Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued March 15 at 11:57PM EDT until March 16 at 4:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 61 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 9 COUNTIES
IN NORTHEAST KENTUCKY
LEWIS
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE BRACKEN CAMPBELL GRANT KENTON MASON PENDLETON ROBERTSON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AUGUSTA, AURORA, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKSVILLE, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, BUTLER, CAMDEN, CAMP DIX, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, CRITTENDEN, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, DRY RIDGE, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FALMOUTH, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HEAD OF GRASSY, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MAYSVILLE, MIDDLETOWN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT OLIVET, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TOLLESBORO, TROY, URBANA, VANCEBURG, WAPAKONETA, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILLIAMSTOWN, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.

Wind Advisory issued March 15 at 9:34PM EDT until March 16 at 8:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

* WHAT...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph becoming west southwest.
* WHERE...Portions of east central and southeast Indiana, northern Kentucky, and central, southwest, and west central Ohio.
* WHEN...Until 8 AM EDT Monday.
* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Tuesday, January 9th, 2018

St. Henry boosters raise $1M for facility

By Sydney Albert

ST. HENRY - The St. Henry Booster Club so far has raised about $1 million for a proposed new athletic building and members expect more donations to help reach the $1.5 million goal.

Booster Club member Eric Huelskamp said the current building design by Garmann Miller & Associates would place the facility in the lot east of the high school. The roughly 19,400-square-foot building is designed for athletic, school and community use and includes a weight room and two basketball courts.

According to club documents, early cost estimates for the new building were $1.8 million, but after meeting with local businesses, boosters felt $1.5 million was a "solid figure" based on quotes and willingness to provide discounted materials.

The roughly $1 million the club has raised so far includes booster savings, a booster pre-approved loan and community donations. The new deadline to receive donations or pledge forms will be the end of this school year. The club will give an update on the project at the June school board meeting and will ask board members how to proceed.

"If the funds are close to the required amount, we may decide to wait. If we don't feel the funds will be raised, the boosters will start working with Garmann and Miller to design a building within the budget. … This likely reduces the scope from two gyms to one gym," according to a club statement.

Work on the project started more than five years ago when supporters expressed a desire to upgrade the football field complex, according to the boosters. Lack of locker room space, insufficient athletic trainer space and a smaller-than-needed weight room were all concerns. Officials decided the funds needed to upgrade the current facilities could be better used on a new, larger facility.

Huelskamp said the new facility would help satisfy the community need for more gym space and also provide space for STEM and FFA programs and large classrooms.

In other business, board members,

• approved a 100 percent, 10-year tax abatement for ITR Manufacturing. The company will directly pay the school district $3,325 per year in lieu of property taxes.

• held their organizational meeting and welcomed new member Gail Hess. Regular board meetings will remain at 7 p.m. the second Monday of the month in the media center.

• approved the contract for Jennifer Bruns for district treasurer.

• hired Matt Thobe as head track coach.

Archive of January 9th, 2018

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Street work to start in spring

Council members learn about savings on sledding hill

NEW BREMEN - Village street improvements are set to start this spring.

Council members approved awarding the Front Street and Eastmoor Drive projec [More]

Subscriber and paid stories on this date

Council to pay down debt

Walkway project payment OK'd

CELINA - City council members will again pay off a portion of debt on the West Bank walkway project and refinance the rest.

Mayor Jeff Hazel called the move standard procedure, saying it was a way for the city to help reduce the debt each year.

Coldwater seeks grant to clean up woods

COLDWATER - Village council members on Monday passed under suspension of rules an emergency ordinance authorizing village administrator/engineer Eric Thomas to apply for a grant through the Clean Ohio Fund.

City of St. Marys receives honor from state for clean audit report

ST. MARYS - The city received the Auditor of State Award on Monday from James Darden, liaison of State Auditor Dave Yost's office, for being one of very few entities audited by the state to have a clean audit report.

St. Henry council adds new members

Water, wastewater plant study planned

ST. HENRY - Village council members on Monday welcomed two new members.

Allan Bruns, an engineer with Celina Tent, and Troy Flenar, a manufacturing unit manager with Crown Equipment Corp., were sworn in by mayor Steve Koesters.

Marion Local students to take careers class

MARIA STEIN - Marion Local High School students will be required to take a course focusing on future careers.

Superintendent Mike Pohlman said he and high school principal Tim Goodwin had met previously with guidance counselor Jenny Dippold to discuss the possibility.

Gilmore elected Celina board president

CELINA - School board members at Monday's organizational meeting elected Matt Gilmore as board president and Bill Sell as vice president for 2018, superintendent Ken Schmiesing said this morning.