D’Anniballe will address CIC trustees

Karen D’Anniballe, president of Ambulance Service Inc., will serve as both the host and the featured speaker for the first Community Improvement Corporation Board of Trustees meeting of 2010.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, starting at 3:30 p.m. in the headquarters of Ambulance Service Inc., 1439 Sunset Blvd. in Steubenville.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, the board will meet in the new home of EM-Media, 2728 Sunset Blvd. in Steubenville. EM-Media began operating out of its new offices earlier this month. The March 16 CIC meeting will be hosted by the Jefferson County Joint Vocational School.

Youngstown mayor to speak at BOC event

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams has accepted an invitation to deliver the keynote address at the second annual Best of Jefferson County Awards Dinner, sponsored by Progress Alliance.

The event is scheduled for Monday, March 29, starting at 6 p.m. in Wintersville’s St. Florian Hall.

Williams is serving his second term as Youngstown’s 47th mayor. His historic election was viewed by many political observers as a watershed moment in the changing political landscape of the community. Williams is the city’s first African-American mayor, and first elected at 33 years old, was also its youngest.

The centerpiece of the evening will be the presentation of Best of the County awards. Recipients, according to Ed Looman, executive director of Progress Alliance, will personify “the best effort, the best determination, the best achievements and the best of Jefferson County.”

Nomination forms for the awards are available on the Progress Alliance web site, www.theburb.org.  They also are available at the Progress Alliance office, located inside the Jefferson County Center for Economic Development, 630 Market St. in Steubenville. The deadline for submitting nominations is March 1.

Tickets for the event are priced at $65. A table of eight can be reserved for $500. For more information on reservations or to RSVP, please contact the Progress Office at 283-2476.

EPA seeks applications for community grants

The U.S. EPA is making $2 million available in 2010 to reduce pollution at the
local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment
(CARE) program.

 CARE is a community-based program that works with county
and local governments, non-profit organizations and universities
to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous
sources.  Since 2005, the grants have reached 68 communities in 34
states and territories.

EPA will award CARE cooperative agreements in two levels. Level I awards
range from $75,000 to $100,000 and will help establish community-based
partnerships to develop local environmental priorities. Level II awards,
ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 each, will support communities that
have established broad-based partnerships.

Applications for the CARE grants are due March 9. For more information about the grants visit: http://www.epa.gov/care/

‘Big Idea’ announcement coming soon

A formal announcement is scheduled for Jan. 25 regarding the launch of the 2010 “Big Idea” contest in Jefferson County.

The contest, sponsored locally by Progress Alliance, is designed to encourage local residents to pursue their ideas regarding the launch of a new business or the expansion of a current one. The Jefferson County winners will compete regionally for additional recognition.

The MCBI Regional Incubator for Entrepreneurs is sponsoring the contest on a regional basis. MCBI oversees the operation of “The Hub” program in nine eastern Ohio counties, including Jefferson.

Corridor committee will meet on Friday

The Columbus-Pittsburgh Corridor Steering Committee will hold its first meeting of 2010 on Friday, Jan. 15 in the Dennison Railroad Depot. The meeting is set to begin at 10 a.m.

Ed Looman, executive director of Progress Alliance, and Tony Guida, local realtor, represent Jefferson County on the committee.

The feasibility study continues on the corridor section between Newcomerstown and Cadiz. Results of the study are expected to be released sometime in 2010.

The study is designed to demonstrate the need for a minimum 28-mile new highway connecting four-late U.S. 22 at Cadiz with a four-lane U.S. 36 at Newcomerstown.

Chamber planning trade fair, BAH

The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce will hold its Member to Member Trade Fair and Business After Hours on Thursday, Jan 21 from 5-8 p.m. The event will be held in the Museum Room of Froehlich’s Classic Corner, 501 Washington St.

The deadline for making a reservation is 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 18.  For more information, contact the chamber at (740) 282-6226.