EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: Zane Dougherty of Toronto has been named the 2022 Employee of the Year by the Belmont Correctional Institution. Zane was recognized as employee of the month in February 2021, making him eligible for consideration for the top honor, which was voted on by his peers.

As the human resources director, Dougherty oversees the daily operations of the personnel department. He began his career with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction at Trumbull Correctional Institution in May of 1996 as a correction officer. He transferred to Belmont in February 1997. He has held various positions throughout his career prior to being promoted into his current position in June 2000. He served in the Army as a captain, and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Akron.

“One of our departments values is to take care of our staff. Zane embodies this value everyday he comes to work. During the pandemic, he routinely called our staff who were home sick to not only check on them, but to let them know the logistics of getting back to work safely. He contacted our staff on evenings, weekends, and holidays sacrificing his own time to make sure our staff needs were met. His work helped guide our staff through one of the most difficult times in our agency’s history. For that reason, we are elated to name him our employee of the year,” said David W. Gray, warden.

Dougherty is a lifelong resident of the Ohio Valley and enjoys spending time with his family. He is a Notre Dame and Cleveland Brown fan.

RETIREES MEET: Hancock County Association of Retired School Employees met March 15 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Weirton for their regular meeting.

Following lunch Association President Jerry DiFilippo introduced Doug Comm, newly appointed CEO of Hancock County Savings Bank, and Marian Edgell and Jared Gamble, who presented tips on protecting personal assets from fraud and scams.

Edgell and Gamble described warning signs of fraud in statements from checking accounts and credit cards, ways to guard pins and passwords, and how to protect your phones and computers from being hacked.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday at Sacred Heart Church in Chester, where the guest speaker will be Bob Marino, West Virginia Extension Master Gardener, who will talk about gardening experiences at WCC Weirton Community Garden, which produced food for the needy and provided education and gardening experiences for gardeners of all ages and abilities.