Author: Newspaper Staff

Franklin D. Miller, 83, of Pioneer passed away Tuesday, December 6th at Evergreen Manor Nursing Home in Montpelier. He was born on April 2, 1933 in Montpelier to Lyle R. and Wanda (Bechtol) Miller. Frank graduated from Montpelier High School in 1953. He proudly served his country in the United States Army Military Police during Peacetime. On December 22, 1955, Frank married Rosa E. Schindler in Angola, Indiana and she survives. Frank was a member of the Pioneer United Methodist Church. He retired from the Norfolk & Southern Railroad in 1996 with over 35 years of service as a Brakeman.…

Tuesday, December 6  Scoring Summaries GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL Archbold 83, Fairview 46 The Bluestreaks scored more than 20 points in each of the first three quarters to come away with a non-league triumph.  After a 27-9 first quarter, the Streaks built the lea to 48-18 at the break. Kierstyn Repp topped the scoring column with 29 points. Repp, the NWOAL’s three-point queen, added nine more from the beyond the arc. Also scoring in double figures for the Streaks were Alyssa Ziegler and Morgan Miller with 13 apiece. North Central 52, Fayette 44 A 16-6 third quarter by the North Central…

Robert E. Bittinger, age 79, of Lyons, with his family by his side, passed away Saturday evening, December 3, 2016 at Ebeid Hospice in Sylvania. He was born in Waterville, OH on March 24, 1937 to the late George and Jesse (Penn) Bittinger.  He was a graduate of Chesterfield-Dover High School, class of 1956. After high school he served in the Army from 1958-1960. On January 20, 1962 he married Bonnie Wanless and she survives. Robert worked as a factory worker for Cambell Soup Company until his retirement in 1998. Following his retirement he worked as a self-employed truck driver…

Margaret L. Leupp, age 86, of Stryker passed away Saturday December 3, 2016 at the Defiance Area Inpatient Care Center. Margaret wore many hats throughout her years of employment with great memories and many relationships from her years at Sauder’s Woodworking and Dr. Turriten’s dental office. She was a member of the St. John Christian Church in Archbold as well as active in the Eastern Stars, Rainbow Girls and Sweet Adeline’s. She was also an avid supporter of local sports. Mrs. Leupp was born on November 4, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio. Born during the depression Margaret was placed along with…

Harold Eugene Riegsecker, age 92, of Delta passed away early Sunday December 4, 2016 at Fulton Manor in Wauseon. Mr. Riegsecker was born on August 30, 1924 near Tedrow, Ohio the son of the late Harmon and the late Mary (Mast) Riegsecker. On July 27, 1947 he married the former Mary L. Van Valkenburg and she survives. He grew up near Tedrow and attended Chesterfield School. He served his country during WW II in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946. He was a member of the Delta Legion Post and a member of the Staccatos Champion Drill Team which won National…

Monday, December 5, Scoring Summaries BOYS VARSITY BOWLING Bryan 2396, Wauseon 2111 Tycen Ogden rolled games of 243 and 206 for a 449 series to help the Golden Bears defeat the Indians. Cory Hemenway joined Ogden with a 423 series with games of 198 and 225. Chance Buehrer led the Indians with games of 211 and 205 for a 416 series. FRESHMAN BASKETBALL Hilltop 33, Montpelier 11. No game summary submitted. JUNIOR HIGH BOYS BASKETBALL Edon 43, Pettisville 13 7th grade – The Bombers ran away with this game early as they outscored the Blackbirds 26-4 in the first half.…

Saturday, December 3  Scoring Summaries BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL Hilltop 53, Emmanuel Christian 30 The Cadets put the game away during the fourth quarter with a 16-2 run. Leading the charge in the non-conference win were Tim Maneval with 19, Ryan Brooker with 14 and Quinn Smith with 11. Wauseon 52, Archbold 50 In the annual ‘non-league’ contest the two NWOAL rivals fought to the bitter end with Wauseon squeaking out the win at “The Thunderdome” in Archbold. The two teams played even basketball during first half action with the Indians holding a 21-20 edge at the break. Brooks Gype led…

