MINGO JUNCTION, Ohio — A new $6.5 million facility has opened in Jefferson County, bringing student support, health care, education and workforce resources together under one roof.
The Jefferson County Innovation Center celebrated its grand opening Thursday in Mingo Junction. The 14,000-square-foot facility was funded entirely through grants.
One of the center’s primary focuses is expanding access to mental and behavioral health services for local children. Alliance Integrated Care will provide counseling for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The facility also houses the Quest Center, a program serving students in grades seven through 12 who may have difficulty in a traditional classroom environment. The program focuses on areas including life skills, character development and behavioral support.
Workforce resources will also be available through an OhioMeansJobs access point, providing another service for students and community members at the facility.
Health care services are planned through a WVU Medicine Rapid Care clinic, giving area residents another option for care without having to travel to other facilities in the region.
According to officials, the center’s education and employment services are expected to begin operating Monday, Aug. 17. WVU Medicine services are expected to become available in mid-October.
The Innovation Center is intended to address several needs within Jefferson County by placing educational, behavioral health, workforce and medical resources in one location.
CAMBRIDGE, Ohio — Cambridge police are asking for the public’s help locating a 35-year-old woman who was last believed to be in Guernsey County.
Katrina Day, 35, of Cambridge, was last believed to be in the Buffalo area, according to the Cambridge Police Department. Authorities said she may have also recently spent time in the Lore City area.
Day is described as 5 feet, 2 inches tall and approximately 130 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Police are asking anyone who has seen Day, knows where she may be or has information that could assist with locating her to contact the Cambridge Police Department at 740-439-4431.
Authorities are also encouraging the public to share information about the search.
BRIDGEPORT, Ohio — A new multipurpose facility designed to expand educational, career and community opportunities has officially opened on the Bridgeport Exempted Village School District campus.
District and community leaders gathered Thursday to cut the ribbon on “The Bridge,” a 31,000-square-foot education, health services and community center funded through grants.
The opening came 896 days after the first grant-writing meeting for the project.
The facility is designed to serve both students and adults, bringing a variety of programs and services together in one location. Educational opportunities include expanded college-credit programs along with credential pathways in fields such as manufacturing, health care and veterinary services.
Superintendent Brent Ripley credited partnerships with outside organizations for helping make the project possible and said the district now hopes to return that investment by providing new opportunities to the community.
Beyond education and workforce development, The Bridge includes several recreational and community amenities, including a coffee shop, community gym, walking track and golf simulators.
The newly opened facility represents the first phase of a larger vision for the district. Ripley said Bridgeport Schools plans to continue building on the project with a second phase in the future.
The Bridge is located on the Bridgeport Exempted Village School District campus in Belmont County.
WASHINGTON, Pa. — The Washington County Agricultural Fair returns Saturday, Aug. 15, for eight days of livestock competitions, carnival rides, motorsports, live music and agricultural traditions at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
Dating back to 1798, the Washington County Agricultural Fair is Pennsylvania’s oldest fair. More than 60,000 people attend the eight-day event annually, which features nearly 2,000 animals, approximately 2,600 agricultural exhibits and thousands of youth exhibits.
This year’s entertainment schedule includes two rodeo performances Sunday, Aug. 16, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday will feature Pro Stock Tractors and Hot Semis, followed by motocross Tuesday.
Wednesday’s schedule includes Senior High Bands and the School Bus Demolition Derby. Monster trucks take over the fairgrounds Thursday evening, followed by another demolition derby Friday and Street Stock Trucks on the final night of the fair Saturday, Aug. 22.
Agriculture remains a major part of the event, with competitions and shows involving cattle, horses, sheep, swine, goats, rabbits and other livestock throughout the week. The fair also features agricultural exhibits ranging from hay and grain to fruits and nuts.
Visitors will notice several improvements around the fairgrounds this year. Projects include new and renovated restrooms, new fencing along the racetrack, improvements to the 4-H Hall and new flagpoles at the Memorial Plaza. Planning is also underway for larger future projects, including an Equestrian Center and historic barn renovations.
The fair also has a significant economic footprint beyond its eight-day run. According to information released by the fair, a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture study estimated the 2024 fair generated nearly $23 million in economic impact and supported more than 200 jobs. The fairgrounds hosted another 365 events and rentals throughout the year, bringing total annual attendance to more than 136,000.
