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Saturday, April 9, 2022
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022
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Radiation in Martins Ferry water would affect Harrison County villages
BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Reporting Journalist
Dangerously high levels of radiation have been identified in Martins Ferry’s soil and water, near the Austin Master Services oil and gas frack waste facility (located within the Belmont County city). And on the evening of Monday, April 4, the Concerned Ohio River Residents organized a media event at Martins Ferry Memorial Park to disclose their findings to the public and discuss how they intend to respond to this public health risk. Beverly Reed opened the press conference with a moment of silence to honor the legacy of the Native persons who once lived in the area and set an example of care for the environment. Reed then shared what her organization had discovered about contamination near the Austin Master plant. Local citizens had been concerned for some time about the potential for groundwater contamination from the facility, Reed stated. The operations at the facility have been
“sloppy” for years, she said, and reports through ODNR showed that the facility has had issues with containment, including overflowing bins of toxic waste. In 2021, residents began attending city council with their concerns. That’s when they learned that city officials do not monitor or inspect businesses in the area. Following meetings with city leaders, Reed said, the group realized they had to start advocating for themselves. They began contacting state and federal regulatory entities and conducting science-based investigations. What the investigations revealed was alarming; radiation activity ranged from 3.76 picocuries per gram for samples taken the farthest away from the epicenter to 14.66 for readings taken the closest. Testing for lead and bismuth also showed activities approaching or exceeding regulatory limits. Over 10 times the acceptable background-level radiation was found in the public road and a walking area near the facility. Reed explained that the radioactivity on the
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ground can become airborne and contaminate other areas. As for water contamination, the more it gets out of the facility’s radius, the more it can get into the aquifer. Reed said it’s essential to act now before the problem becomes a disaster — which happened in Paden City, West Virginia. The whole town is a superfund site because of contaminants in the aquifer, and where, according to Reed, cancer rates are astronomical. “We look at communities like that, and we don’t want to become that. We want to protect what we have now.” Marla Brokaw, a councilwoman from Adena, came forward and explained that as an epidemiologist, she was especially concerned about the radium levels in the test samples. She spoke briefly about the dangers of radium, which puts people at increased risk for certain diseases, including lymphoma and leukemia. “In my professional opinion, I think this is a public health threat that needs to be See RADIATION Pg.- 8
HC Prom Court announced
BY SAMANTHA MCINTOSH Harrison News-Herald Reporting Contributor
This year's Harrison Central prom will be on Saturday, April 23 at the Wallace Lodge in Sally Buffalo Park. All spectators who intend to watch the students' promenade will need to park in front of the lodge and around the lake. Parking in the front of the lot behind the lodge is reserved for attendees. No spectators are permitted inside the lodge. The promenade will be from 6–7 p.m. Dinner, catered by Undo's, will begin at 7, and the crowning of the prom court will follow and lead into the dance. The evening will end at 10 p.m. Grab the April 30 edition of the News-Herald for prom court photos! Harrison News-Herald Photos/ SAMANTHA MCINTOSH
SENIOR Prom Court: McKayla Dunkle (left to right), Nathan Bertolino, Tristen Kovarik, Dillon Drapp, Kasey Novak, Clayton Everhart, Michaela Palmer, Joenus Jones, Sarah Touville, and Jacob Mattern
JUNIOR Prom Court: Maddy Bender (left to right), Cabot Arbaugh, Maddy Butler, Kaden Jurosko, Mackenzie Harbold, Jace Madzia, Alexis Smith, Treston Nemeth, Nadia Tweedy, and Tre Rex
Board of Elections seeks help looking toward primaries BY ROBERT AMABILE Harrison News-Herald Reporter CADIZ — Harrison County needs poll workers. The state is asking that the county has 73 — the bare minimum is 64 — and right now, the county has half of that. So, the Board of Elections is holding classes for registered voters who want to help the community and become poll workers. Regular classes run from 10 a.m. to noon and 1–3 p.m. Keeping it flexible, there will even be two evening classes on the 13th and 28th, 6–8 p.m. Poll workers receive about three and a half hours of training; there are online classes and in-person instruction. The online course provides all the information a poll worker needs, while the classroom instruction involves practice on the more physical side of the job, like setting up the machines. One benefit to becoming a poll worker is service to the community — but they also get paid. Online training pays $5 after completion, and in-person training will land a worker $25. Director of Elections Dion Troiano said the training is relatively easy, but election day is long: “from 5:30 in the morning to after 7 at
