October 2025

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By Cort Reynolds

BRYAN __The visiting Bluffton High School boys soccer team upset Bryan 2-1 in an overtime shootout to capture their marathon Div. IV sectional final tournament match on Thursday, October 16.

The game was scoreless over the first 45 minutes, and neither team tallied in the 30-minute overtime periods to necessitate a shootout.

Ashton Ungashick converted the clutch final shot to give Bluffton a 5-4 win in the penalty kick shootout.

The Pirate boys improved their record to 6-9-3 after the victory.

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OCT 15 MEDIA RELEASE__Pandora Gilboa Elementary school students walked into school this August to find a new addition, a book vending machine.  The vending machine has an outer space theme, including the rocket logo and the slogan “Reading Takes You Places.” The vending machine uses special tokens earned in school.

The book vending machine was purchased with grant money and funding from the school.  The book vending machine is part of a larger initiative by their reading intervention and enrichment teacher, Stephanie Myers.  

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OCT 13 MEDIA RELEASE__Bluffton University Theatre has announced the cast and production team for its fall play, After the Blast by Zoe Kazan.

After an environmental disaster forces survivors deep underground, nature must be simulated, and fertility is tightly regulated. Anna and Oliver want a baby, but Anna hasn't passed the Mental Health Exam. Will training their new robot helper satisfy Anna's craving for meaning and purpose?

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By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON__The Northwest Conference runner-up Bluffton High School volleyball team placed two standouts on the 2025 all-league first team in voting recently conducted by the conference coaches.

The Pirates finished second in the NWC with a 6-1 record, and are 15-7 overall.

Bluffton 6-0 senior hitter Kendall Stackhouse was named first team All-NWC, as was versatile junior Karlie Lora. Stackhouse leads Bluffton with 278 kills. The 6-1 Lora has hammered 220 kills, made 48 blocks and hustled up 144 digs.

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5 Pirate boys on 1st team All-NWC soccer; 11 earn All-NWC notice

By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON__The Bluffton High School boys soccer team placed five players on the Northwest Conference first team in voting recently conducted by the league coaches.

Pirate senior Isaiah Kohli was named the 2025 NWC Player of the Year as well.

He led Bluffton to a 3-0 NWC mark and a 5-9-3 overall record this fall. The Pirates are 49-0-0 all-time in league play with 11 NWC titles in 11 seasons.

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Mehaffie named Coach of the Year, 9 players earn all-league notice

By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON__The Northwest Conference champion Bluffton High School girls soccer team placed four senior standouts on the 2025 all-league first team in voting recently conducted by the conference coaches.

The Pirates claimed the league title with a 6-0 record.

Bluffton mentor Jamie Mehaffie was also named NWC Coach of the Year by his peers.

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FROM OCT 13 FACEBOOK__ A Letter to Our Allen County Community from your Allen County School Superintendents & Treasurers

Dear Allen County Residents,

As your local school superintendents and treasurers, we write to you not as politicians or advocates, but as fellow parents, community members, and stewards of the education system that defines the heart of Allen County. We share your frustration with rising property taxes. We, too, open those tax bills with concern. But today, we must share the complete picture of what's happening in our state – and what it means for the services we all depend on.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Ohio Has Shifted the Burden to You

Over the past two decades, our state lawmakers have made a choice. It wasn't a choice made in one dramatic moment, but through twenty years of gradual decisions that have fundamentally changed how Ohio funds education – and who pays the bill.

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FROM FACEBOOK___The Bluffton Elementary PTO is holding a tote bag fundraiser with online ordering through October 28.

Pirate tote bags are available in three sizes, priced $55, $45 and $35.

The bags are made of easy-to-clean, rinsable, wipeable materials.

Turnaround time is 45-60 days (December 12-27). You will be contacted when orders have arrived in Bluffton and are ready for pickup. 

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MEDIA RELEASE__Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) has launched online mammogram scheduling including services available at Bluffton Hospital.

This new digital feature allows patients to book mammogram appointments directly through the BVHS website, selecting the date, time, and location that best fit their schedule.

A screening mammogram can detect breast cancer in its earliest stages, when it’s most treatable. With BVHS’s new online scheduling system, patients can easily arrange their screening in minutes, helping ensure early detection doesn’t wait for a phone call.

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By Lainey Oswalt, Student Pharmacist, and Karen Kier, Pharmacist
ONU Healthwise Pharmacy

A Pew Research Center study found 90% of U.S. adults use smartphones, which translates to 293 million people. This number has more than doubled since 2011. The study recorded a 97% use of smartphones by adults age 18 to 29 years old. The Pew research reported that 15% of adults are smartphone dependent, meaning they do not subscribe to high-speed internet, but rely on their phones.

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