740-472-0734 < P.O. Box 70, Woodsfield, OH  43793  < monroecountybeacon@sbcglobal.net

 

Below are links to portions of this week's news articles. For the full story, pick up a  paper at your local newsstand or send $1 with your name/address to P.O. Box 70, Woodsfield, OH  43793.

 

      
 

<Ormet Seeks CEO

 


 

 


 

 

 

Ormet Corporation announced Jan. 24 that it has begun a formal search for a new chief executive officer. Ken
Campbell, current CEO and president, will assume the responsibilities of the chairman of the company once a
successor joins Ormet's team.
It's important that we bring in someone with more operational perspective and industry experience especially now that the smelter operations have restarted," said Campbell. "I will continue to provide leadership and strategic direction in my role as the
company's chairman."
Currently, two of Ormet's potlines are close to fully operational and the company is actively selling aluminum as well as using it in their billet casting operation.
According to a press release dated Jan. 24, all six potlines are expected to be operational sometime in the second quarter. About 750 employees are now
working in the plant. In other news, Ormet is expected to close on a new
$125 million financing package soon.
 

<Grants Writer Hired
 


 

 

 

A grants writer has been hired by Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District to
serve Monroe County.
Monroe County resident Renee Wilde was hired to research and write grants as a part of the economic development program. Wilde began her duties Jan. 16 and will work on a full time basis. Her office is located in the Black Walnut Center at Monroe County
Commerce Park.
With a degree in Fine Arts from The Ohio State University, Wilde has experience securing grant funding in business development, coordinating
resources through state and local government and as a freelance writer. In previous positions, she has served as the director of Streetscapes for the city of Columbus where she was responsible for urban beautification efforts. She also developed a program
for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio called Re-Art that partnered artisans and businesses in a
recycling program to benefit the arts.
In addition, Wilde has been a small business owner as a freelance writer and cultivating cut flowers for wholesale and retail florists. Most recently, she served as the fiscal grants officer for the Belmont County Health Department.
Originally from the Dayton area, Wilde moved to Monroe County from Columbus in 2004 to a farm near
Jerusalem. She and her husband Clayton Wolf, own horses, Airedale Terriers and are raising Jacob Sheep,
an endangered breed.
Buckeye Hills is organized as a voluntary organization of local government political subdivisions in an eight-county region. The organization was contracted by Monroe County commissioners late last year to administer the county's Economic Development program, including
grants writing.

<Wichterman is State Americanism Winner

Cary Wichterman, Jr. is a state Americanism winner and will enjoy a five-day all-expense paid trip to
Gettysburg and Washington, D.C. He was one of four, of 75,000 students who took the test, to have a perfect score on the test. Shown, from left, are: Robert R.
Spear, County Americanism Chairman; Homer Moore, Commander District 11; Gerald A. White, Director, Americanism and Youth Activities and American Legion Buckeye Boys State; Pamela Wichterman, Cary's mother; Cary Wichterman; Dean Wichterman, Cary's father; Charles Clegg, Department of Ohio Chaplain and Americanism District Chairman; and Cecil Smittle, Commander, Post 760.   Photo by Martha Ackerman
 


Cary Wichterman, Jr. is a state winner in the Americanism Test, sponsored by Ohio American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary in conjunction with the
local American Legion Posts. Cary is shown with his parents, Pamela Wichterman and Dean Wichterman, as
they peruse the scrapbook of former Americanism winners.

 by Martha Ackerman
Staff Writer
At an informal meeting at River High School Jan. 26, Cary D. Wichterman, Jr. was named a state winner in the annual Americanism Test. A $500 savings bond was presented by Gerald A. White, director, Americanism and Youth Activities and American Legion Buckeye Boys State. White gave an overview of the five-day all-expense paid trip to Gettysburg and Washington, D.C. which Cary will be taking March 5-10 as a contest winner. The trip will include a tour of Gettysburg's battle fields and other points of interest, the Washington Cathedral, the Kennedy Center, Arlington National Cemetery, many of the Washington, D.C. memorials and possibly a tour of the White House.

<School Board Awards Bids for Four Buses
 

 

Bids from Marietta Truck Sales for school buses were accepted at the Jan. 29 meeting of the Switzerland of
Ohio school board, which also accepted the resignation of a courier.
On the recommendation  of Todd Allen, director of support services, the board will purchase four school buses from the Marietta firm at $69,731 each for a total of $278,924. In addition, board members approved the purchase of four REI Bus Watch color cameras at $1,490 each, totaling $5,960 and four sets of chains at $2,250 each for a total of $9,000. The total expenditure is $293,884.
Board members accepted the resignation of Randy D. Smith, courier, effective Jan. 19. In his letter of resignation, Smith said he was returning to work at Ormet. He said he'd enjoyed working with the district
and would like to remain employed as a substitute bus driver. Smith will remain on the substitute driver list.
Following an executive session, Ron Nething, Larry Stewart, Dan Christman, James Williamson and John
Hupp III were hired as substitute bus drivers pending certification and OVESC approval. Keith Underwood was hired as a bus driver in the River area.
Hired as substitute teachers were Stacey Jones, David Board and Lea Baker.
Also hired as substitutes were Mary L. Miller as a cook and Carla Brandon and Pam Plotner as substitute cooks, aides and custodians.
Greg Biedenbach was approved to serve as a volunteer at Monroe Central High with baseball. Junior Winland
will serve as head baseball coach, per a negotiated agreement. Agree-ments were also signed with Ryan Rosnick, assistant baseball coach, Missy Knowlton, head softball coach, and Sandy Kilburn, assistant softball coach.
A 12-week unpaid leave of absence was approved for Judith Cook, cosmetology teacher at Swiss Hills Career Center.

