Compilation Reel

Biography

Miriah Turner is a freelance Meteorologist, Anchor, and Reporter currently in Dallas, TX. She is also experienced in print advertisement and voice over talent.
Previously, she worked as a Weather Forecaster for WLWT News 5 in Cincinnati, OH. Prior to her time at WLWT, she was a Forecaster, Reporter, and Weekend Anchor for WHIZ-TV in Zanesville, OH. She began her career in television as a News Content Specialist for FOX 19 in Cincinnati and reported traffic for Cincinnati and the Tri-state area.
Originally from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Miriah excelled in Communication Studies at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA and graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelors in Arts and Communications. She has completed a Certificate in Operational Meteorology from Mississippi State University.
Miriah has worked with local leaders to reach youth through YoungLife. She has actively served communities along the east coast through benefit concerts and entertainment fundraisers as a vocalist and percussionist for Harmony Roads through Beyond the Veil Ministries (harmonyroads.com).
A highlight of Miriah’s service experience includes her time in Louisiana, working among those assisting residents impacted by Hurricane Katrina. She has also actively participated in funding missions overseas, counteracting human sex trafficking, and has performed alongside the USO at military troop deployments at the Baltimore Washington International Airport.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

MISSION OAKS GARDENS HOSTING EVENT THIS FRIDAY

 This Friday Mission Oaks Gardens will be hosting an educational garden preview for 'National Public Gardens Day'.
Master gardeners will be on site from 4PM -8PM educating the public on gardening and answering questions about ways to begin planting in your own yard. The event is free and open to the public.
"We belong to the national public parks system and even though Mission Oaks is part of the park district it's also an independent garden that runs here with volunteer help and workers," said Darlene Turner, Mission Oaks Volunteer and Master Gardner.
he event will take place on Hunter Street at the main entrance. Not only will visitors be able to walk the seven acres of gardens, they will be able to visit one of the top conifer gardens in the country, located right here in Zanesville. There will also be plant give-aways with 8 of Ohio's native shrubs.
" We have approximately 200 plants to give away," said Turner, "the trick is that you have to come in and visit the gardens, and we'll have a card that you take to each stop, and then they'll mark the card off after you've visited that five minute stop to get your educational piece when you come to visit on Friday."
Gardeners will be at the park all day rain or shine for those who are unable to make the event in the evening. The park is always in need of volunteers. There will be opportunities to sign up at the park this Friday. You can also visit their website for more information at missionoaksgardens.org.
Mission Oaks is located at 1865 Norwood Blvd in Zanesville, OH. You can reach them at 740-450-8050 EXT 1

FLORAFINO'S PREPARING FOR MOTHER'S DAY



 Mother's Day is just four days away and Florafino's on Maple is busy taking and delivering orders.
There are several specials this season including the tea cup arrangements full of miniature roses and daisies. Florafinos can help you pick out the best customized gift for mom. They have several wind chimes, plants, small greenhouses as well as iconic floral arrangements.
Mother's Day is an important day obviously. You've got to send mom something otherwise don't come home for dinner type of thing," said Greg Orofino, Owner of Florafino's. "Of course we do a lot of hanging baskets. We do all sorts of geraniums, magoinias, things like that. But we also do a lot of our own specials. So we have actually a tote, the tote is a canvas bag that can be used later on. Its full of daisies and alstroemeria and roses so it's really a cool one."
Stargazer lilies are one of the most popular flowers this season as well as the orchid plants. Make sure you place your orders for mom as soon as possible. Florafinos is open from 8AM to 5PM Monday through Saturday. They will be closed on Mother's Day this Sunday.
"That's the one thing that we tell everybody is Mother's Day is a very harried holiday for us. We want to get everybody delivered before Mother's Day hits, and we want to make sure that they get either the corsage or the the flowers that they want for their moms. And so I ask them to call as early as possible or send us the order as early as possible," said Orofino.
If you would like to customize an arrangement or purchase a pre-arranged vase, bouquet or corsage, there are several options available. You can give Florafino's a call or place an order online at their website florafinos.com.

MOTHER'S DAY BBQ AT WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP FIRE

Many families will be taking mom out to eat for mother's day, but why not take her to eat for a good cause.
The Washington Township Fire Department has held a Mother's Day Chicken BBQ for over 45 years. It is their biggest fundraiser of the year.
"We do a half a chicken and all the condiments that go with it, and we have dine in or carry out. We'll do 1,200 plus dinners, we start serving at 11am. The line starts around 10:30am. Most generally if you're not here by 1:30 or 2 o'clock, we're sold out," said Gene Hanning, Washington Township Fire Chief.
Meals run for $9 a person. It includes the meal itself as well as drinks and desert. Chief Hanning of the department says come hungry and come early!
"It's a good meal, every body likes chicken. That way we can accommodate them as best as possible to take care of our community and our citizens that support us," said Hanning.
The Washington Township Fire Department has plans to use the funds raised from the Mothers Day Chicken BBQ for updates in communications as well as computers and mapping systems. The event starts at 11 am Sunday and goes until all the food is gone. For more information on the event you can call 740-452-2221.