Randon M. Goebel was arrested in Fulton County at 1430 hours after failing to appear this morning for sentencing at the Williams County Common Pleas Court on a charge of abduction, a third degree felony. The Williams County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from the victim of the abduction, stating Randon M. Goebel had just called her and stated he was coming to get them.  The Williams County Sheriff’s Office responded and took statements confirming the violation of the protection order issued by the Williams County Commons Pleas Court, including the authorization for arrest. While this information was being gathered,…

On November 21, 2016, the Fulton County Grand Jury considered indictments charging individuals with Fulton County crimes, according to Fulton County Prosecuting Attorney Scott A. Haselman. Tiffany L. Thompson, age 41, of Delta, OH, was indicted on one count of Possession of Heroin and one count of Possession of Cocaine. On or about October 7, 2016, she allegedly possessed heroin and cocaine. Sheila K. Grant, age 61, of Wauseon, OH, was indicted on one count of Receiving Stolen Property and four counts of Forgery. On or about September 12, 2016, she allegedly received blank checks knowing or having reasonable cause…

The Fulton County Sheriff Department recently welcomed a new addition to their team, K-9 Fazzo, a three year old German Shepherd. Fazzo joins Maggie as the second K-9 to the unit. Fazzo’s handler is Deputy Justin Galbraith who has been with the Sheriff department since 2007. Imported from the Czech Republic, Fazzo first competed as a sporting dog before entering into the law enforcement division. Prior to coming to the United States, all of his training had been completed except for the narcotics portion. Deputy Galbraith and Fazzo spent six weeks together training in Lima where Fazzo was trained to…

The Williams Board of County Commissioners met briefly Monday afternoon Nov. 28 following the cancellation of its morning session. The board had to cancel the 9 a.m. session due to one commissioner having requested the day off and another called away for a family emergency. The board met at noon when Lewis Hilkert arrived from his day off. The board paid bills, approved minutes, received the Dog Warden’s report for August-October and passed a few minor resolutions. The board approved immediate insurance coverage through CEBCO for new commissioner Terry Rummel. His coverage will begin Jan. 3, 2017, with the typical…

Swanton native Terry James was not an English major in college nor would he describe himself as a stellar English student in high school. The local author is somebody who has a love of storytelling and a dream he decided was worth believing in. Sometime in either eighth or ninth grade, he recalls his interest in writing being stirred. While his peers wrote about sports and crimes for a writing assignment for an American Literature project, he created a fictional society of humanity where society existed underground. After he read it in front of his class, a classmate leaned over…

As the weather turns colder, the excitement level for the Christmas For Kids promotion is rising. The latest stop for the crew from Mix 98.1 and the Marine Corps Reserves was the Spangler Candy Museum when Rick Small and company camped out for two 2-hour shifts Dec. 1. The first shift was from 6-8 a.m. and allowed first shift workers to give money and toys to the cause. The crew came back from 2-4 p.m. to get the second shift workers and other donations. Different departments showed up in their white smocks to donate cash with a total of $585…

A favorite Christmas song states, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and that statement means a lot for Chelsea Smith who along with husband Christopher and three children are spending the holidays at The Sanctuary in downtown Bryan. Not too long ago, there was some doubt about if the 22-year-old mother would be around at all after all the injuries she sustained in a Nov. 3, 2015, crash with a cement truck. She was ejected from the family’s minivan. She was on a ventilator for three days and hospitalized for two weeks. Since then she has had several surgeries to repair…

In what is described as a win-win-win situation, Fulton County will connect its Airport Sewer System to the city of Wauseon’s system. The Board of County Commissioners approved the plan, following the lead of Wauseon’s City Council at its Nov. 21 meeting. The move will allow the county system to serve its current customer base and abandon its treatment plant. Utilities Director Ziad Musallum brought the commissioners up to speed on the process. The move is needed because the county’s treatment facilities and equipment need significant upgrades to retain compliance with the state EPA’s discharge requirements. The facility lacks a…

