Local man charged in gun incident at uptown bar. School board OK's propane upgrade. And they are coming to Union County to work.
Give us a few moments and we'll serve up what matters in Marysville on Saturday, June 28, 2025
In this edition, sponsored by NKTelco, powering your digital business needs
Local man charged for pulling a gun at Stephen's Lounge
How things can go wrong in autonomous vehicles on display
Local officials get a crash course in crisis communications
Jerome Township Trustees are addressing traffic/pedestrian safety concerns
Bond set in road rage case
And where do Union County workers drive from to work here?
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Heat wave breaks in 43040
Today's the first day since Monday that Marysville has not been under a Heat Advisory.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of showers and thunderstorms and a high of 87°F.
On Friday, our local high temperature peaked at 90.5°F at 5 p.m. The Heat Index felt like 96°F.
Looking out to Independence Day, the NWS forecasts sunshine with a chance of showers and thunderstorms and a high of 85°F.
Local man busted for pulling gun at Stephen’s Lounge
Marysville Police arrested a local man accused of brandishing a firearm and pointing it at another person late Thursday evening. Union County Sheriff's deputies assisted with the incident.
It happened at Stephen's Lounge in uptown Marysville. Officers were initially called around 10:55 p.m. to the scene.
When they arrived, 22-year-old Samuel McNeely had already fled the scene. Witnesses stated McNeely was harassing women in front of the business and was asked to calm down by a bar employee. It was at that point that McNeely allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the victim.
He then fled the scene.
McNeely changed his clothes and returned to the establishment a short time later. He was taken into custody without incident, according to Marysville Police Chief Tony Brooks.
Later in the day on Friday, officers executed a search warrant on McNeely's vehicle and located the firearm involved in the alleged incident.
McNeely has been charged with one count of aggravated menacing, which is a 1st degree misdemeanor. He was arraigned in Marysville Municipal Court on Friday morning.
Autonomous mode leads to run-in with fire hydrant
Not only do dogs like fire hydrants. Apparently, Tesla’s do, too. 😅
Thursday afternoon, around 4 p.m., a Tesla driven by 32-year-old Eric Nelson of Prospect went off the road and collided with a fire hydrant.
Nelson was not injured.
What's interesting is how the accident occurred.
According to the report filed by the Marysville Police Division, Nelson had exited the Walmart parking lot and was traveling northbound in autonomous mode. Nelson told police he thought he was going to be t-boned by another vehicle, so he pressed on the accelerator to evade the collision, lost control and wound up striking the hydrant.
He was cited for failure to control his vehicle.
Bond set for road rage incident
The Marysville Municipal Court set bond at $10,000 for Michael D. Jackson of Columbus. He was involved in a road rage incident earlier this week and was apprehended by authorities on US 33 near the US 36 / Delaware Avenue interchange on Wednesday.
Court documents reveal Jackson waved a Smith and Wesson handgun at another driver. When officers pulled him over, they searched Jackson's vehicle and found the gun under the passenger seat. It was reported stolen by the Columbus Police Department.
He was charged with possessing stolen property and having a weapon under disability, meaning he has a prior conviction on his record.
Both of the charges are felonies. Jackson was in custody at the Tri-County Jail.
MEVSD approves propane tank installation
The Marysville Board of Education is taking steps to convert its bus fleet to accommodate propane-powered school buses.
The Board of Education adopted a resolution on Thursday evening allocating $112,353 to Goodwin Services for the installation of a propane tank and fueling station on a new concrete pad at the bus garage on Amrine Mill Road.
The resolution had to bypass the regular process, since all the bids received were in excess of the published estimate of $100,000 for the job.
"We will have 4 propane buses for the upcoming school year and plan to add more as we replace existing buses that are worn out," said Treasurer Todd Johnson. "The propane buses are cheaper to operate."
In compliance with Ohio law, the Board was able to go ahead and award the work to Goodwin Services, stating a delay would disrupt operations of the district if not completed by the beginning of the school year.
By the numbers: Top 10 counties they come from to work in Union County
Union County has the second-lowest unemployment rate in the state.
And more than 26,000 workers live outside the county.
So, where do they all commute from to work here?
We tracked down the top 10 commuter counties where workers drive from to hold down a job in Union County, according to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services:
No. 1: 8,328 drive from Franklin County
No. 2: 3,127 commute from Logan County
No. 3: 2,769 commute from Delaware County
No. 4: 1,544 drive in from Champaign County
No. 5: 1,210 commute from Marion County
No. 6: 889 drive from Clark County
No. 7: 716 drive in from Hardin County
No. 8: 704 commute from Allen County
No. 9: 650 drive in from Madison County
No 10: 495 residents drive all the way from Montgomery County to work here
County and local officials get a crash course in crisis communication
Having a game plan in a crisis is important.
