In the News
Local Transportation Projects Funded
COLUMBUS, OH — Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pamela Boratyn announced Tuesday that Ohio is investing $8.9 million in transportation infrastructure through its Transportation Improvement District (TID) Program.
The funding will support 26 projects across 19 counties, including several in southeast Ohio, with the goal of improving access to business areas, opening land for development, and reducing traffic congestion. The projects are expected to support more than 19,400 jobs and attract over $3 billion in private investment.
“By investing in transportation infrastructure that aligns with local and regional priorities, we’re helping to create jobs, strengthen communities, and attract private investment,” said Governor DeWine.
Local projects receiving funding include:
Belmont County – Two projects totaling $800,000:
- SR 147 & Railroad Street Intersection (Village of Belmont): $400,000 will realign and widen the intersection to improve truck access, supporting $600,000 in private investment.
- US 40 & CR 10 Intersection (Village of Blaine): Another $400,000 will fund engineering to improve safety and unlock nearby properties for development near the historic Blaine Barton Bridge.
“These transportation projects are more than road upgrades,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “They’re critical for job creation and economic growth across the state.”
ODOT Director Boratyn called transportation “the backbone for moving people and goods” and a key driver of economic opportunity. The TID program fosters collaboration between government and private industry, funding preliminary engineering, land acquisition, and construction.
All projects are scheduled for the state’s 2026–2027 fiscal years.
Hospital Will Reopen
MARTINS FERRY – In a social media post Monday morning, it was announced that, indeed, East Ohio Regional Hospital has multiple lives.
The hospital closed again recently, the second time the eastern Belmont County medical campus was shuttered.
In the release, it was shared that “East Ohio Regional Hospital has been acquired by 360 Healthcare Inc., and company president Harold Ramsey has launched efforts that will reopen the facility under the same name at some point in Fall 2025.”.
More than 400 healthcare professionals and staff lost their employment when EORH was shuttered in late March. Ramsay is hopeful the reopening will attract many of those individuals back to Martins Ferry’s medical facility.
Belmont VFD Project Moves Forward
(Belmont VFD Photo)
In a social media post this pasts week, the proposed new fire station for the Belmont community moved one step closer to reality.
Members of the Fire Dept., Belmont Village, USDA, McCall Sharp Architecture and Colaianni Construction sat down this afternoon for a pre-construction meeting for the new fire station when documents were signed, the post noted.
Next up, groundbreaking.
Pizza Shop Applications Accepted
Job seekers hoping to become employees of the new Rocks Pizza Shop, at 123 East Main Street, this past Monday stopped in to drop off resumes.
The owner of the new eatery is Monroe County resident Danielle Habig.
In a social media post, Habig said, “only a few more things to do and we will be open for business. Please give us a follow to keep up to date on our opening.”
Belmont Sheriff’s Deputy Retires
(Belmont County Sheriff’s Department Photo)
Deputy Rick Shimble, veteran employee of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, retired this past week.
Joining Shimble to mark the occasion was Chief Deputy Glenn Moore, left, and Belmont County Sheriff James G. Zusack, right.
It’s a Small World
In the “It’s a Small World” category, Barnesville’s Joe Atkinson recently shared a social media post from John Stanley, Olney Friends School graduate and veteran airlines employee.
It seems Stanley, on a layover in Venice, Italy, was taking in Mestre, a borough opposite the famous city, noticed “a group of college-age lads nearby, a couple of whom sporting OSU shirts”.
Once Stanley was convinced the young men were Midwesterners, he ask “Is this possibly a bunch of fellow Buckeyes?!” “Yes! Where you from?”
Stanley responded “somewhere you probably never heard of? Barnesville? Belmont County?”
The immediate response from one student from Cincinnati: “My parents are from Barnesville!! You know anything about the Carpenter Graveyard?”
While Stanley did not, he posted a video of the encounter on social media to see if others might know about the cemetery in question.
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