<Officials View Future E-911 Operations Area
by Arlean Selvy
Publisher
An update of the Enhanced-911 system was provided by project manager Matt Brake at the Jan. 23 meeting of county commissioners, who recessed their meeting long enough to view project construction at the sheriff's office.
Brake reported that construction work in the
sheriff's dispatch office is nearly complete. He
suggested that commissioners complete a final
walkthrough for approval or note any items that need attention. Officials recessed their meeting in order to do so.
< Our Readers Write: Letters to the Editor Dear Editor:
We're sending you a copy of an old photograph that was in the farm house of James E. Brown, located on Route 256 in Laings.
That house and barn were razed some years ago. It was located just to the west of the farm once owned by Bill Brown, long time teacher and principal of Laings School.
The photo looks as if it were from the 1870's to
1900?? It is the home and blacksmith shop of J.G. Zipf, who may have been related to the Brown family.
We thought this might be of interest to you. Maybe it could be printed in the Beacon and possibly a reader could provide more information such as the location of this property, etc. (It looks like it might be Zipf standing holding a hammer in front of the anvil.)
We're also going to send a copy of the photo to the historical society.
Once again, we hope this might be of interest to you and your readers. Tom and Fay Brown Williams Columbus

Dear Editor,
Uh-Oh, there was a sighting in Woodsfield on Friday (the 26th).
It seems two of three Monroe County Commissioners were seen having lunch at a local restaurant possibly discussing business with their comrades. What's the "big deal" you ask? In Ohio there is a law known as the Ohio Sunshine Law whose purpose is to protect you, the taxpayers. All the above mentioned parties use our tax dollars, so these laws must be observed to have
the privilege of using our money. In Ohio this
safeguard is presented through The Ohio Sunshine Law which states: Definition of a meeting below is stated in the Ohio Sunshine Law as published by the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
Before a public body is subject to the requirements of the Open Meetings Act, it must first have a meeting. A "Meeting" is a prearranged gathering of a majority of the members of a public body to discuss or conduct public business.
When each of these three characteristics is present, the gathering is a meeting: regardless of whether the public body itself initiated the meeting or it was initiated by another entity.
Sometimes this law can be quite challenging to abide by, but if Monroe County expects to use our taxes paid to the state and federal government for various projects, including aspects of economic development, schools, roads, etc., then observation of the law is a must. To discuss and plan outside a regular meeting
does not let the public hear or participate in the use of tax dollars that are loaned to public officials to guard and use wisely. Thus, The Ohio Sunshine laws set boundaries of behavior to be observed by all.
Last fall I had the opportunity to talk with two
commissioners from southern Ohio. They told of the extensive public participation they have since their meetings are broadcast on local TV channels the same evening or early the next morning. I asked if they liked this idea to which they immediately replied yes.
Why? 'To keep our citizens abreast of events so we can work toward the same goals for the community," they answered. I asked about how they handle questions from their constituents to which they answered: they take questions from the public at least two times during these regular meetings.
Each commissioner is not expected to answer every question; rather the first question goes to the president of the commission, the second question to the longest term commissioner and so on. But, to make sure there is no misunderstanding, the commissioner also answers in writing within one week to the
constituent. Are they part time Commissioners? They laughed and said, "Supposed to be." These two Commissioners told me they like their populace informed because it lessens the accusations of wrong doing as well as provides the opportunity for the public to help get things done in a legal and forthright manner. as they enthusiastically said, "Public service is just that - service to the public."
We want our county commissioners and county officials to enjoy lunch and other gatherings, but business is not to be discussed when a majority is present. Even the perception is not acceptable. There is plenty of opportunity to have open, honest discussions at the office and if you need more time, the citizens welcome your extra devotion to your duties as long as we, the tax payers are invited to listen and join in the discussion. Remember we employ the County
Commissioners and other government
 <Around the Burnside Those who control their anger have great
understanding; those with a hasty temper will make
mistakes.
A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it
away.
"Barking Dog" makes for interesting reading doesn't
it? I'm not really sure being called a barking dog is
an insult after all. You know dogs bark when they
think something is wrong or not quite right and they
are calling someone's attention to it and serving a
warning.
If I'm in the house or car I really don't pay a great
