CELINA - Since the Celina Fire Department unionized in 1999, collective bargaining has been a positive experience and has given firefighters a say in negotiations, union president Brian Anderson says.

CELINA - A local organization that helps the needy may be forced to close if proposed federal funding cuts become effective.

Debra Farrell, directo [More]

MINSTER - Consolidation remains a focus as local school officials prepare to close the elementary building this summer. All students will be housed in the current middle and high schools beginning next school year.

Five educators, including a local administrator, have been selected as semifinalists for the superintendent position at Minster Local Schools.

Boar

Snow plow driver Darren Porter and his co-workers will continually monitor the weather forecast today to prepare for yet another winter storm.

Port

CELINA - City council members may be asked to purchase additional electricity from a new natural gas powered plant in Fremont through American Municipal Power (AMP).

ST. MARYS - Auglaize County residents can easily access parcel information with the click of a mouse, thanks to continued updates of a two-year-old county website. [More]

Drug-related tips have led to the arrest of two more local residents with suspected heroin being seized.

Benjamin Deardoff, 22, James Drive, Celina, and Douglas Fonner, 26, 5922 Tama Road, Mendon, were taken into custody Wednesday by Mercer County Sheriff's deputies.

A 55-year-old Lima woman implicated in the drug-related death of a local man clutched her son and cried inconsolably after receiving a prison sentence Wednesday morning in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

ROCKFORD - It looks like a church and, in fact, was a church; but the former Presbyterian meeting place has become an active community center/performance hall.

SPENCERVILLE - There will be a rematch in the Battle of Grand Lake for the Celina and St. Marys girls' basketball teams after both teams posted wins on Wednesday night at the at the Division II Spencerville Sectional.

VAN WERT - It was so simple and yet so effective.

The Parkway Panthers used a stout man-to-man defense to fuel their offense while frustrating the Fairview Apaches en route to a 61-47 win at the Division III girls' basketball sectional at Van Wert High School. [More]

There certainly wasn't much of a celebration last Friday night when Celina's boys basketball team captured at least a share of the Western Buckeye League championship by beating Bath.

Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry

Collen Byer's goal was a fifth-place finish or better at the state Division II diving championships.

Mission accomplished.

Four area games of interest this weekend:

FRIDAY
Boys Basketball
St. John's at
Coldwater

Two teams in need of a boost going into the postseason square off at The Palace in the regular-season finale.