A proposal to raise the pay of the Celina parks and recreation personnel passed on first reading, but only after a lively discussion between councilors.
ST. HENRY - Hometown Cable Company should be ready to service customers in the St. Henry village within the next two months.
That was the news vill
Mercer County commissioners last week approved funding to move the sheriff department's radio transmission equipment from a privately-owned tower to one owned by the state.
Coldwater councilors gave first reading to the village's 2009 pay ordinance that will give a 3 percent pay increase, or 50 cents per hour, whichever is highest, for both salaried and hourly village employees.
ST. MARYS - Council members have scheduled a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to rezone the new school site from agricultural to residential.
Associated Press and staff reports
A competitive Western Buckeye League in football this season resulted in a four-way tie for the championship trophy.
When healthy, the Celina boys basketball team appears to be a team that should finish in the upper-echelon of the Western Buckeye League standings.
The Celina girls basketball team earned a share of the Western Buckeye League title last year for the first time in 17 years and the Bulldogs will look to make it a repeat for the third time in school history this year with a strong nucleus returning.
For the first time in awhile, Coldwater boys basketball coach Mike Kanney will not have to rush around to get his team ready for the season.
Kanney
After a rough 4-18 season, Coldwater coach Nick Fisher hopes his Lady Cavaliers will rebound.
Coldwater played a number of younger players last season, having just four seniors on last year's roster, which gives Fisher some returning experience to build around.
Fort Recovery boys basketball coach Brian Patch has to be counting the days until the 2008-09 season gets started.
After an 18-5 season that saw th
After posting a 14-7 record for a team that had no seniors, the Fort Recovery girls basketball team will look to build more success.
"We have plenty of experience this year," said Indians coach Doug Bihn. "Should be a better team.
MARIA STEIN - For the seventh time in the last 10 years, Marion Local boys basketball coach Keith Westrick will be given little time to ready his squad due to the phenomenal success of the football team.
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local Flyers lost a ton of height and six seniors from last year's 9-11 squad, but a new mix of athleticism and balance has coach Treva Fortkamp hoping for improvement this season.
Over the course of the past few seasons, Minster boy's basketball coach Mike Lee has faced a wide variety of important points of emphasis entering the regular season.
As Minster head coach Nann Stechschulte is prepared to kickoff her 20th year on the Wildcats' bench, the prospects for the upcoming campaign are promising as always in Minster camp.
NEW BREMEN - Veteran New Bremen boys basketball coach Mike Ernst has seen a great deal in his years as first an assistant at Minster and then in his years as the head man of the Cardinals.
In each of his three years at New Bremen in charge of the girls basketball program, veteran coach Dave McFeely and his charges have shown improvement in the record at the end of the season.
After an undefeated season and the first state title in school history, the New Knoxville Rangers boys basketball team will look to repeat.
And they have the weapons to do so.
After a 13-10 season and a trip to the district tournament, Tim Hegemier's New Knoxville girls basketball team will look to reload.
With just two s
After capturing the school's fourth sectional title in history, Parkway will look to build upon last year's run to the district semifinals with a corps of experience.
After a 2-19 season in 2007-08, the Parkway girls basketball team will look to improve with a new coach in the mix.
Adrian Jazwiecki takes over a program that has gone 3-39 the last two seasons combined.
After a trip to the district finals last season, St. Henry boys basketball head coach Joe Niekamp will do a little bit of reloading this season.
The good thing is, he'll have plenty of material to build with.
A trip to the districts for the first time in five years last season should be a boost for this year's St. Henry girls basketball team.
Coach Charles Maier's squad went 8-14 last season, but put together a run at the end of the season to win a sectional title for the first time since 2003.
The St. Marys boys basketball team has set up a motto to play by this season and that phrase is - "Play hard, play together."
Motto or not, the Roughriders have a tough challenge ahead of them for this season as the Blue and Gold lost seven seniors off a team that went 3-19 a year ago.
To say that Tim Niekamp has a young team to work with at St. Marys this season is like saying the Roughriders' football team kind of likes to run the football.
Because of a talented list of returning leaders that have a strong work ethic, Celina swimming coach Matt May is very optimistic about this season for the Bulldogs.
Second-year Coldwater swimming coach Jeff Knapke has a strong group with several district qualifiers returning this season.
"This year we have 29 k
The Marion Local Flyers swimming teams have held steady numbers-wise from last year, with the girls boasting the majority of the swimmers back but the boys having quality over quantity.
Walter wants to see both teams reach districts
As the temperatures outside steadily dip in the coming weeks, the local swim teams will begin to heat things up, including the Minster Wildcats and eighth-year head coach Carla Walter.
Veteran New Bremen swim coach Cresta Ritter is looking forward to a breakout year for the program as she returns a unique balance of having numerous letterwinners on both squads while both squads also have a chance to develop some depth with large groups of underclassmen.
A familiar face is back in the St. Marys swimming program as Christine Schlater is looking to take the Roughriders up the ladder in the Western Buckeye League.
After winning the school's second Western Buckeye League wrestling title, Celina is looking to add on to last season's successes.
The MatDogs graduated four seniors, but return a strong group for head coach Tim Doner, who is happy to get the season underway.
There is a wealth of experience coming back for this year's Coldwater wrestling team.
It's just a matter of which weight class they'll be competing at.
After finishing eighth in the Western Buckeye League tournament, but boasting two champions, St. Marys returns this season to build upon the late-season success.
