Ohio's June
Unemployment Rates
Ohio's unemployment rate was 10.5% in June,
down from 10.7% in May.
In the Region:
Athens: 9.8%
Hocking: 11%
Meigs: 15%
Monroe: 13.6%
Morgan: 14.1%
Noble: 14.4%
Perry: 12.6%
Wash.: 8.9%
SCIP/LTIP Grant Applications Due Aug. 13
The District 18 Ohio Public Works Commission Liaison reminds potential applicants that the deadline for submission of the State Capital Improvement Plan (SCIP)/Local Transportation Improvement Plan (LTIP) grants is
4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 13.
Questions regarding the process should go to Michelle Hyer at 740-374-9436.
 Changes
at GOA Office
Fred Deel, who until recently, had served as the Director of the Governor's Office of Appalachia (GOA) until early July, has
entered the race for the 87th House District. He was appointed to the GOA by Gov. Strickland in 2007.
Serving as Interim Director for the GOA is Chris Schaffer.
Columbia Gas of Ohio Funds Job Growth Program
The Job Growth Fund is a $1.55 million grant program to provide financial assistance to new and existing companies that creat new jobs with the service territory. To learn more about eligibility, visit the Columbia Gas web site. 
Ohio Conference on Freight
Sept. 14-15
Hilton Hotel Toledo and Dana Conference Center, Toledo
Registration for the conference is $250 which includes all meals, workshop and plenary sessions, and reception. Registration for the conference is available.2010 conference website for more information. |
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Buckeye Hills AAA8 Earns Two NADO Innovation Awards
Buckeye Hills AAA8 received a 2010 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation for its AAA8 Client Mapping Project and its Diner's Choice Nutrition Program.
 GIS Client Mapping: During the past few winters with all of the ice, snow, and power outages across the region, the Buckeye Hills Area Agency on Aging (AAA8) was contacted by area Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs) for assistance identifying "at risk" elderly residents.
Shown at left are AAA8 Director Rick Hindman, IT Director Jamie Lewis, GIS Manager Bret Allphin and Morgan County EMA Director Terry Robison who met to discuss the AAA8 program to support local EMAs with special needs information on home-bound elderly residents.
Since then, AAA8 has worked to develop a program that will capture in one local system, location information for all PASSPORT clients receiving care in their homes. This information will be used to create and disseminate maps of these "at risk" clients and their locations to coordinate with area EMAs in the event of emergencies and weather-related disasters.
AAA8 Case Managers utilized handheld GPS data collection units to gather pertinent information to assist first responders in finding the homes of at-risk 60+ clients during an emergency.
As requested, county-specific maps can be made available. To control security and privacy, these maps and the related data will be available via the internet as part of a secure, password protected and customized ArcGIS server web application.
With this information, AAA8 can more readily assist Emergency Management groups and first responders in knowing where in-home clients are located and what, if any, special needs they may have in the event of an evacuation, natural disaster, or other weather-related emergency.
 Thanks to funding support made available through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). AAA8 offered 534 participants who were 60+ years of age access to a new nutrition program called Diner's Choice. Designed to give residents better access to nutrition sites, it utilized the services of seven local restaurants in areas determined to be under-served by regional congregate meal sites.
By working with local restaurants, the ARRA funding had a double impact, nutritious meals for seniors while pumping money into the local economy. The pilot program used community diners with menus designed to meet USDA nutrition guidelines. The program served 10,321 meals - a combination of breakfast and lunch coupons were redeemed. A total of $66,943 in coupon redemption supported the seven small restaurant businesses. More than 200 surveys were received praising the program - "I have made new customers and new friends. A couple of the customers can't cook for themselves so it helps them so much," Midway Restaurant. |
Around the District:
 Athens County: Nelsonville Bypass Update
According to The Ohio Dept. of Transportation, since breaking ground October 13, 2009, on Ohio's single largest transportation stimulus investment, Phase II and III of U.S. Route 33 Nelsonville Bypass, workers have logged more than 70,000 hours building the new 8.5 mile realignment.
With investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment ACT (ARRA) construction on the new highway was catapulted nearly six years ahead of schedule - with an estimated completion date of July 2013.
The bypass has already put more than two hundred fifty Ohioans to work in only nine months. As of January 1, 2010, contractors have paid out more than $2.1 million dollars in paychecks.
 Morgan County: Miba Expansion to Create 80 New Jobs
Morgan County is pleased with recent news of 80 new jobs coming to its Miba location - 60 on the Sinter side of the business and 20 on the new bearing line. Ohio provided more than $3.8 million in state incentives to assist with the Miba Sinter's expansion. There, they produce energy-eficient engine and transmission components for the North American Market.
 Perry County: Dodd Visits AAA8 PASSPORT Client
Following a visit with seniors at the Perry County Fair Senior Day, Ohio Rep. Dan Dodd (D-91st District) visited with a AAA8 PASSPORT client to learn more about the in-home services she receives.
Shown at left is PASSPORT client Mary Kinsel with Rep. Dan Dodd (left) and AAA8 Director Rick Hindman. PASSPORT and Assisted Living Waiver programs are funded through Medicaid under nursing home eligibility rules. These two programs allow about 28,000 older Ohioans to remain at home for a fraction of the cost of a nursing home placement. Kinsel's annual care plan costs $14,239 compared to $56,492, the annual cost of skilled nursing facility care - an annual savings of over $42,250 to the state. Washington County: Historic Tax Credits Announced in Marietta for Armory Project
On-hand in July to announce the nearly $875,000 in Ohio Historic Tax Credits to complete the funding package for the Marietta Armory Square project, was Governor Ted Strickland (shown at left) and Rep. Jennifer Garrison (D-93rd District) shown below with Marietta Mayor Michael Mullen. This was one of the 13 projects funded in Ohio (48 projects applied). Misty Casto from Buckeye Hills also attended the event.
 Mayor Mullen said that there is a total of about $3.5 million in funding available for the planned project to convert the former National Guard Armory into a multi-use facility including tourist information, banquet and meeting space, a community marketplace and an intermodal travel center. |
 AAA8 Provides Assistance with Medicare "Extra Help" Applications & RX Savings
AAA8 is urging seniors with Medicare to check if they are eligible for the Extra Help program, which helps pay for Medicare Part D prescription drug plan premiums, deductibles and co-payments. Those who receive this low-income subsidy save an annual average of $3,900.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, approximately 75,000 Ohioans could be eligible for Extra Help, which significantly reduces the costs of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.
The Extra Help program can help alleviate some stressful decisions for families on a tight budget. Seniors who think they may be eligible can act now and call 1-800-331-2644 to save on their prescription drugs
Who Is Eligible? Some people with Medicare automatically qualify for Extra Help while others will need to be at or below certain income and resource levels.
An individual whose annual income is under $16,245 and who has less than $12,510 in resources may qualify. A married couple that lives together may qualify if their income is below $21,855 and they have less than $25,010 in resources.
Resources include bank accounts, stocks and bonds, but do not include your home, cars or other exempt assets. Effective this year, cash values on life insurance policies and financial support from family and friends will no longer count as income and resources in determining eligibility. These changes make it possible for even more Ohioans to qualify for Extra Help.
"No one should have to decide whether to buy medicines, to buy groceries, or to heat the family home," added Barbara E. Riley, director of the Department of Aging. "Extra Help gives eligible seniors and adults with disabilities assistance to buy the prescription drugs they need to remain healthy."
State leaders and advocates encourage all Ohioans to talk with friends and family on Medicare to see if they are aware of and may qualify for Extra Help. |
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