Monthly Archives: December 2021

News

January Blood Drives Scheduled For Ross County

Presented By McDonald’s, “I’m Lovin’ It! & Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitor’s Bureau

(Chillicothe)- January is National Blood Donor Month, the perfect time to resolve to be a regular blood donor and help save lives. Those who come to give blood in January will automatically be entered for a chance to win a getaway to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.

As an extra thank-you from the Red Cross, those who come to donate will also be automatically entered to win a home theater package and a $500 e-gift card. Terms apply; visit RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl for more information. The Red Cross continues to address a nationwide blood shortage. Donors of all blood types are needed to give now to ensure blood is available when patients need it.

Below are the Ross County blood drives that are open to the public in January.

  • Heritage Nazarene Church – Multi-Purpose Room
  • Tuesday January 4th                     
  • 2:00pm-7:00pm
  • To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org, sponsor code: HNC
  • St. Mary’s Catholic Church – Family Life Center
  • Thursday January 6th   
  • 12:00pm-5:00pm
  • To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: StMarysFLC
  • Lions Club Chillicothe – Drive held at South Central Ohio Chapter
  • Monday January 17th               
  • 1:00pm-6:00pm
  • To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: LionsChillicothe
  • South Central Ohio Chapter – Friedman Donor Room
  • Friday January 28th                  
  • 11:00am-5:00pm
  • To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: SCOC

News

Surplus Funds Raised For Chillicothe’s Purple Heart City Monument- Donated To Local Veterans Group

Presented By Classic Brands

Chillicothe was designated a Purple Heart City in late June with a monument dedicated in Veterans Park on Veterans Day 2021. Melody Lapczynski, who organized the drive for Chillicothe’s Purple Heart status, appeared on a Litter Media Special Edition interview with Dan Ramey where she gave a follow up on the dedication of the Purple Heart Monument.

Money was raised in the community went for the constructing the Purple Heart Monument and the Purple Heart City signs that appear at the various City of Chillicothe entrances.

You can see Dan Ramey’s Litter Media Special Edition interview with Melody Lapczynski here, Presented By Classic Brands:

(Melody Lapczynski Appearing On Litter Media Live Special Edition)

The surplus of the funds raised for the monument and signs have been donated to the group known as Veterans In Transition, which is based at the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center. They have been presented a check for over $3,567.

News

10th Annual Fayette County Audubon Society Bird Count

Presented By Classic Brands

(Washington CH) – The Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District hosted its 10th annual bird count as part of the 122nd year Audubon Christmas bird count on Wednesday December 15th.  

Data comes from over 2000 circles. The count runs from December 14th to January 5th. A fifteen-mile circle is identified and locations within the area are included.  The circle can then be counted every year to compare the results.  

This year, included in the count were sites in the City of Washington Court House, local farms, and Deer Creek State Park and Wildlife areas. This year 11 people participated and 37 species were counted.

(Back row Larry Hamilton, Malcolm Miller, Carolyn & Jack DeWeese, Sarah Schott, Roger Griffitts, Brigitte Hisey Front row: Sara & Don Creamer, Jen Dennison Megan Case)

Highlights of the count include one snow goose which has only been spotted two other years and five eagles which is a high for the group. Also, more duck species where spotted compared to the last couple of years. The ducks included, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, and Northern Shovelers. 54 American Crows, Red Tailed Hawks and American Kestrels also had higher counts than in past years. 

If you would like to participate next year, contact Brigitte Hisey at (740) 636-0279 or e-mail at brigitte.hisey@fayette-co-oh.com.

News

Area Child Advocacy Centers Receive State Funds

Presented By Classic Brands

(Columbus) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced that grant funding has been awarded to support child advocacy centers and trauma recovery centers whose finances have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three of these are in central and southeastern Ohio. They include:
Hope’s Place, Lawrence County, $21,804.51 
Harcum House, Lancaster, $21,896.99 
Athens Co. Child Advocacy Center, Athens, $427.90

Payments totaling more than $800,000 were awarded to 17 centers to help with revenue losses and other pandemic-related costs incurred between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021.

“The services these centers provide are essential for helping young victims of crime process trauma and navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system,” said Governor DeWine. “The coronavirus relief funding we’re awarding will replace revenue lost due to the pandemic in an effort to help these agencies continue providing their critical services.” 

This opportunity is funded through the CARES Act, and funds are being administered by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency in partnership with the Ohio Office of Budget and Management.

Sports

Coaches Changes Coming At Huntington H.S.

