Special Weather Statement issued March 19 at 4:15AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)
Gusty winds from 35 to 40 mph this afternoon could blow around unsecured items. Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor items.
Today 37° Today 37° chance 25° 25° scattered Tomorrow 52° Tomorrow 52° 33° 33°
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Area school named 'best-in-class' for saving money in three areas

By Amy Kronenberger
ST. MARYS - Ohio Education Matters and Knowledge Works named St. Marys City Schools an Ohio Smart School for its exceptional savings in non-instructional spending.
Superintendent Mary Riepenhoff announced Monday that the school received the designation because three out of five possible areas met the benchmark and were designated as "best-in-class."
The three areas that received the best-in-class ratings were food services, Donna Kentner; transportation, Dan Grothause; and maintenance and operations, Greg Adams. The two other areas were school level administration and central administration.
According to the report, "The study identifies 135 (out of 609) Ohio public school districts that are getting more for their money than their peers in non-instructional spending areas, while meeting quality indicators in each area, but spending less than similar districts."
District business manager Kurt Kuffner said he is proud of the recognition from Ohio Education Matters and Knowledge Works.
"Such recognition just doesn't happen. It takes a support staff and support staff supervisors committed to providing quality support services while squeezing more from each support services dollar," Kuffner said. "While this recognition is certainly appreciated, we will not rest on our past achievement, but continue to work each day to find ways to become even more efficient."
Ohio Education matters is a subsidiary of Knowledge Works Foundation, a national organization in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They are working to "bring together the disparate elements of education training to workers who need to improve their skills in order to improve themselves and ultimately the state's economy," according to OEM's website.
Additional online story on this date
CELINA - Purchasing new fire vehicles is back on the table for city council.
Council members on Monday agreed to establish a fire vehicle capital fund and discussed taking a vote on a purchase at the next council meeting April 11. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - A Celina man wants residents to have another opportunity to vote on an income tax increase.
Voters in November approved raising the incom
Removal part of overall plan to help lake
As the state tries to lure commercial fisherman to Grand Lake to remove rough fish, local officials are getting ready to start the task on a smaller scale.
The Center for Neurological Development
The Center for Neurological Development's client list continues to grow, according to reports presented during its annual appreciation dinner Monday night at the Fort Recovery American Legion Hall.
ST. MARYS - A St. Marys optometrist accused of rape is seeking to suppress from trial the results of a privately-administered polygraph test.
The
A Celina woman last week pleaded not guilty to numerous charges stemming from the drug-related death of her boyfriend.
Natasha M. Chiles, 21, 319 L
A cover crop walk will be held 6-8 p.m. April 13 at the Mercer Wildlife Area near Montezuma to talk about managing cover crops in the spring.
The w