News

Government Offices/Schools & Business Close As Winter Storm Moves Into Ohio

February 3, 2022 Mike Smith

Schools, local government offices, services and many businesses closed as a winter storm entered the region Thursday.

Every school in Ross, Pickaway, Fayette, Pike, Highland, Fairfield had closed for the day, while Jackson County schools started in session Thursday, but are dismissed early.

All area sports activities for Thursday cancelled.

The National Weather Service added an Ice Storm Warning for the region at 11:23am, going through 7am Friday going along with the Winter Storm Warning for the entire state. Many of the TV meteorologists are saying they “can’t remember this happening in decades, possible as far back as the 1978 Blizzard.”

The Ice Storm Warning covered a line with Ross, Fairfield and Highland Counties to the north, going south to the Ohio River and into Kentucky.

Most area counties went to snow emergency status, including Level 3 for Ross, Pike, Fayette, Pickaway, Highland, Jackson, Hocking and Fairfield counties.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10am FRIDAY MORNING. ICE STORM WARNING IS CANCELLED. Light snow continuing. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. Portions of Central, South Central and Southwest Ohio and Northeast and Northern Kentucky.

Friday A chance of snow, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 21. North wind 9 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -12. West wind 3 to 6 mph.

Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 21. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.

Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 6.

Sunday Sunny, with a high near 34.

Sunday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 13.

Sports

No Convo Again This Year For Boys District Basketball Tournaments

February 3, 2022 Mike Smith

Presented By Atomic Speedway

(UPDATED 2:30pm 2/3/22)
The Southeast District Athletic Board will be steering away from the Ohio University Convocation Center for boys district basketball tournament games again this year.

The District Board has elected to once again go with larger area high school gym neutral sites for the District Tournaments and allowing the higher seeded teams to host through the Sectional Tournaments.

One good news note is that the Ohio High School Athletic Association has changed their mind about moving Regional Boys Basketball Tournaments out of the OU Convo for 2022. Southeast District Athletic Board Member Wayne Horsley notified Litter Media on February 3rd that Ohio University had changed their mind about not allowing concession stands. OU will allow them to be open now, which has prompted the OHSAA to keep the Regional Boys Basketball Tournaments at the Convo in 2022.

Litter Media’s Mike Smith spoke with Southeast District Athletic Board member Mark Rose as to the reason why “The Convo” will not be used for boys district tournaments again this year. Rose says the Board “originally had planned to have boys semis and finals at Ohio University, but several factors played into their final decision not to go to The Convo in 2022.”

Among those reasons were several “schedule conflicts” with Ohio University. Those conflicts included events for OU Wrestling and the strong possibility that both OU Women and Men’s Basketball would be hosting first-round MAC Tournament games (due to their respective successful seasons).

Rose said the District Board had even “considered” bringing the girls district basketball tournament games back to Ohio University, where they were held for a few years in the early 2010’s. The Girls Sectional and District Tournaments have been using the format that the boys will be using again this year.

Rose says the District Board’s “hope is to return to The Convo in 2023.”

Girls Basketball Tournament Seeding will be released by the Southeast District Athletic Board at approximately 3:30pm Sunday, January 30th and the Boys Basketball Tournament Seeding on Sunday, February 6th.

Here are the breakdowns of “tournament sites” for each division in both girls and boys basketball in 2022.

GIRLS
Division 2 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 2 Districts at Southeastern High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 3 Sectionals (higher seeded teams host each game)
Division 3 District at Waverly Downtown Gym
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 4 Sectionals (higher seeded teams host each game)
Division 4 District at Piketon High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

BOYS
Division 2 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 2 District at Southeastern High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 3 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 3 District at Waverly Downtown Gym
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

Division 4 Sectionals (higher seeded team hosts each game)
Division 4 District at Wellston High School
CLICK HERE FOR EMPTY DISTRICT BRACKET

News

IMAP Available At Ohio University-Lancaster Campus

February 3, 2022 Mike Smith

Presented By Scioto Valley Dumpster, LTD

(Lancaster) – Low-income partially- or totally-unemployed Ohio residents now have the opportunity to earn one or more Ohio University Lancaster credentials for free through a training program grant awarded by Ohio’s Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP).

Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, announced on Jan. 27 that 14 training providers located throughout the state will receive a total of $2.93 million in awards to support 2,336 credentials. Ohio University Lancaster will offer several computer skills training credentials.

“At Ohio University Lancaster, we consider it our responsibility to build the skills of our local workforce,” Jarrod Tudor, dean of campus and community relations, said. “The Lancaster campus is excited to offer in-demand, technology-focused training to help our residents and enhance their capabilities for current and future employability.”

Credentials offered through Ohio University Lancaster include:

AWS Cloud Certified Practitioner
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
CompTIA A+
CompTIA IT Fundamentals
Computer Networking Technology
Computer Skills for the Workplace
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office Specialist: Associate
Microsoft Windows 10

“IMAP gives individuals the opportunity to earn in-demand, technology skills so they can get higher-paying jobs in a very short amount of time,” said Lt. Governor Husted in a release from his office. “Ohio businesses across all industries need to compete in today’s economy, and this program provides them a pipeline of ready-to-go talent.”

Individuals interested in earning a credential or learning more about the programs offered by Ohio University Lancaster can visit Workforce.Ohio.gov/IMAP.

News

Grants Offered to Strengthen Youth Resiliency in Appalachian Ohio

February 3, 2022 Mike Smith

Presented By Chillicothe VAMC

(Nelsonville) – The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO), in partnership with the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (OHFN), is announcing a Request for Proposals (RFP) opportunity intended to address the social, economic, educational, and health challenges faced by young people in Appalachian Ohio.

Given the critical role of childhood development on lifelong wellbeing, FAO’s I’m a Child of Appalachia^® Fund, through its Health & Human Services Pillar of Prosperity, and OHFN are inviting proposals that support nonprofit and public organizations that are building resilience and increasing protective factors for youth in our region.

“Through the I’m a Child of Appalachia^® Fund’s inaugural partnership with OHFN, we were able to fund 19 visionary projects that positively impacted the youth in our communities,” said Cara Dingus Brook, FAO president and CEO. “We are excited about supporting organizations again this year and the difference they will make in Appalachian Ohio.”

Funding available through the RFP will emphasize support for young people during out-of-school time to increase access to broader social support systems and resources. FAO and OHFN also will support capacity-building as part of the overall request to help organizations best meet the needs of those they serve by expanding services, enhancing program quality, and/or improving operational efficiencies.

“Investing in the region’s young people and the skills that will help them now and far into the future is vital to the health of our communities,” said Megan Wanczyk, director of programs with OHFN. “We’re looking forward to partnering with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio again to support the work of youth-serving organizations that are working with such commitment in the region.”

As FAO and OHFN work to strengthen Appalachian Ohio’s communities, investing in the health, wellbeing, and opportunities available to our region’s young people is a key priority.

Up to $380,000 is available through this funding opportunity, with grant awards anticipated to range from $5,000 to $30,000 per organization. Applications must be submitted by March 16, 2022, and are available at www.AppalachianOhio.org/youthresiliency. Proposals should reflect the resources needed to implement the project effectively and alignment with the intent of the RFP. Applicants are encouraged to include capacity building for their program or organization in their requests.

Nonprofit and public organizations in any of the 32 Appalachian Ohio counties are eligible to apply. The 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio include Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, and Washington counties. OHFN priority counties for this funding opportunity include Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Meigs, Morgan, Perry, and Vinton.

Applications are due March 16, 2022, and funding decisions will be announced by April 15, 2022. More information is available at www.AppalachianOhio.org/youthresiliency. For any questions, or to learn how you can support other opportunities like this one, contact FAO at 740.753.1111.