Presented By Rathkamp Financial

At least three head coaching positions have opened up at Huntington High School.

As Litter Media reported one month ago, Volleyball Coach Tina Magill has retired from coaching, and now we have learned that Football Coach Scott Keller and Softball Coach Spenser Smith also stepped down.

Football Coach Scott Keller has been coaching at Huntington since the fall of 2017.

Huntington has currently posted the opening for the Varsity Softball Coaching position, while the football and volleyball positions will be posted after the first of the year, according Huntington High School Principal Craig Kerns.

Huntington has also posted the position of Boys Junior High Track Coach.

News

Area Schools To Benefit From State Tree Harvest

Presented By Hometown-Motors, Inc. & Accurate Heating, Cooling & Plumbing

(Columbus) – Sixteen rural Ohio school districts, their corresponding counties, and townships will share $1,579,111 from the harvest of timber from Ohio’s state forests through the Trees to Textbooks program, which operates as part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry.

Several communities in southern Ohio will see some of these funds.
 
“Thanks to ODNR’s good stewardship of natural resources, the state can give back to our schools and local communities through this important program,” said Governor Mike DeWine.  “The money from this program is particularly useful in helping school districts keep up with changing technology.”
 
Through the ODNR Division of Forestry’s Trees to Textbooks program, a percentage of the revenue generated from state forest management activity goes to the county, township, and school district in which the activity took place.
 
“Our Trees to Textbooks program is just one of the economic benefits our state forests bring to rural communities,” Chief of the ODNR Division of Forestry, Dan Balser, said. “Sharing these funds locally helps communities provide necessary services and can go a long way in making good schools better.”
 
The Ohio Division of Forestry began distributing timber revenues to counties and townships in the early 1980s. Since the Trees to Textbooks program started in 1999, more than $34 million has been shared with Ohio school districts and local governments.
 
The Ohio Division of Forestry is responsible for the care of more than 200,000 acres of state forests. State forestry experts manage these woodlands for overall health and diversity, soil and water conservation, improved wildlife habitat and a variety of recreational opportunities. Selected trees or areas of woodland are harvested through a competitive bid process, which includes requirements for sound management practices. All work is conducted by certified master loggers under strict monitoring.
 
To learn more about Ohio’s woodlands, visit Forestry.ohiodnr.gov. Follow us on Facebook @odnrforestry and on Instagram @odnrforestry (instagram.com/odnrforestry).
 

Sports

Chillicothe Grad Making Mark In Women’s Big 10 Basketball

Presented By McDonald’s, “I’m Lovin’ It!” & Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitor’s Bureau

2017 Chillicothe High School graduate Osh Brown is making news as a fifth year senior on the Rutgers University Women’s Basketball team, where she is majoring in Child Development.

Brown is currently the Big 10’s fourth leading rebounder with an average of 9.1 per game, but is also leading the conference with most total rebounds at 128. Brown, who played her first four years of college basketball at Ball State University, is the leading active NCAA women’s basketball player in double-doubles with 52. Her fifth year of playing is due to NCAA COVID Eligibility Rules.

When she played at Ball State, Osh Brown was a two-time 1st Team All Mid American Conference player and set a Ball State record with 22 rebounds in the MAC Semifinal Tournament Game.

As of December 20th, Brown’s Rutgers Scarlet Knights are (0-2) in the Big 10 and (7-7) overall.

They play at Ohio State University on February 7th at 6pm, for those wanting to travel to Columbus to see the former Lady Cavs basketball star, where she scored 1,000 career points and grabbed 1,000 career rebounds.

For more on the career bio of Osh Brown, CLICK HERE:

News

Coin Toss Decides EMS Levy Issue In Pickaway County Village

Presented By Atomic Speedway & Chillicothe VAMC

(Columbus) – A Pickaway County village has seen their election day EMS levy fail as the result of a coin toss. The Village of Williamsport’s EMS Levy Issues failed, after a recount of election day results showed a tie vote of 65-65.

This was one of more than a dozen such cases in Ohio where a coin toss made the final outcome.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said, “In November, eighteen different local races in eighteen different counties ended in a tie, and any single, solitary voter would have made the difference in the outcome.”

He said tied candidate races are ultimately decided by a coin flip administered by the county board of elections. But, issue races resulting in a tie are defeated, since Ohio law requires a majority of affirmative votes. 

Under Ohio law, the tie is broken by the board of elections to determine the winner by flipping a coin or by other methods, such as drawing straws, picking a name written on paper out of a hat, or cutting cards. 

