Here's a slice of what you may have missed this week in the Wapakoneta Daily News:
Monday: New mayor looks to 2016
Tuesday: Group seeks local residency for artists
Wednesday: Shoring up Fort Amanda
Thursday: LEPC seeks speaker on chemical safety
Friday: 2016 county budget approved
All of the local school districts — Wapakoneta, Waynesfield-Goshen and Botkins — will be operating under a two-hour delay Monday.
Patrons of the Auglaize County Libraries had the chance to get up to speed with how to borrow e-books with tablets and computers through the library during a class called “Accessing e-books with multiple devices” that was held on Saturday.
Teaching the class was Fred Miller Jr., IT Service Manager for the Auglaize County Public District Library System. Miller gave an in-depth explanation centered on tablets and how to borrow e-books through the Ohio Digital Library.
Miller said he will be teaching the e-book class each Monday at the different libraries in the Auglaize County Library district for the rest of this month, except for on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18. For a full list of class times and locations, visit the library’s website at augliazelibraries.org and click on “upcoming events.”
See Monday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story.
The Auglaize County Courthouse rests beneath a thin blanket of snow on Sunday after the first measurable snowfall of the winter.
Here's a look at what's coming up this week in the Wapakoneta Daily News.
• New Chamber director.
• YMCA open house preview.
• Waynesfield-Goshen Board of Education meeting.
• Council meetings for Cridersville, Waynesfield and Botkins.
All of the local school districts — Wapakoneta, Waynesfield-Goshen and Botkins — will be closed Tuesday.
Sheriff's Office Advisory: A winter weather advisory is in effect until 3 p.m. Tuesday. Total snow accumulation of one to two inches is expected. Use caution while driving.
Two new board members were sworn in at the Waynesfield-Goshen Board of Education’s organizational meeting on Monday. Darlene Chiles and Todd Spencer, officially began their four-year terms on Monday.
Chiles is a lifelong resident in the Waynesfield-Goshen Local School District, and she served as director of Ohio Hi Point Career Center’s Adult & Continuing Education Division from 2002 to 2012. Prior to this role, she worked as an instructor in the practical nursing program and as an instructional supervisor of adult education.
Spencer is also a lifetime resident of the Waynesfield-Goshen Local School District. Spencer is a graduate of W-G, and he also graduated from Rhodes State College with a degree in Business Management/Quality Engineering. He is employed at Emerson Climate Technologies in the Applied Mechanics Laboratory.
See Tuesday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story on the new board members.
In his health commissioner report, Oliver Fisher offered Auglaize County Board of Health members information about entering into a contract with a collection agency to seek reimbursement from unpaid clients. The company in mind charges a 35 percent fee if money is collected. Fisher said money would be collected for private purchase vaccines and not state-provided ones.
Board president Linda Kitzmiller pointed out this does not sit well with her.
The health department now has a payment plan in place. If someone wants to return but has an outstanding balance, he or she must pay any day of service fees and set up a payment plan. Fisher said this has been working well so far and Director of Nursing Brenda Eiting agreed.
The issue has been tabled for now.
See Tuesday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story.
Sheriff's Office Advisory: The winter weather advisory has been extended until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Blowing snow with reductions in visibility possible.
According to a Facebook post from the Auglaize County Sheriff, a wind chill advisory is in effect from 11 p.m. Tuesday until 11 a.m. Wednesday in Auglaize County. The wind chill will be as low as 12 below with west winds of 10-20 miles per hour.
All of the local school districts — Wapakoneta, Waynesfield-Goshen and Botkins — will be operating on a two-hour delay schedule Wednesday.
Terry Bailey was honored for his 30 years of service during a Wapakoneta City Schools regular board of education meeting.
Superintendent Keith Horner gave a few remarks about Bailey, who worked as a custodian. Bailey, who went to school to be a teacher, has plans to return to the district as a substitute.
“Terry's done a ton over the years,” Horner said. “Most importantly, he's done a great job at his job each and every day.”
See Wednesday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story on the board meeting.
Various vendors in the Wapakoneta area have reported an increase in tickets sales as the Powerball jackpot has grown to more than $1 billion. The staff of the Wapakoneta Daily News visited a few of those vendors on Tuesday to check on sales and to see what players would do if they won.
