Ohio

Ohio River expected to flood towns again for second time in a week

Published

2 years ago

April 12, 2024

Ohio River expected to flood towns again for second time in a week

Dozens of water gauges along the Ohio River and its tributaries are expected to reach flood stage over the weekend due to heavy rainfall during the workweek.

MARIETTA, Ohio – Less than a week after the Ohio River reached major flood status along the Ohio-West Virginia border, municipalities are preparing again for additional flooding.

Widespread amounts of 2-5 inches of rainfall around the eastern Ohio River Valley are causing the river and tributaries to swell once again beyond their banks.

Marietta, Ohio, is one of the communities preparing for the renewed round of flooding, with sandbags now available for residents.

The town was in the clean-up stages of a major flood event that impacted the region last week, with now a moderate flood level expected to be reached over the next few days.

“I can’t name all of the volunteers and donors but all of them assisted with the flood preparations, support and clean up. The donations of supplies, food and other items were very much appreciated. This is the highest river crest since the 1979 flood excluding 2004 and 2005 floods. Many faces have changed since 2004 and 2005, but the mission of preparedness, during and after the flood, was carried out, and everyone did their part and their best,” Mayor of Marietta Josh Schlicher stated during the clean-up of the past event.

OHIO RIVER CRESTS AT MAJOR FLOOD STATUS SUBMERGING TOWNS IN APPALACHIA

Officials at the Wheeling – Ohio County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency in West Virginia are also closely monitoring the river, which is expected to crest around 40 feet on Saturday.

NOAA’s National Weather Prediction Service expects nearly a dozen water level gauges to reach moderate status through the weekend, with levels in major metro areas such as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati only expected to reach minor flood stage.

Even at minor flood status, parks and recreational areas along the river’s banks are usually shut down, and river barge traffic can be impacted.

The Cincinnati Reds have been unable to host firework displays outside the Great American Ball Park due to barge safety, and it is unclear if the river will fall back to acceptable levels when Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Angels play the Reds on April 19.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

Drone video from the Wheeling Fire Department around a community known as Wheeling Island in West Virginia. The Ohio River reached moderate to major flood stage in the region on Friday.

More heavy rainfall expected in April

The heavy precipitation that impacted communities around Pittsburgh and in West Virginia was not unanticipated, as NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has long warned of above-average rainfall throughout the entire month.

A continued El Niño pattern has allowed an active storm track to impact the Ohio Valley, with several episodes of heavy rainfall.

The National Weather Service reports Pittsburgh is 6.11″ above normal and is on track to have its wettest April on record, with Wheeling, West Virginia, at 4.80″ above average.

A storm system that promises to produce severe thunderstorms over the heartland could be the next significant wet weather event to impact the Ohio Valley.

Forecast models show heavy precipitation could arrive in the eastern parts of the valley by Wednesday and produce at least an inch or two of new rainfall.

Any additional rainfall will keep levels of rivers and streams high and communities susceptible to flash flood events.

April expected precipitation
(FOX Weather)

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Ohio

Miami moves past Ohio State, climbs in national team recruiting rankings

Published

11 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Miami moves past Ohio State, climbs in national team recruiting rankings

Miami has moved up in the Rivals Industry national team recruiting rankings.

The Hurricanes added a big piece to the puzzle when Top 100 Dothan (Ala.) High cornerback Ai’King Hall flipped his commitment from Oregon to Miami on Sunday afternoon.

With Hall now in the fold, Miami jumped up one spot from No. 7 to No. 6 in the rankings.

Miami surged past Ohio State and boasts the No. 1 recruiting class in the ACC.

The Hurricanes are less than a point behind No. 5 ranked Notre Dame.

At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Hall is ranked as the No. 7 cornerback and No. 39 overall prospect nationally, per Rivals. He is also ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in the state of Alabama this cycle.

