day of Prayer outside the Belmont County Courthouse The National Day of Prayer is a yearly observance held on the first Thursday of May that invites people to pray for the nation According to the National Day of Prayer website the occasion was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Harry S Truman Baugh was the keynote speaker Thursday and talked about what led him to find religion Air Force veteran said he was deployed in an undisclosed location shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept and believes that the only reason he returned stateside was the grace of God “When God poured His grace out on me it was prior to me ever coming to know the Lord Jesus as my Lord and Savior I served in the Air Force for over 25 years and was at an undisclosed location deployed right after 9-11 and there were some people that were looking to harm us but it was all God’s grace … as a there was a bullet hole less than 18 inches from where I was But that’s how God poured his grace out on me that day,” Baugh said I didn’t come to know the Lord Jesus at that time as my Lord and Savior when he again continued to pour his grace out upon me He saved me from a pit of depression that I was wallowing in.” Christ the King Lutheran Church and Harbor of Hope Assembly of God Church all came together to celebrate the day when people across the nation lift their voices in prayer Baugh said that members of the different churches gathered at the courthouse as believers in Jesus to lift up the local community with prayer Community member Jim Dietz said he participates in the event in hopes of building bridges across the county and bringing people together outside the church “There’s a church for everybody and we want to find more people in the streets to help lead them to those churches,” Dietz said Harbor of Hope Assembly of God Connections Pastor Nikki Smithberger said she believes that the National Day of Prayer is important because it is vital for the community to come together not just ministry leaders or political leaders but for everyone to come together and lift up the community to God She thanked everyone in attendance and encouraged them to continue to praise God every day Today's breaking news and more in your inbox economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March | https://www.timesleaderonline.com | 200 S Clairsville baseball team rush the field after the final out of Saturday’s OVAC Class 4A Championship Baseball game at the Edison Unified Sports Complex in Richmond The Red Devils defeated Indian Creek for a 3-peat RICHMOND — Entering the 2025 high school baseball season Clairsville baseball team following the large numbers the graduated senior class had put up the season before someone forgot to inform the group of current Red Devils Saturday afternoon at the cloud-covered Edison Unified Sports Complex Clairsville and Indian Creek renewed their rivalry in the OVAC Class 4A championship game the second-seeded Red Devils (12-2) defeated the No they had to work a little longer with a 10-4 victory in eight innings “I couldn’t be any prouder of this senior group … this team,” veteran St “To beat a quality team like that three times in a row for the OVAC championship is something They’ve worked very hard for this and they deserve it.” Clairsville’s Brody Saunders was going to continue his mastery of Indian Creek as the senior righthander was trying to close out a 4-3 victory when the Redskins drew even on a two-out RBI triple to the gap in right-center off the bat of Sylus Hyde He retired the next batter to end the inning but he had also reached the OHSAA 125-pitch limit “Brody always gives us all he can,” Sliva added “We knew that he would come and be the dude and we were fortunate enough to put up some huge numbers in that last inning.” Saunders’ teammates responded for their leader with six runs on just two hits in the top of the eighth to blow the game wide open Game MVP Mickey Balgo had the big hit with a two-run single to left but a couple of perfectly placed hits also keyed the outburst Colten Florence drew a leadoff walk from Sal Barcalow and Matheson King reached when his sacrifice bunt was thrown late to first Both runners advanced on a wild pickoff attempt at second and Niko Jacob walked to load the bases Jaxon Starks bounced into a fielder’s choice as Florence was forced at the plate Caiden Bailey legged out a slow roller to short that made it 5-4 and Roby Hanna walked for a 6-4 reading Gavin Pownall relieved Barcalow and issued a free pass to Saunders as another run crossed to make it 7-4 Balgo slapped the first pitch he saw through the left side of the infield as Bailey and Hanna scored for a 9-4 advantage singled to right as Saunders came in to cap the six-run explosion the final score doesn’t indicate how close of a game it was,” Indian Creek head coach Mike Cottis said “I thought it was a very well pitched game by our two guys and Marshall University recruit Ty Householder had given Indian Creek a 1-0 lead with a solo home run leading off the bottom of the first a stolen base and a run-scoring base hit by Hyde bumped the count to 2-0 Clairsville got one of those runs back in the second when Balgo turned on a 3-1 pitch and sent it well over the fence in deep left Coming into this season this was one of our big goals,” Balgo said “A lot of people were down on us this year but we wanted to show everyone that we are contenders but we also have “Boogie” Saunders on the mound we can hit 1 through 9 and we can pitch.” The Redskins made an uncharacteristic half of their six errors in the third inning as the Red Devils scored three times to take a 4-2 lead “We picked a bad game to play our worst defensive game of the year,” Cottis lamented “We haven’t committed six errors all season.” Indian Creek threatened in the bottom of the third but Balgo threw out Householder trying to steal third Clairsville turned a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play “That was a huge play by Mickey,” Sliva said of the caught stealing “He had a big game and his home run really helped out because it put some life back into our dugout and not let them build on what they had started in the first inning.” The Red Devils tried to add to their margin in the fourth when Jacob and Rowan Mellott reached with no outs but Hyde retired the next three batters to escape unscathed Saunders faced some serious trouble in the fourth when Indian Creek had two on and no out but the Ashland University recruit fanned the next three batters Barcalow came on in relief of Hyde to start the fifth and held the Red Devils in check until the eighth Saunders escaped a delicate situation in the sixth when Indian Creek loaded the bases with no outs a strikeout preceded a ground ball to third that resulted in a 5-2-3 double play “That was another huge play for us defensively,” Sliva added “We played really well on defense today.” We took too many third-strike calls,” he noted Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia added another player to its large laundry list of transfer portal additions this .. NEW MARTINSVILLE – Tyler Consolidated scored five times in the top of the seventh to stun host Magnolia | https://www.theintelligencer.net | 1500 Main Street An Ohio.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the State of Ohio A lock or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website Share sensitive information only on official and personal information are protected by federal and state digital security standards Governor DeWine breaks ground on new behavioral health urgent care in St Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined state and local mental health leaders from Belmont breaking ground to mark the beginning of construction on a new behavioral health urgent care and crisis stabilization center in St The $7.3 million center will be the first facility of its kind in the region It will serve as a “one-stop” location for people of all ages experiencing a mental health emergency The 8,500 square-foot facility will have eight crisis stabilization beds where clients can receive voluntary short-term inpatient treatment as they recover from a crisis “When someone is experiencing a mental health emergency every moment matters,” said Governor DeWine “People in every part of our state deserve to feel confident that they have resources nearby where they can access appropriate healthcare This new behavioral health urgent care facility we’re celebrating today will be that safety net for adults and children alike offering around-the-clock access to professional mental health supports right in their own community.” the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) awarded $6.3 million through the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Belmont and Monroe Counties for construction of the facility “The need for the crisis services that will be offered at this new facility has never been greater especially amid an ongoing national mental health crisis and especially in communities in Appalachian Ohio where there have been a lack of these types of resources,” said OhioMHAS Director LeeAnne Cornyn individuals and families experiencing mental health emergencies have had to travel out of the county With the construction of this new facility The facility will also include space for a mobile response services team These are trained behavioral health professionals standing ready to respond directly into the community to someone experiencing a mental health crisis The new behavioral health urgent care center in St Clairsville will offer mobile response services for individuals of all ages in Belmont The behavioral health urgent care center will be operated by Coleman Health Services The need for this type of facility was identified after a comprehensive assessment of the region’s mental and behavioral health crisis continuum identified the lack of available crisis services in Belmont this building will mean that a resident of this area who previously may have had to go to the emergency department as a point of entry may now come here for immediate assessment and care,” said Hattie Tracy President and CEO of Coleman Health Services “Another resident may no longer have to begin their care journey in a jail cell Our mobile response teams will have a place from which to work and the journey to wellness will have less barriers for the citizens of these counties all while alleviating some of the strain on our first responders and other systems of care that have been overwhelmed by the demand for behavioral health services.” Coleman Health Services is also working with local sheriffs’ offices to educate law enforcement on how to identify someone in the middle of a mental health crisis and to encourage officers to make the urgent care center a preferred point of transportation for these individuals Voluntary inpatient treatment services for individuals experiencing a crisis will generally be offered for up to two weeks facility staff will also provide 90-day follow-up services to ensure these individuals are receiving the ongoing support they need The behavioral health urgent care center is scheduled to be completed in spring 2026 the facility is expected to serve up to 1,500 individuals each year both through in-person and telehealth services Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction ServicesEric Wandersleben, Director of Media Relations & Outreach 614-728-5090eric.wandersleben@mha.ohio.gov TURNING TWO — Bryce Rogers. Edison’s second baseman, turns a double play in bottom of second inning against St. Clairsville on Monday. - Nick Henthorn ST. CLAIRSVILLE — New year, same destination. Winners of OVAC championships the last two seasons, top-seeded St. Clairsville is on their way back to the conference title game after defeating No. 4 Edison 5-0 on the turf field of the St. Clairsville Jr. Sports Complex on Monday. Brody Saunders limited the Wildcats to two hits in an impressive pitching performance, striking out 13, while also going 2-3 at the plate with a double and two RBI to help his cause. “We ran into a really good pitcher,” Edison head coach Mike Collopy said. “St. Clairsville is well-coached every year. They had some timely hits. We had some mental mistakes that kind of hurt us. But when you have someone who’s striking out double-digits, then we didn’t do enough at the plate. I thought our kids competed, but today he was better than us.” It was all clicking for Saunders on Monday. “That’s as good as I’ve seen a game pitched in a long time,” St. Clairsville head coach Tom Sliva said. “He was phenomenal, he had complete control, lots of pop, he was outstanding today. Today he showed why he’s the senior leader bulldog that he is.” Saunders struck out the side to start the game, but Edison starting pitcher Brady Haught also kept St. Clairsville off the scoreboard until the third inning. Rowan Mellott started the inning being hit by a pitch, and moved to second after a textbook sacrifice bunt by Jaxon Starks. Roby Hanna came up with two outs and shot a single to right field, scoring Mellott. Saunders followed him and belted a double to the centerfield fence to bring ’round Hanna and make it 2-0. “We got some guys on, we moved them up and we got them in,” Sliva said. “We did a really nice job. That’s a very good baseball team, well-coached, and you better make things happen when you have opportunities. We were fortunate enough to do that today.” Hanna finished the day going 3-3 with a double and two singles. Saunders struck out the side in the sixth and struck out two of three in the seventh. Third baseman Niko Jacob made a catch in foul ground up against the St. C. dugout to record the final out of the game. St. Clairsville reaches the OVAC championship with a chance at a three-peat on the line. They are set to face the same opponent of the last two years as well — Indian Creek, who defeated Harrison Central 5-2. The Red Devils will have some of the same faces from last time around, as well as some new ones, when they rematch Creek. “We’ll approach the game the same as we have,” Sliva said of his team’s third straight championship appearance. “It’s a testament to our kids, the families they come from, our coaching staff — we did lose a ton of quality players, but these guys are their own team. They’re excited about it and they can’t wait for the opportunity.” The OVAC championship games will be played Friday and Saturday at Edison High School. Edison has little time to dwell on the game. They play at Steubenville on Tuesday. “We play tomorrow so we have to be ready to play,” Callopy said. “That’s all there is to it. It’s good for our kids to be here, to be in a tournament situation, we just didn’t get it done. We have a lot of season left and we’re going to keep getting better.” E- Haught lp (3K, 0BB) and Henderson. Long S, SB; Pittman S; SC- Saunders wp (13K, 1BB) and Balgo. Bailey S, rbi; Hanna D, 2S, rbi; Saunders D, S, 2rbi; Florence S. WEIRTON — Kendall Ryan delivered a memorable performance as the Madonna softball did what it was supposed to do ... CLEVELAND (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton made a go-ahead 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter that sparked a ... Copyright © 2025 Ogden News Publishing of Ohio, Inc. | https://www.weirtondailytimes.com | 114 Lee Ave., Weirton, WV 26062 | 304-748-0606 ST. CLAIRSVILLE — St. Clairsville Mayor Kathryn Thalman is asking the residents for their support. Thalman wrote an open letter to residents on Monday. “I wish to express my strong support for the continuation of the waterline replacement project,” Thalman’s letter states. Thalman is asking residents to either write letters or emails to voice their support for the St. Clairsville waterline replacement project. She