What began with singing in her school choir and church praise team has blossomed into a consistently rising climb in the Country Music scene for Danielle (Dani) Dease. Dease, who is the 19 year old daughter of former Montpelier resident, Jodee Husted and David Dease, and niece of Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, has always had a love for music. Dani, a life-long resident of Rock Hill, South Carolina, “officially” began her career at 12 years of age performing a New Year’s Eve party for about 100 kids at Kate’s Skating Rink in the her hometown. This pre-teen performance…

If you just so happened to be passing by the Williams County Fairground in the late morning or early afternoon of December 4, and you noticed a lot of traffic around the west gate of the fairgrounds, you weren’t alone. Although the fairground was by and large devoid of activity on this day, trying to find a parking space near the Gillette Building was an exercise in futility, and for good reason. A few months back, Chrissy Henricks of Famous Hair in Bryan had an idea that became an event called, ‘Cuts for Kidz’. The concept was simple. This was…

KENT, OH — Thomas Schlosser graduated from Kent State University with a Master of Public Administration from the College of Arts and Sciences. Schlosser is among over 1,600 students who received bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, associate and educational specialist degrees during Kent State’s 2016 Summer Commencement ceremony. The university congratulates the Class of 2016 and welcomes them into its illustrious family of more than 227,000 alumni worldwide. An economic impact study showed that Kent State alumni in Northeast Ohio generated $1.6 billion annually in higher workforce earnings and increased productivity for employers that hire them. Kent State University, one of the…

Each year the Fulton County 4-H Program recognizes the volunteers/advisors of the program for their contributions and years of service to 4-H. Special recognition is awarded for those individuals who exemplify the qualities and support of the program or have gone above and beyond. We’d like to share with you those honored this year. 2016 Friends of 4-H: Mike & Jake Aeschliman, Dawn Stockburger, and Sue Whitaker. Since 1980, Mike Aeschliman, President of S-W Alfalfa Mills in Archbold, Ohio has been partnering with members of the 4-H community at large in a number of ways. As a service to 4-H,…

Attend an Adult Coloring Class at the Stryker Branch Library on Tuesday, December 13th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Pictures and coloring utensils will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring their own. Refreshments will be served. Come and relax at the library while coloring! The Stryker Branch Library is located at 304 South Defiance Street. For more information, please contact Connie Aeschliman at 419-682-5081. Attend an Adult Coloring Class at the Edgerton Branch Library on Monday, December 19th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Pictures and coloring utensils will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring their own.…

The American Legion Riders (ALR) are an organization of mostly military veterans who share a passion for motorcycles and a compassion for helping their fellow citizens. In short, they are individuals who never stopped serving their country after receiving their discharge papers. Linda Wurns, a Rider from Swanton American Legion Post #479, is one such individual. For a number of years Linda has been involved in the Taking it to the Streets charity, an organization dedicated to helping the homeless in America. Recently, when the need in the local area became so great, she asked her fellow Swanton Riders for…

Montpelier will wait until 2017 to decide if it wants to get rid of three parcels on Henry Street. The village had accepted bids for Parcels 14, 15 and 17, but none had been submitted by 3 p.m. Nov. 28. There had been two inquiries, but nothing firm, Village Manager Kevin Brooks said. Brooks asked Council if it wanted to sell the lots and if so, does it want to advertise the lots again. One council member, Laura Gray, is adamantly opposed to selling the parcels and believes the village should hold on to them. The parcels are an ideal…

Monday, December 12 at 4:30 pm – Music & Movement. Music and movement are tied together with literacy in this family series on Monday afternoons. Sing, dance, play instruments, and read! Focus is on preschool and early grades, but the entire family is welcome. Free! Tuesday, December 13 at 10:30 am – Storytime. Weekly classes offered at Swanton Library for children ages 6 months to 5 years. Children will learn about vegetables and fruits through stories, music, and crafts. Free. No registration required. Wednesday, December 14 at 4:00 pm – Storytime. Weekly classes offered at Swanton Library for children…

