Responding to the community’s requests, Ashland County Pictures is thrilled to announce the launch of its long-awaited Tip Line, made possible through partnership with Boost Mobile Ashland situated at 332 E Main Street, Ashland OH.
Residents can now easily report accidents, fires, crimes, or any other news tips by simply calling or texting the dedicated News Tips line at 419-770-7127. This initiative aims to ensure swift broadcasting of crucial information, enabling the delivery of live updates accompanied by videos and pictures.
We are extremely proud to partner with Boost Mobile Ashland in our mission to provide timely and comprehensive news coverage to the community.
But that’s not all! In an effort to enhance our services and cater to our rapidly expanding audience of over 125,000 individuals, Ashland County Pictures is excited to introduce a brand-new online platform. Developed from scratch, this platform promises an enhanced user experience and better accessibility to news content.
Joe Lyons, the founder of Ashland County Pictures, invites the audience to participate in shaping the future of our online presence. We are presenting three distinct designs for our new platform, and we want YOU to vote for your favorite!
Your input is invaluable in helping us tailor our platform to meet your preferences and needs. Let your voice be heard, and together, let’s build a platform that truly serves the community.
Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this exciting journey of growth and innovation with you, our valued audience!
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that the State has distributed one million fentanyl test strips in an initiative to combat the opioid crisis. The strips serve as crucial tools in harm reduction efforts, allowing users to test substances for the presence of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that has been increasingly found laced in various street drugs, contributing significantly to overdose fatalities.
“By providing access to fentanyl test strips, we empower individuals to make informed decisions and potentially avert tragic consequences associated with opioid use,” said Governor DeWine.
Unintentional drug overdose fatalities among Ohio residents decreased by 5% in 2022, totaling 4,915 deaths, while nationwide there was a marginal 1% rise in overdose deaths during the same period. Fentanyl was involved in 81% of those deaths, often in combination with other drugs.
Since April 2023, RecoveryOhio, the Ohio Department of Health, and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have been working in cooperation to distribute fentanyl test strips. Numerous channels are being utilized, including county health departments, harm reduction organizations, colleges, law enforcement, Project DAWN sites, and local outreach programs, ensuring broad accessibility across the state.
Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) is a network of opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs coordinated by the Ohio Department of Health. By the end of 2023, Project DAWN sites had ordered 795,300 fentanyl test strips.
This landmark distribution of fentanyl test strips aligns with Ohio’s broader initiative that includes providing wide access to the life-saving drug Naloxone. Naloxone, when administered during an opioid overdose (from heroin, fentanyl, or prescription pain medications), blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and quickly restores breathing.
In 2023, Project DAWN distributed 292,419 naloxone units. In addition, the State of Ohio has installed cabinets containing free doses of Naloxone on 48 public and private college and university campuses, and more than 130 cabinets at 65 rest areas across the state.
Ohioans can order free naloxone and fentanyl test strips to be delivered to their homes through the website http://www.naloxone.ohio.gov. For more information on resources related to harm reduction, visit recoveryohio.gov.
(CLEVELAND) — Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been indicted on multiple state felony charges alleging misuse of campaign money and ethics violations – including one count that would permanently ban him from holding public office again in Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.
“This case seeks to hold Mr. Householder accountable for his actions under state law, and I expect that the results will permanently bar him from public service in Ohio,” Yost said. “State crimes have state penalties, and a conviction will ensure that there will be no more comebacks from the ‘Comeback Kid.’”
The state grand jury indictment, filed today in Cuyahoga County, accuses Householder, 64, of 10 felony charges:
One count of theft in office (F1)
Two counts of aggravated theft (F2)
One count of telecommunications fraud (F2)
One count of money laundering (F3)
Five counts of tampering with records (F3)
A conviction for theft in office would forever disqualify the Perry County resident from public office, public employment or a position of trust in the state. Householder was convicted on federal charges last year, but those convictions do not legally prevent him from running again for public office.
The state indictment alleges that Householder misused campaign funds to pay for his personal criminal defense in his federal case. In addition, he allegedly failed to accurately complete Joint Legislative Ethics Committee filings. Specifically, records show that he did not disclose fiduciary relationships, creditors and gifts – including those related to fraudulent activity surrounding House Bill 6, legislation that benefitted FirstEnergy.
Householder was found guilty in March, 2023, for crimes related to House Bill 6 and FirstEnergy and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is appealing the sentence.
The state charges announced today were filed in Cuyahoga County, where the financial transactions in question allegedly occurred.
The indictment stems from an investigation by a task force organized under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, part of the Attorney General’s Office. The task force was created at the request of the prosecutor of Summit County, where FirstEnergy is headquartered. By Ohio law, the attorney general’s OOCIC task force cannot initiate an investigation without a request from a prosecutor.
