A Rushsylvania teen was cited for causing a two-vehicle accident on County Road 12 in Rushcreek Township Friday afternoon just after four o’clock.

The Marysville Post of the State Highway Patrol reports that an ‘88 Honda CRX driven by Seth Collins, 19, of Rushsylvania, sideswiped an ‘06 Mitsubishi Lancer operated by Vincent Olivieri, 32, of Alger.

Troopers report that Collins was southbound on 12 near County Road 50 when he struck Olivieri’s northbound car.

Rushcreek EMS responded, but both drivers refused treatment.

Both vehicles were heavily damaged.

Collins was cited for failure to drive in marked lanes.

Mike Ray, who’s president and CEO of Green Hills Retirement Community, was recently elected to a prestigious state board.

At The Advocate of Not For Profit Services For Older Ohioans (AOPHA) annual conference and trade show in Columbus, Ray was elected to the board.

He will serve with the Class of 2012.

The trade show featured educational programs and networking opportunities.

Ray has been with Green Hills for 17 years and was promoted to president and CEO in 2008.

If you heard sirens throughout the county Friday at noon, don’t panic.

The Logan County Sheriff’s Office and Logan County Emergency Management Agency recently adopted a new Siren Activation Plan for all the sirens that are activated by the Sheriff’s Office.

Sirens in Bokescreek Township, Quincy, Ridgeway, Rushcreek Township, including Benjamin Logan Schools, and Russells Point all sounded at noon Friday to start the monthly test.

County EMA Director Helen Norris explains what the system is used for, and what residents should do when they hear it.

Helen worked with each township and Benjamin Logan Schools for about a year to adopt the program.

The siren will have the same 3-minute tone for every warning, and will operate the first Friday of every month.

Individual townships will keep their weekly tests along with the monthly county-wide test.

A local pedestrian suffered minor injuries when she was struck by a car in the downtown area Thursday afternoon around three o’clock.

The Bellefontaine Police Department reports that Karen Erickson, 43, of 114 1/2 Court Avenue, Bellefontaine, was struck by a Toyota Camry driven by Sheryl Goings, 59, of 3869 Shawnee Drive, Huntsville.

Officers report that Erickson was hit while she was trying to cross the 100 block of East Sandusky Avenue.

Goings was northbound in an alley behind 120 East Sandusky when she turned left onto Sandusky Avenue and struck Erickson.

According to police reports, Erickson hit her head on the pavement.

She was transported to Mary Rutan Hospital by Bellefontaine Fire and EMS.

Erickson, who admitted to drinking a beer earlier in the day, was cited for not using a crosswalk.

The Logan County Engineer’s Office reports that the Shelly Company will be resurfacing two roads in the southeastern part of the county today.

Crews are working on Township Road 161 in Zane Township between Township Road 160 and the county line.

The Shelly Company will then resurface County Road 28 between County Road 168 and County Road 29.

Crews will continue their work on 28 next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The roads will be under construction from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The roads will remain open to emergency vehicles and local traffic only.

Drive carefully; there will be unmarked no passing zones and drop-offs along the edge of the road.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is urging motorists to think twice before getting behind the wheel while intoxicated over the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Troopers will be out in full force in an effort to reduce fatalities over the long weekend.

Historically the Labor Day holiday is one of the deadliest on Ohio’s roadways. During last year’s holiday weekend 18 people were killed in traffic crashes, with seven being alcohol-related.

Since August 21st, state troopers and thousands of law enforcement officers in communities throughout Ohio (including the Logan County Sheriff’s Office) have joined forces for a combined impaired driving enforcement wave which is part of the national Over the Limit. Under Arrest program that runs through Labor Day.

It was not the loud, disruptive, confrontational town halls that have made national news in recent weeks, but Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) hosted a town hall meeting via telephone for members of the 4th district Thursday night.

The purpose of the town hall, according to Jordan, was to answer questions from his constituents regarding healthcare before Congress reconvenes again next week. Though the conversation centered on healthcare, much of the town hall served as a pep rally for conservatism as Jordan fielded a host of questions from callers who prefaced their questions by claiming that Jordan was one of the few politicians they could trust.

Listen to sound bytes from the town hall.

The tele-gathering lasted approximately 90 minutes and saw Jordan, on multiple occasions, rail against the Democrat-backed healthcare bill calling it, "frustrating."

For many of those calling in Thursday night the concerns seemed to transcend healthcare all the way to the roll of the Federal Government and the amount of daily involvement it has in the lives of citizens.

