Haugh Makes History In Wellsville

Friday – December 30: There were tears of joy, smiles of hope and hugs galore for well wishes as history was made yesterday afternoon. Mrs. Susan A. Haugh was sworn in as the Village's newest Mayor. Peggy Miller's little girl Susan became the first female ever elected Mayor in the history of Wellsville. According to Wellsville historian Brass Beresford, prior to Mrs. Haugh's election this past November, the highest elected female Wellsville official in the past was a President of Council several years ago. That was when Wellsville was classified as a city. Mayor Haugh is the daughter of Peggy Miller.

Mrs. Haugh was the top vote getter among four candidates running for Wellsville Mayor in the November General Election. Haugh ran as an independent and is the wife of Jeffrey T. Haugh. She is a native of Wellsville and was serving as a member of Village Council at the time of her election.

Columbiana County Sheriff Ray Stone officiated for the swearing in ceremonies that took place at Village Hall Friday afternoon. Also sworn in were newly elected Council members Don Brown, Diane Dinch and John Morrow.. Brown & Dinch have prior Council experience. Morrow is new to the Village political arena. Re-elected Councilman Tony Cataldo was not present at yesterday's swearing in ceremonies.

Councilwoman Rosie Goss was Master of Ceremonies. Canton, Ohio music teacher Sandy Larsuel offered an opening prayer and sang the song “My Grown Up Christmas List”. Mrs. Larsuel is the sister of Councilwoman Goss and was assisted by Bria Larsuel.

Mayor Haugh reported that one of her first goals is to meet with CC Port Authority Tracy Drake to determine how Wellsville can help in developing the Intermodal Park into a more active, prosperous river terminal facility. In the mean time she said she will be setting up the Mayor's office over the holiday week-end in order to be ready for the first day of her new administration when the doors open on Tuesday morning. Tuesday, January 3, will also be the first Council meeting she conducts. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 PM at Village Hall. She be able to use that new gavel that was gifted to her in honor of the historic occasion.

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Team MOJO's Pittsburgh Penguins Date

The Team MOJO Foundation is giving you a chance to have a Penguins date in early March. The lucky winner will get two tickets to the Penguins hockey match at home, gas money to get there, dinner included, and a gift card for Penguin souvenirs.

It's a fund raiser to benefit the Foundation's mission. For more information on Team MOJO visit their web site at www.mojofoundation.org. Check the flyer shown above for additional info on how to get your chances.

Chances are $5 each, or three for $10, for a great time for you and your best friend. That's cheap at twice the price!

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Marathon Oil Donates To Wellsville Volunteer Fire Dept.

Once again Marathon Oil provided a helping hand toward the Wellsville community. On a recent tour of the Marathon Oil terminal a $500 donation was presented to Mayor-elect Susan Haugh toward the Volunteer Fire Department.

The Wellsville Volunteer Fire Department have purchased most of the old Sterling China property with the intention of building a new Village Fire Station. When built the new, larger station will include both the regular Village station along with the volunteers, the same as it is today. The development will be done in stages and will eventually include a banquet hall, recreational facilities and a small park as funding becomes available.

Shown here presenting the Marathon donation, from the left, is Marathon District Manager Angela Brown, Haugh and Marathon Terminal Manager Don Koch.

Neighbor helping neighbor... it's what makes Wellsville some place special.

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Wellsville Men's Basketball At 3&4 Going Into Holiday Break

It took the all senior classmen from East Liverpool nearly three full quarters to realize that the much younger Wellsville Tigers were not going to simply hand them a win. East Liverpool started five seniors in last Thursday's basketball game in the Tiger'S Den. The Tigers had one senior and four sophomores making up their starting five. At times there were five Tiger 10th Graders on the court.

The Tigers made a game of it. At the end of one quarter they only trailed by a score of 21-18. In the second they matched the Potters point for point with 19 each. Going in the locker room at the half the Tigers were only trailing a team that came to town undefeated on the season by 3 points. In the first part of the 3rd the Tigers pulled ahead of the Potters by a slim margin a couple of times before the Blue & White woke up. Before the quarter closed out the Potters out scored Wellsville 24-13 in the third. It took them that long for all that experience to pay off.

East Liverpool held on to that margin plus one to win the game by a final of 80-65. They only out scored Wellsville by one point in the fourth. The Tigers fought to the final buzzer. Except for Senior Josh Carter they may be young playing at the Varsity level but they are competitors. They don't quit.

The Reserves also lost to East Liverpool by a score of 52-46. A couple of more minutes it may have been a different outcome in that first game.

Wellsville returns to action Thursday, January 6, when they host Western Reserve. The JVs tip-off at 6 PM.

Good Luck Tigers...

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Wellsville BOE Closes Out 2011

Monday – December 19: The Wellsville School District Board of Education met Monday evening in the Superintendents office. Present at the meeting was Board President Tom Brophey and Board members Ed Bauer, Karen Dash and Bill Miller. Also in attendance was District Superintendent Rich Bereschik, Treasurer Coleen Wickham and Garfield Principal Lisa Ferguson.

The Board approved payment of the bills and accepted the Treasurer's report as submitted. For the month of November the district had $629,275 in receipts and $618,891 in expenditures leaving a balance of $1.6 million. Wickham reported there has not been any expenditures out of the General Set-Asides and that balance remains at $719,477. Current year to date interest earnings totals $32,884. There will be a Budget Hearing open to the public on Thursday, December 29 at 10 AM in the Board Offices at 929 Center St. The budget is for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2013.

Garfield Principal Lisa Ferguson offered kudos to Aaron Bunfill and the Garfield Elementary students for the outstanding performances at both Wellsville's Light-Up Night and the Christmas concert.

Ferguson congratulated the parents and guardians for their family support of the Garfield students. There are 273 students in the elementary grades, including the 34 preschoolers. At the recent Parent Teacher Conferences they had 239 people attend.

The Daw Middle School student of the month is 5th grader Regan Pierson, the daughter of Kara & Sam Pierson.

Karen Dash was named President Pro-Tem for the annual organizational meeting which will be held Monday, January 9, 2012, at 6 PM in the Superintendent's Office. It will be followed by the regular monthly meeting. State law requires that the organizational meeting be held by January 15. The regular monthly meeting was moved up one week because of this requirement.

The high school Music Department field trip planned for next March to Nashville was canceled. It will be replaced with an overnight trip April 13 & 14 to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Melissa Logan was named mentor for Jenna Vallera as a grade 3 teacher at Garfield. Nikki D'Atri and Miranda Travers was approved as Temporary Short-Hour Professionals at Daw Middle School through the end of the school year. An agreement with Youngstown State was approved for two student teachers at Garfield. Julie Lawrence will student teach kindergarten and Sara Hienerman the 1st grade. Mr. Dave Ewing was reappointed to another term on the Carnegie Public Library Board of Trustees.

The resignation of 7th Grade Girls Basketball Coach Jasmine Richardson was accepted with wishes for good luck. Richardson accepted a full time position on her other job. Coach Allen Dingey will finish the season coaching both Middle School girls teams. Volunteer coaches Robbie Long for high school wrestling, Allen Bergert for high school bowling and Barry Keller for Middle School Girls basketball were also approved.

