A crowd of people - mostly educators - appeared disheartened Thursday night as a local politician promoted pending legislation to reform the public employee system.

CELINA - A private manure/algae digester is likely coming to town.

An ordinance to allow Optional Energy Partners of Florida to build and operate a digester on future city property easily passed Thursday evening during a special city council meeting where every seat was filled. [More]

GRAND LAKE - Alum treatments on Grand Lake will need to be done for consecutive years to keep toxic blue-green algae blooms at bay, said an OSU Extension aquatic program specialist.

MINSTER - Ohio Gov. John Kasich's decision not to cut education funding does not tell the whole story regarding school finances, according to Minster Local Schools Treasurer Laura Klosterman.

Mercer County officials are hoping Mother Nature cooperates this year so a long list of bridge and culvert projects can be completed.

County engineer Jim Wiechart said a total of 10 bridge projects and nine culvert projects are planned for reconstruction by county workers this year.

A truck contacted overhead wires near Behm and Robert roads in eastern Mercer County on Thursday, breaking a power pole and causing an outage for 175 Midwest Electric members.

MARIA STEIN - It was 177 years ago that three German immigrants, each named John, arrived in what is now Marion Township. Not surprisingly they named their new settlement St. John. Two years later 25 families were carving out homes from the thick forest, often 60 or more trees to the acre.