https://history.meigslibrary.org/files/original/3765eadbca2a43509f5a634cb40c50f7.pdf 0fb48fcdd07eb000c2243f44d0c816cf PDF Text Text 8 AM 2 PM 8 PM 30° 36° 27° Mostly sunny today. Clear tonight. High 37° / Low 17° Today’s weather forecast On this day in history OVC tops Hannan WEATHER s 5 NEWS s 3 SPORTS s 6 C_ZZb[fehj��Fec[heo"�E^_e Breaking news at mydailysentinel.com Issue 251, Volume 75 2 deaths, 48 new COVID cases reported Latest from Meigs, Gallia, Mason counties By Kayla (Hawthorne) Dunham khawthorne@aimmediamidwest. com OHIO VALLEY — Since yesterday’s update, there were two additional COVID-19 related deaths and 48 new cases reported in the Ohio Valley Publishing area on Tuesday. In Gallia County, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) reported 18 new COVID-19 cases. In Meigs County, ODH reported two COVID-19 related deaths of individuals in the 80+ age range. ODH also reported nine new COVID-19 cases. In Mason County, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), reported 21 new cases of COVID-19. Here is a closer look at the local COVID-19 data: Wednesday, December 22, 2021 s 50¢ Honoring veterans in Meigs County hospitalizations, 11 deaths 70-79 — 354 cases (2 new), 83 hospitalizations (1 new), 19 deaths 80-plus — 215 cases (1 new), 57 hospitalizations, 32 deaths Vaccination rates in Gallia County are as follows, according to ODH: Vaccines started: 13,365 (44.71 percent of the population); Vaccines completed: 12,226 (40.89 percent of the population). Meigs County According to the 2 p.m. update from ODH on Tuesday, there have been 3,199 total cases (9 new) in Meigs County since the beginning of the pandemic, 191 hospitalizations and 65 deaths (2 new). Of the 3,199 cases, 2,981 (12 new) are presumed recovered. Case data is as follows: 0-19 — 607 cases (1 new), 6 hospitalizations 20-29 — 448 cases, 5 Gallia County hospitalizations According to the 30-39 — 401 2 p.m. update from cases (3 new), 13 ODH on Tuesday, hospitalizations, 1 death there have been 5,008 40-49 — 474 total cases (18 new) cases (3 new), 17 in Gallia County hospitalizations, 2 since the beginning deaths of the pandemic, 320 50-59 — 432 cases, hospitalizations (1 new) 31 hospitalizations, 6 and 81 deaths. Of the deaths 5,008 cases, 4,590 (24 60-69 — 408 cases, new) are presumed 47 hospitalizations (2 recovered. new), 10 deaths Case data is as 70-79 — 272 cases follows: (1 new), 46 hos0-19 — 976 cases (1 new), 9 hospitalizations pitalizations, 23 deaths 80-plus — 157 20-29 —799 cases (1 new), 26 cases (3 new), 18 hospitalizations, 1 death hospitalizations, 22 deaths (2 new) 30-39 — 703 Vaccination rates in cases (2 new), 16 hospitalizations, 1 death Meigs County are as follows, according to 40-49 — 739 ODH: cases (2 new), 32 Vaccines started: hospitalizations, 4 10,108 (44.13 percent deaths of the population); 50-59 — 680 Vaccines completed: cases (6 new), 53 9,192 (40.13 percent of hospitalizations, 12 the population). deaths 60-69 — 542 See CASES | 8 cases (1 new), 52 AIM Media Midwest Operating, LLC (USPS 145-966) Telephone: 740-992-2155 Publishes every Tuesday through Saturday. Subscription rate is $208 per year. Prices are subject to change at any time. 825 Third Ave., Gallipolis, OH, 45631 Periodical postage paid at Pomeroy, OH POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Sentinel, 825 Third Ave., Gallipolis, OH, 45631. All content © 2021 The Daily Sentinel, an edition of the Gallipolis Daily Tribune. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Lorna Hart | Courtesy A Memorial Ceremony was part of the Wreaths Across American observance, and honored the branches of the US Military and Prisoners of War. Holding wreaths for each at Letart Cemetery were Charlie Mugrage, POW; Jack Mayes, Army; Gerry Rought, Air Force; Jennifer Wilson, Navy; John Westover, Marines; Randy Reiber, Coast Guard; Jack Coughenour, Merchant Marines; Lew Van Meter, Space Force. Volunteers place wreaths on more than 2,000 graves By Lorna Hart Special to OVP MEIGS COUNTY — On Saturday, volunteers came together to place wreaths on over 2,000 Veterans graves in Meigs County as part of Wreaths Across America. The laying of wreaths in December to honor Veterans had its beginnings in Arlington National Cemetery and is now a nationwide effort. The laying of wreaths is carried out by volunteers, and sponsored by donations from individuals and business. Craig Matheny established Wreath Adventures, LLC to manage funds for the Wreaths event in Meigs and Athens counties in 2019 after organizing multiple trips with people from around the area to lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery. In 2020, the Wreath Adventures program laid wreaths in Meigs County at Reedsville Cemetery, Eden/Randolph Cemetery, Tuppers Plains Cemetery, and Meigs Memory Gardens. This year wreaths will also be placed in Letart, Miles, Gilmore, Heiney, and Chester cemeteries. Loyalty is Forever organizer Lori Miller was responsible for managing the delivery of the wreaths, and said Shade River Agricultural Service in Chester saved the day with their assistance in unloading the boxes that had been delivered by Wreaths Across America. They placed the boxes onto a trailer that Miller could then use to distribute the wreaths to the See VETERANS | 8 Benefiting ‘Kids for Christmas’ By Mindy Kearns Special to OVP BEND AREA — Proceeds from a booth at the Mason County Fair will be providing meals this holiday season for families in need across the Bend Area. For three years, Faith Baptist Church of Mason has been operating a food booth at the fair, with all money made going to local charities and organizations. This year, a portion of the proceeds, $2,000, went to the Bend Area C.A.R.E. organization’s “Kids for Christmas” program. The program provides gifts and clothing Mindy Kearns | Courtesy Pastor Josh Waybright, left, of Faith Baptist Church in Mason recently presented $2,000 to Bend Area C.A.R.E. to help with the organization’s “Kids for Christmas” program. Accepting was C.A.R.E. member Leonard Koenig. The funds will provide 20 families with a $100 food voucher, and came from proceeds from the church food booth at the Mason County Fair. to local children. In addition, a $100 food voucher is given to each family, and the church donation will provide those vouchers to the 20 families being served, according to C.A.R.E. member Leonard Koenig. Pastor Josh Waybright said when the church took over the booth in 2018, the guiding principle was that whatever proﬁt was made would be spent in the Bend Area to help improve people’s lives. He added none of the money comes back to the church. Also beneﬁtting from the 2021 booth proceeds were the Bend Area Food Pantry, Heaven’s Saints Motorcycle Ministry, Jacob’s Well Ministries, See KIDS | 8 Omicron now 73% of new COVID cases in US By Mike Stobbe Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health ofﬁcials said Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week. In much of the country, it’s even higher. Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90% or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Paciﬁc Northwest. The national rate suggests that more than 650,000 omicron infections occurred in the U.S. last week. Since the end of June, the delta variant had been the main version causing U.S. infections. As recently as the end of November, more than 99.5% of coronaviruses were delta, according to CDC data. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new numbers reﬂect the kind of growth seen in other countries. “These numbers are stark, but they’re not surprising,” she said. Scientists in Africa ﬁrst sounded the alarm about omicron less than a month ago and on Nov. 26 the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of concern.” The mutant has since shown up in about 90 countries. Much about the omicron variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance See OMICRON | 8 �2 Wednesday, December 22, 2021 OBITUARIES/NEWS Ohio Valley Publishing OBITUARIES DONNA ELOISE LEWIS WAVERLY — Donna Eloise Lewis left this earthly life on Sunday, December 19, 2021, at her home, in Waverly, surrounded by her family. She was born in the village of Woodstock, Vt., on June 10, 1927, the youngest of four children of Rev. Herman Allen Lewis and Donna Glenn Lewis. Most of her life was spent attending and working in public schools, beginning with ﬁrst grade at age ﬁve in the one-room Meadow Run School in Pike County, where Aunt Kathryn Glenn was the teacher. She graduated from Green Township High School in Scioto County in 1944 and took the civil service test along with her fellow classmates. That was the middle of World War II; many classmates had already enlisted or would soon be drafted. She was assigned a job at Wright Field in Dayton, along with two of her friends. After the war ended in 1945, Donna attended classes at Ohio University and Rio Grande College. Because teachers were still scarce, the Ohio Department of Education issued four-year certiﬁcates that were renewable after more college credits were earned. During the next several years, she ﬁnished a Bachelor’s degree at Rio Grande and a Master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. Later she took a two-year leave from teaching to complete a fellowship at Indiana University that involved co-writing workbooks for reading teachers. Hiking in the Green Mountains of Vermont, the low southern Ohio hills, and, later, in Rocky Mountain trails were young years’ activities. Her love of the arts and local history led to a pursuit of genealogy, joining with other members of the Pike County Genealogy Society to help locate and copy the county’s cemeteries. Donna enjoyed singing with the Grace United Methodist Church choir for more than ﬁfty years, and many years of attending watercolor workshops taught by James Godwin Scott, the “River Painter,” both in the United States and in several European countries. Donna had a love for words and verse and was always creating, eventually authoring several children’s books. Her interest in genealogy led to membership in First Families of Gallia County, First Families of Augusta County, Va., the Gallia County Historical Society, the French Colony chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Ohio Arts Council of Jackson. She was also a member of the Pike County Retired Teachers Association and a life member of the Ohio Retired Teachers Association. Donna was preceded in death by her sister and brother-in-law, Ruth (Louis) Sakal, and by brothers and sisters-inlaw, Donald (Bernice) Lewis, Robert Eugene (Betty) Lewis, and Fritzi Bryant. She was also preceded in death by her nephew, James Lewis. Donna is survived by several nephews and nieces including, Steve (Beverly) Lewis, Becki (Ken) Peden, Rita (Gordon) Bevens, Jackie Lewis, Steve (Janet) Lewis, Tom (Betsy) Lewis, Ayla Peden, Sloane Hilton, Braydon (Peggy) Bevens, Bret Bevens, Ellie Lewis, Sophie Lewis, Charlie Lewis, Margo Lewis, Sam Lewis, and Cole Bevens. Family will receive friends on Thursday, December 23, 2021 from 4–6 p.m. at Botkin Hornback Funeral Home in Waverly. www.botkinhornbackfuneralhomes.com CHARLES JACKSON HANDLEY SR., ‘JACK’ LANGSVILLE — Charles Jackson Handley Sr., “Jack”, of Langsville, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, December 20, 2021. He was born on October 17, 1939 to the late Charles Handley and Dortha Spurlock Handley. He is survived by his daughter, Becky Handley (Wayne); son, Jack Handley Jr. (Rebecca); step-son, Wayne Peterson (Anna); 5 grandchildren; and 9 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Handley and grandson, Jonathan Handley. No services will be held at this time. Arrangements are under the care of Anderson McDaniel Funeral Home in Pomeroy. DEATH NOTICES SPAUN GALLIPOLIS — Cory Joseph Spaun, 34 of Gallipolis, died Wednesday December 14, 2021 at his residence. Graveside services will be conducted 11 a.m. Thursday December 23, 2021 in Gravel Hill Cemetery, Cheshire. The McCoy-Moore Funeral Home, Wetherholt Chapel, Gallipolis is honored to serve the Spaun Family. GILBERT VINTON — Larry Dwayne Gilbert, 60, Vinton, died Monday, December 20, 2021 at his residence. Graveside services will be conducted 1 p.m. Monday, December 27, 2021 in the Poplar Ridge Cemetery, Vinton. The McCoy-Moore Funeral Home, Vinton Chapel, is honored to serve the Gilbert Family. CONTACT US 825 Third Ave., Gallipolis, OH, 45631 740-446-2342 All content © 2021 Gallipolis Daily Tribune and The Daily Sentinel edition. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT/ GROUP PUBLISHER Lane Moon lmoon@aimmediamidwest.com EDITOR Beth Sergent, Ext. 2102 bsergent@aimmediamidwest.com SPORTS EDITOR Bryan Walters, Ext. 2101 bwalters@aimmediamidwest.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Matt Rodgers, Ext. 2095 mrodgers@aimmediamidwest.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Derrick Morrison, Ext. 2097 dmorrison@aimmediamidwest.com DR. WILLIAM RAYMOND CUCKLER ATHENS — Dr. William Raymond Cuckler, of Athens died Saturday, December 18, 2021 at his home. He was born October 4, 1937, at Sheltering Arms Hospital in Athens. He was the son of the late Raymond Ernest Cuckler and Mary Truax Cuckler and stepson of Elizabeth Bolin Cuckler. He graduated from Athens High School in 1955 and received his Pre-Dentistry degree from Ohio University in 1959. At Ohio University he was a member of the TKE fraternity and the Pershing Riﬂes Military fraternity. William was a 1962 graduate of The Ohio State University School of Dentistry and was conferred a degree in Doctor of Dental Surgery. Upon graduation he served as a Captain in the US Army Dental Corps. William returned to Athens after discharge in 1965 and opened his dental practice on Court Street. He served on the staff at O’Bleness Hospital as a Dental Surgeon, was an Adjunct Professor in Community Dentistry at Ohio University and was the Dental Director for the State of Ohio Department of Mental Health at the Athens Mental Hospital and Gallipolis Developmental Center. Professional memberships included the Ohio State Dental Society, Ray Winkle Dental Society, and the American Dental Society. He retired from private practice in 2010. Local memberships included the Athens Elks, Amesville Grange, Canaanville United Methodist Church, and the Athens Harmonica Club. He served on the Federal Hocking School Board for 21 years and was a member of the Ohio School Board Association. He was selected as Southeast Ohio School board member of the year. Bill was a strong supporter of agriculture education and was active in local 4-H clubs and was a buyer for 50 years at the Athens County Junior Livestock Sale. In 1969, the family purchased Hemlock Hill Farm and renovated the 1832 farmhouse. William was a true arborist and loved planting and growing trees and has many varieties growing today on his farm. William was an accomplished musician playing with various groups and artists in the Southeast Ohio area. His greatest love was jamming with his grandsons. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Phyllis Goldsberry Cuckler; seven children, Tad Cuckler of Athens, Tracy (Lee) Browning of Fredericksburg, Va., Mike (Regina) Cuckler of Athens, Karen Cuckler (Paul Hill) of Albany, Amy (Mike) Russell of Athens, Jennifer (Mark) Lovitt of Wilmington, N.C. and Steve (Marjan) Cuckler of Delaware; three sisters, Debbie (Chuck) Keller, Randi (Ted) Gillette, and Patsy White; a sister-inlaw, Judith Goldsbery; 16 grandchildren; Michael, Julia, David, Rosson, Chaz, Matthew, Chanda, Andrew, Luke, Jacob, Mary Jess, Caleb, Lola, Libby, Lacy Ray, and Lincoln; 5 great grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Besides his parents and step mother, he is preceded in death by a brother in law, Paul White. Calling hours will be observed Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. at Jagers & Sons Funeral Home, Athens. Funeral service will be conducted Thursday at 11 a.m. at Jagers Funeral Home in Athens with Buford Brown ofﬁciating. Burial will be in Alexander Cemetery. Military Rites will be conducted by K.T. Crossen Post 21 American Legion and VFW Post 9893 Honor Guards at the cemetery. In lieu of ﬂowers contributions may be made to FFA Alumni Association, Federal Hocking FFA, Federal Hocking HS/ MS, Stewart, OH 45778. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register at www.jagersfuneralhome. com. EUNICE P. NIEHM Eunice P. Niehm, 97, formerly of Sandusky and Gallipolis, went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 19, 2021 in Hollidaysburg, Pa. She was born on October 4, 1924 in Sandusky, to the late Roy, Sr. and Julia Patterson. On June 1, 1946, she married Bernard “Bernie” “Bud” F. Niehm, who preceded her in death on December 1, 2014. Eunice graduated from Sandusky High School in 1943 and attended Sandusky Business College. She worked in accounting at Aluminum and Magnesium, Inc. and later at New Departure in Sandusky. In the 1980s, she obtained her real estate license and worked in the Gallia County area. She volunteered throughout her life at numerous organizations, including at the Gallipolis Garden Club and at Nature’s Garden Club of the Gallipolis Developmental Center, where she contributed to Garden Therapy for residents. Eunice was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church, and a charter member of New Life Lutheran Church in Gallipolis. She enjoyed serving her community through various civic engagements, including serving as co-president of The Arthritis Club with her late husband, Bernie. Most importantly, she was restored through the love of her family. Eunice is survived by her two daughters, Julie (Mike) Supp, of Hollidaysburg, and Patricia (Matt Sterrett) Niehm, of Bloomington, Ill.; six grandchildren, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Joshua, Jenna, Dustin, and Maisie; nephews, Roy (Joyce) Patterson, III and Tom (Cindy) Patterson, both of Sandusky; niece, Cyndy Koons, of Ada; and many great-nieces and -nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Bernie F. Niehm, Jr.; husband of 68 years, Bernard “Bernie” “Bud” F. Niehm; brothers, Charles Patterson and Roy Patterson, Jr.; sister-in-law, Victoria “Mickey” Sartor Patterson; and aunt and uncle, Edwin and Kathryn Pressler. Friends may call from 10 a.m. until the time of the funeral services at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 29 at Zion Lutheran Church, 503 Columbus Ave., Sandusky. Rev. Dr. Eric L. Bodenstab and Pastor David Bowman will ofﬁciate. Burial will be Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky. In lieu of ﬂowers, memorial contributions can be made to New Life Lutheran Church, 900 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis, Ohio 45631 or Hospice 365, 119 S. Main St., Carrolltown, PA 15722 or Mending Hearts Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 97, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648. Toft Funeral Home and Crematory, 2001 Columbus Ave., Sandusky, is handling arrangements. Condolences may be shared by visiting toftfuneralhome.com. Holiday publishing schedule for OVP Ohio Valley Publishing’s Gallipolis Daily Tribune, The Daily Sentinel and Point Pleasant Register, will not be publishing on Saturday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day) or Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022 (New Year’s Day) — publishing resumes on Tuesday, Dec. 28th and Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, respectively, during those weeks. Also, the business ofﬁces will be closed Friday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) and Friday, Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve) — business hours resume Monday, Dec. 27 and Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, during those respective weeks. This will allow our employees and carriers to spend the holidays with their families. We apologize for any inconvenience to our readers. Thank you for supporting our publications in 2021. We look forward to providing your local news in 2022. Have a merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year. GALLIA, MEIGS COMMUNITY BRIEFS Society will be providing straw for pet bedding durEditor’s Note: Gallia Meigs Briefs will only list event information that is open to the public and will ing the months of November, December, January, and February. Vouchers may be picked up at the be printed on a space-available basis. Humane Society Thrift Shop, 253 North Second Street, Middleport for a fee of $2. For more information call 740-992-6064. POMEROY — American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1:30 p.m. - 6 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 22, Mulberry Community Center. Blood drive today Health Department closed POMEROY — The Meigs County Health Department will be closed on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24. Normal business hours will resume at 8 a.m. on Dec. 27. Free Christmas dinner MIDDLEPORT — Free Christmas Dinner, open to the public, serving from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 25 on Christmas Day, Middleport Presbyterian Church, 165 N. Fourth Ave. Bossard holiday hours Family and Children First Council 2022 meetings The Gallia County Family and Children First Council will be holding Regular Business Meetings at 10 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the following months: January, March, May, July, and September. Due to Election Day on the second Tuesday of November, the business meeting will be