The contract with Bricker & Eckler LLP of Columbus was renewed for legal services. A service contract for a resource officer three days a week was agreed to with the Village of Wellsville for this school year. Bereschik noted the duties will be split between Police Officers Marsha Eisenhart and Shawn Bloor. The final order of business was to approve the minimum wage rate of $7.70 per hour effective with the first of the year to be in compliance with Ohio Wage Law.

With wishes for a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year from all the members present the meeting adjourned at 6:51 PM. The next regular meeting will follow the organizational meeting on Monday, January 9, 2012. That meeting will begin at 6 PM in the Superintendent's Office at 929 Commerce St.

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"Growing Up in Wellsville" Is Hot Seller

If Wellsville had a Top 10 Book list for sales the newly released “Growing Up in Wellsville” would be at the top of the list...hands down. The book was written by Wellsville High School Class of 1949 alumni Ron Price as a memoir of his growing up years in the village. Price recalls the booming years of the 1940s & 1950s when Wellsville was a very prosperous town with the rail, pottery and steel industries all up and down the valley.

Price retired after a career with Westinghouse, Inc. His Westinghouse career took him all over the country but he never forgot his roots or lost his love for Wellsville. Although no longer a Wellsville resident his heart is still with his hometown. He presently serves as a member of the WHS Alumni Scholarship Foundation and frequently returns for visits. At the encouragement of family, friends and especially his high school classmates he put together a very enjoyable book about his younger years. The book was underwritten by the Class of 1949 and any proceeds from the book are earmarked for WHS scholarships. It was recently released by the printer, The Wooster Book Company.

Classmate Earl Betz reports that since the article in the local newspapers last Friday the phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from all over the tri-state area. According to Betz nearly 50 books have been sold so far. The books that the Wellsville Historical Society had are completely gone. Since then a new shipment has been received and distributed Monday. Books are now only available at Center Pharmacy, the Wellsville Carnegie Library and Air Waves. All three places are located on Main Street in the village. Delivery of additional books is expected next week.

The books are $20 each. Mail orders cost an additional $5 for shipping and handling. Due to the late date there are no guarantees that delivery can be made before Christmas.

For more information inquires can be made by calling Betz at 330-532-2143.

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Santa Gets Some Last Minute Wish Lists

For more years than we can remember the Wellsville Volunteer Firemen have given Santa a ride around town for youngsters to get in some last minute requests. This year the tradition was brought back. We rode along this past Saturday evening and just hearing some of the squeals of delight by some made the trip all worth while.

Thanks to the firemen that made this possible and a special thanks to the firemen who took time out of their busy schedules Saturday night. It really meant a lot to a lot of children.

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Wellsville Council Wraps Up 2011 Meetings

Thursday – December 15: The Wellsville Village Council met in the last regular scheduled meeting of 2011 at Village Hall this morning. Due to the holidays the meeting was moved up from the original scheduled date of December 20. All Council members were present. Also present was Mayor Joe Surace, Village Administrator Jim Saracco, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis & Zoning Administrator Rick Williams.

In the Mayor's Report, Surace remarked that it has been “a wonderful eight years” and wrapping up his term in office is both a sad & happy time for him. Surace opted not to seek re-election in November's General Election. Before moving on with the meeting the Mayor thanked all the Council members, his administration and wished Mayor-elect Sue Haugh the best of luck.

For the Finance Committee Chairman Tony Cataldo reported that as of November 30 the General Fund had $23,000. The total of all funds at the end of November was $383,698 and that was before paying a December payroll.

Chairman John McMahon for the Street Committee submitted a request for preliminary plans for the Port Authority to improve 0.29 miles of existing road at that facility. Engineer John Blair of Dallis Dawson & Associates noted in the letter that since the improvement is on a Wellsville street Council's approval is required prior to proceeding. The improvements will be at the Port Authority's expense with no cost to the Village. The plans were approved.

For the Sewage Committee Chairman Randy Allmon submitted two invoices from Pusateri Excavating for work done on the forced main. One was for $12,396 for the break near Wellsville Terminals that was declared an emergency. The other was for work done on the break in the line around 2nd Street where the contractor cut an electrical line to the only flood pump up there. That invoice was for $14,997.

There was much discussion on the repair of that electrical line. Cataldo noted a deadline was set by Council for that electrical line to be repaired and that has passed. Haugh explained that the contractor thought they could use aluminum wire to repair the line and has since learned they have to replace the copper wiring with copper per the Army Corp of Engineers. At present the contractor is trying to locate a supplier for the copper wire to comply with the Corp's specifications. Councilwoman Rosie Goss agreed to another deadline to have the line repaired, taking Pusateri on good faith that every attempt is being made to get the copper. The new deadline was set for February 1, 2012. Council agreed to authorize payment of the invoices.

Under the Legislation portion of the agenda four ordinances were declared an emergency, placed on third & final reading and adopted. One ordinance was to advertise for bids for repairs to the forced main that was begun without authorization. Work had to be halted when the original specifications were altered. The second ordinance passed awards Rudzik Excavating the bid to repair the forced main pump station at 2nd Street.

The last two ordinances are “house keeping” ones according to the Fiscal Officer. One was amending the appropriations for current expenses & expenditures for 2011 to put the budget in order. The last one was to approve a temporary budget for 2012 to get the year started. The actual 2012 budget has to be submitted to the County Auditor by March 31, 2012 according to Cataldo.

Before closing the meeting thanks and good-byes were made by Allmon, Soldano & McMahon, this also being their last meeting. Allmon presented a plaque of appreciation to the Mayor. McMahon noted he was appointed to fill an unexpired term his first time on Council and won the seat on his own right to his second term. Although not returning for another term he will be available to lend a hand any time he's needed.

Swearing in ceremonies for the new Mayor and new Council members is set for December 30 at Village Hall.

The meeting adjourned at 11:53 AM. The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 6 PM. Pictured above are Council members at the meeting today and Allmon presenting Surace his plaque.

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Buckeye Water Board Meets

Thursday – December 15: The Board of Trustees for Buckeye Water District held their regular monthly meeting this morning at Wellsville Village Hall. All Board members were present except one. Also present was District Manager Al DeAngelis, Legal Advisor Fred Emmerling, Fiscal Officer Tony D'Angelo and Office Manager Greg Stanley.

The Board once again went into Executive Session for litigation with Attorney Emmerling. This one lasted 23 minutes with no action or comments when they returned. We suspect that it had to do with Judge Ashley Pike's ruling two days ago saying BWD had to pay East Liverpool the $4.8 million breech of contract judgement.

Pike has been dragging his feet on issuing that ruling, especially since the USDA advised that in a sense the money garnished is actually theirs. It was bank rolled for loans they issued BWD for growing the water district. BWD was preparing to run water lines to Frederick Heights before the City of East Liverpool got greedy. The St. Clair Township neighborhood doesn't have the best of water from their well systems. The township trustees have been begging, for what seems ages now, to get water lines installed for those residents. The Frederick Heights project was put on hold pending litigation.