"Oh yes, we've been very busy (selling tickets) … a lot more than usual,” said Bethany Bachar, manager at the Marathon station on Defiance Street.
Jordan Dickman, who is a manager at the Shell gas station on Bellefontaine Street, said the crowds of people purchasing Powerball tickets have been crazy.
At the Circle K in Botkins, manager Shawn Hamilton said sales have been brisk.
See Wednesday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story on thoughts and hopes for Powerball winnings.
On Dec. 19, the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise premiered in the form of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and has taken the world by storm, becoming the biggest hit film of not only 2015 but of all time. Now the Wapa Theatre will be the latest theater to show the latest installment of a story set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Becky Jordan, the manager of the Wapa Theatre, said that while she is excited about getting the movie, there are a few rules that she wants attendees who come to follow. Mainly no masks are allowed to be worn and no one is allowed to bring a prop in.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will premiere at the Wapa Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday and will continue to show through Jan. 28.
See Thursday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story.
Auglaize County Health Commissioner Oliver Fisher was recently named an Ohio STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Exemplar by Believe in Ohio, a student STEM entrepreneurship program of The Ohio Academy of Science.
According to a news release, the list of exemplars includes “81 Ohioans (who) will serve as role models for students to encourage them to pursue STEM careers and become entrepreneurs and innovators.”
“I thought it was a real honor,” said Fisher. “It’s kind of one of those things I don’t really know if I deserve it, but I’m more than happy to be on the list. I think environmental science and public health, it’s a good field to branch out into for students. There’s a lot of opportunities, it seems like.”
See Thursday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story.
A Las Vegas man died from injuries he suffered in a two-vehicle collision Thursday night in Auglaize County.
According to a report from the Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, at approximately 5:13 p.m., Douglas M. Stearly, 19, of Trappe, Pa., was driving a 2015 Dodge Ram west on U.S. 33, just east of Santa Fe Line Road, when he drove left-of-center and struck a 2015 Chevy Silverado driven by Peter Carl Weitz, 66, of Henderson, Nevada.
Stearly reportedly drove left-of-center to avoid traffic that slowed ahead of him. Weitz drove off the right side of the road in an attempt to avoid the collision. However, both vehicles collided head-on off the southside of the road. Weitz, and a passenger, Peter Charles Weitz, 37, of Las Vegas, were transported to St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima via Life Flight. Peter Charles Weitz later died from his injuries. Stearly was treated at the scene and refused to be transported to the hospital.
None of the occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of the collision. The incident remains under investigation.
The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office, Wayne Township EMS, Indian Lake EMS and St. Johns Fire/EMS assisted at the scene.
The project to build a new airport terminal at the Neil Armstrong Airport is coming along, and a pre-design meeting was held Thursday at the airport with local officials and companies involved with the project.
According to Auglaize County Administrator Erica Preston, a draft plan will be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by April, and then once the county receives approval from the FAA, the project will be finalized and then bid out to a contractor.
The project, which has been on the county's radar for a number of years, is being coordinated by project manager Delta Airport Consultants. The estimated total cost of the project is $2,535,000, and Preston said most of the funds will be covered by the FAA, as long as they approve the project.
See Friday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story.
Nan Schneider has officially taken the reins of the Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce, and she said she is excited for her future at the Chamber.
Before coming to the Chamber, Schneider worked primarily in the healthcare industry, and she also launched her own medical management consulting firm.
Schneider grew up in New Hampshire, Ohio, and graduated from Waynesfield-Goshen High School. She has lived in Auglaize County for many years and moved to Wapakoneta in 1988. She and her husband Nicholas have four children: Zachary, Zalin, Madison and Taylor.
See Friday's print edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News for the full story.
Here's a little slice of what you may have missed this week in the Wapakoneta Daily News.
Monday: The Auglaize County Library offered information on how to borrow e-books.
Tuesday: The Auglaize County Health Board tabled a bill collection plan during its monthly meeting.
Wednesday: The Wapakoneta City Schools Board of Education honored a retiring long-time employee.
Thursday: Star Wars comes to Wapa Theater.
Friday: The Neil Armstrong Airport terminal project is moving forward.
