Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Grand Lake bald eagles hatch young

By Nancy Allen
GRAND LAKE - Two pairs of eagles on Grand Lake have hatched young.
The eaglets hatched a few days apart about April 9 or 10, said Jill Bowers, a volunteer eagle watcher for the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
"I think there's probably at least two in each nest," Bowers said.
Both nests are on the southside of the lake - one in the Mercer Wildlife Area and the other behind Aquaview housing subdivision.
Bowers said she has caught glimpses of light gray mottled with dark brown as the eaglets' fuzzy down feathers disappear.
Both nests are difficult to view unless a spotting scope is used, she said. The wildlife area nest is located deep within the state protected area, and the parents at the Aquaview nest built the sides high. Trees leafing out also will hide the nest.
The best bet for a peek of the eaglets may be from the water.
"You could probably see them from a boat," Bowers said. "The Prairie Creek pair (at Aquaview) would be nice from a boat or raft."
The Aquaview pair has used the same nest since arriving at the lake in 2006. The pair in the wildlife area is on its third new nest in as many years. That pair came to the lake in 2001.
The incubation period for bald eagles is roughly 35 days.
Both pairs have reared about 30 young since they started nesting on Grand Lake.
Additional online stories on this date
St. Marys man recovering from injuries in Afghanistan
ST. MARYS - Relearning to write, tie his shoes and button his shirt is the new normal for a local soldier injured fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. [More]
ST. MARYS - Mercer County Common Pleas Court ruled in favor of the St. Marys Police Department after the city pursued a lawsuit for frivolous litigation. [More]
Last Curtain Call
As the gate in the Trautman Field outfield fence swung open and Mike Schumm marched his Parkway baseball team through the grass toward an overwhelming sea of fans in the bleachers, his nerves were working in overdrive. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - More than 80 area students must get another shot in the arm because the vaccine they received may be ineffective.
Local health officials d
COLDWATER - A summer job more than 60 years ago cast Doris Durnell-Desch into a slice of American history.
She and her sister, JoAnn, were in thei
CELINA - The health department has hired a new fiscal management director to handle budget and other financial issues.
Aaron Mayes, who operates A&
CELINA - Two downtown businessmen want the city to limit parking time in front of their stores to free up space for customers.
Bob Heitkamp, owner
CELINA - Time is running out for the city to use a $10,000 grant to build a skatepark since there is no location selected or plan in place.
The cit
ST. MARYS - Patrick McGowan edged ahead of Chris Botkin in the Republican mayoral primary Tuesday, winning by only 36 votes.
McGowan received 416 votes while Botkin received 380. Third candidate Dennis Dedrick received 190 votes.
St. Marys facility's ER rated among the top five percent in the country
ST. MARYS - Joint Township District Memorial Hospital last year received quality awards from state and national organizations.
Hospital CEO Kevin H
Minster
MINSTER - The celebration started Wednesday afternoon when officials at Minster Local Schools learned just four ballots remain to be counted - not 80 as they had been told - for the district's 1 percent income tax levy that was narrowly approved by voters.
Rockford
ROCKFORD - Pet owners soon will have to clean up after their pets or face penalties.
Village council gave first reading to an ordinance Tuesday tha
A music maker and a teller of stories, Turkish drummer Hakan Kaya will be a highlight of free children's activities at Wright State University-Lake Campus next week.
COLDWATER - After New Knoxville tied the game at 2-all in the top of the seventh inning on a wild pitch, Coldwater came back with Alex Stammen scorin
FORT RECOVERY - Plenty of in-game promotions helped bring Fort Recovery fans to the baseball diamond, but the action on the field only pleased St. Henry's supporters.
Local Roundup
Compiled by Ryan Hines and Gary R. Rasberry
St. John's pushed a run across the plate in the top of the fifth and edged New Bremen 3-2 in a rescheduled Midwest Athletic Conference contest in New Bremen on Wednesday.