Phillip Roy Schmidt is headed to prison for 13 years after an unsuccessful bid to withdraw his Alford guilty plea, obtain new court-appointed attorneys and head to a jury trial.

The 60-year-old Celina man, charged in connection with the drug-related death of a local banker, learned his fate in Mercer County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday morning - two days after filing a motion citing coercion, duress and badgering during plea negotiations. [More]

It's tough to describe the jubilance of finding that perfect, gotta-have present under the Christmas tree.

As a child, it's a moment like no other - one that's rarely matched in adulthood by leather wallets and fancy perfume.

Area community leaders recently shared their "best gift ever" with The Daily Standard. Interestingly enough, some still have their decades-old gifts. [More]