Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued March 15 at 11:57PM EDT until March 16 at 4:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 61 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 9 COUNTIES
IN NORTHEAST KENTUCKY
LEWIS
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE BRACKEN CAMPBELL GRANT KENTON MASON PENDLETON ROBERTSON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AUGUSTA, AURORA, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKSVILLE, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, BUTLER, CAMDEN, CAMP DIX, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, CRITTENDEN, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, DRY RIDGE, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FALMOUTH, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HEAD OF GRASSY, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MAYSVILLE, MIDDLETOWN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT OLIVET, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TOLLESBORO, TROY, URBANA, VANCEBURG, WAPAKONETA, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILLIAMSTOWN, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.

Wind Advisory issued March 15 at 9:34PM EDT until March 16 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

* WHAT...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph becoming west southwest.
* WHERE...Portions of east central and southeast Indiana, northern Kentucky, and central, southwest, and west central Ohio.
* WHEN...Until 8 AM EDT Monday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Saturday, April 19th, 2008

Local teenagers take a stand for pro-life

By Margie Wuebker

Photo by Margie Wuebker/The Daily Standard

Marion Local High School students model the blue shirts they will be wearing April 29 in observance of the American Life League's sixth annual National Pro-Life Shirt Day. More than 1,400 teenagers across Mercer County will be joining them.

Teenagers throughout Mercer County will be wearing blue April 29 as a means of increasing awareness of abortion and the number of unborn lives lost daily.

Local interest in National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day has increased dramatically since the first observance six years ago.

T-Shirt Day Chairman Angie Bertke of Maria Stein remembers ordering 500 shirts the first year and hoping youths would wear them. She and former helper Therese Homan promoted the event, resulting in a doubling of the order in a matter of several years. Today the total stands at 1,428 with all high schools in the county represented.

"This project certainly has young people speaking up for the unborn," says Ruth Rutschilling, current Mercer County Right for Life president and Bertke's latest helper. "They are walking billboards."

Katherine Garmann, a Marion Local junior, views wearing the T-shirt as a way to stand up for the unborn who don't have a voice and to show respect for life at its earliest stages.

"I am glad I go to a high school where everybody respects life," she says. "That is not always the case at schools across the country."

The shirts bear the inscription "American Life League's sixth annual Pro-Life T-Shirt Day" on the back. The front features the word "Abortion" along with three picture squares - two with developing babies marked "Growing" and the third - totally blank - labeled "Gone."

"These shirts represent what we believe," says Marion Local freshman Kelly Garman, who has participated in the National Right to Life March in Washington, D.C., and stood with other local teenagers on the sidewalk outside a Dayton abortion clinic in a pro-life display.

Boys as well as girls plunked down $2 apiece to purchase the shirts. Bertke's twin sons Luke and Jake are among the group. They especially like this year's color calling it "Marion Local blue" and admit they still wear previous shirts even though they are "St. Henry red."

"What surprises us is how the kids hang onto their shirts," Bertke says. "I've had teachers in various districts tell me a week seldom goes by without students wearing them to class."

Various organizations and individuals throughout the county support the effort.

"We're hoping everybody who sees one of these shirts will stop and think," Bertke says. "Statistics tell us more than 3,200 babies die each day as a result of abortion. Young people standing up for what they believe can make a difference."

Archive of April 19th, 2008

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Additional online story on this date

Roughriders tennis shuts out Bulldogs

ST. MARYS - St. Marys rebounded from a tough loss to perennial Western Buckeye League power Elida to shut out Celina 5-0 in league play at the Memorial High School Courts. [More]

Subscriber and paid stories on this date

Burrville Road bridge to be replaced this summer

The wooden bridge on Burrville Road in Mercer County will be demolished and replaced with a new concrete bridge for more than $800,000.

Mercer Coun

Owen Hall steps down as chairman

Longtime political advocate Owen Hall has resigned as chairman of the Mercer County Republican Party.

Hall, who joined the local party in 1952 and has headed it since 1990, made the announcement last week.

Rammel pitches St. Marys to one-run victory

The St. Marys baseball team got a strong pitching performance from Sam Rammel and took advantage of leadoff walks in two innings to slip past Celina 2-1 in Western Buckeye League play on Friday at Montgomery Field.

Klenke carries Cavs to victory over Tigers

Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry

Cory Klenke fired six innings of seven-hit baseball and belted a two-run home run to put the game out of reach as Coldwater went to 3-0 in Midwest Athletic Conference play with a 6-0 win at Versailles.

Minster rallies twice for victory

MINSTER - Two of the many adages in baseball are, bases on balls will always come back to haunt, and, if you are a pitcher you never want to give your opponent runs after your team has put runs on the scoreboard.