Jordan fielded calls from constituents voicing concerns regarding Second Amendment rights, the breadth of the IRS and what one call referred to as a "socialist assault on our civil liberties and our freedoms."

Despite the ongoing complaints from Jordan and his constituents about the direction of the government, Jordan remains optimistic.

"I think the debate is going our direction," Jordan said.

Despite Jordan's optimism he minces no words with how he feels about the healthcare bill, "It needs to be thrown out and we should just start over."

Chief Deputy Randy Dodds is encouraging residents of Belle Center to remain alert and notify the sheriff's office of any suspicious activity in the area.

The request comes after two more locations were broken into earlier this week.

United Presbyterian Church, 202 Walnut St., and Zeller's Roundtable, 210 N. State St., being are reported as the latest targets.

"This has been in about the last week that we've had the third or fourth place hit up there and [we] would encourage the citizens of Belle Center to keep their eyes open," Chief Deputy Randy Dodds said earlier today. "We need a little assistance on this."

According to police reports Pastor Kathy Clark discovered the church's office and kitchen had been vandalized when she arrived at the church around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The break-in is believed to have occurred around 3:00 p.m. Tuesday; currently the only known missing property is a Staples Credit Card.

Cindy Zeller, owner of Zeller's Roundtable, also reported Wednesday that her restaurant had been entered by force with only $8 in change taken. The break-in is believed to have occurred at the same time as the church.

A Saturday report of a concession stand break-in located in Murray Griffin Memorial Park, 199 Charles St., during the overnight hours is related, though items were taken in that incident.

"They're causing more damage than taking things," Chief Deputy Dodds said.

To file a report or to notify the sherriff's office of suspicious activity contact 592-5731.

West Liberty is ready for its annual Labor Day Festival.

The village will host all sorts of activities at Lions Park on State Route 245 Friday through Monday.

On Friday, bingo will begin at 8 p.m.

Many events are planned for Saturday.

The roast beef dinner will start at 11 a.m.

The parade, which features many tractors, will start at noon through downtown.

The SLO race will begin at three o’clock, with registration starting at two o’clock.

The community band will perform at four o’clock.

There will be an antique tractor and implement sale starting at five o’clock.

An ice cream social will also begin at five o’clock.

Jim Greer and Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks will play at seven o’clock.

Bingo will begin at eight o’clock.

On Sunday, a pork dinner will start at eleven a.m.

An antique tractor pull featuring stock tractors will start at noon.

Joel Wilson will perform at five o’clock.

There will be a community church service at seven p.m. and Bingo will follow at eight o’clock.

On Monday, a chicken barbecue will start at eleven a.m.

A garden tractor pull will then start at noon.

Admission is free. You can see more at www.westliberty.com.

Ohio’s childhood immunization rates are the third-highest in the country.

Nearly 82 percent of Ohio children 19 to 35 months old have been fully immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis B and chickenpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2008 National Immunization Survey (NIS). Ohio’s rate of 81.8 percent was bested by only Louisiana (81.9 percent) and Massachusetts (82.3 percent).

“This wonderful news for Ohio’s children and would not have been possible without partnership at every level,” said Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Alvin D. Jackson, M.D. “Public and private health care providers and local, state and federal level public health agencies are working every day to ensure a healthy future for our children.”

Ohio’s completion rate jumped 4.1 percent from 2007, according to CDC and is higher than the national rate of 76.1 percent.

These figures represent children born between January 2005 and June 2007 who received the full 4:3:1:3:3:1 series of vaccines.

Vaccines in the series are:

·         Four or more doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine.

·         Three or more doses of polio vaccine.

·         One or more doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

·         Three or more doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine.

·         Three or more doses of hepatitis B vaccine.

·         One or more doses of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.

“ODH is committed to reaching its goal of having 90 percent of children fully immunized by 24 months of age,” Jackson said. “ODH and its partners are committed to working to protect and improve the health of all Ohio’s children.”

"Getting Ready for College" is harder than it seems (Audio and pictures included)

Parents and seniors at Bellefontaine High School needed some guidance on what to do as they are applying for college, and when to do it.

That's why the guidance department at BHS held a "Getting Ready for College" meeting Wednesday night in the school's Distance Learning Center for parents of college bound seniors.

The meeting outlined the process of applying for college, and certain times to take steps toward application.

BHS Guidance Counselor John Kesler said during the presentation that you can't take every step at once and cluster everything in the process together.

