Here’s a look at some of the top local stories from 2021: 
East Liberty Auto Plant begins exclusive production of 2022 Acura MDX
Nearly five years worth of design, development and manufacturing preparations took shape by local Honda of America associates to pave the way for the official production that began Jan. 12 of Acura’s new flagship vehicle – the 2022 MDX — which is exclusively manufactured at the East Liberty Auto Plant.
“Our associates at the East Liberty Auto Plant are incredibly excited to showcase their expertise in craftsmanship and quality as they begin mass production of Acura’s new flagship model, the 2022 MDX,” East Liberty Plant General Manager Jun Jayaraman said.
“Our team has been incredible in the amount of effort that has been put forth — they have stepped it up in every way to achieve this milestone of producing the flagship vehicle,” said Bill Ramsey, Acura MDX engineering project leader, who delayed his retirement until March so that he could be a part of the launch.
The last full model redesign of the MDX was in 2012, with production at that time being launched at Honda Mfg. of Alabama. The East Liberty Plant began production of the MDX in 2017, and now all of the new Acura models are built in Central Ohio, either at ELP or at the Marysville Auto Plant.
State officials recognize Riverside’s Internet connectivity program
An innovative and creative Internet connectivity program piloted by Riverside Local Schools that expanded broadband access to previously underserved students and families in 600 households in southwestern Logan County received state accolades Jan. 13 during a visit to the school by Lt. Governor Jon Husted and Ohio Superintendent of Instruction Paolo DeMaria.
Riverside Superintendent Scott Mann said the program grew out of the pandemic, when schools were shut down in the spring of 2020 and the district quickly realized how many of its pupils lacked access to Internet service at home. The district was able to secure a $171,000 Broadband Connectivity Grant, part of $50 million distributed to schools around Ohio through CARES Act funds set aside by the state.
After obtaining the funds, the next hurdle was figuring out how to make the Internet connectivity a possibility in the rural area, and Mann said OARnet, PCs for People and the WOCO Information Technology Center came together to support the cause.
“You are blazing a trail that others can follow,” said Lt. Gov. Husted, also director of InnovateOhio. “I love the public, non-profit and private section partnership at work. In life, those who can collaborate the best will win.
“You’re providing an opportunity for children in the community who will benefit for years to come; this will be here after we’re gone.”
Campus renovations begin at Ohio Hi-Point
Ohio Hi-Point Career Center began an important chapter in its history Feb. 4 by kicking off a $34.96 million renovation project that will transform the current student laboratories, classrooms and common areas to state-of-the art spaces for 21st century learning to meet student, industry and community needs.
District officials at the groundbreaking ceremony related that the project would not be possible without the overwhelming support from the public, with voters in five counties and across 14 partner school districts approving a 0.6-mill permanent improvement levy that set the project in motion during 2018.
“It’s a very exciting day for Ohio Hi-Point’s history and it’s future,” Superintendent Dr. Rick Smith said. “We wouldn’t have been here today without the great support of the taxpayers, our local communities, leadership and a great staff.”
Monarch Construction of Cincinnati is overseeing the project and Freytag & Associates Inc. provided the design work for the initiative, which includes a major overhaul of Building R on the campus.
LeVan’s Excavating, Inc. also is the general contractor for the construction entrance drive project. The new entry drive will lead to the new main entrance of the high school, making it easier for students and visitors to identify the main entrance.
Renovations continue on the 18-month project and are expected to be completed by August 2022, just a few years shy of the district’s 50th anniversary following its founding in 1974. The last renovation at the campus occurred in 1994.
New body scanner enhances safety at jail
A new piece of technological equipment that will protect the safety of both staff and inmates alike and heighten security at the Logan County Jail was installed in early 2021, a project several years in the making.
Logan County Sheriff Randy Dodds and Jail Administrator Lt. Adam Fullerton unveiled a Tek84 Intercept body scanner system at the 284 S. County Road 32 facility that can detect contraband on incoming inmates, such as illegal drugs and weapons, whether the items are concealed externally or internally in body cavities. The scanners are similar to ones used at airports by the Transportation Security Administration, and are utilized at a number of other correctional facilities in the local area as well.
