photo by Jessica St. James

Economy, election, controversy ruled 2008

The top local news stories

Staff

Published Thursday, January 1, 2009

Photo by Jessica St. James

Democrat Barack Obama made history in November becoming the nation’s first African-American president.

Although the history books have yet to be written, 2008 will long be a year remembered for an economy that struggled mightily, an historic election that produced near record turnouts resulting in the election of the nation’s first African-American president and lots of local controversy stemming from Lawrence County’s government.

Here are the top 10 stories as voted on by The Tribune staff and also other key events making news in 2008.

AK STEEL

In November, AK Steel executives in West Chester announced they would lay off more than 600 workers at the Ashland, Ky., facility as well as employees at other AK Steel locations.

The sagging economy, they said, was to blame for the decision to idle the workers.

“The economy is shot to pieces right now,” Mike Hewlett, president of the United Steelworkers Union 1865, said. “We’ve got to deal with the leftovers of George W. Bush. We’re hoping there are things we can do. It depends on what they send us.”

The employees may be able to return to work in January.

‘‘We remain hopeful that we will be able to return our dedicated and hardworking employees to their jobs as swiftly as possible,’’ James L. Wainscott, AK Steel’s chairman, president and chief executive, said in a prepared statement. ‘‘Of course, that depends entirely on credit availability and consumer confidence, which are at the heart of this serious economic downturn.’’

Workers may be down but not out.

Some like utility tech Susan Taylor professed concern but at the same time optimism that the layoff won’t last long.

“I’ve been on that side of the board before,” she said. “The Good Lord doesn’t take you places without His grace to get you places.”

ELECTIONS

This was the year for political death matches (think Democrat) and come-from-behind successes (think Republican) and the year Lawrence County got its share of national attention.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary visited twice. The first time she came, in late February, she was asking for Lawrence County’s vote to be the party’s nominee (and Lawrence County gave it to her).

But once she bowed out of the race, she came back only days before the election to stump for Barack Obama. Both times she garnered standing-room-only crowds of cheering admirers.

Obama made numerous visits to Ohio as did Republican nominee John McCain. Both visited Portsmouth and other neighboring counties.

Obama even opened his own office in Ironton, independent of the Democratic Party headquarters office that opens each election year and he got Lawrence Countians to actively campaign for him.

“I think he’ll make a great president,” Obama supporter Terry Null said. “I just want to do what I can here in Lawrence County to get support for him.”

It was also the year the first African-American led a party ticket and first year Republicans offered a woman, Sarah Palin, as their nominee’s running mate.

It was the year of unusually heavy turnout, both in the spring primary and in the November general election. Thousands cast absentee ballots.

Locally, Lawrence Countians rejected several alcohol options but elected a new sheriff, new county commissioner and, in one very close race, a new coroner after more than 20 years. Republican Kurt Hofmann beat Democrat Portia Canos by less than 400 votes.

GUY THOMAS

Shock. Outrage. Embarrassment. And plenty of questions.

In March Ironton resident Guy Thomas was found dead under a city police cruiser.

It was determined he had been dragged under that cruiser for 10 blocks.

Thomas’ death was openly grieved by a stunned community that asked how this had happened — How had a trained officer managed to drag a person, living or dead, under his cruiser without knowing the person was there?

“Family and friends united for the truth,” a sign read at one of two vigils shortly after Thomas’ death.

“I just want to know the truth,” said Anthony Edens, one of people who attended the vigils. “I want to know why he (Fouts) hit him (Thomas).”

Ironton City Council was criticized for lack of visibility within the African-American community during the period right after Thomas’ death.

An investigation revealed poor visibility and snow covered roads may have been partly to blame.

An autopsy showed Thomas was intoxicated and but did not say if he was dead or alive when struck by the cruiser. Thomas was known to have seizures.

While the officer, Richard Fouts, protested he did not know Thomas was under his cruiser, he resigned anyway. A grand jury ultimately refused to indict Fouts, calling the death a tragic accident.

A NEW HOSPITAL?

When the old River Valley hospital closed in January 2001, Lawrence County was left without a hospital within its borders. Residents were forced to seek medical care in neighboring Kentucky or West Virginia or drive 35 miles away to hospitals in Portsmouth.

In September, two area entities took a step toward rectifying that and bringing medical care closer to home.

St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, W.Va., and the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization announced plans for a medical complex at the intersection of U.S. 52 and State Route 141.

The two-phased plan called first for construction of a family medical center with extended urgent care hours with the possibility of other services, including an imaging center, surgery center, and other specialty clinical space. Construction on Phase 1 will some time in 2009.

Representatives of both entities said the ultimate goal is to build a full-service hospital, but that would depend on the success of earlier steps in the project. Still, the move was hailed as positive news after a years-long medical care drought.

“This is a very important day (Wednesday) for Lawrence County and its residents,” Lawrence County Commissioner Doug Malone said. “And hopefully, it’s the beginning of good things to come.”

BETH RIST

In October, Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship fired Police Sgt. Beth Rist after she allowed a family member of a woman she had stopped for a traffic violation to take the ticket to keep the driver from going to jail.

