Local News

A train fire in Rittman Wednesday morning caused no injuries but did cause the closure of the railroad crossing on South Main Street. A gas line ruptured on the train, sparking the fire, at around 1 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to just the trains engine, and cleared the scene around 7 a.m. The South Main Street crossing remains closed until the disabled engine can be cleared, there is no timetable on when it will be reopened.

A West Salem man has been charged following hitting an Amish buggy over the weekend in Ashland County. 47 year-old Patrick Muscaro was charged Wednesday with aggravated vehicular assault, a third degree felony. The incident occurred Sunday evening in Ashland County’s Sullivan Township when Muscaro rear-ended the buggy, ejecting all 7 occupants and causing serious injuries to two children. Muscaro reportedly refused all sobriety testing, causing law enforcement to obtain a warrant for blood draw testing. The test results are still pending, and authorities are still investigating the crash.

Dalton officials are considering the annexation of more than 100 acres of land located just north of the village.  The 106 acres, which includes roughly 90 acres of vacant wood and farmland, sits between Wenger Road and State Route 94.  A map of the property shows the possibility for up to 35 plots that could eventually be developed.  A public petition in favor of the annexation is expected to be presented to council members at their next meeting.

Wooster’s largest employer is set to expand again, and hire more employees in the process. Schaeffler will add 21,000 square feet to its facility, with the new space being used for advanced transmission technologies. The expansion comes less than a year after the last expansion, and will cost around $2.5 million. The plan is to hire 300 more employees to support the new expansion by the end of the year, with the expansion being complete by the middle of next year.

An Akron man was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of a Wooster man. 34 year-old Queitn Tyler was sentenced Tuesday in Summit County for the death of 26 year-old Darian Hardison. The shooting occurred last October in Akron, when Hardison and Derrick Comby got into an argument with Tyler over cigarettes outside a sports bar. Both Hardison and Comby were shot, and Hardison died from his injuries. Tyler says he will appeal, he is eligible for parole after 23 years.

The city of Wooster is looking ahead to next year’s road construction season.  At Monday night’s city council meeting, members adopted a resolution that will allow administrators to seek bids and contract for work on portions of Bever Street, Wayne Avenue, Beall Avenue and Cleveland Road.  All told, the work is expected to cost around $800,000, but ODOT will cover more than half of that.

The Rittman Exempted Village School District is asking voters to approve a renewal levy next month.  If approved, the 3.5-mill permanent improvement levy would bring in roughly $175,000 annually for the district, while costing the owner of a $100,000 home around $44 a year.   The district’s current levy is set to expire in 2020.

In an effort to get feedback from the community on a number of different topics, the Triway Local School District will be holding several public meetings later this month.  Meetings will take place on October 24^th at Franklin Township Elementary, October 25^th at Wooster Township Elementary and October 29^th at Shreve Elementary.  Topics will include everything from athletics to finances and the district’s facilities.

Holmes County has added a Certified Public Accountant to its ranks. The county has hired John Thern to be the new county budgeting and finance director. Thern will help the Commissioners get various projects under control, with one of the top priorities being the sewer district, which is one of the growing operations in the county.

A high traffic intersection in Holmes County will get some work done starting in 2020. The intersection of state Route 39, County Road 77 and Township Road 367 will be transformed and improved. The Homes county Commissioners received word from the state that the project would proceed in April of 2020 and should be finished in the fall that year. The intersection will see traffic signals installed, as well as state Route 39 receiving a widening for left hand turn lanes. The county and Berlin Township will be responsible for a total of $750,000.