Election day is less than two weeks away. Registering to vote has come and gone, now it’s time to get familiar with the ballot. If voting absentee is the best way to cast your vote, make sure to request a ballot, fill it out and get it sent back one day before the actual election, which is Nov. 6. There are plenty of sites that can explain the voting process until the internet is blue in the face, so check those out here.

Election things:

• Troy Balderson and Danny O’Connor were actually in the same place Thursday. Don’t get too carried away, there wasn’t a debate. Both candidates running to be the U.S. Representative from the 12th Congressional District. They talked about senior care, separately. Full Story.
• Former First Lady of Ohio Frances Strickland and potential First Lady Peggy Cordray brought their message of women’s rights to Zanesville Tuesday afternoon during their first stop of the “Our Voices” tour. Full Story.
• Zanesville City Schools’ renewal levy will appear on the Midterm Election ballot, but the levy will have two additions. The largest of those two additions being a request for an additional $500,000 for school safety and security. A majority of that $500,000 will toward paying school resource officers. Full Story.

If that wasn’t enough information, don’t worry. Next week will be packed with more election details.

In the city

• Artists are attempting to seal the fate of a few Main Street facades. There are two options on the table for the three storefronts, essentially tear them down or invest money to save them. The latter of those two options will cost nearly $1 million. Full Story.
• Maple Avenue got a little bit of a makeover this week. It wasn’t a full face lift, just some filling in the cracks. Lanes were closed, traffic was a little slow, we all got through it together. All the details.
• The city will soon be posting it’s “High Speed Internet” sign. The City of Zanesville is in the final stages of a project that would bring wireless broadband to the downtown area. The area downtown included in the broadband plans encompasses building between 3rd and 7th Streets, as well as South to Shinnick Streets. Full Story.

Incidents of sorts

• A home in South Zanesville appears to be a total loss after an alleged space heater caught the home on fire. South Zanesville Fire Department was alerted to the fire around 12:40 a.m. Tuesday. All three adults that lived in the home made it out safely. Full Story.
• The Mideast Career and Technology Centers’ Buffalo Campus was on a soft lock down Tuesday after the Guernsey County Sheriff requested it due to an incident in the area. There wasn’t much information released the day of. Full Story.
• A camper that caught fire Wednesday afternoon caused a chain reaction of fire spreading to a nearby boat and a two-story garage. All items were located behind a rental property on Sonora Road. No one is living in the home and no injuries were sustained. Full Story.

In the world of sports

• Did you miss some week 9 football action? No worries, the second to last Muskingum County Football Flashback has all the details you need to know about. Check it out here.
• OK, listen. Football playoffs are getting complicated to say the least. Some schools are definitely out and some are definitely, maybe in. It’s week 10 which is the last week of regular season play so things will get cleared up the up soon. The breakdown.

Heartwarming

• The inmates at Noble Correctional Institute use their various talents while behind bars. Many of the men on the compound do many different kinds of community service projects using skills that go far beyond the average. Full Story.
• The Muskingum County Community Youth Foundation’s annual coat drive is underway. Now through Nov. 9, CYF is collecting donated coats and other winter items at a variety of locations throughout the county. Full Story and list of drop off locations.
• The courthouse was lit orange Thursday evening in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month as a request by Team Coby. Seven month into the organizations endeavor and Coby Bleakney’s parents are starting to feel like people are recognizing the bullying issues in schools around the county. Full Story.

Things to do

• Panda Express on Maple Avenue is now serving up Chinese American Cuisine. The first few days after opening its door have been successful. Roughly 1,000 customers have been visiting the location per day. Full Story.
• National Drug Take Back Day is today. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., anyone can drive through the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department’s parking lot and drop off medications, over the counter tablets, liquids and needles. Full Story.
• The Weekend Planner is jam packed this weekend with so many different things around town. Full Planner.