This week is always a patriotic one as it encompassed 9/11. Seventeen years ago, 343 firefighters died in the line of duty while the Twin Towers crashed to the streets of New York City. In honor of those 343 first responders, some first responders in Muskingum County walked three miles the best way they know how, in uniform. While a few had been on the job the day the towers were hit, others were merely elementary school-aged children. 9/11 is not a day that local first responders let slip by. Full Story.

• Keeping with the patriotic theme of honoring those who gave their lives, The Carr Center is honoring veterans with a new civic community project. In the coming months, The Carr Center will be facilitating a Flag Exchange Program. The program is in an effort to replace old and tattered flags with new, all-weather flags. Full Story.

In light of giving back

• The Aladdin Shriners Hospital Association is donating almost $1.4 million worth of equipment to 57 fire departments in Ohio. Some of those departments happen to be in Muskingum County. Thermal imaging cameras are being purchased in bulk through Finley Fire Equipment and distributed accordingly. Full Story.
• Trulight Ministries has partnered with NFI Industries in New Concord to employ the homeless. One of the biggest obstacles for people who are homeless is getting transportation to and from work. While NFI is providing the positions, Trulight is providing the transportation to and from the job. Full Story.
• The Zanesville Fire Department participated in the national, annual Fill the Boot Campaign, Friday. Firefighters were standing at the intersection of Zane and Underwood Streets collecting everything from $20 bills to handuls of ashtray change for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Full Story.
• PetValu presented a check for almost $10,000 to the Muskingum County Dog Warden and Adoption Center last weekend. The money is benefiting the new facility that should be under renovation in the coming months. In an effort to improve the quality of the dogs’ lives and the working environment for the wardens, a new facility has been needed for a while. Full Story.
• The Barn is hosting the second annual Breakout Bas with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to celebrate mental health and addiction recovery. Full Story.

There are a few events going on

• Surprise, the runners are here. There was a half marathon on Saturday. More than 550 runners took to the streets at 7 a.m. If 13.1 miles is a little too much, there was a 5K and 1-mile option as well. So, running fun for everyone … if that’s your thing. Some roads will be shut down as well, use caution in the areas. Full Preview.
• If running isn’t a fan favorite, then how about watching others run? The Fieldhouse is hosting one of its eight regional dog shows this weekend. The events run all weekend long and are open to the public. Spectating is free and encouraged. Full Story.
• Lots of running and agility. That life isn’t for everybody, so check out the weekend planner for other, less active events happening this weekend. There are some movies, the farmer’s market, some Lorena rides open, etc. Full Story.

Unexpected things

• A baby giraffe died at The Wilds this week. The recently born giraffe seemed to have been in good health in the days leading up to the event. It was found out in a field Monday morning. Full Story.
• A planned power outage by AEP occurred Thursday morning. A very expected event by AEP, but a little unexpected by its customers. The good news was that the power south of downtown was shut off for 5 to 10 minutes at 2:30 a.m. Have no fear, phone chargers can be plugged in now. Full story.
• Maple Avenue saw a little work. The right southbound lane on Maple was shut down between County Club Drive and Balls Lane in front of Genesis Hospital. Newman Paving Company was permanently repairing the road after Columbia Gas of Ohio had a little project going on a few weeks ago. Full Story.
• There were two water main breaks. Both occurred in South Zanesville Monday evening. Low pressure was expected for residents in the area and crews hopped on the job. One was due to a backhoe striking it during some unrelated work. Full Story.
• Another water main break occurred in the area of Adams Lane Monday morning. Residents in that area also experienced low pressure for a while. Crews, again, hopped on the case and made the necessary repairs. Full Story.
• Yet, another water main break occurred Friday in Frazeysburg. A boil order is in effect through Monday at least. Full story.
• The VA Clinic reopened inside, well part of it. Flooding damaged a large portion of the clinic over a month ago and accommodations were made to see patients with scheduled appointments. There are still some changes in locations happening for specific appointments. The VA will fully reopen once all repairs are made in late October. Full Story.

In the world of sports

• If cozying up on the couch was more appealing than getting out for a football game, don’t sweat it. The Muskingum Football Flashback has all the scores and a little overview to keep everybody up-to-date on the latest scores and recaps. Full Flashback.
• Although Tri-Valley won over Zanesville, head coach Kevin Fell was not happy with the amount of yardage lost to the Blue Devils. Due to a few calls by the refs, the Scotties lost a total of 130-yards. That’s over an entire football field’s worth of yards. Full story.
• The Morgan boys soccer team beat out John Glenn on Tuesday. Full Story.
• Zanesville High School graduate and Capital University senior quarterback Thomas Wibbeler has made a habit of lighting up the scoreboard throughout his time in Columbus. But Saturday’s game saw him take things up a notch once again. Full Story.
• Philo and John Glenn faced off under the lights during Friday night football last night. Spoiler alert, Philo won. Full preview. Then check out the recap.

Odds and ends

• Volunteers from Muskingum County are aiding in hurricane relief. There’s a large hurricane hitting much of the southeastern coast and Muskingum County volunteers are heading toward the storm to help with relief efforts. Full Story.
• Halloween is going to be on Halloween. City Council voted to keep trick-or-treat on the night of Halloween as it has been in the past. Concern about the day was raised by council member Joey Osborn who spoke for other parents expressing concern over the time and it being on a weekday. Full Story.
• The Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association met with city and county officials, as well as business owners, managers and others to talk about the possible futures for rowing at Dillon Lake. The association has high hopes for Zanesville to be a national championship location, as long as a few changes can be made. Full Story.
• Ohio’s Take Action Scholarship is open and ready for applicants. The video scholarship contest gives students across the state an opportunity to win a first-place, $2,500 scholarship. The topics up for discussion in the 60-second video include the National Do Not Call Registry, dealing with illegal robocalls or using technology to stop unwanted calls. The deadline for submission is Dec. 7. Full Story.
• Southeastern Ohio’s Red Cross division has a new director. The Cleveland native has pretty big shoes to fill, as the last director held the position for many years. Full Story.

As always, feel free to send events, tips, suggestions, comments and questions to our news team by emailing contact@ycitynews.com or the writer directly at jjohnston@ycitynews.com.