deal of attention if I hear a dog barking. However, if
that old dog is looking me in the eye and I am the
target I have a little different opinion of the
'Barking Dog.' I've also learned it isn't overly smart
to run from a barking dog, unless you are worth a
buddy and you can run faster than him. In my opinion,
I think it is a complement to be called a 'barking
dog.'
Thinking about barking dogs reminded me of a story
Dad used to tell. Dad worked in the coal mine all of
his life. In the early years and the mine was some
distance from home they stayed in what was called a
"Boarding House." It seems as though the place had a
dog that would bark most of the night. One day they
were starting to go to work when they passed by the
barking dog which was stretched out fast asleep. One
of the fellows said, "you guys go on to work, I'm
staying here and keeping this ___ hound awake all day
just like he kept me awake all last night." Dad also
admitted he liked blood pudding till he found out what
he was eating.
"Truth in Advertising,"  do you believe it? How much
of all the things they bombard  you with over TV,
radio, newspapers and magazines will actually work?
Most have a reason if they don't. This is nothing new.
I came across an advertisement that appeared in a
newspaper 100 years ago; 'Stops earache in two
minutes: toothache or pain or burns or scald in five
minutes; hoarseness, one hour; muscle-ache, two hours
and sore throat, 12 hours. Dr. Tomas' Electric Oil,
monarch over pain. Don't you think it would still be
around today if it did all these things? I'll bet it
was 50-75 percent alcohol.
Cow Track ice cream? That's right. I was walking past
some freezers in a store the other day that had row
after row, freezer after freezer of ice cream and
there it was, Cow Track ice cream. Who would want to
eat Cow Tracks? If I remember correctly, if you follow
cow tracks far enough, you would come upon something
not so pleasant or good to eat. On closer inspection I
found Bear Claws and Turtle ice cream. I sort of
suspect most of them are known by another name and
some company tacked on a different name and boosted
the price up to sucker someone to buy. I expect all
three are good eating if you like to eat cow tracks.
I guess the old weatherman has started to give us a
little taste of what we missed earlier in January. I
like it when we have snow-go, snow at night gone by
noon. I really enjoy it when the weatherman says,
"snow," and we get sunshine.
A little follow up from last week. I enjoy observing
people. I can sit in a mall and watch people walk by.
When I see someone walking by with a fussy child I
think how glad our kids are now grown ups. I also
really enjoy going to a basketball game when I don't
care who wins. Some fan reaction is fun to watch as
they go through their antics. Maybe what makes it fun
is they act like I do when I have a favorite team.
When I was eating lunch I observed two ladies who
appeared to rather talk than eat. Honest, there was no
way I could not watch as they were seated in a booth
directly in front of me.
They had their food served as our group was being
seated. You can only guess how long it would take one
waitress to take the order of 15 ladies and serve
their food even if one ordered stir fry.
All this time the ladies would take a small bite, one
seemed never to take a bite and then they talked. Her
plate was nearly full when they took it away. The
other lady did eat all of her pancake. When our group
finished eating and headed out, the ladies were still
in the booth talking. I guess everyone isn't like me
and chomp their food down as if someone was trying to
take it away.
Can you believe the quick drop in gasoline prices?
Some places 25 cents over night. How long will it
last? Who knows by the time you read this it may be
creeping back up. It is nice to have relief for
awhile.
Minimize friction and create harmony. You can get
friction for nothing, but harmony costs courtesy and
self-control.
If you wish to be miserable, you must think about
yourself, what you want, what you like, what respect
people ought to pay you, and what people think about
you.
Did you go to church Sunday? Why not?
Bible readings: (Mon.) Isaiah 40:10-14; (Tues.)
Ezekiel 34:1-6; (Wed.) Ezekiel 34:11-16; (Thurs.)
Ezekiel 34:25-31; (Fri.) John 10:1-5; (Sat.) John
10:7-11; (Sun. John 10:12-18.

< Obituaries
(read the full obituary in the paper) 

denotes veteran

<Imogene Gehrig, 90, of Woodsfield, died Jan. 23, 2007, at the Monroe County Care Center. She was born March 21, 1916, in Duffy, a daughter of the late Lewis Huffman and Vada Potts Huffman.

<Beverly Cramer Pittman, 74, Jerusalem, died Jan. 24, 2007, at her home. She was born Jan. 12, 1933, near Beallsville, a daughter of the late Harry and Pearl Howell Milhoan.
 
<Jack R. Rosati, 78, of 59140 Wright Rd., Barnesville, formerly of Woodsfield, died Jan. 23, 2007, at
Barnesville Health Care Center. He was born March 17, 1928, in Masontown, W. Va., a son of the late Dominick and Marie "Mary" Carfagna Rosati.

<Virginia Mae Ackerman, 85, Woodsfield, died Jan. 10, 2007, at the Woodsfield Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She was born Jan. 16, 1921, in Monroe County,
a daughter of the late George and Mary E. Dougherty Rosenlieb.

<Juanita Snyder, 72, Woods-field, died Jan. 26, 2007, at her home. She was born July 13, 1934, in Middlebourne, W. Va., a daughter of the late Willie E. and Opal Marie Wells Richmond.
<