A round-up of all things Vinton and Jackson counties…
Congratulations to Betty Puckett Sowers who is the new fire chief for the Wilkesville Volunteer Fire Department! Puckett started out as a junior fire department member when she was only 16 following in her father Darrel’s footsteps! Puckett may be the first female fire chief in Vinton county. She and her dad Darrel may be the first father/ daughter duo to have both been chief for the same department!
When I saw Joseph John “Jay” Riepenhoff’s obituary, I said a quiet prayer. I interviewed him a long time ago when I was editor of the Times-Journal — he was a good guy, very engaged in the community.
From the obituary at Lewis and Gillum Funeral Home in Jackson — Joseph John “Jay” Riepenhoff, age 86, passed away peacefully at his home on July 24, 2024, after a long battle with cancer. Jay was surrounded by his children and other family and friends.
Jay was born on June 7, 1938, in Wellston, Ohio to Charles and Ellen (Curry) Riepenhoff.
Jay graduated from Wellston High School in 1956. He later graduated from Xavier University and proudly served in the U.S. Air Force and Reserves.
He was a well-known and respected businessman throughout the area. He and his brother Jim, and before them their father Charles, owned and operated Riepenhoff Distributing, a beer wholesaler in Wellston and Jackson servicing southeastern Ohio for nearly 70 years. He was affectionately known by his friends and customers as the “Bud Man”. He was recognized as a Grand Marshall of the Jackson County Apple Festival parade, a Jackson County Chamber of Commerce “Person of the Year”, and “Elk of the Year”.
Jay was involved with many civic organizations, including the American Legion Wellston Post #371, the Alladin Shriners, Amvets, Masons Black Diamond Lodge #538, and was a trustee of the BPOe Elks Jackson Lodge #466. He served for nearly two decades the president of the Jackson County Fair Board. Jay could often be found camping near the horse ring with his friends and family during the Jackson County Fair.
For more about Riepenhoff, whose funeral was earlier this week, go to lewisgillum.com
Per Josh Horn, Jungle Gang 4-H Club of Vinton County completed a community service project where they split into groups of 4 or 5 members with each group having a $25 budget and a goal of buying as many shelf stable food items as possible while attempting to remain under budget. Grand total spent was $202 for 287 individual items. Everything bought was divided and donated to various blessing boxes throughout the county. All items were purchased from Campbell’s market.
A few community members loved the kids’ actions and donated some of their own money towards the project. That money the kids used to buy animal food to be donated to the dog blessing box located at the Vinton County animal shelter. $13.66 for 14 items was spent for that box. Horn gave a big thanks to Campbells for their cooperation and patience while members learned to shop for food items while attempting to remain within budget as well as giving back to the community. These skills will continue on with them into adulthood.
McArthur Fire Department members past & present recently paid tribute to Clarence Chesser & his 43 years of dedicated service to the community. Clarence retired in 2023 in good standing at the rank of Lieutenant.
Good news! The Vinton County Park District is pursuing a plan to develop natural-based walking, hiking, and recreational opportunities to improve health and boost tourism. Reminds me — I need to hike the trail by the Moonville Tunnel.
In other matters, when Jackson City Schools Director of Special Projects Dr. Debby Crabtree spoke to the Jackson School Board during its meeting in June, she said the Jackson City School District will be implementing something called “One Plan” beginning in 2025. The One Plan was designed by the Ohio Department of Education.
According to the Ohio Department of Education’s synopsis for One Plan, the ED STEPS process includes the identification and consolidation of all the various needs assessments and programmatic planning requirements into a comprehensive planning process. The One Plan is a systematic consolidated planning tool for educational entity operations, strategically aligned to funding and resources and focused on improving outcomes for all students.
That definition — that’s “educrat” speak — so naturally I am skeptical when the state gets involved in anything, especially education planning.
Per Jackson County Engineer Melissa Miller, County Road 85 (Lake Katharine Road) will be closed during working hours only starting on Monday, August 5th, in order to replace 3 failing culverts in preparation to pave the road. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this causes.
Per Karen Yablonsky from the Sylvester Memorial Wellston Public Library — Introducing a new way to unleash your creative potential with our stained-glass cardinal craft. This craft program is perfect for adults who love to create beautiful, colorful artwork to display in your home. With easy direction from Tracy Staten, it’s possible to create a beautiful cardinal that will brighten up any room in your home.
This program will include all materials, and no prior experience is required to achieve a dazzling result.
“We take pride in encouraging artistic creativity at all ages, and with our stained-glass cardinal class, you’ll create a masterpiece that you’ll cherish for years to come,” Yablonsky said.
Make sure to sign up beginning Monday, August 26, as seats are limited. The program will be held on your choice of Thursday, Sept. 19 or Thursday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. Sign ups are limited to card holding adults age 18 and over. No voice mails will be accepted. Please call the library at 740.384.6660 to sign up.
Folks, send all news tips to mlayton@vintonjacksoncourier.com or to mlayton@circlevilleherald.com
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