The Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District will hold a special meeting on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. in the Park District Headquarters conference room with the following agenda.
BLUFFTON – The Bluffton High School boys basketball team pulled ahead with a key third quarter and went on to defeat spunky non-conference foe Elida 55-45 on Senior Night, Tuesday, February 10.
Senior Robby Taylor scored a season-high 16 points to lead four Pirates in double figures. Fellow senior Bean Ginther tallied 13 markers.
The Pirates held a 15-13 edge after the opening period. Bluffton led 27-24 at halftime on the strength of five trifectas.
MEDIA RELEASE__Bluffton High School is pleased to announce that senior Ethan Hoffman has been selected as the January 2026 Student of the Month. Ethan is the son of Larry and Marcy Hoffman of Bluffton.
Ethan is an exemplary student whose achievements reflect a strong commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and service. He maintains a 4.0 GPA and serves as Vice President of the National Honor Society. In addition, Ethan has been an active member of the Student Senate for four years, is a student helper in the technology department at Bluffton Middle School, and participates in the LEO Club, demonstrating consistent leadership and dedication to his school and local community.
The Village of Bluffton council held a regular meeting on Monday, February 9 with Mayor Richard Johnson presiding.
Among reports and legislation, wages for pool employees was raised $ .30 to meet the new minimum wage of $11.00. Police Chief Ryan Burkholder reported that a Blue Envelope initiative will be introduced to foster a safer environment for drivers with autism spectrum disorder.
BLUFFTON__Bluffton High School senior Alayna Mueller signed a letter of intent to continue her track and field career at Hillsdale College on Friday, February 6, in the high school gym.
She will compete in the pole vault for the Chargers.
Mueller finished last season with a personal and school record vault of 11 feet, 4 inches. She also qualified for the state meet and placed runner-up at the regional meet in the spring of 2025.
Alayna is the daughter of John and Natalie Mueller. She is currently undecided on a college major.
NAPOLEON__The Bluffton High School boys bowling team finished a strong third out of 14 teams at the Div. II sectional tournament in Napoleon at River City Bowl-a-Way Lanes on Tuesday, February 10.
Bryan won the sectional team title with 3,957 pins. They were followed closely by Napoleon (3,907) and Bluffton (3,902), who finished just five pins behind the hosts.
MEDIA RELEASE__Apollo Career Center is proud to host the 2026 SkillsUSA Ohio Northwest Regional Competitions on Friday, February 13, 2026, from 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. .
The Apollo campus will welcome approximately 500 students representing 20 career-technical education centers and comprehensive high schools from across Northwest Ohio. A total of 33 skilled competitions will take place throughout the day, showcasing students’ talents in technical, leadership, and employability skill areas.
MEDIA RELEASE__Rev. Eli Tracy, campus pastor at Bluffton University, will present a Forum titled “Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, Trump” at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Yoder Recital Hall.
Tracy will explore how the narrative power of the Bible can help communities navigate complexity, leadership and conflict in contemporary contexts.
MEDIA RELEASE__Dr. Jeff Gundy, professor emeritus of English, will present a faculty colloquium titled “Further Adventures Among the Phantom Powers” at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20.
Gundy will share reflections from his ongoing work in poetry and literary criticism, exploring imagination, language and cultural influence.
Faculty colloquia at Bluffton University highlight scholarly and creative work by faculty members and provide opportunities for campus and community dialogue.
MEDIA RELEASE__Columbus Grove Rd. in Bluffton between Tom Fett Road and Bentley Road will be closed from 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. each day for tree removal starting Wednesday, February 11 through Friday, February 13.
There is no access during this closure. Please find an alternate route.
For more information, contact Allen County Engineer 419-228-3196.