“We want to instill honesty and integrity within the police department and assure the citizens our officers will do the right thing, that they will make the right decision and not file a false report,” Blankenship said at the time of the termination.

Rist contended the punishment did not fit the crime and filed a grievance to get her job back. In her grievance, she contended other officers have done the same or worse but kept their jobs.

“I did not gain anything from my actions and there is no victim here,” Rist said in the prepared statement. “I did not fabricate any charges. The individual who received the citation admitted her guilt and paid the fine and costs of the subject citation. The matter should be done and over with….

“I’ve been the victim of blackmail in all of this as the woman who was issued the citation contacted me and threatened me with my job if I didn’t do something for her,” Rist said at the time she filed her grievance.

In November, the mayor refused Rist’s request to get her job back so Rist is taking the matter to arbitration.

WILLIAM EARL LYND

In May, a South Point native became the first person in the nation to be executed after an unofficial moratorium on executions while the U.S. Supreme Court decided the constitutionality of lethal injections.

William Earl Lynd was put to death in Georgia for the murder of his girlfriend, Virginia “Ginger” Moore in 1988. But Lynd’s list of victims did not begin or end with Moore. He pleaded guilty a year later to a 1988 Lawrence County murder, too.

Leslie JoAnn Starkey, of Detroit, was on her way to Huntington, W.Va., to spend Christmas with her family when she encountered Lynd while driving on U.S. 52 near Chesapeake.

Lynd lured her out of her car with indications of car trouble, attacked her and shot her three times when she fought back against that attack.

Starkey was able to get back in her car, drive a short distance and summon help and give authorities information about her attacker. She died at St. Mary’s Medical Center a day later.

Lynd pleaded guilty to murder charges and was sentenced to 15 years to life for Starkey’s death. That sentence ran concurrently with his death sentence in Georgia.

TRIPLE HOMICIDE

Franklin Furnace is just outside the Lawrence County line, a close neighbor if not a part of the county proper.

And so when three people were murdered there Dec. 22 those deaths became a concern and a heartbreak for folks here. Ed Mollett, 46, Juanita Mollett, 43, and their daughter, Christina Mollett, 20, were shot to death at the couple’s trailer on Snook Road.

The 6-year-old grandson of the older couple and nephew of Christina Mollett had witnessed the shootings and ran to neighbors for help.

Later that night Kara M. Garvin, 29, turned herself in to Scioto County authorities and was charged with three counts of aggravated murder. Sheriff Marty Donini called the murders “a crime of opportunity.”

Days later, Paul J. Balmer, referred to as a “person of interest” in the case was apprehended by Clay County Sheriff’s office in Green Cove Springs, Fla.

RAE-LYN ROBINSON

She was the granddaughter of Lawrence County Auditor Ray T. Dutey and a one-time employee of the county treasurer’s office.

In May, she became a convicted felon. Rae-Lyn Robinson pleaded guilty that month to taking more than $25,000 in taxpayer’s money while she was a county employee.

Though she paid back the money, thus avoiding jail time, Robinson’s crime sparked controversy and cries of a political coverup for months while local authorities tried to sort out how much money she took and how many taxpayers were affected.

At her sentencing, Robinson’s attorney, D.L. McWhorter, said Robinson was remorseful and the theft was the result of personal problems.

“Things happened and it snowballed,” McWhorter said.

Robinson was ordered to serve four years probation for her guilty plea to a single count of theft.

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST JASON MOONEY

The February 2007 murder of elderly Thelma Mooney rocked Ironton and made area residents feel less secure: if it could happen to her, could it happen to me, some reasoned? Her grandson, Jason Mooney, and his wife, Lisa, were arrested in connection with her death weeks later.

Though charges against Lisa were dropped a few months later, Jason Mooney remained in the Lawrence County Jail, maintaining his innocence.

Trial dates were set, then postponed and re-set, and 2007 gave way to 2008.

Then in June, just days before Mooney was to walk in that courtroom, he walked out of jail a free man. Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr., announced charges were being dropped against Jason due to lack of hard evidence.

“I had to ask myself if I really had a chance of getting a conviction based on the evidence I had and I had to answer in the negative,” Collier said.

Mooney’s family was ecstatic the charges were dropped, but unhappy justice had taken so long.

“We knew there was no way on this green earth Jason did this,” his mom, Sue Mooney said.

DOMESTIC TURNS DEADLY, TWO DEPUTIES SHOT

It is probably the call law enforcement officers dread most: a domestic dispute. Angry exchanges between family members can escalate from unpleasant to volatile in the blink of an eye. In October, that happened. Two Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a domestic incident on Ben Howell Road.

“The deputies proceeded to that residence since officers heard yelling and screaming. The deputies, knowing the subject was armed and concerned other lives may be in danger, proceeded to the residence and were confronted by the suspect armed with a knife,” Sheriff Tim Sexton explained.

Deputies Jamie Pruitt and Brian Chaffins were attacked and injured; the armed man, Alfred Robinson was shot and killed. The deputies are continuing their recuperation.

