Harrison News-Herald |
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Saturday, June 11, 2022
SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2022
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Conotton Creek Trail nationally recognized
WASHINGTON — In celebration of Great Outdoors Month and National Trails Day on June 4, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haalandannounced the designation of nine new national recreation trails in seven states, adding nearly 600 miles to the national trails system — one of which The newly designated trails join a network of more than 1,300 existing national recreation trails, which can be found in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The Conotton Creek Trail Committee announced that the titular trail was designated as a national recreation trail last Saturday by the Federal Government's Department of Interior to celebrate National Trail Day. The original application for the designation was submitted in 2021, and after being accepted for review, it was formally recognized on June 4. The Conotton trail was repaved in 2021 and is one of Harrison County's best tourist
attractions. It is maintained by volunteers (from Scio, Jewett, Wintersville, and the Atwood Lake area) and donations specifically for the trail. Volunteers meet on the second Monday of each month, April through September, at the Scio Library Branch; the meetings are open to the public. The next meeting will be on June 13 at 7 p.m. in the Scio Library’s lower level meeting room. Information regarding National Recreation Trail Day’s announcement that the Conotton Creek Trail was named the U.S.’ No. 6 Nation Recreation Trail will be discussed, along with the obligations relating to the award. Volunteers solely maintain the trail, and donations are welcome. The funds are used to pay for fuel for mowing. This is a public meeting. Volunteers are welcome to help on the trail. The Conotton Creek Bike Trail is an 11.4mile designated rail-trail of scenic serenity located in northern Harrison County. It
Traversing through the Conotton Valley parallel to the Conotton Creek, the trail offers visitors the opportunity to experience wetlands, farms, forests, rock formations, wildlife, and five coveredbridges built on original railroad bridge platforms. The trail is a "rail to trail," formed in 199899 and opened in 2001 with complete paving funded through the Ohio State Department of Transportation and Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The last covered bridge, the Scio Pottery Employees' Covered Bridge, was sponsored by Steve and Lorraine Reese and built and donated in memory of all Scio Pottery's employees. Steve Reese's family owned and operated the Scio Pottery from 1932 until 1986 when it closed. Lew Reese, a potter from East Liverpool, was the founder, buying the former abandoned Albright Pottery building and retooling it with new manufacturing designs. Photo provided by Kevin Jordon
Absentee landlords a problem for Scio BY REBECCA BRATTEN WEISS Harrison News-Herald Staff Writer
The village of Scio is still dealing with delinquent tax and water accounts. Treasurer Janeen Scott shared with the council at their June 8 meeting that they have 92 delinquent water accounts and many residents who have not paid income tax, so the village is losing much-needed revenue. Council president Jim Clark noted that he had heard of residents actually boasting that they had never paid their taxes. "I am cracking down big time on these people," Scott said. Village solicitor Jack Felgenhauer mentioned that some villages have an administrative procedure for dealing with delinquent taxpayers. But he expressed pessimism about whether this would suffice. "If threat of prosecution doesn't get them to pay their income tax, I don't know if an administrative subpoena will work." The council will continue to seek a solution to this problem. Several visitors to the meeting brought their concerns to the table. One resident shared photos of a dilapidated building, likely a fire hazard, on the outskirts of town. The council explained that they were already aware of this issue and had been attempting to get the owner to do something about it. However, the individual listed as the legal owner of the property — and whose vehicle is parked in the garage — continues to deny that the structure is his. Earlier this year, Scio attempted to get funding for a brownfield project that would allow them to tear down nuisance properties at no cost to the owners. However, none of the property owners they contacted signed the paperwork needed to secure the grant.