Community and corporate sponsorships help support both the fair and improvements to the grounds. Organizers announced continued partnerships with several regional businesses and organizations for 2026, while Range Resources is covering admission and entry fees for participating 4-H and FFA members.
Daily admission is $15 and includes carnival rides, while parking is free. Special admission days include $5 admission for seniors on Monday, veterans on Tuesday and children 12 and younger on Thursday.
The 2026 Washington County Agricultural Fair runs Aug. 15 through Aug. 22 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Washington, Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Visitors to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum will be able to explore the museum for just $5 during a special promotion running Aug. 15 through Aug. 22.
The discounted admission, supported by M&T Bank, represents savings of up to $15 per visitor. The museum will be open daily during the promotion from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., including Monday, Aug. 17.
Admission includes access to interactive exhibits inside the Welcome and Education Center, an award-winning film and guided tours of the museum’s Trolley Display Building.
Visitors can also see the museum’s newest rotating exhibit, “Streetcars to the Skies,” which explores Philadelphia Rapid Transit’s short-lived venture into aviation. The company launched passenger air service in 1926 between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., later expanding to Norfolk, Virginia. The service lasted about five months and is described by the museum as the first regularly scheduled passenger air service in the eastern United States.
The museum will also continue a tradition dating back 115 years by providing trolley transportation to the Washington County Agricultural Fair throughout the same eight-day period.
Trolleys will shuttle passengers between designated parking locations, the museum and the fairgrounds from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. Departures are scheduled approximately every 10 to 15 minutes, and tickets allow riders to make multiple trips on the day they are purchased.
Round-trip trolley rides to the fair cost $5 per person, while children 2 and younger ride free. An eight-day trolley pass is available for $25. Fair admission is not included in either fare.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is located at 1 Electric Way in Washington, Pennsylvania.
OHIO VALLEY — Here’s a look at some of the top stories making headlines across the region Friday, August 14.
A swastika was discovered painted on Temple Shalom in Wheeling, the Ohio Valley’s only synagogue, sometime before Thursday morning. The symbol has since been removed, and Wheeling Police responded to the incident. Additional security is planned for Friday evening’s Shabbat service.
In Belmont County, an endangered eastern hellbender brought an ODOT construction project to a temporary stop for two days. Wildlife officials were called in to safely remove the approximately two-foot salamander. The animal is now being cared for at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium with hopes of eventually returning it to the river where it was found.
In Steubenville, demolition is underway on a downtown building featuring a mural honoring Tuskegee Airmen brothers Jerome and John Edwards. Artist Kyle Holbrook said he learned about the demolition after work had already begun and is invoking federal artist-rights law. The College of Saint Joseph the Worker, which owns the building, says significant roof failures made rehabilitation impractical and demolition necessary because of a public-safety risk.
A new pavilion at Glen Robbins Park in Jefferson County was destroyed by strong winds during this week’s storms. County Commissioner Jake Kleineke said the architectural firm is expected to examine why the structure failed, while plans are already underway to rebuild it.
James Robert Meade II, an alleged co-conspirator in the Marshall County Assessor embezzlement case, pleaded not guilty Thursday to 14 felony charges, including fraudulent schemes and conspiracy. The case is connected to former Assessor Eric Buzzard’s kickback scheme. Meade’s trial is scheduled for October 26.
Two education projects are also moving forward in the region. Tuscarawas Central Catholic broke ground Thursday on a privately funded field house and community center, while Bridgeport schools celebrated the opening of “The Bridge,” a new 31,000-square-foot facility combining education, health care and workforce training.
Finally, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will waive shooting-range permit requirements Saturday for Free Range Day at Class A, B and C public ranges across the state during regular operating hours.
Stay with River News for updates on these stories and more from across the Ohio Valley.
The Jingle Bar is returning to the Ohio Valley this fall with a Halloween twist, and a recent Facebook post is fueling speculation that this year’s location could be in Benwood.
A post from the Jingle Bar Facebook page announced “Jingle Bar After Dark,” a new fall version of the popular seasonal attraction set to arrive in late September.
The post included an image teasing the new location and asked followers to guess where Jingle Bar will be setting up for the 2026 season. The image has since sparked speculation that Benwood could be the new location.
However, no location has been officially confirmed.
Jingle Bar After Dark is expected to bring the familiar Jingle Bar experience to the fall season with a Halloween-inspired atmosphere and additional surprises planned.
