The Ironton Tribune looks back at some of the top stories of 2024

By HEATH HARRISON AND MARK SHAFFER
1. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
The Ironton Fighting Tigers football team won its first state championship in 35 years after being runner-ups for nine years. Ironton handily defeated the Liberty Center Tigers with 28-17 win to capture the Division 5 state championship at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Dec. 14. The Ironton Fighting Tigers football team also won state championships in 1979 and 1989 and has made 40 post-season playoff appearances.

2. PRINCIPAL ATTACKED
In a shocking move, on Oct. 24, disgruntled parent Joshua Collins stabbed South Point Elementary principal Bill Christian in the lobby of the school because of child custody issues. Christian was taken to the hospital and was treated for injuries to the back and neck.
Collins was indicted on several charges including first-degree felony attempted murder with a specification for committing a crime in a school zone, two counts of first-degree misdemeanor menacing by stalking, first-degree misdemeanor telecommunications harassment, second-degree felony felonious assault with a specification for committing a crime in a school zone, first-degree felony attempted murder with a specification for committing a crime in a school zone, nine counts of first-degree felony kidnapping with a specification for committing a crime in a school zone, fifth-degree felony breaking and entering, first-degree felony illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon or deadly ordnance in school safety zone and fourth-degree felony inducing a panic.
Collins will have a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 8 in the Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

3. OLYMPIC STAR
Ironton’s own McKenzie Long become a Tri-State celebrity after she qualified to run in the summer’s Paris Olympics. Long has attended Ironton High School and has won multiple NCAA National Championships in her college career. She placed seventh in the Women’s 200-meter Final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but that didn’t matter to her fans. At an appearance at Ironton High School in September, Long was awarded the key to the City of Ironton and spent hours signing autographs for fans, former teachers and coaches and family and friends.

4. SEVERE STORMS
Sudden derecho storms struck Lawrence County on the morning of April 2, including EF-1 tornado.
In Ironton, the northwest end of town was hit hardest, with the Laidback Bar and Grill being destroyed and surrounding homes and an RV park were severely damaged.
In South Point, power outages were widespread, after a line of utility poles came down along Solida Road.
In Proctorville, the village’s fire department was heavily damaged, while, in neighboring Rome Township, Fairland West Elementary School sustained damage to its roof. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine visited the area and pledged assistance from the state in rebuilding.

5. APPALACHIAN INVESTMENT
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine came to Rome Township in May to make an announcement that had been long awaited. DeWine followed through on his intention to take a portion of the state’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and invest them into the state’s 32 Appalachian counties. In Lawrence County, this meant funding for three projects: In Rome Township, $12.7 million would go to a project at Lock 27. In Ironton, $5.2 million was awarded toward riverfront projects and the restoration of the Ro-Na Theater on South Third Street; while, in South Point, $1.2 was awarded for riverfront development at the village’s boat dock.

6. RITA MORENO COMES TO TOWN
The Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade had its most famous spectator ever in May.
Rita Moreno, the Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony-award winning actress visited the city, where she took in the event and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to it.
Moreno is managed by John Ferguson, an Ironton resident, and the two organized an event at Ohio University Southern, where she took part in a question and answer session regarding her career, while raising funds for the OUS Bobcat Academy, a summer camp for children, and the Ironton Rotary nursing scholarships.

7. POLITICAL CHANGES
2024 brought many changes to politics, locally and regionally. Andy Holmes began his first term as mayor of Coal Grove, while Bill Elliott was sworn into the helm in Proctorville. Longtime Lawrence County Auditor Sharon Gossett Hager announced her retirement, with Lori Morris winning the Republican primary for her office, as well as the general election. As it has been the last few election cycles, the general election for the county was a quiet one, with Democrats not filing for a single office and Republicans winning unopposed. The region is getting a new congressional representative, with Republican David Taylor elected to the seat of the retiring Brand Wenstrup. State Rep. Jason Stephens, of Lawrence County, abandoned his bid to serve a second term as Ohio’s speaker of the House, but will continue as representative for the district. The state saw the face of its U.S. Senate delegation change completely. The senior U.S. senator, Democrat Sherrod Brown, lost his bid for a fourth term to Republican Bernie Moreno, while the junior senator, JD Vance, vacated his seat when he was elected to serve as Donald Trump’s vice president.

8. THE RETURN OF JB MILLER AND WIRO
This summer, Ironton native J.B. Miller, who has been a radio disc jockey for decades, found himself without a job after being fired by phone from Big Buck Country 101.5. Miller expected that might be the end of his career after 46 years on the airwaves, but here wasn’t radio silence for long.
Total Media in Jackson read that Miller was available so they hired him to be the morning DJ at the radio station that they had recently bought, 107.1 WIRO-FM in Ironton.
Gary Mincer, vice president and general manager of Total Media, called Miller a good guy and said they lucky to have him.

9. NOTABLE DEATHS
The region saw a number of passings of those who contributed to the community, including: Roy Ratliff, a World War II veteran, 2018 Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade grand marshal and the longtime owner of Central Hardware in Ironton, at the age of 99; Pat Clonch, the former director of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce; Carter Taylor Seaton, an acclaimed Huntington, West Virginia author; Richard McMaster, a former Chesapeake council member; Jesse James, a longtime local DJ; and Debbie Rogers, known for her work with the Lawrence County Museum and 911 dispatching.

10. ACHIEVEMENTS
Many Lawrence Countians made the headlines for notable accomplishments in 2024.
• Dr. Mike Dyer, owner of Proctorville Animal Clinic, was honored was named as 2024 Veterinarian of the Year by the Ohio Veterinary Association in March.
• Meredith Dunlap, of Fairland Middle School, followed up her win at the 2023 Lawrence County Spelling Bee (her second in a row) with a first place showing at the district bee in March and went on to compete in the Scripps National bee in Washington, D.C. in May.
• Brea Belville, a Symmes Valley High School graduate, and Connor Waller, a St. Joseph High School graduate, were elected as student body president and vice president at Marshall University, becoming the first ever ticket fully from Lawrence County to do so.
• Fairland High School’s cheerleaders had a banner year – in February, they finished fourth out of 42 schools in their division at the ESPN UCA National High School Cheer-leading Championship in Orlando, Florida. In November, the team qualified to return to nationals, their third consecutive year doing so, and will compete again in February, where they will be joined by Chesapeake High School’s team, who qualified for their first national event in 28 years.