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2020 will forever be remembered as the year of the global coronavirus pandemic and a year that people couldn't wait to end. The virus was the year's No. 1 story. Other local stories making the Top 10 included a spike in local activism, a struggling economy hobbled by the pandemic, a massive home explosion and a bizarre murder case that saw two Fort Recovery softball coaches and a former student arrested.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyday life in Mercer and Auglaize counties for the past 10 months since it made its way to Ohio.
Area long-term care facilities and nursing homes, schools and workplaces have battled to tame outbreaks throughout the year. The same institutions experienced shutdowns in March when Ohioans were instructed to stay home unless absolutely necessary.
The virus reached Mercer County in late March, and the first case was reported on March 24. Since then, more than 3,200 cases and 60 deaths from the virus have been reported.
Mercer County has fluctuated from being the worst to one of the best in the state for counties ranked by highest incidence rate per capita.
The incidence rate is the number of new cases reported within a certain time frame. The Ohio Department of Health measures incidence rates in two-week periods.
Mercer County has ranked as high as No. 1 in the state for highest incidence rate and as low as 78th out of 88 counties.
Auglaize County has experienced similar troubles. The county has reported more than 2,600 cases and nearly 40 deaths from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.
The area, however, is seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Mercer County Health District officials anticipate they will receive their first shipment of the Moderna vaccine in the coming week.
Area nursing homes began vaccination clinics with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Monday. And although Ohio is still under a mandatory curfew and face mask requirements, the state has not yet experienced another shutdown as it did in March.
The year brought a barrage of political, social and civil rights activism not seen in decades.
Mercer County saw its first Black Lives Matter demonstration at the Mercer County Courthouse on May 31. Hundreds of mostly white participants showed up to protest the death of George Floyd and other black Americans at the hands of law enforcement, joining similar movements around the nation.
The county also had its first LGBTQ pride march on June 27 in Celina. Small Town Pride organized the march, which saw roughly 300 people turn out in support.
Let's Back the Blue took place in March and several Republican party-backed events in support of local law enforcement occurred throughout the year.
Political activism was also strong in 2020. Hundreds of local supporters of President Donald Trump took to Grand Lake in August in a Trump rally boat parade. In September, about 400 tractors gathered in Fort Recovery for a Trump tractor parade.
Area Republicans and Democrats alike hosted political rallies, parades and marches for their respective local, state and federal candidates. Voter registration booths were available at several events to get residents ready for November.
The local economy experienced unprecedented difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some businesses closing due to the virus.
Gov. Mike DeWine in late March issued a stay-at-home order, asking people to leave their residences only for essential needs. He also released a list of businesses deemed essential that were allowed to remain open, chiefly health care and government functions, including emergency management, law enforcement and human services.
Nationwide demand for groceries surged, straining supply chains and at times limiting the amount of offerings available at local stores. Restaurants, in compliance with the lockdown, resorted to carryout and drive-thru services.
One of Novolex's nine North American facilities in Coldwater began producing 2 million isolation gowns a month for health care providers, assisted-living centers and other businesses.
Visions/AwardCraft, a leading global manufacturer of corporate awards based in Celina, turned its focus to making health guards and intubation hoods, products that serve as barriers against the highly contagious coronavirus.
Celina Tent, a world-renowned manufacturer of tents, tarpaulin, ducting and military vehicle accessories, expanded into new markets in education, health care and service industries, all of which needed tents as a way to spread out people on their premises.
A house explosion in October killed a 73-year-old woman.
The explosion, which is believed to have been caused by a propane gas leak, leveled the home and damaged a neighboring one.
Dark smoke plumes could be seen for miles after the house at 3741 County Road 716A, north of Chickasaw, owned by Edward and Rosella McClurg, erupted around 5:50 p.m. Oct. 11. The blast completely destroyed the structure, making a sound described by neighbors as that of a cannon being fired.
After firefighters extinguished the remaining flames, they spoke with Edward McClurg, 73, who reported his wife had been inside the home at the time. First responders stayed in the area into the night, eventually finding Rosella McClurg's body in the basement of the home.
A neighboring house sustained significant exterior damage, and three people there reportedly were treated for minor injuries caused by falling debris.
No criminal activity was uncovered during an investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office, and while the cause for the explosion was ultimately listed as "undetermined," the final report noted it was likely due to propane gas that had leaked and accumulated within the structure.
Three women were arrested in January in connection with the death of a Portland, Indiana, man and await their trials in 2021.
Esther Stephen, former head coach of Fort Recovery High School's softball team, and assistant softball coach Shelby Hiestand were arrested and charged with reportedly conspiring to murder 31-year-old Shea Briar, the father of Stephen's child. Not long after, Hannah Knapke, who played softball while Stephen was coach, was also arrested and charged in connection with Briar's death.
During interviews with investigators on Jan. 14, Stephen and Hiestand reportedly admitted they had conspired to kill Briar. According to an affidavit, Stephen was angry because Briar had petitioned a court to establish parenting time rights for their child and had asked the court to change the child's last name.
A motorist reportedly found Briar alive but shot in the back on County Road 125 West about 2 a.m. Jan. 12. Hours later, he was pronounced dead at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
Fort Recovery school officials terminated the contracts of both Stephen and Hiestand about a week after their arrests.
