Regional news

Note: This column resulted from The Icon's story about Bluffton, South Carolina, posted two days ago. Liz Farrell called the Icon after seeing it on a Google alert. To read our original story, click here.

BY LIZ FARRELL, columnist
Bluffton, South Carolina, Island Packet

Location, location, location.

You know that you are no longer in Bluffton, Ohio, when the “Bluffton Bobcats” appear on your computer screen.

When that happens you are suddenly in South Carolina.

The Icon knows this because we frequently receive phone calls from persons wanting to know things about Bluffton that, don’t sound like Bluffton, Ohio, questions.

Rather, they sound more like…well here’s some examples:

• One caller recently wanted to know about that great bike ride we hold along the beach. We referred the caller to South Carolina.

The Blanchard River Water Partnership continued its water quality monitoring this summer, according to Phil Martin, coordinator.

He told The Icon, "We monitored 21 sites on the Blanchard River, Lye Creek, Riley Creek and Little Riley Creek. The spring monitoring was completed on July 5. The fall monitoring will done in late September and early October.

"Results can be found on our web site by August. Special thanks to Sarah Betts from the Hancock Park District and her intern, Ashton Stevens,for their help."

Dick Ramseyer, president the Bluffton Lions Foundation and chair of Bluffton Pathway Board presented a $16,370 check to the village at its July 18 council meeting.

The foundation is actively involved in securing financial resources to construct Pathway system identified in the Comprehensive Bike and Pedestrian Pathway Master Plan. The Bluffton Pathway Board established by Bluffton council is responsible for implementation of the master plan.

FOLLOW STORY FROM WWW.NLF.COM - According to NFL spokesman Michael Signora, the league will use microchips in footballs during the preseason as part of the next phase of the Next Gen Stats player tracking project.

The footballs are manufactured in Wilson's Ada plant.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO WILSON'S WEBSITE TO SEE THE WILSON X FOOTBALL, CALLED THE WORLD'S FIRST SMART FOOTBALL.

A chip will be placed in every ball during the preseason.

The petition to referend Bluffton Ordinance 9-16 – surcharge on water and sewer customers - has failed to meet requirements of the Ohio Revised Code, according to Stephen Chamberlain, Bluffton solicitor.

Chamberlain informed the group filing the petition that the group failed to file a certified copy of the ordinance prior to circulating the referendum petition. Failure of the action, according to Chamberlain, voids the petitions.

The petitions were filed with the village on July 18. On July 21, Chamberlain notified those submitting the petitions of its failure.

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