said residents can email her at KThalman@Stclairsville.com or drop off letters at the city building. She then plans to hand deliver the letters to Congressman Micheal Rulli, R-Ohio, in hopes of getting federal funding for what she termed a much-needed project. Thalman said the city’s waterlines are roughly 100 years old and that the city desperately needs to address the issue before even more lines burst. “Congress throws just a big lump of money in a pot of appropriations, then they go to the Appropriations Committee and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a town that needs some money for a big project. And the reason they want letters is votes,” Thalman said. “Somebody’s gotta be the adult in the room and do it. Like Wayne Gretzky said, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.'” She added that she understands that the city may not receive the money needed from the Appropriations Committee, but believes it is her duty to do everything in her ability to try and secure the $6 million she believes is needed to complete the project. “I’m here to fight for our city. I’m a Leo, and I’m a lion when it comes to St. Clairsville. I roar loud, and I mean it,” Thalman said. She added that when trying to secure the funding in the past, she heard that the money received would be income based, which she thinks is ridiculous. “Don’t tell me that people don’t deserve clean water based on their income. That’s bull,” she said. The St. Clairsville waterline replacement project consists of two phases. Phase one began over a year and a half ago and is being handled by James White Construction. Phase one started at the east end of Main Street and headed west to Reservoir Road. But now the city is needing to secure funding before it can begin phase two. The purpose of the project is to address the numerous waterline breaks the city has had in recent years. Thalman said she believes the Appropriations Committee is looking for projects that are ready to begin as soon as the funding is received, which she said the waterline project is because of the first phase nearing completion. “We are finishing phase one, which was to the reservoir bridge, and that is done except for the repatching where they tore up. Phase two starts down North Sugar Street, and that will go down into some of the neighborhoods. We’ve tackled the hard part, down through Main Street, caused disruption and everything. But we’ve got that done.” She added that she is thankful for the residents’ understanding because she knows the project is long and inconvenient. In addition to replacing the waterlines, crews have also been fixing potholes, which Thalman hopes will be an added bonus to the inconvenience residents have experienced. Thalman added that she will not stop looking for funding for this project regardless of whether she is able to secure it from the Appropriations Committee. A Wheeling native who has earned world renown as a pioneering neurosurgeon will receive one of the nation’s most ... BRIDGEPORT – A man is lodged at the Belmont County Jail on Monday after he allegedly fired a gunshot during a ... According to preliminary investigations by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the pedestrian struck and killed early ... Copyright © 2025 Eastern Ohio Newspapers, Inc. | https://www.timesleaderonline.com | 200 S. Fourth St., Martins Ferry, OH 43935 | 740-633-1131 St. Clairsville’s Brody Saunders throws a pitch during a regular-season game against Wheeling Park. The Red Devils meet Indian Creek on Saturday at the Edison Unified Sports Complex for the OVAC 4A championship. RICHMOND – St. Clairsville and Indian Creek have cultivated a real rivalry on the diamond in recent years. In the latest chapter of what is becoming a full-length novel, Indian Creek got the better of St. Clairsville, 10-8, in the regional semifinals, with Creek going on to the state semifinals. But when it comes to the OVAC championship, it’s the Red Devils who have had bragging rights. On Saturday at 1:45 p.m. at the Edison Unified Sports Complex, St. C. and Creek will battle for the OVAC 4A title for the third year in a row, with the Red Devils winning each of the last two meetings. “Third year in a row, we sure know them pretty well,” St. Clairsville head coach Tom Sliva said of Indian Creek in an interview Friday. “They’re a well-coached team with a lot of talent and we have our work cut out for us. The kids are pretty pumped to get back to [the championship] for the third year in a row. We know it’s a really tough opponent and a tall task but we’re excited.” “The last couple of years we’ve had some really big games against each other,” Indian Creek coach Mike Cottis said on Friday. “We know some of the guys they have back from last year’s team- Brody Saunders is their top arm, that’s who we expect to see tomorrow. He’s one of the best in the Valley and we’re excited for the matchup with him.” Indian Creek is 11-1 heading into the game, while St. Clairsville is 11-2. Creek, the top seed in 4A, defeated Harrison Central in their OVAC quarterfinal, while second-seeded St. C. defeated Edison. The two teams will bring similar records into a game that may revolve around the matchup on the mound. “This is one of those games where, we’ve got Sylus Hyde on the mound for us, of course they’ve got Brody,” Cottis said. “On-paper, you look at the statistics with those two, runs could be hard to come by. We’ve got to take advantage of any opportunity we get, when we get baserunners on we need to cash in. Hopefully we can do that early.” Hyde and Saunders have been bonafide aces for their squads this year, though both teams have strong contributors top-down. “We’ve been riding the arms of Sylus Hyde, Sal Barcalow, Gavin Pownall has come in and closed games for us. We’ve relied on those three on the mound, if we have to use all three tomorrow we will,” Cottis said. “Offensively, Ty Householder is one of the top bats in the area, a Marshall recruit, he’s really been hitting well- he’s over .500 right now and has hit a couple home runs. We have Hunter Rusnack, our No. 2 hitter who’s come up big in clutch situations. Barcalow and Hyde are both swinging the bat really well, those are our top four.” Cottis also shouted-out third baseman Dom Degruttola, who he said has come on strong at the plate recently. St. Clairsville has been led by players like Saunders, power-hitting seniors Micky Balgo and Colten Florence, speedy leadoff Caiden Bailey and first baseman Roby Hanna. “It really has been a team effort,” Sliva said. “All the way down the order- sometimes the top, the middle, sometimes the bottom- it’s been a team effort and that’s what we’ll need tomorrow against a quality opponent.” Saunders had a big part to play in the championship last year, pitching a complete game and hitting a bases-clearing double. Though they’ve come tantalizingly close, Indian Creek is searching for their first conference OVAC championship since 2003. Meanwhile, St. Clairsville is seeking yet another conference crown in what would be a historic achievement for the Red Devils upperclassmen. “We’re excited for the opportunity for sure,” Cottis said. “The boys, they’ve been working hard all off season to get to this point, and they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, with a lot of guys back from last year’s team. It certainly helps having experience.” “They’d like to end it on a good note,” Sliva said of his seniors. “They know they’ve got a lot of work to do on Saturday to get there. I hope they’re ready.” GLEN DALE – The 2025 OVAC Tennis Championships will be held at the John Marshall High School tennis facility ... Copyright © 2025 Wheeling Newspapers, Inc. | https://www.theintelligencer.net | 1500 Main Street, Wheeling, WV 26003 | 304-233-0100 READ MORESt raises mental health awarenessby Jaime Ely Ohio — Visitors to Memorial Park on Sunday participated in a walk not only for their health but to honor those who have lost their lives to suicide and to raise awareness for mental health issues continues to honor his memory through an event called Jerry's Walk we didn't know anything about suicide and we didn't know what resources especially for families after someone had died So we started Jerry's Walk," said Williams The event features various groups and organizations focused on mental health Williams emphasized the importance of providing a safe space for participants "There's so much stigma that surrounds suicide and people that have died by suicide You've suffered a loss and we're here to embrace you Jerry's Walk aims to foster a sense of community which Williams believes is its most crucial aspect She highlighted a statistic that underscores the widespread impact of suicide "There's a new statistic out that says for every life lost to suicide at least 135 people are personally touched so it's pervasive," Williams said She stressed the importance of the event in providing comfort and raising awareness to give a place for people to feel comfort but we don't have to keep it in the shadows people who are struggling hopefully will then get help," she said Those are just a few of the characteristics that came to mind as people reflected on the life of Robert “Bob” Vincenzo after he died Friday morning at age 92 Vincenzo lived a long and interesting life but he was best known for his 24 years serving as mayor of St He previously served as a councilman beginning in 1978 and then as council president for a total of 38 years of service to the city by the time he retired in 2016 Vincenzo attended Holloway High School and joined the U.S where it was suggested that he enter Officer Candidate School; however he knew his father and family would expect him to return home rather than launch a military career He left the Army in 1954 and married JoAnn Timko in 1956 transitioning to work in his family’s construction company He and JoAnn were married for 30 years before her death who spoke with The Times Leader about her late husband on Friday evening she found a plaque that he kept on his office wall that featured “The Serenity Prayer” — and she said it contained the principles that governed his life “That ability to accept the things he couldn’t change I think that really drove him,” she said adding that there were a lot of things that most St Clairsville residents would never have known the mayor did One of those things was dispute resolution — a skill Saxby said he picked up through his involvement with a wide variety of organizations at the local and state levels that training enabled him to really be able to kind of see both sides of the situation and help mediate,” she said “… He would talk about things like problems that come up between neighbors “He would be able to kind of mediate so they didn’t sue each other,” she noted with a chuckle Saxby said her husband had “incredible wisdom and a real feel for servant leadership.” He was always looking at what he could do for the whole community through his leadership Among the things he accomplished for the city were overseeing millions of dollars in grants for street improvements The city built a community garden and its bike trail during his administration and the city received national and international recognition from America in Bloom under his guidance “He really was a sports enthusiast,” Saxby said “He loved his Pirates and his Steelers and his St especially when he had grandchildren and great-grandchildren participating.” A more recent development was his love of birds Saxby said she and Vincenzo shared a “wonderful back window” that looks out over an area where he installed bird feeders so he could watch and identify the birds that visited He said this had become a passion of his within the past eight to 10 years — and he also adored the squirrels that he spotted as part of the hobby Saxby said he even regularly mowed an adjacent strip of land they did not own to prevent snakes from infiltrating the area in part because he worried about elderly neighbors on the block He continued to mow grass until summer 2024 “He would enjoy the smell of fresh grass.” worked closely with Vincenzo in a number of capacities over the years but their relationship dates back much farther than their government service Sargus said Vincenzo was friends with his father He said Vincenzo and Saxby are “two of my all-time favorite people that I have ever bumped into.” retired Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Sargus stayed in touch with the couple and visited frequently as Vincenzo worked to recover from an injury he sustained in September “His mind was always sharp,” Sargus said “He and Lorrinda both are the most positive people I have ever met his office was near the municipal building and he would visit Vincenzo at the mayor’s office all the time and we were on city council together,” Sargus noted he and his brother built a new house for us.” In addition to their time as city councilors the two served on the Parish Council at St Mary’s C Catholic Church together for many years worked on a lot of projects together and both served on the Belmont C college Foundation board “What we both liked was local government,” Sargus recalled Sargus termed Vincenzo a master craftsman,” adding that he built the Riesbeck’s store in the city along with “a ton” of other businesses He said the former mayor knew “all about curbs roads and culverts.” He also “had a knack for finding the best people,” Sargus added pointing to folks such as former police chief Martin Kendzora and former fire chief Greg Reline He credited Vincenzo for helping to create the Cumberland Trail Fire District Richland Township and the Ohio Valley Mall — a far more sustainable solution for the city than its previous volunteer fire department He also said Vincenzo spearheaded the redevelopment of the city’s business district in 1990-91 signage was out of control and telephone wires everywhere the city moved toward uniform signs for businesses installed different sidewalks and redid the Belmont County Courthouse plaza “It really made the town sparkle,” Sargus said noting that businesses chipped in with an assessment and that there was no way the city could have afforded the project without Vincenzo’s ability to secure funding “Bob knew where the money was,” he added citing sources such as the Appalachian Regional Commission Belomar Regional Council and the Belmont County Board of Commissioners Sargus said he will miss his lifelong friend “He was one of the most decent people I ever knew,” Sargus said Current Mayor Kathryn Thalman did not know Vincenzo well “He was an icon in town,” she said “… I have nothing but respect and admiration for someone who dedicated that much of their life to service she pointed to many of the big projects — such as Plaza West where Riesbeck’s is now located — being completed under his watch but I have heard nothing but wonderful things … He created the platform for our success He made it very possible for us to do wonderful things and it all started with the seeds he planted.” Thalman also expressed her prayers and condolences for his family and said she is honored to follow in his footsteps Vincenzo is survived by his children and stepdaughter — Barb (Dave) Ellis Don (Karen) Vincenzo and Melissa (Ron) Weber — and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren Funeral arrangements are being handled by Toothman Funeral Home in St According to preliminary investigations by the Ohio State Highway Patrol WOODSFIELD — Local community members can participate in a spring car show while helping to raise funds for two .. WHEELING — The Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine is a showcase of the entire city of .. Major progress is underway at the JR Sports Complex in St with plans to have new fields ready for