Monthly Archives: January 2022

Sports

Big Third Quarter Lifts State Ranked Bloom Carroll Past Logan Elm

Presented By Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitor’s Bureau

Number 4 state ranked Bloom Carroll showed why they are one of the top Division 2 boys basketball teams in the state, rolling past Logan Elm 50-25 in Mid State League Buckeye action Friday night at Tom Petty Gymnasium.

(Photo: Logan Elm’s Tanner Holbert defends against the BC pass- Litter Media/Mike Smith)

The Braves got out to an early 4-0 lead, but Bloom Carroll grabbed their first lead at 8-7 with 3 minutes left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs led 10-7 after the first quarter as the Braves used a slow tempo offense to keep the Bulldogs out of their running game.

Down 11-7 in the second quarter, Logan Elm battled back for a 12-11 lead on a Tanner Holbert three-pointer with 4:50 left in the half, and made it 14-11 moments later.

That’s when Bloom Carroll turned up the fire, finishing the first half on a 5-0 run for 16-14 lead over Logan Elm at halftime. Evan Dozer lead the Bulldogs with 10 of their 16 first half points.

That heat might have felt like hot coals falling on Logan Elm in the third quarter as Bloom Carroll ended the period with a 35-14 lead, completing a 24-0 run after having trailed 14-11 late in the first half.

The Bulldogs outscored Logan Elm. 15-11 in the fourth quarter for the 50-25 final score.

(Photo: Litter Media/Mike Smith)

Evan Dozer led the Bulldogs with 22 points and was our McDonald’s “Player of the Game.” Jared Rose added 11 for the only other Bloom Carroll player in double figures.

Logan Elm was led by Braylen Baker’s 12 points, Konnor Starkey added 8 and Tanner Holbert was held to only 5 points, well below his per game average of close to 20 points.

Bloom Carroll improves to (6-0/10-1) while the Braves fall to (3-3/6-4).

Elsewhere in the MSL, Teays Valley and Fairfield Union keep pace just one game behind Bloom Carroll. Fairfield Union edged Amanda Clearcreek 58-52 while Teays Valley crushed Circleville 47-32. Liberty Union was a 62-33 winner over Hamilton Township. 

News

Adena Officials Give Health Update During Conference with Chillicothe Mayor

Presented by McDonald’s, I’m Lovin’ It!

As cases of Covid-19 have increased in recent weeks, Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney hosted a Facebook Live broadcast Friday morning featuring leading officials of Adena Health System for an update on the System’s management of the pandemic.

Click on the photo to watch the entire Facebook Live presentation

The hour long conversation included Adena CEO Jeff Graham, Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Kirk Tucker and Chief Nursing Officer Molly Grooms.

Graham described as people have gotten back to a sense of normalcy going to the store an other public places, “you would never probably imagine that the pandemic is as bad as it is in the walls of our hospital.”

“In the last week… at the PACCAR Medical Education Center, we’ve had double lines, clear out and around Hospital Road, of people getting tested” explained Graham as more families are dealing with an increase of concern over the delta and omicron variants.

Tucker added the importance of receiving vaccination for Covid-19. and gave a sampling from the current hospitalization numbers. As of Friday, among those at Adena, only nine of 72 patients are vaccinated. Tucker says in addition, there are six patients in the intensive care unit on ventilators, none of them had been vaccinated.

“You can be fully vaccinated, boosted, gotten anyone one of the three vaccines available… can you get omicron? Yes. Absolutely” Tucker added “The difference is that instead of it being something that has the potential to progress with landing you in the ER because your oxygen levels begin to fall and your body can no longer oxygenate itself… you’re likely to be at home for five days with a headache, a fever, a cough, stuffy nose, sore throat, muscle aches and pains, fatigue and then it breaks and goes away.” Tucker says the same is true with the delta variant.

Adena has been seeing up to 180 patients infected with Covid per day. Grooms suggests if someone is experiencing symptoms, the testing center at the PACCAR MEC is the place to go. “Depending on the severity of how you’re feeling, that’s where you should start.” They’re currently testing Monday through Friday and Adena is receiving assistance from the Ohio National Guard which will help AHS extend the hours for the testing center. “We still have a lot of access within our own primary care” Grooms added. “We have a lot of support in our Urgent Cares for this testing… an if you feel you have the level of acuity and you need to see the emergency room, I’m not discouraging that from happening at all.”

Hear the entire conversation by clicking on the photo above.

News

DOE Issues Draft Request for Proposal for the Portsmouth Decontamination

Presented By Classic Brands

(Cincinnati) – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) issued a Draft Request for Proposal for the new Portsmouth Decontamination and Decommissioning Contract (PORTS D&D) to be performed at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP) Site in southern Ohio.

The new Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) Contract under the End State Contracting Model (ESCM) will have a maximum value of up to $5.87 billion, includes a 10-year ordering period, and performance of task orders issued before the end of the Contract ordering period shall not exceed five years beyond the end of the Contract ordering period. The Contract includes requirements for meaningful work to be performed by small businesses.

Work to be performed under the new PORTS D&D Contract will include, but not be limited to demolition and disposal of GDP facilities, process equipment, related process buildings, and other ancillary facilities. The PORTS D&D Contract also includes remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater, and disposition of uranium material. The purpose of the follow-on Contract will be to achieve completion of the D&D mission at the PORTS Site by successfully completing the environmental cleanup at the best value to the U.S. taxpayer. The new PORTS D&D Contract will replace the PORTS GDP D&D contract currently held by Fluor–BWXT Portsmouth, LLC (FBP).

In order to focus the new PORTS D&D Contractor on End State completion (i.e., D&D work), enduring operations historically performed under the PORTS GDP D&D contract with FBP will be transferred to the forthcoming Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) Operations and Site Mission Support (OSMS, formerly known as Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride [DUF6]) contract. This work will include utilities (water, sewer, and electric); Emergency Management (fire protection, plant shift superintendent, emergency operations center); Physical Security (Protective Force); Uranium Operations (cylinder to cylinder transfer, cylinder yard management); and Nuclear Material Control and Accountability. Although some work scope is transferring from the existing PORTS GDP D&D contract to the new Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office Operations and Site Mission Support contract, this realignment will not result in an overall reduction in scope for the PORTS site. To ensure a smooth transition of scope and workforce, the transition periods for the new PPPO OSMS and PORTS D&D Contracts will be aligned. The planned approach for effective scope alignment between the contracts at PORTS will be beneficial for long-term workforce continuity and will allow for a strategic focus on the D&D work at PORTS under the ESCM.

With the expectation of continued stable funding for the PORTS site, it is anticipated that the site workforce will remain stable amongst the new PORTS D&D and OSMS contractors, along with the continuance of current benefits.

The PORTS D&D Contract will promote Contractor community commitment and engagement, to include site reindustrialization efforts by the local community. There will be a requirement for the PORTS D&D Contractor to submit a community commitment plan to DOE. The Contract will also provide for a 5 percent preference for the award of subcontracts to regional small businesses.

EM is using a selection process for this procurement that focuses the evaluation of offers on key personnel, past performance, management approach, and cost and fee/profit to support a qualifications-based selection of the offeror that represents the best value to the government.

A dedicated EM Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) webpage has been established for the PORTS D&D procurement: https://www.emcbc.doe.gov/SEB/portsdd/. All news/announcements, documents (including the Draft RFP and Final RFP), pre-solicitation information, virtual tour, questions/answers, and related links will be posted on the procurement website. The Draft RFP and Final RFP will also be posted to the FedConnect website at: www.fedconnect.net.

DOE is also posting pre-solicitation information and a virtual site tour. Additionally, DOE will conduct virtual one-on-one sessions with industry for the PORTS D&D procurement. Registration information is available via the EMCBC PORTS D&D procurement webpage. Interested parties are encouraged to review the Draft RFP prior to participating in the industry one-on-one sessions.

Sports

Chillicothe Paints Release 2022 Schedule

Presented By Rathkamp Financial

(Chillicothe)- In conjunction with the Prospect League, the Chillicothe Paints, presented by Adena Health System, announced their 2022 schedule Friday morning. The Paints open their season on the road in Springfield, Ohio, against the Champion City Kings Wednesday, June 1.

Chillicothe returns to VA Memorial Stadium for its home opener a day later, Thursday, June 2, against Champion City at 7:05 p.m. Along with $1 draft beer for Thirsty Thursday, there will also be a postgame fireworks display to celebrate the opening of the new season.