Miami now has 12 commitments in the 2027 recruiting class — Hall, five-star Long Beach (Calif.) Poly cornerback Donte Wright, five-star Miami (Fla.) Carol City wide receiver Nick Lennear, Top 100 Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic quarterback Israel Abrams, , Rivals300 Houston (Texas) Langham Creek defensive lineman Ezekiel Ayangbile, Rivals300 Poplarville (Miss.) High running back Ty Keys, Rivals300 Fort Pierce (Fla.) John Carroll offensive lineman Sean Tatum, four-star Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons tight end Demarcus Deroche, four-star Davie (Fla.) McArthur defensive back Jaylyn Jones, three-star Gainesville (Ga.) High offensive lineman Tyler Ford, three-star Key West (Fla.) High defensive lineman Josh Johnson and three-star Davie (Fla.) McArthur defensive back Sherrod Gourdine.

Miami will have a chance to keep moving up the rankings as it gears up to host several top targets for official visits this summer.

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Ohio

Maybe Ohio State AD Ross Bjork should sit in regular-guy seats, wait in line, etc.

Published

23 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Maybe Ohio State AD Ross Bjork should sit in regular-guy seats, wait in line, etc.

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

On Ohio Stadium

Mr. White: My wife and I are longtime OSU football season-ticket holders, and after receiving the survey email from OSU, reading Rob Oller’s comments regarding the stadium restrooms and, finally, your published letters, I have a few comments. Rather than having our athletic director and his entourage review the consolidated survey responses from ticket holders and view the recommendations of potential actions to take, why don’t they personally experience what we season-ticket holders do? This coming season I suggest they divide up and sit individually in the seats we common folks sit in (no premium seating or seats between the 20-yard lines) and experience what it’s like to stand up to let other ticket holders pass by for their seats, standing in line for concessions and the time they had to wait to use the restrooms. At a game last year, I left my seat with three minutes left in the first half to use the restroom and get my wife and I some snacks and bottled water. The lines were so long that I returned to our seats halfway through the third quarter. My wife attempted to contact me, but the weak Wi-Fi did not allow her messages to go through. I believe an experience such as this would provide the AD and his staff more valuable feedback than a filtered survey.

Benny Wolfinger, Powell

To Benny: Great “average fan” angle here. Have AD Ross Bjork sit with you during a game and fetch snacks for the family midway through the third quarter, then fill out the survey. Hopefully his response to y’all isn’t “Buy a suite.”

On high school football

To the editor: Thank you for the Sunday Huddle topic “Greatest of the Great“ central Ohio’s best high school football player. A comparison is highly subjective, recognizing the different era and positions as well as supporting cast. Archie Griffin was Eastmoor’s nearly total offense his junior and senior years. When the game would start, the loudspeaker announcer would say “Archie Griffin carried the ball.“ Then after two or three carries it was “Archie Griffin.“ A couple more handoffs and it was “Archie.“ He would carry about 30 times a game, with the defense knowing exactly who was carrying the ball. The only unknown was which side of the line.

Bob Weiler

To Bob: The poll is still open and getting great response. At this writing, Upper Arlington’s Jeff Backes leads with 40% of the vote, followed by Griffin (22.8%), East’s Chic Harley (8%) and Central’s Hopalong Cassidy (7%).

On hockey

To Brian: Will someone please explain to me why fighting is allowed − even condoned − in the sport of professional hockey? Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. players who engage in fisticuffs are routinely ejected from games, probably fined and possibly suspended. In hockey, fighting is simply a penalty. Witness the photo on page 4C of (the April 22) Dispatch, showing Blue Jackets’ Mathieu Olivier and Bruins’ Mark Kastelic mixing it up. Almost every face in the crowd is either smiling or laughing − no looks of disgust or outrage − and the two referees are simply standing there watching, making no move to break it up.

To those who would answer my inquiry by saying it’s just part of the game, my response is that’s why I hate it. I wouldn’t go to a hockey game if you gave me free tickets and offered to take me to the venue in a limo.