play this spring Ohio — Major progress is underway at the JR Sports Complex in St "Our premier field and Mustang & Bronco field were the first two fields we decided to tackle with this project," he said It's going to help us out a ton with our climate around here We're not going to have to battle as many rain outs and stuff." which aims to transform all fields at the complex is estimated to cost around a million dollars Phase II is expected to commence in August The new fields will serve not only junior sports but also high school softball and baseball teams about 500 to 600 kids will be involved up here through the months of April and July We just want to make sure that we can offer the best that we can to our community members and school to give them a great experience," Gay said The project has been made possible through decades of work "The support that we get from this area is truly a blessing to have all of those people that are willing to help to get this place to what it is looking like now," Gay added While the upper field has been completed and is ready for action the lower field is expected to be finished in May photo by: Kim NorthRolls of artificial turf lay in left field at the Memorial Park baseball diamond in St Work to install the turf will begin once the Jr Clairsville baseball takes to the field on Wednesday for its home opener it will do so somewhere other than the customary Memorial Park diamond and play the majority of their home season on the recently refurbished Premiere Field at the North Market Street complex Clairsville-Richland City) school district and the Park (District) Board were glad to partner with each other in coming together to install artificial turf on the infield portion of Memorial Park,” St Clairsville Athletic Director Justin Clifford said Veteran head coach Tom Sliva has not coached a ‘true’home game anywhere else but Memorial Park in his 23 seasons at the Red Devils helm “The new turf is going to be awesome when it’s completed,” he said “It’s going to make life a lot easier.” after a $1 million grant was secured by the city for a turf project at the St Clairsville Parks and Recreations Department applied for a grant that was written through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources which the ODNR and the National Park Service another organization Parks & Recreation had the grant written through “Since the company was already on-site at the Junior Sports Complex they said they could give us a decent deal in applying turf to the infield at Memorial Park,” Clifford noted “It all worked out in our favor.” When does he anticipate the Red Devils playing at their natural home “That’s the golden question right now “We’re going to play at the Jr Whenever the work is completed on the bottom field here “Our winter was really bad with the snow and such,” he said “Nobody could work on the fields for weeks at a time but going forward we will have six fields with all-turf infields in the city of St You can’t complain about that.” Clifford said the city wants the school to continue playing at Memorial Park and the school wants to continue playing there The dugouts are brand new and with it being in a bowl down below everything “It’s a great place to play baseball and the park district has been great to work with.” Clifford said the dimensions are about the same “It’s 300 (foot) down the lines at the Jr Sports Complex and 350 in center with a 10-foot fence,” he said but then it goes directly out to deep center We’ve played here for years and it’s not a home run derby.” The Red Devils hadn’t stepped a foot on the Premiere Field turf until Tuesday “They’ve been practicing on the football field They’ve had a couple of scrimmages away and they’ve gone other places,” Clifford added CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County residents will have to wait longer than anticipated for the opening of the new Trinity Health System hospital in St vandals broke into the construction site and caused a substantial amount of damage to the building “This is going to cause them some delays There’s going to have to be a lot of drywall replaced copper plumbing that was already pressurized and whole sections will have to be replaced,” St “They picked up a sledge hammer and knocked holes in drywall beat on copper pipes and just did a lot of damage.” Although time and money will be lost due to having to repair damages “There’s a lot of items in there that thieves would be interested in It was straight vandalism,” Arbenz said the general theory about the crime is that the vandals are juveniles He believes the vandals entered on foot from the wooded area behind the building due to the lack of tire tracks no suspect or exact time of when the incident occurred has been established the department is communicating with businesses in the vicinity seeking to comb through their surveillance camera footage to see if any suspicious activities can be detected “I talked to the managers on the job site and there’s no suspicion of disgruntled employees> Everybody that started the work there still works there and is happy,” Arbenz said “Nobody’s been fired or shorted of pay.” which is in charge of constructing the hospital first became aware of the vandalism when crews arrived at work on Monday Arbenz said if anyone in the area witnessed any type of suspicious activity in the vicinity of the St Clairsville Post Office to Reisbeck’s Food Mart this past weekend they should report it to police at 740-695-0123 “Anyone who’s found responsible is going to be facing some trouble,” he said CLAIRSVILLE — After a brief but severe storm ripped through the Ohio Valley Tuesday afternoon BARNESVILLE — Village Council members remain hesitant about a contract resolution despite Mayor Jake .. the renewal of the State Capital Improvement Program After a brief but severe storm ripped through the Ohio Valley Tuesday afternoon Clairsville honored its past in front of its future Wednesday night when the Red Devils celebrated the 1975 wrestling team – the first-ever at the school – during a 50-Year Anniversary Clairsville wrestling team was coached by Leonard Chaplinski and consisted of 20 matmen and two team managers Managers included Keith Myers and Jeff Sproul Fox and Bruce Myers were able to attend the brief ceremony held between the junior high and varsity dual meets between St When asked why he came out for that first team as a senior Myers thought for a moment before replying It was something new that the school offered I was too small to play basketball.” “This is quite an honor,” Myers said have been thinking about this for some time now.” I grew up on a farm so I thought I’d be pretty good at it I’ve never been recognized before for anything,” Fox said Starkey was a little ahead of his two classmates “I started wrestling in Benwood and went undefeated before moving to St They didn’t have a team for my first three years I kept talking to Sam Mumley for about two years I made some great friends through wrestling.” “It never really clicked that we were the first wrestling team at St “But I am glad we did it and that we are still here today to talk about it.” “The idea to do this came about during a conversation with our club coach He’s good friends with one of the original team members,” current St Clairsville head wrestling coach Bobby Richmond said “After some talking we decided we should honor that first team in some way instead of having a Senior Night – we don’t have any seniors this year – we decided on honoring the original team and any alumni that wanted to come out “I have two alumni – Dillon Nolte and Chaz Snider – on my staff right now,” Richmond noted Richmond said he hopes this turns into an annual event Up until two years ago when Caden Stout won the Ohio Division II 150-pound state championship the Red Devils had the dubious distinction of having the most Ohio state placers without ever having a state titlist “We broke that curse two years ago so we are off of that list,” Richmond said “It’s nice to not see us on it anymore.” Union Local won six of the eight matches contested while also collecting four forfeits en route to a 56-24 victory It’s always tough to wrestle a dual on the Wednesday following the OVAC Tournament because kids’ weights can get up and it’s a quick cut to get back down,” Union Local head coach Nate Starkey said That reason held back OVAC champion freshman Gamble Gossett (120) from competing “We decided to hold him out and let him get black down to weight gradually,” Starkey explained “We had our 157-pounder out with an injury so I had to bump and move some guys around in different spots to make sure weight classes were filled.” Gavin Bolock (126) recorded a 22-second pin to pull the Jets into a 12-all stalemate after the two rivals alternated forfeits at 106 and 113 to start the match Following a 10-4 decision by freshman Jaxon Lewis (138) Union Local pulled away with consecutive pins from Calvin Robbins (144) and Gunnar Gossett (150) while Gossett took just 2:28 as the margin increased to 33-12 Clairsville’s Isaiah Howard (157) snapped the Jets’ streak with a pin in 4:43 He was trailing Union Local’s Gavin McVay “We’re a young team that has a lot to work on,” Richmond said “We’ve been getting better and better as the season progresses but tonight felt like a little step backwards We’ve got to try and look past tonight and come back tomorrow with a strong mindset Therron Fillon (165) pinned Ryan Howard in 1:14 to pull the Red Devils to within but the Jets won the final four matches – two by forfeit – to secure the win Brody Perzanowski (175) posted a 17-1 technical fall and Brice Pitner pinned Bo Donley in 5:28 to end things Koleton Clark (190) and Brady Hunt (215) were awarded forfeits He’s a first-year wrestler trying to learn a lot in his first season,” Starkey noted Earning early forfeits were Union Local’s Max Dubiel (106) and St Clairsville’s Carson Bishop (113) and Michael Howard (120) CLAIRSVILLE — A man and woman were arrested in Belmont County on several drug charges according to the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office of Michigan were arrested Monday and charged with two counts of trafficking drugs two counts of possession of drugs and having weapons under disability Both also were charged with possession of drug instruments Each is being held at the Belmont County Jail on $82,000 bond The arrest stems from a search warrant for drug activity executed by the Belmont County Sheriff’s Criminal Interdiction Unit after a month-long investigation Detectives executed the search warrant on a house on Rehm Road and arrested Zielinsky and Hampton upon allegedly discovering 155 grams of fentanyl a large amount of Xanax and three firearms Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack said that he would like to thank the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the St Clairsville Police Department for assisting in the investigation announced that Zach’s Towing signed on as a U-Haul .. MARTINS FERRY — Martins Ferry police are looking for suspects following reports of shots fired on Broadway Street .. Clairsville’s Brady Schafer (4) drives to the basket for a layup during Wednesday night’s Ohio Division V District semifinal inside the ECO Center He scored 13 points in the Red Devils’ 50-33 victory over Barnesville CLAIRSVILLE – It wasn’t a masterpiece by any means Clifford watched his top-seeded Red Devils (18-6) get off to a sluggish start but pull away slowly but surely 11 Barnesville Wednesday night in the nightcap of an all-Belmont County Division V Eastern District Tournament semifinal doubleheader inside the jam-packed ECO Center we’ll take one more point than whoever we play,” Clifford admitted “There are only 32 teams left in Ohio in Division V “It doesn’t have to be a work of art this time of year it’s all about outscoring your opponent,” he added “It will be exciting in Cadiz on Saturday.” The contest was deadlocked twice in the first half as the Shamrocks fresh off their upset of Ridgewood last weekend hung tough until the early portion of the second quarter There were four lead changes in the first quarter “We played to our game plan in the first half but they hit some shots in the second and third quarters when they needed to,” Barnesville head coach Shane Stephens said “They stung us and we didn’t respond to it.” Leading 15-13 with a little under six minutes remaining in the first half the Red Devils went on an 8-0 run and scored 16 of the next 22 points to grab a 31-19 advantage two minutes into the third quarter who has scored more than 1,500 points in a Red Devils uniform netted nine of his game-leading 21 points in the second quarter He finished with four three-pointers and 10 rebounds Clairsville to start the fourth quarter all but sealed the deal as Barnesville went ice-cold from the floor in the second half The Shamrocks were 5-for-19 from the field “I don’t think anyone but the 16 guys in that locker room had us even being here,” Stephens noted “This is a special group of kids and I’m proud of every one of them.” Joining Pastor with a double-double was 6-7 Griffin Straub The junior had 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Red Devils enjoyed a commanding Luke Burkhart came off the bench to pace Barnesville with nine points – all in the second half while Dylan Blon had a team-high six rebounds Barnesville only turned the ball over six times five of those 11 came in the first quarter the Red Devils set up a rubber-match with No in last night’s opener for the district title That contest will tip at 7 Saturday night inside the ‘Huskies’ House’ at Harrison Central High School in Cadiz CLAIRSVILLE — The Easter Bunny had a convoy while hopping down the bunny trail on Friday and Thalman’s dog Sammy escorted Peter Cottontail through the city Clairsville Senior Center to hand out candy to the seniors they went to the Bell Store gas station to wish the employees and customers a happy Easter Clark said that this has become an annual event that makes the community feel special “This was put together by our Outreach Officer and I’m very appreciative to him and to our volunteer for being the Easter Bunny,” Thalman said “These things make us feel so much like a community And I very much love the people we had a chance to visit.” Clark added that his goal is to make everyone “We have businesses like the Bell Store and Chick-fil-A who support us very strongly throughout the year with gift cards and money for events like our parades and we want to give back to them and say thank you,” Thalman said “I just hope everybody has a happy and holy Easter.” MARTINS FERRY – Martins Ferry police are looking for suspects after shots were allegedly fired on Broadway Street .. Clairsville High School crowned its 2025 prom king and queen BARNESVILLE — The Watt Center for History & the Arts in Barnesville announce an evening with Terry Tickhill .. West Liberty University’s inaugural Aspire U Music Art & Community Festival takes place Saturday CLAIRSVILLE – One lane of Interstate 70 eastbound is reopened Wednesday afternoon but may close periodically until early evening due to a commercial vehicle fire An Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatcher confirmed that eastbound lanes will be restricted or closed for some time at about milepost 212 loaders and dump trucks could be seen at the location directly north of Fox Commerce Park and businesses such as FedEx and Sew Biz MARTINS FERRY — Tickets are still available for The Times Leader’s second annual Community Night with the .. CLAIRSVILLE — As local voters head to the polls to cast their ballots in Ohio Issue 2 and a few property tax .. MARTINS FERRY — Belmont County Treasurer Katherine Kelich started the foreclosure process on East Ohio