More information, including confirmation of the 2026 location, is expected ahead of its late-September opening.
Flock Safety is introducing a series of changes to its automated license plate reader system, including a new seven-day default data-retention period, mandatory misuse detection for law enforcement customers and additional controls over how agencies share and search data.
The changes were announced Aug. 13 by Flock founder and CEO Garrett Langley as updates focused on privacy, accountability, security and transparency. River News reviewed Flock’s announcement directly for the details below.
One of the biggest changes involves how long license plate reader data is stored. Flock said it is changing its recommended and default retention period from 30 days to seven days.
However, that does not mean every existing Flock camera will automatically switch to seven days. Existing customers will retain their current retention periods, and communities will continue to determine how long their data is kept under applicable policies and laws.
Flock also plans to introduce an “Evidence Mode,” allowing investigators to preserve specific ALPR records connected to an active investigation beyond the normal retention period. According to Flock, customers adopting the seven-day recommendation will receive the feature at no additional cost.
Another new feature will allow agencies to limit shared-camera searches based on the type of offense. Flock said a community could, for example, permit another agency to search its cameras for stolen vehicles, missing persons or violent crimes while prohibiting searches for other purposes.
The company is also expanding safeguards intended to identify potential misuse by law enforcement users. Flock’s “Audit Assistance” system, which looks for abnormal activity and flags it for administrator review, will become mandatory for all law enforcement customers by the end of 2026.
Flock said it will also introduce automatic lockouts when user activity meets defined criteria for abnormal behavior. Access would be suspended while an administrator reviews the activity.
Case codes will also become mandatory for law enforcement searches by the end of the year. Emergency searches may bypass that requirement, but Flock says those searches will be flagged for administrator review.
Security changes include mandatory multi-factor authentication for users logging into Flock. The company also retained cybersecurity firm Bishop Fox to independently review its products and says it plans to publish a summary of the firm’s findings and Flock’s remediation work in September.
Flock is additionally launching a Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure program intended to provide security researchers with a formal process for reporting vulnerabilities.
The company reiterated that customers own the data collected by their cameras and determine who may access it and with whom it is shared. Flock said it plans to publish a plain-language explanation of its contractual terms to make those responsibilities clearer.
Flock also addressed the accuracy of ALPR alerts, emphasizing that an alert is intended to serve as an investigative lead rather than a determination that a vehicle or driver is involved in a crime. The company says officers are expected to independently verify information before taking action.
Flock reported that more than 1,500 agencies have made a public Transparency Portal available. Those portals can provide information about an agency’s retention policy, sharing relationships, search activity and other policies.
The announcement represents changes to Flock’s technology and company policies, but implementation will vary. Some measures are still being developed or rolled out, existing agencies are not automatically being moved to seven-day retention, and local policies will continue to influence how individual Flock systems are operated.
FOLLANSBEE, W.Va. — Follansbee residents will see changes to the city’s garbage collection service beginning Sept. 1, including a higher residential rate and new requirements for bulk-item pickups.
The residential garbage rate will increase to $26 and will cover collection of up to six trash cans, according to city officials.
The city is also changing how residents dispose of bulk items and request special pickups. Those collections will become scheduled services, requiring residents to contact the city ahead of time to arrange pickup.
Residents have been notified of the upcoming changes by letter.
Fifth Ward Councilman Joe Kafton said city officials reviewed garbage policies in surrounding communities while considering the changes. He said the updated ordinance is intended to address issues involving bulk and special pickups while encouraging the use of trash cans for regular collection.
Residents with questions about the new garbage collection rules are encouraged to contact their city representatives.
WHEELING, W.Va. — Hazy skies are expected to make a return to the Ohio Valley as smoke from wildfires in the Pacific Northwest continues moving east across the country.
The smoke has been carried into the region by upper-level winds, though recent rain and cloud cover have largely kept the haze from being noticeable. Some clearing Wednesday evening offered a glimpse of the smoky conditions.
According to forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, smoke is expected to become more concentrated across portions of the Great Lakes region into Thursday. Rain and clouds could continue to limit visibility of the haze locally.
Conditions are expected to become more noticeable Friday after rain moves out and skies begin to clear. Some wildfire haze could be visible across the Ohio Valley Friday afternoon and evening.
The smoke is not expected to be as thick as what the region experienced in mid-July, but the haze could produce a more colorful sunset Friday evening.
River News will continue to follow conditions across the Ohio Valley.
