Union Township in Ross County has shared a large portion of their first round of COVID-19 money with local schools and other community entities. The American Recovery Act Funds came from the federal government, as approved by congress.
The $500,000 the township received, like comparable funds received by other local government entities, had to be used for items related to assisting in those government entities handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
Union Township Trustee Jeff Henness said- “Along with trustees Dave Bethel and Harold Bennett, we thought the best way we could help the community was through the school districts that our township serves.”
As a result, Union Township Trustees decided to give $120,000 each to Union Scioto Schools and Adena Local Schools for the purchase of new student Chrome Books and other computers. Ross County Christian Academy was given $70,000 and the Ross County Fairboard was given approximately $40,000. Ross Christian Academy’s money helped install touch-less lighting, which was also the case for monies given to the Ross County Fairgrounds. The remaining $150,000 was used by Union Township for EMS and Firehouse equipment purchases.
Union Township is anticipating another $1.2 million in funds coming their way in a second round of federal funding, which Henness says the rules for using those dollars is still being worked out at the federal level. Local governments will have until the year 2026 to use the money. Half of those funds will be received in 2021 and the other half in 2022.
In the case of townships, funds received are based on the size of the townships.
A longtime businessman in the Circleville area has been named as the Businessperson of the Year, awarded by the The Pickaway County Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber presented the award to Asa Elsea last week in his office. Elsea is President and CEO of Elsea Incorporated.
The award is annually presented to a member of the chamber for outstanding services resulting in advancement and betterment of the community, and must possess personal and professional characteristics including honesty, sincerity, integrity, benevolence and fairness.
The Chillicothe Police Department is seeking interested individuals looking for work in law enforcement.
The department has a number of career advancement opportunities and benefits including: Promotions (Sergeants, Captains, Chief), Specialized Units (Detective Division, Narcotics, SWAT, K9, Bike Patrol, Crash Reconstructionist, DARE, School Resource Officer, Negotiator, Training Instructors and more).
Chillicothe Police employees receive Paid Time Off (Personal Days, Sick Leave, Vacation), Health Insurance, Vision/Dental Insurance, Competitive Pay, Incentive Pay, Shift Differential, and more.
(Columbus) – Ohioans contributed more than $750,000 in 2021 to the conservation of state nature preserves and endangered wildlife through the annual income tax checkoff program, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The donations collected go directly to programs that protect Ohio’s wildlife and natural areas.
“We would not be able to achieve our conservation goals without the support we get from the people of Ohio,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “These tax donations help us to restore and protect endangered wildlife and preserve the natural habitats they call home.”
The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves oversees Ohio’s 139 state nature preserves. The 2021 tax checkoff program provided more than $400,000, donated by more than 24,000 Ohioans, to help fund facility improvements, invasive species management, land purchases, education opportunities, and scientific research. A portion of the funds will be used to purchase a tract of land along Little Beaver Creek that will protect an additional half-mile of habitat along one of Ohio’s most scenic rivers. The monies will also be used to purchase additional lands at Eagle Creek, Goll Woods, and Whipple state nature preserves; and to make various trail improvements including ADA accessible trails.
Natural areas and preserves are open year-round and available to all Ohioans. Donations to the state nature preserves help protect Ohio’s prairies, old-growth forests, wetlands, and rare geologic formations, and provide critical habitat for endangered species. Hiking, birding, and wildlife photography are but a few of the activities that are enjoyed at Ohio’s nature preserves.
The mission of the Division of Wildlife is to manage, protect, and restore wildlife populations for the benefit of all Ohioans. More than $372,000 from nearly 25,000 donations were made to the Wildlife Diversity Fund to help support critical management activities in Ohio. Just a few of the projects these funds support include monitoring sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, and dragonflies and damselflies; restoring native hellbenders and barn owls; creating monarch butterfly habitat and other conservation efforts benefiting pollinators; and wildlife education efforts through the production and distribution of field guides and posters.
The Division of Wildlife cares about all wildlife and maintaining stable, healthy wildlife populations. Donations through the tax checkoff program connect wildlife enthusiasts to restoring and protecting endangered and threatened wildlife.
Since its inception more than 35 years ago, the tax checkoff program has received widespread public support. Millions of dollars have been donated to natural land conservation and wildlife management. The program provides a convenient and efficient way for all Ohioans to contribute to conservation work in Ohio. For more information on the tax checkoff program and to find other ways to contribute to conservation efforts, visit ohiodnr.gov.
As we look toward fall, we know blood donor availability can be a challenge as kids head back to school and people celebrate the Labor Day holiday. Donors are needed now to ensure blood is available when patients need it. Do you know someone who has never given before? Ask them to make an appointment with you.
All those who come out to give blood in September will receive a coupon via email for a free haircut, courtesy of Sport Clips Haircuts. Terms and conditions apply: rcblood.org/Sport-Clips.
Plus, when you come to give blood Sept. 3rd-7th, you’ll get a new 16 oz. Red Cross campfire mug, while supplies last.
Plus when you help the Red Cross tackle the need by donating blood Sept. 13th-30th, you’ll receive a limited-edition college football T-shirt, while supplies last.
Below are the Ross County blood drives that are open to the public in September.