Regional .. Clairsville lost a boatload of talent from last year’s OVAC Class 4A championship squad including four players who are competing at the NCAA Division I and II levels this spring you couldn’t tell by its play so far in the 2025 campaign The Red Devils (8-1) banged out 17 hits — including seven from the No 9 spots in their order — in blanking Barnesville Thursday on the sun-soaked Memorial Park diamond in western Belmont County Clairsville won for the seventh straight time and kept a grip on the top spot in the OVAC Class 4A race over rival Indian Creek whom they defeated in last year’s title tilt The Red Devils travel to Don Coss Field in Cambridge today to meet the Bobcats The OVAC playoff cut-off is Friday and semi-final action is scheduled for Monday across the Ohio Valley “When the bottom of your order can produce like ours did today that really helps your team,” veteran St Clairsville head coach Tom Sliva acknowledged “I tell the kids all the time ‘that it’s never everybody all the time but it’s got to be somebody every time.'” A pair of freshmen — Matheson King (2 singles 2 runs scored) and Jaxon Starks (3 singles 2 runs scored) — continually got on base and turned the lineup over for the top Even when Sliva went to his bench in those spots Brennan Rice doubled and scored while Landon Stack singled in a run leadoff hitter Caiden Bailey singled three times to drive in a pair while Hanna helped his own cause with a single and sacrifice fly that knocked in two runs Ashland University recruit Brody Saunders plated five runs with a single double and sac fly and Colten Florence cleared the bases with a double for three runs batted in “We started off a little slow,” Sliva admitted Clairsville sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run fourth inning that built the margin to 9-0 the Shamrocks have fallen upon some tough times “In the 23 years I’ve been a coach this year is the worst job I’ve ever done,” Barnesville head coach DJ Butler said We’ve got way too much talent to be in the situation we are in right now We might’ve played ourselves out of the OVAC (Class 3A) top 4 We need to get better for the sectional (tournament).” which hosts Martins Ferry tonight under the lights at Memorial Park entered the game in third place in the closely bunched OVAC Class 3A race The Shamrocks were less than a full point behind second-place Fort Frye and fractions of a point ahead of Union Local The beneficiary of the offensive outburst was sophomore southpaw Roby Hanna “My fastball was pretty effective today,” Hanna said “In my first outing I had 14 strikeouts I just pitched to contact and let my defense do what they do.” The lefty wasn’t as overpowering today as he was in his first start when he struck out 14 walked just one and scattered four singles in throwing 102 pitches He threw a first-pitch strike to 19 of the 27 Shamrocks he faced; induced 10 ground ball outs picked a runner off and saw a runner taken off the basepaths after being forced out following a single “He got ahead of most of the hitters He does a good job of that,” Sliva said “He threw strikes and did a really good job today.” Caleb Powell had two of Barnesville’s four singles (AP) — Michigan is expected to suspend coach Sherrone Moore for two games next season to address .. NEW MARTINSVILLE — Tyler Consolidated scored five times in the top of the seventh to stun host Magnolia Clairsville Council passed a motion Monday to accept and adopt a bid from Miller Excavating for the dredging of the city reservoir It's expected to enhance the city's water supply and help during a drought similar to what the Ohio Valley experienced last summer The dredging is set to begin next week but is weather dependent "By dredging out silt or sentiment that’s accumulated from the reservoir over the years this enables us to pick up more water capacity,” Service Director Scott Harvey said this will allow us to have more water supply on hand.” Council also discussed preparations for the upcoming WVU Medicine Christmas Parade (line up starts at 1 p.m.) The parade is expected to start at the high school go up the back street towards Huntington Bank and return down Main Street past the courthouse "We've got a lot of vehicles in the parade,” Mayor Kathryn Thalman said “But I’ve had a preview of some of the floats and things Just bundle up but be prepared for some great entertainment WHEELING — Trailing Wheeling Park 3-2 with two outs and nobody on in the top of the seventh the old Yogi Berra saying “it ain’t over until it’s over” came into play Ryan Ivey’s bases-clearing double sparked a four-run outburst as the Red Devils (6-1) outlasted the Patriots “There were a lot of great things that happened today,” veteran St “We battled and battled and Ryan came up with the big hit for us.” Wheeling Park reliever Coldin Burkhart retired the first two Red Devils in the seventh both on ground balls to shortstop Nate Simon an infield single by winning pitcher Brody Saunders and a hit batter loaded the bases as Patriots head coach elected to bring in Simon to close it out Clairsville junior Colten Florence watched three consecutive pitches sail wide of the strike zone He then fouled off two in a row before Simon hit him to force in a run and tie the game Ivey then sent a 2-1 offering down the line in right that cleared the bases “He battled,” Sliva said of Florence “He made it so that another guy got a chance to hit which lost for the fourth consecutive game tried to mount a comeback in the bottom of the seventh off Saunders Kolten Whitmire singled to right and Jaxon Updegraff coaxed a walk who is headed to Ashland University on a baseball scholarship got Simon on a fly to center and retired Ryland Robb on a fly to right to seal the deal We just didn’t take advantage of them,” Wheeling Park head coach Steve Myers said Sometimes that’s the way the game goes Their pitcher pitched a great game.” With the game deadlocked at 2 in the bottom of the fifth Robb’s two-out Baltimore chop up the middle drove in Whitmire to put the hosts ahead had tied the game at 2 in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Mikey Balgo They had taken a 1-0 lead in the first with an unearned tally Simon had a sacrifice fly in the third and Paul McGee’s groundout in the fourth scored the Patriots second run but sometimes things just don’t go your way,” Myers said Sliva was proud of the way Saunders handled himself on the mound “He’s a bulldog,” Sliva noted “He’s our ace and we’ll stick with him until the end He made some big pitches when he needed to.” Clairsville returned to the Junior Sports Complex today as Bellaire visits Thursday they travel to Barnesville in a makeup game Wheeling Park heads to Steubenville today before taking part in the McDonald’s Classic at Bridgeport https://www.ohiovalleymall.net CLAIRSVILLE – Whenever Brody Saunders toes the rubber The Red Devils senior and Ashland University recruit struck out 11 scattered three singles and walked a batter in six-plus innings as St Clairsville (2-1) defeated visiting Union Local on the chill-filled Unified Bank Field at the Junior Sports Complex “I think we have several guys that fit in that category and Brody is definitely one of them,” veteran St That is two quality starts for him.” Saunders was in total control from the start He fanned five of the first eight Jets he faced Five of his strikeouts were of the looking variety “We came out a little flat today after playing a really good game on Monday,” Union Local head coach Jim Hess said “I still thought we barrelled the ball up pretty good but we can’t take strike threes on the corners especially against a good pitcher like Saunders.” Saunders left with two outs in the seventh as his pitch count reached 105 He jumped ahead of 20 of the 25 Union Local batters he faced with a first-pitch strike “When Brody is in a zone and has command of all of his pitches Clairsville took advantage of some wildness by losing pitcher Karson Gregatis in a four-run third started the uprising with a single up the middle He promptly stole second and would score on Roby Hanna’s one-out single A wild pitch moved Hanna to second and Saunders walked Mikey Balgo was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Colten Florence picked up an RBI with an ensuing walk Niko Jacob had a key two-out seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield for a 4-0 bulge Three Union Local errors in the fourth cost it two runs as the margin increased to 6-0 “We bobbled a couple of balls and they made us pay for that “That’s what we’ve been doing early in the season but tonight just wasn’t our night.” “We had some quality at-bats and we hustled a little bit out of the box,” Sliva recalled Florence walked with the bases juiced again in the sixth for the final Red Devils run Union Local avoided being blanked when it pushed across a run in the seventh against reliever Ryan Ivey Bill Schmuacher had the RBI on an infield single “I thought Karson pitched well,” Hess noted “He pitched out of a jam in the first but we didn’t help him out in the field.” Clairsville travels to Barnesville today for a 5 p.m Clairsville Junior Sports Complex is at the bottom of the ninth when it comes to completing its turfing project with the help of ForeverLawn from Canfield the Parks & Recreation department brought artificial turf to the upper two fields with lights at the Jr Clairsville Recreation Director Eric Gay said that although the winter weather caused delays for the project He then voiced frustration over seeing negative comments from residents regarding the delays in the project “People that aren’t involved in the project are kind of speaking on it but the people that are involved in the project aren’t really upset with anything that’s going on,” Gay said hydroseeding is a mechanical method of applying seed It typically consists of applying a mixture of wood fiber and stabilizing emulsion with hydro-mulch equipment which temporarily protects exposed soils from erosion by water and wind the Parks and Recreations Department applied for a grant that was written through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Gay said this project is a joint effort between the city Clairsville Junior Sports organization and the schools He added that although the project is 50% completed he isn’t comfortable giving a completion date due to the unpredictability of the weather It’s either snowed or it’s been frozen and then thawed and then poured down rain and we just couldn’t do the work out there,” he said “The company has been great to work with They’ve kept us in the loop the entire time The minor inconvenience that it’s causing right now is going to be well worth it in the end.” He added that he believes that this is a project that everybody wanted to done but because the project is experiencing delays from the weather residents are frustrated He believes that is unjust because it’s nobody’s fault that the weather conditions have made it virtually impossible for work to be done consistently He added that he believes some of the confusion from the public is that a day or two after a heavy rain there still will be no one working on the field despite it being clear Gay said the reasoning is because the equipment working on the fields is 10,000 pounds of machinery and is only going to do more damage if the field is not completely dry “The biggest obstacle has been the excavating part because you’re at the mercy of the weather,” Gay said “When we started this it was six weeks per field everybody thinks that if they’re there a day that equals a week They’re talking 30 days of work from start to finish and they’ve been able to work through it it was really bad and that threw our timeline off.” Gay said he is very pleased with the progress that has been made and expected the Premier Field to be open for games on the first of April He added that he’s optimistic that the work on the second field will be smoother because the winter weather will no longer be a factor BRIDGEPORT — According to preliminary investigations by the Ohio State Highway Patrol Indian Valley football will be dancing with destiny Friday night when the unbeaten Braves play unbeaten St Clairsville in the Division IV Region 15 football championship playoff game at Zanesville’s 6,000 seat Sulsberger Stadium at 7 p.m Should the Braves (13-0) win against the Red Devils (13-0) they would become the first team in Indian Valley football history to reach the state’s Final Four “I’m proud of our kids,” said Indian Valley head coach Matt Lancaster who is in his 18th year as the Braves’ boss and sports a sterling coaching record of 132-68 and sometimes it’s hard for high schoolers to live up to those and we’re hoping they step up in another big game this week.” More: Here's a look at the top area football players who garnered East District accolades All-conference honors | Check out the top players for the All-Inter-Valley Conference Football teams “It was a really good win,” Lancaster said of the win over New Lexington “I’m very proud of our defense in how they came out and played because they (the Panthers) have an explosive offense with a lot of playmakers and our kids executed the game plan very well.” Lancaster praised several Braves’ players for holding New Lexington’s offense down in that contest “We don’t get to use him very much defensively because he’s our quarterback but at this point in the season I thought having (sophomore) Ryker Williams out there on defense was a difference-maker for us,” Lancaster said as a leader at inside linebacker is really important to our defense and (senior) Hunter Peterman has been a staple for us on the D-line all year and (senior) Eric Golder has been another key defensive player for us and has made a number of interceptions this year A game unlike any other | Malvern-Hillsdale football playoff thriller greatest game in school history. But for whom? Indian Valley’s explosive run-dominated offense is led by returning All-Ohio junior running back Grady Kinsey the leading rusher in the Buckeye State with 2,679 yards and 39 touchdowns Indian Valley has been wise in how it uses the talented Kinsey and he’s a special player but he’s been a little dinged up so we’ve had to spread it around a little more but all year (quarterback) Ryker (Williams) has been a really nice complement to him as well as Jaxon Burcher who does most of the dirty work in blocking for him and Eric Golder too is another running threat,” Lancaster said “Having complements to Grady is really important offensively because teams all year have been keying on him." Indian Valley is averaging a staggering 375 yards-per-game on the ground and Kinsey is averaging 12.5 yards-per-carry or a first down every time he totes the football Clairsville: Braves turn focus to Red DevilsIndian Valley now turns its full attention to St which is making its 20th appearance in the football playoffs and sports a 23-19 all-time postseason record are a mirror image of Indian Valley as they lean heavily on the run game The Red Devils are averaging 36.7 points-per-game and allowing 12.3 ppg Indian Valley is scoring at a 45.5 points-per-game clip and giving up 18.3 ppg “They’re very similar to us,” Lancaster said They’re a really good program and believe in what they do They’re got a good offensive line every year The Red Devils defeated Columbus Marion-Franklin (40-6), Columbus Bishop Ready (29-22) and West Holmes (35-21) in their three postseason contests Clairsville is led by the trio of senior running back Dino Burk (5-9 150) and speedy senior running back Gavin Schoolcraft (5-10 who the Red Devils try to free up in space on the perimeter Two other players to watch are senior quarterback Brady Schafer (6-1 185) and senior tight end Micky Balgo (6-3 Lancaster hopes the Braves’ prior playoff experience will help them on Friday Burcher and some veteran linemen leading the way Indian Valley has won eight playoff games in the past three years “It (successful playoff experience) does (make a difference) as we knew we had some key guys coming back especially some guys up front,” Lancaster said “We’ve also realized how young we still are because we play six sophomores and two freshmen but we’ve got a lot of young guys who are playing and these kids have grown up real quick throughout the year We’ve developed a lot of depth guys to go along with our veteran guys.” The key to winning Friday night?