PERI plans District 9 meeting

STRATTON — Members of Public Employee Retirees, Inc. will hold the 2025 District 9 annual meeting at 10:30 a.m. May 15 at the John M. Abdall Municipal Building, located at 136 Second Ave. in Stratton. The address may appear as 134 Second Ave. when using Google maps, officials noted. The meeting’s theme will be the Kentucky Derby, with attendees encouraged to wear any type of derby or horse-racing attire.

District 9 is comprised of the following eight counties: Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Tuscarawus and Guernsey.

Registration will begin at 9:15 a.m. Lunch will be held at noon at the cost of $15, according to officials. The meal will be catered by Bad Axe BBQ in Stratton. Food will include a slider sandwich bar consisting of turkey and roast beef with condiments, two cold side dishes, chips, a seasonal fruit bowl, cake and various beverages.

Speakers for the event will include Rich Ross, PERI board chair; Lezlie Garcia, PERI executive director; State Rep. Jodi Salvo, R-Wintersville; and State Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville. Tim Steitz, retired representative serving on the OPERS board, will be in attendance.

Vendors include the Jefferson County Health Department and the Area Agency on Aging, Region 9. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to Jim Range at (330) 827-7591 by Friday.

JUHS Class of ’75 plans reunion

RICHMOND — Jefferson Union High School’s Class of 1975 is continuing plans for its 50-year class reunion, scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. Aug. 9 at Scaffidi’s Restaurant and Tavern, located at 350 S. Hollywood Blvd. in Steubenville.

The cost will be $50 per person. Those planning to attend should register by June 1. Contact Bob Bray at (614) 563-8722 or through e-mail at Robertbray72588@gmail.com. The class’s next planning session will be held at 5:30 p.m. May 21 at Scaffidi’s. Anyone interested in attending is welcome, organizers stated.

CEOS to meet Wednesday

NEW CUMBERLAND — The Newview Community Educational Outreach Service will hold its next meeting at noon on Wednesday at the Hancock County Senior Center, located on Gas Valley Road in New Cumberland. A light lunch will precede the meeting at 11 a.m. The lesson for the month will be “Echoes of the Past: Creative Writing for Legacy Building,” presented by Becky Wiegers.

Everyone’s life is a story just waiting to be told. The public is invited to join club members as they brainstorm ideas for potential stories to write. Attendees will learn to apply writing techniques, including specificity, authenticity and organization, to capture their memories, officials explained. Participants will learn the importance of preserving their life stories and creating a plan to share those memories with family and future generations.

The meeting will be free of charge and includes a lesson, friendship and camaraderie, Wiegers noted. Those who wish to join the club for lunch will pay the standard senior center fee, she added.

CEOS is a West Virginia University Extension and supported membership organization that is open to the public. Its focus is on member education and community service. For information, contact the Hancock County Extension office at (304) 564-3805 or Virginia Lawrence at (330) 382-2451.

Authors to sign bestselling book

CADIZ — The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz will be the site of a book-signing for the New York Times’ bestseller, “Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood,” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 20 at the Presbyterian Church of Cadiz, located at 154 W. Market St.

A presentation, meet-and-greet and refreshments are planned. Tickets will be $10 each and includes a copy of the book for signing. Space is limited. Those interested in attending should RSVP online at findingcoopersvoice.com/cadiz-event.

Sponsored by Jeffco, Inc. and the Belmont County Department of Developmental Disabilities, proceeds from the sale will benefit a book drive for local schools. Co-written by Katie Swenson, Adrian Wood and Carrie Cariello, the autism book is the first to make the bestseller list in a decade. The work provides the authors’ perspectives on raising a child on the spectrum, following them from diagnosis to adulthood. Each author previously published a separate work, with Swenson creating the blog and Facebook page “Finding Cooper’s Voice.” Cariello authored “What Color is Monday?” and Wood created the vlog “Tales of an Educated Debutante.”

Alycia Clark and Amanda DeLuca, mothers of children on the autism spectrum, are organizing the event. The women explained this will allow parents to network and obtain support.

“The authors are well-known in the Facebook autism community,” Clark said. The Steubenville resident and member of the inclusive advocacy group Special Connections, added, “They are moms of children on the autism spectrum between 10 and 20 years old. The book illustrates their transition into adulthood. Each chapter has three parts and introduces the authors, their kids’ diagnoses and efforts to help them obtain an education.” Clark noted DeLuca, a Cadiz resident, is friends with Swenson. She was inspired to hold the event locally, with Clark assisting in the process.

“I think it’s helping to build the community,” Clark continued. “It helps people network and shows that no matter what, you are not alone and we’re all going on this journey through everything.”

DeLuca and Swenson coordinate the More Than project, a foundation providing Care for the Caregivers retreats throughout the country. The fourth-annual retreat is set for May 15-17 in San Antonio, and has drawn between 200-300 people.

The event includes speakers, socializing and break-out sessions. For information, visit findingcoopersvoice.com/retreat-2025/.