BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Here is the Belmont County court docket for Friday, January 10
from the court website.
1 case is scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change per the site, which states “that not all events may be represented in the event list. The court has discretion over the information displayed. Also, the user must be a party or associated with a party on the case for the event to be listed in the event list. If you do not see an event in the list, do not assume that it does not exist.”
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Legislation co-written by Attorney General Dave Yost’s office and signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Mike DeWine cracks down on crime rings that steal billions of dollars of merchandise from Ohio retailers each year, fueling higher prices for consumers, according to a press release from the Ohio AG’s office.
“Consumers bear the cost when organized retail theft goes unchecked,” Yost said. “With this law, we aim to make sure the thieves are the ones who pay the price.”
The Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement Act targets theft rings with stiffer criminal penalties and creates a new statewide task force and an advisory council within the Attorney General’s Office. Yost’s office crafted the law in partnership with the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants and Ohio Chamber of Commerce. State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari and state Sen. George Lang sponsored the legislation.
The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants estimates that organized retail theft costs Ohio businesses $2 billion to $3 billion annually. The crime typically involves groups stealing large amounts of merchandise from multiple stores and selling the items for profit. To offset the losses, some retailers have little choice but to raise prices.
The law creates a new felony offense of organized retail theft, with penalties escalating based on the value of the stolen merchandise. It also enhances penalties for repeat theft offenders, setting a minimum fourth-degree felony charge for thefts committed by individuals who have a felony-theft conviction within the previous three years.
“These criminals rely on safety in numbers, but it’s a false sense of security,” Yost said. “We now can charge them as a group, making it easier to convict and imprison thieves who target retailers as part of a crime ring.”
Along with tougher penalties, the law establishes a new task force under Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission to investigate organized retail theft statewide. To support the task force, the law calls for the formation of the Organized Retail Theft Advisory Council, a group consisting of the attorney general and representatives from the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants and Ohio Grocers Association, among others.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Law enforcement task forces organized under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC) confiscated more than $92 million in illegal drugs in 2024, along with 560 firearms and $4.7 million in currency, according to Ohio Attorney General Yost.
“The number of illegal drugs and weapons taken off our streets this year is impressive thanks to our drug task forces, but the true measure of their success is the countless lives spared from overdoses and addiction,” Yost said. “I’m grateful to every sheriff and police chief, along with our federal partners, who fuel our efforts to thwart drug trafficking.”
OOCIC task forces have seized more than 288,000 prescription pills, 1,154 pounds of fentanyl, 1,994 pounds of cocaine and 2,334 firearms since 2019.
Graphic courtesy of Ohio Attorney General’s Office
One notable drug seizure happened in Belmont County in October. On Oct. 2, agents from the Belmont, Jefferson, Harrison Major Drug Interdiction Task Force executed a search warrant in Belmont County that led to the arrest of three individuals and the seizure of two firearms, including a gun that was previously stolen. Agents also seized 222 grams of fentanyl, 135 grams of cocaine and 157 doses of Suboxone.
Another major bust happened in Jefferson County. On Oct. 15, the task force executed a series of search warrants in Jefferson County, with an emphasis on a storage building in Wintersville. Inside, investigators located cocaine, fentanyl, two firearms and currency. Also seized from the storage unit were three vehicles, including a Bentley, Audi and a three-wheeled motorcycle.
At a residence in Steubenville, five additional vehicles were seized along with three firearms. Investigators found cocaine and fentanyl inside one of the vehicles. In total, 6.22 kilograms of cocaine and 3.94 fentanyl were sized, along with $167,000.
The task force includes the sheriff’s offices of Belmont, Harrison and Jefferson counties, FBI, and the prosecutor’s offices of Belmont, Harrison and Jefferson counties.
BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Here is the Belmont County court docket for Thursday, January 9 from the court website.