One issue is that many properties are owned by absentee landlords, some of whom are not in compliance with the village ordinance requiring them to notify the council of who their renters are. And some new renters in Scio have been behaving in a belligerent and unpleasant manner. "Remind the landlords; we need to know who their renters are for a variety of reasons," Mayor Carpenter said. There is a possibility that landlords violating this ordinance might face fines. The village hopes to have other opportunities for funding to clean up nuisance properties and other municipal improvement projects. "In the next two and a half years, we need to get as much money as we can," stated village administrator Jason Tubaugh. "I have a feeling after the next presidential election, the money's not going to be there." Also at the meeting was a resident dealing with water draining into his home; he shared that he had already paid approximately $10,000 on repairs. After the resident had left, the council discussed the problem and agreed that drainage problems would probably continue until repairs on Highway 646 were complete. "This has been going on for years," Tubaugh said. Additionally, drainage may be hampered by a retaining wall the resident built in the alley. The council decided to repair the pipe in the area with bad drainage, but the resident first needed to get rid of the wall. Other visitors to the meeting appeared confused about recent updates to council protocol, initiated two weeks ago, stipulating that residents with an issue or a question contact the council no later than the Monday before a meeting if they want on the agenda. "Why can't we discuss this?" one visitor insisted. Carpenter explained that they could, but only after he'd called the council in advance and
LAKELAND WOMEN
asked to be put on the agenda. Other residents should keep this in mind if planning to address the council with concerns. Erin Wright of the Thrasher Group was present to discuss the ongoing updates wastewater treatment system project. At present, the new water lines are fully funded, and the village hopes to get more funding from the office of Senator Sherrod Brown. Other projects in the works are proceeding, Tubaugh reported. This includes the water line project, which should be completed by 2023. The collection system on Fowler Avenue is nearly finished and will be complete when one final driveway is repaired. The oil and shale program is tentatively scheduled to be put to bid in September of this year. Construction will likely begin in spring 2023. As for the annexation project, the village's most recent hearing was held on June 3, and the judgment is pending. Tubaugh said they would likely receive notice in 30–45 days and asked the council to go into executive session to discuss pending litigation. Following up on the problem of inadequate policing raised in the previous meeting, Carpenter stated that she would soon be meeting with the Jewett mayor to discuss a collaboration. She also asked that the News-Herald share information about reporting public health nuisances to the county. The county health department will investigate public health nuisances like malfunctioning sewer systems, residential garbage, public recreational sites, private water supply systems, and abandoned wells. Other issues should be reported to other departments, and anyone wanting to issue a nuisance complaint should read up on these regulations before doing so.
CINDERELLA
Stinespring pleads guilty with no bargain; sends encoded letters to victims
Stinespring in the Boyd County Detention Center/Courtesy of the Daily Independent
BY HENRY CULVYHOUSE Courtesy of the Daily Independent, Kentucky ASHLAND, KY — A federal grand jury has a child porn suspect and former resident of Harrison County at the center of a terrible child abuse case out of Elliott County, Kentucky, on one count of witness tampering. Accused of effectively imprisoning three minors [at the time] at a remote cabin to sexually abuse them, he pleaded guilty Friday to multiple federal charges. Ronald Stinespring, 51, of Sandy Hook, received a five-count indictment last month — four counts relate to his pending child porn case, which has been kicking the federal docket since late 2020 — along with a more recent count of witness tampering. According to his indictment, Stinespring wrote letters to the victim from his jail cell in a “complex numerical code.” Upon cracking the code, the indictment states Stinespring had asked the victim to take the blame for the criminal charges and falsely testify in court. In order to cover his tracks, Stinespring sent the letters to the wife of his cellmate, according to prosecutors. The letter-writing campaign happened between December 2021 and January 2022, while Stinespring was held at the Boyd County Detention Center, court records show. Stinespring’s trial was on June 13 in Ashland, Kentucky. He pleaded guilty to sexually abusing — and taking pictures of the abuse — two of the girls in a remote location in Elliott County for at least two years. Stinespring entered the guilty plea that included four counts related to possession or production of child sexual abuse material and one count of witness tampering. Court records show Stinespring did so without any plea agreement in place, which means he faces up to 130 years in prison when going before Judge David L. Bunning on Oct. 17 for sentencing. Earlier this year, while awaiting trial in jail, Stinespring attempted suicide but was saved by deputy jailers. Authorities were alerted to the gross abuse in March 2019 after one victim escaped and summoned help. When Kentucky State Police found a victim who had run away from the cabin, the building was described as being “like a residence from the 1800s.” The victim had not been off the homestead, with no floor and caked in muck, for two years before her escape, according to Kentucky state police.
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OBITUARIES Ina Marks
USPS Publication No. 236-080 One Section, 10 Pages Vol. 55, No. 5
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