In honor of National School Bus Safety Week, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be keeping a close eye on traffic surrounding school buses. Troopers will be following school buses over the next five days. More >>

Health leaders from around the state were included in Thursday's statewide discussion and update on the COVID-19 situation.  More >>

Senate Republicans are looking for accountability for the way that the United States withdrew from Afghanistan.  Senator Rob Portman joined 20 other Republicans in introducing the Afghanistan Counterterrorism Oversight, and Accountability Act.  It establishes a state department task force th… More >>

Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown introduced the American Energy Worker Opportunity Act, to help those working with fossil fuels, like coal and oil train to get jobs in solar and wind. The proposed bill would help workers that are terminated from their jobs get grants to go back to school and… More >>

The Mercer County Library is handing out the kits as part of Gov. Mike DeWine's call for libraries across the state to do so to help the public get easier access to testing. With the delta variant hitting Ohio, it seemed like a no-brainer for the Mercer County District Library to start offer… More >>

The latest Fall Color Report from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources shows only patchy color across West Central Ohio as of October 8th. Shorter daylight plays the biggest role in the leaf changing process as less of the green chlorophyll pigment is produced. This allows the red and or… More >>

With the fall season comes new things to look out for when driving on our local roads. We spoke with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to get some driving safety tips for this time of year. More >>

Senator Rob Portman says the Democratic majority will not pass his bill that would help improve roads, bridges, and expand broadband access until the Senate passes a $3.5 trillion spending package. That bill includes money for climate change, health, education, and paid family and medical le… More >>

A signing ceremony for a new database of criminal sentences that have been made in the state of Ohio was held Monday morning in Columbus. The Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission and the University of Cincinnati worked together to create the database, which was put together in response to sev… More >>

A Mercer County man is dead after an apparent farming accident. More >>

In the state of Ohio, if drivers see a vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights, they must move over to an adjacent lane if possible and slow down. That includes any law enforcement or crews out on the roads like the Ohio Department of Transportation Many drivers are aware of thi… More >>

Construction on the Burntwood-Langenkamp wetland has begun this week. The wetland aims to improve the overall water quality of the lake, while also enhance the quality of life for those who live in the area and improve the overall visitor experience. The 90-acre project will work to filter p… More >>

A dedication ceremony was held in Celina thanks to a generous donation.  Tri Star Career Compact in Celina received three donated flag poles as well as a monument that were installed in front of the school.  More >>

October 4th is the last day that you can register to vote. The Allen County Board of Elections will run on special hours that day to ensure that voters can register in time. The board of elections is strongly urging those that plan to vote but have not registered to do so as soon as possible… More >>

The second former Fort Recovery softball coach gets sentenced to 55 years in prison for an Indiana murder. Shelby Hiestand was sentenced for her role in the shooting death of Shea Briar in January of 2020.  Her co-defendant Esther Stephen also was sentenced to 55 years for murder in May. More >>

The local Democrats in Mercer County got together to feel a sense of unity. The dinner was to let the like-minded people in the area know that they're not alone. They invited the mayor of Cincinnati John Cranley, who is running for governor, and Jeff Sites, the 4th Congressional District can… More >>

Governor DeWine says younger Ohioans are the age group that is low in vaccination rates, only 46%. So he rolled out the Ohio Vax to School program open to all Ohioans ages 12 to 25 who are already vaccinated or who will be soon. The program will offer five $100,000 college scholarships and 5… More >>

Planning a trip or traveling, in general, has looked a lot different since the pandemic hit. One effect of the pandemic is that more people are opting to insure their trips. Some insurance providers have even started offering plans that cover losses because of covid-19 or other epidemic dise… More >>

Governor Mike DeWine says there were 459 new hospitalization reported in the last 24 hours which is the highest amount since January of this year.   A larger number of the people that are being admitted are under the age of 50 and 97 percent of all admitted are unvaccinated. More >>

Latta was vaccinated against the virus and is not showing any symptoms. He announced that he contracted the virus after he was exposed to someone who also tested positive. He said that he will quarantine and follow CDC guidelines.  Latta's tweet about him being positive came shortly after Co… More >>

According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Allen County fell from 6.3% in July to 5.3% in August. Mercer County has the second lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.4%, just behind Holmes County. Hardin County fell 1.3% between July and August, which is the biggest dro… More >>

The Ohio Redistricting Commission voted along party lines to approve the new district maps. But since it was not a unanimous vote, the commission will have to look at redrawing the maps again in four years, versus 10 years if the whole commission approved the maps. Some groups say the maps w… More >>

JD Vance appeared across West Central Ohio including Lima on Thursday. The Republican candidate for the U.S Senate seat discussed a variety of topics that included voting, jobs, and more. Ohio Senator Rob Portman announced plans to step down from his seat in 2022 when his current term ends. … More >>

The American Academy of Pediatrics reported since early August when the Delta variant started to surge, COVID cases among children have increased 240 percent nationwide. DeWine says during that same period in Ohio, the state has seen a two thousand percent increase in cases among children. C… More >>

An active shooter response training session was held by the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. Held at a home behind the sheriff's office, the training helped deputies and officers learn how to effectively respond to an active shooter situation. A classroom session was held prior to participant… More >>