“We’re thrilled that this day is here that we finally have this in place,” Sheriff Dodds said. “It is thanks to a lot of research, starting with former Jail Administrator Lt. Greg Fitzpatrick, and the generous assistance of the Logan County Commissioners that we have this scanner today.”
The Tek84 Intercept model that was delivered from San Diego was purchased for $164,000 with a five-year warranty, the sheriff said. The Logan County Commissioners made the purchase with federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act dollars, as the machinery provides a less invasive way for corrections officers to perform intake work during the time of the pandemic.
Vaccine availability expands
Starting out the year, COVID-19 vaccines were only available to specific age groups, targeting vaccination efforts for elderly individuals, health care workers and others with certain health conditions in a group 1A phase.
Married for 70 years, Harold and Dorthy McGillivray experienced many milestones together over the decades, and in early 2021, they received their COVID-19 vaccinations during one of the first clinics of the kind offered at the Logan County Health District
The longtime sweethearts said they have been cautious throughout the health crisis and were happy to get their vaccines.
Since then, the vaccine was gradually rolled out to ages 16 and older beginning in the spring. Then this fall, youths ages 5 and older were approved to receive the Pfizer variety.
A number of volunteers, including retired nurses, have assisted at the health district with immunization clinics and other pandemic-related efforts, and were recognized during a volunteer and staff recognition picnic earlier this year.
“They’ve provided us with such wonderful support,” LCHD Nursing Director Kelly Reaver said of the volunteers.
BHS War Memorial, Logan County Law Enforcement sites dedicated
Two important memorial sites were dedicated in Bellefontaine during May, with the Fraternal Order of Police Hi-Point Lodge 60 unveiling its Logan County Law Enforcement Memorial at Brown Park, and Bellefontaine High School students and several local partners hosting the BHS War Memorial dedication.
The BHS War Memorial lists the Logan County service members killed in action while serving in conflicts dating from the Civil War to current day. It is featured on the east side of the BHS building by the entrance to the Distance Learning Center and auxiliary gymnasium.
Members of the BHS AGAPE Club, along with social studies teachers Jason Brown, Matt Gallaway and Jim Robinson and other staff, have been researching local fallen service members with the help of representatives from the Logan County History Center and the Logan County Veterans to D.C. program. Recent BHS graduates Mullaney Yoder and Chelsea Burkhammer helped to spearhead the effort on behalf of the AGAPE Club.
Similarly for the Logan County Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony May 8, numerous area residents turned out in support of the dedication of the memorial.
“This has been a truly publicly supported memorial,” featured speaker Bellefontaine Police Department Chief Brandon Standley said to those in attendance.
The first phase of the memorial began to take shape at this site in the last month after several years of fundraising by the Fraternal Order of Police Hi-Point Lodge 60, including approximately $38,000 raised through donations, plus additional in-kind materials and services from area businesses.
Bellefontaine Police Department Sgt. Allen Shields, who helped to spearhead the memorial project, read the names of the four Logan County law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty: George W. Rockwell, Logan County Sheriff’s Department, end of watch, 1878; Frank J. Hossler, Ohio State Highway Patrol, 1956; Sherman Ricketts, West Liberty Police Department, 1962; and Murray Griffin, Belle Center Police Department, 1986. Their names are each engraved bronze plates on the front of the black granite memorial.
King’s Way honors Marie’s Candies’ legacy
A West Liberty couple whose longtime candy company is well-known around the state and country were honored Aug. 10 with a surprise dedication, as the village took the chance to recognize the pair that has given so much to the community.
Jay and Kathy King were asked to step outside their third generation business, Marie’s Candies, and were greeted by a large crowd of family, friends, employees and community members. Knowing something was in the making, Mrs. King shed a few tears as she and her husband were escorted down the alley behind the 311 Zanesfield Road store.
There, the Kings were honored with the unveiling of a new sign, marking the alley as “King’s Way” — recognizing the legacy the couple has created in their business and also speaking to their strong religious values in the way they model in their interactions with others, West Liberty Mayor Jill McKelvey said.
