Mt. Gilead Square

I tried to get this picture with no traffic in the background,but the cars and trucks just kept coming.

 

Mt. Gilead, Ohio

Mt. Gilead town square

Morrow County Courthouse in Mt. Gilead, Ohio

Mt. Gilead, Ohio

Old jail - taken from Library parking lot.

Fwd: Congratulations!!

New scam to watch for...
--
Sent from my Android phone with mail.com Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

MICROSOFT PROMOTION 2012 <info@microsoft.com> wrote:

>Congratulations!!
>
>This 1st day of September the entire staff of Microsoft
Corporation(Promotion
>Department) wish to inform you that you have just been selected
>as a lucky winner from the Microsoft New-Year email draws that is usually
>held twice in every year.
>
>Microsoft Corporation organize this promotion offer in other to compensate
>consumers of the product in the world at large for their infinite supports
>towards the growth of the company.
>
>Hence you have won $1,900,000 USD (One Million Nine Hundred Thousand
>Dollars) and you are expected to fill and send back the following
>following for claims:
>
>Full Name.............
>Address............. .
>Sex...................
>Marital Status........
>Age...................
>Country...............
>Occupation ...........
>Telephone Numbers.....
>
>TO: microsoftclaimsoffice11@yahoo.com.hk
>
>Congratulations!! Once again.
>
>Yours in service,
>The Award Team
>(Microsoft Corporation

Another Closeup of Red Wildflowers

Closeup of Red Wildflowers

Red Wildflowers

Pink Wildflowers

Closeup of Orange Wildflowers

Orange Wildfloers

Tall Yellow Wildflower

Morrow County Fair Starts August 27, 2012

Fair Food

This year, the Morrow County fair starts Monday, August 27, 2012 and runs until September 3, 2012.

Monday is "Morrow County Commissioner's Day" to be celebrated with (According to The Advertiser - that free paper they hang on the mailbox) free admission all day!

Some other details:

• Midway wristbands are $10.00 per day.
• Daily admission for anyone six years old and older, to the fair, is $6.00.
• A season pass for anyone 16 and over costs $25.00.
• A youth week pass costs $15.00.
• Pit passes cost $6.00 from Tuesday to Sunday and $10.00 on Monday.
• To Check out the full fair scedule, check www.morrowcountyfair.org .

Question About Northern Morrow County Ohio Break Ins: Comments Invited



Cat Burglar

 

I heard there has been a rash of break-ins in northern Morrow County, Ohio, including a search for a white Suburban with two guys in it, and have been searching the Internet for information about the break-ins to share here. I follow the Mor. Co. Sheriff's FaceBook page and check the local news frequently, and while I have run across a couple of stories where the culprits were captured, I have found nothing resembling a rash of break ins.

If anyone has any info about this or a story to share, I invite you to share your story here by leaving a comment. My goal is not to scare anyone, but to give neighbors a chance to work together to protect one another.

Sweet Corn Festival in Mount Gilead

What:      Sweet Corn Festival

Where:    Mount Gilead, Ohio (in Morrow County, Ohio)

When:     This Weekend - Friday July 20th and Saturday July 21st (2012)

What to wear: Something comfy, and you might want a jacket if you're going tonight

What to bring: Your smile, your appetite, and some money to buy some tasty treats

Morrow County Fair Schedule

Did you say it's time for the Morrow County, Ohio Fair?

Get ready, the Morrow County, Ohio fair is coming up - well - you have some time to get ready.

I wanted to mention it ahead of time so you have plenty of time to put it on your schedule because it's one of this county's biggest annual events.

The Morrow County fair this year will run from August 27 through September 2 (2012) at the fairgrounds in Mount Gilead, Ohio.

Bright Green Dragonfly

Nature's camouflage.

Thunderstorms and Flash Flood Warnings

July 5, 2012

There are flash flood warnings up in Morrow County, Ohio this morning, until around 2:34 this afternoon according to the banner on the television.

And, speaking of the television, I should probably unplug it sioncethere is also a banging thunderstorm outside.

The rain cooled things off, for this morning anyway, it's cooler and pleasant outside instead of such a scorcher.