Just as important for local government officials is to have a communications plan.
Union County staff and leaders got a crash course in crisis communications earlier this week.
Crisis management expert Mark Weaver led the training session, which was set up by Union County Prosecutor David Phillips.
He posted on his Facebook page that the session also included dealing with free speech matters.
"In addition, the training emphasized strategies for navigating First Amendment concerns, helping officials understand the boundaries and obligations involved in public communication," Mr. Phillips posted. "We extend our thanks to the Union County Commissioners for co-sponsoring this important training, and for their continued commitment to professional development and public service excellence."
County Administrator Bill Narducci said he appreciated the training, given recent incidents like the cyber-attack on the county computer systems.
"There was a need for communication. How do you go about doing that? How do you be transparent but not expose the county to liability? " he reported to the County Commissioners this week. "We ran through some real-world scenarios, and it was very interactive."
Narducci reported that several dozen county workers and others from the community participated in the training.
He said the training and the simulations were helpful.
"It's always better to learn in training as opposed to a real-life event," he shared.
The County Emergency Management is going to take the lead in developing a County Crisis Communications plan, working with all the agencies.
County Commissioner Tom McCarthy participated in the event.
"From a practical standpoint, it was really well done," he said. "He gave us some really good examples of people who did it right and did it well, but also some examples of where it was really bungled."
Sometimes, simple things are not thought of prior to a crisis, like pre-made email distribution lists.
"If we had to contact all the employees in this building, how would we do that?"
Narducci said they've learned a lot through the training and recent events.
"We did a cyber tabletop exercise, literally before we had our incident, which helped in a lot of ways," Narducci offered up
Jerome Township trustees tackling traffic/pedestrian safety concerns
Jerome Township Trustees are partnering with Union County Sheriff Mike Justice's Office to provide targeted enforcement patrols to increase traffic safety.
At its recent June meeting, the trustees discussed a number of complaints being received about pedestrian safety risks and speed issues.
One suggestion Trustee Wezlynn Davis received from a resident was for tunnels to be constructed to ensure pedestrian safety.
"That's highly unlikely," she told her fellow trustees in a discussion on the matter on June 17. "We don't have the funding…that's not a feasible avenue to address these things."
She heard of concerns about children crossing Jerome Road, where the speed limit is 50 mph, to play with kids in the neighborhood across the road.
"If I were a mother in that neighborhood, I'd be highly concerned," noting many of the complaints involve county roads.
Trustee Joe Craft said the issue is pervasive across the township.
He noted the Sheriff's office has been tapped for patrol "overtime."
He also said portable speed trailers are capable of conducting a speed study, which can help pinpoint areas of need for speed enforcement.
"This is all about driver habits," he said. "Some of this is, unfortunately, the residents themselves."
He said it is a priority to address the concerns.
It's why the township is partnering with Sheriff Justice.
"These are complaints that are part of a growing township, and the Sheriff's office is inundated. That's why we want that targeted traffic enforcement," Craft said. "I know the Sheriff is very concerned. We're all concerned."
The trustees are tracking both infrastructure and enforcement opportunities to improve safety.
Beloved United Methodist seeking OK to move to Morey Drive property
Beloved United Methodist Church is seeking city approval of a conditional use permit to relocate to a property on Morey Drive, north of Professional Parkway.
"The church intends to remodel the existing building interior and add a new sanctuary space attached by a breezeway to the current building," according to the application filed with the city planning department.
The building on the site currently provides space for the LEADS Head Start program.
"The church intends to continue to lease the building to the Lead’s Head Start organization currently in the building. In addition, the church will provide support services to Memorial Hospital to cater toward the spiritual needs of the employees, patients, and their families."
The congregation currently worships at the Union County YMCA on Charles Lane. It was planted in 2023. Rev. Sara McSwords is the Pastor.
Plans for the move to the Morey location are described as "in the conceptual phase."
The conditional use application will be considered by the Planning Commission on July 1.
Thanks for reading Marysville Matters!
Coming up next week, we'll recap the top stories of the first half of 2025. And I'm dusting off the crystal ball to forecast the top story lines that will likely matter between now and Ohio State's next championship football run in December.
For many folks, it's an off week. We wish you all a great summer break!
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-Joe C.