Pike must have a short memory when he was quoted by a reporter as saying ...the court beseeches counsel to make every effort to settle on a realistic payment plan...” We recall that BWD offered East Liverpool a cool $1 million cash payment plus something like $14,000 a month for a year to partially satisfy the earlier judgment. It was offered to negotiate additional payments for the balance. East Liverpool's response was to garnish BWD assets and all their cash.

Although nothing was mentioned this morning we can only speculate how this is going to turn out. BWD has already appealed Pike's latest ruling with the 7th District Court of Appeals. Earlier talk was that by forcing them to pay the full $4.8 million judgment in one lump sum might force BWD to file for bankruptcy protection. The USDA surely doesn't want to take over a water district by foreclosing. East Liverpool may have been able to balance their city budget had they accepted that earlier payment plan. Now they'll have to wait ...even longer.

District Treasurer Bob Wines reported that the District is a little over the budget but it is not real bad. Board President Mike Ryan said the District is “in the red a little bit” and both conceded it shouldn't cause any serious problems. The Treasurer's Report was accepted as read.

Board member Gene McGaffick noted that sales was down a bit compared to this year's monthly average but year-to-date it is up compared to this time last year.

DeAngelis reported there was two large leaks in Salineville since the last meeting. One was a saddle break on the main line through that village. The saddle was one installed before Buckeye took over the Salineville water system. DeAngelis noted it was one of the less expensive ones they used that didn't have any stainless steel. The other leak was at the Salineville Sewage Treatment Plant. That line is the responsibility of the Village.

DeAngelis also noted there is a leak somewhere in Wellsville and it is suspected to be between Hibbits Mill and the main line in the village. It is not a real bad leak but water is being lost. Replacing the main line from Hibbits Mill into Wellsville was one of the projects put on the back burner as a result of East Liverpool's litigation. Plans now are being made to make a concentrated effort to isolate the leak in the near future.

For New Business Fiscal Officer Tony D'Angelo advised that under Ohio Revised Code 6119 Buckeye Water does not have to pay real estate taxes and he has spoken to County officials. Yesterday's Morning Journal listed the District being $4,656 in arrears for taxes on the Raw Water Pumping Station that is located by Little Yellow Creek. County officials agreed that the District is exempt.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:34 AM. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Thursday, January 19, 2012 at Wellsville Village Hall.


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Wellsville Tigers Improve To 3&1

Tuesday – December 13: The Wellsville Tigers hosted league rival Jackson Milton Tuesday evening in the Tiger's Den. It was “Bug Ball” all night as the men in the white uniforms took off running and didn't slow down until the refs blew the whistle. Wellsville took an early lead in scoring, built it up to a nice margin and didn't stop.

The Blue Jays took the floor with a bit of a swagger to their step. Must have been left over from their football season. That swagger was a bit tarnished by the time they headed back to the bus to go home. The Tigers took a 10 point lead after one quarter, went into the locker room at the half with a 17 point lead and held onto that margin after three. Final score was Wellsville 67-46 and they say the Tigers are in a rebuilding season.

The highlight of the evening had to be Sophomore Nate Scott's game high 32. Scott had six 3-pointers to account for over half of his total. When Scott is “in the zone” his three pointers are deadly and sweet. Most of them touch nothing but net. Next to Scott's hot hand had to Senior Josh Carter taking command on the floor. We saw one Jackson Milton player hit the floor after running into Carter wishing he was wearing football pads. He thought for a moment before picking himself up. The big guy finished the night with 16 rebounds and 6 points.

The Reserves had another nice win in the opening game with a 79-47 victory over the young Jays. It was a good night for the Orange & Black.

The Tigers get back to action tomorrow night, Friday, December 16, at Leetonia. Tip-off for the Reserves against the Teddy Bears is 6 P.M.

Don't let up Tigers...

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Nominations For Best Decorated Being Sought

Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce Dolly Brophey announced that nominations are being sought for the best Christmas decorated residence in the Wellsville area. Awards will be given to the first, second and third best decorated houses. No one who has won in the last three years will be eligible for this year's contest.

Nominators are asked to call either 330-532-1807 or 330-383-0032 to place their nomination into the judging. The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 23, according to Mrs. Bropehy.

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Coulter Named 2011 Chamber Rising Star

Tuesday - December 13: Wellsville barber James R. Coulter, Jr. was named Wellsville's newest "Rising Star" at last night's Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner. Coulter who is popularly known as J.C. is the owner and master barber of the Wellsville Barber Shop located at 458 Main Street. Coulter opened the shop in 2010.

Coulter is an alumni of Southern Local and graduated from Youngstown State & Hondras College majoring in real estate and journalism. He is also president of CCI call center and is a free lance sports writer for Urban Media Today.

Since opening his shop in town Coulter has done many charitable deeds for the Wellsville community. In memory of his late friend Issac Ludwig he has given Halloween costumes to anyone in need of one for the past two years.

Eligibility for the Rising Star Award requires that the nominee be under the age of 40, in some sort of business in the Wellsville area and be actively involved in the community. Pictured above to the left of Chamber President Randy Allmon , Coulter is the winner of only the second annual award.

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Wellsville Chamber Holds Installation Dinner

Tuesday – December 13: The Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce held their annual installation dinner yesterday at the Riverside Road House. Roxanne Hall was installed as the new Recording Secretary and Chamber President Randy Allmon advised that all other officers reamain the same.

Allmon remarked that the Wellsville Area Chamber membership continues to grow. Recent new members include Chris Arnott of Nationwide Insurance, Doug Verzella of the Ups of Downs Support Group, Lyndsey Mackall, Brandon Russell & Pastor Mark Blakely of Wellsville's First Christian Church and Rental Car Mama of St. Cloud, Florida. Rental Car Mama spokesman Andy Cannata advised that they enjoy a lot of business from the Wellsville area.

Allmon gave a special thanks to the Youth Ministry members of the First Christian for all their help with painting the gazebo and most recently helping with the Christmas decorations in the 4th Street Square. A note from Larry McCombs, husband of the late Vickie McCombs, was read thanking the Chamber for remembering Vickie and dedicating the Annual Christmas Parade in her name. Vickie McCombs was a very active, long time member of the Wellsville Chamber and yearly chaired the committee for the parade.

Before getting on with dinner Chamber member Paul Blevins presented Allmon with a plaque of appreciation for his dedicated service to the Chamber. In the presentation Blevins noted that the award was decided on by he and other members and was a surprise to Allmon.

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WHS Lady Tigers Drop To 1 & 3

Monday – December 12: The WHS Lady Tigers let one slip away when they hosted the Jackson Milton Lady Jays last night. Except for the two seniors in the starting line up the loss could be attributed to the lack of varsity experience. We saw a lot of forcing the ball through a host of blue jerseys, missed foul shots and not using the back board for easy lay ups.

Seniors Rilee Livolsi and Mikyla Tipton did their best. Tipton was the lead scorer for the Tigers with 28 points. Livolsi wasn't far behind with 21 of her own. Livolsi also pulled down 7 rebounds.

The Lady Tigers didn't give up and quit. They had a 69-68 lead with 2:34 left in the 4th quarter only to have it taken away in the next minute. There were several times they could have regained the lead but it seemed the bucket had a lid on it.

