Snow emergencies in three counties were lifted Saturday afternoon.

Champaign County lifted their snow emergency at 3:15, Union County dropped its snow emergency at 4:30, and Sheriff Smith called off the snow emergency in Logan County at five o’clock.

All three counties were under a Level 2 Friday night and Saturday morning.

There were numerous slide-offs Friday afternoon and evening.

A snow plow and a semi collided on Route 33 west of Lakeview Friday afternoon around five o’clock.

The semi came to rest in the field, which caused the roadway to be closed for an extended time.

No one was hurt.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has extended the road closure for SR 273 between SR 117 and CR 97 west of Belle Center for one week. The road was originally closed for a pipe replacement.

That section of the road will reopen to traffic on Friday, March 5. All lanes will be closed to motorists.

The official detour is SR 117 to SR 274 to SR 638. This will add approximately 10 minutes to local commutes.

All work is weather permitting.

Two troopers from the Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol were injured in a two-vehicle crash on the ramp from U.S. 36/St. Rt. 4 to U.S. 33 westbound Friday afternoon at 3:15.

Trooper Jeremy Allen, 33 of Bellefontaine, and Trooper James Bryner, 31 of Columbus, were leaving after responding to a previous vehicle crash when another vehicle slid into the patrol car’s rear end.

Both troopers were wearing their seat belts. The Patrol car suffered minor damage.

The motorist and passengers in the second car were not injured.

The troopers were transported by ambulance to Union County Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.

The Bellefontaine Police Department responded to a three-vehicle injury accident at the intersection of Lake Avenue and South Main Street Thursday morning around 11:20.

Officers report that Joseph Anderson, 71, of 1108 South Greenwood Street, Apt. 302, Bellefontaine, was driving a ‘78 Chevy Caprice westbound on Lake Avenue when he failed to stop for a red light and ran into the path of a northbound ‘91 Honda Accord operated by Diana Beech, 40, of 303 East Main Street, Quincy.

Anderson was struck on the driver’s side by Beech.

His vehicle then hit a southbound ‘01 Chevy pickup driven by Ronald Lewis, 48, of 432 North Miami Avenue, Sidney.

Beech and a passenger in her car, Brittany Beech, 20, of 303 East Main Street, Quincy, suffered minor injuries.

Both of them were transported to Mary Rutan Hospital by Bellefontaine Fire and EMS.

Anderson was cited for a red light violation.

Benjamin Logan 8th grade art student Ashtin Millsap has been selected to be an exhibitor in the 30th Young People’s Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Ohio Art Education Association.

The art work will be on display at the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus March 1st through March 30th.

170 pieces of art work were chosen from nine regions across the state.

The entire exhibition will also be displayed at the Ohio Department of Education building this summer. Some of the entries will then be showcased at the Ohio Art Education Association Convention.

Ashtin’s work was submitted by Benjamin Logan Middle School art teacher Jennifer Davis.

A reception and awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 6th for the young artists and their parents, teachers, and guests.

Written by student reporter and BHS junior Jessica Haushalter

The annual Bellefontaine High School musical is this weekend. The first performance is on Friday the 26th at 7:30 in the BHS auditorium. The second two performances are both on Saturday the 27th, the first is at 3:00 in the afternoon and the second is 7:30 in the evening. Tickets are 5 dollars for students and senior citizens and 7 dollars for adults. If you would like to reserve a specific seat, you can call Debi Henry at 592-2620 or go to tickets@bhsmusical.com.

The musical this year, chosen by choir director Allen Hadley, is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The play is based on a biblical story about the 12 sons of Jacob. Joseph is his father’s favorite son and this causes jealously among the other brothers. When Jacob buys Joseph a very expensive coat, the other brothers join together and sell Joseph as a slave. The story follows how Joseph learns of his ability to interpret the meaning  of people’s dreams and this talent helps save him in the end. The unique thing about the show is that it contains only singing and no actual dialogue.

The character of Joseph is played by senior Petey Mosbarger. Petey also had leading roles his sophomore year in the musical Guys and Dolls and his junior year in the musical Beauty and the Beast. The two narrator roles are played by senior Thea Kennedy and sophomore Morgan Henry. The narrators help tell the biblical story and they also provide comic relief throughout the show. The character of Potiphar, who is the man Joseph is sold to, is played by senior Christian Goodrich. Potiphar’s wife is played by junior Hannah Snapp. The part of Jacob is played by senior Zach Kingrey.

