This is Part 4 of a six-part series looking back at some of the key stories in the pages of the Record-Herald throughout 2023.

July

County’s only living WWII veteran turns 100

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE (June 22) — George Harrison Carrigan — the only living World War II veteran in Fayette County — was honored at his 100th birthday with a celebration at the VFW Post 3762 on Thursday, June 22.

Carrigan enlisted in the Army on Jan. 1, 1943 at the age of 19. His entry to service was at Ft. Thomas, Ky. He was sent by bus to New York and shipped to Europe by boat. He served in Europe, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Normandy, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. Carrigan sailed from Le Havre, France on Dec. 24, 1945 on the U.S. Argentina to return to the port of New York.

Carrigan was honorably discharged on Jan. 5, 1946 after years of dedicated service to the U.S. Army.

The respected veteran held a job with the railroad when he returned home from the military, as he always had a passion for trains and working on railroads.

Grandstand renovates, ready for fair

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE (July 8) — The grandstand at any fairgrounds is one of the focal points of any county fair.

Many of the grandstands in Ohio were constructed in the 19th century. That includes the grandstand at the Fayette County Fairgrounds here in Washington Court House.

Fair board members stated they believe the grandstand was built around 1890.

Several board members met with the Record-Herald Tuesday to discus the renovation of what could be considered the centerpiece of the fairgrounds.

“The grandstand, as we all know, was neglected for years upon years,” Fair board member Tony Penwell said. “There were a few band-aids here and there. It hadn’t shown any signs of work for at least 50 years; I’m talking structurally.”

“It was in dire need of revamping and repairs,” Penwell said. “We as a group decided to take the old ‘front porch’ box seating off. After doing that and getting in there, our initial review with the architect, he was correct that it was structurally sound. Then we had to bring some things up to code and that evolved into a lot more than what everybody anticipated.”

Knapp sentenced to jail time, probation

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE (July 12) — Kylan Knapp, 19, was sentenced this week to jail time, probation and a driver’s license suspension for his role in an April 30, 2022 one-vehicle accident that seriously injured his guest at the Miami Trace High School prom.

Knapp, of Washington Court House, was originally facing three charges — the vehicular assault count as well as third-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault and a misdemeanor OVI charge. At his two-day trial on April 20 and 21 in Fayette County Common Pleas Court, the jury could not reach an agreement on all of the counts, and the foreperson reported “there was no probability of reaching a unanimous verdict,” according to court records.

The jury returned the guilty verdict solely on the vehicular assault count, and the court declared a mistrial on the other two counts.

A retrial was possible but after taking a week’s time to contemplate the best option, Fayette County Prosecutor Jess Weade and the victim in this case, Emily J. Helms, of New Holland, agreed that a retrial was not the best course of action.

At Monday’s sentencing hearing in Common Pleas Court, Knapp stood before Judge David Bender and Helms’s family, and made a formal apology to both the victim and the court. Judge Bender found that Knapp “lacked remorse” for the victim and the damage he had done.

144th fair kicks off in style

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE (July 16) — The 144th-annual Fayette County Fair opening ceremonies took place on Sunday afternoon at the newly-renovated grand- stands. The ceremony began with the introduction of each of the 2023 Commodity Queens, followed by the introduction of the lone Fair Queen nominee, Emma See, and the 2022 Fayette County Fair Queen, Libby Aleshire.

Boy Scout Troop 112 presented a flag and led the congregation in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by 2023 Small Animal Queen Sara Dawson singing the National Anthem.

Fayette County Fair Board President Dr. Bob Schwartz spoke next and welcomed those in attendance. He then went on to thank several local businesses and community members for their help in renovating the grandstands to get the ready for the fair. He also thanked the Fair Board for their support in helping make the renovation possible.

Aleshire and See took part in the official ribbon cutting, and See then declared the 144th- annual Fayette County Fair open. She shared some remarks to close the event.

“I would first like to congratulate our Commodity Court, these ladies are going to be phenomenal and help me the best that they can this week. It’s really crazy how fast time flies. I’m thankful for the opportunities, memories, and friendships 4-H has given me. I would like to thank my parents for pushing me to join 4-H. I would also like to thank Faith Marine and Lisa Schwartz for being my fair week godmothers when I was the Small Animal Queen in 2019. They have always been there for me whether I was stressed, emotional, or just hot. I hope everyone has an amazing fair week. Make sure to stay hydrated, and always have fun.”

$3.5M secured for local projects

FAYETTE COUNTY (July 26) — This week, Congress- man Mike Carey (R-OH) announced his office had successfully secured $3.5 million for infrastructure projects throughout Fayette County via the appropriations process.

“Infrastructure is key to Fayette County’s continued economic growth,” Carey said in a news release. “I’m proud that we were able to secure this money. Our team is committed to making Fayette County an even better place to live, grow, and raise a family.”

Of the sum, $2.5 million will go to expanding Bluegrass Boulevard at the new LG/Honda Electric Vehicle Battery facility.

The new joint venture facility — located at the Fayette County mega-site at the I-71/US 35 inter- section — is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024, with an annual production capacity of approximately 40GWh. The joint venture aims to start mass production of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries in 2025, to be supplied exclusively to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America.

Approximately $1 million is slated to go to the Village of Bloomingburg for a new water treatment plant.