Crucial steps in the application process were discussed in the meeting, including the completion of college applications, financial aid and, in the end, selecting a school.

Listen to Kesler talk to Ashleigh Klinger about why the meeting was necessary for parents, and what students should be doing now.

Mr. Kesler said that right now, in September, high school seniors should be registering for their final ACT or SAT Tests, and looking into college visits.

Bellefontaine High School is planning more events throughout the school year to help seniors in applying for college. College Day will be hosted by BHS on September 15th, a Financial Aid Night will be January 6th, and a Local Scholarship meeting will be held March 3rd.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced its August sales on Wednesday, posting its second best month of all time.

Sales of 161,439 were posted in August, up 14.2 percent on a daily-selling rate basis and setting a new record for the month.

Two Honda vehicles had all-time record months; the Fit with sales of 13,593, up 194.1 percent, and the CR-V with sales of 30,284, up 58.3 percent.

The Honda Civic had record August sales, up 49.6 percent to 43,294.

Although the month ended well for Honda, the company's year-to-date sales remain down 24.8 percent to 806,907.

A Bellefontaine man was recently arrested on two felony sex charges.

Gregory Cloninger, 52, of 700 Township Road 179, Apt., 6B, was charged with illegal use of a minor in sexually-oriented material (second-degree felony) and voyeurism (fifth-degree felony).

The Bellefontaine Police Department reports that Cloninger was videotaping a young child at his house.

A family member discovered the videotape on August 22nd and Cloninger was arrested the next day.

He was released on bond through Bellefontaine Municipal Court Tuesday afternoon.

Several defendants appeared before Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark O’Connor earlier this week.

Derek Angles, 29, of Bellefontaine, was sentenced to four years in prison for robbery. He was also ordered to pay restitution.

The Bellefontaine Police Department arrested Angles hours after he robbed the Village Pantry (1138 North Main Street) at knifepoint on April 19th.

He was initially charged with aggravated robbery, which is a first-degree felony.

Angles pled guilty to robbery (third-degree felony) on July 27th.

Savannah Stanley, 24, of Bellefontaine, pled guilty to obstructing justice and trafficking in drugs. A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing is scheduled for October 5th.

Jay Bane, 24, of Lakeview, and William Moon, 24, of Bellefontaine, pled guilty to theft. Both were placed on the prosecutor’s diversion program.

Calvin Davis, Jr., 44, of Bellefontaine, was continued on community control and ordered to pay a $250 fine, attorney fees, and court costs for a community control violation. His original charge was possession of drugs.

The Logan County Sheriff’s Office and Logan County EMA are pleased to announce the completion and adoption of a new Siren Activation Plan for all sirens activated by the Sheriff’s Office.

Siren tests will be conducted on the first Friday of each month at 12 PM using a three-minute steady tone. This Friday (September 4th) will be the first monthly test.

Sirens currently affected are: Bokescreek Township siren in West Mansfield, Village of Quincy, Village of Ridgeway, Rushcreek Township sirens in Rushsylvania and at Benjamin Logan Schools Complex, and the Village of Russells Point. Other communities will join the system as equipment updates and programming allow.

The purpose of the plan is to clarify the reasons for use of sirens, establish a common message to the public when a siren is activated using a 3-minute steady tone, and to establish a regular schedule of siren testing.

The primary recognized usage of sirens is for tornado warnings, although the sirens can be used for warning of other dangerous conditions when deemed necessary and appropriate. Examples of other possible uses include a hazardous materials emergency, major local emergency, or incident of national significance.

The warning signal will be a single three-minute steady tone.

The purpose of the outdoor warning system is to alert the public that a dangerous condition exists. Outdoor warning sirens in Logan County are intended to convey the following message to everyone who hears them:
·    Attention! An emergency condition requires you to take action!
·    Go to a sturdy shelter!
·    Listen to local media for important instructions and to know when the danger has passed.

All communities retain the ability to use local sirens for local purposes at their discretion.

Please contact the Logan County EMA at 937-593-5743 or by sending an e-mail to ema@co.logan.oh.us if you have questions or would like more information about the siren activation plan.

The Village of DeGraff will host its annual country fair next week, September 10th-12th, and the impending festival is what had the council excited as it prepares for next week's festivities.

The theme of this year's fair will be "Hometown Heros" as many of the festivities will focus on veterans, firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement.

