MEDIA RELEASE__ Allen County Auditor Rachael Gilroy is providing information to help property owners understand the Inflation Cap Credit created in House Bill 186 that is reflected on the 2025 second-half real estate tax bill, due August 12, 2026.
House Bill 186, enacted by the Ohio General Assembly, made changes to Ohio's property tax laws that affect the calculation of certain property taxes and tax credits. As a result, many taxpayers will notice an Inflation Cap Credit on their second-half 2025 tax bill.
Kris Shoemaker of Bluffton has been sentenced to 27 years in prison on child pornography charges, according to a July 7 report by The Lima News.
Shoemaker was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He was convicted on one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Shoemaker was arrested in Bluffton in May 2025 by the FBI and pled guilty in January 2026.
MEDIA RELEASE_St. John's United Church of Christ in Bluffton is sponsoring a bike swap event on Saturday, July 25. The event will take place in the parking lot behind the Bluffton Farmers Market.
The Pedal and Pass it on Community Bike Swap is an effort to keep bikes rolling through the community. Participants who have a bike they no longer use can help someone else ride by donating their bike. You can donate, trade or pick up a bike. Everyone is welcome to participate and all bikes will be free of charge.
BPL UPDATES__The Bluffton Public Library is calling all puzzle lovers to a Speed Puzzle Competition.
The event will be held on Tuesday, July 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the library. Participants must be in teams of two to four players and will compete to solve a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle. Each team will have up to one hour to complete the puzzle.
Along with bragging rights, the winning team will receive a prize. The prize is sponsored by Kira's Flipside Grill.
BPL UPDATES_The Galley Book Group - Mixed Titles will meet on Wed., July 15 at Noon at the Bluffton Public Library.
This discussion will be of an assortment of Galley books provided by the publishers, scheduled to be published between May and August 2026. Register for the discussion, read a book from the box as soon as you are able, return so others can read it, and repeat as desired until the discussion date. At the discussion, the group will briefly talk about each book read, rate the titles, and discuss whether it is book-discussion-worthy.
