CELINA - Daniel C. Martin, who is charged in the Nov. 8 murder of live-in girlfriend Melinda "Mindi" Shinn, remains incarcerated without bond following an initial appearance Monday afternoon in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

Mercer County Prosecutor Matt Fox requested no bond for the 40-year-old defendant given the seriousness of the crime and the significant threat of flight. Martin eluded authorities for nearly 60 days prior to his arrest Wednesday. [More]

COLUMBUS - Republican Sen. Keith Faber of Celina was unanimously elected president of the Ohio Senate on Monday afternoon, becoming the first person from Mercer County to preside over the chamber since Thomas Godfrey in the late 19th century.

During the first day of the 130th General Assembly, Jim Hughes, R-Columbus, nominated Faber for president, calling him a dedicated, God-fearing, Christian family man who hasn't let his political office change him. [More]

COLDWATER - The long parade of honors for Coldwater's football team finally culminated in a presentation by the high school sports web site MaxPreps.com and the United States Army National Guard on Monday in the auditeria at Coldwater High School.

The Cavaliers' football team was honored by the MaxPreps Tour of Champions Football Tour as one of the top 50 football programs in the United States for the 2012 season. Coldwater is the only Ohio football team to be selected for the tour. [More]