Final score was Jackson Milton 77-72. The loss is the third in four games for the Wellsville ladies.

The Reserves also dropped the opening game to the Lady Jays by a score of 39-31. Wellsville returns to action Thursday, December 15, at Leetonia. Tip-off for the Reserves is 6 PM.

Good Luck Ladies...

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Wellsville Volunteer Firefighters Night With Santa

Sunday - December 11: In order to make last minute arrangements with Santa for his rides around town the Wellsville Volunteers threw a party for him. They invited all the members of the department and their families. After ironing out the visit details and having a bite to eat Santa took time out to talk to the children and pass out early Christmas presents for each of them.

Before leaving to return to the North Pole Santa reminded us that he will be back next Saturday, December 17, and Monday, December 19, riding around town and Yellow Creek Township with the firemen to talk to all the children. He can only spare a couple of hours each evening from 7 to 9 PM. Santa said he and the elves are very, very busy this year but he did say he will come back on Thursday, December 22, if he missed anyone. Folks out in Yellow Creek Township are asked to call the department at 330-532-1338 to make arrangements.

All you need to do on those nights is turn on the porch light and wave the fire truck down when it gets close. Please do not let children run out into the street until one of the firemen tells you it's okay.

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Christmas For The Animals Held

Sunday – December 11: “Working Together” the 4th Annual Christmas for the Animals was held yesterday in Wellsville. It took place at the Gazebo in the 4th Street Square. Mayor-elect Susan Haugh welcomed all who attended and issued a heart felt thank-you to those that put on the event and to all who made it possible. The first Christmas event for the animals in the village was started by the ladies of the Alley Cat Aide Brigade four years ago. It was the brain child of Brigade member Connie Carmichael based on a similar event she had heard about being held in Boston.

Joining forces with the Alley Cat Aide Brigade this year was the Columbiana County Humane Society, Wellsville's Animal Control and Paws-R-Riding On It. The four groups working together for the first time for the animal Christmas must have pleased Mother Nature. It was the first time in four years there were clear skies and bright sunshine for the event. The bright sunshine & shadows were brutal for picture taking but it was a beautiful day for an outdoor event. There were gifts, treats and free food given out for the animals while supplies lasted. It was all made possible through generous donations.

Another first this year was rural Wellsville residents Jeff & Sue Bennett taking pictures of the animals with Santa, with professional expertise. When asked where their shop was Sue Bennett declared “we're just winging it, we're not in the business!” Jeff Bennett noted there were 35 pets photographed. Those pictures will be available for pick-up this Thursday & Friday at Air Waves, 464 Main St.

Penelope, the pot bellied pig, had to be the top attention getter. There were lots of cute kittens and lovable dogs but Penelope elicited a lot of “OH Look!” comments. Her owner says she is quite friendly, house broken and gets along well with the two family dogs. The pig was very content nibbling on dry dog food and was very cooperative posing for pictures. “Snakey”, the colorful corn snake, had to be eligible for the most unusual prize, if prizes were given for most unusual pets.


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Wellsville Historical Society Installs 2012 Officers

Tuesday – December 6: The Wellsville Historical Society held their annual Christmas dinner party last Tuesday at the River Museum. The dinner was served by Bricker's Catering. Members had a choice of stuffed pork chops or Italian chicken breast entrees.

Installation of 2012 officers followed the dinner with Historical Society President Robert “Brass” Beresford presiding. Mr. Tom Davidson was installed as President for the new year. Davidson had previously served as a Trustee. Following the swearing in of president Davidson then swore in Past President Beresford as a 1-year Trustee and Tim Gane as a 3-year Trustee.

Other officers returning in 2012 are Bonny Beresford as Vice President, Joan Davidson as Recording Secretary, Carol Smith as Corresponding Secretary, Patricia Lawrence as Treasurer, Lucille Huston as Financial Secretary and Walt Hanlon as Parliamentarian. Jeff Weekley, Robert Lloyd and Mike Lynn remain as the other Trustees.

Although closed for the season private tours of 10 or more can be arranged by calling 330-532-1018 or 330-532-3941. Pictured above from the left is Trustee Tim Gane, Past-President/Trustee Brass Beresford and President Tom Davidson. The next meeting is schedule for Tuesday, January 17, 2012. New members are always welcomed.

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Wellsville Tigers Go 1&1 This Past Week-end

The WHS Tiger men had a busy week-end of basketball on the road playing two long time backyard rivals.

On Friday evening they traveled out Route 39 to take on the Southern Local Indians. The Reserves had an impressive win beating the Indians by a score of 51-28. The varsity game was a renewal of the hard played rivalry it always seems to be with the young Wellsville squad coming up short in the final minute of the game. Up until then they played right along with the Indians and for much of the game had the lead on the score board. The final was Southern 51-46.

The Tigers got back in the win column Saturday night when they traveled down the river to take on the Toronto Red Knights. We didn't make that trip but from the newspapers we see the Tigers never trailed at the end of any quarter and came home with a 79-47 victory. The Reserves put another impressive win in the books taking the first game with a 54-26 final over the Toronto Reserves.

The Tiger Varsity and Reserves are both now 2&1 on the young season. The Wellsville round ball players return to action at home on Tuesday evening, December 13, when they host ITCL rival Jackson Milton. The Reserves tip off at 6 PM.

Pictures above are from last Friday's game at Southern.

Go Tigers!

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Wellsville Village Council Change Meeting Date

With the approaching holidays Wellsville's Village Council has changed the date of their second meeting date of the month. Council normally meets the first & third Tuesday of the month.

The meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 20, has been moved up to Thursday, December 15 at 11 AM. The meeting will take place at Wellsville Village Hall at 1200 Main St.

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Santa & Wellville Volunteer Fire Dept. Team Up For Visits

Once again the members of the Wellsville Volunteer Fire Department have lined up Santa to tour the village and Yellow Creek Township to hear last minute Christmas wishes from children young and not so young. As in years past the firemen will be driving Santa around in one of the fire trucks.

Santa will be in town on Saturday, December 17, and Monday, December 19, from 7 to 9 PM each evening. If he hasn't seen everyone that want him to stop by he will return on Thursday, December 22. All that residents need to do is turn on the porch lights and watch for the fire truck with the flashing lights. When spotted come out the front door and wave. For safety reasons please do not let children go in the street and approach the truck until one of the firemen give the okay.

Residents of Yellow Creek Township are asked to call the station as soon as possible at 330-532-1338 to schedule a stop. For more information call the same number.

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Daw Mid. School Boys Basketball Split Home Opener With United

Wednesday - December 7: The Daw Middle School Boys Basketball teams opened their home schedule this past Wednesday. They hosted the United Local Middle School teams in Beacom Memorial.

The 7th Grade Team had a convincing win beating their United counterparts by a score of 57-35. In the nightcap the 8th Grade men lost a cost one by a score of 29-26.

The teams came right back to host Jackson Milton Thursday night in Wellsville. According to the Morning Journal the 7th Graders defeated Jackson Milton 50-20. There was nothing reported on the 8th Grade game.

