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Bluffton University will celebrate Homecoming and Alumni Weekend 2023 from Friday, Oct. 20 - Sunday, Oct. 22. Events will be open to all alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends of the university. Along with cheering on the football, volleyball and swim teams, the Beavers will host alumni gatherings, an open house, food trucks, Beaver Tail-Gating and more.

Tickets for adults are $25 and tickets for children ages 5-17 are $15. Students and faculty/staff with current Bluffton ID will have access to Saturday’s activities for free.  

By Cort Reynolds

The Bluffton High School football team blanked speedy Leipsic 34-0 (SCOREBOARD) in a surprisingly lopsided Northwest Conference showdown Friday night, October 6, at Harmon Field. The Pirates remain undefeated and atop the league.

The Pirate defense has now recorded six consecutive shutouts. The potent Vikings came into the fray averaging 30 points a game, but were unable to puncture the Pirate defense.

CORRECTION: Here's the correct game from Friday, October 6.

By Matt M. Stutz

It was a battle for the top of the Blanchard Valley Conference football standings as the Pandora-Gilboa Rockets (4-0 BVC) hosted the Liberty-Benton Eagles (4-0 BVC) Friday night, October 6. In a thrilling back-and-forth game that that lived up to the billing, a late P-G turnover in Eagle territory halted the rally, as the Rockets lost 33-28.

New distracted driving law became enforceable on Oct. 5 

FINDLAY__Troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Findlay District will focus efforts on curbing distracted driving this weekend, as Ohio’s new distracted driving law became  enforceable on October 5. The northwest Ohio initiative started at 12 a.m. on October 6, and will  end at 11:59 p.m. on October 8. 

On April 4, Ohio’s distracted driving law became stricter and is now a primary offense. The new  law gave law enforcement officers probable cause to pull over motorists if they witness them  illegally using a cell phone or other electronic device. Since then, there have been 446 distracted  driving-related crashes in the Findlay District, a 10 percent decrease over the same time frame in  2022. While these numbers are encouraging, distracted driving still occurs on a daily basis on  our roadways. In an effort to reduce the number of distracted driving-related crashes, northwest  Ohio troopers will be out this weekend looking for drivers violating the new law. 

The Ada Icon and Bluffton Icon will take a holiday break on Monday, October 1, Indigenous People's Day/Columbus Day.

Icon content will be on pause except for breaking news including sports and obituaries.

Students who participated in spring 2023 short-term cross-cultural experiences spoke during Bluffton University’s Oct. 3 Forum in Yoder Recital Hall.

Experiences included a Civil Rights tour of key southern sites; a tour of Holocaust sites in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic; a medical service experience in Ecuador and a service experience in Kentucky/Appalachia with Mennonite Central Committee’s SWAP (Sharing with Appalachian People) program.

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