While winners were declared in the races, since they were so close, a recount was performed.

News

New Year’s Jammin’ Eve 2021

Presented By Classic Brands

(Waverly) – New Year’s Jammin’ Eve is set for Friday, December 31st at the Waverly Eagles and features two bands that offer a mix of pop, country, and bluegrass music.

(Logo: SamJam BluegrassFestival)

The featured act – The Goodwin Brothers – includes lead singer Kenneth Chase Bush, a finalist during season five of American Idol. The group is from Lexington, Kentucky, and performs a mix of pop, country, and bluegrass music that has made them one of the Ohio Valley’s hottest bands.

Following a catered dinner by longtime local restauranteur Lloyd Harmon that begins at 6 p.m., Bourbon Revival will kick off the music. This hard-driving band from Louisville, Kentucky, also performs songs from a range of genres with crowd-pleasing covers and original material.

“When Sam Karr and I began this New Year’s Eve event a few years ago, I wanted to create a nice, professional event locally so people from the area didn’t have to travel to Columbus or Cincinnati for a New Year’s Eve experience,” said Rick Greene, a Waverly resident and co-organizer of the SamJam Bluegrass Festival, which sponsors the event with the Waverly Eagles, where the event takes place. “It’s a perfect event for a date with a great dinner, great bands, and a local DJ (Matt Snodgrass) who will help us ring in the new year.”

Tickets are $80 and all bar proceeds benefit the Waverly Eagles.
“Rick and I make sure that our events have top-quality talent,” Karr said. “We’re really excited to bring The Goodwin Brothers and Bourbon Revival to Waverly. These aren’t necessarily straight-away bluegrass bands, these are versatile bands with talented singers and musicians who will put on a really great show.”

To purchase tickets, or for more information, check out the New Year’s Jammin’ Eve tab on the SamJam website at www.samjambluegrass.com or the festival’s Facebook page at SamJam Bluegrass Festival.

Anyone who has questions or is interested in a VIP table for eight can contact Karr at (812) 699-0962 or Greene at (740) 547-9059.

Sports

Unioto Holds-Off Paint Valley Rally To Grab SVC Boys Basketball Lead

Presented By Rathkamp Financial

The Paint Valley Bearcats could not overcome a 15 point halftime deficit, but certainly made it interesting at games’ end as the Unioto Shermans fought off the furious comeback effort for a 66-62 win at home.

The Unioto victory leaves them alone at the top of the SVC standings, handing Paint Valley their first conference loss, while Westfall also dropped from the SVC unbeatens’ with a 63-39 loss at Zane Trace.

(Evan Park & Jordan Perkins of Unioto vs Paint Valley defenders- Litter Media/Mike Smith)

Paint Valley’s biggest lead came early at 12-7, but the Shermans finished the quarter on a 12-2 run for a 19-14 lead.

Unioto led at each stop: 19-14, 34-19, 47-39, 66-62.

Unioto’s halftime lead was their largest of the game at 34-19, but PV fought back to within 6 points- twice in the third quarter and within 51-45 at 6:10 of the fourth quarter.

Unioto built that lead back up to 10 points, before the Bearcats closed to within 64-62 with 6 seconds to play, but Blake Hoops sank two free throws to seal the victory at 66-62 for the Shermans. 

Unioto Scoring Recap:
DeSean Branson 29 points
Blake Hoops 11 points
Newt Hoops 8 points
Evan Park 6 points
Ben Spetnagel 6 points
Braxton Platt 3 points

Paint Valley Scoring Recap:
Cordell Grubb 22 points
Dax Estep 18 points
Cole Miller 11 points
Blaine Parker 4 points
Trent Mettler 4 points
Connor Free 3 points

Unioto improves to (3-0/5-1) while Paint Valley drops to (2-1/4-4)

To close conference play prior to the Christmas break, Unioto travels to Adena on Saturday, December 18th. Paint Valley travels to Piketon.

Elsewhere on Friday:
(BOYS BASKETBALL)
Zane Trace 63, Westfall 39
Adena 51, Huntington 38
Piketon 52, Southeastern 47
Lucasville Valley 79, Eastern Pike 58
Portsmouth West 67, Wheelersburg 63
Vinton County 58, River Valley 54
Nelsonville-York 47, Athens 40
Alexander 67, Meigs 56

(GIRLS BASKETBALL)
Bloom Carroll 54, Amanda 41
Fairfield Union 65, Logan Elm 15
Circleville 53, Liberty Union 25
Teays Valley 50, Hamilton Township 13