News briefs: Annual Freedom Fund Scholarship Banquet upcoming on Oct. 8

CHILLICOTHE −The Ross County NAACP will host its 45th annual Freedom Fund Scholarship Banquet on Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Christopher Conference Center, 20 N. Plaza Blvd.

The banquet starts at 6 p.m. and the social hour is from 5 to 6 p.m. The speaker for the banquet is Rick W. Smith Sr., Vice President, Economic and Workforce Development at Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education & President/CEO at Smith Consulting Solutions Inc. Smith is also the former President & CEO of United Way of Ross County.

Tickets for this event are $45 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 10. No tickets will be sold at the door and tickets must be purchased by Oct. 1.

The theme this year is "SHOW YOUR POWER,VOTE." For tickets or any further information, call President, Adrienne L. D'Souza at 740-466-5280.

Work to begin to repair Ohio 772 slide

CHILLICOTHE - A project to repair an existing landslide along S.R. 772 in Ross County is one of several ODOT projects underway to address landslides and rockslides in Ohio’s Appalachian counties. Work on the project is set to begin starting Sept. 26.

Last year, Governor Mike DeWine announced $35 million in federal funding to proactively address landslides and rockslides in eastern and southern Ohio to prevent them from worsening and becoming a safety issue.

"This proactive approach is a wise investment in the safety of our roads. By fixing these slips now instead of waiting for them to get worse, Ohio drivers and emergency personnel will face fewer road closures and detours in the future. Safer travel in Ohio is always our goal,” said Gov. Mike DeWine.

The project is taking place on Ohio 772 between Bishop Hill Road and Rinehart Road. Work will occur daily from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ohio 772 will be closed for the duration of construction. During the closure, traffic will be detoured via Ohio 772, Blain Highway, and U.S. 50. The project is estimated to be completed in fall 2022.

"Southeastern Ohio is prone to these types of hazards and this effort allows us to minimize the cost and inconvenience to addressing them," said ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks.

The projects are funded as part of the $333.4 million Ohio received from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Farm Bureau names 2022 policy development committee

COLUMBUS – Twenty Ohio Farm Bureau leaders are serving on the 2022 Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Policy Development Committee. The committee collects and organizes public policy recommendations from county Farm Bureaus and presents the final policy suggestions to be voted on by Ohio Farm Bureau’s delegates during the state annual meeting in December.

In its initial session, the committee heard from government leaders, subject matter experts and Farm Bureau staff on topics such as farmland preservation; the farm bill; SEC climate reporting at the farm level; funding alternatives for the gas tax; biosecurity measures to protect livestock from chronic wasting disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza and swine fever; and the U.S. EPA approval process for ag technology such as Enlist, atrazine, and others.

The policy committee consists of 10 members from Ohio Farm Bureau’s board of trustees and 10 representatives of county Farm Bureaus.

The committee is chaired by Ohio Farm Bureau First Vice President Cy Prettyman of New Bloomington and includes OFBF President Bill Patterson of Chesterland and Treasurer Lane Osswald of Eldorado. State trustees on the committee are Matt Bell of Zanesville, Mike Bensman of Sidney, Nathan Brown of Hillsboro, Paul Harrison of Fostoria, Rose Hartschuh of Sycamore, Jerry Lahmers of Newcomerstown and Kyle Walls of Mount Vernon.

County Farm Bureau representatives are Steve Berk of Montgomery County, Scott Bugg of Union County, Hannah DiVencenzo of Lorain County, Charles Ellington of Stark County, David Glass of Ross County, Isaac Gray of Auglaize County, Jenna Gregorich of Coshocton County, Robert Hange of Wayne County, Richard Maxwell of Perry County and Sheldon Miller of Ottawa County.

Ohio Farm Bureau’s mission is working together for Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities. Learn more at ohiofarmbureau.org.

Couponing in today's world workshop returns

The Free Tax Preparation and Financial Literacy Program of the Workforce & Business Development Program at the Community Action Committee of Pike County will be conducting a “Couponing in Today’s World” Workshop from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29 at the OhioMeansJobs Career Center of Pike County (941 Market Street in Piketon).

Learn innovative ways to clip, compile, and use coupons to save on everyday items. Bring coupons that you’ve collected and share. This class will also cover new trends in couponing, accessing online coupons, and using coupon mobile apps to get the most bang for your buck.

Registration is required for this workshop. For more information and to register for the workshop, contact Kate at 740-289-2371 or email at cvanmeter@pikecac.org.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: News briefs: Annual Freedom Fund Scholarship Banquet upcoming on Oct. 8