Householder was most recently elected to the Ohio House in 2016 and assumed office in January 2017. He was elected House speaker in 2019, a role he held until his removal from the position in July 2020 after his federal indictment and arrest. Householder remained a state representative until June 16, 2021, when the House expelled him.
Indictments merely contain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law.
The indictments were part of Attorney General’s continuing work to hold those responsible for the House Bill 6 scandal accountable and to save Ohioans significant taxpayer dollars. Through several civil court filings, Yost removed the ill-gotten gains from the corruption legislation, saving the state’s FirstEnergy customers nearly $2 billion over the life of HB6.
Here is a timeline of those efforts:
September 2020: Seeking to reverse the harm caused to Ohio, Yost files a civil lawsuit against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, FirstEnergy, FirstEnergy subsidiary Energy Harbor, and various accomplices.
November 2020: Yost moved to block HB6’s nuclear bailout, which would have taken $150 million a year from ratepayers to give to Energy Harbor.
December 2020: Yost’s request to prevent the bailout is granted by a judge.
January 2021: Yost files a motion to prevent the “decoupling rider,” which would have cost customers $700 million to $1 billion through 2029.
August 2021: A judge grants Yost’s request to freeze $8 million of Randazzo’s assets after Randazzo began transferring and selling properties. The ruling was later appealed and affirmed.
In August 2021, Yost sues former FirstEnergy CEO Jones and Randazzo, among others, seeking to recover the $4.3 million bribe that FirstEnergy has admitted paying Randazzo.
About OOCIC
The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, established in 1986 within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, assists local law enforcement agencies in combatting organized crime and corrupt activities.
“Organized criminal activity” means any combination or conspiracy to engage in activity that constitutes “engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity;” any criminal activity that relates to the corruption of a public official or public servant; or any violation, combination of violations, or conspiracy to commit one or more violations related to drug trafficking, manufacturing and/or possession.
About OOCIC
The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, established in 1986 within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, assists local law enforcement agencies in combatting organized crime and corrupt activities.
“Organized criminal activity” means any combination or conspiracy to engage in activity that constitutes “engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity;” any criminal activity that relates to the corruption of a public official or public servant; or any violation, combination of violations, or conspiracy to commit one or more violations related to drug trafficking, manufacturing and/or possession.
MADISON COUNTY – Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol filed two felony charges against a 27-year-old woman after she was found to be in possession of cocaine during a traffic stop in Madison County.
Around 1:30 p.m. on March 22, 2024, Troopers stopped a rented box truck, with out of state registration, traveling east on Interstate 70 for executing an unsafe lane change, following too closely to the vehicle ahead of it and for not using headlights while driving in the rain.
While troopers were interacting with the driver, she exhibited a high level of nervous behavior, provided an unusual travel story and they observed possible criminal items in the truck. A drug-sniffing canine also alerted to the vehicle, and during a search, troopers located 110 pounds of cocaine, wrapped in 50 individual packages, worth an estimated $1.75 million.
The suspect, 27-year-old Andrea I. Celaya Rodriguez, of Tucson, Arizona, was taken into custody and is being held at the Franklin County Jail. Celaya was charged with trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs, both of which are first-degree felonies. If convicted, Celaya Rodriguez could face up to 25 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine applauded a change made today to the state’s administrative rules that require emergency departments to report non-fatal drug overdoses to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) approved the addition of rule 3701-3-16 to the Ohio Administrative Code. The rule will take effect April 8.
“We must continue to work tirelessly to address the overdose crisis, to support those in recovery, and to encourage wellness to prevent addiction in the first place,” said Governor DeWine.
The new rule will give state officials a more accurate and current view of non-fatal overdoses in Ohio. It will enhance ODH’s ability to identify trends, including repeat overdoses, and could allow for faster identification of populations or geographic areas disproportionately affected by non-fatal overdoses.
In addition, this data will be valuable in helping determine strategies and allocation of resources such as referrals to treatment or distribution of naloxone and/or fentanyl test strips to help prevent overdoses, especially in these high-burden populations or areas.
“The purpose of this new rule is to improve the coordination of care for individuals who have previously experienced a drug overdose,” said RecoveryOhio Director Aimee Shadwick. “Studies show an elevated risk of death from overdose in individuals who had recently reported a non-fatal overdose. Adding this new reporting feature will provide healthcare professionals with additional tools available in real time.”
“We believe that having this new data will help us reduce the number of drug overdoses, lessen the burden on families and communities, and most importantly, save lives,” said ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA.