Nationwide Scam Morrow County Residents Need to Be Aware Of

According to  First Energy, there is a nationwide scam they want customers to be aware of.

Details About the Scam

• Scammers (A.k.a. criminals) contact electric company customers either by coming to your door, posing as electric company personnel, posting flyers in your community, or via a phone call, email, or text message.
• The poser tells you about a federal program created by Barack Obama to pay your utility bills and that you might be (or are) eligible.
• The scammer then collects your personal information, ranging from your social security number to your banking information.
• The thieves then provide you with a routing number and account number that you are supposed to use to pay your utility bills. THIS NUMBER IS FAKE. (Sorry for yelling.)

What to Do if You Encounter One of These Scammers

• If anyone shows up at your house claiming to be from the power company, do not let them in your house without checking for proper identification.
• The power company does not send workers out to have friendly, information sharing session, so if you receive an unexpected visit from someone claiming to be from the power company, do not let them in your house.
• Use only methods authorized by your energy company for bill payment.
• Report the visit/encounter to your power company

What to Do if You Already Gave Someone Your Information

• Don't waste time feeling embarassed that you got scammed. Barack Obama is kind of known for creating programs that help people who are struggling so it is a believable story, and these scammers take advantage of that. These people are professional thieves. they make an art of looking sincere and convincing.
• Report what happened.
• Call your utility company and tell them about the visit. They will be able to confirm or deny the person's connection with their company.
• Ask the utility  ompany how the investigation will be handled. Don't accept a brush off answer. If these thieves have your personal information, or worse yet have been inside your home, you have the right to know how the investigation will be handled.
• If there are no real plans on the part of the power company to investigate, especially if you have received a home visit from these people, go over the power company's head and report it to the sheriff or local police. (Law enforcement needs to know when criminals are going from door to door in the communities they protect.)
• Find out from an attorney what you need to do to regain/protect your stolen identity/information. (If you cannot afford an attorney, check for free legal aid to help you.

Aftermath of Friday's Massive Storm

I hope eveyone is doing well after Friday's massive windstorm.

I was out on the road when it hit. I knew it was supposed to thunderstorm and was on my way home. I didn't know there was supposed to be a severe storm until I was caught in the middle of it. 

I have to say, I have never seen anything quite like that. If there had been anywhere safe to pull over and wait it out, I would have. After, in the car is one of the worst places you can be in a severe storm like that.

I know they are not calling the storm a tornado, but the wind would whip by one direction one second and in the enxt instant it would be blowing straight the other way. Also, the top of my neighbor's tree appeared to have been twisted like an ice cream cone. Feel free to share your own stories of the storm, either here in the comment section below or in the forums.

Cute Baby Birds

Memorial Day Service at Iberia Cemetery

May 28, 2012

Pink Azalea Bush

Pink Azalea Bush in Full Bloom

Baby Birds

National Drug Takeback Day at Morrow County Sheriff's Office

Pills image courtesy of Kittenpuff1 and Morguefile.

Sorry for the late notice on this one, it has already started, but you still have a few hours...

If you have unused medications (nothing liquid and no needles, though) you can drop them off today at the Morrow County, Ohio Sheriff's office.

When: Today, April 28, 2012 from 10am until 2pm

Where: 101 Home Road
             Mt. Gilead, Ohio 43338

If you have questions about this, call the sheriff's office at: 419-946-6991

Open Invitation to Morrow County, Ohio Churches, Schools and Organizations

As a public service to my readers, I plan to set up a page on the website, detailing things like church service times, and where groups can submit information about upcoming events. For the time being it will probably be added to the site's directory page as it comes in.

Free Event Listings

I am inviting churches, schools and other organizations to submit any information they would like to share with potentially interested Morrow County residents either by leaving a comment, filling out the contact form, or by simply posting the information on the forums either in the appropriate township forum area or by starting a new post.

This is a great, and free, way for you to reach people interested in your events.

Review of April 10, 2012 Special Board Meeting at 1st Consolidated Fire District in Caledonia, Ohio (About the Chief)

Tonight (April 10, 2012) at 5pm, the 1st Consolidated FIre District held a special meeting at the Caledonia, Ohio fire house. According to First Consolidated's FaceBook page, the special meeting was "about the chief."