“This investment will help the Village of Bloomingburg make much-needed updates to its water treatment infrastructure,” said Bloomingburg Mayor Donald Fleak.

Woman charged in man’s stabbing

FAYETTE COUNTY (July 31) — A 59-year-old woman has been charged in an alleged stabbing incident that occurred Monday morning in the 3000 block of U.S. Route 62 NE.

Tricia L. Whiteside is facing one count of second-degree felonious assault and is being held in the Fayette County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

According to Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, a 911 hang-up call was received in the FCSO Communications Center on Monday at 4:01 a.m.

Upon callback, contact was made and some type of domestic incident was reported as deputies were responding.

Upon arriving in the area, a male was located in a vehicle near the residence and found to be suffering from stab wounds, according to Stanforth. Fayette County EMS was summoned to the scene and the male was transported to Adena Fayette Medical Center. The male was later transferred to Grant Medical Center in Columbus where he was last listed in critical condition.

“Although she is charged with a single count of felonious assault, the case will be presented to the grand jury in its totality, and they will ultimately decide the charge or charges,” said Stanforth.

August

Issue 1 brings high turnout

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE (Aug. 8) — Early voter numbers were much higher than usual in Fayette County ahead of Tuesday’s special election. A total of 1,769 early votes were cast, according to the Fayette County Board of Elections, including mail-in ballots and those that showed up in person to vote early.

Issue 1 — the only issue on the ballot — asks eligible Ohio voters to consider an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio proposed by a two-thirds majority of the Ohio General Assembly.

The amendment, if approved, would elevate the standards by which the Constitution of the State of Ohio may be amended. If approved, any newly-proposed constitutional amendment placed on a statewide ballot must receive at least 60 percent of the vote to be approved.

Additionally, any initiated petition proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio that is filed with the Secretary of State on or after Jan. 1, 2024 must contain the signatures of at least 5% of the eligible voters residing in each county of the state.

Finally, the amendment specifies that new signatures may not be added to an initiative petition proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio once it has been filed with the Secretary of State on or after Jan. 1, 2024.

If passed, the amendment will be effective immediately.

‘My girl is a fighter’

COLUMBUS (Aug 12) — Nine year-old Brielle Anderson, a Washington Court House resident, is being recognized as a Marathon Mile Champion during the 2023 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & 1/2 Marathon taking place on Sunday, Oct. 15.

When Brielle was born on Dec. 17, 2013, her parents, Tyler and Megan Anderson, were overjoyed to welcome their first baby to their expanding family. However, Tyler and Megan would soon find themselves driving to and from Nationwide Children’s Hospital often, as they discovered their little daughter had many health issues. Brielle made many trips to Nationwide Children’s for ear aches, aspiration, pneumonia, and much more.

Three years later, in October of 2016, Dr. Emily De Los Reyes, the lead specialist of the Pediatric Neurology Neurodevelopmental Clinic at Nationwide Children’s, was able to identify the root cause. Dr. De Los Reyes diagnosed Brielle with GRIN2A, a rare genetic disorder characterized by the lack of the 16th chromosome.

In the nine years since Brielle’s initial diagnosis, she has made hundreds of visits to Nationwide Children’s, and has received several more diagnoses as a result of GRIN2A. Brielle has been diagnosed with epilepsy, asthma, and a compromised immune system.

“My girl is a fighter,” said Megan. “She always seems to be smiling in the recovery room.”

Marathon participants can see Brielle’s big smile for themselves as they pass through her mile where she and her family and friends will be cheering from the sidelines.

$6.2M approved for roadwork improvements at Honda site

COLUMBUS (Aug. 8) — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that $6.2 million in Roadwork Development Grant funding will go to Fayette County to support roadwork improvements to Bluegrass Boulevard in Jefferson Township.

The Ohio Controlling Board approved the grant during its Monday meeting, according to a news release.

“Today’s investment is about much more than road improvements,” said DeWine. “It’s a demonstration of our commitment to Ohio’s communities, businesses, and residents. We are doing what it takes to create and bring jobs to our state and support our communities in their expansion endeavors.”

Improvements to Bluegrass Boulevard will sup- port economic development in Jefferson Township, including Fayette County’s industrial park — home to the site of the new LGES/Honda electric battery facility announced in October 2022. Grant funds will support the construction of approximately one mile of new roadway with a roundabout and a 60-foot span bridge.

“This work is critical to current and future infrastructure needs in Fayette County,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Department of Development. “As we create jobs and opportunities in our communities, we’re also supporting the infrastructure needed for this growth.”

Former WPD chief dies in accident

FAYETTE COUNTY (Aug 11) — Community members are mourning the loss of a long- time Washington Court House Police Department officer and chief — 78-year-old William E. Robinson — who died as the result of a motorcycle accident on Friday night.

The one-vehicle crash occurred at approximately 7:44 p.m. on Bloomingburg New Holland Road near Knight Road in Marion Township.

According to the Wilmington Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP), a 2005 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, operated by Robinson, was heading northwest on Bloomingburg New Holland Road when it lost control going around a curve. The motorcycle overturned in the roadway, traveled off the right side of the road and struck a ditch.

Robinson was transported to the Adena Fayette Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. According to the OSHP, he was not wearing a helmet when the crash occurred.

Robinson started with the Washington Police Department in 1967 and retired in 1993. He served as police chief from July 24, 1982 until his retirement on Jan. 2, 1993.