Since taking office, Governor DeWine has placed a significant emphasis on curbing drug overdoses expanding naloxone accessibility by 42% since 2022. This proactive approach has yielded positive results, with the number of unintentional drug overdose fatalities among Ohio residents decreasing by 5% in 2022, totaling 4,915 deaths while nationwide there was a marginal 1% rise in overdose deaths during the same period.
RecoveryOhio provides access to naloxone at no cost. Visit naloxone.ohio.gov to order this lifesaving medicine.
The use of drones poses a significant and evolving threat to the safety and security of correctional institutions in the United States. Criminal networks have increasingly turned to drones as a means of smuggling contraband, including drugs, cell phones, and even weapons, into correctional facilities, presenting unprecedented challenges to traditional security measures.
A recent report from www.rand.org highlights the growing concern surrounding the infiltration of correctional facilities by drones. Unlike conventional smuggling methods, drones offer a relatively low-risk and highly efficient means of delivering contraband directly to incarcerated individuals. Their ability to swiftly penetrate correctional airspace, coupled with the difficulty in swiftly detecting and intercepting them, has compounded the problem.
The lack of a standardized definition for “drone incidents” hampers efforts to quantify the scope of the issue, hindering comparisons across facilities and systems. This ambiguity underscores the need for cohesive strategies to address the multifaceted challenges posed by drone activity in correctional settings.
The report emphasizes the urgency of adopting a multifaceted approach to counter the drone threat, combining technological innovations, core correctional practices, and strategic partnerships with law enforcement agencies at the state and federal levels. Key findings from a workshop convened to address this issue include:
The absence of standardized terminology and reporting practices for drone incidents.
The rapid evolution of drone technologies, necessitating ongoing assessment and adaptation of detection solutions.
The cost-prohibitive nature of existing drone detection technologies for many correctional agencies.
The need for collaborative efforts to combat highly coordinated drone activities orchestrated by criminal organizations.
The crucial role of basic correctional strategies and human resources in complementing technological solutions.
To effectively mitigate the risks associated with drone activity in correctional facilities, the report offers a series of recommendations:
Development of standardized reporting protocols and terminology for drone incidents.
Creation of vulnerability assessment tools tailored to correctional settings.
Establishment of a centralized database cataloging available detection solutions.
Provision of guidance and resources to assist agencies in grant writing and funding acquisition.
Implementation of operational evaluations to determine the efficacy of layered security approaches.
Enhancement of intelligence-sharing mechanisms to facilitate interdiction and investigation of drone incidents.
By adopting these recommendations and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, correctional institutions can bolster their defenses against the growing threat posed by drones, safeguarding the integrity of their facilities and the well-being of incarcerated individuals.
The Rotary Club of Ashland invites the public to hear Bob DiBiasio, senior vice president of public affairs for the Cleveland Guardians, at the Ashland Theater Tuesday April 2.
DiBiasio, who has been with the team for 45 years, has become the team’s chief goodwill ambassador and is a frequently requested speaker across Northeast Ohio along with making TV and radio appearances. This mark’s DiBiasio’s fifth spring visit to the local Rotary Club and always has plenty of great baseball stories to share, said Rotarian Mitch PIskur.
Boxed lunches from the Greens Bistro & Pub are available beginning at 11:45 a.m. The $16 lunch can be ordered by calling Amy Noel, 419-496-0429, and then paying at the door. Or you can order and pay online at www.ashlandrotary.net under upcoming events. Lunch orders must be made by noon Friday March 29.
For those not interested in lunch, you are welcome to hear DiBiasio speak, beginning about 12:15 p.m. The event is free, but donations for local Rotary projects will be accepted.
Richland County- TRAFFIC ADVISORY: (Monday, March 25, 2024) State Route 603, at its intersection with Crider Road, will close Monday, April 1 for three days.
This is in coordination with the Crider Road bridge replacement project.
The detour route will be SR 603 north to U.S. 30 west to U.S. 42 east, and reverse.
ASHLAND – Ashland City Schools Foundation and Ashland County Community Foundation are pleased to announce the recipients of their spring semester teacher mini-grants.
These mini-grants will allow 16 Ashland County educators to implement innovative programs and projects to advance student learning, both in and outside their classrooms.
Thanks to the grant funding, students throughout the county will have opportunities to participate in an intermural pickleball club, visit the Buckeye Imagination Museum and more.
Grants totaled $4,996 from ACSF and $18,305 from ACCF. The following teachers received grants:
Ashland City Schools Foundation
Emily Hynek, Reagan Elementary School, received a grant for “Exploring Wonders: A 2nd Grade Science Adventure.”