Other notables…

Ironton In Bloom Gets A National Award

It was proof that volunteerism pays big dividends: the Ironton In Bloom beautification effort won a national award — a national award— in its inaugural year.

The city’s beautification program earned the criteria award for floral display at the national America in Bloom convention in Columbus.

“I think it shows when people come together, things can be accomplished,” Blankenship said. “This is one accomplishment that has benefited the city.”

Economic Development

Mercier. Chatham Steel. A new Comfort Inn in Burlington. Liebert expansion. Area business and government leaders welcomed news of new business and industry as well as the growth of an existing one.

Bus service

Public bus service returned to Lawrence County, making travel to Kentucky and West Virginia as well as other points along the river in Lawrence County easier and more affordable.

School construction

Shovels were flying in three area school districts: Dawson-Bryant students walked into a renovated and enlarged elementary school; work continued to build new schools in Ironton and South Point.

The long-awaited audit

In 2007, the county commission asked the Ohio Auditor’s Office to conduct a performance audit, an in-depth evaluation that was meant to show how the county might save money by adopting best or better practices and procedures.

Though it was supposed to be completed in the spring, the audit was not released until in November. The conclusion: the county can save money and does not need a tax hike.

There were numerous suggestions about how the county could keep finances in line. But the main thrust of the audit was that the county had to do something about stagnant or even dwindling revenues and escalating expenses.

Mary Wipert

In January, the Lawrence County Republican Executive Committee selected former board of elections director Mary Wipert to be their nominee to the elections board, replacing Dick Myers, the fellow Republican who had led the effort the previous year to fire Wipert.

But in February, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner turned thumbs down on Wipert’s nomination, claiming she was “not fit, adequate or suitable” for the job.

The local G.O.P sued to get Brunner’s decision overturned but the Ohio Supreme Court sided with Brunner. Carl Lilly was given the chair on the board instead.

Meanwhile it was made public that Wipert had continued to receive county salary and benefits even after she was fired. Some called for the money to be paid back and asked why this had happened in the first place.

Lawrence County Celebrates A Milestone

As birthdays go, 100 is big. So a big celebration was needed to toast the 100th birthday of the Lawrence County Courthouse in September.

Postcards were offered showing the building as it was in 1908. Historical dramas, music, and of course a proclamation were part of the weekend of events.

Fire Deaths

In February, Paige and Travis Holley died when fire destroyed their Miller mobile home. Their mother, Amanda Holley and baby sister, Brooke Holley managed to escape the blaze.

The Indian Head Rock

It was the center of an interstate judicial tug-of-war. In June, a Greenup County, Ky., grand jury indicted Ironton area historian Steve Shaffer for taking what is locally known as the Indian Head Rock out of the Ohio River.

Kentucky owns the river and authorities in the Bluegrass State contended the removal of the rock constituted theft.

Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said Shafer would not face charges if he agreed to the Indian Head Rock’s return to Kentucky so it can be put on display.

Conway also asked for a public apology and for the city of Portsmouth to pay $90,000 for attorneys fees and to build a display on the Kentucky side of the river.

The issue remains a bone of contention between Ohio and Kentucky.

Special Olympics

In May, a Lawrence County tradition almost wasn’t. Special Olympics was at first canceled when host district South Point declared indoor games would be at the old high school gym, not the new one, prompting cries of discrimination against wheel-chair bound students.

There was the threat of a possible lawsuit, even. The Olympics were re-scheduled a couple of weeks later with the separate venues and went off without incident.

Jones indicted

In May, Rock Hill High School Band Director Scott Jones was arrested for having alleged inappropriate conduct with two female students. He has pleaded not guilty.

The case is pending in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. A Chesapeake teacher, Donald Clark, was arrested for similar misconduct but the charges were later dropped.

Animal abuse

It happens all the time, unfortunately, but two 2008 incidents of animal abuse brought public outcry.

In July, a golden retriever was found in the back yard of his owner’s eastern end residence with his chain growing into his skin, the result of gross neglect.

The dog owner, David Bruce Skinner, was called into court to answer for his neglect but escaped jail time in lieu of community service and restitution to a local veterinarian for the dog’s medical care. The abuse of the dog got regional attention.

In June, Lawrence County Humane Society officials said they were looking for any information that would help them find an individual who abused a black Labrador retriever in the Deering area and left it for dead. A $100 reward was offered.

And in August, Ironton authorities removed several animals from a house at 847 N. Fifth St. after complaints of animal neglect and abuse. One of the two residents, Eugenia Davis, was charged with connection with the incident.

Betty Neumar

She had five husbands, some of whom died tragically. In June, North Carolina authorities said the death of Betty Neumar’s fourth husband, Harold Gentry, was more than tragic, it was murder.

They charged the former Lawrence County resident with soliciting someone to kill Gentry, who died more than 20 years ago.

This prompted authorities in Monroe County, Fla., to take a fresh look at the death of husband number 3, Richard Sills in 1965. Family members contend Betty’s first husband, Clarence Malone of Ironton, did not die by her hand.

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