"Hometown Heros" will also be the theme of the fair's parade which will take place Saturday, September 12th. The parade line-up will begin at 12:00 p.m. at the Riverside Local school parking lot, with the parade set to begin promptly at 2:00 p.m.

Listen to Walls talk about the upcoming fair and parade.

For the second consecutive meeting Tamela Idle of 105 Church Street addressed the council regarding an ongoing open burning from a neighboring residence.

Village leaders, including Mayor Gary Comer, stressed that outdoor fires for recreational purposes are legal, but vowed to continue looking into the matter.

Idle continues to contend these fires are not that of a recreational nature.

Council also announced Tuesday night State Representative Dave Burke, who serves as the state representative for the Village of DeGraff, will meet with members of ODOT on September 8th to discuss the repairing of the village's lone stoplight which has been malfunctioning since December, 2007.

On September 14th at 9:00 a.m. crews will demolish the old DeGraff water tower which was replaced by a new one earlier this month.

Fiscal Officer Linda Harford announced Tuesday night the village has been online with the new tower for approximately one month and everything is ready to begin operation with the new tower.

The council will meet again on September 15th at 7:00 p.m.

Mary Rutan Foundation awards more than $72,000 in medical scholarships and loans to students

The Mary Rutan Foundation is assisting nearly 40 area students pursuing a medical degree through memorial donations, bequeaths and individual contributions to the foundation.

The foundation has given students more than $960,000 in scholarships and loans to residents of Logan County since 1992.

This year, $72,137 was awarded to 39 students; 34 of which are earning degrees in nursing and allied medical fields, and 5 are attending medical school.

Beach Medical Education Fund

Christy Cox                              Licensed Practical Nurse

Annie Fulton                 Associates Degree Registered Nurse

Charlotte L. & Norman R. Miller Memorial Medical Scholarship Fund

Jacob Beach                             Bachelors Degree Respiratory Therapy

Sarah Bell                                 Biomedical Engineer

Jill Burton                                 Masters Degree Physician’s Assistant

Courtney Eichholtz                    Bachelors Degree Applied Health Science

Ember Johns Grant                   Doctorate of Physical Therapy

Emily Snapp                             Associates Degree Registered Nurse

Bia Stoltzfus                             Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Lane Yoder                              Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Zelma Nina Hertenstein Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund

Kristina Marshall                      Licensed Practical Nurse

Ewing H. Crawfis Memorial Employee Scholarship Fund

Cheryl Blankenship                   Associates Degree Registered Nurse

Elizabeth Groves                       Medical Office Management

Jesse Van Dyne                        Associates Degree Registered Nurse

Dr. Joseph C. & Florence C. Longfellow Memorial Scholarship Fund

Annie Fulton                             Associates Degree Registered Nurse

Kristy Jakeway             Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Ashley Jett                                Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Devin Kramer                           Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Hilary Kremke              Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Katie Manahan             Associates Degree Registered Nurse


Grace K. Orr/Dr. Edwin Pratt Memorial Medical Scholarship Fund

Michelle Miller              Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Stephen Pusey                          Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Chelsey Norviel                        Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Marjorie Rothhar Memorial Medical Scholarship Fund

Annie Fulton                             Associates Degree Registered Nurse

Reba Clark Memorial Medical Loan

Elizabeth Groves                       Medical Office Management

Vincent S. Hill & Family Memorial Medical Loan

Cheryl Blankenship                   Associates Degree Registered Nurse


James F. Milroy Fund

Meredith Thomas                     Bachelors Degree Clinical Laboratory Medical Technology

Roy G. and Miriam A. Metz Nursing Scholarship Fund

Rachel Davis                            Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Mary Rutan Foundation General Scholarship Fund

Ashley Burmaster                     Bachelors Degree Communication Disorders

Teresa Clark                            Associates Degree Surgical Tech

Courtney Eichholtz                    Bachelors Degree Applied Health Science

Susan Hawke                           Masters Degree Speech Therapy

Ryan Hemmert             Doctorate of Pharmacy

Jessie Hoffman             Masters Degree Speech Therapy

Kelsey Kauffman                      Doctorate of Pharmacy

Suzanne Kress                          Masters Degree Speech Pathology

Katie Manahan             Associates Degree Registered Nurse

Erin McCloud                           Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Chelsey Norviel                        Bachelors Degree Registered Nurse

Lauren Reichert                        Bachelors Degree Physical Therapy

Rob Stahler                              Doctorate of Pharmacy

Meredith Thomas                     Bachelors Degree Clinical Laboratory Medical Technology

Mary Rutan Foundation Medical Students Loan Fund

Britta Buchenroth                                  Medical Doctor

Thomas McCartney                              Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Monika Parker                                     Medical Doctor

Thomas Rapp   II                                  Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Christopher Stalling                               Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

The Logan County Engineer’s Office reports that the Shelly Company will be resurfacing a few county and township roads over the next week.