The Daw boys team return to action at home Monday night, December 12, when they host backyard rival Southern Local. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 PM for the first game.

Pictures in the collage are from Wednesday's United games.

Go Tigers!

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Kung Fu Panda 2 Coming To Wellsville Library

The kind folks at the Wellsville Library are once again providing some top notch entertainment that the whole family will enjoy. This coming Wednesday afternoon, December 15, they will be showing the newly released DVD movie “Kung Fu Panda 2”. This movie was just released in the theaters on May 26. Now it will be available on DVD.

This Dream Works Pictures is fun for the whole family and kids will love it. It offers action, comedy, stellar animation and lots of visual sparkle. It's all about Po living his dream protecting the Valley of Peace. Jack Black is the voice of Po. Some of his supporting cast members are Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan and Angelina Jolie.

Show time at the Wellsville Library located at 9th & Main is 3:30 PM Wednesday.

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Santa Given An Excited Welcome At Wellsville Library Christmas Open House

The Wellsville Carnegie Public Library and the Friends of the Library held their annual Christmas Open House this past Monday evening. The children were entertained by the WHS Show Choir Ebony & Ivory and treated to Christmas goodies. Garfield Elementary Principal Lisa Ferguson and Miss Rachel, the Children's Librarian, read stories to the children, many of them clad in their pajamas.

Mrs. Ferguson read “The Elf on the Shelf” which is about a magical Christmas elf that is very popular at Garfield during the Christmas Season. According to the Principle no one knows where the elf is going to appear each day and it's great fun looking for him. He has magic powers and may appear anywhere in the building. No one is allowed to touch him. If they do he'll lose his magic. As pictured in the collage he magically appeared on the library's Christmas tree for the Open House Monday. Miss Rachel followed that reading the book “The Christmas Magic”.

Of course the highlight of the evening was the appearance of Santa Claus, the chief elf. From the moment he came jingling in the door he was surrounded by a crowd of children all anxious to get their wishes known. As always Santa was very obliging listening to each and everyone's hopes for Christmas. Santa gave each child a bag of treats and smaller bag of reindeer food to be spread on their lawns on Christmas Eve.

Santa told us he has a web site that can be found on-line at www.meetsantaclaus.com. If you were unable to bring your child to the library last Monday you can e-mail Santa to let him know what is on that list. He said he answers all e-mails and it's free. His e-mail address is Santa@meetsantaclaus.com.

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Wellsville Freshmen Fall In Season Opener

Monday - December 5: The WHS Freshmen Tigers Basketball Team opened their season this past Monday playing host to the East Liverpool Freshmen in the Tiger's Den.

It was a rough opener for the young Orange & Black. Final score was East Liverpool 65-21.

The Wellsville Freshmen return to action Monday, December 19, against Lowellville. The game will be played in the Tiger's Den with a tip-off scheduled for 5:30 PM. The starting time was moved up from the original schedule.

Good Luck Tigers...

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Alley Cat Aide Brigade To Hold 4th Annual Christmas For The Animals

It's coming this Sunday, December 11, at the Gazebo on the 4th Street Square in Wellsville. It's sponsored by the Alley Cat Aide Brigade and set to begin at 12 Noon.

New this year will be an opportunity for owners to take pictures of their furry friends with Santa. Bring your cameras.

For more infomation call 330-532-9064.

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BWD To Purchase New Work Truck

Tuesday – December 6: The Buckeye Water District Board of Trustees held a Special Board Meeting yesterday at the Water Treatment Plant. Except for Dave Lloyd and Tim O'Hara all Board members were present along with District Manager Al DeAngelis, and Fiscal Officer Tony D'Angelo. The purpose of the meeting was to approve the purchase of a much needed work truck and to discuss pending legislation matters.

Members of the BWD Finance Committee, at an earlier meeting, approved recommending to the full board the purchase of a 2012 Ford F150 half ton truck. The vehicle will have a regular cab, a 5.2L engine with four-wheel drive and will cost $21,000. According to Asst. District Manager Todd Brown the next lowest quote was $24,000 for a 2011 truck. The money for the purchase will come from the General Operating Fund. The Board voted 7-0 to accept the Finance Committee's recommendation.

The need for the new truck came about when a 1990s model Blazer with 240,000 miles blew an engine. Prior to that the district had sold four other vintage vehicles all with over 200,000 miles that were becoming too costly to maintain.

Prior to closing the meeting the Board went into Executive Session to discuss the ongoing current litigation. Board President Mike Ryan advised there would be no decisions or announcements made as a result of the closed door session.

The BWD County Liaison Committee are scheduled to meet with the Columbiana County officials in the Engineers Office Wednesday, December 7. The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 15 at Wellsville Village Hall. The meeting is scheduled for 9 AM.

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Dream Fade Broadcasts Parade LIve

Saturday - December 3: The Wellsville based film production company Dream Fade had the honor of doing a first for the annual Chamber sponsored Christmas Parade this past Saturday. With WHS Sports Station play-by-play announcers Rodger Miller and Joe Surace doing the vocals, Dream Fade caught all the action for a live feed over Face Book according to Producer Terry Brown. Brown was assisted by co-producer Jeff Daugherty.

Dream Fade is in the midst of producing a full length feature movie filmed in the tri-state area. The movie will be titled Muddy Waters when released.

If you didn't catch it live or were at the parade and would like to see it again go to www.dreamfade.com/wellsville to see the filmed version. It will be available for viewing until after the Christmas holiday. You can save it to your computer if you wish.

This is their Chistmas gift with special wishes for a safe return home to all and especially to all our area troops serving over seas from the guys at WHS SS and Dream Fade...

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Santa Highlights Wellsville's Christmas Parade

Saturday - December 3: The highlight of any Chamber Christmas Parade is Santa's visit to hear all the wishes. This year was no different and the children eagerly lined up following the parade to let the jolly ole elf know their wishes.

Santa (portrayed by Joe Brown) patiently listened, posed for pictures and passed out bags of treats. Once again he brought the wonder of Christmas to their eyes.

As the man said years ago "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"...

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Chamber Puts On Annual Christmas Parade

Saturday – December 3: Wellsville had their annual Christmas Parade this past Saturday. The parade is sponsored and organized by the Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce. We believe that this year's parade was dedicated to the memory of the late Vickie Cataldo-McCombs who for many years chaired the Parade Committee for the Chamber. It was her “baby” and she did it with great aplomb.

Stepping up to fill in this year was Parade Chairwoman Sheryl Gibson and she did a very admirable job. She lined up nearly 30 units and it made for a very entertaining evening. She lined up something for everyone, young, not so young and everyone in between. Vickie would be proud.

There were trophies awarded for the best float and the next three best units. Best float trophy went to the Wellsville Church of the Nazerene Youth Group. Following them was Wellsville's First Christian Church Youth Ministries for 1st Place best unit, Wellsville's Save-A-Lot in second and third went to the Tri-State Down Syndrome Support Group Ups of Downs. This years judges were Connie Bauer, Theresa Pullie and Marge Dysert.

Free hot chocolate and cookies were provided by The Family & Community Resource Center. Executive Director & Founder Cindy Slavens and son had that covered and from what we could see were kept busy. Ed Bauer served as Master-of-Ceremonies.

