Heating Assistance Application Deadline: May 31, 2026
MEDIA RELEASE__The Ohio Department of Development and Area Agency on Aging 3 remindS older Ohioans that assistance is available to help with home energy bills. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) helps Ohioans at or below 175% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for a household of up to eight members and 60% of the State Median Income for a household of nine or more members to pay their heating bills.
MEDIA RELEASE__The Bluffton Exempted Village School District iscurrently accepting applications from students interested in attending the school district through open enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year.
Students from any school district in Ohio may apply and enroll in Bluffton Schools tuition-free. Students are admitted on a full-time basis only.
Applications are approved annually on a first-come, first-served basis and approval is subject to grade-level enrollment and educational programs.
Stan Clemens died at the age of 84 in the early morning on January 11, 2026, having lived a full and in some ways unexpected life.
Stan was born on May 11, 1941, and grew up in Souderton, PA, where his parents, grandparents, and generations before had lived. He was very active in sports and music through his high school years. He graduated from Bluffton College, where he met his wife, Joenita Shetler. He went on to earn his Masters from the University of Indiana and Ph. D. in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina. Stan and Jo have lived in Bluffton, OH, for the past 40 years.
PAULDING__The Bluffton High School girls basketball team went on the road and lost to former conference foe Paulding 64-42 on Saturday, January 10.
The Pirate girls dropped to 8-7 overall after the road defeat. The Panthers improved to 11-1 with the convincing victory.
The Panther girls built an 18-9 lead after the first period. A 15-4 Paulding second stanza extended their advantage to a commanding 33-13 at intermission.
Bluffton was only outscored 31-29 after intermission.
CONVOY__Several Bluffton High School wrestlers won individual weight class titles as the Pirate team swept the Crestview Duals event on Saturday, January 10.
The Pirate grapplers went 5-0 in dual match play as a team at the event.
Bluffton initially defeated Maumee 48-29 and whipped Archbold 30-6. The Pirates also beat Crestview 47-6, defeated Hicksville 47-6 and swamped Antwerp 60-6.
Several Pirate individuals went undefeated at the Crestview Duals at 5-0 and were thus tournament champions of their weight class. They were:
