Mall to host CIC, chamber event

The Fort Steuben Mall will be busier than usual on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

At 3:30 p.m., the Community Improvement Corporation Board of Trustees will hold its September meeting in the mall. Randi A. Baun, executive director of The Brightway Center, will be the featured speaker at the CIC session.

Immediately following the CIC meeting, the mall will host the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours event. For more information regarding the September BAH, contact the chamber at (740) 282-6226.

Corridor group wants one number

Drivers may one day in the near future hop on Route 161 at the Ohio end of the Veterans Memorial Bridge and follow that route number all the way to I-270 northeast of Columbus.

The Columbus-Pittsburgh Corridor Committee last week passed a resolution asking the Ohio Department of Transportation to establish a consistent numbering system for the corridor.

Currently to tell a driver to follow the corridor from Steubenville to I-270 means telling that motorist to follow U.S. Route 22 to U.S. Route 250 to U.S. Route 36 to Ohio Route 16 to Ohio Route 37 then onto Ohio Route 161.

Committee members feel it doesn’t make sense to talk of a half dozen route numbers in a 120-mile corridor.

OMEGA board is coming to county

The Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA) will hold its executive board meeting at the Steubenville Country Club on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The meeting will begin at noon.

Fred Deel, executive director for the Governor’s Office of Appalachia, will serve as guest speaker. Steubenville native Lou Gentile is the assistant director for the GOA.

Steubenville Mayor Domenick Mucci, secretary of the OMEGA board, worked with Greg DiDonato, OMEGA’s director, to bring this meeting to Jefferson County.

The cost for the luncheon is $15. Reservations can be made by contacting the Jefferson County Regional Commission office at 283-8568.  The Jefferson County commissioners, the city of Steubenville and Progress Alliance are serving as the host organizations for the September meeting.

Panel will select new officers

The Columbus-Pittsburgh Corridor Committee will choose new officers during its meeting, scheduled for Oct. 23 at the Ravens Glen Winery in West Lafayette.

Ed Looman, executive director of Progress Alliance, and T.J. Justice, executive director of the Coshocton County Port Authority, are slated to be voted on as co-chairman for a two-year term.

Justice will be seeking his second term as co-chairman of the panel.

BHJ sets date for annual awards dinner

The Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission will hold its 11^th annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 10 in Weirton’s Serbian-American Cultural Center.

The public is welcome to attend and participate in this regional celebration of outstanding volunteer and public service work.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner starting at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are priced at $30 and are available by calling the BHJ office (740) 282-368 or (304) 797-9666. Reservations also can be made by e-mailing ltaylor@bhjmpc.org.

Carnival to launch United Way drive

The United Way of Jefferson County will kick off its 2010 campaign with a carnival, high schools bands, a cheering competition and a pizza eating contest.

The event is set to begin at 5 p.m. on Sept. 1 at St. John Arena and is the first step toward collecting $430,000, which is this year’s goal.

Activities during the three-hour carnival will include inflatable rides, senior bingo, face painting, helium balloons, putt-putt golf, crafts and a rock band video game.

Bridge will be blue and gold

The votes are in, and the Mountaineers have kicked any other color scheme right off the Market Street Bridge.

With 14,543 votes, the blue-and-gold scheme of West Virginia University was chosen as the colors for the repainting of the Market Street Bridge in a poll taken by the West Virginia Division of Highways.

The Mountaineer color scheme defeated colors including green-and-gold, blue and gray and brown and cream.

Follansbee Mayor Tony Paesano was "elated, very happy" that the Mountaineer scheme was the choice.