The cast of the musical has had to overcome the obstacle of bad weather this year. Along with all the school cancellations, many of the musical practices had to be cancelled. However, Allen Hadley assured everyone that the students have worked very hard to make up for lost time and they could not be more ready for the performances this weekend. BHS musical cast members can be seen having a fun moment together in the above picture.

Listen to BHS choir director Allen Hadley talk about why he picked this musical.

Listen to junior Hannah Snapp talk about what the show is about.

Listen to senior Petey Mosbarger talk about how he feels about this being his last musical.

Listen to senior Thea Kennedy talk about her part in the show.

Listen to sophomore Morgan Henry talk about her favorite memory from the musical.

The “Top of Ohio” chapter of Mended Hearts celebrated its 15th anniversary on Thursday night during its monthly meeting at Heartland of Bellefontaine.

The chapter was opened in 1995 by John Sower and Dr. Vincent Petno with 25 members. The group now has 64 members.

The organization was started in 1951 in Boston, for individuals with heart disease, including those who are recovering from heart attacks or open-heart surgery. Nationally, the organization has more than 22,000 members.

Regional Director Barbara Forman (pictured) presented Chapter President Bruce Norris with a certificate for the chapter’s 15 years.

Each member shared their story of how they became a member of the organization during the meeting. Mr. Norris said he didn’t become active in the organization until his heart attack in 2000. He had previously had an angioplasty in 1991.

“Having the bypass surgery is a little different than having a standard or angioplasties,” he said.

Listen to Chapter President Bruce Norris talk about the 15th anniversary, how he became a member and how members reach out to others.

Members help each other in many ways, including giving members rides to doctor’s appointments when they have no way of getting there on their own.

Mended Hearts meets again on March 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Heartland of Bellefontaine.

The Logan County Grand Jury indicted 15 people earlier this week. It was the third time this month the grand jury has attempted to convene; the previous two scheduled grand jury meetings were snowed out.

Gregory Knippen, (pictured) 35, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on charges of rape (F1), sexual battery (F3), gross sexual imposition (F4), and corrupting another with drugs (F4).

 

 

 

 

John Hoffer, (pictured) 31, of DeGraff, was indicted on rape (F1), gross sexual imposition (F3), and eight counts of pandering sexually oriented material (F4).

Eric Stahler, 35, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on aggravated robbery (F1) for last month’s armed robbery at Gas America.

Tyler Leas, 20, of West Liberty, was indicted on a felonious assault charge (F2).

Aarika Holmes, 19, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on two counts of endangering children (F2) and (F3).

Rusty Treen, 21, of Russells Point, was indicted for unlawful sexual conduct (F4) and corruption of a minor (F4).

Drew Lavigne, 25, of West Liberty, was indicted for domestic violence (F3).

Angela Mathews, 40, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on charges of receiving stolen property (F4), possession of drugs (F5), theft (F3), and two counts of trafficking in drugs (F5).

Randy Chaney, 39, at large, was indicted on theft of a motor vehicle (F4).

Dee Brown, 46, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on charges of trafficking in drugs (F5) and possession of drugs (F5).

Christine Ulmer, 38, of West Liberty, was indicted on permitting drug abuse (F5).

Alyssa Holmes, 21, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on charges of theft of a credit card (F5) and a parole violation.

Ricky Caplinger, 49, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on charges of failure to register (F3) as well as a parole violation.

Robert Sims IV, 24, of Bellefontaine, was indicted on failure to register (F4).

Rasheen Dunn, 30, of Carey, was indicted on two counts of non-support of dependents (F5).

After weeks of discussion and planning City Council finalized an agreement with Open Range Communications Tuesday night when the group met in regular session.

Passed on second and final reading Monday the ordinance passed by council authorizes the communications company to lease the space on top of the city water tower for the purpose of providing wireless internet access to city residents.

According to Mayor Adam Brannon, the agreement will generate approximately $1550 per month of revenue for the city, totaling about $18,000 each year.

Undoubtedly, the city could use the money. Members of the council finance committee met prior to Tuesday’s meeting in an effort to shore the 2010 budget—currently facing a deficit of more than $820,000.

This figure is down from the more-than $1.2 million dollar deficit faced when the meeting began. The city’s general fund received an influx of funds thanks to a pair of transfers of approximately $435,000.

