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.
Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, Hayesville Fire Department & EMS, and Ashland EMS responded to a two vehicle crash at the intersection of State Route 511 and County Road 1754 this morning around 8:12am.
Although it was reported that it was a head-on crash, Law Enforcement discovered that it was in fact a side collision.
Toby Ehrmantraut, 59, of Ashland driving a 2012 White Ford Pick-up truck traveling Eastbound on County Road 1754 and failed to stop at the stop sign intersection with State Route 511, and was struck in the drivers side by a 2008 Grey Hyundai traveling Southbound on State Route 511 driven by Lynn Glass, 41, of Ashland.
Lynn Glass was transported by Ashland EMS to Ohio-Health Mansfield Hospital and Emergency Department with unknown injuries.
The driver of the Pick-up truck, Toby Ehrmantraut, was not transported receiving minor injuries.
The crash remains under investigation by the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office
Ok, here is a tough one ladies and gentlemen. Let’s see how long it takes for someone out there to recognize this guy, maybe by his walk or the way he moves.
Video from the brazen burglaries in Hayesville, Ohio, in the early morning hours on Monday have just been released by the Detective Bureau, at the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office.
So, please take a good look at this video, and get this guy behind bars as soon as possible.
Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Detectives are hoping someone will see something in this video that will help get his identity. Anyone with information regarding the burglaries, please contact the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, at (419) 289-3911. All tips are confidential.
In a heartwarming display of compassion and community spirit, students and staff at Crestview Elementary School have brought joy to our fur babies at the Ashland County Dog Shelter. Their efforts, part of the school’s “Kindness Month” initiative dubbed “Show Us Your Heart,” culminated in a generous donation drive throughout February.
Led by Molly Henderson and School Counselor Beth Cole, Crestview Elementary embarked on a mission to support their local shelters. Students eagerly participated, with each donation earning them a spot as the “I” in the word “KIND” displayed proudly in the school hallway.
The call for donations was met with overwhelming enthusiasm, as the community rallied behind the cause. The list of requested items, including essentials like Purina Dog Chow, soft treats, peanut butter, and cleaning supplies, struck a chord with many. Some students even went the extra mile by crafting homemade dog treats, showcasing their dedication to the cause.
The generosity didn’t stop there. Dana Emmons of Val’s Beauty Parlor in Medina caught wind of the initiative and wholeheartedly joined in, significantly boosting the donation pool through Facebook and her workplace.
The culmination of the donation drive was marked by a special visit to the Ashland County Dog Shelter, where the children were greeted by Dog Warden Joe Eggerton. The tour of the shelter proved to be a highlight for the students, who were visibly thrilled by the opportunity to interact with the shelter’s furry residents.
As the visit came to a close, expressions of gratitude echoed throughout the shelter. The Crestview Elementary School community’s kindness and generosity had made a tangible difference in the lives of the shelter animals and the staff caring for them.
In the spirit of giving and compassion, Crestview Elementary School has not only demonstrated the power of community but also instilled invaluable lessons of empathy and kindness in its students. Their efforts serve as a shining example of how small acts of kindness can make a big difference in the world, one paw at a time.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Mark Urbine. Urbine is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Adult Parole Authority on a parole violation on the original charge of robbery and domestic violence. Urbine 32, is described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 5 inches tall. Urbine has ties to the cities of Mansfield, Toledo, Willard, and Monroeville OH.
Mark Urbine
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Dion Walker. Walker is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service on a supervised release violation on the original charge of distribution of cocaine. Walker, 57, is described as a black male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet 7 inches tall. Walker has ties to the city of Mansfield.
Dion Walker
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of Zachary Simmons. Simmons is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office on a probation violation for felonious assault. Simmons, 31, is described as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes, standing 6 feet 5 inches tall. Simmons has ties to the city of Mansfield.
Zachary Simmons
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Antoine Bentley. Bentley is wanted U.S. Marshals Service on a supervised release violation on the original charge for conspiracy to distribute and possess a controlled substance. Bentley, 40, is described as a black male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet, 9 inches tall. Bentley has ties to the city of Mansfield.