FRANKLIN LOCAL SCHOOLS REACTION TO FAILED LEVY

The Permanent Improvement Levy for the Franklin Local School District was voted down last night during the Primary.
The levy was placed on the ballot with the hopes that $327,581 dollars would be generated to provide repairs which would last five years or more.
"We sent home a letter to all of the parents that stated how our current permanent improvement levy of 2 mills has been reduced by the county auditors office to .644 mills," said Sharon McDermott, Superintendent for Franklin Local Schools. "So for the residential home owner the collection has been reduced over the years since 1980 when it first passed."
In order to keep children safe, plans were already in the works to repair a section of the Duncan Falls Elementary School roof as well as purchasing two buses.
"We're going to have to renew in the fall our current levy...because we really need that to help with our expenses. So it may not purchase two or three buses a year, it might purchase just one bus a year. So we're going to ask for a renewal of that, said McDermott.
To learn more about the levy you can visit the website supportfranklinlocal.org

MCEO REACTION TO FAILED $5 TAX

 The failure of the five dollar motor license tax during yesterday's primary was a disappointing result for the Muskingum County Engineers Office.
County Engineer Doug Davis says the additional revenue for road repair, maintenance and improvement would have aided significantly in the engineers office efforts to maintain road and bridge infrastructure.
"We had such a rough winter, last winter we spent a little over $400,000 on ice and snow, which is more than twice as much than what our normal budget is. So all that money comes out of one pot, and there isn't money left over to repair roads and bridges," said Muskingum County Engineer Doug Davis. "Half our bridges are over 50 years old."
In response to comments made by some of the public yesterday, Engineer Davis had this to say:
"We're doing what we think is in the best interest of the public. We had to do that yesterday. Was that a political ploy to close a bridge on Coopermill Rd. yesterday? No it was not. Why did I wait until 1:30PM to close the bridge? That's when we did our inspection. We've been monitoring that bridge since December. That bridge was slated to be replaced this summer. Due to the Governors initiative they're going to replace the bridge for us and it was moved back so that they could jump through some hoops so we could quickly replace that bridge according to ODOT standards."

The Engineers Office cannot guarantee that bridges in the county will not close, however, they have a plan to rehabilitate structures and band-aid the problems until the resources to make permanent improvements are made available.
" Our buying power is a lot less than what it used to be. Ten years ago when I took office asphalt was $28 dollars a ton. Now it's over $80. Concrete prices are over $110 to $115 dollars a cubic yard. They've doubled. The price of steel and everything that we use to build bridges and roadways has doubled and tripled in price. Just like it has at home with a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk," said Davis.
Davis plans on bringing the issue back to the County Commissioners for consideration and making the public more aware of the dire need to take care of our local roads and bridges.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

VOTERS THOUGHTS DURING THE MAY PRIMARY

The polls were busy this afternoon for the last hours of the May Primary.
Over at Seventh Day Adventist church on Taylor Street, voters in Zanesville exercised their constitutional right to vote in hopes to not only better themselves, but also the community.
"I thought that the one ballot which is for the judge is very important to us. And that is one of the big reasons why I came to vote today," said voter Charles Schilling.
"Real special to me," commented poll worker Robert Palmer, "is the Zanesville school levy because I am a retired school teacher so I'm real interested to see we continue the education of our children in Zanesville"
There were three issues on the Muskingum county ballot, one in particular, the annual motor vehicle license tax. Voters expressed their opinion on the proposed tax.

"I know it's for the good of the roads and the bridges," said poll worker Jeff Bugglin, "but I think they need to find the money somewhere else"
"My understanding of the issue is that first they wanted the Commissioners to do it, and the Commissioners said lets let the voters decide," said Palmer. "I think that was a wise move and it's up to the people of Muskingum county to decide whether we want to pay five dollars extra on our license fee for bridge work or whatever the work be."
The polls close this evening at 7:30 PM. WHIZ news will have coverage on radio, t-v and on our website. You can also find results on facebook and twitter.

Monday, May 5, 2014

HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION OF BRANDY DANIELS CONTINUES

