Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
By Leslie Gartrell
MENDON - Former village council president Kris Hughes was sworn in as mayor during Tuesday evening's council meeting.
Former mayor John Boroff chose not to seek re-election, and no one ran for the position in the November election.
Hughes said as mayor he will continue to improve the village, increase property values and improve the community in general. [More]
By Tom Stankard
CELINA - An anonymous organization made a donation on Monday to pay off all outstanding school lunch accounts at Celina Primary School.
The organization wrote a check for $170 to the school cafeteria to pay off roughly 17 accounts that had charges or negative balances, principal Michelle Duncan told the newspaper. [More]
Obituaries on January 29th, 2020
Jacqualyn L. "Jackie" Springer, age 82, of Celina, Ohio passed away on Saturday [More]
Edna M. Fullenkamp age 97 of Botkins, Ohio passed away at 3:25 AM on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at Dorothy Love Retirement Community, Sidney. [More]
Vickie Lynn Fernung Wehrhahn, St. Marys, died on Jan. 17, 2020, at Heritage Manor Nursing Center, Minster. [More]
Allen L. Schmitz, age 31, of Columbus, Ohio, passed away on January 27, 2020 at Ohio Health Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. [More]
Local pictures on January 29th, 2020
Subscriber stories on January 29th, 2020
Funds will be used to pay off loan that helped buy park land
CELINA - The city's remaining debt related to the purchase of two lakeshore-area properties, initially set at $2.64 million, will be slashed to about $500,000 after action taken by Bryson Trust Fund officers and city councilors.
CELINA - A Celina business on Tuesday was awarded a $267,000 contract to extend water and sewer utilities roughly 1,800 feet to Cooper Farms' proposed biosecurity expansion in Fort Recovery.
CELINA - Lake Facilities Authority officials corrected two applications for funding assistance in which appraisals for two properties had been switched.
CELINA - Cheryl Ann board members want to change the agency's image and name.
Members at Monday's meeting discussed dropping the Cheryl Ann name and possibly calling the board Mercer DD, short for developmental disabilities, board superintendent Shawn Thieman said.
Mercer County's unemployment rate rose slightly from 2.4% in November to 2.5% in December but is still the lowest in the state, a status it has maintained since March 2016.
OXFORD - Health officials updated the media on Tuesday about the situation surrounding two Miami university students who may have been exposed to the corona virus while visiting their homes in China.
COLDWATER - Joe and Michelle McClurg feel roosters and coffee have something in common.
Every rooster has its own personality and so does every coffee roast and menu item at Rooster Joe Coffee & Co., 300 W. Sycamore St., Joe McClurg said.
Franklin Monroe's Conley scores 30 to lead Jets past Indians
FORT RECOVERY - The Fort Recovery Indians didn't go down without a fight.
But Tuesday was just not their night.
Hours after being voted back into the Associated Press Division IV state poll, 13th-ranked Fort Recovery was defeated on its home court by Franklin Monroe, 56-43.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Celina rebounded from losses to St. Marys to sweep Versailles in non-conference bowling action on Tuesday at Plaza Lanes.
Career training took a major leap forward last year with the opening of the new Tri Star Career Compact building.
No longer spread around the area in separate facilities, students now develop their skills in one location.
CELINA - Fanning Howey has adapted and stayed on the cutting edge of what's possible as the industry's technology continues to develop.
Their designs have also been adapted to help educators meet changing theories on how best to educate the students who will use their buildings.
Mercer County's unemployment rate has been the state's lowest since March 2016.
That's a far cry from the soaring jobless rate in the late 1990s before communities launched industrial parks and other successful efforts to reverse the trend.
CELINA - Startup culture is a defining trait of the millennial generation in the minds of many Americans.
However, while millennials recognize the
CELINA - While Wright State University looks to revamp its image and boost enrollment after recent setbacks the local Lake Campus plans to build on recent growth.
Mercer and Auglaize counties experienced a good year for tourism in 2019, with more people enjoying Grand Lake and events such as the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which drew national attention.
ST. MARYS - When companies, especially big box stores, close their doors in a community, one of the questions often asked is what will become of the building they've left behind.
COLDWATER - "One person, one desk, taking orders locally."
This is how Totally Promotional Chief Organizational Officer Lynn Huwer described the mo
CELINA - Dave Schroyer has been immersed in the trucking business almost his entire life, getting his hands dirty at an early age by washing windshields, fixing tires and fueling and performing maintenance on the trucks.
CELINA - Located off the beaten path adjacent to a residential neighborhood, Reynolds & Reynolds has been a major employer in Celina for more than 60 years.
Cities' leaders make attracting developers a top priority
Attracting developers and investors to address the lack of housing in the Mercer and Auglaize counties area has been a top priority for many local officials.