Antoine Bentley
If you have any information in reference to Mark Urbine, Dion Walker, Zachary Simmons, or Antoine Bentley, please contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED or Text keyword WANTED and tip to 847411 (tip411). Tipsters can remain anonymous and reward money is available.
My first meeting with Sheriff candidates Kurt Schneider and Chad Enderby was at the Ashland County Fair in September of 2023 where both had booths in their bid to be our next sheriff.
In talking to both candidates in those early days, it was clear Kurt Schneider had the vision of why he wanted to become our next Sheriff and what his priorities would be.
I subsequently heard candidate Enderby speak at the Black River school one evening and listened to him describe what he portrayed to be experience in the Sheriff’s office which I understood not to be an accurate portrayal of his real experience (or lack there of).
Rather than listen to second hand information, I picked up the phone and personally spoke to Sheriff Wayne Risner to verify what was being said by the candidate.
Sheriff Risner confirmed what we all now clearly know, Chad Enderby never worked a minute serving in the Ashland Sheriff’s department.
Enderby’s portrayal that he “had experience in the Sheriff’s department” disturbed me—it still does.
There is enough deception and half-truths we have to live with in Washington. I personally don’t want to worry about that locally with our top local law enforcement official.
I don’t want to have to dissect every word and listen for the “half-truth” part of what is being said. That is just a deal breaker for me in a job this important.
Contrast that with Kurt Schneider who has not only years of experience serving on Ashland County patrol but also working in the jail and with the canine unit and other special teams. Kurt has years of actual, real work experience in the Ashland Sheriff’s department.
Kurt has the full endorsement of the current Ashland County Sheriff Wayne Risner, Retired Ashland Sheriff Larry Overholt, and multiple Sheriffs outside of Ashland County he has worked with—they have seen his dedication, good judgment and hard work partnering with their departments and endorse him to be Ashland County’s next Sheriff.
I don’t know how it can be any clearer when multiple people who DO THE JOB tell us Kurt is the most qualified.
They do this job day in and day out. They know what it takes. They know Kurt. It’s just that clear.
Vote Tuesday March 19th to make Kurt Schneider our next Ashland Sheriff!
Washington Township – The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Mansfield Post, is investigating a fatal crash involving a 2018 Dodge Durango on Vanderbilt Road, at the intersection of Middle Bellville Road.
Shawn McNamara, age 48, of Bellville, was driving eastbound on Vanderbilt Road, near Middle Bellville Road, when the vehicle traveled off the right side of the road a struck a tree.
The crash occurred on March 16, 2024 at approximately 11:18 P.M. Mr. McNamara was transported from the scene to Ohio Health Mansfield, by Washington Township EMS, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Additional agencies and entities who assisted in the investigation include the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Washington Township Fire & EMS and Mike’s Towing.
Integrity matters. If you were to Google “integrity” you would find it defined as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” Whether people know, realize, accept or fail to acknowledge it, Law Enforcement officers hold a great deal of responsibility in the sense that many things they do happens behind closed doors and out of the view of the taxpayers. Preparing reports, gathering statistics, applying for grants, internal discipline to name a few can all happen behind closed doors for years. You may never see it, you may only see it when a law enforcement officer of many years is suddenly charged with a crime, such as dereliction of duty or even theft. But you have to ask yourself, how do we get to this point? How can someone hired by a law enforcement agency fall so far from grace? Was it over time? Or did they have a moral imbalance from the start. As a retired law enforcement officer I can tell you where it starts, and that is at the top.
You as the voter, the voice of Ashland County, need to take all of this into account this Tuesday when you vote. You hold the power to decide what kind of person you want at the head of the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office. The person you will entrust with the ability to effectively lead with integrity the main enforcement body of this county who administers the jail, our 9-11 dispatch center for many residents or the deputies who respond to your house when you need it most.
That person is NOT Kurt Schneider. We all know elections can bring out the worst in people, you do not have to go far to see that. It is a sad reality, but under the extreme pressure of putting yourself in the spotlight like Schneider and Chad Enderby have done, someone’s real moral aptitude can be revealed. Kurt Schneiders lack of moral integrity has been shown to alarming levels during this campaign.