The cases of all three women were initially scheduled to go to trial last summer, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the trials have been pushed to 2021. Stephen's trial is set for March 15-19 and Hiestand's is scheduled for Aug. 9-12. Knapke's most recent trial date was once again vacated due to the pandemic. A judge had not scheduled a trial date as of Wednesday.
A Columbus-area man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for a fatal 2018 shooting in St. Marys.
Most charges against two others who'd been implicated in the shooting were dropped.
Keith Waddell Jr., 32, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter as part of a plea deal. In exchange, several other felony charges were dropped. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison, consecutive to another three-year term for committing the shooting while on parole.
Waddell was one of three people arrested in connection with the April 11, 2018, shooting at a condominium at 10988 State Route 364, St. Marys. At about 3:22 a.m. that day a male had called 911 stating he had been shot. Deputies responded to discover two victims with gunshot wounds. The men were later identified as Dexter Lee Turner, 47, and Alim Amir Turner, 25. The father and son had been transported to hospitals by the St. Marys Rescue Squad. Alim Amir Turner had been sent to Lima Memorial Health System while Dexter Lee Turner had been transported to St. Rita's Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries.
The other two charged were Syniqua Bell, 32, and Jacar Bitting, 28. The court dismissed all charges against Bitting. Bell pleaded guilty to third-degree felony obstruction of justice, and as part of a plea agreement, eight other felony charges were dismissed. Bell was sentenced to 36 months in prison and received a $1,000 fine.
Area emergency medical services officials have grappled with volunteer shortages for years, with one group this year making the decision to branch off on its own in hopes of gaining new members.
St. Henry EMS officials reached an agreement to split from Mercer County Emergency Medical Services in October. Members struggled to attract volunteers, so officials proposed creating the Southern Mercer County Joint Ambulance District, which will operate similarly to county fire districts. The new district would offer a paid on-call system to attract more volunteers.
The Southern Mercer County Joint Ambulance District will cover Gibson, Granville, Marion and Recovery townships and the villages of Burkettsville, Chickasaw, Fort Recovery and St. Henry.
Officials plan to place a five-year, 0.5- or 0.6-mill tax levy on the March or November ballot. A 0.5-mill levy would bring in $169,000 annually for the district and would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $17.50 per year.
EMS officials estimated their first-year projected budget would be $275,000, not including capital purchases such as vehicles or other equipment.
Mercer County EMS has also struggled. Personnel have been stretched thin due to covering weekly shifts in Rockford and elsewhere because of a lack of volunteers. The Coldwater branch has seen fewer volunteers as well.
Reasons vary for the diminishing number of recruits, but chief among them is the intense time commitment to become and stay an active member on the largely volunteer force, especially in an age when adults are juggling multiple duties and obligations.
State officials plan to start working to improve the safety of the notorious intersection of state routes 118 and 707 after receiving input from local residents and officials.
The safety of the intersection just south of Rockford has long been a concern, with village officials pushing for improvements. Dozens of accidents have reportedly occurred there since 2009. In November 2019, two injury accidents occurred at the intersection within 24 hours, and in late August 2020, a collision between a semitrailer and a truck left three people seriously injured.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is reportedly looking to change the grade of the area on State Route 118 south of State Route 707 to improve motorist's line of site at the intersection, but that project is still in its preliminary phase and isn't scheduled to begin until summer 2023.
Until then, ODOT has agreed to install LED-lit stop signs at the intersection to better alert drivers.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought in-person learning and athletics at schools and universities to a screeching halt last spring.
Gov. Mike DeWine ordered all public, community and private K-12 schools to close at the end of classes on March 16. His edict remained in place for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year, leaving most students to learn from home. The switch proved taxing for students, teachers, administrators and parents alike.
Local educators employed tools such as online education and "blizzard bags," a way for students to complete work at home, Celina City Schools superintendent Ken Schmiesing has said. The bags are usually used by students without internet access at home.
Some teachers recorded videos of their lessons or hosted video chats to answer students' questions.
Also lost to the pandemic were athletic seasons and the student milestones of prom and graduation. In lieu of hosting traditional graduation ceremonies, some districts opted for drive-thru or virtual events. Celina High School delayed its ceremony until June, when a socially distanced event was held at Celina Stadium.
Area students returned to in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year but had to wear face masks and follow numerous safety protocols. Athletics moved forward albeit with shortened seasons and before limited numbers of fans.
CELINA - Authorities in June put a face and name - 22-year-old Ryan R. Zimmerman of Columbus - to human skeletal remains found on Jan. 3, 2016, near U.S. 127 and Coldwater Creek Road.
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey announced a major break in the investigation at a news conference, saying Zimmerman had moved from Corbin, Kentucky, to Columbus in August 2015 because he had met and developed friendships with some people on the internet.
Grey added that Zimmerman liked to play internet games that involved communication with others. His parents reportedly last had contact with their son on Sept. 27, 2015.
Since the remains were found outside of Celina and authorities don't know where the death actually occurred, the Mercer County Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction over the case, Grey said.
Investigators reportedly found the skeleton without a skull or any bones below the elbows or below the knees.
Grey had said his detectives are trying to establish the connection between Columbus and the site where Zimmerman's remains were located. No updates have been made since.
The Rev. Mick Whistler stands in the sanctuary of Grand Lake United Methodist Church in Celina. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the church offered worship online via its website, Facebook page and app.
