CELINA - A walking, talking tree is lumbering around the Mercer County fairgrounds this week.
Michael Shaffer - better known as the Walking Tree of Life - will stroll around the Mercer County Fair through Wednesday, greeting people as a nearly 12-foot-tall tree.
CELINA - School board members on Monday night unanimously approved a resolution to enter into a state program to construct a consolidated Tri Star Career Compact facility near Wright State University-Lake Campus.
Fort Recovery
FORT RECOVERY - Work on two village projects is expected to begin this month.
The South Elm Street reconstruction project is scheduled to begin som
MINSTER - A website detailing the school district's request for two renewal levies soon will be available to the public.
Treasurer Laura Klosterman
ST. MARYS - Officials want to shift funds to pay for the installation of water meters.
City council's finance committee approved asking the full council to approve three supplemental transfers totaling $500,000 to cover the cost of new electronic water meters.
ST. HENRY - A sixth-grade math teacher recently was honored as a most outstanding teacher in the state's West region.
Teacher Darlene Stammen received the award from the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics, middle school principal Kyle Kunk told school board members at Monday's meeting.
NEW BREMEN - A variety of entertainment and activities will be among the highlights of the 2016 Bremenfest celebration.
The festival starts with a family movie night on Thursday. Bremenfest continues through Sunday, with the Bremenfest parade stepping off at 1 p.m. Sunday.
CELINA - With a veteran group of runners back for 2016, Celina cross country coach Dan Otten has high expectations, in not only the WBL but also the postseason as Celina drops back to Division II.
COLDWATER - Coldwater will split its cross country-coaching duties this season. Marty Schoenherr, who has been head coach for the previous four seasons, will serve as coach for the boys' squad. Pete Lisi will lead the ladies.
FORT RECOVERY - The Fort Recovery girls believe they have a chance at reaching the state meet with the newly expanded meet qualifiers.
Travis Sutter hopes to build off last year's run and make his own trip to state.
MARIA STEIN - The football and volleyball programs at Marion Local usually carry lofty expectations into the season.
The cross country teams have some of their own in 2016.
MINSTER - Following a one-season hiatus from the pinnacle of the Midwest Athletic Conference standings, the Minster Wildcats perched themselves back
NEW BREMEN - Looking to inch up the standings from a year ago, both the New Bremen boys and girls cross country teams will have some shoes to fill.
Veteran boys coach Julie Ferguson, beginning her 12th season at New Bremen, will have a difficult task with a very small roster.
ROCKFORD - Parkway cross country coach Ann Vian has one goal before retirement.
"I would love to send a team to regionals," the veteran coach said
ST. HENRY - The St. Henry girls extended their state meet streak to three consecutive years last season and finished the highest at the meet in program history.
ST. MARYS - With the 2016 cross country season set to get underway, St. Marys' boys' head coach Rob Cisco is already a little more ecstatic about the prospects for the year at this point than he was last year at this time.
CELINA - Plenty of changes are in store for the Celina golf program.
Not only will the teams have a new name for their home course as Celina Lynx r
COLDWATER - The Coldwater boys and girls golf teams will be in contrast this season.
Even though the boys team has just two letterwinners returning, the Cavaliers have depth and some improving younger players that will look to find roles on the varsity six.
FORT RECOVERY - Fort Recovery knew what it had on the links last season, in both boys and girls golf.
It's slightly different in 2016 with just a handful of returnees on both sides.
MARIA STEIN - Sixteen players are out for the Marion Local boys golf team.
Six are out for the Marion Local girls.
And the Flyer teams are hopeful they can post some low numbers on the courses this season.
MINSTER - The Minster boys' golf team worked their way through a few growing pains last season as they finished seventh in the Midwest Athletic Confe
NEW BREMEN - Despite no seniors on the rosters for New Bremen's boys and girls golf teams, both squads opened the 2016 season with plenty of experience.
ROCKFORD - Joe Falk returns for his fourth season after a successful 2015 campaign.
Teri Samples enters her first season at the helm of the Panthers program with her sights set on improvement.
ST. HENRY - An MAC championship with a group of freshmen and sophomores - coach John Dorner and the St. Henry boys couldn't have asked for a much better 2015 season.
ST. MARYS – Although St. Marys' golf coach Steve Schmitmeyer is in his first year as head coach for the 2016 campaign, the program is definitely no
CELINA - After going 7-2 in the Western Buckeye League and 14-5 overall, Celina's boys soccer team will be a veteran squad this season.
"We're returning 15 lettermen and eight starters," Celina coach Ryan Jenkins said. "We still have some spots to fill, but we have a lot of experience back.
CELINA - After having experienced the program's best season in school history, culminating in a state final four appearance, Celina girls soccer coach Cal Freeman will have to do a bit of rebuilding from last season's 17-5 campaign.
COLDWATER - Coldwater girls soccer coach Scott Brinkman will have some work to do this season to get his Cavaliers ready to go.
The Cavaliers went
ST. MARYS - With 11 seniors graduated from last season's 13-4-2 campaign, St. Marys' boys soccer coach Dave Ring is optimistic that his 11 new seniors for this fall will simply keep the tradition rolling without missing a beat in the coming months.
ST. MARYS - St. Marys head coach Seth Hertenstein will welcome back a plethora of threeand four-year starters in hopes that their talent and experience will vault them back to the top of the Western Buckeye League standings.
CELINA - For Celina girls tennis coach Jan Morrison, there's nothing like having some competition for playing positions to get ready for the season.
The Bulldogs return two singles players and a doubles team from last year's 5-4 league season and fourth-place showing in the league tournament.
ST. MARYS – The St. Marys girls' tennis team has been making a steady glide up the Western Buckeye League ladder over the course of the past few years. Head coach Brice Brenneman hopes that trend continues in 2016.