Once again, the schedule features 60 regular-season games with the Paints playing 30 at home and 30 on the road. This season, Chillicothe plays the Champion City Kings, Danville Dans, Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp, Johnstown Mill Rats, Lafayette Aviators, REX and West Virginia Miners.

“The Paints are so excited for our 29th season and building on our record-breaking attendance from a year ago,” said President Bryan Wickline. “We have been so fortunate over the years to have tremendous support from our fans and the business community. Everyone really stepped up last year and showed the support we needed coming off a year of no Paints’ baseball. The 2022 Prospect League season has a great schedule lined up for the Paints and now it’s time to get back to work. VA Memorial Stadium will start hosting college games in just over a month!”

The Prospect League schedule is designed to give players a taste of life in the minor leagues with charter bus travel, night games in front of enthusiastic crowds, and numerous overnight series in opponent cities. 

For the purposes of playoffs, Prospect League teams are divided into two conferences, each with two divisions:

Eastern Conference

Ohio River Valley Division
Champion City Kings (Springfield, Ohio)
Chillicothe Paints (Chillicothe, Ohio)
Johnstown Mill Rats (Johnstown, Pa.)
West Virginia Miners (Beckley, W.Va.)

Wabash River Division
Danville Dans (Danville, Ill.)
Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp (Peru, Ill.)
Lafayette Aviators (Lafayette, Ind.)
REX Baseball (Terre Haute, Ind.)

Western Conference

Great River Division
Burlington Bees (Burlington, Iowa)
Clinton LumberKings (Clinton, Iowa)
Normal CornBelters (Normal, Ill.)
Quincy Gems (Quincy, Ill.)

Prairie Land Division
Alton River Dragons (Alton, Ill.)
Cape Catfish (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
O’Fallon Hoots (O’Fallon, Mo.)
Capital City Baseball (Springfield, Ill.)

The Paints play more than 75 percent of their games within the division, meeting the Kings, Miners and Mill Rats a combined 46 times.

The 2022 season once again features split-season play, with division winners at the end of the first half of the season advancing to a one-game divisional championship August 7. Divisional champions advance to play a one-game conference championship August 9. Both conference champions advance to play one another in the best-of-three Prospect League Championship Series. Game one is August 11 and, after a travel day, game two and, if necessary, game three are August 13 and 14.

To advertise at VA Memorial Stadium or to schedule company outings, birthdays, team picnics or to receive group discounts, call the Paints Office at (740) 773-8326. Season tickets are also available online at www.ChillicothePaints.com, the Paints Office & Gift Shop at 11 East 2nd Street in Chillicothe, or by calling (740) 773-8326.

The 2022 Chillicothe Paints Schedule. Red dates are games at VA Memorial Stadium
News

Shawnee State Forest Expanded by More Than 1,200 Acres

Presented By Scioto Valley Dumpsters, LTD

(Columbus) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz announced today that the Shawnee State Forest will expand by more than 1,200 acres.

(Photo Courtesy of ODNR Division of Forestry)

“By growing Shawnee State Forest, we are securing, protecting, and conserving important land in Ohio for the future,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “The expansion will significantly increase Ohio’s largest contiguous block of forest, enhancing biodiversity and providing a mix of recreational opportunities, as well as other direct and indirect benefits to all Ohioans.”
 
ODNR’s Division of Forestry acquired the property with a federal partnership grant through the Forest Legacy Program.
 
The 1,252-acre tract in Scioto County is approximately 75 miles south of Columbus and 65 miles east of Cincinnati. The land, located near Shawnee State Park and The Nature Conservancy’s Edge of Appalachia Preserve, is now part of the state forest. This purchase will allow ODNR to partner with the Buckeye Trail Association and reroute a section of the Buckeye Trail off the road and through the wooded area.
 
“This partnership with the Buckeye Trail Association will provide people with an amazing opportunity to see our largest state forest,” said Director Mary Mertz. “More public land under conservation management will protect water quality, improve wildlife habitat and forest products, increase recreational opportunities, and improve ecosystem services for the local community and people all over the state.”
 
Ohio’s Forest Legacy Program, which uses perpetual working forest agreements or fee-simple purchase on working forest lands, was established in 2005. The Division of Forestry has obtained Legacy Program funding to permanently protect 9,720 acres of important working forest land within Ohio. More information about the program can be found here and by searching for “Forest Legacy” at ohiodnr.gov.
 