129 cases are scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change per the site, which states “that not all events may be represented in the event list. The court has discretion over the information displayed. Also, the user must be a party or associated with a party on the case for the event to be listed in the event list. If you do not see an event in the list, do not assume that it does not exist.”
BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Here is the Belmont County court docket for Wednesday, January 8 from the court website.
78 cases are scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change per the site, which states “that not all events may be represented in the event list. The court has discretion over the information displayed. Also, the user must be a party or associated with a party on the case for the event to be listed in the event list. If you do not see an event in the list, do not assume that it does not exist.”
WHEELING, W.Va. – Tipping Point Real Estate Development said in a press release that demolition of the former Wheeling Inn to make way for the new Wheeling Gateway Center is expected to wrap up within the next week:
“The Wheeling Gateway Center is approaching a major milestone as the remediation and demolition phase is expected to wrap up within the next week. With this morning’s winter weather temporarily closing the site, Raze remains committed to completing the site grading according to the specified requirements. Any remaining debris will also be hauled off-site during this final stretch.
Once grading is complete, the focus will shift to finalizing the punch list and demobilizing equipment. For the most part, the site will appear complete to passersby, marking a significant step forward in the project.
This cleared and properly graded site will enable the engineers and architects to proceed with detailed design and construction drawings. These drawings will serve as the basis for procuring contractors for the next phase of building construction.”
BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Here is the Belmont County court docket for Monday, January 6 from the court website.
73 cases are scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change per the site, which states “that not all events may be represented in the event list. The court has discretion over the information displayed. Also, the user must be a party or associated with a party on the case for the event to be listed in the event list. If you do not see an event in the list, do not assume that it does not exist.”
BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Here is the Belmont County court docket for Friday, January 3 from the court website.
1 case is scheduled.
The schedule is subject to change per the site, which states “that not all events may be represented in the event list. The court has discretion over the information displayed. Also, the user must be a party or associated with a party on the case for the event to be listed in the event list. If you do not see an event in the list, do not assume that it does not exist.”
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce released guidance and a non-exhaustive list of religious expression days students can take as absences.
Ohio schools and districts must now adopt a policy that reasonably accommodates a student’s sincerely held religious beliefs and practices for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system.
Every Ohio school district, charter and STEM school must adopt a policy that allows students three days off each year to observe religious holy days. The deadline for schools to adopt the policy is January 22.
Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 3320.04, which became effective on Oct. 24, 2024, the Department of Education and Workforce compiled a non-exhaustive list of major religious holidays for the next two school years which schools and districts may use and add to when creating their policy for excusing students for religious expression.
Students are given up to three religious expression days per school year provided that the parent or guardian provides written notice to the school or district of the selected days within 14 school days of the start of school (or within 14 days of a newly enrolled student’s first day in the school or district).
The policy must allow students to participate in interscholastic athletics or other extracurricular activities on a religious expression day.
Schools and districts must post and communicate the policy to families and students. Each school or district must collaborate with the student and family on accommodations needed when there is a conflict between a religious expression day and a school assessment or academic requirement.
The Department of Education and Workforce says no inclusion or exclusion of a religious holiday or festival on the list below shall preclude a student from full and reasonable accommodations for any sincerely held religious beliefs and practices for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system.
These three religious expression days do not count toward parental notification requirements under ORC 3321.191 (C)(1) for excessive absences.
Texas – Home and office organizing goods retailer The Container Store announced late Sunday that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The retailer had multiple years of declining sales.
Founded in 1978, The Container Store Group, Inc. is the nation’s only retailer with a solution-oriented offering of custom spaces, organizing solutions, and in-home services that they say are designed to transform lives through the power of organization.
The bankruptcy doesn’t include its Elfa business in Sweden.
There are more than 100 stores nationwide plus an online retail site.
The Container Store locations nearest the Ohio Valley are Pittsburgh and Columbus.
Other retail stores are also experiencing losses with Big Lots and Party City announcing last week they are closing.
