Primary results released in Guernsey, Noble, surrounding counties

Primary results released in Guernsey, Noble, surrounding counties
Pivotal levies pass in the Caldwell EVSD, East Muskingum School districts
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: May 8, 2013

The ballots have been tallied , and local primary election results have been issued by local boards of elections.
The Guernsey County Board of Elections released its unofficial results at around 9:00pm Tuesday.  Incumbent Art Clemenson won the Democratic nomination for Cambridge City Council’s First Ward race, beating challenger Darcel Fultz 57.8 percent to 42.2 percent.  
Guernsey and Muskingum County voters overwhelmingly passed the East Muskingum Local School District levy, 77.9 percent (1384 votes for) to 22.1 percent (393 votes against). East Muskingum had asked for the 1.3-mill renewal levy for emergency requirements.    
The Noble County Board of Elections announced around 8:40pm that the Caldwell Exempted Village Schools levy has passed with 57.2 percent for (1018 votes), and 42.8 percent against (759 votes). School offcials say the 12-mill replacement levy and 7-mill additional levy will prevent more than $920,000 in budget cuts that would have occurred, if the levy failed.
Results of the primary election do not bode well, however, for many school districts in Belmont and Monroe Counties.
According to unofficial results from the Noble, Belmont, and Monroe County Boards of Elections, the Switzerland of Ohio Schools levy failed, with 48.1 percent voting for (2239 votes) and 52.9 percent voting against (2419 votes). The additional, five-year levy had been set at 6.44 mills.
Belmont County elections officials say that only one school levy - that of the St. Clairsville-Richland City District - was approved by voters on Tuesday. Levies for the Bellaire, Bridgeport, and Buckeye Local School Districts, as well as the Jefferson JVS, were all voted down.
In Bethesda, voters approved two issues: An ongoing, 3-mill levy for the Police Department was overwhelmingly approved by 68.5 percent of voters. A five-year, 1.5-mill levy for general construction passed by an even greater margin, garnering 79 percent of the vote.
For a more detailed look at election results, visit the Belmont County Board of Elections website.
Primary election results will be certified by Secretary of State Jon Husted two weeks after election day, on May 21.  

Local counties among top ten, for oil and gas

Local counties among top ten, for oil and gas
Guernsey, Noble, Belmont cited among most promising
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: May 7, 2013

As the oil and gas exploration boom continues in Ohio, one business analyst has cited five area counties among the ten most promising in the state.
Jeff Bell, a staff writer for Columbus' Business First journal, recently released his "Top Ten" areas that will likely see the greatest economic impact from oil and gas drilling. With more than 250 permits issued, to date, Carroll County was ranked first among Ohio's counties. Nearby Harrison County came in second, with Columbiana County rounding out the top three.
However, much of our listening area was included in the ranks of the most promising drill sites. Guernsey County, with its 35 drilling permits, ranked fourth. And Noble, Monroe, and Belmont County took spots number six, seven, and eight. Bell said that the number of drilling permits issued in Harrison, Guernsey, Belmont, and Noble Counties has more than doubled in the last nine months.
Tom Stewart, Vice President of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, recently reiterated that southeastern Ohio is proving rich in so-called "wet gases," such as ethane, propane, and butane.
To date, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has issued 627 permits for wells in the Utica Shale formation. Of those, 310 have been developed, and 89 are in production.
Take a closer look at Jeff Bell's report at the Columbus Business First website.

April In-Review - Thus far, Utica Shale permits have been issued in the following 22 counties:
Ashland –1
Belmont – 22
Carroll – 249
Columbiana – 68
Coshocton – 5
Geauga – 1
Guernsey – 34
Harrison – 80
Holmes – 3
Jefferson – 33
Knox – 2
Mahoning – 17
Medina – 1
Monroe – 27
Muskingum – 3
Noble – 32
Portage – 14
Stark – 13
Trumbull – 4
Tuscarawas – 13
Washington – 4
Wayne – 1