Photo credit: mrooczek262 from morguefile.com

Meeting Summary (First 10 Minutes Only)

The meeting started out like most meetings, a short discussion of business followed by some more discussion.

Topics discussed included:

• Lawsuits (Stated in the plural by the man who was speaking - I apologize for my inability to catch his name.)
• Attorneys, and not wanting to speak to any more of them.
• Missing personnel records - and the need to make up some new ones to replace them. (Is there actually any accurate way to replicate made-up (the exact word used was perfected) replacement records?)
• Sunshine Law violations (This topic was quickly dropped and the question was left unanswered.)
• The legality of having other people sit in and vote for missing missing board members (and the detail that that practice is contrary to the rule of law was brought up. - This topic was also dropped quickly.)
• Everyone not on the board was asked to leave approximately 10 minutes into the meeting under the rule of "Executive Session" so the board could discuss litigation (pretty sure that means lawsuits) without interested parties, and reporters, hearing anything the board did not want disclosed.

(Really guys, whatever the big secret is, it's probably not as bad as what the people asked to exit the meeting were thinking.)

So, that is what happened in the aproximately ten minutes of the 1st Consolidated Fire District's special meeting on April 10, 2012, before I, and everyone else in attendance who was not on the board, were introduced to the outside-looking-in side of the door.

Updated to Add Information about Ohio's Sunshine Law and Open Meetings

I'm no lawyer, but I do enjoy research, so I wanted to let you know what I found about Ohio's Sunshine Law as mentioned earlier in this post. The law gives people the right to witness meetings so people know what officials are doing on the public's behalf.

Here is a direct quote from the Ohio Attorney General's website. "Ohio’s Open Meetings Act defines a “meeting” as (1) a prearranged discussion (2) of public business (3) by amajority of the members of a public body. The law enables people to witness what government officials are doing on the public’s behalf. "

Also from our Attorney General, "the public has the right to hear what they are saying, even if no voting or other action occurs. By its terms, with narrow exceptions, the Open Meetings Act requires the members of a public body to discuss and deliberate on official business only in open meetings."

Now, I'm off to see what rules I can find about executive session...

Executive Session Rules

According to The National Law Review, Ohio muinicipalities can only call "Executive Session" under seven very specific cases: (You can read the entire document by visiting the site.)

1. "Matters related to public employees, officials, licensees, or regulated individuals... to consider the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee, official, licensee, or regulated individual. A public body also may hold an executive session to consider an investigation of charges or complaints against those individuals. (It's probably this one that was in play tonight in Caledonia, given that the organization's Facebook page said the meeting would be "about the chief.")
2. Purchase or sale of property by the public body.
3. Conferences with an attorney for the public body.
4. Matters related to employee bargaining negotiations.
5. Matters that must be kept confidential according to federal or state law.
6. Details of security arrangements and emergency response protocols.
7. Trade secrets.

5 pm Tonight

Short notice, I know, but there is a meeting at 5pm tonight at the Caledonia fire house. A special meeting "about the chief."

1st Consolidated FIre Chief Non-Update 3/23/2012

No real updates have been released about the 1st Consolidated fire chief being placed on unpaid leave, but a Marion Star article out this morning listed a few new details about the meeting where he was removed from his position.

• The board voted unanimously to put Mr. Canterbury on unpaid leave.
• The board's attorney advised them not to discuss the matter with anyone.
• The sheriff (Marion County) said nothing had been filed with his office.
• One man who was at the meeting where the decision to remove this official was upset by the decision. (One man other than the now-unpaid fire chief, that is.)

Job Fair at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course March 23 & 24, 2012

Great news Morrow County, Ohio job seekers! With a real shortage of available jobs in the county and a high unemployment rate, a big job fair is a truly positive thing. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is hosting exactly that kind of positive job fair on Friday March 23 and Saturday March 24, 2012.