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz has identified the victim of a homicide which happened around 10:50PM last night at 6677 McCaslin road in Nashport.
Twenty five year old Brandy Daniels was discovered by her sister, Tess Payton, in her vehicle at the end of their driveway. Payton said her sister was on the way home from work and on the phone with her boyfriend when she turned onto the driveway and the call was dropped.
Having recieved a call from the boyfriend believing 'something was wrong' and concerned about how late her sister was coming home, Payton started down the driveway. Upon discovering her sister's vehicle, and afraid to investigate, she called 911. The call initially went out for an unresponsive female. It was not until deputies arrived on scene that Daniels was confirmed deceased.
Here is part of the 911 call released today from the incident.
911 Call: 
Sister :"Um, my sister is in my driveway and her head's bloody and she's not moving."
Dispatch: "okay. Is she in a vehicle?"
Sister:"Yes Ma'am. Yes. "
" I see blood and she's kind of to the side."
"My mom should be coming home from work and I don't know what to do, I don't want my mom... I don't know."
Daniels was living with family members on McCaslin road. She was married, but separated with a daughter. At the time of the incident, Daniels' sister, brother, and daughter were home. The Muskingum county sheriff's office confirmed that Daniels was shot to death. Shell casings were present on the crime scene.
"We probably if you were to average up how many homicides we have in this county you're probably talking maybe one a year, maybe two a year over the last 10 to 15 years," said Sheriff Lutz. "It is very uncommon for this to happen. I think usually there's some connection there of why it happened and that's what we're looking for right now...We have an experienced crew that's working on it right now. Obviously your hands are tied to a certain extent when you have the case in front of you and you have what you have to work with, so we're trying everything we can to find out who did this and why."
BCI&I assisted the Sheriff's Office in processing the scene. Evidence has been collected and submitted for testing. Currently there is a vehicle as well as persons of interest in the investigation.

Any one with information is urged to call detective Mike Ryan of the sheriffs office at 740-452-3637 ext. 6041.

This is the first homicide in Muskingum county this year.
WHIZ News will have more information from the Sheriff's department tomorrow morning.

THE PRIMARY ELECTION TODAY

The May Primary Election is Tuesday May 6th and the board of elections is busy preparing for voters.

The polls open at 6:30AM and close at 7:30PM. There are five different ballot styles to choose from; democrat, republican, green, libertarian, as well as issues only.
" Please make sure you have current address and name identification with you. And if you do not know which ballot you would like to receive, please preview the sample ballots which will be posted at your precinct," said Chris Hamill, Director of the Board of Elections.
Proof of name and address can be verified using a utility bill, phone bill, drivers license, bank statement, payroll check, or any government issued document. Hamill says early voting was significantly down this year. The Board of Elections is also expecting only a 20% turn out of 53,000 voters in Muskingum county.
"In a Primary it's a race within the party, that's what a Primary is all about. You do have to become affiliated with that party unless you want issues only. And then you will only get the issues on your ballot. There will be no candidates."
WHIZ News will have coverage on radio, t-v and on our website.You can also find results on facebook and twitter.
For information on how to vote visit boe.muskingumcounty.org

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Central Presbyterian Church Celebrates 100 Years

Central Presbyterian Church on North Sixth Street downtown held its Centennial Celebration today.

For 100 years, Central Presbyterian Church has been actively perusing its mission. The church ministers to all members of the community, with special missions focused on reaching the poor and oppressed. The Eastside Community Ministry is rooted at Central.

 "We provide probably the only soup kitchen and dinner on a Sunday night anywhere in Zanesville. We get crowds here as many as 200 people from time to time," said Ed Swanson, Member of the Session Board at Central Presbyterian Church. "We're always reaching out to the community and I think that's what's good about this church."

Swanson, has been a member of the church since 1975. He said the congregation has seen great changes throughout the years. Currently under Pastor Ray Morrison, the church held a weekly series of history lessons on the growth and development of the congregation, ending with today's Centennial Celebration.

"The hundred years is for this building only. This church goes back to 1806, believe it or not. That was before the War of 1812. You're talking in terms of a church that's been vital to the community," said Swanson. "It met years ago in a tavern on the Putnam side of the river. The Taylor Tavern. That's where it began. Seven people got together and formed in fact all of the Presbyterian churches. This was one of the first churches west of the Allegheny Mountains. This was called the North West Territory back then."

A celebration was also held today for church member Mary Alton who has been a part of the congregation for 81 years. She turned 100 years old today. For more information on the Central Presbyterian Church you can find them on facebook.

Cinco De Mayo Specials Around Town

With tomorrow being Cinco de Mayo, several venues around town are gearing up to provide great food and entertainment. Here's a look at a few hot spots around town.

Telaquepaque will be hosting a Mariachi band from 1-4PM. They are offering these specials ALL DAY: half off margaritas, a bucket of Coronitas 5 for $5.50, $5 chicken wings and nachos supreme, as well as $4 beef nachos.

It's Margarita Monday at Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill. Margaritas start at $.99 until 9pm. Happy hour is from 2-7PM with draft beers half off. They're also running a special on ribs: full rack with one side $13.99, half rack with one side $9.99.

Over at El Maguey Mexican Restaurant, they're offering pitcher margaritas for $10.99, pitcher draft beer for $5.99, $1off Mexican bottle beer, and fajitas 2 for 15.99.

El Parian will be handing out free Parian t-shirts to every five to ten customers. They're offering specials on margaritas and mixed drinks all day and also accepting all 10% off coupons, which can be found in the Zanesville-Muskingum County ADvertiser.
Everyone remember to drink responsibly---OLE!

Info:

Telaquepaque
3090 Maple Ave, Zanesville · (740) 453-6465

Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill
tumbleweedrestaurants.com
746 Monroe St, Zanesville · (740) 450-7760

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant
3523 Maple Ave, Zanesville · (740) 453-0971

El Parian
145 N Maysville Ave, Zanesville · (740) 450-1506