There were occasions during the past year when the local headlines provoked “WTH” reactions from those in the area that pay attention to the news.
“How dare they!”
“They did what?”
And, of course, “What the hell?”
That’s because lines were crossed, people were cheated, and greed put us at risk yet again, and below are summaries of three of those tales that left locals astonished, disgusted, and mystified.
A Vote Not to Vote
For reasons still unexplained, four council members in Moundsville voted on June 18th against allowing residents to vote on an OVRTA bus levy on the November ballot so residents could decide whether or not public transportation was needed in the Marshall County municipality.
The proposal included a number of stops in Moundsville and routes north to downtown Wheeling in exchange for an increase in property taxes within city limits.
The four council members who votes not to place the levy on the ballot were Randy Chamberlain, Judy Hunt, David Wood, and Gene Saunders, and Saunders, Chamberlain and Wood will return to the body in 2025. Wood, in fact, will again serve as Moundsville’s mayor, and his daughter, Sara Wood-Shaw, will be the vice mayor after serving two terms as mayor.
Hunt was soundly defeated in the city’s First Ward by Denny Hall, 301-239, and Larry Vucelick collected 129 ballots.
It is unknown at this time if the addition of Don Dewitt to Moundsville’s council will provoke a new initiative and vote, but based on the November election results, voters in “MoundTown” appear OK with their ordered silence.
Peter Got Robbed, But Paul Was Never Paid
Millions.
$6.9 million, to be exact.
At least that’s what the federal government could find and count when it came the wire fraud and tax fraud cases against Moundsville native Jeffrey Morris, the founder of what was known as Roxby Development.
Morris first purchased the former Mount Carmel Monastery in Woodsdale in 2019 and claimed he would renovate it into a boutique hotel … but that never happened.
He then took possession of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in East Wheeling and claimed he would transform the troubled building into a renovated event center … but that never took place either.
In June 2021, Morris made a deal with the owner of the McLure Hotel and, yes, claimed he would return the historic lodge to its former grandeur, but that did not occur and now the eight-story structure is closed and condemned. City officials are hopeful a new sales agreement between owner, Fran Garey, and a new out-of-town investor will be finalized in the near future, but for now, it’s shuttered until code compliant.
Morris was charged with 18 wire fraud charges and 10 tax fraud crimes and was sentenced to five years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $3.5 in restitution. A plethora of former employees remained unpaid for their services.
He was incarcerated earlier this month in the federal facility in Lewisburg, Pa., and is Prisoner No. 76929-510.
Riverfront Radioactivity
600 tons.
That’s the amount of frack sludge Austin Master Services was permitted to collect and store in the former steel mill along Martins Ferry’s shoreline with the Ohio River.
The company then was expected to process and distribute the drilling and fracking waste which, at times, can be measured as radioactive, to the proper disposal facilities designated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Austin Masters began operations in Martins Ferry in 2015, but at some time in late 2023, a decision was made by an unidentified official to collect the poisonous materials – and get paid to do so – but not to initiate the disposal process.
That’s why, in February more than 10,000 tons – a total of 9,400 tons over the permitted limit – were discovered inside the building, but no one with the company could be found to explain. Since, court orders, bonds, protests, media reports, and, finally, action taken by the Ohio Division of Natural Resources has resulted in the beginning of the cleansing.
While a local environmental group interacted with city government, it was Mayor John Davies and City Auditor Jack Regis who took their concerns to the local radio waves, and a proper reaction is what they received in return.
The state’s cleanup is projected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