We'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. Merry Christmas to all...


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Wellsville Tigers Open Season With Nail Biting Win

Friday - December 2: The WHS Tigers opened their new season at home this past Friday with nail biting win over backyard rival Beaver Local. The Tigers starting five consisted of one senior and four sophomores. Some of those underclassmen showed varsity jitters which led some fans with defeatist attitudes sitting in the stands. Beaver Local had a boat load of seniors with gobs of varsity experience. When senior Josh Carter fouled out of the game late in the fourth quarter there were five sophomores on the floor. Carter was in foul trouble late in the second quarter. It happens to players just coming out of the football season.

We told one nervous fan that he has to remember that most of those sophomores played on last year's undefeated Freshmen team. They don't get intimidated. They won't quit. They will play hard until the clock runs out and that's what they did.

With just seconds to go they had a slim lead and held on until the whistle, pulling out a 2-point victory to open the season. The final score was Wellsville 70-68. It was exciting.

The Tigers return to action Friday night out at Southern Local. The action starts at 6 PM when the Wellsville Reserves look to even their season record after dropping their opening game to the Beavers.

Good Luck Tigers...

ole nib

WHS Lady Tigers Fall To 0&2

Thursday - December 1: The Lady Tigers picked up their game a little bit Thursday night over the what they did in the first game of the season. Unfortunately they were unable to post that first one in the win column as they hosted the Beaver Local Lady Beavers. The Wellsville ladies did show that with just one game so far on the young season as they played the Beavers that they are going to be a team to be reckoned with this season.

They never gave up playing against the Red & White and nearly got the win. The final score was Beaver Local 58-53 and it was all the Lady Beavers could handle. Another minute or two might well have been a different outcome.

The Reserves posted their first win of season. They defeated the Beaver Local Reserves 41-36 in the opening game of the night.

The Wellsville Ladies return to action Thursday evening when they travel to Southern Local. Action begins at 6 PM.

On Wednesday, December 21, there will be a Lady Tigers Basketball Homecoming at the Toronto game with special recognition for the 1987 team that were one win away from winning a state championship. Head Coach Ed Swogger is still trying to find contact information on the following players on that team: Melinda Boyce, Julie Feicht, Dawn Montgomery, Maggie Boyce, Angie Pollack and Kim Halfhill. Anyone with contact information for these ladies is asked to contact Swogger.

Good Luck ladies at Southern Local. We sure you will bring home that first win of the season...

ole nib

Wellsville Holds Christmas Light-Up Night

Wellsville held their annual Christmas Light Up Night last night. Sponsored and organized by the Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce it was held at the 4th Street Square.

The festivities were started with Chamber President Randy Allmon welcoming everyone. Invocation was offered by First Christian Pastor Mark Blakely and Ed Bauer offered some brief comments in place of Mayor Joe Surace. Surace was tied up with a family emergency and unable to attend. Bob Sell played some Christmas tunes for all those attending. Dolly Brophey read the list of names of all those memorialized on the tree's Christmas bulbs.

The highlight of the evening was the lighting of the Village Christmas tree which is adorned with strings and strings of lights and the bulbs. The tree was donated to the Village by Cope Tree Farm. Entertainment was furnished by students of Wellsville's Garfield Elememtary 2nd & 3rd Grades. They sang a selection of carols under the direction of Aaron Bunfill. The smiles on the student's faces warmed up the crowd and outshone the lights.

Following the lighting ceremonies and entertainment Santa (portrayed by Joe Brown) was on hand in the gazebo to pose for pictures with the children, young and not so young, and to pass out treats. Santa will be back as the honored guest in Wellsville's Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 3. The parade will begin at 6 PM near the Fire Station. It will come up Main Street to the square.

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Wellsville Gets First Dusting of Snow

It's not even winter yet by the calendar. We have had some snow flakes flying in the ville before but yesteday, December 1, was the first it stuck to the ground for the new 2011-2012 Winter Season. It didn't last long but it stuck to the trees and grassy areas for a short time.

We're talking about in town, not any out lying areas.

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Wellsville Library To Have Family Craft Night

The good folks at the Wellsville Carnegie Public Library will be providing an opportunity for people to add a personal touch to their Christmas tree decorations. For the next two Thursdays they will be having a Family Craft Night making ornaments. It will be a handmade bulb you'll cherish until the end of time.

Registration is a must. For more information call 330-532-1526.

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Lady Tigers Have Rough Start

Tujesday - November 29: The WHS Lady Tigers got their new basketball season off to a rough start. The ladies played host to the East Liverpool Lady Potters this past Tuesday and they took a thumping. Playing without seniors Courtney Cook & Irene Kiser the Wellsville team scored the first four points in the game. After that it was all East Liverpool. The final for the Varsity was Potters 62-25.

The Reserves lost the earlier game by by four points. The final in that game was East Liverpool 44-40.

The Lady Tigers play again tonight hosting the Beaver Local Lady Beavers. The action is set to begin at 6 PM when the Reserves tip-off.

Good Luck Ladies...

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WHS Basketball Team Digs In

These guys not only know how to play basketball they can plant trees too! With what is normally a day off the WHS Basketball Team, along with their coaches came out on a Sunday morning and helped plant new Cleveland Select Pear trees. The trees were put in between 4th & 5th Streets in the planters that are part of new sidewalk along Main.

With a couple of generous donations the Wellsville Tree Board was able to purchase the new trees in time to take advantage of the fall planting season. Members of the team did the digging, lugging and all the work to get them in the ground. Tim Householder provided the expertise in what had to be done. Householder is the grounds keeper for the Wellsville School District and tells us these trees won't grow much taller than 25 feet.

Tree Board member Pinky Gill stopped by to check the progress. She was so impressed she booked the team for a pizza party courtesy of Nick's Pizza. Even new Mayor-elect Susan Haugh stopped by to thank the team for their community contribution.

Hopefully those trees will be in full bloom come next spring beautifying part of the ville's business district. It was impressive seeing the teamwork with everyone pitching in to get the job done in short order. We were able to make it home for the 1 PM kick-off...

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Potter Players Presents "The NIck of Time Christmas Show"

The Christmas show will run for one week-end only starting Thursday evening, December 1. All performances will be at the Playhouse located at 417 15th Street.

Directed by Mary Beth Morse you won't want to miss it. It is family friendly entertainment that will tickle your funny bone. For more information or to make reservations call 330-532-5540.

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New Decorations Adorn Wellsville's Broadway Park

Getting the spirit of Christmas started in one part of town was a group of people emulating the old Village Beautification Committee. Recalling the beautiful decorations the old committee used to fill Broadway Park with years ago, Councilwoman Rosie Goss announced it would be nice to try to do that again. Saying that the park is one of the nicest areas in the village, Goss recruited fellow Councilwoman Sue Haugh and together they started to get the ball rolling a few months ago. The Wellsville Revitalization Committee donated all the proceeds from their Village Yard Sale toward that goal. The yard sale was held in September.

