News in brief – 4/27/11

Published 9:21 am Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ironton council to meet Thursday

IRONTON — The following items are on the agenda for the regular Ironton City Council meeting, scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. in the city center:

• The first reading of an ordinance authorizing Mayor Rich Blankenship to convey a piece of property to the State of Ohio. The property is a small piece of land around a bridge on Lawrence Street. Construction to elevate the bridge is scheduled to start next spring and the state needs an easement, Blankenship said.

• The first reading of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute a collective bargaining agreement between the city and the International Association of Firefighters

Email newsletter signup

• The first reading of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter a contract with Southern Ohio Trenching for storm sewer repair at Eighth and Ashtabula streets.

• The first reading of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement for professional services not to exceed $25,000 with Red Oak Consulting for a financial feasibility study required for tax exempt municipal bonds for the sewer relining project.

• The first reading of an ordinance amending the annual operating budget for the city

• The second reading of an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for the city regarding the disposal of material at the city garage and landfill.

— Lori Kersey

Macker Mania tip-off tonight

IRONTON — The Friends of Ironton will host Macker Mania Tip-Off tonight from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings.

The event is the promotional kick-off for the Ironton Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament to be held May 21-22.

Gus Macker Founder Scott McNeal and the Macker Man mascot will make personal appearances at the event.

Tournament entry forms will be available as well as door prizes. There will be a free team entry drawing as well as foul shooting contests.

— Lori Kersey

OLBH to host breast cancer support group May 5

RUSSELL, Ky. — Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital’s (OLBH) breast cancer support group will meet Thursday, May 5 at 5 p.m. in the Diabetes Education Classroom at Bellefonte Center, 1000 Ashland Drive.

The topic for this month’s meeting is Impatiently Waiting….Developing Patience in Cancer’s Shadow. Refreshments will be provided.

To register, contact the OLBH CareLine at (606) 833-CARE (2273) or register online at www.olbh.com.

Pre-K programs making strides

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s preschool efforts received high marks in a national study released Tuesday.

The study by the National Institute for Early Education Research ranks West Virginia third in the nation for percentage of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-K, up two places from last year.

The state also ranks in the top 10 for percentage of 3-year-olds enrolled in state funded preschool, according to the study titled “The State of Preschool 2010”.

In terms of spending per child in pre-K, West Virginia ranks 10th in the nation, moving up three places from last year.

West Virginia’s pre-K program met eight of 10 quality standard benchmarks, gaining one benchmark over the previous year as the provision of meals is now one of the standards. Other benchmarks include class size, teacher-to-child rations and whether the teacher has a bachelor’s degree.

More than 13,800 West Virginia children are enrolled in pre-K programs, ac cording to the study.

West Virginia is expected to stay on schedule with its plan to offer pre-K programs to all 4-year-olds by the 2012-2013 school year, said W. Steven Barnett, NIEER co-director and author of the report.

Barnett stressed the effect of the recession on preschool-age children. He noted that without aid from the federal economic stimulus, funding per child nationwide would have been lower, approaching its lowest level since 2002 when NIEER began tracking state preschool performance.

Compared to children without high-quality preschool, children who attend are more likely to graduate high school and go on to higher education. They are less likely to require special education or repeat a grade.

Marshall, Alcorn State to exchange faculty

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Marshall and Alcorn State universities are implementing a faculty exchange program.

Marshall says the schools’ presidents signed an agreement Tuesday making the program official.

A Marshall faculty member will to teach at Alcorn for a semester, and an Alcorn faculty member will teach at Marshall for a semester.