Council voted Tuesday to transfer about $135,000 from the city’s sewer fund into the general fund and about $300,000 from the police and fire pension fund into the general fund. Mayor Brannon notes the allocation from the pensions results from extra money that went unused from those pensions.

Mayor Brannon said the city hopes to cut an additional $300,000 in yearly spending. In an effort to work with members of the finance committee, Brannon said the administration has agreed to supply council members with a list of potential spending cuts and that list may contain cuts in employment for city employees.

Council has until March 31 to pass a finalized 2010 budget and Brannon does not the rule out the possibility that council may require a special meeting near the end of March for the purpose of passing the permanent budget.

The finance committee will meet again next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in council chambers.

Listen as Brannon talks about the agreement with Open Range and the 2010 budget.

Council will meet again March 9.

An Indian Lake school bus driven by Beth Overs, 41, of 11435 County Road 59, DeGraff, was rear-ended near Russells Point Wednesday morning around 11:50.

The Marysville Post of the State Highway Patrol reports that Overs was eastbound on State Route 366 near the spillway when she stopped to pick up students.

An ‘03 Chevy Malibu operated by Josephine Hare, 81, of 129 Chase Street, Russells Point, struck the bus.

Hare told troopers that she did not see the bus stop.

No injuries were reported on the bus.

Hare suffered a minor injury to her knee, but she was not transported to the hospital.

Her car was heavily damaged.

The Indian Joint Fire District and Indian Lake EMS assisted at the scene.

The accident remains under investigation.

It was a night of dinner and awards at Indian Lake Elementary for the 2010 Logan County Beef Banquet.

The annual event began at 6 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria with dinner. After dinner the 2010 “Friend of Beef” award was presented by Bob Stoll to Jim and Leslie Warne (pictured).

The Warnes helped begin the Born & Raised show at the Logan County Fair more than 20 years ago.

The couple saw a Born & Raised show in Kenton that year and thought the show was a good idea to bring to Logan County.

Mr. Warne is happy with the progression of the show, even though the numbers are dwindling from what he says is due to the rough economy. “The people who still participate and show steers are probably are better stock to the fair than they’ve ever brought before.”

Listen to Mr. and Mrs. Warne talk about how they feel about being named 2010 “Friends of Beef,” how they feel about the progression of the Born & Raised show they began, and what they did with the Cattle Association before starting the show at the fair.

Beef Department Winners at the 2009 Logan County Fair were recognized by the association. Grand Champions include:
Grand Champion Steer: Elizabeth Boysel
Grand Champion Beef Feeders: Monica Slaven
Grand Champion Born and Raised: Elizabeth Boysel
Grand Champion Dairy Steers: Amber Watkins

Also recognized at the banquet were the 2009 Logan County Cattle Association scholarship winners: Aaron Bleininger, Sara Green, and Jeff and Jill Wildermuth. Each student received $500 for their college education.

The 2010 scholarship application is due on April 10.

The Logan County Sheep and Lamb Improvement Association Annual Banquet is set for Thursday, March 4th at 6:30 p.m. at the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center.

Good news highlighted the Ohio Hi-Point Board of Education regular meeting Wednesday night.

Near the beginning of Wednesday’s meeting, the board recognized February’s Students of the Month. Krystal Puff, Electronics Technology II, of the Indian Lake School District was one of the students recognized. Kim Boswell, the Hi-Point Board Member representing Indian Lake presented Puff with the award.

Also recognized as a February Student of the Month was Kodey Morris, Auto Services Technology II, a Ridgemont High School student was honored largely for the extra work put in on a class project while his teacher was out for an extended period of time.

Puff’s and Morris’ parents were in attendance to witness the ceremony in person.

During her report Wednesday night Superintendent Kim Davis notified the board the district has received re-authorization from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) for its automotive technological programs. This notification means that Ohio Hi-Point students, upon completion of the school’s automotive program, receive industry recognized certification from NATEF which, according to Davis, “gives the students another leg-up from having gone through our program.”

Listen as Davis talks about the NATEF certification and the significance of recognizing Students of the Month before board members.

Additional action taken by the board Wednesday night saw the group vote to transfer just over $9000 from the district’s general fund for the purpose of re-allocation into other funds. According to Hi-Point Treasurer Eric Adelsberger, those moneys will be repaid in the future.

The board will meet again March 24.

The Logan County Drug Free Youth Coalition met for its monthly meeting Wednesday afternoon inside Bellefontaine High School.