Debbie McNaull, Edison Elementary School, received a grant for “Building Leaders of Good Character to Create Their Happily Ever After.”
Ashland City Schools Foundation and Ashland County Community Foundation
Julie McDonnell, Taft Intermediate School, received a grant for “Interactive Science and Urban Exposure.”
Alexandria Paulino, Edison Elementary School, received a grant for “Playground Inclusion and Communication.”
Ashland County Community Foundation
Lori Ayers, Hillsdale Elementary School, received a grant for “Decodable Text Is The Key To Success.”
Andrea Barker, Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center, received a grant for “Nutrition Science Lab.”
Jordyn Burnison, Loudonville High School, received a grant for “Hands-On Science Labs/Projects.”
Jennifer Ediger, Reagan Elementary School, received a grant for “Kindergarten Discovery.”
Rachel Kelly, Hillsdale High School, received a grant for “Making Music Accessible.”
Angela Layton, Loudonville-Perrysville Schools, received a grant for “Reading Writing Redbirds/ The Million Words Club.”
Andrew Lewellen, Hillsdale Middle School, received a grant for “After School Art Club.”
Marla Nardo, Ashland Middle School, received a grant for “Intramural Pickleball Club.”
Wendy Packard, Ashland Middle School, received a grant for “PBIS – Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports.”
Tiffany Smith, Hillsdale Elementary School, received a grant for “Bookworm Vending Machine and Books for the Machine.”
Amber Swisher, Hillsdale High School, received a grant for “Hands-On Music for All.”
Andrew Tabler, Ashland High School, received a grant for “Stretch Bands for Development and Injury Prevention.”
Ashland City Schools Foundation and Ashland County Community Foundation accept applications for teacher mini-grants twice annually, with application deadlines in January and September. Grant requests should be for programs and projects that are not covered by school budgets.
Any K-12 teacher from any school in Ashland County may apply online at www.ashlandforgood.org/grants. Applicants from the Ashland City School district will be considered for ACSF grants, and all applicants will be considered for ACCF grants. Questions should be directed to Kristin Aspin, Chief Program Officer, Ashland County Community Foundation, at (419) 281-4733 or kristin@ashlandforgood.org.
About Ashland City Schools Foundation: Ashland City Schools Foundation promotes excellence in academics, the arts and athletics while providing educational opportunities for all students and educators in the Ashland City School District.
About Ashland County Community Foundation: Ashland County Community Foundation advances philanthropy and improves the quality of life in Ashland County by connecting people who care with causes that matter. ACCF has awarded over $27 million in scholarships, grants and distributions.
On March 21, 2024, the Mansfield Division of Police was contacted by Mansfield City school administrators who reported that they received two email messages from a student account threatening to “shoot up” the Mansfield City Middle School.
Upon notification, officers and detectives immediately initiated an investigation to identify a suspect. Collaboration between school staff, administration and law enforcement resulted in the timely identification and apprehension of the suspect.
On the evening of March 21, 2024, a student was taken into custody and incarcerated.
As always, anyone who hears or sees threats or potentially violent activity, is asked to call their local Law enforcement agency immediately.
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Joe Lyons •
March 27, 2024
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that the State has distributed one million fentanyl test strips in an initiative to combat the opioid crisis. The strips serve as crucial tools in harm reduction efforts, allowing users to test substances for the presence of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that has been increasingly found laced in various street drugs, contributing significantly to overdose fatalities.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine applauded a change made today to the state’s administrative rules that require emergency departments to report non-fatal drug overdoses to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
The use of drones poses a significant and evolving threat to the safety and security of correctional institutions in the United States. Criminal networks have increasingly turned to drones as a means of smuggling contraband, including drugs, cell phones, and even weapons, into correctional facilities, presenting unprecedented challenges to traditional security measures.
By adopting these recommendations and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, correctional institutions can bolster their defenses against the growing threat posed by drones, safeguarding the integrity of their facilities and the well-being of incarcerated individuals.
The Rotary Club of Ashland invites the public to hear Bob DiBiasio, senior vice president of public affairs for the Cleveland Guardians, at the Ashland Theater Tuesday April 2.
Richland County- TRAFFIC ADVISORY: (Monday, March 25, 2024) State Route 603, at its intersection with Crider Road, will close Monday, April 1 for three days.
ASHLAND – Ashland City Schools Foundation and Ashland County Community Foundation are pleased to announce the recipients of their spring semester teacher mini-grants.
On March 21, 2024, the Mansfield Division of Police was contacted by Mansfield City school administrators who reported that they received two email messages from a student account threatening to “shoot up” the Mansfield City Middle School.