Mike Adamkosky, Columbus

To Mike: Hockey people swear by it as a great means of self-enforcement. I don’t get it. Never will.

On Ohio State football

To Brian: The recent Dispatch article citing Caleb Downs’ complaint of Michigan teaching players to hold is laughable. Of course they do, as on every team. OSU doesn’t? Has Downs actually watched any football games at any level lately? Pro, college, high school −makes no difference. There is literally holding on the line of scrimmage on every play if you watch closely. The holding call is only made when the holding is so incredibly obvious that a nearly blind person could see it, and then sometimes it still is not called. If all actual holding by players was called, the game would literally grind to a halt. It’s the same in basketball with carrying the ball or the the NBA four step in the drive to the hoop. There are rules against it, but it’s seldom if ever called. Come to think of it, nowadays there are no carrying or palming the basketball calls period.

Chet Ridenour Sr, Worthington

To Chet: I have never seen a fan base whine about holding more than Ohio State’s. And now Downs is just fueling it more. Every team holds. And they should as long as it’s not getting called.

To Brian: The Browns have had 13 head coaches (two interim) since the new era began in 1999. Kevin Stefanski could only make two wild-card slots in the last six seasons. Since Cleveland’s NFL debut in 1950, 69 different quarterbacks have started, including Baker Mayfield and former Ravens’ veteran Joe Flacco. Both got the Browns into the playoffs. The Browns overall win pct. is .503, yet only .334 since ’99 (146-290-1); just four winning seasons. A new coach or QB won’t improve their chances. The weather, injuries and inconsistency are chronic issues. So, build a retractable dome and use it for multiple events. Could a Myles Garrett-for-Quinn Ewers trade “save” the beloved Browns?

Larry Cheek, Dublin

To Larry: Weather, injuries and luck have nothing to do with the Browns’ misery. It is bad decisions, and getting Ewers for Garrett would fall right into that pile.

On Indiana football

To Brian: I was disappointed to see so many empty seats at Indiana football’s spring game. While it was on a weeknight and opposite the NFL draft, it was free and they certainly had something to celebrate. But I surprised to see enthusiasm for the miraculous success they now enjoy was underwhelming.

Dennis Singleton, Dayton

On Michigan basketball

To the editor: As a gracious Buckeye, I tip my cap to the team up north for winning the NCAA championship. Sorry, Woody, a title is a title. Hang the banner. Sure, the roster looked more like a free-agency convention than a student body. Call them transfers, call them mercenaries – call them champions. In today’s world, the line between locker room and ledger sheet is pretty thin. They played. They paid. They prevailed. Congratulations. And while I will debate teamwork and toughness, only the accountants and the IRS will know the real final score.

Michael Oser, Upper Arlington

Ohio Highway Patrol investigating fatal head-on crash on U.S. Route 62

Published

1 day ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

Ohio Highway Patrol investigating fatal head-on crash on U.S. Route 62

PERRY TWP. ‒ Two people were killed and a juvenile was injured in a two-vehicle, head-on crash the morning of May 16 on U.S. Route 62, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

A 2019 Ford Ranger was traveling northbound when the vehicle traveled left of center and struck a southbound 2021 Honda Odyssey at 7:16 a.m., the patrol said. The Ford was operated by Cole Scholey, 21, of Beach City, and the Honda was driven by Kelly Kemp, 56, of Massillon.

Scholey was taken by the Perry Township Fire Department to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, where he died. Kemp was pronounced dead at the scene. A juvenile occupant in the Honda was transported to Aultman Hospital with serious injuries.

Neither Scholey nor Kemp were using safety belts, the patrol said. Speed is suspected as a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.

Route 62 southbound lanes, south of Navarre Road, were closed for about three and a half hours.

The patrol was assisted at the scene by Perry Township and Massillon police, Perry Township and Erie Valley firefighters, Ohio Department of Transportation, Stark County Coroner’s Office and Tracer’s Towing.

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