Newcomerstown NOW receives grant
The Donald R. Myers Legacy Fund to support partnership in Appalachian Ohio has awarded $3,000 to Newcomerstown NOW to purchase winter boots to be distributed to children attending the annual Whoville event. It is a Christmas-themed community celebration held in mid-December that includes giveaways of winter clothing and a variety of activities.
Purple Star School
Buckeye Career Center has retained its Purple Star School designation through 2029, recognizing its continued commitment to supporting military-connected students and families, an honor it first received in 2023. Superintendent Bob Alsept and military liaison Tim Vandeborne, a U.S. Army veteran, said the designation reflects BCC’s ongoing efforts to provide stability, understanding and resources for students impacted by military service.
Dover Light & Power recognized
Dover Light & Power with a Certificate of Excellence in Reliability from American Public Power Association. The certificate recognizes utilities that placed in the top 25 percentile of reliability nationwide in 2025, as measured against the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s data. The association helps public power systems track outage and restoration data through and compares the data to national statistics tracked by the EIA.
Sponaugle promoted at highway patrol
The Ohio Highway Patrol recently promoted Bryan L. Sponaugle from sergeant to lieutenant. Sponaugle transferred from his previous assignment at the Canton Post to the New Philadelphia Post to serve as post commander.
Sponaugle began his patrol career in May 2007. He earned his commission in January of the following year. He received a Criminal Patrol Award and the Ace Award for excellence in auto larceny enforcement three times. He was named Post Trooper of the Year in 2019. He was promoted to sergeant in 2021 and transferred to the Steubenville Post to serve as assistant post commander. He received the Col. Thomas W. Rice Leadership Award in 2024.
Sponaugle served in the United States Marine Corps and the United States Marine Corps Reserve, with deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
County, sheriff’s office receive state funding
Tuscarawas County will receive $50,000 from the Ohio Department of Agriculture to develop, update or implement land use plans or farmland preservation plans.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office received $9,388 during the recent round of the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program.
Library displays related to America 250
“Trumpet in the Land” has donated props and cast photographs for exhibit at the Dover Library this month. The display, tied Ohio’s official outdoor drama, tells the story of missionary David Zeisberger and his Christian Delaware followers as they seek to preserve their peaceful settlement during the Revolutionary War.
The production is staged in the same Tuscarawas County hills where the history unfolded. For details about “Trumpet in the Land,” including auditions and tickets, email trumpet@frontier.com or contact the box office at 330‑364‑5111.
Additionally, items on loan from the Warther Museum are on display. This includes some of Mooney’s pliers to a sample from the famous Button House. For more information, call 330-343-6123 or visit doverlibrary.org.
BCC students place in competitions
Six members of Buckeye Career Center’s SkillsUSA chapter earned top honors at the Ohio SkillsUSA State Championships in Columbus.
Gabryella Ferren (Cosmetology/Carrollton), earning a second-place/silver medal in the Cosmetology competition.
Third place/bronze winners include Zoey Campbell (PLTW/Engineering/Conotton Valley) and Kail Marshall (PLTW/Engineering/New Phila) in Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue; Toni Watson (Graphic Arts/Tusky Valley) in Photography; Marshall Kohler (Electrical Systems Technology/New Phila) in Industrial Motor Control; and Khalen Green (Outdoor Power/Carrollton) in Motorcycle Service Technology. Green is now a two-time state placer.
Additionally, five Project Lead the Way/Engineering students earned top spots at the Project Lead the Way Community Showcase.
The team of Duane Yoder (Garaway), Joshua Spencer (BCC), and Jaylyn Young (Indian Valley) competed in the Introduction to Engineering Design category, earning second place. The team of Jackson Rice (BCC) and Hunter Zelenak (Dover) competed in Computer Integrated Manufacturing, also earning second place.
The competition is judged each year by local engineers, and the 2026 event featured elementary through high school students from nine Tuscarawas County schools.
Nellie Stockwell scholarship applications
Applications are being accepted for the Friends of the Tuscarawas County Public Library Nellie Stockwell Memorial Grant in Aid. The grant named after the library’s first librarian is open to area students who are planning to continue their education after high school. Applications are available in school guidance offices, at the main Library, and online at tusclibrary.org, and must be submitted by June 1. For more information and guidelines, email to tcplevents@tusclibrary.org.
Hospital to offer A1C screenings
Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital will host a series of A1C screening events at locations across Tuscarawas County in June. The cost is $10 to check blood sugar levels. To register, call 330-602-0779. Appointments are preferred, though walk-ins will be accepted if space is available.
The screenings are scheduled for three dates and locations:
Meetings
● The Tuscarawas County Board of Revision will meet at 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. May 18-20, in the county auditor’s office.
● East Central Ohio Educational Service Center Board will meet at 4:30 p.m. May 18, at its New Philadelphia office.
● The New Philadelphia School Board will hold a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. May 18, at the administration office to consider the employment of a public employee or official. No action is expected to be taken.
● Garaway Local Schools Board will meet at 6 p.m. May 18, in the high school library.
● Indian Valley School Board will meet at 7 p.m. May 18, at the high school.
● Kristy Dickey, with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, will explain the creation of the conservancy district and its role in the region at 2:15 p.m. May 21, at the Tuscarawas County Senior Center, 425 Prospect St. This is part of the Lunch and Learn series sponsored by the Dover Library. To register, call 330-364-6611.
● The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District Board will meet at 9 a.m. May 22, at the Kent State University Tuscarawas Campus in New Philadelphia.
● The Tuscarawas County Democratic Party will hold its organizational meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 26, at its headquarters in New Philadelphia.
● New Philadelphia’s zoning and annexation committee will meet at 7 p.m. May 28, in council chambers. Three items are the agenda. One is to apply for a NatureWorks grant and another is related to garage sale permit fees. The third is an ordinance amending the city traffic code to ban passing on the right in a designated area during certain school hours for safety.
● The Tuscarawas County Records Commission will meet at 11 a.m. June 2, in the county office building.
● Dover School Board will hold a public meeting regarding the rehiring of Brian Miller at 7 p.m. June 25, at the administration office. Miller is set to retire from a teaching position on May 29.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tuscarawas County news roundup: Grants, school honors, and police promotion
Reporting by Times-Reporter / The Times-Reporter
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