Thank you to WTOV9 & Reporter Jesse Cain for the great coverage on this story!   BELLAIRE, Ohio — The annual Coats for Kids program has successfully raised $50,000 this year, with funds distributed across various Salvation Army chapters in the valley. On Tuesday, a $6,250 check was presented to the Bellaire Salvation Army to help keep children warm this winter. "It's good to hit all the different locations of the Salvation Army, see the good that they're doing, and it's good to be down here in Belmont County today," said Joe Luckino, owner of Cedar One Realty. "When we get these coats, it keeps these kids warm outside, so they are able to attend school. It's a brand new coat," Major Louis Patrick of the Salvation Army Bellaire Corps said. "Who doesn't like to have a brand new piece of attire to put on to go out? It makes them feel better." Patrick expressed gratitude to the community for their generosity and warm hearts, noting that their contributions help more people than they may ever realize.   - Words by JESSE CAIN  |  Tue, February 4th 2025 at 1:31 PM - Updated Tue, February 4th 2025 at 6:07 PM - Read more here.

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Thank you to WTOV9 & Reporter Skylar Sobansky for the great coverage on this story!   STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — A potential $12 million development project could transform downtown Steubenville as a developer has its eye on a historical building that just went up for sale. Located on North 4th Street, the historic Sinclair building went vacant within the last 60 days. Cedar One Group owner Joe Luckino said a developer from Pittsburgh has an interest in the property. "It would be a $12 million development,” Luckino said. “It would have multiple layers of tax credits, revitalization tax credits, low-income tax credits and it would be a substantial investment. "They would bring a ton of market rate apartments above and the main floor would be all commercial.” While initially the plan sounds like a go, Luckino said there is a $2 million gap that needs bridged to make the project happen. He added they are looking for collaboration from local, state and federal leaders. "We have a group called ASPIRE that does grants for us,” Steubenville Councilman Royal Mayo said. “There’s OMEGA. We work with the port authority, and we would love to work with people like Joe Luckino and Cedar One Group because they do excellent job and it would be great to get this building up and running again.” If a grant isn’t possible, Mayo said the city will look at other funding avenues. “I will talk to the different department heads and see what angle we can take after that, but we are going to do everything we can do get it done.” Jefferson County Commissioner Tony Morelli said his office will do what it can to make the project a reality. “I know (Ohio) Senator Chavez really well,” Morelli said. “Ron Ferguson, our representative, we have people here that go clear to the governor's office that we can make calls to" Morelli added he plans to get the other commissioners on board as well as the port authority. Luckino said if this is made possible, it would be one of the largest investments ever in downtown Steubenville. "It is going to take a village working together to bring this to fruition,” Luckino said.   - Words by Skylar Sobansky | Wed, January 22nd 2025 at 11:14 PM - Read more here.

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Thank you to WTOV9 & Reporter Paul Giannamore & WTOV9 for the great coverage on this story!   JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — Cedar One and WTOV presented proceeds from the Coats for Kids drive to Salvation Army leaders from across the region on Tuesday. Cedar One joined the WTOV Coats for Kids effort this year, which has continued to meet with success. "It's been a phenomenal partnership," said Joe Luckino, owner of Cedar One Group. "It's been a lot easier than I thought actually. We have a lot of generous people in the valley, a lot of phone calls we make, people jump on it right away. We were thrilled with the results we got, especially when you wake up this morning, and look at the weather, it's minus 9. It's a great time for Coats for Kids." Checks were presented to Salvation Army leaders from Northeast Ohio. "It's been wonderful to know that the phrase, 'It takes a village,' we're that village," said Jodi Kellar, service extension director for the Salvation Army in Northeast Ohio. "So with Cedar One and WTOV, we're the village and we're going to continue to help people." Leaders from Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, and Tyler counties emphasized the impact of the initiative on local families. John Lawrence, core officer for these counties, along with his wife, Lt. Candace Lawrence, shared their experiences. "This is a way for us to help them provide for their child," John Lawrence said. "We've seen children walk out the door so excited to get outside and zip that coat up and get outside and play in the snow because they didn't have one beforehand." In its first year of receiving help from Coats for Kids, Tom Kenny, director of the Harrison County-Cadiz Salvation Army unit, said they are actively spreading the word about how to get assistance.   - Words by Paul Giannamore |  Wed, January 22nd, 2025, at 6:11 PM - Read more here.

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