High-profile disasters, like Hurricane Ida, are always big for scammers to try and play on the heartstrings of individuals who want to help victims. Other scammers are posing as people and service personnel stuck in Afghanistan, saying that they need money to get them out of the country. The… More >>

Republicans are blasting President Joe Biden for his new vaccination mandates. Some are even threatening lawsuits following the President's announcement last week. More >>

A local group is trying to raise awareness to suicide step by step.   The Area Suicide Support Resource or ASSURE of Mercer County held their 6th annual Suicide Awareness and Prevention walk.   In 2019, there were nearly two and half time more suicides then homicide in the United States.  Ju… More >>

The first version of a map that will re-arrange Ohio's legislative district, released Thursday by the seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission. More >>

A news release from Sheriff Jeff Grey says two inmates and one worker at the adult detention facility. Recently tested positive for coronavirus. An inmate came into the facility in late August, and after approximately 12 days told staff they lost their sense of taste and smell and were exper… More >>

Ohio Department of Health Director Doctor Bruce Vanderhoff addressing concerns of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. It has been more than 18-months that the world has been battling the virus and health care providers have been attacking it head-on. They are tired and there is no real … More >>

Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted spoke on Ohio's aging population. The U.S. Census Bureau, reported that 25% of Ohio's population is expected to be over the age of 60. More >>

Area farmers are seeing a bumper crop thanks to timely rains throughout the summer. Meteorologist Nathan Kitchens has a look at the crop conditions and what to expect heading into harvest. More >>

Under the Trump administration, Ohio was able to get a waiver that would require able-bodied people, who don’t have any children, to either work twenty hours a week or get job training for their Medicaid health benefits. The work requirements were supposed to start on January 1, 2021, but wi… More >>

The blood shortage that started before the pandemic continues and the Red Cross is looking for a few volunteers to lend an arm to save a life. In recent weeks, the organization has seen blood donor turnout drop ten percent while hospital demand continues to be larger than the donations comin… More >>

Violet Valdez, Cory Gross, and Amanda Hatfield were arrested and charged with possession of meth, a felony of fifth degree. The Grand Lake Task Force and the Mercer County Sheriff's Office conducted the traffic stops and found the drugs inside the cars. Valdez and Hatfield both had outstandi… More >>

An Indiana woman gets additional charges for the 2015 death of Ryan Zimmerman.  30-year-old Sarah Buzzard has been charged with murder and felonious assault, in addition to the charges the gross abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and grand theft of a motor vehicle she was already fa… More >>

An arrest has been made in a case that dates back to 2016.  More >>

A news release this evening from Sheriff Jeff Grey's office says there will be a substantial update on the Ryan Zimmerman homicide case, during a Thursday morning news conference. Zimmerman is the person who had gone missing from the Columbus area in 2015; and whose bones were discovered in … More >>

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a virus that affects the lungs. Young children suffer from the virus, with babies born prematurely or with heart or lung conditions at the highest risk. Common symptoms of RSV include trouble breathing, coughing, and irritability. If your child is showing… More >>

Every 10 years after the U.S. Census is complete, Ohio's 99 House districts and 33 Senate districts must be redrawn to reflect the results of the most recent data. The commission could draw the congressional maps too if state lawmakers cannot reach an agreement on the map design. The first o… More >>

The campaign is a state-wide effort to make sure drivers are staying safe on the roads. The state patrol, joined with other local law enforcement, will be having a close eye on the roads from now until September 6th. Their goal is to remove impaired drivers from the road and decrease the lik… More >>

A bill introduced by Ohio Republican Senator Andrew Brenner would prohibit state boards of education, the Ministry of Education, or school districts from requiring students, teachers, or other employees to wear face covers in public education. This includes face-to-face instruction or extrac… More >>

Every county in the state is considered high incidence, that is because of the rise of the Delta Variant. On August 18th there were 3,303 new cases which is the highest one-day increase since February of this year. This increase is not just affecting large urban areas, but smaller rural area… More >>

While it is not a requirement, DeWine says that we have the perfect storm with coronavirus just as kids are heading back to school. The Ohio Department of Health says there have been 3,235 new cases Tuesday and continues the upward trend the state has been seeing. The number of cases per 100… More >>

There are 10 public hearings scheduled. The commission will be at Ohio State Lima on Thursday, August 26th from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The Ohio House and Senate districts get redrawn every 10 years and use the census data to track the movement of the population. Senate President Matt Huffman, … More >>

With a new variant of COVID-19 starting to infect more and more people every day, booster shots of the vaccination has been a topic of discussion with health experts.  More >>

Rod and Barb Carpenter have started an endowment to create an Eternal Scholarship at the school and will be running in the Grand Lake Half Marathon on Sept. 25th. The scholarships will go to help students that not only show a need but demonstrate good character and the willingness to exhibit… More >>

Your News Now has new information now about a Mercer County farming accident that we first reported on yesterday. The three men who were trapped in a manure pit at a farm outside of St. Henry have now died. More >>

AAA has tips for people that are planning on traveling at the end of summer. AAA says that booking numbers are up 11% from two years ago, and even more people are planning trips for 2022 and beyond. More >>

The St. Henry Volunteer Fire Department says that they were called around 12:30 p.m. to a farm on Coldwater Creek Road, just outside of St. Henry. There they discovered three people were stuck inside a concrete manure pit. Ropes and ladders were used to get the people out of the pit, and all… More >>