moved to November 15, 2022. The Intersystem Collaborative Meetings will be held at 10 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the following months: February, April, June, August, October and December. All Council Meetings will be held at the Gallia County Health Department Conference Room located at 499 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis, Ohio. For additional information, contact Lora Jenkins/Intersystem Coordinator at 740-4463022. GALLIPOLIS — The Bossard Memorial Library will be closed on Friday, Dec. 24 and Saturday, Dec. 25 for the Christmas holiday. Normal hours of operation will resume on Sunday, Dec. 26. The library will also close at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31 and remain In collaboration with OhioHealth Mobile Mamclosed for New Year’s Day holiday on Saturday, Jan. mography, OU’s Women’s Health Clinic will offer 1, 2022. Normal hours of operation will resume on same-day mammography at Gallipolis City Park, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. First Avenue, Gallipolis, Ohio on Jan. 13, 2022 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Services are available to all women, uninsured, underinsured or insured. Appointments are required and women should call 740-593-2432 or 1-800-844-2654 for an appointment. MIDDLEPORT — The Meigs County Humane Women’s health screenings Straw for pets �NEWS Ohio Valley Publishing Wednesday, December 22, 2021 3 Biden vows he, Manchin will ‘get something done’ on $2T bill By Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri beneﬁt from the Democrats’ ambitious, if now Associated Press highly uncertain, plan to pour billions of dollars into child care, health WASHINGTON — care and other services. President Joe Biden “Sen. Manchin and I appeared determined Tuesday to return to the are going to get something done,” Biden said. negotiating table with The president’s off-theSen. Joe Manchin, the cuff remarks constitute holdout Democrat who his ﬁrst public statement effectively tanked the as Democrats struggle party’s signature $2 trilto pick up the pieces lion domestic policy inifrom Manchin’s Sunday tiative with his own jarring year-end announce- announcement that he would not support the ment. bill, as is. Manchin essenBiden, responding to tially crushed Biden’s reporters’ questions at sweeping policy measure the White House, joked that he holds no grudges in the 50-50 Senate, siding with all Republicans against the conservative who oppose the bill. West Virginia senator Biden spoke of the whose rejection of the “dignity of a parent” trysocial services and climate change bill stunned ing to pay the bills, and Washington just days ago. the assistance millions could receive from the Instead, the president spoke passionately about federal government with the legislation. the families that would But the Democrats face serious questions over whether the $2 trillion initiative can be refashioned to win his crucial vote or the party will be saddled with a devastating defeat. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was set to assemble Senate Democrats later Tuesday for a private virtual caucus meeting to discuss next steps. Schumer vowed on Monday that the chamber would vote early in the new year on Biden’s “Build Back Better Act” as it now stands so every senator “has the opportunity to make their position known on the Senate ﬂoor, not just on television.” That was a biting reference to Manchin’s sudden TV announcement against the bill on Sunday. Biden pivots to home tests to confront omicron GALLIA, MEIGS CALENDAR OF EVENTS Associated Press WASHINGTON — Fighting the omicron variant surging through the country, President Joe Biden announced the government will provide 500 million free rapid home-testing kits, increase support for hospitals under strain and redouble vaccination and boosting efforts. At the White House on Tuesday, Biden detailed major changes to his COVID-19 winter plan, his hand forced by the fast-spreading variant, whose properties are not yet fully understood by scientists. Yet his message was clear that the winter holidays could be close to normal for the vaccinated while potentially dangerous for the unvaccinated. His pleas are not political, he emphasized. He noted that former President Donald Trump has gotten his booster shot, and he said it’s Americans’ “patriotic duty” to get vaccinated. “It’s the only responsible thing to do,” the president said. “Omicron is serious and potentially deadly business for unvaccinated people.” Biden chastised social media and people on cable TV who have made misleading statements to discourage people from getting vaccinated. The outbreak from this latest strain of the coronavirus has required the federal government to get more aggressive in addressing the wave of infections, but Biden promised a weary nation that there would not be a mass lockdown of schools or businesses. “I know you’re tired, and I know you’re frustrated. We all want this to be over. But we’re still in it,” Biden said. “We also have more tools than we had before. We’re ready, we’ll get through this.” Scientists don’t know everything about omicron yet, but they do know that vaccination should offer strong protection against severe illness and death. The variant has spread at such an alarming rate since it was identiﬁed in South Africa about a month ago that the Biden administration snapped into action to offer new tests and additional aid. Still more is needed, some medical experts said. A cornerstone of the plan is for the government to purchase 500 million coronavirus rapid tests for free shipment to Americans starting in January. People will use a new website to order their tests, which will then be sent by U.S. mail at no charge. The 500 million could be increased, depending on developments. It marks a major shift for Biden, who earlier had called for many Americans to purchase the hard-to-ﬁnd tests on their own and then seek reimbursement from health insurance. For the ﬁrst time, the U.S. government will send free COVID-19 tests directly to Americans, after more than a year of urging by public health experts. Experts had criticized Biden’s initial buy-ﬁrst, get-paid-later approach as unwieldy and warned that the U.S. would face another round of testing problems at a critical time. Testing advocates point to nations including the U.K. and Germany, which have distributed billions of tests to the public and recommend people test themselves twice a week. The federal government will also establish new testing sites and use the Defense Production Act to help manufacture more tests. The ﬁrst new federally supported testing site will open in New York this week. The new sites will add to 20,000 already available. White House ofﬁcials said they’re working with Google so that people will be able to ﬁnd them by searching “free COVID test near me.” Still, Biden’s testing surge would need to be supported by a further jump in production for all Americans to test at the recommended rate of twice weekly. The U.S. would need 2.3 billion tests per month for everyone 12 and older to do that, according to the nonproﬁt Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s nearly ﬁve times the half-billion tests Biden will deploy. amidwest.com. Friday, Dec. 24 legislative effort into deep doubt at a critical time, closing out the end of the president’s ﬁrst year and ahead of congressional midterm elections when the Democrats’ slim hold on Congress is at risk. Coupled with solid Republican opposition, Manchin’s vote is vital on this and other initiatives, including the Democrats’ priority voting rights legislation that Schumer also promised would come to an early vote. From the White House, Psaki struck a more conciliatory tone than her weekend hardball reaction to Manchin, saying Biden is a “longtime friend” of the senator and the president is focused on moving forward. Steeped in the politics of a state that Biden lost decisively to Donald Monday, Dec. 27 Trump, Manchin has little to gain from aligning too closely with fellow Democrats, raising fresh questions over whether he still has a place in the party. In a radio interview Monday, he reiterated his position that the social and environment bill has far too much government spending — on child care, health care and other programs — without enough restrictions on incomes or work requirements. But the lifelong Democrat was less clear when asked if the party still has room for him — describing himself as “ﬁscally responsible and socially compassionate.” Manchin said: “Now, if there’s no Democrats like that then they have to push me wherever they want.” Trustee end-of-the-year meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Harrisonville Fire Department. RUTLAND — The Rutland Township Trustees will hold their year end POMEROY — Trinmeeting followed by the ity Church of Pomeroy, reorganizational meeting 2nd and Lynn streets, presents a Christmas Eve at 7:30 a.m. at the TownBEDFORD TWP. — ship Garage. Cantata, “Come to the Bedford Township trustManger,” at 7:30 p.m., ees, year-end meeting, 8 additional music begina.m.; immediately followning at 7 p.m. ing the year-end meeting GALLIPOLIS — the re-organization meetChristmas Eve service, 6 ing for year 2022 will p.m., First Church of the be held at the Bedford HARRISONVILLE Nazarene, 1110 First Ave. — The Scipio Township townhall. Friday, Dec. 31 Wednesday, Dec. 29 TODAY IN HISTORY Associated Press the oath of ofﬁce as Poland’s ﬁrst popularly elected president. In 1991, the body of Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, an American hostage slain by his terToday’s highlight rorist captors, was recovin history ered after it had been On Dec. 22, 2010, President Barack Obama dumped along a highway in Lebanon. signed a law allowing In 1992, a Libyan gays for the ﬁrst time in Boeing 727 jetliner history to serve openly crashed after a midair in America’s military, repealing the “don’t ask, collision with a MiG ﬁghter, killing all 157 don’t tell” policy. aboard the jetliner, and both crew members of On this date the ﬁghter jet. In 1894, French army In 2001, Richard C. ofﬁcer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines ﬂight in a court-martial that from Paris to Miami, triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was (Dreyfus was eventually subdued by ﬂight attenvindicated.) dants and fellow pasIn 1937, the ﬁrst censengers. (Reid is serving ter tube of the Lincoln a life sentence in federal Tunnel connecting New York City and New Jersey prison.) In 2003, a federal beneath the Hudson judge ruled the Pentagon River was opened to trafﬁc. (The second tube couldn’t enforce mandaopened in 1945, the third tory anthrax vaccinations for military personin 1957.) nel. In 1941, British In 2008, ﬁve Muslim Prime Minister Winston immigrants accused of Churchill arrived in scheming to massacre Washington for a warU.S. soldiers at Fort time conference with Dix were convicted of President Franklin D. conspiracy in Camden, Roosevelt. New Jersey. (Four were In 1944, during the later sentenced to life in World War II Battle prison; one received a of the Bulge, U.S. 33-year sentence.) Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for sur- Ten years ago: render, writing “Nuts!” in A wave of 16 bombings his ofﬁcial reply. ripped across Baghdad, In 1984, New York City killing at least 69 people resident Bernhard Goetz in the worst violence in (bur-NAHRD’ gehts) Iraq in months days after shot and wounded four the last American forces youths on a Manhattan left the country, heightensubway, claiming they ing fears of a new round were about to rob him. of sectarian bloodshed. In 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Five years ago: Ceausescu (chow-SHES’President-elect koo), the last of Eastern Donald Trump named Europe’s hard-line close adviser Kellyanne Communist rulers, was Conway as his White toppled from power in a House counselor and popular uprising. former Republican In 1990, Lech Walesa National Committee (lek vah-WEN’-sah) took spokesman Sean Spicer Today is Wednesday, Dec. 22, the 356th day of 2021. There are nine days left in the year. as press secretary. The Syrian government took full control of the city of Aleppo for the ﬁrst time in four years after the last opposition ﬁghters and civilians were bused out of war-ravaged eastern districts, ending a brutal chapter in Syria’s civil war. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla to ﬁll the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris; Padilla became California’s ﬁrst Latino senator. Today’s birthdays: Actor Hector Elizondo is 85. Country singer One year ago: Red Steagall is 83. President Donald Former World Bank Trump unexpectedly released two videos, one Group President Paul Wolfowitz is 78. Baseball falsely declaring that Hall of Famer Steve he had won the elecCarlton is 77. Former tion in a “landslide,” ABC News anchor Diane and the other urging Sawyer is 76. Rock lawmakers to increase direct payments for most singer-musician Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) is individuals to $2,000 73. Rock singer-musician in a COVID relief packMichael Bacon is 73. age, a move opposed by Baseball All-Star Steve most Republicans. The Garvey is 73. Golfer Jan coronavirus pandemic Stephenson is 70. Actor reached every contiBernNadette Stanis nent on Earth, as Chile is 68. Rapper Luther announced that 58 people who were at military “Luke” Campbell is 61. Actor Ralph Fiennes bases in Antarctica or on a navy ship that went (rayf fynz) is 59. Actor Lauralee Bell is 53. to the continent had tested positive. President Country singer Lori Donald Trump pardoned McKenna is 53. Actor four former government Dina Meyer is 53. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, contractors who were convicted in a 2007 mas- is 51. Actor Heather Donahue is 48. Actor sacre in Baghdad that Chris Carmack is 41. left more than a dozen Iraqi civilians dead; oth- Actor Harry Ford is 39. Actor Greg Finley is 37. ers pardoned included Actor Logan Huffman is former Republican 32. R&B singer Jordin Reps. Duncan Hunter Sparks is 32. Pop singer of California and Chris Meghan Trainor is 28. Collins of New York. O’Dells Case XX Knives 20% OFF Largest Selection, Over 225 Knives on Display g O’Dell True Value Lumber 61 Vine st. Gallipolis 740-446-1276 OH-70266767 By Josh Boak, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Colleen Long Editor’s Note: The Daily Sentinel and Gallipolis Daily Tribune appreciate your input to the community calendar. To make sure items can receive proper attention, all information should be received by the newspaper at least ﬁve business days prior to an event. All coming events print on a space-available basis and in chronological order. Events can be emailed to: TDSnews@ aimmediamidwest.com or GDTnews@aimmedi- But Manchin and his party are so far apart, his relationships so bruised after months of failed talks, it’s unclear how they even get back to the negotiating table, let alone revive the sprawling more than 2,100-page social services and climate change bill. Biden and Manchin spoke later Sunday, according to a person familiar with the call, ﬁrst reported by Politico. It was cordial and respectful, said the person who spoke only on condition of anonymity. “We’re going to work like hell to get it done,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, repeating the phrase several times at a Monday brieﬁng but never saying how. The setback has thrown Biden’s signature M-F 7-6 Sat 8-5 Sun 10-4 �COMICS 4 Wednesday, December 22, 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing Find the right senior living option for your mom or dad with our personalized process Alice 1 Connect with a local senior advisor 2 Review a tailored list of recommendations 3 Connect with us at 1-877-890-0424 Evaluate, tour and decide with conﬁdence OH-70262222 Our service is free, as we’re paid by our participating communities and providers. BLONDIE By Dean Young and John Marshall BEETLE BAILEY By Mort, Greg and Brian Walker BABY BLUES PARDON MY PLANET By Vic Lee By Jerry Scott & Rick Kirkman CONCEPTIS SUDOKU by Dave Green %\�'DYH�*UHHQ � � � � � � CRANKSHAFT � � � � By Tom Batiuk & Dan Davis � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �'LIILFXOW\�/HYHO �� THE BRILLIANT MIND OF EDISON LEE � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �'LIILFXOW\�/HYHO Written By Brian & Greg Walker; Drawn By Chance Browne By Bil and Jeff Keane ��&RQFHSWLV�3X]]OHV��'LVW��E\�.LQJ�)HDWXUHV�6\QGLFDWH��,QF� HI AND LOIS By Chris Browne �� Today’s Solution THE FAMILY CIRCUS HAGAR THE HORRIBLE By John Hambrock Today’s answer ZITS RHYMES WITH ORANGE Hank Ketcham’s DENNIS THE MENACE By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman By Hilary Price THE LOCKHORNS By Bunny Hoest & John Reiner ��&RQFHSWLV�3X]]OHV��'LVW��E\�.LQJ�)HDWXUHV�6\QGLFDWH��,QF� � � � �NEWS/WEATHER Ohio Valley Publishing Wednesday, December 22, 2021 5 Feeling powerless, families bring elderly home in pandemic By Adam Geller AP National Writer ROTTERDAM JUNCTION, N.Y. — Pushed up to the breakfast table, Betty Bednarowski folds and refolds her napkin with studied intensity, softly singing “Winter Wonderland” without the words, the same as she did in March and July and September. Dessert today is a tiny cup of pudding, like yesterday’s, with seven pills Bednarowski can’t swallow, crushed into the butterscotch. Between mouthfuls, Bednarowski, who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease, glances at her daughter, Susan Ryder, and ﬂashes a blissful grin. It’s probably just as well that, a year after Ryder took her mother out of a nursing home locked down against COVID-19 to rescue her from isolation and neglect, the retired sandwich shop worker never remembers what comes next. “OK Mom, I’m going to put your stockings on,” Ryder says. “I don’t want to help!” the 79-year-old growls. The pudding smile is gone. “I can’t do this!” By the time Bednarowski’s family brought her home they, and thousands more with loved ones in nursing facilities slammed by the pandemic, were desperate. After months of separation, Bednarowski had dropped 20 pounds. Her delight in other’s company had given way to a hollow stare. Her hair was ﬁlled with lice. That’s in the past now. But only because Ryder is her mother’s keeper. “Oh God! Oh God!” Betty wails. “I’m too...” Before she can ﬁnish the sentence, the thought slips away. Crouched on the ﬂoor, Ryder struggles alongside a nursing assistant to pull the compression hose over her mother’s scarred calves. Today is easier. On mornings without help, she presses her face against Betty’s knee to hold it down. “I know Mom,” she says. “I’m sorry. You’re doing great Betty.” Mothers and children have battled over getting dressed forever, only here the roles are reversed. If anyone can relate it’s the many families who made the same decision: to bring home the people they love and ﬁnd peace in comforts and consequences that could outlast the pandemic itself. “We mostly hear two things. One, they’re really the nation’s biggest city, about three hours south. Ryder, then an ofﬁce manager at a package delivery contractor, was planning a stop to see her mom at the Schenectady Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing. An hour before her workday ended, an email arrived from a social worker at the home. The facility was barring visitors, effective immediately. “He was just very matter of fact: we’re doing this for the safety of the residents,” says Ryder, whose family had joined others to raise concerns Wong Maye-E | AP about care at the facility Jimmy Ryder feeds his mother-in-law, Betty Bednarowski, during dinner in Rotterdam Junction, N.Y. well before the pandemic. Bednarowski, who has advanced Alzheimer’s disease, is one of thousands of nursing home patients “He promised me that whose families have brought home from nursing homes locked down against COVID-19. he would check on my this is your mother!” says mother every day which, happy they did it. They’re their needs, were walled in hindsight, was lip seroff from the family mem- Ryder, herself the parent genuinely happy to vice.” of two 20-somethings. bers who could advocate have their loved ones at The decision to lock “I mean, I don’t know for them, even as staffhome,” says John Schall down, while sudden, folif you have kids. But can ing shortages and panof the Caregiver Action lowed state and federal Network, which has ﬁeld- demic restrictions sharply you imagine being at reduced care. COVID has work and the school calls guidelines and visits were ed calls from thousands allowed to resume as killed more than 140,000 and says ‘We’re going to of distressed families. “The other thing we hear residents of U.S. nursing lock the school and we’re soon as ofﬁcials eased restrictions and virus is, ‘Oh My God, how dif- homes, with deaths from going to keep your kids cases were in check, ﬁcult this has turned out other causes also far sur- for their own safety’?” “What would you do?” said Jeff Jacomowitz, a passing previous years. to be.’ ...It really is fairly spokesman for the nurs___ And Ryder and others unrelenting.” ing home. The search for an like her -- standing at To families like BednBut “families who were answer to that quesnursing home windows arowski’s, the longer the willing to take their loved watching the condition of tion began on a March lockdowns stretched on afternoon in 2020. Alarm ones out of the facility the less that leaving loved their loved ones deteriopermanently to take care rate -- felt powerless to do over COVID was rising ones in a nursing home of them were opened to quickly, but in New York anything about it. felt like a choice. do so,” he said in a writstate it was still focused “It was fear for her Patients, many frail and safety, for her wellbeing -- mostly on the area around ten statement. unable to communicate Biden administration moves to expand solar power on US land By Matthew Brown TODAY 8 AM WEATHER 2 PM 30° 36° 27° Mostly sunny today. Clear tonight. High 37° / Low 17° HEALTH TODAY Statistics through 3 p.m. Tue. AccuWeather.com Asthma Index™ Temperature The AccuWeather.com Asthma Index combines the effects of current air quality, pollen counts, wind, temperature, dew point, barometric pressure, and changes from past weather conditions to provide a scale showing the overall probability and severity of an asthma attack. Precipitation 44°/24° 45°/30° 75° in 2013 -6° in 1942 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Tue. 0.00 Month to date/normal 3.05/2.50 Year to date/normal 50.07/44.03 Snowfall (in inches) The AccuWeather.com Cold Index combines the effects of local weather with a number of demographic factors to provide a scale showing the overall probability of transmission and symptom severity of the common cold. 1 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Tue. 0.0 Month to date/normal Trace/1.5 Season to date/normal Trace/2.2 WEATHER TRIVIA™ SUN & MOON Q: What month are thunderstorms least likely in the U.S.? Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset Thu. 7:44 a.m. 5:11 p.m. 9:23 p.m. 11:06 a.m. MOON PHASES Last Dec 26 New Jan 2 First Jan 9 Full Jan 17 SOLUNAR TABLE The solunar period indicates peak feeding times for ﬁsh and game. Major Today 1:39a Thu. 2:33a Fri. 3:25a Sat. 4:16a Sun. 5:03a Mon. 5:48a Tue. 6:33a Minor 7:51a 8:45a 9:37a 10:27a 11:14a 12:00p 12:23a Major 2:03p 2:57p 3:48p 4:38p 5:25p 6:11p 6:57p Minor 8:16p 9:09p 10:00p 10:49p 11:37p ---12:45p WEATHER HISTORY An East Coast storm on Dec. 22, 1839, caused heavy snow in Pennsylvania and Maryland then light snow and gale-force wind in New England. 0-2 Low; 3-4 Moderate; 5-6 High; 7-8 Very High; 9-10 Extreme 55° 52° Logan 34/18 Adelphi 34/18 Lucasville 37/20 Portsmouth 38/20 Mostly cloudy and mild AIR QUALITY 0 50 100 150 200 300 500 Primary pollutant: Particulates Air Quality Index: 0-50, Good; 51-100, Moderate; 101-150, Unhealthy for sensitive groups; 151-200, Unhealthy; 201-300, Very unhealthy; 301-500, Hazardous. Source: Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services OHIO RIVER Levels in feet as of 7 a.m. Tue. Flood 24-hr. Location Stage Level Chg. Willow Island 37 12.64 -0.41 Marietta 34 17.41 +0.34 Parkersburg 36 22.17 +0.42 Belleville 35 13.02 +0.34 Racine 41 13.34 +0.46 Point Pleasant 40 25.33 -0.36 Gallipolis 50 13.02 -0.07 Huntington 50 26.07 +0.18 Ashland 52 34.35 -0.05 Lloyd Greenup 54 12.46 -0.25 Portsmouth 50 19.20 +0.50 Maysville 50 34.00 -0.20 Meldahl Dam 51 19.10 +1.60 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021 Mostly cloudy, a Cloudy with a chance shower possible; mild of rain Marietta 34/18 Belpre 34/18 Athens 35/17 St. Marys 34/18 Parkersburg 35/19 Coolville 34/17 Elizabeth 35/17 Spencer 34/18 Buffalo 36/18 Milton 37/19 St. Albans 37/19 Huntington 39/22 NATIONAL FORECAST 110s 100s Seattle 90s 50/40 80s 70s 60s 50s 40s 30s 20s San Francisco 10s 57/53 0s -0s -10s Los Angeles 65/54 T-storms Rain Showers Snow Flurries Chihuahua Ice 69/46 Cold Front Warm Front Stationary Front 50° 26° NATIONAL CITIES Ironton 38/21 Ashland 38/22 Grayson 38/22 TUESDAY 56° 44° Rather cloudy and mild Wilkesville 36/17 POMEROY Jackson 36/17 36/17 Ravenswood Rio Grande 35/17 37/18 Centerville POINT PLEASANT Ripley 34/21 GALLIPOLIS 37/17 36/17 37/17 South Shore Greenup 38/21 37/19 69 Stone-Manning said ofﬁcials are currently considering 40 large-scale solar proposals in the West. In early December, the agency issued a draft plan to reduce rents and other fees paid by companies authorized to build wind and solar projects on public lands. In Nevada, where the federal government owns and manages more than 80% of the state’s land, large-scale solar projects have faced opposition from environmentalists concerned about harm to plants and animals in the sun- and windswept deserts. MONDAY 55° 47° Murray City 34/18 McArthur 35/16 Waverly 36/18 SUNDAY 61° 39° Cloudy, mild; a p.m. shower or two Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Chillicothe 35/19 SATURDAY A: December Today 7:44 a.m. 5:10 p.m. 8:20 p.m. 10:32 a.m. FRIDAY Partly sunny and milder 0 AccuWeather.com Cold Index™ (in inches) THURSDAY 49° 37° ALMANAC High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low EXTENDED FORECAST 8 PM goals,” Haaland said, adding that the administration was trying to make up lost ground. “The Trump administration did more than just stall clean energy development over the last few years. At Interior, speciﬁcally the Bureau of Land Management, they shuttered ofﬁces and undermined long-term agreements,” Haaland said. “We are rebuilding that capacity.” The Bureau of Land Management oversees almost a quarter-billion acres of land primarily in Western states. BLM Director Tracy Biden suffered another huge blow to his climate change agenda this week, as opposition from West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin tanked the administration’s centerpiece climate and social services legislation. During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland did not directly address a question about the faltering bill and instead pointed to clean energy provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last month. “We fully intend to meet our clean energy under Democratic President Joe Biden promote renewable wind and solar power on public lands and offshore to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. That’s a pronounced change from Republican President Donald Trump’s emphasis on coal mining and oil and gas drilling. Yet the Biden administration was unsuccessful in an attempt to suspend oil and gas sales from public lands and waters, after a judge ordered sales to resume following a lawsuit from Republican-led states. which combined would generate up to 465 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power BILLINGS, Mont. — about 132,000 homes. U.S. ofﬁcials announced Approval of a third solar approval Tuesday of two farm — planned for 500 solar projects in Califormegawatts and known as nia and moved to open Oberon — is expected up public lands in three in coming days, ofﬁcials other Western states to said. potential solar developThe land agency also on ment, as part of the Biden administration’s effort to Tuesday issued a call to nominate land for developcounter climate change ment within “solar energy by shifting from fossil zones” in Colorado, fuels. Nevada and New Mexico The U.S. Bureau of that combined cover about Land Management 140 square miles (360 approved the Arica and square kilometers). Victory Pass solar projThe solicitation of ects in Riverside County interest comes as ofﬁcials east of Los Angeles, Associated Press Clendenin 35/19 Charleston 38/20 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. Winnipeg 10/3 Billings 44/31 Minneapolis 30/23 Toronto 33/21 Detroit 30/24 Chicago 32/28 Denver 63/35 Kansas City 50/38 Montreal 34/10 New York 47/29 Washington 48/28 Thu. Hi/Lo/W 57/43/c 24/11/pc 57/38/s 41/38/s 45/34/pc 44/26/pc 44/32/sn 33/27/s 52/41/s 52/32/s 55/35/pc 43/36/s 48/41/s 39/35/c 42/37/c 74/60/pc 63/43/c 50/38/s 37/32/c 79/69/c 78/65/pc 46/38/s 55/47/pc 65/53/sh 62/55/pc 57/55/r 54/44/s 75/60/s 35/28/c 59/46/pc 68/57/s 40/36/s 62/50/pc 69/49/s 42/33/pc 73/56/c 39/34/c 29/18/s 49/31/s 46/32/s 59/47/pc 46/38/sn 57/48/r 44/37/sh 45/36/pc National for the 48 contiguous states High Low 82° in Vero Beach, FL -15° in Rolla, ND Global Houston 70/55 Monterrey 77/49 Today Hi/Lo/W 54/33/pc 20/17/sn 54/31/s 47/30/pc 47/26/pc 44/31/pc 40/37/sh 43/26/r 38/20/s 58/27/s 54/37/pc 32/28/s 36/23/s 31/22/pc 33/21/s 64/49/pc 63/35/pc 43/30/s 30/24/s 79/69/sh 70/55/s 35/24/s 50/38/s 58/47/c 51/34/s 65/54/c 41/27/s 74/56/s 30/23/pc 47/25/s 61/45/s 47/29/r 60/38/pc 67/46/pc 48/28/pc 72/55/c 32/20/pc 36/21/r 54/26/pc 52/24/pc 43/34/s 41/33/c 57/53/r 50/40/sh 48/28/pc EXTREMES TUESDAY Atlanta 54/31 El Paso 68/42 City Albuquerque Anchorage Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Boise Boston Charleston, WV Charlotte Cheyenne Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Dallas Denver Des Moines Detroit Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Louisville Miami Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Portland, ME Raleigh Richmond St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Washington, DC High Low Miami 74/56 116° in Marble Bar, Australia -70° in Delyankir, Russia Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow ﬂurries, sn-snow, i-ice. �S ports 6 Wednesday, December 22, 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing Lady Tornadoes topple Miller, 60-22 By Bryan Walters seven and six points during a 13-11 second period push that extended the halftime lead out to 22-13. RACINE, Ohio — SnapEvans notched another 10 ping a slide in rather convincpoints during a 16-3 third ing fashion. quarter surge that resulted The Southern girls basketball team ended a 7-game los- in a 38-16 advantage headed ing skid — dating back to last into the ﬁnale. Six different SHS players season — on Monday night with a 60-22 thrashing of visit- scored as part of a 22-6 run ing Miller in a non-conference down the stretch to wrap up the 38-point triumph. matchup in Meigs County. The Lady Tornadoes made The Lady Tornadoes (1-6) had seven of their 10 players 26 total ﬁeld goals — includreach the scoring column by ing two 3-pointers — and night’s end, and the hosts led also netted 8-of-24 free throw attempts for 33 percent. wire-to-wire after building a Evans led the hosts with 9-2 advantage through one a game-high 26 points, folquarter of play. lowed by Shaver with 11 Kayla Evans and Kelly Shaver respectively poured in points and Kass Chaney with bwalters@aimmediamidwest.com Bryan Walters | OVP Sports Southern senior Cassidy Roderus hauls in a rebound in front of a pair of Miller players during the second half of Monday night’s girls basketball contest in Racine, Ohio. eight markers. Timberlyn Templeton and Michelle Adkins respectively added six and four points to the winning cause, while Cassidy Roderus and Kinlee Thomas completed things with three and two points. Shelby Stover led the Lady Falcons (0-9) with eight points, while Jace Agristi and Olivia Dishon both contributed six points each. The Lady Tornadoes host Meigs on Wednesday in a non-conference matchup at 6:30 p.m. