Monday evening's Bluffton council meeting via Zoom, with no members sitting together in the same room, poses the question, "Is this a legal, open meeting?"
The answer is "Yes." The answer comes from the the Ohio attorney general's office, which has issued guidance regarding this issue.
Elliott T. Werth, Bluffton solicitor, shared the following information to the Icon:
On March 13, 2020, Attorney General Dave Yost issued a letter of guidance in regards to the issue.
Bluffton police department’s K-9 Kato is on sick leave, according to Sergeant Tyler Hochstetler, his handler.
In a letter to Bluffton council, Hochstetler explains that on March 27 Kato showed signs of an illness.
“I took him to the vet because of his lethargic state,” wrote Hochstetler. The physician's exam, blood work and X-ray concluded that Kato is suffering from a pneumothorax (collapsed lung).
The Village of Bluffton will begin its the bi-annual flushing of the fire hydrants this week, according to Bryan Lloyd, assistant village administrator. The project should begin on Thursday, April 16.
"The process should take approximately two weeks to complete," he said, adding, "In the past, some residents have reported discoloration of the water during this process."
The discoloration usually subsides within a few hours of the flushing being completed in the area. Running a spigot for a few minutes can also help.
On April 13, Kenton Hardin Health Department is reporting the 8th and 9th confirmed cases of COVID-19. These are confirmed lab results of the virus.
According to Kelsey Ralston of the health department, "We at this time have not had a positive patient recover. We will however report those recovered cases as we have them in the county."
Send the Icon your teddy bear address
We also welcome photos!
Just remember, it’s a work in progress.
Posting bear sightings on the Bluffton Icon’s teddy bear hunt map reminds us of an airport. Think, O’Hare in Chicago. We seem to learn of a new bear in a window about every other minute.
Last week when the Icon asked Bluffton residents to provide addresses of teddy bears in windows, well, we figured a couple dozen, tops.