night.” In 2020, Harrison County — and the state at large — saw a record turnout. Assembling and training poll workers will be essential for the upcoming primaries if they bring out anything close to that. Troiano made it clear, “We try to prepare our poll workers for everything we can reasonably expect.” Aside from the shortage of poll workers, Troiano’s main concern was over the congressional redistricting’s possibly changing what makes it onto the ballot. The recent redistricting has complicated matters. There has been ongoing litigation over the redistricting, and the new maps were only just filed before the deadline. As it currently stands, the ballot will include options for Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. House of Representatives, Court of Appeals, County Commissioner, County Auditor, Republican Central Committee, Supreme Court Chief Justice, two Supreme Court Justice seats, and county issues. The primary election is set for May 3, 2022. Troiano hopes the date doesn’t change but with new maps just being filed, he isn’t sure. If the date changes, the Board of Elections
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USPS Publication No. 236-080 One Section, 14 Pages Vol. 54, No. 48
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will announce the update on their website and Facebook page. The polling location, however, has been changed and will be at the Commerical Building of the Harrison County Fairgrounds (550 Grant Street, Cadiz, OH 43907). And Troiano concluded with a simple message to current and former poll workers, “Thank you for serving the county.”
Director of Elections DION TROIANO asks community members to volunteer as poll workers. The Board of Elections can be reached at 740- 942-8866. Harrison NewsHerald Photo/ROBERT AMABILE
BEAUTY & THE BEAST
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First Responder of the Month named
Dirk Harkins (left) presents Sheriff JOE MYERS with a Timi’s gift card in recognition of his being First Responder of the Month. Harrison News-Herald Photo/ROBERT AMABILE
Last year, Dirk Harkins of the Veterans and First Responders Jamboree started a monthly celebration to recognize individuals serving the community. There have been Veterans of the Month in recent editions, but now the very first First Responder of the Month award has been named: Sheriff Ronald J. Myers. Harkins presented the award to Myers on Tuesday at the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. Harkins explained the reason for the decision, “His commitment to the community, first responders, kids, everything has just been awesome. He definitely needs to be recognized for it. One of these days, when he decides to retire, we’ll hate to see him go.” Myers grew up on a dairy farm, where he would wake up early and go to bed late. Long hours of hard work defined his formative years. Myers spoke about his father, who served in the Pacific theatre. He credits his dad for instilling the idea of always doing the right thing. But Myers said with a laugh, “If you told me back in ‘80 that I’d be a law enforcement officer, I’d probably tell you that you were nuts.” He started serving the community in 1976 as a volunteer firefighter in Jewett and went to the police academy in 1981. Now he’s in his 13th year as sheriff. Although Tuesday’s meeting was meant to honor his dedication to service, Myers didn’t want to keep the focus on himself, “It’s not all about me, it’s about what we do for the community, through the first responders and military assets.” In fact, Myers and Harkins have been working hard on a program to help first responders and veterans. The Harrison County Sherriff’s Office is home to a TMS machine. The transcranial magnetic stimulation machine was designed to treat people who do not respond to antidepressants. Harkins said there are only 40 TMS machines in the world right now. Harkins enthusiastically shared the positive effects since they started the program. “We’re finding very positive feedback from it,” Myers said. They reported that hundreds of first responders and veterans have utilized the TMS program to find relief. At one point, the sheriff’s office hosted 22 people per day coming to try out the program. And Harkins remembers the people he and Myers have helped through the program. “It was mind-blowing to see the life-changing results, saving people’s marriages, people getting sleep, mood, focus, all kinds of stuff.” Harkins’ Veterans/First Responders Jamboree is working on more programs, including possible scholarships. He will continue recognizing first responders and veterans and helping with what he can. “We want to stay proactive in the community. Helping each other out, that’s what it’s all about.” Sheriff Myers stated that if any first responder or veteran is interested in the TMS program, come see him.
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OBITUARIES
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Patricia Foit Thelma Faye Gladman Karen Illner Carolyn Davia Richard Tanner Stuart Henderson