“Whichever team is going to be able to establish the run I think is going to be key,” the Braves’ coach said and it is obvious whichever team is going to be able to do that and sustain that and finish drives (is key) with two unbeaten teams playing for a regional championship so whichever team takes care of the ball the best and finishes drives I think is going to come out on top.” The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 1-1 Clairsville won 24-20 last year in a Week 5 regular-season game in St Indian Valley defeated the Red Devils 21-14 in their only other meeting in 1996 Clairsville resident and former mayoral candidate Bill Brooks on charges related to disrupting a public meeting The verdict came on Wednesday in Belmont County Western Division County Court Brooks was charged with one count each of disrupting a public meeting and criminal trespass in connection with a St Brooks was charged with criminal trespassing and disturbing a lawful meeting after he was escorted from the May 15 council meeting and public hearing for a zoning change Brooks had been banned from attending council meetings following several altercations with city leaders He allegedly called council members Terra Butler and Kristi Lipscomb derogatory terms which led to the ban prior to his 2023 charges “The only thing I did was I called Terra Butler a harlot I was being kind to just call her a harlot It would be stupid to sit there and blow kisses or give the bird to somebody on council when any one of them could be looking in your direction,” Brooks previously told The Times Leader Brooks’ attorney Scott Brown made a motion on Dec 3 seeking an order to recuse counsel due to Joseph Vavra Clairsville also serving as a Belmont County assistant prosecutor representing the state in this case Vavra on Friday said that Western Division Judge Eric Costine determined there was no conflict of interest “The court finds that Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Vavra is not disqualified due to accepting additional employment as Law Director for the City of St The court finds that no actual prejudice to the defendant has been proven by Mr Vavra having this additional employment,” court records state “The defendant in those situations has to show that he was prejudiced because of a conflict of interest and in this situation they could show absolutely no prejudice whatsoever,” Vavra added and the judge overruled that motion.” Costine sentenced him to 30 days in jail on each charge Brooks was placed on probation for two years and ordered to pay a fine of $100 on each charge Brooks also may not violate any laws of the United States the state of Ohio or any governmental entity for two years or enter the St Clairsville City Building while any regular city council meeting is being held The order could be set aside if the council ban is lifted or removed by a court or by an act of St Brooks’ fine and court costs are to be paid by Feb 6 or Brooks must appear in court at 11 a.m Brooks said he believes Costine was a fair judge and added that he has no plans to return to city politics or have any involvement with the city of St Brooks previously ran for a seat on city council and twice sought to be elected mayor “I do not intend to ever go to a council meeting again Let someone else carry the flag for the citizens,” he said “I’m going into the new year with the attitude of not wanting any more drama in my life.” He added that although his lawyer suggested he sue the city of St Brooks refused because he believed the burden would fall on the taxpayers of the city He also said that he declined to go to the NAACP or Ohio Civil Rights Commission over the meeting issue “I could have gone to the NCCAP or Ohio Civil Rights Commission but I did not want to fight this on the color of my skin,” said Brooks “I wanted to fight this on the fact that I am an American citizen and they violated my rights “I still feel that I was wronged,” Brooks added “The banning of me has just set a precedent for all of the councils to ban people who stand up and speak.” Vavra added that although Brooks is permanently banned from council meetings Costine made it clear that Brooks could make an effort to get the ban lifted The Tyler County Board of Education voted Monday night to promote Tricia Feldmeier to the role of .. Residents of Beech Bottom on Monday were still contending with a shortage of water following the severe storm which .. Full results can be found here. St. Clairsville won the boys' team title on Friday night, while the Steubenville girls were also crowned champions. NEW PHILADELPHIA — For the first time in three years, St. Clairsville has advanced to the Ohio Division IV Region 15 semifinals. The Red Devils reached the regional finals in 2021 and appeared in the state championship game nine years earlier. Top-seeded St. Clairsville (12-0) will meet No. 13 West Holmes (7-5) in the regional semifinals on the artificial surface at Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium in New Philadelphia. The winner moves on to play the winner of the No. 2 Indian Valley (12-0) and No. 3 New Lexington (11-1) on Friday, Nov. 22 at an undisclosed site, with a trip to the state semifinals at stake. Kickoff from Tuscarawas County Friday night is set for 7. “It was exciting to get that win last week and continue to move on in the playoffs,” veteran St. Clairsville head coach Brett McLean said of the gut-check 29-22 win over Columbus Bishop Ready. “The playoffs can get addicting with the excitement they generate. The enthusiasm in the school and the town with the team. You wish it was that way every single week of the season. “You have to earn the opportunity to be in positions like that. Our kids have done that and my coaching staff has done a great job,” McLean continued. “However, we’re not just satisfied by any means to just be in week 13. It’s the team’s goal for us to continue moving forward.” The Knights have defeated Unioto (28-21) and East Liverpool (24-13) in the playoffs. St. Clairsville owns a 35-14 nod over the Potters in week 5. “They give you a lot of different looks on offense,” McLean said of the Knights. “They line up in a lot of different sets that give them a lot of scenarios. They play good defense and tackle well.” The key to St. Clairsville’s success has been the play of its two lines, especially on the offensive side. “The truth is, there’s some seniors that were very patient to get their opportunity. They had to compete and work very hard to get there, that’s what has really made us who we are,” he added. “Kids and families that are willing to stick it out and stay loyal to the program benefits you in the long run. “Guys Ryan Ivey, Kambal Sall and Wyatt Toothman, specifically, have pushed themselves,” McLean added. “Most of those guys started on the JV team last season. That can be really easy to get frustrated, but they understood the process and were able to plug right in. They’ve done great things so far this season.” The other two linemen are Alex Renner and sophomore Mason Wilt. The Red Devils have run for 2,700 yards and passed for 1,787. They average nearly 37 points a contest and have twice scored 55 this season. Senior quarterback Brady Schafer’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he doesn’t do things to lose games. He has completed 65 percent of his passes (104-159) for 1,526 yards and 15 touchdowns. He does have, however, nine interceptions. “He’s a coach’s kid. A smart, heady player,” McLean said of Schafer. “He manages the game for us. He does everything we ask him to do and probably shoulders more than your average high school quarterback in running our offense.” Seniors Dino Burk and Gavin Schoolcraft have been workhorses in the backfield. Burk, who has missed several games with injuries, leads the team with 1,024 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averages 7.8 yards per carry. Schoolcraft has collected 843 yards and reached the end zone 12 times. He averages 7.6 yards a tote. “Those two, along with Ollie Muhly, give us some weapons back there,” McLean assessed. “The competition at each position lets us build some depth and that’s what we’ve been able to do. Dino and Gavin are the same age. They are quite the tandem. They’ve been in our program since the 7th grade. It’s nice to see all the hard work they’ve put in is coming to fruition. “They both have different philosophies and running styles, but they both know how to find the end one.” Muhly has 329 yards and four touchdowns rushing. He averages more than nine yards per carry. As a receiver, Muhly, a junior, has caught 11 passes for 278 yards — an average of 25-plus — and three TDs. He is fifth in receptions on the team, behind seniors Tyson Pastor (25-344-2tds), Gage Wolfe (20-184-2), Mikey Balgo (13-208-2) and Brody Saunders (12-194-2). “Those guys are statistically ahead of others, but we’ve got 8-9 guys with multiple catches on the season. We’re not a one-trick pony at wide receiver. We spread the ball around to guys and see what they can do with it.” Defensively, the Red Devils are giving up a little more than 11. They have pitched two shutouts and held four other opponents to single digits. “Coach (Tim) Frey has done a tremendous job with our defense,” McLean praised. “We got outstanding play from all four phases of our defense. Coming into the season we were a little short across the front, but we’ve moved some guys around and they’ve played well. Last week our secondary had to step up with the game on the line and they responded against a pair of outstanding 6-4 and 6-5 receivers they (Ready) were throwing to. “Kudos to our linebackers. They’ve been really good all year. There are a couple of three-year starters there that the expectations were pretty high for them, but they’ve carried themselves well.” Those linebackers are seniors Max Fogle, Balgo, Schoolcraft and Kyle Rankin. Balgo has recorded 105 tackles and forced three fumbles. Fogle has made 88 tackles and hurried opposing quarterbacks four times. Schoolcraft has 10 tackles for losses, seven hurries and a team-best five interceptions, taking one back 97 yards for a score. Rankin has 63 tackles and six QB hurries. Saunders, the Eastern District Defensive Player of the Year, and junior Colten Florence have sparked the defense from their end spots. “They compliment each other very well,” McLean said of his two havoc-causing defensive ends. “One guy does his job on one side and the other does his on the other. They work well together.” Saunders has 27 tackles, five for lost yards, and five quarterback sacks. He also has 11 quarterback hurries. Florence has charted 38 tackles, 12 quarterback sacks and hurried the opposing quarterbacks 12 times. Wolfe has three picks, with one going 101 yards for six. He also has eight passes broken up. “We’re blessed to continue to have kids that want to come out and learn how to kick a football,” McLean pointed out. “Coach (John) Kutcher took over our special teams after having Coach Chops (Mike Jacob) for 20-some years. He’s done a super job.” St. Clairsville lost placekicker Parker Galloway before the season even started when he suffered a severe ankle injury during the first soccer match. However, junior Tyler Harris has stepped in admirably. “Tyler has had a fantastic year for us.,” McLean said. He has booted 44 PATs. “We’re still learning some things about them,” McLean said of West Holmes. “We scrimmaged them about 20 years ago, so I could’ve told you a lot more back then. A lot of things have changed since then, though.” The Knights are members of the Ohio Cardinal Conference “They are usually a Division III school, but they have dropped down to D-IV,” McLean explained. “They have gone deep into the playoffs the last couple of years.” The two programs have met twice before with West Holmes prevailing both times, 28-7 in 1991 and 28-22 a year later. ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is expected to suspend coach Sherrone Moore for two games next season to address ... NEW MARTINSVILLE — Tyler Consolidated scored five times in the top of the seventh to stun host Magnolia, 12-8, ... ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Trinity Health System St. Clairsville hospital building has been erected after the construction was framed out and beams installed in July. The interior of the building is 75 percent complete with drywall up in areas, but minor electrical work and fabrication and sterilization still to be done. Minor work on the outside of the building still needs to be done as well. Passersby now see a finished building, some of the Catholic tradition artwork that will adorn the outside of the building and the surrounding concrete for the flagpole. By the end of the year, it is expected the whole exterior of the hospital will be complete and officials will be ready to turn on the heat inside. The construction has been going very well with no roadblocks or delays, according to Dwayne Richardson, president of the St. Clairsville Trinity Health System hospital. In July, the construction team ran into rain that caused some issues with building the hospital, but since then construction has been going smoothly. “It is going better than expected,” he said. All glass has been put into the building along with all HVAC systems that control the temperature, humidity and air quality inside. Inpatient and operating rooms are being worked on, and a parking lot is now present with blacktop that has been set. Richardson has two to three meetings a week about the project in order to keep it moving forward and going well. It is still set to be completed by summer and open for patients in July. The hospital will be a 20,000-square-foot acute care service facility with two stories and 10 emergency rooms, two of which will be trauma rooms, along with three fast track rooms on the second floor; six in-patient rooms, including one intensive care room; and two operating rooms. Other departments in the hospital will range from laboratory services to high-end imaging services. It will have a room geared toward bariatric patients and another room dedicated to behavioral health patients within an emergency room. “Ever since the pandemic, construction projects have been kind of like a mystery and that mystery is will or when will that project ever be completed, and right now I am very satisfied with our construction team, who is McCarthy, they’re doing an excellent management of this project,” Richardson said. CHANGES: The Cedar One Group has announced a series of staffing changes in its efforts to serve the needs of area ... WHEELING — Seven attorneys at Bordas & Bordas have been selected to the 2025 West Virginia Super Lawyers ... WHEELING — Some of the top welding students from around the Ohio Valley were able to test their skills and ... Two major Ohio Department of Transportation projects are expected to start this year in St. Clairsville -- one at the courthouse plaza, the other involving the St. Clairsville tunnel. BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio — Two major Ohio Department of Transportation projects are expected to start this year in St. Clairsville -- one at the courthouse plaza, the other involving the St. Clairsville tunnel. "The project includes the expansion of the tunnel on each end. It also has a slope stabilization in it as well,” ODOT District 11 Public Information Officer Lauren Borell said. “There's a lot of work that's going to be done in that area. Pretty extensive, but it's exciting and a great addition to the area." The tunnel expansion is a $5 million project expected to begin in March. The historic National Road Bikeway will be closed during construction, which is expected to be completed in summer 2026. Meanwhile, Borrell says the plaza upgrade is at a temporary standstill. "So, the courthouse plaza project is occurring this year,” she reiterated. “However, it was put out to bid, and ODT did not receive any bids on the project. But we will put that back out for bid with hopes that someone will bid on it and we can keep that project on schedule." The plaza project will improve the sidewalks, ADA compliance areas, and landscaping around the courthouse. While both projects are local, ODOT is involved in facilitating the work as it is adjacent to Route 40. ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Inside the walls of the Ohio Valley Mall is a relic of a bygone era, but it won’t be there for much longer. Sam Goody has been an Ohio Valley Mall staple since the store opened in 1980, serving as the premiere location for the local music consumer. As times changed, Sam Goody struggled to adapt, resulting in the closure of most locations across the nation. What was once a thriving company operating 1,300 locations during its peak has now become a distant memory for most parts of the country. Since 2022, there have been only two Sam Goody locations left in the world – one in the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, Oregon, and one right here at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville. Longtime St. Clairsville store Manager Rick Polanski said he was informed just after Thanksgiving that the Ohio Valley Mall location would be closing. He added that he believes the internet was the inevitable nail in the store’s coffin. “It’s changed over the years, and it sucks – I put two-thirds of my life into this place,” Polanski said. “We were a $2 million store at one point, but times have changed and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Polanski added that he’s enjoyed his 43 years with the store, crediting the shop for being a place where he’s met several friends throughout the time he’s spent with the company. “It’s been a good run. I’ve met an awful lot of people here and made an awful lot of great friends, and I’ll miss that the most,” he said. The Sam Goody chain, launched in the 1950s, went through several changes of ownership over the years. Eventually, most of its remaining stores were rebranded as FYE (For Your Entertainment) shops. The news of Sam Goody closing came as a shock to the Cafaro Co., which owns the Ohio Valley Mall. Cafaro Director of Corporate Communications Joe Bell said that he was just informed of Sam Goody’s decision to close on Sunday. “They are closing the last two Sam Goody locations in the United States,” Bell said. “We don’t know much at this point, other than the fact that they will be ending their term as a tenant at the Ohio Valley Mall.” Both Bell and Polanski said Monday that they weren’t sure of an official closing date but were both informed that the company is planning to close the store in February. In preparation for the store’s final day in business, the price of everything in the store is reduced in hopes of liquidating the items on its shelves. ST. CLAIRSVILLE — After a brief but severe storm ripped through the Ohio Valley Tuesday afternoon, there were ... BARNESVILLE — Village Council members remain hesitant about a contract resolution despite Mayor Jake ... ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Ohio Issue 2, the renewal of the State Capital Improvement Program, will be on ballots ... After a brief but severe storm ripped through the Ohio Valley Tuesday afternoon, there are trees down “all ... ZANESVILLE – A defensive touchdown sparked a 27-point second quarter Friday night, allowing No. 2 Indian Valley (14-0) to pull away from No. 1 St. Clairsville (13-1). Eric Golder’s 65-yard interception return turned a 7-0 Braves’ lead into a 14-0 advantage they would never relinquish on their way to a 48-7 thumping of the Red Devils in the Ohio Division IV, Region 15 championship game on the artificial surface at blustery John D. Sulsberger Stadium. The victory sends Indian Valley, which has scored at least 40 points in every game this season, to the state semifinals where it will meet Cincinnati Taft, a 26-12 victor over Archbishop Kettering Alter on Friday. “The big thing to remember is how great of a season these kids had. They played their hearts out and they played together,” veteran St. Clairsville head coach Brett McLean said. “I just told them ‘you’ll remember the good times in time. It might sting right this second, but as life goes on you’re going to look back – and high school is one of the fondest memories – and remember you won 13 games in a row.’ “Our seniors have been a part of so many big games. I hate to see them graduate, but that’s the misery in my job, I don’t get them for a 14-year career, I only get them for 4 years,” he added. “I told the young kids that they took notes from what the seniors have given them throughout their careers, so we want to keep that success train rolling. It’s not easy, though. “Only one team leaves the playoffs with a smile on its face. It wasn’t our night out here to be smiling,” McLean continued. “We’ll have to accept that, but I’m proud to be a Red Devil.” Golder was in the right place at the right time to make his big play. St. Clairsville quarterback Brady Schafer was hit from behind while attempting a pass by Ryker Williams at the Braves’ 26. The ball popped up in the air and right into the arms of Golder who was off to the races. Colt James booted the second of his six PATs. The Red Devils offense, which was non-existent most of the game, punted on their next possession and the Braves went 51 yards on half-a-dozen plays to make it 20-0. On third-and-goal from the 3, Williams boot-legged around right end, making a would-be defender miss in the backfield, before bulling into the end zone. St. Clairsville, which was 0-for-8 on third down conversions in the first half, came up inches short on fourth-and-2 near midfield on its next series of downs. On the very next snap, Williams found a wide-open Golder in the middle of the field for a 51-yard scoring play, and it was quickly 27-0. However, Indian Valley wasn’t finished. St. Clairsville was forced to punt by the Braves’ ball-hawking defense. Standout tailback Grady Kinsey capped a 7-play, 71-yard march by dragging tacklers across the goal line from 4 yards. James’ PAT made it 34-0 at the half. He had a 53-yard burst to kick-start the drive. The Braves received the second-half kickoff and drove 80 yards on 10 plays, using nearly 7-and-a-half minutes off the running clock. Kinsey found the end zone for the third time, this one from 3 yards. He had back-to-back carries of 26 and 23. Kinsey finished with 169 yards on 18 carries and now has 2,746 on the season and 42 touchdowns. Indian Valley’s defense got into the scoring again, this time when Kyler Vosick picked off a pass and waltzed 44 yards down the near sideline. The Red Devils avoided a shutout when Schafer connected with Brody Saunders on a 35-yard pitch-and-catch. Tyler Harris was true on the placement. Schafer, who was under pressure all night, finished 9 of 19 for 91 yards. Three receivers had two catches each. The Red Devils ran the ball 25 times for 75 yards, with Ollie Muhly leading the way with 33 stripes. Rich Rodriguez and West Virginia added another player to its large laundry list of transfer portal additions this ... NEW MARTINSVILLE – Tyler Consolidated scored five times in the top of the seventh to stun host Magnolia, 12-8, ... ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Member J.C. Thrash informed St. Clairsville City Council on Monday that multiple local businesses in the downtown district approached him about wanting to install overhead signs. Thrash asked Planning and Building Administrator Tom Murphy what council would need to do to make this happen for local businesses. “In the downtown district, that’s the Board of Architecture Review that would review,” Murphy said of proposed signage. He added that for the local businesses to install a hanging sign in front of their location, the St. Clairsville Architecture Review Board would have to make a change to its current guidelines. They state there can be no hanging signs in the downtown district of the city. According to the St. Clairsville Architecture Review Board’s website, “The Historic Downtown District Architectural Review Ordinance was established to provide a design review mechanism for the purpose of protecting and preserving the character of the downtown district as an historic and economic resource for the community.” Thrash asked Murphy how council can make a change to the review board’s guidelines. Murphy asked what businesses inquired so that he could connect the review board and the businesses in hopes of finding a solution both parties would find satisfactory. Thrash didn’t provide the names of the businesses but said he was contacted by three separate businesses wanting the hanging signs. He reiterated that he was wondering how council can change the guidelines to allow businesses to have hanging signs. “I can pass along the information to those three, and I can at least start the conversation with them to get them in front of the board,” Murphy said. Thrash replied that his intention isn’t for the businesses to go in front of the board because of the associated cost. “It costs like $400 to go to the board. I just want businesses to have signs that overhang without having to go through the hoops of the Architecture Review Board,” Thrash said. Murphy replied, “The way the ordinance and code is set up, any sign would have to go through the board before it gets changed.” Thrash asked him how council can change that so such requests don’t have to go through the Architecture Review Board. “Do you mean you want to do away with the historic district?” Murphy asked Thrash. Thrash replied, “No, I want to be able to put a sign up without going through that, I guess.” Murphy said he believes if council would want to go around the board, it would have to change the historic district which would be a big project. “I’d have to look into it because the way that it is set up now, the Board of Architecture Review reviews signage in the town,” Murphy said. “My understanding is the reason the overhead signs are not allowed anymore is due to it being combating. Someone would have a projecting sign out and then a neighbor would want to put one out that would block that signage and then it was also overhanging in a public right of way and there was a liability concern.” Thrash rebutted that the overhanging signs would make the shops more visible, which he believes would be safer for drivers because it would make business names more visible to them. Council member and Newellstown Diner owner Terra Butler interjected to reinforce Thrash’s point. “That’s the biggest thing. We’re a business that are very much in support of having that back,” she said. Council member Kristi Lipscomb asked Murphy if the guidelines for the hanging signs are specific as to how high or large signs are required to be. Murphy confirmed that if the guidelines were changed, they would definitely specify certain guidelines that all businesses would be required to follow. “I remember hanging signs but when you see historic pictures, every business has those signs,” Lipscomb said. “I think it would help the businesses.” She added that she believes the signs could all be required to be a certain color or to project out a certain distance from the business’s wall. “It wouldn’t have to look janky. It could be nice, historical looking signs,” Lipscomb said. Murphy agreed that he would reach out to the review board and start a conversation about the matter. Council member Lucien Murzyn said he believes that the city needs to do anything it can do to survive and strive to help businesses. “I think that we need to let the public see that St. Clairsville is open for business,” Lipscomb added. MARTINS FERRY — Tickets are still available for The Times Leader’s second annual Community Night with the ... ST. CLAIRSVILLE — As local voters head to the polls to cast their ballots in Ohio Issue 2 and a few property tax ... MARTINS FERRY — Belmont County Treasurer Katherine Kelich started the foreclosure process on East Ohio Regional ... St. Clairsville’s royalty will be crowned during the homecoming football game against Bellaire at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4. The king will be crowned before the game, and the queen will be crowned during halftime. Pictured from left front are queen candidates Jennie Kessler, Lydia Gross, Lola Anderson, Lauren Powell, Kesslee Barrera and Victoria Escarcega. Pictured from left back are king candidates Dino Burk, Gavin Schoolcraft, Brody Saunders, Drew Gasber, Brady Schafer and Micky Balgo. BRIDGEPORT — According to preliminary investigations by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the pedestrian struck and ... BRIDGEPORT — U-Haul Co. of Massachusetts and Ohio Inc. announced that Zach’s Towing signed on as a U-Haul ... WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, Congressman Mike Rulli, R-Ohio, introduced House Resolution 3015, which would ... Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Kroger hosts community safety event in St Oh — The local Kroger store recently hosted a community safety event providing residents an opportunity to meet and interact with various organizations that play a vital role in the area Among the participants were the Belmont County Animal Shelter "We have a promise team here at Kroger that is set up to have community outreach," he said "We get a lot of buy-in from the community and having a safety event like this and just having all the first responders come to our store and it's a great way for the community to reach out and just see what our first responders do and ask questions It's all about being safe both inside the store and outside the store and all in our community." highlighted the benefits of the event for the shelter "It gets us a lot of exposure," she said "Belmont County has a ton of dogs that have been there for a long time and they need help getting exposure and they need help from the community to get that." Similar community safety events were held at other Kroger locations across Ohio allowing residents to connect with their local first responders The high-octane and undefeated Red Devils advanced to the Division IV Region 15 semifinals via a hard-earned and heart-stopping 29-22 win Friday night over a quality Columbus Bishop Ready outfit Coach Brett McLean’s well-drilled and potent charges will now face West Holmes The OHSAA will determine the neutral game site Sunday Eighth-seeded Bishop Ready bows out with a 7-5 record as it saw a six-game winning streak halted The Silver Knights pocketed an 18-17 nod over Jonathan Alder a week prior will bring a 7-5 mark into its Week 13 clash with St opened its playoff campaign with a 40-6 pasting of Marion-Franklin The 12-0 Red Devils’ found themselves in unfamiliar territory against Ready The hosts owned a 7-0 halftime advantage but found themselves trailing 15-12 midway through the third quarter was able to regain a seven-point lead in the fourth period the game’s outcome was still hanging in the balance in the final minute Ready moved the ball to the Red Devils’ eight-yard line was equal to the task as it forced four straight incomplete passes to seal the prized win “We trailed against Norwayne but that is about it,” said an elated and relieved McLean They showed a lot of character and resiliency.” They are an excellent team with some super playmakers,” he added “Ready made an impressive drive at the end of the game but our defense stepped up when it had to.” who has built a D-IV juggernaut in his 23 years at the Hilltop helm including a state runner-up finish in 2012 received impressive offensive performances from a host of red-clad performers Dino Burk and Gavin Schoolcraft as well as junior Olile Muhly all delivered key efforts needed to turn back the formidable Silver Knights Burk did yeoman’s work toting the ball Schoolcraft delivered a 23-yard TD run while Muhly hauled in a perfectly thrown 52-yard TD bomb from Schafer Not to be lost in the shuffle was the timely and oft-times stifling defensive show put on by a host of Red Devils Kyle Rankin and Drew Gasber were a collective thorn in the Silver Knights’ side “The game started out like we thought it would That being a low-scoring defense battle,” McLean said “But once the scoring started it really became an offensive show “Ready has some talented skilled people They have nice offensive balance,” he continued “But I was happy with how we responded C.’s 7-0 halftime lead came courtesy of a 22-yard TD strike from Schafer to Gage Wolfe with 10:45 left in the opening half The Red Devils saw one golden scoring opportunity come up empty The Red Devils took the game’s opening kickoff and marched to the Ready one Ready got on the board on its first possession of the second half Jacob Cheatham teamed with Kayden Schaffer on a 23-yard scoring strike Ready needed just two plays to strike again Bullish Anthony Campbell rolled in from 30 yards out to make it a 12-7 Ready led with 7:30 left in the third quarter The Red Devils took the ensuing kickoff and put together an eight-play drive capped by Schoolcraft’s scoring burst The hosts opted to go for two and it paid dividends as Tyson Pastor tossed to Schafer for a 15-12 lighting Ready drew even at 15-15 with 57 seconds left in the third period via a 26-yard field goal by Aaron Amaya took possession of the ensuing kick at its 42 Burk took matters into his own hands and legs as he carried six successive plays the last being a three-yard TD burst with 10:20 remaining The Silver Knights knotted the affair on the strength of a nine-play drive with Campbell racing in from 20 yards out Schafer tossed a deep sideline pass to Muhly who sprinted untouched for what proved to be the game-winning TD Ready made things very interesting despite taking possession at its 18 with only 2:15 to play Four pass completions and a personal foul against the Red Devils The Silver Knights would get no closer as four passes failed to find their mark “We haven’t been to the the third round for a while I don’t rest on these wins a long time,” he added “I am already thinking about next week and West Holmes Cheatham had a big night passing for Ready Campbell rushed for 156 yards on 29 attempts Harrison Central pitcher Emma Skinner throws a pitch during the Huskies' season opener vs CADIZ–Bailey Smith ignited a five-run scoring barrage with a monster one-out triple Monday in Harrison Central’s season-opening win against St Smith crushed a Sophia Turner offering deep into the gap in left-center and motored her way around for a stand-up triple That made the score 2-0 and before the Red Devils recorded the final out three more runs crossed the plate as the Huskies went on for the mercy-rule shortened 11-0 victory in Cadiz “I thought they settled in and hit the ball well,” Harrison Central head coach Darrin Young admitted “I told them a couple of days ago that hitting is contagious and Bailey started it (Monday) and everybody starting hitting the ball The Huskies laced gap shots and banged out hard-hit grounders heads-up base running that took advantage of seven St One of the strongest all-around performances came from freshman Kelsey Powers Batting leadoff and drawing the start at third base for the injured Mikayla Pelegreen Powers finished with a single and triple and two RBI Powers actually scored on her triple after her moonshot to deep left resulted in an error on the relay home for a first time appearance for a freshmen she didn’t do too bad at all did she,” Young said The offensive output only made the job of pitcher Emma Skinner that much easier Skinner struck out six batters without a walk scattering three harmless base hits in five innings of work but her combined pinpoint location with solid movement on her pitches from the left side kept St “She’s not going to strike out 10-12 eaach time out but she puts some spin on the ball and will throw a lot of groundball outs,” Young admitted Olivia Tonkovich and Cam Crothers each singled twice for the Huskies Clairsville on Wednesday for a return matchup with St The Red Devils dropped their first two contents of the season Turner struck out three and walked the same for St CLAIRSVILLE — After months of delays According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service “Dredging is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of lakes It is a routine necessity in waterways around the world because sedimentation the natural process of sand and silt washing downstream gradually fills channels and harbors.” a lot of delays for a lot of different reasons and we were able to bring two competitive companies working together on this project to make it happen,” St Clairsville Service Director Scott Harvey said Theaker Excavating and Miller Excavating and Demolition have teamed up to ensure the dredging project gets accomplished after months of unexpected setbacks Miller Excavating and Demolition was awarded the bid to dredge the reservoir for the amount of $132,934 Clairsville Water and Wastewater Supervisor Michael Reed said the idea to include Theaker Excavating came from Miller Excuvating to ensure that the project would be completed while a stretch of workable weather is occurring Harvey said the cost for the project has not changed for the city despite the inclusion of Theaker and then the logistics of getting everybody together but everybody’s timelines had to meet up,” Reed said “We ended up getting that bad stretch of winter weather and the roads weren’t safe enough to haul on and it was kind of just a logistical nightmare.” He added that the dredging project’s completion will take roughly two weeks and that none of the original plans for the project changed other than the inclusion of Theaker Excavating Clairsville-area landowner Dave Callipari volunteered his property to be the dump site for the dirt and sediment that’s dredged from the reservoir He said Callipari allowed the city to dump the debris on his property without any fee Reed added that the reason for the project is because the city knew it needed to be completed eventually and this past summer’s drought made the reservoir depleted to the point that the northeast area that was needing to be dredged was completely empty of water He added that he believes the dredging project will allow the city to turn a negative situation into a positive because after the project is completed it will allow the reservoir to hold more water “We knew that we needed dredging done and we knew that there is 2 to 3 feet of sediment in this part of the reservoir that was restricting our capacity we took advantage of the water levels being low We went ahead to push to get this dredging done so that we can open up some more capacity in our reservoir,” Reed said A Wheeling native who has earned world renown as a pioneering neurosurgeon will receive one of the nation’s most .. BRIDGEPORT – A man is lodged at the Belmont County Jail on Monday after he allegedly fired a gunshot during a .. CLAIRSVILLE — Santa Claus is coming to St Santa will be lighting up the large Christmas tree that will be erected in front of the Belmont County Heritage Museum next to the Belmont County Courthouse along Main Street and will conclude when Santa flips the switch turning the community known as “paradise on the hill” into a winter wonderland Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce Director Wendy Anderson said she believes this year’s event will top past tree lighting ceremonies It will feature free ice skating on a synthetic rink entertainment from various local dance studios and DJ Tommy playing classic Christmas hits “This year’s entertainment is off the charts,” Anderson said “There’s somebody new dancing or singing every 15 minute.” She said that a few of the new additions to this year’s event will be trackless trains that will provide rides up and down Main Street and a live reindeer Events and Administrative Coordinator Lisa Kindler said there will be several local food trucks and a “vendor village” with over 20 vendors selling various holiday crafts and baked goods throughout Main Street during the event Anderson added that the event will be similar to the Halloween Bash the chamber hosted in October with the St Clairsville Police Department closing Main Street for the duration of the event to ensure the safety of attendees “They’re going to shut the street down at noon because we need to set up the ice skating rink,” she said The ice skating rink is a fully synthetic rink provided by All Year Sports Galaxy which is owned by former Olympian and Wheeling Nailer Vadim “The Russian Rocket” Slivchenko Anderson added that due to the response to the ice rink at past events the chamber decided to rent a rink that is 8 feet larger than in past years skate rentals are also free for the attendees “We’re going to have more volunteers this year than we’ve ever had before,” Anderson said She added that she encourages attendees to park behind the Belmont County Courthouse or behind the St “It’s just going to be a great place to come out on Saturday night for families and to share this experience with them That’s what we’re excited about to be able to do something like this,” Anderson said NEW PHILADELPHIA – Brady Schafer picked a good game to have the best of his career Clairsville senior quarterback combined for 266 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as the No 1 Red Devils (13-0) punched their ticket to the Ohio Division IV Region 15 championship game with a wire-to-wire 35-21 win over No 13 West Holmes (7-6) in a semifinal Friday night at damp Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium 2 Indian Valley (13-0) next Friday at a site to be determined by the OHSAA “Our team isn’t getting enough credit for what they’ve done,” veteran St “Brady Schafer is probably the best Eastern Division quarterback there is in Division IV “We coach the kid to spread the ball around “He does more than 99 percent of the high school quarterbacks He could’ve been doing what he did tonight all season but we were trying to protect him to get to where we are at.” Clairsville went 69 yards on six plays the first time it had the ball Schafer rolled to his right before throwing back across the field to Gavin Schoolcraft on a screen The Knights responded with a long drive of their own but it stalled following back-to-back incompletions The Red Devils went right back to work as Schafer scampered around right end for 16 yards He then found Brody Saunders for 12 before Schoolcraft kept the drive going with a 4-yard run on third-and-1 Burk capped the 11-play possession with a 13-yard scoring run off the right side He followed blocks by Mikey Balgo and Wyatt Toothman through a gaping hole Harris made it 14-0 one play into the second quarter West Holmes had another promising series of downs wiped out when Ollie Muhly picked off a Morgan Smith pass at the Red Devils’ 27 Schafer connected with Tyson Pastor on a 49-yard scoring toss Schafer rolled right and spotted Pastor well behind the West Holmes secondary He delivered a strike in stride as the lead ballooned to 21-0 after the third placement by Harris Clairsville had a chance to deliver the dagger when Julian Kingery recovered a squib kick at the West Holmes’ 31 three straight runs inside the 10 failed to pick up a yard The Knights didn’t waste any time in scoring as Smith capped a 92-yard drive with an 8-yard run Clairsville responded with the drive of the game The Red Devils marched 79 yards on 14 plays – 11 runs and three passes – to take a 28-7 advantage they converted a pair of third downs and one fourth down Schafer and Saunders hooked up for 13 yards on fourth-and-3 from the West Holmes 14 Schafer kept it the next play and Harris was good for the fourth time “They (West Holmes) had all the momentum in the world and we drove 79 yards on 14 plays at crunch time,” McLean recalled West Holmes tried to make it close when it scored two TDs within a minute Smith found Brock Gallion from 3 yards and after Braxton Blake recovered an onsides kick he connected with Logan Zollars from 45 yards Pringle was true both times as the margin was 28-21 Schafer scrambled for 15 and Schoolcraft broke free for 18 on third-and-4 Schafer went off the right side of his line standing from 3 yards out We had a big week of practice,” Schafer said “We heard all the talk that we weren’t a typical No Schafer ran 14 times for a career-high 103 yards and completed 10-of-16 passes for 163 “This is the best game I’ve played in my career but next week is another big one,” Schafer said “My offensive line doesn’t get enough credit They did an outstanding job tonight.” Burk had 108 yards on 19 carries before injuring a knee in the second half He watched the remainder of the game from the sidelines on crutches Smith passed for 275 yards and ran for 68 more MORRISTOWN — It doesn’t get much better than this Two undefeated county rivals meeting for a late-season game both hoping for a big boost with the playoffs right around the corner Clairsville Red Devils (7-0) travel to face the Union Local Jets (7-0) in a matchup that has each respective community and each respective team pumped up for kickoff “We’re super excited about this game,” Union Local head coach Bernie Thompson said “This is a game that we’ve had circled all year; and it just happens to be 7-0 against 7-0 so it’s a little bit more special these guys have been locked in with their preparation all year so I’m not surprised that’s what it’s going to be anytime you play St They’re a team that can run the ball We’re going to have our hands full but we’re up for the challenge.” “We’ve got a great opponent this week “There’s a lot of tradition and spirit between the two schools and it’ll be a really exciting night Our one controllable factor is how we practice and prepare for the game and we’ve been focusing on having a great week of school and then have good practices once we get here.” Clairsville has had the edge in the rivalry The Red Devils have won six straight against the Jets and we need to play hard for four quarters,” Thompson said “We feel that we’re battle-tested and that’s something we can play to our advantage.” “It’s definitely going to be a playoff atmosphere but we understand that our kids have done a phenomenal job all year of just being locked-in and taking it play-by-play.” “We try to keep ourselves level,” McLean said “Every game has to be exciting for them and that’s practicing one day at a time That’s what I talk to them the most about We’ve got to have some really good practices here late in the season I think our captains and our seniors are a vital part of keeping us focused and they’re doing a good job so far of handling that.” The Red Devils have earned their spotless record with a well-rounded approach on both sides of the ball though