Board of elections to meet Thursday
BUCYRUS — The Crawford County Board of Elections will meet on Thursday July 16 at 9:30 a.m. to conduct regular business. The meeting will take place in the board office at 112 E. Mansfield St., Bucyrus.
Coronavirus still high-risk in Ohioans
(The Center Square) – On average, the share of residents in Ohio counties deemed most vulnerable to the coronavirus is 23 percent, according to a new study by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The analysis is designed to measure how resilient communities are when confronted with disasters or other emergencies, the Census Bureau reports.
In Ohio, 46 percent of county populations on average have one to two risk factors, such as being age 65 or older, low income, disabled, lacking health insurance or having serious preexisting conditions, the analysis said. And on average, 31 percent of the state’s county populations have no risk factors.
A county where 30 percent of the population has three or more risk factors is considered at high risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Census Bureau. These counties are more concentrated in the South, including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Florida, where the study showed that more than a third of the counties have high-risk populations of 30 percent or more.
Rural counties tend to have high-risk populations of about 30 percent, compared to only about 14 percent for urban counties, researchers found.
Help available through HEAP
COLUMBUS — Beginning July 1, the Ohio Development Services Agency and Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging will help income-eligible Ohioans maintain their utility service through the Home Energy Assistance Summer Crisis Program. The program helps eligible Ohioans pay an electric bill, purchase an air conditioning unit or fan, or pay for central air conditioning repairs. This year, the program will run from July 1 until September 30, 2020.
The Summer Crisis Program assists low-income households with an older household member (60 years or older), or households that can provide physician documentation that cooling assistance is needed for a household member’s health. Examples of conditions can include lung disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, asthma, etc. This year, households that were diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020, have a disconnect notice, have been shut off, or are trying to establish new service on their electric bill are also eligible for assistance.
Also new this year, Ohioans enrolled in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus Program (PIPP) who meet the above criteria may be eligible for assistance towards their default PIPP payment, first PIPP payment, central air conditioning repairs, or may receive an air conditioning unit and/or fan.
For more information about the features of the Summer Crisis Program locally and what is needed to apply, contact Area Agency on Aging at 419-524-4144. Additional information can also be found at www.energyhelp.ohio.gov or by calling (800) 282-0880.
