February 2025

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OTTAWA __ First National Bank has promoted Sarah Klausing to Senior Branch Manager. Klausing will continue to oversee the Ottawa branch, as well as supervise the branch manager team. In her new role, Sarah will provide enhanced support to branch managers, focusing on staffing, procedures, training, facility maintenance, and achieving branch goals.

Klausing has served as a branch manager with First National Bank for over 5 years.

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On Wednesday, April 2 at noon, the Bluffton Public Library book group will discuss The House of Lincoln and meet with author Nancy Horan by Zoom.

Noon Book Group meets the first Wednesday of each month at noon at Bluffton Public Library. Titles for this discussion group are available for checkout at the library front desk.

BLUFFTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
145 5. MAIN ST.
419-358-5016
www.BlufftonPublicLibrary.org
 

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By Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU Healthwise Team 

The idiom known as a big fish in a small pond explains a person who is important or powerful within a small group, but not necessarily known in a larger population.  This is a good example of our local officials or citizens versus the Hollywood famous.  

Recent science has identified a benefit with omega-fatty acids such as those found in fish.  The study was completed in a smaller pond of individuals.  The evidence was in a small pond of individuals over the age of 70 years.  

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Fredrick “Fred” W. Evans, 80, a long-time resident of Ada, went home to the Lord on February 2, 2025 at the Mennonite Memorial Home in Bluffton. He was born in April of 1944 in Pittsburgh, PA to Edwin Evans of North Lawrence, OH and Elizabeth (Myers) Evans of Ada.  

Fred was a proud graduate of the 1962 class of Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst, OH.  He was a certificate holder from the Oberlin School of Commerce and he was known for his exacting accounting capabilities in his early business employment.

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Bluffton Area Ministerial Association has announced that it will provide Ashes to Go on Ash Wednesday, March 5, from 7:00-9:00 a.m.

Ashes to Go will take place in front of Presbyterian Church, 112 N. Main St.

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At 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Bluffton High School boys basketball team will play Lima Central Catholic in the OHSAA D6 District Semi-Finals at the Elida Fieldhouse.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets $5 for students (K-12) $8 Adults. Cash only tickets are available at the gate.

This evening is a split session. The gym will be cleared after the 6 p.m. game with Columbus Grove vs. Crestview.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio– The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry is urging Ohioans to follow the state’s outdoor burning regulations and to take precautions if they plan to burn debris this spring. Ohio law dictates that most outdoor burning is prohibited in unincorporated areas from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. March through May.
 
“Each spring, wildfires ignite in Ohio due to careless trash and debris burning,” said ODNR Division of Forestry Chief Dan Balser. “If Ohioans follow safe burning practices and obey regulations, they can help prevent wildfires.”
 

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Registration deadline: March 9

The Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs (BCE) is once again hosting the Small Business Information Series and the Ropp Triplett Business Plan Competition.

The Business Plan Competition is open to any entrepreneur with a business idea, or a business that has been in operation for three years or less.

The 2025 Small Business Information Series will be held on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. beginning on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 and ending on April 15, 2025. 

The classes will be hosted locally on the third floor of the Bluffton Town Hall. Classes will be broadcast live from the Borra Center at Rhodes State Collage. 

Please note that online, remote class opportunities will exist should you not be able to make every session.

For more information, or to register, click HERE.

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Open house to be held on April 1

LIMA — The Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission (LACRPC) has announced that Rebecca Phillips is its new executive director. The vote was made official in a special board meeting with the organization’s executive committee on Feb. 20. Phillips’ new role became  effective immediately following the vote.

LACRPC is also the administrator for the newly designated West Central Ohio Rural  Planning Organization (WORPO), which came to fruition in December 2024.  “With our service area expanding from Allen County to now include seven additional  counties because of WORPO, I want to ensure we continue to meet the needs of all of our  stakeholders,” Phillips explained. “We have a lot of projects coming up, so I’m looking forward  to sharing and discussing them with the community.” 

READ MORE

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Blanchard Valley Hospital, a division of Blanchard Valley Health System, is on Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals 2025. 

A repeat winner of this award, BVH received additional recognition this year in two categories, infection prevention and patient experience.

The award list was announced on February 26, 2025, and can be viewed on Newsweek’s website.

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