11th Annual Chair-ity Raffle & Auction

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – February 26th through the 28th, Eastside Community Ministry holds their largest fundraiser inside the Colony Square Mall. Executive Director Jamie Trout announced the addition of a few new twists that allow for more opportunities for participants to win.   “This year we are adding some new stuff,” Trout said. “We have a raffle that’s going to kick off…

Limited Service Returns to John McIntire Library

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Additional progress is being made each day at the John McIntire Library. Now that the Mini-Mac portion of the library has been closed so that renovations can be made to the Carnegie Wing, Muskingum County Library System Marketing and Community Relations Director Sean Fennell explains how the Shinnick Street entrance and parking are being reutilized to channel…

Daycare Fraud? Not in Ohio

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley grabbed national headlines with a video claiming rampant childcare fraud in Minneapolis, which led to potential impacts for childcare across the country. While no independent investigations could verify Shirley’s claims, and the Minnesota Office of Inspector General carried out on-site compliance checks at nine of the centers and confirmed they were “operating as…

Students and Their Cell Phones

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – At the beginning of the school year, the state of Ohio mandated that all K-12 learning institutions must have a student cell phone policy in action January 1st. Zanesville City Schools Superintendent Laura Tompkins talked about the rules that her school district have implemented since 2021 and how they impact the students. “In 2018 we instituted a…

Mentoring Makes a Difference

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The phrase you don’t know what you don’t know highlights the important role that mentorship can play in people’s lives.  Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Appalachian Ohio is an organization that mentors kids and organization President and CEO Katie Lupsor announced that January is National Mentorship Month.     “We have quite a few mentors. We use both…

Governor Mike DeWine looks back at 2025 and forward to 2026

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – With 2025 behind us, WHIZ reached out to Governor Mike DeWine to talk about the year that was and the year to come. One of DeWine’s personal highlights was seeing the improvements made in children’s literacy across the state. “We saw much better numbers this year, for example, in regard to our kindergarten kids. We attribute that…

The Chatty Cat Closet opens at the Colony Square Mall

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Chatty Cat Cafe at the Colony Square Mall doubles as a cafe and cat foster home, and this week the organization expanded with a new business at a new location. The Chatty Cat Closet opened on Thursday and is a donation-based boutique featuring handbags, accessories, jewelry, home decorations, and clothing for men and women. Erica Roberts…

Ambitious Take On Frankenstein At Zanesville Community Theatre

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Written stories are often interpreted differently amongst their readers and such is the case with the story of Frankenstein. The Zanesville Community Theater will be performing a PG-13 stage adaptation of the gothic novel that was written by Mary Shelley back in 1818. “There’s a big Broadway production of the show, around 2011 is when the original…

The MCCF’s Groundhog Day Celebration is set to bring the community together

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Muskingum County Community Foundation, or MCCF, is back with the 2026 Groundhog Day Celebration. The foundation’s annual event features live and silent auctions, community leadership awards, and a Golden Ticket Drawing. The celebration also serves as a great chance to network over great food and drinks, which is what CEO Brian Wagner looks forward to most….

Park National Bank Named as a UWMPM Caped Crusader

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The United Way of Muskingum Perry and Morgan Counties offers multiple resources throughout the year that many residents find beneficial.  UWMPM Community Engagement Coordinator Alyssa Moore talked about the upcoming Trivia Night that is a major fundraising event, which supports many of the programs the public finds resourceful. She also shared the importance of corporate sponsorship and…

33rd Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast to recognize scholarship recipients and the Animal Shelter Society

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The 33rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast is ready to honor local students and a special local organization. The event is the primary fundraiser for the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund and a chance to recognize the students who have earned the scholarship award this year for their academic achievements. “These students work diligently….

Land Bank Holds First Meeting of 2026

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Muskingum County Land Reutilization Corporation also known as the Land Bank has many blighted property renovations going on across the county.  Land Bank Executive Director Andy Roberts listed many of those projects and highlighted what was discussed during their first meeting of 2026. “Most notably the former Holiday Inn,” We’ve got a few projects alongside that…

TruLight Ministries Expands Breakfast Program

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – A local organization is stepping up to address hunger issues while serving a positive message during the process. TruLight Ministries Executive Director Pastor Ed Swartz shared how community generosity has helped his organization expand their breakfast program at the Putnam Avenue facility. “So this is our new dining room. We serve free breakfast to the homeless, the…

The Community Bank Promotes Scott Woods to COO

ZANESVILLE, OH – The Community Bank here in Zanesville recently promoted one of their bankers. Scott Woods received the promotion to Chief Operations Officer in December as is excited to move forward with his career. Woods has been working in banking for 26 years, spending some time at Advantage Bank and Huntington in Cambridge, but the last 3 years have…

Political Vision for 2026

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Cost of living has increased significantly and many Ohioans are having trouble making ends meet. Ohio 12th District U.S. Congressman Troy Balderson made a recent visit to WHIZ and shared some of the challenges that he is anticipating to address during 2026.  “I think, you know our focus will again be on energy and rural healthcare and…

Upcoming Zanesville Projects In 2026

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – 2025 has been a year of accomplishments for the City of Zanesville and Mayor Don Mason talked about the direction the city will be taking in 2026. Many of the city’s 2026 ventures are lengthier projects that are already underway and demonstrate a significant investment that is being put into the future of the community.  “We have…

Mini-Mac Closure

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Renovations often mean inconvenience, and such is the case at the John McIntire Library.   However, Muskingum County Library System Marketing and Community Relations Director Sean Fennell explained some of the measures that are being taken to alleviate the hindrance of the Mini-Mac closure. “If you’re missing some of the friendly faces you’re used to seeing at…