In a comment in response to Chad Enderby’s endorsement from J&H Lawn Care, a concerned voter made the following statement “Kurt was in our neighborhood today soliciting votes. When I pointed out our neighborhood’s “no soliciting” sign, his retort was “it is his constitutional right” to knock on our doors. To me, this is just disrespectful for our neighborhood. When I was talking a couple of weeks ago, one of Chad’s people stopped me and asked if the sign meant them. I said yes because it was soliciting votes. Right or wrong, Chad is respecting us. Kurt is not. Made up my mind who we are voting for. Two more votes for Chad! Also, I am on the side of needing new people with new ideas and no favoritism for the old school”.
As a voter, you must ask yourself is this how you want your deputies to be led? That it is ok to push the extreme boundaries of the citizens constitutional rights? It does not stop there.
On 3/17/2024, the Kurt Schneider campaign advertised and held a free BBQ at the corner park directly across from the Ashland County Board of elections, where citizens were casting their early votes. One could argue this is in violation of Ohio Revised Code 3501.35 (A)(5), No loitering or congregating near polling places specifically during an election and the counting of ballots, no person shall do any of the following: solicit or in any manner attempt to influence any elector in casting the elector’s vote. Additionally, once the event ended several campaign signs were left behind on the county park property in violation of established rules prohibiting this.
As a voter of Ashland County, if this is what a prospective Sheriff is willing to do, one could only wonder what he would allow to happen behind the closed doors of the Sheriff’s office. You would probably never know until it hit the headlines. A vote for Chad Enderby this Tuesday will end a revolving door of the “good old boys” we have known for so long. Integrity matters.
Joe Lyons •
March 25, 2024
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.
In a heartwarming display of compassion and community spirit, students and staff at Crestview Elementary School have brought joy to our fur babies at the Ashland County Dog Shelter. Their efforts, part of the school’s “Kindness Month” initiative dubbed “Show Us Your Heart,” culminated in a generous donation drive throughout February.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Mark Urbine. Urbine is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Adult Parole Authority on a parole violation on the original charge of robbery and domestic violence. Urbine 32, is described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, standing 5 feet 5 inches tall. Urbine has ties to the cities of Mansfield, Toledo, Willard, and Monroeville OH.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Dion Walker. Walker is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service on a supervised release violation on the original charge of distribution of cocaine. Walker, 57, is described as a black male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet 7 inches tall. Walker has ties to the city of Mansfield.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of Zachary Simmons. Simmons is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office on a probation violation for felonious assault. Simmons, 31, is described as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes, standing 6 feet 5 inches tall. Simmons has ties to the city of Mansfield.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information which would lead to the capture of fugitive Antoine Bentley. Bentley is wanted U.S. Marshals Service on a supervised release violation on the original charge for conspiracy to distribute and possess a controlled substance. Bentley, 40, is described as a black male with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet, 9 inches tall. Bentley has ties to the city of Mansfield.
My first meeting with Sheriff candidates Kurt Schneider and Chad Enderby was at the Ashland County Fair in September of 2023 where both had booths in their bid to be our next sheriff.
Washington Township – The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Mansfield Post, is investigating a fatal crash involving a 2018 Dodge Durango on Vanderbilt Road, at the intersection of Middle Bellville Road.
Integrity matters. If you were to Google “integrity” you would find it defined as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” Whether people know, realize, accept or fail to acknowledge it, Law Enforcement officers hold a great deal of responsibility in the sense that many things they do happens behind closed doors and out of the view of the taxpayers. Preparing reports, gathering statistics, applying for grants, internal discipline to name a few can all happen behind closed doors for years. You may never see it, you may only see it when a law enforcement officer of many years is suddenly charged with a crime, such as dereliction of duty or even theft. But you have to ask yourself, how do we get to this point? How can someone hired by a law enforcement agency fall so far from grace? Was it over time? Or did they have a moral imbalance from the start. As a retired law enforcement officer I can tell you where it starts, and that is at the top.