During Wednesday’s meeting the coalition began planning for its upcoming “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most” Campaign aimed at preventing adults supplying alcohol for underage youth.

The campaign is slated to begin mid-April and will run through prom season for area high schools; the campaign will resume when graduation season begins in late May.

Coalition members are taking several steps to raise public awareness for the “Parents Who Host…” campaign. Those measures include influencing distributors of area off-site alcohol retailers to participate in the campaign as well, which involves placing window clings, posters, table tents and stickers donning the “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most” logo.

Additionally, the coalition will display banners at all county high schools and yard signs along state routes in the hopes of conveying the message, that it is never appropriate to purchase alcohol for underage persons.

Listen as Coalition Project Director Margaret Appel talks about the "Parents Who Host, Lose the Most" campaign.

Lastly, Appel talked to the coalition about a police initiative aimed at ensuring local alcohol retailers are adhering to laws by requiring patrons to show proof of age before selling alcohol.

There is not yet a timetable for these compliance checks. Though Appel hopes these random checks will cause all area alcohol retailers to avoid selling alcohol to minors. Appel also said Monday she hopes to develop a working relationship with these area retailers so the groups can work together to curb, and ultimately prevent, underage drinking.

The coalition will meet again March 17.

A local woman suffered minor injuries in a two-vehicle accident near Huntsville at the intersection of Route 33 and State Route 274 Tuesday afternoon around 2:30.

The Marysville Post of the State Highway Patrol reports that Nichole Myers, 20, of 318 North Detroit Street, Bellefontaine, was driving an ‘02 Chevy Tracker eastbound on 274 when she was rear-ended by an ‘02 Ford Econoline van operated by Randall Huber, 44, of Anna.

Troopers report that Myers attempted to pull onto Route 33, but then stopped because of nearby oncoming traffic.

Huber didn’t stop in time and slightly bumped her SUV.

A passenger in Myers’ vehicle suffered minor injuries.

Betty Myers, 43, of 149 West Sandusky Avenue, Bellefontaine, was transported to Mary Rutan Hospital by Huntsville EMS.

Huber was cited for failure to maintain assured clear distance.

The Logan County Board of Developmental Disabilities recently held its monthly meeting.

Board members met Dave Nicholl, who was hired earlier this month to fill a vacant vocational support specialist position.

The board reviewed the upcoming Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month activities planned for March. A few of the events include the RTC Business Partnership Appreciation Breakfast on March 9th at RTC Industries and the Elected Officials Breakfast on March 26th.

“DD Month in March offers an opportunity for taking a crucial step toward improving the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities, but awareness activities should run year round,” said Board President Denyse Bayliss. “It is, after all, often attitudinal barriers that affect everyday life of these individuals. In addressing those barriers, fears and negative attitudes can be replaced with awareness and understanding.”

Board members will be attending a required training on April 19th at WestCon in Sidney. One of the requirements of board members is to attend an annual four-hour training, and this will fulfill that requirement. The Ohio Association of County Boards and WestCon is facilitating the training.

The next board meeting will be Thursday, March 18th at 5:30 p.m.

Two defendants were sentenced by Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark O’Connor (pictured) earlier this week.

Amanda Somerlot, 27, of Columbus, was sentenced to three years community control and ordered to pay a $250 fine, attorney fees, and court costs for possession of drugs.

Lee Spriggs, 42, of Quincy, was granted intervention in lieu of conviction for theft and misuse of a credit card. He must complete substance abuse counseling, three years community control, and pay court costs and attorney fees.

The Riverside Board of Education met in regular session on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

The board put the hearing of visitors first in the meeting and heard plenty about the school’s music department. Officers from the Music Boosters attended and suggested that the school hire a full-time instrumental instructor.

The music department had drastic cuts before the school’s levy was passed on the November 3rd ballot. Riverside currently has one music teacher for more than 400 students after letting their instrumental instructor go last year. The band has taken the biggest hit from this change because, after marching band, the high school band has no concerts or competitions to look forward to. The 5th and 6th grade band, which is where most students first begin play an instrument, has been eliminated. Also, the current teacher is trained mostly in vocal instruction and not instrumental.

High school volunteers have been helping with the middle school’s instruction, after school, on their own time.

Music Booster President Kim Comer said, “[The students] are concerned about the future. By missing these few years of younger instruction is going to hinder them in the future and they are concerned about what the future music program will look like at Riverside.”

