CELINA - Wastewater treatment plant superintendent Kerry Duncan wants to hire an additional employee for new chemical applications required by the Ohio EPA.

ST. MARYS - The three mayoral candidates for St. Marys have different ideas on what capital projects the city should pursue.

Incumbent Greg Freewalt, a Democrat, says dredge the canal; it's too shallow.

CELINA - Nearly 130 emergency dispatchers from Ohio and Indiana gathered Wednesday to hone their skills, learn new techniques and discuss their high-stress jobs. [More]

FORT RECOVERY - The village this week joined a growing list of communities formally opposing the idea of the state handling local income tax collections.

Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation District board members Wednesday hired Fort Recovery resident Matt Tobe as a nutrient management technician.

Tobe replaces Michael Watercutter, who recently was promoted to conservation technician. Tobe starts Monday and will be paid $13.75 an hour.

VAN WERT - A 37-year-old Van Wert man may spend the rest of his life behind bars for savagely killing his grandmother in her home more than a year ago. [More]

MARIA STEIN - After many months of work, the Marion Community Development Organization (MCDO) learned during a recent meeting the commercial aspects of the sewer system installation are complete.

LIMA - The St. Marys Roughriders used a solid team performance to oust the Defiance Bulldogs 25-17, 25-23 and 25-19 in an opening-round match at the Division II sectional tournament on Wednesday evening at Lima Senior High School. [More]

COLDWATER - Fort Recovery found its stride midway through its first game against Spencerville and never looked back as the Indians picked up a three-game sweep - 25-14, 25-13 and 25-11 - over the Bearcats at the Division IV volleyball sectional on Wednesday night at The Palace in Coldwater.

The Celina football team closes out the home portion of the 2011 season on Friday night when the high-flying Elida Bulldogs pay a visit to Celina Stadium for their annual Western Buckeye League matchup.

Forty years ago this week, former St. Henry football coach Tom Ransbottom held an unwavering certainty that the day would arrive. Although the accompanying details weren't predictable, he was convinced the first victory for his football program was inevitable - hopefully sooner than later.

Now that the season is only two weeks from completion, predicting the final computer points for teams around the state begins to simplify.

In order

By The Numbers:

-13 - Turnover ratio for Van Wert (29 giveaways, 16 takeaways), tied with Celina for worst in the WBL.

+8 - Turnover ratio for St. Marys (9 giveaways, 17 takeaways), tied for second best in WBL.