On Thursday, three roads will be under construction.

Crews will be working on Washington Township Road 212 between Harrison Township and Township Road 33.

Crews will then resurface McArthur Township Road 31 between County Road 91 and Harrison Township.

County Road 39 between Township Road 56 and State Route 274 will also be resurfaced.

Starting Friday, crews will resurface County Road 28 between County Road 168 and County Road 29.

The roads will be under construction from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will remain open to emergency vehicles and local traffic only (no thru traffic).

Use caution when driving through these work areas. There are unmarked no passing zones and drop-offs along the edge of the road.

Representative Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) will be holding a telephone town hall for all interested residents of the 4th district on Thursday, September 3rd from 7:30-9:00 p.m.

Jordan said, “During the August recess, my staff and I have had over fifty meetings with healthcare professionals to discuss the future of health care from their perspective, with more meetings to come. In order to engage all of our constituents, this town hall will allow opinions to be heard and questions to be answered in every home within our area.”

You can sign up for the town hall by visiting http://www.jordan.house.gov/healthcare. You will then be called on the evening of September 3rd.

“I look forward to continuing the discussion on healthcare reform and what I can do for my constituents when I return to Washington, DC in September.”

Urbana University invites you to a lecture titled, "Politics & Opportunities for Peace in the Middle East".

Dr. Oded Neumann, professor of modern Middle Eastern history and political science and head of the Middle East Studies Program at Jezreel Valley College in Nazareth, Israel will speak Wednesday evening at 7 o’clock in the Honda Lecture Hall in the Lewis and Jean Moore Mathematics and Science building. The building is handicap accessible.

Dr. Neumann will be visiting campus as a guest of Dr. Thomas Oates, dean of faculty and senior vice president of academic affairs. They first met in the 1990s when Dr. Oates was president of Spaulding University in Louisville, Kentucky and have continued their friendship through their mutual activities in working to bring a lasting peace to the region.

Dr. Neumann received his Ph.D. in Middle East studies from UCLA; has been a guest lecturer throughout the United States; and had been a member of the Israeli army and intelligence for many years. His background and experience in both the academic and military worlds gives him a real life perspective of the turmoil in the Middle East, specifically between the Arabs and Israelis. The Jezreel Valley College, that he is a part of, has a diverse campus environment that provides a new hands-on community-based model of Arab-Jewish cooperation.

This is a unique opportunity to meet and listen to this professor's views on the possibilities for peace in the Middle East.

The Logan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a one-vehicle injury accident on Route 33 near Huntsville Monday morning shortly after 5:30.

Nicholas Bishop, 29, of Celina, was driving a ’94 Toyota Celica eastbound on 33 just east of Township Road 221 (near the ballpark) when he lost control, went off the right side of the road, then went off the left side of the road and struck a bridge.

Bishop, who was wearing his seat belt, suffered minor injuries.

Huntsville EMS transported him to Mary Rutan Hospital.

Bishop was cited for failure to control and driving under FRA suspension.

His car suffered heavy damage.

The crash tied up traffic for about an hour.

The Marysville Post of the State Highway Patrol responded at 12:30 a.m. Sunday to a report of a golf cart accident on State Route 365 at Indian Lake (near Blackhawk).

Kevin Casey, 50, Lima, was eastbound on SR 365 in a Club Car golf cart when he swerved and lost control of the vehicle, crashing the vehicle in the road.

Kasey was unhurt, but two passengers were injured.

Randy Groff was flown to St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima. He's listed in stable condition.

William Kreitzer, 54, of Wapakoneta, was transported to Mary Rutan Hospital.

Kasey was cited for OVI and failure to control.

The accident remains under investigation.

The Logan County Engineer’s Office has announced that the Shelly Company will be resurfacing County Road 24 beginning Monday.

CR 24 will be resurfaced from the North Corporation line of DeGraff to SR 235. The project is expected to last through Wednesday.

The road will be under construction between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day, but will remain open to emergency vehicles and local traffic only.

All road work scheduling is subject to weather conditions.