Along with that very generous donation and with help from other groups and individuals the informal committee was able to purchase some new wreaths and strings of lights for the antique lamp posts in the park. There was only enough to get wreaths and other Christmas decorations for the middle park this year. There was enough to get strings of lights for nearly all the light poles.

The Saturday before Thanksgiving was decoration day. Members of the Wellsville Volunteer Fire Department turned out in force along with others to put up the decorations. The "Mayor of Broadway" Jack Smith kept a watchful eye on the proceedings. He and his lovely bride Garnett furnished the decorators with hot coffee, hot chocolate and brownies. Contributing to effort the Smiths donated the poinsettias for the flower pots on either side of the big fountain.

Goss and Haugh noted that hopefully this is just the beginning in the park decorating efforts. It is hoped that in years to come more decorations can be added to what was accopmplished this year. We would like to note that the group that accomplished this year's efforts are an informal group who came together with a common goal. Not one cent of village government funds was spent on the new decorations. It is just a group of folks way of saying Happy Holidays to all of Wellsville and all of its friends.

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Reporting On The Reporter

The Wellsville Crime Watch Committee wrapped up their meetings for this year with veteran news reported Jo Ann Bobby-Gilbert presenting the program. The meeting was held at Village Hall on November 17.

Bobby-Gilbert, shown here addressing the Crime Watch members, has over 30 years experience as a “newshound” in the print media. She often jokes it is believed she has printing ink running through her veins instead of blood.

Bobby-Gilbert got her start in the newspaper business first working for the Youngstown Vindicator. She has spent time with the Columbiana Ledger and the Panhandle Press, both weekly newspapers. She has been with the Morning Journal, a local area newspaper, for 27 years. Although she did not mention it to the Crime Watch Committee she got her first taste of reporting being a member of the Beaver Local Tales staff while she was a student at Beaver Local High School.

The Morning Journal is owned and operated by Ogden News which is headquartered in Wheeling, WV. In addition to the Morning Journal, Ogden also owns East Liverpool's The Review and the Salem News. All three local papers are printed in Lisbon and they share news stories from each others beat reporters. That is why you will see the same reporters by-line in all three papers.

Ogden has 40 daily newspapers in 12 different states from Florida to Hawaii in addition to nine in Ohio that include our three local papers. The company also publishes 15 magazines which include Mother Earth News, Farm Collector and Grit to name a few. Ogden also owns the Seven Springs Ski Resort and has a major ownership in the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club.

Until recent personnel moves Bobby-Gilbert covered Wellsville, Salineville and everything in between. She currently covers the East Liverpool beat. She concluded her remarks saying for her reporting is not just a job. It's her life.

The Crime Watch Committee will be taking the winter months off before resuming their activities. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 15. 2012.


ole nib

Wellsville Chamber To Get Village Christmas Season Started

The Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce will get the village's Christmas Season started off beginning Thursday evening, December 1. The annual light up night festivities will begin at 6 PM where they turn this sad looking pine tree into a bright symbol of Christmas.

Students from Garfield Elementary will be on hand to entertain with signing of some carols. The litany of those memorialized on the Christmas bulbs will be read. Santa will be on hand to hear requests and pose for pictures. Pictures with pets will be permitted. All of Thursday's activities will be held at the Gazebo in the 4th Street Square. Santa will have Christmas treats for the children.

On Saturday evening, December 3, the annual Christmas parade will be held starting a 6 PM. As of the 17th there were 28 units signed up for the parade. Lining up for the parade will begin at 5 PM. Anyone interested in being part of the parade can pick up registration forms at either Village Hall or CF Bank.

Dress warmly. It's suppose to be chilly...

ole nib

Lady Tigers To Kick-off 2011-2012 WHS Basketball Season

The Wellsville 2011-2012 Basketball season gets underway this evening in the Tiger's Den when the high school ladies host the East Liverpool Lady Potters. The action gets started at 6 PM with the Reserves.

The Lady Tigers will have six returning letter winners with four senior players among them. The returning letter winners are Irene Kiser, Maleya Fultz, Meika Dalrymple, Courtney Cook, Rilee Livolsi & Mikyla Tipton. Tipton went past the 1,000 total career points last year and is on pace to set a new Wellsville scoring record.

With Tipton and the rest of a very talented team it will be an exciting season of basketball. You won't want to miss a single game.

Good Luck Ladies...

ole nib

Wellsville's Friends of the Library To Hold Pasta Extravaganza

Stop by the high school to enjoy some delicious pasta before heading on up to the Christmas Auction or the basketball game. Sponsored by the WHS National Honor Society the Friends of the Library will be holding a pasta extravaganza this coming Friday at the Wellsville High School Auditeria. The high school is located at 1 Bengal Drive. Tickets will be placed in a drawing for a $100 cash prize.

The menu will have spaghetti and meatballs or fettuccini alfredo along with a salad, garlic bread, homemade dessert and beverage. Carry-outs will be available.

Tickets are available from any member of the Friends of the Library or at the Library itself. All proceeds will benefit the Wellsville Carnegie Public Library. For more information call 330-532-1526.

Dinners will be served from 4 to 7 PM.

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Wellsville's Revitalization Committee To Hold 2nd Annual Christmas Auction

The 2nd Annual Christmas Auction will be held by Wellsville's Revitalization Committee this coming Friday, December 2. The auction will be held at Sell's Auction located at 409 Broadway in Wellsville.

There will be something for everyone plus door prizes and a 50/50 drawing. For more information call 330-532-9064.

It all begins at 5:30 PM.

ole nib

Wellsville Council Looks Toward 2012

Tuesday – November 15: Wellsville's Village Council held their first post-election meeting this past Tuesday at Village Hall. All Council members were present except Joe Soldano and fellow members voted to excuse his absence. Also present was Mayor Joe Surace, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, Village Administrator Jim Saracco and Zoning Administrator Rick Williams.

In the Public Speaking portion of the agenda Main Street resident Sherry Allen speaking on behalf of the Daw Middle School 7th & 8th Grade Girls Basketball Teams Boosters sought Council's permission to have an unscheduled tag day on Saturday, November 19. Allen explained the boosters have a joint account with the Volleyball boosters and they are broke. Any proceeds would go toward shoes and jerseys for the girls. A motion by Councilman Allmon was carried.

Riverside resident Jack Cataldo stated “I would like to publically congratulate you Sue on your win and I wish you the best of luck”. Cataldo was addressing Councilwoman Sue Haugh on her winning the Mayor's office in last week's General Election. Cataldo was one of the three opposing candidates for that office. Haugh thanked him and expressed that she hoped he'll be at the other end of the phone when she calls him.

In the Mayor's Report, Surace added his congratulations to “Madam Mayor” and Councilmen-elect John Morrow & Don Brown who were in attendance. He wished all three the best of luck.

Surace also reported that he received a call from Mike Pusateri of Pusateri Excavating who advised new conduit has been installed for the underground electrical line to the flood pumps at 2nd Street. He has been in contact with AEP and they will have the line repaired in the “next couple of weeks”. Surace was referring to an electrical line that was damaged this past spring while the contractor was digging to repair a sewage line.