Listen to Kim Comer discuss what needs to be changed for the students to become more interested in band again.

It was suggested that the high school band be able to have a concert with the material they learn in class by an audience member, and the board decided to have High School Principal Scott Mann work with the Music Boosters to figure out the logistics of the concert.

Mr. Mann presented the new standards set by the Ohio Core for schools to the board as well. New graduation requirements will be implemented for the Class of 2014, with more math requirements and end-of-course exams.

Also, the 4th and 7th grade OAT in writing as well as the 5th and 8th grade OAT in social studies were suspended.

With Superintendent Jim Zerkle not in attendance the discussion of his contract extension was delayed until the board’s March 23rd meeting.

Mary Rutan Hospital has been recognized with the 2009-2010 Hospital Value Index: Best in Value Award as a result of a nationwide study conducted by Data Advantage LLC.

Mary Rutan Hospital ranked among the top 10% of hospitals nationwide, achieving top marks in all measured categories.

“We are very proud of this prestigious honor, as it reinforces our commitment to providing quality care affordably,” Mary Rutan Hospital CEO Mandy Goble said. “To be ranked in the top 10% of 4500 nationally, is a testament to the dedication of our physicians, nurses and staff who strive each day to make our hospital a leader in quality care.”

The Hospital Value Index is the first and only performance indicator to focus on the value hospitals provide to their community and utilizes the latest publicly available data to recognize these accomplishments.

This award pulled data from approximately 4500 general acute-care serving more than 30 million customers and defines Mary Rutan Hospital’s success in four different areas: Quality of care, patient satisfaction, affordability and efficiency.

“This award truly acknowledges Mary Rutan Hospital’s success in staying on the leading edge of transparency and consumerism shifts in healthcare and includes important information for those who seek the highest quality of care. This is a great achievement for our organization and for the members of our community, who have and continue to support the mission of Mary Rutan Hospital,” Goble said.

Listen as Michael Julius of Data Advantage, the company responsible for the study talks about how the study was conducted and the research was gathered.

Listen as Goble talks about what this award means for Mary Rutan Hospital.

Two local roads are closed this week for repairs.

SR 273 is closed between SR 117 and CR 97 west of Belle Center. The closure began Tuesday; the road will reopen on Friday.

This is due to a pipe replacement in the area. The official detour is SR 117 to SR 274 to SR 638 and will add 10 minutes to local commutes.

SR 235 in Quincy will be closed beginning Thursday at 7 a.m. and will reopen on Friday at 4 p.m. Crews will be repairing railroad crossings in the area.

The official detour is SR 706 to SR 29 to SR 47 and will add 20 minutes to local commutes.

All work is weather permitting.

An on-site parts consolidation center has begun to deliver auto parts directly to the Marysville Auto Plant of Honda of America Mfg., Inc., an initiative that enhances manufacturing, efficiency and flexibility, including a significant reduction in fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions related to parts delivery.

Startup of the new Material Management Center will eliminate the use of shuttle trucks for transport of parts by 130 loads per day when fully operational, resulting in a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions.

The new operation, managed by Midwest Express Inc. also reduces parts handling, streamlines manufacturing operations and improves quality and utilization of plant space.

“This on-site parts consolidation center is a win-win for Honda and the community and an important new step in our history in Ohio,” said Dave King, production control manager at the Marysville plant, who led the project. “Reducing the number of steps in parts logistics strengthens our foundation by improving our efficiency and flexibility at responding to changing market conditions, while also reducing our impact to the environment.”

Since starting manufacturing in Ohio more than 30 years ago, Honda has pioneered many advancements in parts logistics, including the sequencing of parts for just-in-time delivery to assembly lines, the use of returnable parts containers and innovative parts movement initiatives to maximize space utilization in trucks and minimize transport distances from suppliers to Honda.

Federal, state and local officials joined area business owners Monday night inside the Distance Learning Center at Bellefontaine High School for the 2010 Economic Summit sponsored by Raymond James.

The purpose of Monday’s summit was to provide an in-depth program and discussion on current economic issues featuring local, state and national employment and real estate.

Monday’s summit was headlined by Brian Wesbury, Chief Economist for First Trust Advisors and generally considered one of the nation’s top economic forecasters as well as Congressman Jim Jordan (R-4th District).

