MANSFIELD — Local income tax collections were down 18 percent from last year during the first two weeks of April, Mansfield Finance Director Linn Steward told City Council on Tuesday night. But it’s still early to tell for certain the complete impact of the coronavirus on the city’s overall financial picture, Steward said during a […]
Carl Hunnell, City Editor
Posted inNews
Auditor: Too soon to start making Richland County budget cuts due to COVID-19
MANSFIELD — Richland County Auditor Pat Dropsey advised county commissioners Tuesday morning it’s too soon to begin making budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re just going to have to be patient and and somewhat conservative in our spending,” Dropsey said during a public conference call session […]
Posted inElections, News
Morgenstern challenging incumbent Vero in GOP primary for Richland County commissioner
Editor’s note: This story was initially published March 6 in anticipation of the March 17 in-person primary election, which was extended until April 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no additional in-person voting. Any Richland County voters who have not already voted (through early voting prior to March 17) may request an absentee ballot […]
Posted inNews
Village of Lexington finances in ‘good shape,’ says mayor
LEXINGTON — The Village of Lexington was in good financial shape at the end of the first quarter of 2020, Mayor Brian White told village council members Monday evening. “We are about where we always are (this time of year),” White said during a “virtual” online meeting conducted via Zoom conference technology. “We are in […]
Posted inCovid-19, News
Neither of Mansfield’s 2 state prisons has become a COVID-19 hotspot
MANSFIELD — Neither the Mansfield Correctional Institution nor the Richland Correctional Institution have become hotbeds for COVID-19, according to data from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The state prison system website, updated daily, on Sunday said two staff members and one imate at MANCI had tested positive for coronavirus. An email to MANCI’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Opinion: Public access to government has never been more important
The public’s right to know what its government is planning, doing, or even contemplating, is never more important than during times of crisis. Nearly four decades of local journalism in Ohio has taught me that fact. It comes from covering simple things like a Guernsey County commissioners’ meeting to something far more complicated — a […]
Posted inNews
Safety forces concerned as COVID-19 could cost Mansfield $5.2 million
MANSFIELD — It was already going to be a tough year financially for the City of Mansfield — and that was before the coronavirus pandemic, which will certainly siphon off general fund revenue. It’s about to get a lot worse, if mayors from around Ohio can be believed. More than a month ago, just before […]
Posted inNews
Four Republicans vying for Ohio Senate 22nd District seat
This story was initially published March 11, 2020 in anticipation of the March 17 in-person primary election, which was canceled. Any Ashland County voters who have not already voted (through early voting prior to March 17) may request an absentee ballot application by calling (419) 282-4224 or visiting ashlandvotes.us. ASHLAND — A veteran state lawmaker, a mayor and two […]
Posted inElections, News
Local COVID-19 political impact expected to be felt in fewer primary election votes
MANSFIELD — The coronavirus pandemic impact on politics continues to be felt in Richland County. The Richland County Board of Elections predicts approximately 20 percent turnout for the March 17 extended primary election, according to local elections director Paulette Hankins and deputy director Jane Zimmermann. That would be less than half of the voters who […]
Posted inNews
Mansfield terminates community development/housing director
MANSFIELD — Mansfield’s community development and housing director has been terminated, according to Mayor Tim Theaker. Tracy Bond, a 1999 Ontario High School graduate who previously interned in the community development office, had been the director for less than two years. “We just decided to go in a different direction,” Theaker said. Bond, who earns […]