For New Business Councilman Tony Cataldo advised there is a parcel of property at 1111 Center Street that failed to sell two different times at a Sheriff's Sale. Cataldo noted that the house is fixable and suggested that the Village take it and bid it out for the highest price. It was noted it would cost the village $108 for an auditor's deed and made a motion for the solicitor to petition the court for title to the property. The motion passed.

Cataldo reminded the Mayor that a Special Council meeting will be needed next week to award the bids for the pump station.

Cataldo got a motion passed that the Village apply for a Nature Works Grant for 2012 that is due in February for playground equipment, the baseball fields or tennis courts at Hammonds Park or whatever the Property Committee comes up with.

Cataldo also got a motion passed to apply for a federally funded ODOT grant for new sidewalks and lighting within three blocks of a school. It is unsure if it will be funded in 2012. Cataldo noted it's “an enhancement grant” and the Village does have to accept it if matching funds are not available.

Cataldo also advised that the Issue I project for streets and catch basins had to be cut back for 2012. Commerce Street from 9th to 15th is still being planned but Center Street had to be cut back to only include 10th to 13th. The reason for this is the number of catch basins included and Cataldo stated “the catch basins are more important”.

Cataldo finished with a reminder that it will be necessary to increase sewage rates if not this year then next. He stated the village is not taking in enough to pay the United Water contract. Sewage Committee Chairman Randy Allmon said he would set up a meeting.

Before closing Allmon reminded everyone that the Christmas Light Up Night will be 6 PM on Thursday, December 1. Also the annual Christmas parade will begin at 6 PM Saturday, December 3.

The meeting adjourned at 6:20 PM. The next regularly schedule meeting is Tuesday, December 6, at 6 PM at Village Hall.

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Wellsville Elects New Mayor & Three New Members of Council

There were tears of joy, sighs of relief, plenty of smiles and lots of hugs at the Haugh For Mayor campaign party held last night at the Wellsville Alumni Activities Center. The air was kind of tense with apprehension until a little after 8 o'clock last night when Jeff Haugh read the numbers for the first run-off. With an 80 point lead at that time things began to loosened up a little. It's amazing what can be accomplished with cell phones getting those results from a remote location.

Wellsville went to the polls yesterday. They elected a new mayor and three replacements for Council seats. Mrs. Susan Haugh took 41% of the 844 votes cast for Wellsville mayor yesterday. Mrs. Nancy Murray came in second with 30% of the vote. Haugh currently serves as a member of Wellsville Council. She is midway through her term on Council. A replacement will be named to fill her unexpired Council term. Murray is a political newcomer and is presently a part-time Village employee.

Out of three incumbents running for Wellsville Council only one was re-elected. There was a total of seven names on the ballot for Village voters to choose from to fill four spots. Tony Cataldo is the only incumbent winning re-election, getting 15.5% or 404 of the votes. Two former Council members will be returning. Don Brown garnered the most votes with 405. Diane Dinch came in third with 393 votes and political new comer John Morrow picked up the remaining spot with 376 votes. Losing in bids for re-election was Randy Allmon and John McMahon. Joe Soldano gave up his chance to be re-elected to Council and threw his hat in the ring in an unsuccessful bid for the Mayor's seat.

All the numbers quoted above have to be certified by the Board of Elections. The pictures in the collage are some of those attending the party last night. It's impressive to see the support of family, friends, cohorts and old classmates being shown for Mayor-elect Haugh last night. Mrs. Haugh is still nearly two months away from being sworn in and she has already made Wellsville history. She is the first female to ever be elected as Mayor of Wellsville.

Looking over the numbers Mayor-elect Haugh remarked the people of Wellsville have spoken. They want change.

Amen to that...

ole nib

Wellsville Signs An Agreement For Gas & Oil Drilling

A bit of good news for Wellsville.. let us rephrase that, emphasizing what we consider great news for the Village, is the recent deal Village officials made with Chesapeake Energy. At a Special Council Meeting this past Friday the Wellsville Village Council voted unanimously to authorize Fiscal Officer Dale Davis to sign any and all documents necessary for the lease transaction with Chesapeake for oil and/or gas drilling as negotiated by ALOV (Associated Land Owners of the Ohio Valley). At a meeting last Saturday in Minerva that was arranged by ALOV officials those documents were signed by Mr. Davis.

We suspected something was soon to be resolved a couple of weeks ago when we spotted a small article in the Youngstown Vindicator. It pertained to ALOV finalizing a deal with drillers. After making inquiries locally to no avail we were left still wondering about Wellsville. All we could find out at the time was that no deal had been reached.

Back in April of this year there was a Council Property Committee meeting held with a representative from a company called Evenflow Eastern explaining some details about drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. The Property Committee is chaired by Councilwoman Susan Haugh and has Rosie Goss & Randy Allmon on it.

At another Property Committee meeting on July 12 Haugh brought in ALOV to explain what they do. ALOV is a nonprofit association that formed to represent landowners in negotiating the best contract possible with drilling companies. On July 28 another Special Council Meeting was held for the purpose of authorizing the Village to join ALOV. After that meeting everything got quiet about any drilling leases for Wellsville. At that time they were talking about leases going for around $2,200 an acre.

At the Meet the Candidates Night two weeks ago candidate for Mayor, Sue Haugh dropped another hint when she sent a note apologizing for not being present, saying she was at an out of town meeting in regards of for a brighter future for Wellsville. Arriving later she told all those assembled that she couldn't disclose her reason for missing the event but that she felt she was doing her job as a Councilwoman representing Wellsville “in your best interest”. She later advised us there would be an announcement on November 5.

Not finding anything in the papers on November 6 we contacted Mayor Joe Surace and bluntly asked if Wellsville had struck a deal with Chesapeake. He confirmed that they had but didn't have all the details and referred me to Councilwoman Haugh. Surace said she was at the Saturday meeting along with Fiscal Officer Davis.

Haugh finally filled us in on the basic details. Fiscal Officer Dale Davis signed an agreement with Chesapeake as negotiated by ALOV on Saturday for over 300 acres of Village owned property. Wellsville will get $5,800 an acre plus 20% royalties once drilling production begins. Chesapeake will pay the Village a lump sum amount of $1.9 million depending on title searches coming back clean with no encumbrances on any of the parcels of land. That amount will be paid to Wellsville as soon as the the title searches are completed . They have 90 days to accomplish that.

Once drilling is started there will be 20% royalties paid on any gas or oil produced. The royalties paid will be shared with all the landowners that were part of this most recent lease deal and paid monthly. If there is oil or gas found under the land of one of other property owners, say in Carroll County, that signed this latest agreement Wellsville will get a share of those royalties. Carroll County was use just as an example. We do not know the locations or the number of landowners involve in the deal struck Saturday in Minerva. The Village has the cemetery property, Hammonds Park, the old reservoir and the old garbage dump. Part of the lease stipulates there will not be any surface drilling in either the cemetery or Hammonds Park.

We do know that this is extremely good news especially when some Village officials are considering budget cuts. Property Chairwoman Haugh and her committee are to be commended. When filling us in on the details yesterday Haugh highly praised the work and professional efforts put forth by Fiscal Officer Dale Davis and Village Legal Advisor Attorney Andy Beech.

It is exciting news for the village …

ole nib