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Bryan Walters can be reached at 740446-2342, ext. 2101. Lady Knights surge past Wahama, 41-34 By Bryan Walters bwalters@aimmediamidwest.com MASON, W.Va. — A 25-14 surge over the middle frames ultimately allowed visiting Point Pleasant to claim its ﬁrst win of the season Saturday during a 41-34 decision over the Wahama girls basketball team in a non-conference matchup of Mason County programs at Gary Clark Court. The Lady Knights (1-5) were able to give ﬁrstyear head coach Cody Greathouse his ﬁrst career win at the varsity level, and the guests did so with a smothering defensive effort that limited the host Lady Falcons (1-4) to just 12 points before the break. After both teams found themselves deadlocked at 6-all through eight minutes of play, the duo of Brooke Warner and McKenna Young combined for seven points as PPHS made a 10-6 second period push to take a slim 16-12 edge into the intermission. Warner poured in another six points and Kendal Connolly added four markers as the guests made a 15-8 surge in the third frame that extended the cushion out to 31-20 entering the ﬁnale. Lauren Noble provided three trifectas for WHS down the stretch as the hosts won the ﬁnal canto by a 14-10 margin, but Point Pleasant — behind another seven points from Warner in the fourth — eventually held on for the 7-point triumph. The Lady Knights made 16 total ﬁeld goals — including four trifectas — and also went 5-of-15 at the free throw line for 33 percent. Warner led the victors with a game-high 21 points, followed by Tayah Fetty with seven points. Connolly and Baylie Rickard were next with four markers each, while Young and Olivia Fields completed the winning tally with three and two points. WHS made 11 total ﬁeld goals — including ﬁve 3-pointers — and also went 7-of-18 at the charity stripe for 39 percent. Noble led the hosts with 14 points, while Kalyn Christian, Kate Reynolds, Amber Wolfe and Elissa Hoffman completed the scoring with ﬁve points each. Point Pleasant hosted Nitro on Tuesday and returns to the hardwood on Wednesday when it travels to Winﬁeld for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. Wahama was at Buffalo on Tuesday and returns to action Thursday when it hosts Tyler Consolidated at 7 p.m. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Bryan Walters can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2101. OVP SPORTS SCHEDULE Wednesday, Dec. 22 Boys Basketball Southeastern at Meigs, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball Meigs at Southern, 6 p.m. Gallia Academy at Oak Hill, 6 p.m. Wrestling Logan at Wahama, 6 p.m. Gallia Academy at Zane Trace, 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 23 Boys Basketball Sciotoville East at OVCS, 6:30 Point Pleasant Lincoln County, 7 p.m. Wahama at Tyler Consolidated, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball Sciotoville East at OVCS, 5 p.m. Tyler Consolidated at Wahama, 7 p.m. Point Pleasant at Winﬁeld, 7 p.m. Eastern at Nelsonville-York, 7 p.m. Wrestling Quad at Point Pleasant, 5 p.m. Photos by Colton Jeffries | OVP Sports Ohio Valley Christian senior Lalla Hurlow (35) takes the ball up to the basket against the Lady Cats during a basketball game against Hannan Monday evening in Ashton, W.Va. Lady Defenders top Hannan for 1st win OVC beats interstate rival Hannan 47-21 By Colton Jeffries cjeffries@aimmediamidwest.com ASHTON, W.Va. — The glory went to the Buckeye State. The Ohio Valley Christian girls basketball team got its ﬁrst win of the season Monday evening, picking up a 47-21 road victory over the Hannan Lady Cats. The two squads had scoring troubles in the opening minutes of Monday’s game. The Lady Cats pulled away with a 4-2 lead. After a scoring drought for both teams midway through the ﬁrst quarter, Hannan sophomore Miranda Smith (3) drives the ball against the the Lady Defenders tied Lady Defender defense during a basketball game against Ohio things up with two minValley Christian Monday evening in Ashton, W.Va. utes to go. The Lady Defenders ﬁrst eight tries, Ohio Val- break, getting rebounds had prior opportunities and speeding down the ley Christian got its ﬁrst to take the lead through court and getting the free throw on the ninth free throws, but go 0-6 layup. from the charity stripe in go. From the fourth quarter The Sky Blue and Gold the ﬁrst quarter. on, the Lady Defenders extended their run to The Navy and White were able to hold off the took the lead off of a free 12-0 over the course of the second quarter, going Lady Cats, cruising to throw of their own, endtheir ﬁrst victory of the into halftime up 18-8. ing the ﬁrst quarter up 2021-22 campaign. The Lady Defenders 5-4. The Lady Defenders kept their momentum After another scorhad the lone 3-pointer of going by going on a 9-0 ing drought to start the the night, along with the second quarter, the Lady scoring run to begin the ﬁeld goal lead at 20-8. third quarter. Defenders went ahead The Lady Cats had the The Lady Cats had with a breakaway layup. trouble getting some cru- edge in free throws at 5-4. Tied 6-6 with four Leading the Lady cial shots to land throughminutes to go, the Lady Defenders went on a run out the second half, while Defenders in scoring was senior Lalla Hurlow, who OVC excelled at getting to go ahead 10-6. recorded 12 ﬁeld goals points off of the fast After missing on the and three free throws for a total of 27 points. Behind her was junior Christina Dong, who got one 3-pointer and ﬁve ﬁeld goals for 13 points. Rounding out the Ohio Valley Christian scoring were Madeline Young with ﬁve points and Madison Beaver with two points. Leading the Lady Cats in scoring was sophomore Miranda Smith, who notched ﬁve ﬁeld goals and one free throw for 11 points. Second was Makenzie Simmons, who got 1 ﬁeld goal and three free throws for ﬁve points. Rounding out the Hannan scoring were Grace Mayes with three points, Rachel Ellis with three points and Braelyn Hall with two points. In rebounds, the Lady Defenders had 12 offensive and 22 defensive for a total of 34 and were led by Hurlow with eight. The Lady Cats had 12 offensive rebounds and 23 defensive for a total of 35 and were led by Ellis with 12. The Lady Defenders will be back on the court at 5 p.m. Thursday when they host the Sciotoville Community Tartans. The Lady Cats will be back in action at 6 p.m. when they travel to face the Green Lady Bobcats. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Colton Jeffries can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2100. �SPORTS/CLASSIFIEDS Ohio Valley Publishing Lady Rebels take down Belpre, 59-38 By Colton Jeffries six ﬁeld goals and three free throws for a total of 18 points. Behind her was senior MERCERVILLE, Ohio — The South Gallia girls Jessie Rutt, who got four ﬁeld goals and eight free basketball team got its throws for 16 points. sixth win of the season In third was sophowith a 59-38 home win against the Belpre Lady more Macie Sanders, who notched three ﬁeld Eagles in a Tri-Valley goals and three free Conference Hocking throws for nine points. Division matchup. Rounding out the The Lady Rebels (6-1, South Gallia scoring 3-1 TVC Hocking) easwere Emma Clary with ily found the basket in seven points, Lindsey the ﬁrst quarter, taking Wells with six points and a 16-11 lead over the Madison Summers with Eagles (2-8, 1-3). The home team didn’t three points. Leading the Lady look back from there, Eagles was Halee Wilracking up 21 points in the second to go into the liams, who recorded nine ﬁeld goals and four free locker rooms up 37-18. throws for a total of 22 The Red and Gold kept the Eagles to seven points. The Lady Rebels will points in the third quarbe back in action at 7:30 ter, heading into the fourth with a 49-25 lead. p.m. Dec. 30 when they travel to Portsmouth to Although the Lady face the Notre Dame Rebels were outscored Lady Titans. 13-10 in the fourth, © 2021 Ohio Valley South Gallia still came Publishing, all rights away with the victory. The Lady Rebels were reserved. led in scoring by sophomore Tori Triplett, who Colton Jeffries can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2100. recorded one 3-pointer, cjeffries@aimmediamidwest.com Rio men fall in road contest at Indiana Tech, 64-47 By Randy Payton For Ohio Valley Publishing FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Indiana Tech used a 24-4 run that bridged the ﬁnal 4:45 of the ﬁrst half and the ﬁrst 4:23 of the second half to break a 19-all tie and eventually post a 64-47 win over the University of Rio Grande in non-conference men’s basketball action, Monday afternoon, at the Schaefer Center. The host Warriors won for the 12th time in 17 outings. The RedStorm slipped below the .500 mark for the season, falling to 6-7 overall. Rio Grande led just once all day, 5-4, following a three-pointer by sophomore Miki Tadic (Hilversum, The Netherlands) with 15:21 left in the ﬁrst half, but found itself locked in a 19-19 tie after a bucket by sophomore Taylor Mack (Akron, OH) with 5:18 remaining before the intermission. At that point, though, the wheels fell off of the RedStorm wagon. Tech closed the half on a 12-2 run to take a 10-point advantage at the break and then added another 12-2 spurt to begin the second stanza, taking 43-23 cushion after a layup by Grant Smith with 15:37 left to play. It was the Warriors’ largest lead of the day. At the same time, though, Rio Grande refused to go away quietly and pulled as close as seven points, 50-43, following a dunk by freshman Exauce Manissa (Point Noire, The Congo) with 5:45 remaining. Unfortunately, that’s as close as the RedStorm got the rest of the way. On the same play, a double technical foul was whistled against Rio freshman Cody Lantz (Shelby, OH) and Indiana Tech’s Rog Stein — a Rio Grande transfer who actually never appeared in a game for the RedStorm. Rio missed on both of its subsequent free throw tries, while Tech connected on both of their chances to kickstart a 14-2 run to put the win on ice. Tadic added a jumper with 24 seconds left to set the ﬁnal score. Rio Grande shot 40 percent overall (22-for55), but struggled again both from beyond the three-point arc and at the foul line. The RedStorm hit just three of 20 attempts from distance and were 0-for-5 at the charity stripe. Tech didn’t shoot particularly well from threepoint range (4-for-15) or the foul line (10-for-16) either, but connected on 47.2 percent of its shots overall (25-for-53) and outrebounded Rio, 35-29. The RedStorm also had 15 turnovers, leading to a 20-6 edge for the Warriors in points off of turnovers. Smith and Josh Kline led a quartet of doubledigit scorers for Indiana Tech with 15 points each, while Lucas Lehrman had 12 points and Cory McKinney ﬁnished with 10. Smith also had a game-high nine rebounds. Tadic led Rio Grande with 14 points, while sophomore Shiloah Blevins (South Webster, OH) tossed in 12. Both had three rebounds each to tie Manissa for teamhigh honors. Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Thursday when it hosts Lourdes University in a matinee affair at the Newt Oliver Arena. Tipoff is scheduled to 2 p.m. Randy Payton is the Sports Information Director at the University of Rio Grande. Wednesday, December 22, 2021 7 Lady Marauders best River Valley By Colton Jeffries cjeffries@aimmediamidwest.com ROCKSPRINGS, Ohio — The Meigs girls basketball team bested the River Valley Lady Raiders at home 55-42 Monday evening in a TriValley Conference Ohio Division matchup. The Lady Marauders (7-3, 2-3 TVC Ohio) went ahead in the ﬁrst quarter 13-9. However, the Lady Raiders (4-5, 1-4) powered back in the second, outscoring the Lady Marauders 17-10 to take a 26-23 team heading into halftime. The Silver and Black ran into a wall in the third quarter, only scoring four points. This allowed the Maroon and Gold to surge ahead, heading into the ﬁnal quarter with a 46-30 lead. Although the Lady Raiders scored 12 points in the fourth, outscoring Meigs by three, they were unable to cover the remaining distance. Leading the Lady Marauders in scoring was senior Mallory Hawley, who had ﬁve ﬁeld goals and ﬁve free throws for a total of 15 points. Behind her was junior Rylee Lisle, who notched seven ﬁeld goals for 14 points. Rounding out the Meigs scoring were Jennifer Parker with 11 points, Delana Wright with eight points, Maggie Musser with four points and Andrea Mahr with three points. Leading the Lady Raiders was senior Brooklin Clonch, who recorded four 3-pointers and two ﬁeld goals for a total of 16 points. Next was freshman Haylee Eblin, who got one 3-pointer, one ﬁeld goal and three free throws for eight points. Rounding out the River Valley scoring were Kallie Burger with six points, Lauren Twyman with ﬁve points, Morrisa Barcus with four points and Savannah White with three points. The Lady Marauders will be back on the court at 6 p.m. Wednesday when they travel to take on the Southern Lady Tornadoes. The Lady Raiders will be back in action at 7 p.m. Dec. 29 when they hit the road to face the Southern Lady Tornadoes. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Colton Jeffries can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2100. Lady Eagles soar past Fed Hock, 58-45 By Bryan Walters advantage. The Lady Lancers were never closer the STEWART, Ohio — A rest of the ﬁrst half as the guests made a 15-4 gradual progression to charge out of the second success. The Eastern girls bas- quarter gates for their largest lead of the night ketball team won each at 29-14. FHHS, howevof the four quarters by er, closed the half with small margins Monday a 9-0 run and trailed night and ultimately 29-23 headed into the cruised to a 58-45 vicbreak. tory over host Federal Federal Hocking twice Hocking in a Tri-Valley closed to within a single Conference Hocking point at 29-28 and again Division matchup in at 31-30, but EHS ended Athens County. The Lady Eagles (5-4, the third period with a 10-4 run that extended 2-2 TVC Hocking) led the edge out to 41-34 wire-to-wire after scoring the ﬁrst seven points entering the ﬁnale. The Lady Lancers of regulation en route were never closer than to a 14-10 ﬁrst quarter bwalters@aimmediamidwest.com two possessions the rest of the way as Eastern hit 11-of-15 free throw attempts — including a perfect 6-for-6 effort from Juli Durst — down the stretch to wrap up the double-digit triumph. The Lady Eagles made 17 total ﬁeld goals — including three trifectas — and also went 21-of28 at the free throw line for 75 percent. Erica Durst and Sydney Reynolds paced EHS with 16 points apiece, followed by Hope Reed and Juli Durst with 11 markers each. Emma Putman and Sydnee Adams completed the winning effort with two points each. Reynolds also recorded a double-double with a team-best 12 rebounds. Brennah Jarvis and Larissa McDaniel led Federal Hocking with 12 points each, with Isabella McVey adding nine points as well in the setback. Eastern returns to play Thursday when it travels to Nelsonville-York for a non-conference tilt at 7 p.m. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Bryan Walters can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2101. Wildcats slip past Southern in TVC Hocking, 67-62 By Bryan Walters after eight minutes of play as the guests trailed 17-14, but the Wildcats countered with seven WATERFORD, Ohio points from Holden — Just a little too late. Dailey as part of a pivDespite scoring 40 otal 19-8 second quarter second half points, the Southern boys basketball surge that increased team ultimately came up the halftime lead out to 36-22. short in its comeback Lincoln Rose sparked bid Friday night during the comeback bid in the a 67-62 setback to host third frame with eight Waterford on Friday night in a Tri-Valley Con- points during a 19-16 ference Hocking Division push that trimmed the SHS deﬁcit down to matchup in Washington 52-41 headed into the County. ﬁnale. The Tornadoes (4-3, Cruz Brinager nailed 0-2 TVC Hocking) were three trifectas and had 10 within striking distance bwalters@aimmediamidwest.com points down the stretch as part of a 21-15 push down the stretch, but WHS ultimately made its early lead stick as it held on for the 5-point triumph. The Tornadoes made 19 total ﬁeld goals — including six 3-pointers — and also went 10-of-12 at the free throw line for 83 percent. Rose led the guests with a game-high 22 points, followed by Brinager with 16 points and Cade Anderson with 13 markers. Aiden Hill completed the scoring with 11 points. Jacob Huffman paced Waterford with 17 points, with Dailey and Jarrett Armstrong each chipping in 16 points. Grant McCutcheon also had 11 markers for the Wildcats. Southern was at Belpre Tuesday and returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 28, when it travels to Meigs for a 7 p.m. contest. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Bryan Walters can be reached at 740-446-2342, ext. 2101. Browns’ McKinley out for season, Garrett hurts groin By Tom Withers AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND — The Browns got bad news on defensive end Takk McKinley. They’re hoping for better on Myles Garrett. Cleveland’s defense, already ravaged by COVID-19 cases, was dealt another tough blow as McKinley will miss the rest of this season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Monday night’s 16-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Also, the Browns are anxiously awaiting test results on Garrett after the star injured his groin in the fourth quarter. Garrett left the ﬁeld and was checked in the sideline medical tent before returning. The 2020 All-Pro was clearly not himself in the ﬁnal minutes and struggled just getting to the sideline. Coach Kevin Stefanski was awaiting more information on Garrett, who has a career-high 15 sacks. Stefanski, who missed Monday’s game after a positive COVID-19 test and hasn’t cleared protocols, wouldn’t speculate on whether Garrett will be available for Saturday’s game at Green Bay. 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VIN: KNAGM4A78B5054221 2011 Kia Optima ROGERS BASEMENT WATERPROOFING 8QFRQGLWLRQDO /LIHWLPH *XDUDQWHH (VWDEOLVKHG �� %DVHPHQW :DOOV %UDFHG +XQGUHGV 2I /RFDO 5HIHUHQFHV /LFHQVHG� %RQGHG ,QVXUHG FREE ESTIMATES 24 Hours (740) 446-0870 www.rogersbasementwaterproofing.com PROBATE COURT OF MEIGS COUNTY, OHIO L. SCOTT POWELL, JUDGE IN RE: RICKIE SEARLS TO RICKIE CASEY CASE NO. 20216015 APPLICANT HEREBY GIVES NOTICE THAT SHE HAS FILED AN APPLICATION FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN THE PROBATE COURT OF MEIGS COUNTY, OHIO, REQUESTING THE CHANGE OF NAME FROM RICKIE SEARLS TO RICKIE CASEY. A HEARING ON THIS APPLICATION WILL BE HELD ON JANUARY 21ST, 2022at 1:30 p.m. IN THE MEIGS COUNTY PROBATE COURT, LOCATED AT 100 EAST SECOND STREET POMEROY, OH 45769 12/22/21 �NEWS 8 Wednesday, December 22, 2021 US population growth at lowest rate in pandemic’s 1st year By Mike Schneider tion grew by less than 1 million people. “I was expecting low growth but nothing this U.S. population low,” said William Frey, growth dipped to its a senior fellow at the lowest rate since the nation’s founding during Brookings Institution’s the ﬁrst year of the pan- metropolitan policy demic as the coronavirus program, Brookings Metro. “It tells us that curtailed immigration, delayed pregnancies and this pandemic has had a killed hundreds of thou- huge impact on us in all kinds of ways, and now sands of U.S. residents, demography.” according to ﬁgures Once there’s a handle released Tuesday. on the pandemic, the The United States grew by only 0.1%, with U.S. may eventually see a decrease in deaths, an additional 392,665 added to the U.S. popu- but population growth lation from July 2020 to likely won’t bounce July 2021, bringing the back to what it has been in years past because of nation’s count to 331.8 fewer births. That will million people, accordincrease the need for ing to population estiimmigration by younger mates released by the workers whose taxes U.S. Census Bureau. can support programs The U.S. has been such as Social Security, experiencing slow Frey said. population growth for “We have an aging years but the pandemic exacerbated that trend. population and that means fewer women This past year was the in child-bearing ages,” ﬁrst time since 1937 that the nation’s popula- Frey said. �==9-3+>/.� </== Kids From page 1 Inc., Mason Mission, and the Good News Club, which ministers to students from New Haven Elementary after school hours. In 2018, Pastor Waybright said the motorcycle ministry and Mason County Homeless Shelter received the funds. The following year, the church provided medical debt relief with assistance through Pleasant Valley Hospital. Due to COVID-19, there were no food booths at the fair in 2020. The church has already voted to host the booth again next year. The pastor said about 60 people from the church volunteer in four hour shifts to man Omicron From page 1 at preventing omicron infection but even without the extra dose, vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death. “All of us have a date with omicron,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “If you’re going to interact with society, if you’re going to have any type of life, omicron will be something you encounter, and the best way you can encounter this is to be fully vaccinated.” Adalja said he was not surprised by the CDC data showing omicron overtaking delta in the U.S., given what was seen in South Africa, the U.K. and Denmark. He predicted spread over the holidays, including breakthrough infections among the vaccinated and serious complications among the unvaccinated that could stress hospitals already burdened by delta. Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said other countries had seen omicron’s fast the booth. He added each year proﬁts have increased, and some people seek out and patronize the booth because they know it gives back to the community. Koenig said in addition to the $2,000 food voucher money from the church, the organization spent around $10,000 at Walmart in Mason recently to provide clothing and toys for the children of the 20 families. He said C.A.R.E. is presently seeking new members, and meetings are held on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in the meeting room at the American Legion in New Haven. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Mindy Kearns is a freelance writer for Ohio Valley Publishing, email her at mindykearns1@ hotmail.com. growth, but the U.S. data showed “a remarkable jump in such a short time.” Topol also said it’s unclear how much milder omicron really is compared with other variants. “That’s the big uncertainty now.” CDC’s estimates are based on thousands of coronavirus specimens collected each week through university and commercial laboratories and state and local health departments. Scientists analyze their genetic sequences to determine which versions of the COVID-19 viruses are most abundant. On Monday, the CDC revised its estimate for omicron cases for the week that ended Dec. 11, after analyzing more samples. About 13% of the cases that week were from omicron, not the 3% previously reported. The week before, omicron accounted for just 0.4% of cases. CDC ofﬁcials said they do not yet have estimates of how many hospitalizations or deaths are due to omicron. Though there remain a lot of new infections caused by the delta variant, “I anticipate that over time that delta will be crowded out by omicron,” Walensky said. Daily Sentinel Veterans MORE INFO From page 1 designated cemeteries. ”Managing a delivery of 2,300 wreaths is not for the faint at heart,” Miller said. “They saved the day with the use of their semi-trailer, fork lift, and parking lot.” In each location, a Wreaths Across American Ceremony honoring the branches of the US Military and Prisoners of War was part of the observance. This included wreaths for each: POW, Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, and Space Force. At the conclusion, hundreds of volunteers began locating and laying wreaths on the veteran’s graves. Following are some of the day’s highlights: Letart Cemetery was added this year due to the efforts of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9053 in partnership with Wreath Adventures, LLC. VFW Post 9053 Charlie Mugrage and his wife Peach, a member of the Post Auxiliary, spearheaded the effort, ﬁrst counting the graves, the initial step for including a cemetery into the Wreath project. Once they had the total, fundraising efforts began, and all the wreaths had been paid for by the time of the ceremony. The Mugrages and Post 9053 credit community and volunteer efforts, and said approximately 40 volunteers participated in laying the wreaths on the graves of service members from the Revolutionary War to the present. Peach Mugrage gave the opening remarks of the Wreath Ceremony: “We want to thank you all for coming and helping us Honor our Military heroes, and give a special thank you to Craig Matheny for establishing Wreath Adventure and making today possible.” Post 9053 Chaplin Randy Reiber offered a tribute: “We are here assembled to pay a lasting tribute of respect to our departed comrades. When the call of our country was heard, our comrades answered; Cases From page 1 Mason County According to the 10 a.m. update on Tuesday from DHHR, there have been 4,219 cases (21 new) of COVID-19, in Mason County (3,956 conﬁrmed cases, 263 probable cases) since the beginning of the pandemic and 64 deaths. DHHR reports there are currently 107 active cases and 4,048 recovered cases, in Mason County. Case data is as follows: 0-4 — 73 conﬁrmed cases, 2 probable cases 5-11 — 198 conﬁrmed cases (1 new), 16 probable cases 12-15 — 227 conﬁrmed cases (2 new), 17 probable cases (1 fewer) 16-20 — 309 conﬁrmed cases (3 new), 14 probable cases (1 fewer) 21-25 — 303 conﬁrmed cases (2 new), 22 probable cases 26-30 — 350 conﬁrmed cases (3 new), 21 probable cases (1 fewer) 31-40 — 600 conﬁrmed cases (2 new), 47 probable cases (4 new), 1 death 41-50 — 585 conﬁrmed cases (3 new), 35 probable cases (1 new), 2 deaths 51-60 — 531 conﬁrmed cases, 36 probable cases, �9�88��/A=><97/�n��9?<>/=C American Legion Post 39 conducted Wreath Laying Ceremonies and oversaw the project along with volunteers for Memory Gardens in Pomeroy. $C6/<��,638�n��9?<>/=C Rutland Mayor Tyler Eblin presented a proclamation during ceremonies at Miles Cemetery to Lori Ann Miller commemorating the efforts of Wreath Adventures and its donors and volunteers in honoring our local servicemen and women. self was forgotten in the cause of the greater good. As brave persons, they marched away with an abiding faith in God, country, and ﬂag.” Reiber also led the group in prayer, and asked for blessing of freedom, peace and righteousness for our nation. In Rutland, Mayor Tyler Eblin and Township Trustee Joe Bolin participated in ceremonies and the laying at 275 wreaths in Miles Cemetery. The Daughters of the American Revolution was also represented by Return Jonathan Meigs Chapter Regent Gina Tillis. 7 deaths 61-70 — 417 conﬁrmed cases (4 new), 26 probable cases (1 fewer), 13 deaths 71+ — 363 conﬁrmed cases, 27 probable cases, 41 deaths Additional county case data since vaccinations began Dec. 14, 2020: Total cases since start of vaccinations: 3,388; Total cases among individuals who were not reported as fully vaccinated — 3,128 (17 new); Total breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated — 260 (4 new); Total deaths among not fully vaccinated individuals — 50; Total breakthrough deaths among fully vaccinated individuals — 3. A total of 11,764 people in Mason County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which is 44.4 percent of the population, according to DHHR, with 9,543 fully vaccinated or 36.0 percent of the population. Mason County is currently orange on the West Virginia County Alert System. There have been 22 conﬁrmed cases of the Delta variant in Mason County. Mayor Eblin said, “I had the honor of joining Rutland Township Trustee Joe Bolin in participating in a Wreath Placement Ceremony held by Wreath Adventures, a local organization with a mission dedicated to commemorating our fallen veterans through the decoration of their graves with wreaths.” During their ceremony, Mayor Eblin presented a proclamation commemorating “the great efforts of Wreath Adventures and its donors and volunteers in honoring our local servicemen and women.” American Legion Post Ohio According to the 2 p.m. update on Tuesday from ODH, there have been 12,502 cases in the past 24 hours (21-day average of 8,453), 584 new hospitalizations (21day average of 326), 81 new ICU admissions (21day average of 34) and 249 new deaths in the previous 24 hours (21day average of 80) with 28,277 total reported deaths. (Editor’s Note: Deaths are reported two days per week) Vaccination rates in Ohio are as follows, according to ODH: Vaccines started: 6,927,726 (59.27 percent of the population); Vaccines completed: 6,383,048 (54.61 percent of the population). As of Dec. 15, ODH reports the following breakthrough information: COVID-19 Deaths among individuals not reported as fully vaccinated — 13,327; COVID-19 Deaths among fully vaccinated individuals — 646; COVID-19 Hospitalizations since Jan. 1, 2021 among individuals not reported as fully vaccinated — 44,406; COVID-19 Hospitalizations since Jan. 1, 2021 among individuals reported as s�'</+>2��.@/8>?</=M� LLC allows donations that would typically be donated to the Wreaths �-<9==��7/<3-+8�:<94/->� at large to go directly to purchase wreaths for local cemeteries. The non profit was established by Craig Matheny in 2019. s��+-2�A</+>2�-9=>=� $15 and are funded through donations. Wreaths for next year can be ordered at a buy one get one free promotion until January 10. While donations are accepted all year, donors are encouraged ordering by the January 10 deadline, as donations would go twice as far >9A+<.�>2/�:<94/->L s��98+>398=�-+8� be made by mailing a donation to Wreath �.@/8>?</=��M� � � Four Mile Creek Road �996@366/M��239� � M�9<� by using PayPal. s��9<�79</�98� '</+>2��.@/8>?</=� find them on Facebook, @3=3>�>2/3<�A/,=3>/N� A</+>2+.@/8>?</=L9<1M�9<� contact Craig Matheny at 740-667-3513. 39 conducted a ceremony at Memory Gardens in Pomeroy. Post 39 Auxiliary President JoAnn Newstrome, who was tasked with the wreath effort at this location, said the group placed 380 wreaths. They were assisted on Saturday by Girl Scout Troop 51004 and many other volunteers who came participate. Organizers said the yearlong effort brought to fruition on Saturday was a success thanks to the many volunteers and donations. Their efforts for 2022 have already begun, and they encourage community participation, from donating funds, to counting graves, fundraising, and ﬁnally wreath placement. Part 2, which will appear in a later edition, will highlight the Wreaths Across America efforts of students in the Meigs area. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Lorna Hart is a freelance writer for Ohio Valley Publishing. fully vaccinated — 2,652. West Virginia According to the 10 a.m. update on Tuesday from DHHR, there have been 316,391 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with 820 reported since DHHR’s update last update. DHHR reports 27,457 “breakthrough” cases as of Tuesday with 421 total breakthrough deaths statewide (counts include cases after the start of COVID-19 vaccination/ Dec. 14, 2020). There have been a total of 5,211 deaths due to COVID19 since the start of the pandemic, with 20 since Monday. There are 8,598 currently active cases in the state, with a daily positivity rate of 11.08 and a cumulative positivity rate of 6.37 percent. Statewide, 1,092,815 West Virginia residents have received at least one dose of the COVID19 (61.0 percent of the population). A total of 51.0 percent of the population, 913,426 individuals have been fully vaccinated. © 2021 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved. Kayla (Hawthorne) Dunham is a staff writer for Ohio Valley Publishing, reach her at 304-6751333, ext. 1992. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 12. December Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource December 22, 2021 cuckler gilbert handley lewis niehm spaun