C o n t i n u i n g To P r o u d l y S e r v e C a r r o l l C o u n t y S i n c e 1 8 3 1 $1.00
Thursday, March 26, 2020
freepressstandard.com
Carroll County now has 3 COVID-19 cases Governor DeWine issues Stay-at-Home order as cases surge throughout Ohio By GEORGETTE HUFF & JORDAN MILLER FPS Staff In a press conference broadcast live on Facebook on Sunday, March 22, Health Commissioner Dr. Wendy Gotschall reported that a patient is being treated for the first confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Carroll County. In the interest of maintaining the patient’s privacy Gotschall said only that the individual is a 65-year-old resident of Harrison Township who did not contract or spread the virus in a workplace environment. She did not disclose either the patient’s gender or the hospital where the individual is being treated. Since the press conference, two additional cases have been confirmed. One case is a 65-year-old resident in Harrison Township who had contact with the first positive case. The second is a 65-year-old resident from Rose Township who is not believed to have had
any contact with the other patients. Health Board president, Dr. Scott Stine noted that individuals can become infectious up to two days before symptoms appear and can remain infectious for several days after recovery. Following is the full text of Gotschall’s remarks: “The Carroll County General Health District has been notified of a confirmed case for COVID-19 in a Carroll County resident. This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 for Carroll County. We have contacted the patient and the individuals potentially exposed and they have been instructed to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms. The health department will be in daily contact with these individuals for monitoring of temperatures and symptoms. The Carroll County General Health District has been coordinating with our local healthcare providers and community partners to prepare for our response to potential cases of
See COVID-19, PG. 3
FPS Photo / Jordan Miller
Carroll County Health Commissioner Dr. Wendy Gotschall talks about Carroll County’s first COVID-19 case Sunday, March 22, during a press conference as (from left) Director of Nursing and Population Health Kelly Engelhart, board President Dr. Scott Stine and EMA Director Tom Cottis look on.
Rogers hired as Minerva’s new principal at elementary Minerva elementary school has a new principal. David Rogers, who has been principal at Lexington Elementary School in the Marlington Local Schools for the past 11 years, will begin his new duties April 17. He succeeds Mark Scott, who was hired as the Brown Local School district’s Superintendent in Malvern. Rogers was hired by the Minerva Local Board of Education at its March 16 meeting on a three-year contract, which extends from Aug. 1, 2020, through July 31, 2023 at an annual salary of $88,650. “I am incredibly excited to transition into my role of principal at Minerva elementary school! I am driven to keep the positive momentum that Mr. Scott and his team have built over the last several years moving forward,” Rogers said.
MINERVA ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL DAVID ROGERS
Ohio Rail Development Commission approves grant for Oneida bridge By NANCY SCHAAR FPS Correspondent On March 18, the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) approved a grant award in the amount of $235,225 to Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway (WLE) to rehabilitate and repair the Oneida Bridge, located at milepost 16.78 in Oneida. The project will ensure the bridge is in safe working commission for many years to come The bridge is integral for continued service to nearby companies such as Griffeth & Son in Carrollton. WLE commits to maintaining the bridge in operable condition for a period of ten years after project completion. “Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Company plans on making improvements to the bridge structure in Carroll County in 2020, to handle new and
existing rail business for customers in Carrollton. The Oneida Bridge, which is over 100 years old and located on the Carrollton Branch, will be upgraded to support increased train frequency. The company is grateful for the assistance and support from the ORDC for the project,” said Jeff Sunderland, Assistant Vice President, Business Development, WLE. Matthew Dietrich, Executive Director of the ORDC, said, “This project is another excellent example of how investments in shoreline railroads in the state have positive economic impacts on the region. By improving rail infrastructure, ORDC is not only leveraging railroad investment but also improving the infrastructure needed to provide rail service to area businesses along the line.
See ONEIDA, PG. 2
See MINERVA, PG. 7
Carrollton schools to distribute meals twice a week To make things easier for the community and families within the Carrollton Exempted Village School District, school officials have made changes in their meal distribution and availability. Instead of distributing food every day, workers will distribute food two times a week on Monday and Thursday. The times for the meal pickup at Carrollton Elementary School on Third Street N.E. will remain at 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Monday’s meal package will cover Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday’s meal package will cover Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, explained school officials. “We will continue to have buses deliver meals to nin different locations in the community,” said Ed Robinson, director of programs for the school district. These locations and times of arrival and distribution include: Kensington Greene, 10:30-11 a.m.; Augusta, 11:15-11:45 a.m.; Dellroy, 10:45-11:30 a.m.; Mechanicstown, 11-11:45 a.m.; Kilgore, 11-11:30 a.m.; New Harrisburg, Harlem Springs, Perrysville and Petersburg, 11:15-11:45 a.m.
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FPS Photo / Jordan Miller
Stark County Coroner’s Office is conducting DNA testing to determine the identity of the skeletal remains found Saturday on a property near Torch Road in Fox Township.
‘Skeletal remains’ found in Fox Twp. By GEORGETTE HUFF FPS Contributor
FPS Photo / Don Rutledge
Kensington Greene is one of the first stops of the nine-stop meal distribution provided by the Carrollton schools during the school closure for the Coronavirus pandemic. Carrollton Middle School Principal Tim Albrecht (at left) hands meals to Ryan and Eric Hayes, 15 and 11 respectively as bus driver Tonya Stonemetz and meal distributors Charlene Albrecht, Sam Martin (foreground) and Lt. Charles Saler (at right), watch.
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obits pg. 4
Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams confirmed Tuesday, March 24, that “skeletal remains” of a human body have been found in an isolated area of Fox Township. The partially-clothed remains were found by the landowner who was installing boundary stakes on a property located at the end of a dead-end access lane off Torch Road. Williams said the landowner was riding a 4-wheeler when he saw what he thought was a deer lying in an area of thick under-
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growth, approximately 50 to 75 yards from the access road. He contacted the sheriff department at 2:38 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Carroll County Coroner Dr. Mandal Haas, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation investigators, and sheriff department detectives were called to the scene. The Stark County coroner will perform DNA testing to determine the identity of the person. Carroll County Sheriff’s Office has two open cases involving missing people - Rosemary Rapp, age 68, who was reported missing in June 2016, and Karren Hansen, age 61, who disappeared in September 2019.
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