“You have put this small village on the map with people because of your outstanding chocolates and how you treat your customers,” she told the couple.
City’s bicentennial celebrated, one year later
Bellefontaine’s 200th birthday was commemorated by many residents who call the city and surrounding area their home during a block party Aug. 28 — carrying out the plans originating in the actual bicentennial year of 2020 that were postponed because of the pandemic.
Participants traveled down memory lane with a look at the city’s history and founding in 1820, and also glimpsed at its future, as area children and their families danced in the streets during Bellefontaine’s first-of-its kind laser light show that illuminated the downtown and the Logan County Courthouse just after dusk.
An evening ceremony included several state and local elected officials who helped to usher in the occasion, including Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who remarked on the importance of smaller cities in preserving honor and respect of traditional American values.
“Communities like this are the beating heart of America,” he said. “The reason why America is great and why Ohio is great is because of communities like this…We should teach our children to love and respect this country and all that it stands for.”
In addition to LaRose’s remarks, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Ohio Rep. Suzanne Manchester (R-Waynesfield) also greeted the crowd. They presented official proclamations to Mayor Ben Stahler, who also read a statement from Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Jon Husted on the city’s birthday.
33 Smart Mobility Corridor opens
Portions of U.S. Route 33, running east from the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, continuing into the City of Marysville and ending in the City of Dublin, garnered a new designation Sept. 15 with the opening of the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor — the world’s most connected highway.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted and a number of public and private sector partners gathered for a ceremony at TRC to celebrate this achievement and mark a historic day. The corridor will enable the development and testing of mobile technology that has the potential to enhance automobile safety, reduce congestion and improve fuel economy in the future, officials said.
“This is a community who believes what’s happening in smart mobility, and all of your contributions have led to this success. Those who collaborate the best, win,” Lt. Gov. Husted said.
Project partners include the Ohio Department of Transportation, DriveOhio, U.S. Department of Transportation, Logan County, and the NW 33 Council of Governments (COG), which includes the City of Dublin, the City of Marysville, Union County, and the Marysville-Union County Port Authority.
With a 35-mile redundant loop of fiber connectivity, the corridor includes 432 strands of available fiber, 63 roadside units, and 45 connected intersections.
West Liberty dedicates Purple Heart tribute
The Village of West Liberty and area veterans service organizations presented a tribute Oct. 21 to a group of veterans who bravely served in battles stretching back to World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and gave up much for their country — being wounded in battle or killed in action.
The names of 14 Purple Heart recipients, all from the West Liberty area, are forever commemorated in stonework laid at Veteran’s Park in the village, Mayor Jill McKelvey said.
“It was a wonderful evening and we’re so grateful for the many community partners who came together to make this possible,” she said. “This is an important effort to honor these individuals and their families, who served so bravely and sacrificed so much.”
Additional Purple Heart recipients from the 43357 area code, both living or deceased, are still being sought for the memorial, to be recognized in the spring.
To be included in the recognition, contact the Village Event Coordinator Sherry Barger at [email protected] or (937) 465-2716 with the following information:Purple Heart Veteran’s Name; Rank; Branch of Service; Years of Service; and Date he/she received the Purple Heart.
Logan County assists tornado victims
Logan County residents rallied to provide practical assistance to individuals recovering from the deadly tornados that ripped through in Kentucky and other states Dec. 10 and 11.
A variety of collection efforts were conducted throughout the county, and several local groups making the trip to deliver relief supplies.
Scott Stewart, who helped to organize the collection drive and delivery alongside his sons, Ryan and Zach, and his family and friends, staged a collection drop-off at the Logan County Fairgrounds that far exceeded their expectations.
“I think a lot of the folks who stepped up realized that this could happen to any of us…we have to help our neighbors in Kentucky.”
While the group expected to take one truck and trailer with the relief supplies, they received enough items that six to seven trucks hauling trailers were required, along with four other vehicles loaded with donations.
While in Mayfield, Ky., Stewart’s group also worked alongside local residents from the West Liberty First Church of God at Purchase Ford, who were delivering supplies in the area as well.