CELINA - Emilie Karafit said the secret to a long life is living naturally - eating home-grown fruits and vegetables and drinking cow's milk. She should know, too, considering she turns 100 Sunday.

"They used to do it all, here. Mom used to milk cows and she had a big garden," Jim Karafit, her son, said. "Those two (Jim's grandma and mom) were always cooking and working in the garden. I would come in and there would be big bowls of peas," he remembered fondly with tears in his eyes. [More]

CELINA - The 80-year-old courthouse elevator will undergo a substantial overhaul that will be paid for with federal COVID-19 relief funds.

The total project is estimated to cost $400,000, per a resolution approved by Mercer County commissioners. They plan to open sealed bids for the work at 2 p.m. Nov. 16. [More]

FORT RECOVERY - The Fort Recovery volleyball team trailed for a total of five points as it cruised to a 25-5, 25-12, 25-21 victory over Delphos St. John's in the Division IV tournament opener on Tuesday.

The Indians fell behind early in the second set and had to fend off a Blue Jays charge against their subs in the third, but otherwise controlled the match from wire to wire. [More]

CELINA - Some school board members vowed to remove an apparently contentious component of a newly introduced reading curriculum that some parents believe is too complicated for young children to grasp.

A good-sized crowd gathered at Monday night's regular board meeting, with a few parents voicing their concerns with the reading curriculum component they believe is not age appropriate. [More]

ROCKFORD - Other than a 10-2 Spencerville run in the second set, the Parkway volleyball team controlled its tournament opener all the way.

The Panthers came out fast and blasted the Bearcats in the third set to finish off the 25-15, 25-20, 25-6 sweep in the Division III sectional opener at Panther Gymnasium on Monday. [More]

ST. HENRY - Brother Nick Renner has been sending soymeal to villages in Haiti for 20 years after receiving a "sign" from a hungry man he ignored and later regretted.

Renner recounted the experience during his first visit to Haiti in 1975.

During that visit, Renner said he prayed for God to send him a sign if he wanted Renner to do anything while there. When he was in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, he visited the Iron Market, a mall. After buying trinkets, Renner got on a bus. [More]

Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry

When talking last week about her goals for the Division II state girls golf tournament, Jalyn Bruns said that she was just going to play her game.

She did precisely that, and now she's an All-State honoree.

The Fort Recovery senior finished fourth to earn first team All-Ohio honors as the tournament concluded on Saturday at The Ohio State University's Gray Course. [More]

ST. MARYS - Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, a Republican from Celina, this week urged local government officials who have questions about allowable uses of federal COVID-19 relief dollars to consult with his office before spending the money.

He also blasted the massive release of money through President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act, saying local governments are hard-pressed to come up with ways to spend the money that meet federal guidelines. [More]

MARIA STEIN - After both defenses stepped up in the second half, Coldwater and Marion Local were both vying to get the ball last.

The Flyers got the ball with 2:18 remaining and drove 62 yards down the field to set up senior Kevin Partington for a 26-yard field goal, and Partington knocked it through as time expired to give Marion a 24-21 Midwest Athletic Conference win over the Cavaliers at Booster Stadium on Friday. [More]