Ohio Hi-Point Nancy J. Knight School of Nursing receives grant, looks to expand offerings

The Nancy J. Knight School of Nursing at the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center was awarded a $200,000 grant payable over two years that will allow the program to expand services in Urbana and offer the nursing program in Hardin County. The Ohio Board of Nursing’s “Nursing Education Grant Program (NEGP)” awarded the money.

“The intent of the NEGP is to increase the opportunities for enrollment in nursing programs across the state of Ohio. A small percentage of Practical Nursing Programs were considered for NEGP awards,” offered Amy Main, practical nursing coordinator. “The funds will be utilized to increase the frequency of enrollment opportunities as well as expand locations for the program.”

Current plans look to expand into Hardin County. Sites are currently being looked at to house the program. Ohio Hi-Point already operates its Practical Nursing program in Bellefontaine, Marysville and at their South Campus in Urbana.

“The funds will pay the salary of a full-time instructor and a part-time instructor over the next two years,” said Main. “The funds will also be used to develop high-tech nursing labs in all four locations.”

In addition to the Ohio Board of Nursing grant, the Practical Nursing program is also receiving a High Fidelity Birthing Simulator for the Bellefontaine Campus from the Sloan Trust. The simulator will allow health career students to experience case scenarios that they may not be exposed to in their daily clinical.

“The simulator is not a replacement for the number of clinical hours the students will experience, but it will be a great supplemental experience,” Main offered.

The good news for Ohio Hi-Point’s Practical Nursing program comes as the staff attempts to meet the growing demand of adult learners faced with unemployment and looking to return to school. The Nancy J. Knight School of Nursing is making changes in how the program operates in order to meet these needs.

“With the recent increase in the unemployment rates, we are seeing a surge of applicants to our nursing program. It doesn’t look like it is going to stop within the next few months. In order to meet this need we are reducing our class size to 24 students per session and increasing the number of times we are enrolling,” said Main.

Practical Nursing will now start new classes on September 23, 2009, January 4, 2010, and March 29, 2010. A two year evening program will begin in September. The rest of the classes will be 12-month full-time programs. The September and March classes will be in Bellefontaine. The January start will be in Urbana.

“We are still offering the dual-enrollment program at our Marysville branch. We will be starting a new group on January 4, 2010, as well,” Main offered.

The Marysville program is part of a dual-enrollment partnership with Clark State Community College that allows student to create a seamless pathway from OHP’s Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program into a Registered Nursing program. Future plans call for Clark State to offer their courses at the Bellefontaine Campus within two years, as well.

“We are also exploring possibilities of creating more pathways in order to increase the number of our Practical Nursing students who actively pursue their Registered Nurse licensure,” stated Main.

For more information on the Nancy J. Knight School of Nursing visit ohiohipoint.com, email Amy Main at amain@ohp.k12.oh.us or call 937.599.3010, ext. 1400.

This week’s “In Sync” show featured two local suicide prevention leaders.

Mary Giannola of West Liberty and Karrie Honchell from Urbana are members of the Logan/Champaign County Suicide Prevention Coalition.

Mary is a facilitator of Survivors of Suicide Support Group and Karrie is a member of the group.

Both of them have been impacted by suicide.

The fiancé of Honchell’s sister committed suicide three years ago and Giannola’s oldest son attempted suicide ten years ago.

The Survivors of Support Group meets the first Tuesday evening of each month to help families touched by suicide. The meetings are from 7 to 8:30 at the Oak Grove Mennonite Church south of West Liberty.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 18-24 year-olds in our country.

The local suicide rate has increased over the last year. In 2008, there were five suicides in Logan County compared to three in ’07. In Champaign County, there were seven suicides in 2008 and five the previous year.

The Survivors of Suicide Team immediately responds to the scene of a suicide and offers support to family members.

September is suicide prevention month and the local suicide prevention coalition will be hosting a couple of short ceremonies to acknowledge the suicides that have occurred in Logan and Champaign Counties and to help work toward suicide prevention in the future.

There will be a ceremony Friday, September 4th at noon on the Logan County Courthouse Lawn.

The Bellefontaine High School Choir will provide entertainment.

If there is inclement weather, the event will be held at the First Presbyterian Church at 117 North Main Street.

On Friday, September 11th, there will be a ceremony at Urbana University on the Student Center Steps at noon.

The UU choir and band will provide the entertainment.

If you would like to learn more, contact Molly Fairchild at Consolidated Care at 599-1975.

“In Sync” airs Sunday mornings at 8:30 on 1390 WBLL and at 8:45 on 98.3 WPKO.