all-state running back Dino Burk has missed a handful of games fellow senior Gavin Schoolcraft has made it so the Red Devils have hardly missed a beat C.’s leading rusher with 598 yards and nine touchdowns while Burk has totaled 559 yards and 10 touchdowns across four games Quarterback Brady Schafer has passed for an even 900 yards with seven touchdown tosses and eight interceptions His top targets have been Tyson Pastor (197 receiving yards) Micky Balgo (182) and Brody Saunders (184) Both Balgo and Saunders have two touchdown receptions they’re well-coached,” Thompson said of St they’ve been the cream of the crop in the Ohio Valley for the past decade they have multiple great running backs and a quarterback who does his job really well and distributes the ball to their athletes on the outside They have no weak links on the offensive side The Jets are 7-0 for the first time in their schools’ history and have achieved those previously unreached heights with great playmaking on both sides of the ball Sophomore Brody Perzanowski is one of the top rushers in the valley this year with 1,031 yards on the ground and 13 total touchdowns eight total touchdowns) and Colby Carpenter (591 passing yards Their top target has been senior Dre Saunders with 447 yards and six scores Saunders also has a team-high three interceptions and has two kick return touchdowns and a punt return touchdown they’re undefeated,” McLean said of Union Local “They’re scoring tons of points and they’re holding people to limited points They’ve got multiple weapons offensively that they can spread out and utilize They’re storming to the ball defensively I think they’ve held multiple teams to their lowest point total of their years They’re just a really good football team and we have all the respect in the world for them.” “We’re going to show up Friday and be locked in,” Thompson said “We’re going to go out and take it play-by-play and try and keep it close going into the fourth quarter If we can keep it close going into the fourth quarter This is one of those games where you find out what you’re made of “We want to be one of the best in the valley Clairsville is one of the best in the valley so I think this is a great measuring stick game for our program and to be able to play them late in the year at home in a meaningful game we’ll find out what we’re made of.” The building is now solidified and erected as construction progresses at the new Trinity Health System St Clairsville hospital building has been erected after the construction was framed out and beams installed in July The interior of the building is 75% complete with drywall up in areas but minor electrical work and fabrication and sterilization still to be done Minor work on the outside of the building still needs to be done as well some of the Catholic tradition artwork that will adorn the outside of the building and the surrounding concrete for the flagpole it is expected the whole exterior of the hospital will be complete and officials will be ready to turn on the heat inside The construction has been going very well with no roadblocks or delays Clairsville Trinity Health System hospital the construction team ran into rain that caused some issues with building the hospital but since then construction has been going smoothly “It is going better than expected,” he said Inpatient and operating rooms are being worked on and a parking lot is now present with blacktop that has been poured Richardson has two to three meetings a week about the project in order to keep it moving forward and going well It is still set to be completed by summer and open for patients in July The hospital will be a 20,000-square-foot acute care service facility with two stories and 10 emergency rooms two of which will be trauma rooms along with three fast track rooms on the second floor six inpatient rooms including one intensive care room and two operating rooms Other departments will also be in the hospital ranging from laboratory services to high-end imaging services It will also have a room geared toward bariatric patients and another room dedicated to behavioral health patients within an emergency room construction projects have been kind of like a mystery and that mystery is will or when will that project ever be completed and right now I am very satisfied with our construction team they’re doing an excellent management of this project,” Richardson said Clairsville’s Griffin Straub (14) goes up to block a shot by East Liverpool’s Nate Birch during the first quarter of Tuesday night’s game Straub had 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Red Devils rallied past the Potters on John Jenkins Court Clairsville and East Liverpool have developed quite a rivalry in boys’ high school basketball action over the past decade or so Tuesday night was no different as the host Red Devils handed the Potters (6-1) their first loss of the season with a 68-64 gut-check victory before a loud crowd at John Jenkins Court Clairsville head coach Ryan Clifford said he learned something about his team “After the way we didn’t perform last Thursday at Union Local this was a good gut-check game early in the season against a really good basketball team “They were 6-0 for a reason,” he said we executed at both ends of the floor down the stretch We understood what we were supposed to be doing we got into stuff and took great shots in the fourth quarter.” The tightly played contest was tied six times the last at 62 following a Blake Adkins basket for East Liverpool with a little more than three minutes left in regulation Clairsville (2-1) scored six of the final eight points to pull out the win It’s a team win against a team we’ll probably see down the road somewhere.” Brady Schafer’s driving scoop shot gave the Red Devils a 64-62 lead and Griffin Straub made it 66-62 when he softly put back a Red Devils’ missed shot with 1:45 on the clock Adkins made it 66-64 at the 1:22 mark and St Clairsville turned the ball over – its only one of the quarter – but the Potters couldn’t take advantage first-year East Liverpool head coach Kade Reynolds had to burn another timeout five seconds later The Potters missed a shot with 30 seconds remaining and Tyson Pastor secured the rebound before being fouled The most recent member of the 1,000-point club tickled the twine twice to bump the count to 68-64 and sealed the deal The Red Devils led 20-15 after one quarter as Pastor (9) Pastor had 15 of his game-best 27 in the first half but six came in the second half when needed “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him Kirby grabbed nine rebounds as East Liverpool led 34-31 East Liverpool trailed 36-34 at the half but drew even at 47 midway through the third quarter and led by five three consecutive turnovers on as many trips down the floor to start the fourth spelled disaster “That was a great basketball game in a great atmosphere,” Reynolds said “We got a little sloppy with the 5-point lead and turned the ball over a few times It came back to bite us in the butt a little bit “We’ve been in this same position in four of our first six games and we’ve come out on top,” he added our turnovers and missed foul shots got us.” ZANESVILLE — Despite his team being 13-0 and playing in the Ohio Division IV Region 15 championship game on Friday night Clairsville head coach Brett McLean said his team still needs to get better You’ve got to at this point in the season because they are no weak teams anymore,” he said “We need to play extremely well to have a chance but you should have to play well in a regional final to have a chance.” 2 Indian Valley (13-0) on the artificial surface at John D Sulsberger Stadium with a trip to the Final Four at stake We know what lies ahead,” McLean said “We played a year ago in a game that was a battle and went to the fourth quarter.” He was referring to a week 5 contest in which St High and JV level games against Indian Valley for years the two schools have never met in the postseason “We have never played each other in the playoffs despite being in the same region We’ve watched them from afar and we’ve helped each other from afar make our programs better I think it’s really neat that we’re going to play them in a game like this,” McLean continued “I just hope we get great fan support from both teams on this big stage The kids are very deserving of it on both sides.” Clairsville punched its ticket with a 35-21 victory over No 13 Millersburg West Holmes last week at Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium in New Philadelphia The final margin was closer than the game itself as the Red Devils led 21-0 and recovered a squib kick but couldn’t add to their margin “We had that moment in time where we could’ve really got away from them but we didn’t and they made a play and scored Then they scored again and got the onside kick and scored on the next play “Where I was most proud is that we didn’t clam up … fall back The kids went out there with that mentality and we had that long drive and scored.” Clairsville proceeded to march 79 yards on 14 plays as senior quarterback Brady Schafer capped the drive with a short TD run “We’ve been in that situation a couple times this year and I warned them about it and I’m going to warn them again,” McLean stressed “If you have that opportunity to be ahead We’ve gotta have that killer instinct “We don’t like to pound the quarterback with the run and get him banged up all season There are some things that we’ll do now that we wouldn’t normally do 7-8 weeks ago We always knew he was capable of doing things like he did.” Schafer accounted for four touchdowns last week two on the ground and two more via the air You take advantage of what the opponent gives you We spread the wealth around and utilize the talents of everyone That keeps them invested and doesn’t make us one dimensional.” That being junior running back Grady Kinsey 200-pound junior rushed for 2,347 yards on 178 carries during the regular season He scored five touchdowns and 156 yards last week as the Braves scalped New Lexington “There’s no doubt that their running back is lights-out I not only got to coach against him last year as a sophomore but I also got to see him against Steubenville in the regional semifinal game You can tell he’s a weight room fanatic He’s really the engine that makes them go but what he does they are able to build off of,” McLean added “When you concentrate on stopping him they can sting you with the pass Another potential situation the Red Devils will have to battle is the weather A snowstorm is expected to pass through the region on Thursday “We’ll probably have to deal with adversity with the weather change It might be nice out there today (Monday) but it’s not going to be later in the week unless all the meteorologists are wrong,” McLean pointed out “We’ve got to be able to have productive practices no matter what the weather conditions are We need to practice smart and be efficient.” As for the game being played in Zanesville We’ve always been treated well at Zanesville They’ve hosted so many playoff games that they’ve got it down to a science.” – This will be just the third meeting between the two programs The Braves claimed a 21-14 victory at Midvale in 1996 before the Red Devils prevailed last fall Clairsville’s 19th postseason appearance They are 23-19 and have advanced to the Final Four in 1983 1986 and 2012 when they made the state finals – Indian Valley is in the playoffs for the 11th season – The winner of Friday’s game will meet the winner of the No 10 Kettering Archbishop Alter (8-5) in the state semifinals on Friday The D-IV state championship game is scheduled for Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton CLAIRSVILLE – Holly West officially announced her resignation from St citing her belief that her voice is not being heard said there were many reasons why she is stepping down but the final straw was a piece of proposed legislation that states all members of council are in favor of giving non-union city employees a 2% raise instead of the 4% raise that was originally suggested by Mayor Kathryn Thalman “Those non-union workers are the people that actually run the city And I will tell you that I am for the workers When you really have a limited amount of employees that work for the city they work hard for that money,” West said so why would I agree to have something changed from 4% to 2%?” West said she was sent an email hours prior to the March 17 meeting where the 2% change was first considered 26) that we all said that some of the wording needed to be changed on one of our legislation that’s just the update because we’re going to have to vote on it.’ That’s all I saw on there it must have solidified like I had no idea it was about changing it to 2% and the email says that all the council wanted it changed and that’s not true,” West said and that’s not the first time that legislation has been rolled up stating that all of the council was on board with it.” Clairsville Finance Director Annette Nichols confirmed to council that the 4% raise was already worked into the city’s 2025 budget council proceeded to seek legislation for the 2% raise at the March 17 meeting “I think that the law director didn’t take the time to ask every one of us if we were aware of it,” she said She added that she understands that Law Director Joe Vavra is a busy person and said she isn’t trying to speak negatively about him but she feels like she was left in the dark about this specific issue Vavra said council initially had legislation implementing a 4% raise that went through the required three public readings a few council members reached out to him and asked him to prepare new legislation and the 2% is waiting on a second reading now,” Vavra said He added that even if the legislation for the 2% raise is read the required three times it doesn’t mean that council has to take action on the matter and can table it until members decide to act Prior to officially submitting her resignation West sent out an email to the non-union city workers affected by the change to inform them that she was sorry and did not agree with the change and would be stepping down She added that multiple non-union workers replied to her email telling her that they were unaware that she wasn’t in favor of the change She said she was also questioned about why she would step down before being able to confront the rest of council at the next meeting at 7 p.m if I wait ’til the next council meeting and I say what my thoughts are to each one of them I’m jeopardizing the media being there to hear what’s going on.’ I don’t like attention drawn to me so that would just draw more attention to me so I kind of don’t want it to be such a big deal,” West said She added that she was disappointed that none of the council members had reached out to her to discuss her grievances since she submitted her resignation Clairsville’s City Council has a vacancy for the Council-At-Large position It is seeking applicants who have been a resident of the City for at least two years and a registered voter Interested qualified residents should submit a hand-delivered or emailed letter of interest detailing any special qualifications that would benefit the City along with a current resume and contact information Applications must be submitted to the Municipal Building at 100 N or emailed to jmcmillen@stclairsville.com by April 9 The City Council will interview applicants to select the most qualified candidate please contact the City at (740) 695-1324.” “The council has 30 days from the vacancy to vote on a new member as long as they meet the standard requirements of council,” Vavra said “They have to appoint that person within 30 days and if they don’t appoint within 30 days then the mayor picks the replacement.”