In addition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s financial support provided with grant cost-share from the state, the Ohio Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Ruffed Grouse Society both contributed funds to support the acquisition.

News

Fairfield County Among One Dozen Workforce Partnerships Added By Ohio

Presented By Chillicothe VAMC

(Columbus)—Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, has announced that 13 workforce partnerships located throughout the state will receive awards through the Industry Sector Partnership (ISP) Grant. The program supports partnerships that help bring Ohioans into the workforce pipeline while meeting the needs of job creators and the local economy.

The selected partnerships have been awarded a total of $2.58 million and focus on multiple in-demand industry sectors, including information technology, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and aerospace.

“The awards made today support Industry Sector Partnerships across the state as they expand best practices to help Ohioans enter the workforce in many different industries,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “These partnerships give everyone a seat at the table and require collaboration between the public and private sectors. We have seen this model succeed and will continue to invest in partnerships that prepare more students and job seekers for high wage jobs in their regions.”

Awarded partnerships include:

  • Fairfield County Career Readiness Endorsement
  • Workforce Connect IT Sector Partnership (WC IT SP)
  • The Health Collaborative Workforce Advisory Council
  • Raise the Bar Hancock County
  • Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition
  • ConxusNEO Industry Sector Partnerships
  • WorkforceConnect Manufacturing Sector Partnership
  • Great Lakes Regional Industry Sector Partnership
  • Lorain County Manufacturing Sector Partnership
  • Alliance for Working Together Northeast Ohio Sector Partnership
  • Ohio IT Apprenticeship Collaborative
  • Stark County Manufacturing Workforce Development Partnership
  • Preparing Students for Transportation + Information Technology Sectors with PIE CaseLAB® Career Academy & DriveOhio Smart Mobility Ambassador Program

Industry Sector Partnerships are designed to develop regional workforce strategies, with the goal of driving collaboration between local businesses, education and training providers, and community stakeholders. These grants will help support the operations of both new and existing Industry Sector Partnerships around Ohio.

“These awards are unique because each region can tailor their training programs to meet the needs of businesses in their area,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development. “This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Workers will gain the skills they need for jobs where they live, and businesses will get workers who meet their specific requirements.”

Ohio has invested more than $5 million in Industry Sector Partnerships over the last two years. The first round of the Industry Sector Partnership Grant program awarded 12 partnerships a total of $2.5 million in January 2021.

Sports

Paint Valley Draws Even With Unioto In SVC Girls Basketball Race

Presented By Accurate Heating, Cooling & Plumbing

The Lady Bearcats of Paint Valley held-off a fourth quarter rally by Unioto for a 54-51 win, allowing them to draw even with the Lady Shermans at (6-1) for the SVC Girls Basketball lead.

Adena’s 52-43 win over Southeastern places them 1/2 game out of first place at (5-1).

Paint Valley held double digit leads for most of the game and were up 49-34 with 7:06 to play in the game, before Unioto went on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit at 49-46 with 3:25 to play on an Avery Miller three-point shot.

The Lady Bearcats got the lead back up to 51-46 with 2:15 remaining on an Averi McFadden bucket. That remained the score until :20 left in the contest when Ameris Betts connected on a trey making it 51-49. Hanna Uhrig made two free throws with :12 to go for a 53-49 PV lead, then Avery Miller scored a bucket for Unioto making it 53-51 with under 5 seconds left. A Unioto foul with less than one second put PV on the line, where they made 1 of 2 for the final margin 54-51.

Olivia Smith led Paint Valley with 22 points and 17 rebounds, followed by Hanna Uhrig’s 17 points. Other Lady Bearcats contributing included Abbi Stanforth, Averi McFadden and Kendall Dye with 5 points each.

Unioto was led by Avery Miller’s 24 points while Amelia Uhrig scored 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Ameris Betts added 7 points and Carissa Wheeler 5 points.

Paint Valley shot 16/35 from the field- including 6/10 from the arc for 46%. The Lady Cats were also 16/22 at the at the charity stripe. They had 33 rebounds. The downside for the Lady Bearcats was their 26 turnovers, with more than half of those in the second half.

Unioto was 16/52 from the field- including 2/15 from the arc for 31%. They were 17/22 from the free throw line. Unioto committed 13 turnovers and had 24 rebounds.