The summit also featured a panel of seven local officials and dignitaries that included State Representative Dave Burke (R- 83rd District), Bellefontaine Mayor Adam Brannon, Logan County Commissioner Tony Core, Natalie Comer, Director of Logan County Community Improvement Corporation, Dava Royer of Royer Realty, Rick Hatcher, President of Citizens Federal Savings and Loan, and Steve Austin of Steve Austin’s Auto Group.

Each summit participant delivered a brief address to those in attendance Monday night and took questions. The obvious theme from all presenters, including Wesbury and Jordan, was the economy is beginning to improve and progress is being made both locally and at the federal level to shore the lagging economy.

During his address, which was delivered via teleconference from Wheaton, Ill., Wesbury discussed some of the signs he believes point to a recovering economy.

Those factors include a 10% climb in retail sales over last year and a subtle drop in unemployment, which now stands at 9.7%. According to Wesbury, 11,000 manufacturing jobs have been created nationally since the start of the year. Wesbury estimates the Dow Jones Industrial Average will end the year around 13,000.

Jordan, during his speech, says he largely agrees with Wesbury’s predictions, though is quick to add the economic bounce-back is largely due in spite of the measures taken by those in Washington, not because of them.

Jordan remains highly critical of the current administration, calling the amount of spending by the federal government both “excessive” and “immoral”.

Listen as Jordan about the economic summit and his perceived shortfalls of the current administration.

Royer spoke about the real estate market and said the signs of recovery are evident. According to Royer, the real estate market in Logan County is up more than 10% since July 2008 and that because of undervalued home prices, houses are affordable for citizens of Logan County.

Listen as Royer talks about the importance of business owners and elected officials coming together for an economic summit.

The Bellefontaine School Board met in regular session Monday night at the board office on Ludlow Road.

The board hired two companies that will help with the recently approved Ohio School Facilities Commission building project (at Ludlow Road and Lake Avenue).

The board selected the commissioning agent and the maintenance plan advisor.

Superintendent Beth Harman says the commissioning agent will help facilitate work with the construction of the K-2 building and the new middle school (6-8 grades).

The maintenance plan advisors (Lawhon & Associates) will be instrumental in establishing the best way to maintain the buildings.

Listen to Harman talk about the two new companies and the recent rash of calamity days.

The board also accepted the resignation of Western Intermediate teacher Nancy Rapp, who is retiring after 35 years of service. Her final day will be May 31st.

Board member and student liaison Todd Heydinger shared some of the district’s good news, including:

Jets is an engineering, science, and math competition. Ms. Mount will be taking 16 students to Ohio Northern University on Wednesday.

Thomas Smith was named the Franklin B. Walter Scholar for Logan County. Smith will receive an award from the Columbus Technical Council in April for being named Bellefontaine’s outstanding science student.

Jason Brunner was recently named a National Merit Scholar.

Dylan Cole qualified for the MathCounts District Competition in Lima last week.

The Quiz Bowl Team will be competing during the next three weeks in the first-ever CBC academic league competition.

The Bellefontaine Board of Education will only meet once next month. The meeting will be held Monday, March 15th at 6:30 p.m. at the board office.

The Village Pantry Marathon Gas Station in DeGraff has been closed since Saturday night for safety reasons.

(Picture courtesy of DeGraff Police Chief George Piersall)

The store manager contacted authorities around 8:30 after noticing the canopy above the gas pumps was crumbling from the weight of the snow.

The DeGraff Police Department placed warning tape around the structure.

The DeGraff Fire Department helped reduce the weight on the canopy.

You’re asked to avoid the area until it’s fixed.

No one was injured.

The Bellefontaine Rotary Club celebrated National Rotary Day by hosting a food drive at Monday’s weekly meeting.

Club members (pictured) donated several hundred non-perishable food items.

The food was delivered to Our Daily Bread on Tuesday.

The local service club meets every Monday at noon at the Friendly Senior Center on South Main Street.

Next week’s scheduled speaker is Emmy Davis from Benjamin Logan.

The Rising Star Talent Show was held at the Holland Theatre Saturday night.

9-year-old Jonny Stanley (pictured with emcee Steve Freehauf) took first place.

Dancin’ Jonny is a third-grader at Indian Lake Elementary. His parents are Rick and Kimberly Stanley.

Rowan Grisez earned second place with his electric guitar.

Third place went to Kathleen Ollhoff with interpretive song.

The People’s Choice award was presented to dancers Benji Dearwester and Angel Dever.