Photo credit: mgeyer from morguefile.com

Job Fair Details

Job seekers are invited to descend on the race-way to apply and learn about open positions from 1-5p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012 and from 9am-12 (noon) on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

What Type of Work is Available at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

The track has almost all positions available, for both part-time and full-time job seekers and Mid-Ohio is not going to be the only company present and seeking workers. Lake Erie Communications will also be on hand looking to fill open race official and flagger positions as well as other competition and official positions.

Plan Ahead if Possible

If you plan to attend the job fair, consider visiting the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course website and printing off the application so you can have it pre-filled out when you get there. There will most likely be a huge turn-out, so having the application ready when you get there should save you some time. Also, if you fill it out before you go, you don't have to worry about getting in a hurry and forgetting to include any important information, such as your reference's phone number or address and dates of past employment.

Good Luck Job Seekers

Good luck to all who attend the job fair, and thank you to Green Savoree Mid-Ohio LLC and Lake Erie Communications, for looking within the community first to fill jobs at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2012, and for providing so many desperately needed jobs to local residents.

A Couple of News Items that Are Not Showing on the News Page

First, the Caledonia 1st Consolidated Fire District that serves parts of Marion and Morrow county has announced its chief has been placed on administrative leave and the fire district is seeking legal counsel about the matter. The reason for the leave is undisclosed. Whatever it is, I wonder if those folks in Marion County who voted up the fire levy are rethinking things now.

Hospice of Morrow County

Dancing in the Rain support group April meetings scheduled:

• 5p.m. on April 2, 9, 16 & 23
• Hospice of Morrow County
• 228 South Street Mt. Gilead, Ohio
• Cost: free
• Registration: requested
• Phone number: 419-946-9822

Result of a Mild Morrow County, Ohio Winter

The mild winter might have been kind to your budget when it came to reduced heating bills, but expect to pay for it later in other ways.

Photo credit: Filiford from morguefile.com

 Insects

Expect insects (especially mosquitos) to be out in swarms this spring and summer. In fact, the little pests are already out, buzzing around, looking for people and animals upon which to feed. The mild winter was not cold enough to kill off part of the larvae population like it normally does and the warm damp weather is perfect for breeding for the nasty things.

If you have standing water, for your own protection, either dump it or toss some mosquito dunks in it to kill mosquito larvae. Then, plan to protect yourself and your pets with either insect repellent or those ultra-sonic insect repellent things.

Snakes

Now for some good news or bad news, depending on how you feel about snakes. With the increased insect population, snakes have a ready food supply and the warm winter let them breed indiscriminately, too. If you haven't alreadyn noticed them, the snakes are already out in rural Morrow County, in numbers vastly increased from last year. (Based on observation and counting.)

To protect yourself from snake bites (even non-venomous snake bites hurt), exercise caution when working in the yard. Make sure that stick you're picking up is really a stick before you grab it. If you have to move a tarp or a fallen log, don't just stick your hand under there, use a stick or rake handle to lift it up and peek under there first.

Enjoy the warm weather, but keep yourself safe and healthy by avoiding mosquito and snake bites while working and enjoying the great outdoors.

Baby Snake

In addition to spring flowers and Morrow County road crews, baby snakes are out, too.

Blue Spring Flowers

There are more signs of spring everyday. Morrow county, Ohio

Spring-Like Weather Brings Out...

In addition to the spring flowers that are blooming, road crews and workers are out fixing Morrow County roads, turning the deep, tire-popping potholes into little speed-bumps.

Photo credit: rollingroscoe from morguefile.com

 Little Speed Bumps vs. Big Potholes

While the little speed-bumps might end up slowing us all down a bit, it's a lot better, safer, than risking your life (and tires) hitting the potholes and possibly wrecking while driving on county roads.

So, while you're out driving, and hopefully enjoying this beautiful weather, watch for road crews and workers patching the roads. Their efforts could save your life, so slow down a bit and watch out for them.

Purple Spring Flowers.

beautiful spring flowers found in morrow county Ohio .

Another Spring Flower

Spring flower found today in Morrow County Ohio

A third sign of spring flower

Beautiful flower in rural Morrow County Ohio

Spring Flower in Morrow County Ohio

Looks like spring is here!