Hunters harvested 2,168 wild turkeys during Ohio’s 2016 fall wild turkey season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Ohio’s 2016 fall wild turkey hunting season was open in 56 counties Oct. 8-Nov. 27. During the 2015 fall wild turkey season 1,535 turkeys were harvested. Wild turkeys were extirpated in Ohio by 1904 and were reintroduced in the 1950s by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. Ohio’s first modern day wild turkey season opened in the spring of 1966 in 9 counties, and hunters checked 12 birds. The wild turkey harvest topped 1,000 for the first time in 1984.…

Kids are invited to join Art Works @ the Library, held in the Bryan Main Library Children’s Department. The program encourages children, ages 7 and up, to be creative and will be held once a month from 6:30 to 7:15 pm. Kids are invited to decorate an ornament on Monday, December 12th. Children should dress accordingly, as the art project could get messy. From 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, December 13th author David Miller will be at the Bryan Main Library. He will be dressed as Daniel Mueller, a character from his recently published book, A Travelerz Trew Tale,…

On Friday, December 09 at 7:00 pm singer/songwriter Jason Ropp will perform as part of the Carnegie Concert Series at the Bryan Main Library. Since recording his first album, “Knowing,” in 2011, Jason Ropp has been digging for thoughtful and accessible imagery to help people navigate the complexities of being human. The songs themselves flow from the harder edges of life, so expect a story or two. Jason’s music can offer a place of calm, or shake listeners by the collar, but it won’t be ignored. Above all, whether through lyrics, music, or conversation, Jason’s aim in every moment to…

Once again the Wauseon Lions Club is selling Christmas trees in the parking lot of Tiny’s on Shoop Avenue. Hours are: M-F 4-7:30, Sat 9am to 8pm & Sun Noon to 6pm while supplies last. Pictured after a morning of unloading the trees are: Back row from left to right: Noah Blosser (National Honor Society student volunteer), Lion Rebecca Dent-Weiss, Aaron Spieles (NHS student volunteer), Halen Mealer (NHS student volunteer), Lion Jerry Smith, Lion Richard Burkholder, Lion Mark Shadbolt, Lion Allen Huelskamp, Lion Bill McConnell.

Paul Barnaby, Fayette Native and Fulton County Commissioner since January of 2001, received Senior Spotlight prestige. Paul and his wife, Ruth Ann, have two children and seven granddaughters. The Barnaby’s also inhabit Metamora. Paul is a Metamora High School and Ohio State University alumni. He has obtained many occupations before he was commissioner. Barnaby was a dairy farmer, fireman, and teacher. Paul, alongside Dean Genter and Jack Graf, aided in the instalment of 31 tornado sirens in Fulton County. As winter approaches, it brings bad weather over the holidays. Make sure there are shelf-stable meals available at your house in…

One of the more daunting tasks that faced Swanton Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle when she was hired in March of this year was the updating of the Village Personnel Manual which had last been edited in 2013. This was in addition to learning a position that had been filled by a part-time administrator for over six months after the resignation of John Gochenour. Ms. Hoelzle has been working on it as much as possible since then, creating policies that had not been addressed and taking into account changes in technology. At the Village Council meeting on Monday she gave a…

Kim Feehan spoke to the Stryker Rotary Club at their regular meeting on Tuesday evening. Kim is a Stryker graduate who was involved in an automobile accident in 1999 that left her with injuries that kept her from walking from that day forward. In 2015 she was also diagnosed with an ulcer in her intestine that required surgery. Pre-operation testing uncovered the problem was colon cancer and additional testing uncovered spots on both liver and lungs. Her local doctor felt her paralysis was likely to complicate the healing process following surgery, so she was referred to the James Center on…