The talent show was open to all ages.

The winners are pictured below. They are, left to right: Jonny Stanley, Rowan Grisez, Kathleen Ollhoff, emcee Steve Freehauf, Benji Dearwester, and Angel Dever.

Details have been announced for the Logan County commodity banquets.

The Logan County Cattle Association Annual Banquet will be held Wednesday, February 24th at 6 p.m. at Indian Lake Elementary School.

The cost is $12 for adults and $6 for Junior Fair Beef Exhibitors.

The Logan County Sheep and Lamb Improvement Association Annual Banquet is set for Thursday, March 4th at 6:30 p.m. at the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for youth.

Finally, the Logan County Dairy Association Annual Banquet will be Thursday, March 18th at 7 p.m. at the Winner Family Barn.

The cost is $12 for adults and $6 for youth.

Tickets for each banquet are available at the OSU Extension Office at 120 East Sandusky Avenue, Suite 1, Bellefontaine, or from members of the respective associations. For more, contact the extension office at 599-4227.

The West Liberty-Salem High School Science Olympiad Team came home with more medals this weekend after competing for the first time at Mentor High School on Saturday.

Gold Medals went to Sara Naderer, Tara Wyatt, & Becca Hager for Mission Possible.

Silver medals went to:
Elizabeth Gresh & Becca Hager in Dynamic Planet
Katie Scott & Sara Naderer in Egg-O-Naut
Garret King & Tara Wyatt in Elevated Bridge

Bronze medals went to John Hance & Bryce McDaniel in Physics Lab.

Chris Edwards and Tara Wyatt received 6th place in Forensics.

West Liberty-Salem will be hosting their next competition on Saturday, March 6th and would like to welcome anyone interested in learning more about Science Olympiad to come and see what it is all about.

A Bellefontaine man was sentenced Thursday in Union County Common Pleas Court to two consecutive life sentences for his crimes against children.

Bryan S. Moore (pictured), 24, of 629 E. Sandusky Ave., also received an additional five years to be served after the life sentences. He is not eligible for parole until 2035.

Moore pleaded guilty in January to two counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped eight additional counts of rape and six counts of sexual imposition.

Moore’s crimes were against multiple children seven years old or younger. Moore exploited at least three children, both boys and girls, according to court documents. The offenses occurred between June 2004 and March 2007 in several places around Marysville, including the defendants’ parents’ houses and the restroom at McCarthy Park.

Moore faces three counts of rape against a child and five counts of gross sexual imposition in Logan County. He is currently lodged in the Logan County Jail.

Interim reports are scheduled to be sent home with Benjamin Logan students on Tuesday.

The Benjamin Logan Post Secondary Enrollment Options meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the high school commons.

Contact the Ben Logan High School Guidance Office at 592-1666 x2004 for further information.

West Liberty-Salem will host guest speaker Van Wright, Bowling Green representative, on Thursday at the high school from 5:00-6:00 p.m. to discuss “How to help your son or daughter choose a college”.

The program targets high school parents and helps assist their child in the college search as well as the transition from high school to college.

For more information, contact the WL-S Guidance Office at 465-3630.

Beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday, crews from LeVan’s Excavating will be installing a waterline across Clarkson Avenue in Bellefontaine, requiring it to be closed at Main Street.

The project is anticipated to be finished Monday. Clarkson Avenue will reopen to traffic upon completion of the installation.

The Weekly Agenda for Commissioners Core, Knight, and Bayliss for the week of February 22nd through February 26th

Monday:

6:30 p.m. Economic Summit - BHS

Tuesday:

8:30 a.m. COMMISSION IN SESSION

2:00 p.m. Keith Valiquette – Honeywell re: possible cost saving measures

4:00 p.m. Opening of Campbell Hill recycling center

5:30 p.m. Public Auction – 407 Carter Avenue, Bellefontaine

Wednesday:

7:30 a.m. Downtown Bellefontaine Partnership – Board meeting – Edward Jones (CORE)

6:00 p.m. Beef Banquet – Indian Lake Elementary

Thursday:

8:30 a.m.-COMMISSION IN SESSION

10:00 a.m. Bid date for 2010 signs & posts

10:30 a.m. Logan Acres Board meeting

Friday:

 

The Commission may also take up and act upon matters that have not yet been brought to the attention of the Commissioners or the Clerk/Administrator at the time of the preparation of this agenda.