The game completed round one of SVC play for both Paint Valley and Unioto.

News, Sports

Buckeye Off Road Expo Slated For May

Presented By Atomic Speedway

(Chillicothe)- The Buckeye Off-Road Expo is coming to the Ross County Fairgrounds May 20-22.

(Buckeye Off Road Expo 2022)

From off-road racing to rock crawling, trail riding, to sand sports, Jeeps, UTV, to camping and adventure travel, fans have the unique opportunity to meet and talk with the most knowledgeable people in the off-road industry.

Fans can experience the dynamic world of off-road thru ride alongs, demos, celebrity appearances, industry media events and product giveaways.

For more information, go to our link to the Buckeye Off-Road Expo website:

News

Ohio Supreme Court To Conduct Hearing At Miami Trace School

Presented By Classic Brands

(Columbus)- Twice each year, the Supreme Court of Ohio conducts a Civic Education Program and relocates from the capital city to hold sessions in other Ohio communities. This year, the Civic Education Program is set for Fayette County.

On December 9, Miami Trace hosted an off-site visit from staff members affiliated with the Supreme Court of Ohio.

“Just this week, we received a message from Sara Stiffler, Manager of Civic Education Program for Supreme Court of Ohio, that: Chief Justice O’Connor has selected Miami Trace High School as the location for Fayette County Off-Site Court on April 27, 2022”, according to a social media post from Miami Trace Schools.

“We are both elated and humbled that the Supreme Court of Ohio has chosen Miami Trace Local School District and look forward to hosting in April. This is a unique opportunity for high school students of Fayette
County to learn and have exposure to Ohio’s judicial system. Students from Fayette Christian School, Washington City Schools, and Miami Trace will attend the proceedings and receive the rare opportunity to
participate in the processes leading up to them.”

Curriculum materials, such as summaries of specific cases to be argued, will be provided to teachers and students prior to the session. Attorneys will team with Fayette County educators to review case materials and Ohio’s judicial system. On the day of the court session, selected students will attend a question and answer session with the Justices of the Court, attend one of three oral arguments, and meet with the case attorneys for a debriefing after their assigned case has been argued.

“The Miami Trace Local School District is honored to participate in the Off-Site Court Program and host the Supreme Court of Ohio. We look forward to students of Fayette County joining the more than 32,000 Ohio students who have been granted the opportunity to observe the proceedings of the Supreme Court and interact with justices, attorneys, and court staff.”

Here is a link from The OHIO Channel regarding The Supreme Court of Ohio’s Off-site Program:

News

Adena To Open New Urgent Care On North Bridge Street

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

(Chillicothe) – Adena Health System has announced that it will expand its services in Chillicothe with the addition of a new Urgent Care facility on Bridge Street. The 6,400 square-foot facility will be located in a shared space with Rural King at 1470 North Bridge Street, Chillicothe.

“We recognize the healthcare needs of our communities continue to grow and patients and their families deserve facilities and services that are convenient and close to where they live and work,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “Our Adena Urgent Care – Western Avenue location in Chillicothe continues to see record patient volumes, so the opening of this new location not only benefits our patients with more care options but also our providers and caregivers in reducing the strains on their staffing and resources.”

Graham added, “We greatly appreciate our partners with Rural King for sharing in this vision of bringing valuable urgent care services to Chillicothe’s north end of town.”

Initial services offered at Adena Urgent Care – Bridge Street will include:

·        Acute care for illnesses like flu, colds, cough, strep throat and more;

·        COVID-19 testing;

·        Sports physicals;

·        Sprains, strains and minor fractures;

·        Outpatient laboratory services; and

·        X-ray and mobile 3D mammograms.

Patients seeking services at Adena Urgent Care – Bridge Street will have the ability to skip the waiting room experience by using Adena’s convenient online service that allows them to sign-in from home or elsewhere. After signing in online, the patient can continue working or resting at home until they are notified that it is time to come in to the clinic to see a provider. Traditional walk-in service will also be available.

Adena Urgent Care – Bridge Street is scheduled to open in early 2022.

Additional Adena Urgent Care locations can be found throughout Chillicothe, Circleville, Hillsboro, Jackson, Washington Court House and Waverly. For more information and to reserve your spot, visit Adena.org/UrgentCare.