Staff Writer
T-L File Photos
Belmont County Junior Fair Queen Megan Garrison of Belmont did her best to prevent the spread of COVID-19 precautions during a reduced Belmont County Junior Fair in September. Many events and festivals were halted last summer due to the coronavirus.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE It has been one year a year of seeing others in masks and through partitions, of staying away from friends and family, of constant hand washing and sanitizing, of disruptions to schooling, business and livelihoods, of isolation and loss since COVID-19 arrived in Belmont County.
On March 13, 2020, Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul confirmed that two residents had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
An organization based in Bowerston that trained service dogs for veterans has lost its nonprofit status and is the subject of several complaints filed with the Ohio Attorney General s Office.
In addition, the property that Dogs 4 Warriors occupied is delinquent in its real estate taxes. The IRS has a tax lien on the property. A court judgment against the agency s former director says she owes $33,616.70 to Carrollton woman for use of her credit card.
Dogs for Warriors lost its tax-exempt status in 2019 after failing to file returns with the Internal Revenue Service for three years. In 2015, the last year for which the organization filed, it reported revenue of $80,351 and expenses of $98,555 on Form 990.
An organization based in eastern Ohio that trained service dogs for veterans has lost its nonprofit status and is the subject of several complaints filed with the Ohio Attorney General s Office.
In addition, the Bowerston property in Harrison County that Dogs 4 Warriors occupied is delinquent in its real estate taxes. The IRS has a tax lien on the property. A court judgment against the agency s former director says she owes $33,616.70 to Carrollton woman for use of her credit card.
Dogs for Warriors lost its tax-exempt status in 2019 after failing to file returns with the Internal Revenue Service for three years. In 2015, the last year for which the organization filed, it reported revenue of $80,351 and expenses of $98,555 on Form 990.
Staff Writer
ST. CLAIRSVILLE Jill Hunkler of Barnesville spoke to the Belmont County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, asking members to further oppose a plan to install two saltwater injection wells at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Ohio 331.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources issued permits late in 2020 to New Jersey-based Omni Energy Co. permitting the wells. Multiple local residents and officials have objected and raised a variety of concerns ranging from pollution to ground stability and increased truck traffic.
There are several residences, businesses and county agencies in the surrounding area, along with the Belmont Correctional Institution state prison.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
EDITOR’S NOTE: Through Thursday, The Times Leader presents Eastern Ohio’s Top 10 news stories of 2020, as voted on by the editorial staff.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE As COVID-19 expanded its reach into the United States, Belmont County was the first in the local area to be struck in March by the virus that has since sickened more than 8,000 people in Eastern Ohio.
The pandemic made its way into the region by infecting a local couple who had traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference. But it wasn’t long before the illness began to creep in from all directions, with health department officials pointing to our interstate highways as an easy means of transmission.