Mercer County retained its No. 1 ranking in farm receipts among the state's 88 counties for 2006, with total income increasing by 2.85 percent from 2005. [More]

The appeal filed over Ohio EPA's issuance of permits for Mercer Energy's proposed ethanol plant in east Mercer County has been dismissed.

An Environmental Review Appeals Commission (ERAC) spokesperson this morning said the appellants "voluntarily" withdrew their appeal in late December.

Seventy-five soldiers from the St. Marys battalion are preparing to deploy to Iraq this week for a second time since Congress declared war on the country in October 2002. [More]

The Sierra Club has requested a public hearing with the Ohio EPA to challenge Grand Lake's dredging program and a dredge relocation area to be built off state Route 703.

A Celina man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for allegedly selling a prescription painkiller to undercover officers.

Mark A. Todd, 45, was arreste

ST. MARYS - U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan likes to read the sports section of a newspaper: It's where the winners and losers are clearly defined.

"At

Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry

As the new year begins, conference basketball play resumes after a short break.

One of the more interesting games

Last Game: The Cougars won a second straight game in beating St. John's at the Cougar Den 56-50 in a close battle. ... The Bulldogs gave up a big lead to Worthington Kilbourne as the Wolves won the HALLiday Shootout 75-69 in overtime.

Last Game: The Panthers suffered a last-second 38-36 loss to Crestview on Saturday night to drop to 3-5. ... The Redskins rebounded from suffering their first loss of the season two weeks ago by roughing up Kalida 58-38 in Putnam County.

Last Game: St. Marys snapped a seven-game losing streak to start the season with a 47-40 win over Perry at McBroom Gymnasium. ... Defiance improved to 5-2 with a 66-36 drubbing of Maumee last Thursday.

Last Game: The Cavaliers cut a seven-point deficit down to two late against Fort Recovery before the Indians won the Mercer Health Holiday Classic 51-48 last Saturday. ... The Wildcats jumped out early to improve to 5-2 with a 59-40 win over Ottoville.

Last Game: The Cardinals won their third straight game in edging Botkins 59-51 on Saturday night. ... The Flyers improved to 4-0 with a 63-38 win over Newton at The Hangar.

Last Game: The Tigers settled for third-place at the Jet Holiday Tournament, beating host Franklin-Monroe 49-38, after snapping Versailles' streak of six straight Jet wins. ... The Blue Jays lost to rival Van Wert 56-50 on Saturday.