News

The Monroe County District Library in Woodsfield has transformed into an art gallery this month as the Monroe Arts Council held its annual April Art Show.Thirty pieces are on display from several local artists through Monday, April 29.The best pieces from this year’s show were honored as the awards ceremony was held Saturday, April 13.The year’s judge was Audrey Moore, a painter based in Wheeling, West Virginia.Moore began painting at a young age and sold her first painting at 14, something she said “propelled her into the world of art.”Moore had a tough challenge, as she had to choose the best among dozens of amazing submissions.This year’s Best of Show went to Paula Ring for her oil painting “Peckin’ Chickens.”Moore said something about “Peckin’ Chickens” set it apart from the rest of the submitted pieces.“I knew (it was the winner) as soon as I looked at it,” Moore said, celebrating the piece’s colors and shadows.Moore credited Ring’s technique, calling it “adept and professional.”“It’s gorgeous,” Moore said.

If there is barely enough for Monroe County EMS squads to survive on with all their levy funds, how will they operate if some of those funds are diverted elsewhere?That could be the challenge facing county EMS squads - and one Anthony McDaniel and Cindi Hunt hope can be avoided.McDaniel, a multi-year EMS worker, who current works for Ohio County in West Virginia, and Hunt, the current president of the county’s EMS Association, met with the Monroe County Commissioners Monday, April 15 to share their concerns about rumors of using funds from the county’s EMS levy to pay for dispatchers.McDaniel remembered a time, not too long ago when EMS funding county-wide was, as he put it, “horrendous.”“It was a miracle (local EMS squads) were able to stay open,” he said.Since then, a levy has been passed to help local EMS squads offset some of the costs of operation.Those costs, McDaniel said, have only increased since the levy passed.An ambulance, he said, can cost more than $250,000.

The crowd was unusually large for the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District Board of Education’s regular meeting Thursday, April 11.Instead of the handful of visitors, nearly every seat was taken in the cafeteria at Swiss Hills Career Center.The reason for the influx of guests was a celebration of successes in the school district as the board honored students from each of the district’s five elementary schools.Beallsville Elementary’s guest of honor was six-year-old Kyzlee Littlejohn, a first-grade student in Jennifer Maas’ class.Kyzlee excels as a student, especially in math where she performs in the 95th percentile, solving CGI problems with fractions before they were introduced to the class.Outside of school, Kyzlee is active in dance, gymnastics and karate.

The regular congregate meal wasn’t the only reason locals gathered at the Generations Complex Thursday, April 11.

The Monroe County Senior Center is providing delivered meals to area seniors by home delivery.The following is the senior menu for the week of April 22 - 26.Monday: Chicken fried rice, snap peas, carrots, fortune cookieTuesday: Cream chipped beef, roasted potatoes, peas, peaches, biscuit Wednesday: Grilled cheese, pimento cheese, tomato soup, coleslaw, mandarin oranges, crackersThursday: Sloppy Joe, baby bakers, summer blend veggies, Jell-O with pearsFriday: Cabbage lasagna, stewed tomatoes, tossed salad, apple crisp

COUNTY COURTDillon Dalrymple, Woodsfield, failure to control, guilty, $125.