Waiting on Election Results

The link to "Live election results" on the official Morrow County website isn't loading (just like the last election) so I've been clicking between the television station websites and the big newspaper websites.

It looks like it will be morning before I can see and share the results, so I'll give you links to the two best websites I have found tonight - as far as election night results.

• The Columbus Dispatch - if the Morrow County page does not come up automatically just select Morrow County from the drop-down list and click view.
• Ohio Votes 2012

Time to Vote

Hey registered voters, this is your time to share your opinions again because it's time to head to the polls on March 6, 2012!

Morrow County, Ohio residents can be informed voters by checking out their ballots before heading to the polls.

(I did notice, however, when I checked the ballots for a couple of different townships at the link provided above, the democratic and non-partisan ballots opened but the republican ballots came up with a 404 error message.)

Anyone who wants to share their feelings about the election can leave a comment or visit the forums to start or join a conversation there.

High Wind Advisory Until 7AM

It's super windy out there tonight, and getting colder. If you're out and about, be watchful for downed power lines and tree limbs.

Morrow County was originally under a high wind warning until 7am tomorrow morning, (3/3/2012) it has, however been upgraded to a high wind advisory.

A high wind warning is defined as a sustained wind that has maintained at least 40 miles per hour for over an hour. 

A high wind advisory is defined as a sustained wind that has maintained at least 45 mph for over an hour.

According to the weather service report, in addition to the sustained winds of 40 mph, wind gusts are also reaching up to 58 mph.

Also, a cold front is supposed to be moving in.

Fw: Advisory Message: FRAUD ALERT

Hi, Just got this message from the Morrow County Sheriff's office and wanted to share with everyone... Forwarded the email so you can check it out.

Message sent via Nixle

Thursday March 1, 2012, 3:18 PM Morrow County Sheriff's Office Advisory: FRAUD ALERT Hi, We have received 4 phone calls from citizens in the County. They have received telephone calls from a male subject identifying himself as Peter Jenkins. Phone numbers on caller ID are 323-786-8043 or 876-583-3713. He is telling people they have won $480,000 or other large amounts of money and to send money by Western Union to claim the money. In other phone calls he is asking for Wal-Mart gift cards. If anyone receives phone calls like this, please hang up and call our office immediately. 419 946 4444. For full details, view this message on the web. Sent by Morrow County Sheriff's Office, 101 Home Rd, Mt Gilead, OH 43338 To manage your email settings, click here. To update your account settings, login here. Powered by . © 2012 Nixle, LLC. All rights reserved.

Lion, Lamb or Angry Kitten?

I got up this morning, anxious to see if March had come in like a lion or a lamb. (Due to the old superstition that if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb, and vice versa. Meaning, for those unfamiliar with the superstition, that if March starts out with bad weather it will end with beautiful weather, and vice versa.)

Kitten image courtesy of Koci'tka 298 and Morguefile.

So, back to the lion and lamb thing... in Morrow County, March came in like an angry kitten. It's not quite bad enough to call it a lion; the weather is warm for an Ohio March, but it's rainy and windy. It's not quite nice enough to call it a lamb because it's pretty gloomy.

This March, 2012, came in more like an angry kitten - it might give a tiny slap, but it's pretty easy to forgive because it's pretty nice compared to an actual lion, aka normal March weather.

So I wonder what it means for us weather-wise when March comes in somewhere between the lion and lamb. Will it stay "angry kitten" all month? Or, sticking with the lion/lamb theme will it go out like a happy kitten since it came in like an angry kitten?

Feel free to share your thoughts about the lion/lamb/angry kitten thing, or anything else you might feel like discussing. (The comments section is open at the end of the post and, of course, the forums are also available for your convenience.)

Snowing - 2/25/2012

Well, the weather report last night was wrong. It's now snowing, and now the forecast says it's going to keep right on snowing until after 9:00 tonight.

To anyone who has to be out driving on Morrow County roads, have a safe trip.

Keep warm everyone.

News Live on Website Again

The news feed is finally working again on the website. Also added: a news feed to the bottom of this page so you can easily check out the headlines if you don't want to pop over there.

As always, comments are welcome either on the forums or at the end of this post.