Survey
 on February 19, 2026
Above is a slide from the Union County Health Department’s presentation to the North Union School Board, which shows percentages of survey data from students at the school based on their reported use of tobacco products in the last 30 days. The percentages in red depict students who reported using the listed product 1-2 times while the yellow percentages show students who used the product more than three times. (Graphic submitted)

Survey shows high tobacco use among NU students

By By Kyle Meddles, Richwood Gazette 

 

New youth survey results revealed that students from the North Union School District registered higher than other areas of the county in smoking and tobacco use.

The result has unfortunately become a trend in recent years with the district addressing issues with vaping and smoking in the past.

“Our tobacco use is out of whack compared to the rest of the county,” board member Matt Staley said.

At the regular meeting of the board of education on Monday, Mary Salimbene Merriman, an epidemiologist at the Union County Health Department, presented the findings from the 2024 Ohio Healthy Youth Environments Survey (OHYES!) to the board. The survey offers statistics from students in grades 7-12 on a multitude…

Read this entire article as it appeared in print in our eEdition

LATEST NEWS
Fire – EMS
Community
FIRE March 22 3:18 a.m. – Grove Street (false alarm) 4:13 p.m. – Boundary Road (grass fire) March 23 9:16 p.m. – Route 47 (MVA) March 25 2:51 p.m. – R...
April 2, 2026
A job well Asher-ed
Local News
A former police chief and staple member of the Richwood community has hung up his many different hats after serving key roles in the village for over ...
April 2, 2026
Local News
Churches across Union County have announced Easter and Holy Week service schedules. The following is a listing of services by community: Richwood — Ri...
April 2, 2026
Stopped train alert eyed
Local News
By Michael Williamson, Richwood Gazette Liberty Township Trustees are on board with a proposed project involving monitoring a train crossing on Bear-S...
April 2, 2026
Sheriff’s Report
Community
From Union County Sheriff’s Office reports: Deputies were dispatched to a home in the 12000 block of Boundary Road to investigate a domestic disturban...
April 2, 2026