Latest news with #AshtabulaCounty
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Farm season starting to roll
A cold, wet spring has turned into a warm, dry start to the summer growing season. Area farmers had trouble getting seed into the ground because of the conditions in May but things are rounding into a better picture for the summer growth season. Several area growers and an agriculture specialist said the weather has put farmers a week or two behind in their growth spectrum. Ashtabula County Ohio State University Extension Agent Amanda Barnum said a big concern is the nutritional content of hay, with the first cutting occurring late in the season compared to a normal year. She said there is a certain height of the hay maximizes nutrition for area animals. Steve Robinson, of Robinson's Apple Barn in Harpersfield Township, said it was a slow start to the planting season, but it is improving with the warmer weather. He said the business has been selling tomatoes and strawberries, but his sweet corn first went on sale Thursday. He said it is really good corn. 'Corn and tomatoes love hot weather,' Robinson said. After the rainy spring, the weather tilted a bit too far the other way for area farmers. 'I need an inch [of rain] every other day,' said Rick Puckrin, who sells his locally-grown produce at area farm markets and to restaurants from his Austinburg Township farm. He said the rain provides a consistency of quality from the plants. Puckrin said he started planting April 1, but things got a little too cold and rainy. He said at least 60 degree temperatures 24 hours a day is perfect for growing. Barnum said the produce operations seem to have good growing results this year. She said apple and peach orchards also seem to be in a good place.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
Sheriff's Office investigating possible scam
The Ashtabula County Sheriff's Department is investigating a possible scam in the area. According to Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Shannon Mellin, a flatbed truck left a sign at a county residence, which was in reference to a possible repo. The sign listed a phone number Google marked as a scam, Mellin said. Ashtabula County Sheriff Bill Niemi said the sign claimed the residents were being investigated under a fake section of the Ohio Revised Code. 'We just want people to be alert and call us if they see anything,' he said. Investigation by the Sheriff's Department is ongoing, Niemi said. 'That's the first [sign] we've had in the county,' he said. Niemi said people should keep an eye out for scams and make sure not to give personal information, like their account numbers, over the phone, he said.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Board of elections approves chargebacks
JEFFERSON — The Ashtabula County Board of Elections approved chargebacks for the May election at a meeting Thursday morning. Board of Elections Director John Mead said the total for chargebacks for the election was a little over $118,000. The total costs for all levies in the county was a little over $80,000, with the remainder of the cost paying for the statewide issue on the ballot. The two county-wide issues for the election, levies for senior services and the county Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, both cost around $36,000. Mead said the board is aggressively looking for new poll workers. Board of Elections Deputy Director Charlie Frye said the board has had trouble conducting election outreach on social media. 'We actually went and announced on Facebook that there was an election, and Facebook put us in jail,' he said. The Ohio Secretary of State's office could not help the county board of elections with the issues it was having, Frye said. 'Right now, we're chasing new registrants,' he said. 'We targeted all the Democrats in the county, because we're a little more deficient on Democrats than Republicans.' The office is trying to outreach to Democrats who voted in the 2018 and 2020 primaries, he said. The board of elections is setting up a mock election for the week of August 25. The election will be for juniors and seniors at St. John School, A-Tech and Geneva, Edgewood and Grand Valley high schools. There will be one machine in each school. Frye said the board will use the event to get students registered to vote, and to recruit poll workers. The board of election's next meeting is planned for 10 a.m. Aug. 13. The filing deadline for the Nov. 4 election is Aug. 6, Frye said.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
Accused murderer pleads not guilty at arraignment
JEFFERSON — Timothy Adams was arraigned Friday afternoon, and pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges. Adams is accused of killing Timothy Howard Hambleton June 2 in Lenox Township. Bond was continued at $1 million, and the case was assigned to Judge Thomas Harris. Adams was ordered to have no contact with the victims' family and witnesses related to the case. A dual diagnosis was also listed with the bond requirements. Adams was given credit for 19 days in jail. Deputies were called to the 3500 block of Route 46 in Lenox at 6:11 a.m. June 2, according to a press release from the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office. The release claims Adams fled in a 2006 Ford Explorer. He was arrested later that day in Geauga County. Adams was indicted on one count of murder, an unclassified felony, one count each of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, first-degree felonies, one count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and one count of tampering with evidence, a third degree felony.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
County awarded $15 million to help fund new jail
JEFFERSON — After years of chasing grants, Ashtabula County finally came up a winner Friday, as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a $15 million grant for the construction of a new jail. 'The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners and Ashtabula County Sheriff William Niemi are proud to announce the successful acquisition of $15 million in state funding toward the construction of a new county jail,' a press release from the commissioners said. The grant money will be matched by $15 million the commissioners have saved towards the project, the commissioners said at previous meetings. Niemi, in consultation with the commissioners, decided a new jail just north of the present one on county property would be the most financially-expedient plan. The funding is through the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Program, which was launched by DeWine in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in 2021 to help local communities fund improvements at functionally obsolete and structurally failing jails, according to a press release from DeWine's office. 'This funding will not only support safer environments for those living and working in our local jails, but it will also help prepare inmates for release by creating improved spaces for workforce development, educational opportunities, and other programming,' DeWine said in the release. The commissioners have been working with Niemi to find the best solution to the current county jail, which is too small, and has been deteriorating. 'I can't tell you what a relief this is, for all the hard work we put into it,' Niemi said. He said the current jail not only has functional problems, but is too small to allow programming that would hopefully reduce recidivism. 'We don't have the space to bring the counselors in,' Niemi said. He said the increased space will allow inmates to have a fuller evaluation and hopefully find their way to the right path. 'This is a transformational moment for Ashtabula County,' Commissioner JP Ducro said in the commissioners' press release. 'This funding allows us to move forward. It is a testament to the persistence of county leaders, the support of our sheriff, and the responsible planning that made a local match possible. I am especially pleased that we can now build a facility that should help reduce recidivism and be much more operationally efficient for decades to come.' The current jail was constructed in 1978 and has long been outdated and insufficient to meet the demands of law enforcement, county leaders have said during the last year of discussions and debate. 'This is a major win. We're incredibly grateful to the state for awarding the full amount of our grant request,' Commissioner Casey Kozlowski said in the release. 'This funding allows us to move forward with the jail project; finally addressing a decades long issue in Ashtabula County.' 'Securing this funding is a major step forward for our county. This project isn't just about building a new facility — it's about making a smart investment in public safety, creating a safe environment for inmates and staff and serving the needs of our community,' Commissioner Kathryn Whittington said in the release. Niemi said in the release Friday was a historic day for the county. 'The new facility will give us the tools we need to run a secure, effective operation and provide the level of care and accountability the people of this county expect,' he said in the release. 'I thank the commissioners, our partners at the state level, and the people of Ashtabula County for supporting this long-overdue step forward.' The new jail will also be helpful for law enforcement agencies and other county courts and departments. 'That is great news,' Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell said. 'That is sure to be good for all the [police] departments including ours.' He said there have been crowding issues at the county jail for 10 years, which caused city jails to fill up for longer periods of time. The proposed new jail design would house 209 inmates and take approximately three years to build. Niemi said meetings to discuss the next steps toward construction will start very soon.