South Central Ohio Chapter – Friedman Donor Room
Friday September 3rd
9:30am-3:30pm
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: SCOC
Derek Free Blood Drive – Open Door Ministries 3130 Bridge Street
Friday September 10th
12:00pm-6:00pm
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: Derek
Zane Trace High School -Gymnasium
Wednesday September 15th
8:30am-1:30pm
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: ZaneTraceHS.
Frankfort Community – Masonic Lodge located at 23 W Springfield Street
Saturday September 18th
9:00am-2:00pm
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: FrankfortCommunity
South Central Ohio Chapter – Friedman Donor Room
Friday September 24th
11:00am-5:00pm
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: SCOC
Lions Club Chillicothe – Drive held at South Central Ohio Chapter
Monday September 27th
1:00pm-6:00pm
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: LionsChillicothe
Paint Valley High School – Gymnasium
Thursday September 30th
8:30am-1:30pm
To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: PVHS
The Big 10 Conference has come out with a policy that will be none too kind for teams unable to play a scheduled game for the 2021-22 season, due to COVID.
While the vaccination rates among Big 10 teams is high, variants still are spreading through the country. If a program is incapable of fielding a team for a game, the canceling team will have to forfeit that contest, according to the Big 10.
The Big Ten released its COVID-19 policy on Monday morning, and if a team cannot play, it will receive a loss and the other team will get the win. If both teams have to cancel, then it’s considered a no-contest.
“In collaboration and communication with the Big Ten Conference Athletic Directors, Chancellors and Presidents, the Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, and the Sports Medicine Committee – effective today – the conference has determined that if one of its member institutions is unable to play a conference contest due to COVID-19, that contest shall be declared a forfeit and will not be rescheduled. That contest shall be considered a loss for the team impacted by COVID-19 and a win for its opponent in the conference standings. If both of the two competing teams are unable to participate in a scheduled Conference competition due to COVID-19 and as a result the competition is unable to occur on the calendar day on which it is scheduled, the competition shall be considered a “no contest.”
(Washington D.C.) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given full approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty, for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.”
Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. EUAs can be used by the FDA during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided that the FDA determines that the known and potential benefits of a product, when used to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease, outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.
FDA-approved vaccines undergo the agency’s standard process for reviewing the quality, safety and effectiveness of medical products. For all vaccines, the FDA evaluates data and information included in the manufacturer’s submission of a biologics license application (BLA). A BLA is a comprehensive document that is submitted to the agency providing very specific requirements. For Comirnaty, the BLA builds on the extensive data and information previously submitted that supported the EUA, such as preclinical and clinical data and information, as well as details of the manufacturing process, vaccine testing results to ensure vaccine quality, and inspections of the sites where the vaccine is made. The agency conducts its own analyses of the information in the BLA to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective and meets the FDA’s standards for approval.
Comirnaty contains messenger RNA (mRNA), a kind of genetic material. The mRNA is used by the body to make a mimic of one of the proteins in the virus that causes COVID-19. The result of a person receiving this vaccine is that their immune system will ultimately react defensively to the virus that causes COVID-19. The mRNA in Comirnaty is only present in the body for a short time and is not incorporated into – nor does it alter – an individual’s genetic material. Comirnaty has the same formulation as the EUA vaccine and is administered as a series of two doses, three weeks apart.
The first EUA, issued Dec. 11, for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older was based on safety and effectiveness data from a randomized, controlled, blinded ongoing clinical trial of thousands of individuals.
To support the FDA’s approval decision today, the FDA reviewed updated data from the clinical trial which supported the EUA and included a longer duration of follow-up in a larger clinical trial population.
Specifically, in the FDA’s review for approval, the agency analyzed effectiveness data from approximately 20,000 vaccine and 20,000 placebo recipients ages 16 and older who did not have evidence of the COVID-19 virus infection within a week of receiving the second dose. The safety of Comirnaty was evaluated in approximately 22,000 people who received the vaccine and 22,000 people who received a placebo 16 years of age and older.
Based on results from the clinical trial, the vaccine was 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease.
More than half of the clinical trial participants were followed for safety outcomes for at least four months after the second dose. Overall, approximately 12,000 recipients have been followed for at least 6 months.
The most commonly reported side effects by those clinical trial participants who received Comirnaty were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, and fever. The vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 and potentially serious outcomes including hospitalization and death.
The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have monitoring systems in place to ensure that any safety concerns continue to be identified and evaluated in a timely manner. In addition, the FDA is requiring the company to conduct postmarketing studies to further assess the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty. These studies will include an evaluation of long-term outcomes among individuals who develop myocarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty. In addition, although not FDA requirements, the company has committed to additional post-marketing safety studies, including conducting a pregnancy registry study to evaluate pregnancy and infant outcomes after receipt of Comirnaty during pregnancy.
The FDA granted this application Priority Review. The approval was granted to BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH.
Recommendations for the return to mask wearing and social distancing indoors, has led the Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas to order the mandated wearing of masks for any individual entering the Pickaway County Courthouse. This applies even to fully COVID-19 vaccinated individuals.
The only exception to this order will be for individuals who can provide a medically documented reason that they can not wear a mask. The mandate also does not apply to anyone working within a room by themselves.
Refusal to wear the face covering could lead to that individual being removed from the courthouse.
The mandate went into place Monday, August 23rd, 2021 and will remain intact for as long as the court deems it necessary, according to the website for the Pickaway County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile and Probate Courts. The order applies to any and all space inside the courthouse.
