Around 5,000 more deer were harvested in the first week of gun deer season than in years past. More >>

     Ohio is taking $250 million in federal funds to support the state's law enforcement and fire departments.   Governor Mike DeWine announced a proposal to take some of the American Rescue Plan Act funds to supply grants to first responders. $175 dollars will be used to counter the increas… More >>

The "Great Resignation" continues as job open signs continue to pop up around the country.   Employers are still struggling to fill millions of open jobs.  On top of that, the November job report saw only 210,000 new jobs created, which is below the half a million new jobs that were predicte… More >>

The Vax-2-School scholarship winners were announced this week and some local students got some money for college just for being vaccinated. More >>

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says that 13 people were killed on Ohio roadways over the Thanksgiving weekend. More >>

An Ohio Senator introduced a bill that could strengthen the future of the United States's supply chain. Senator Sherrod Brown’s Supply Chain Resiliency Act would create a federal office to monitor, research, and address the vulnerability of supply chains. The office would also provide loans,… More >>

All counties in West Central Ohio saw drops in unemployment numbers for the month of October. According to the Ohio Department Job and Family Services, Allen County has the highest unemployment rate in our area but also saw the biggest fall, going from 6.1% in September to 4.2% in October. P… More >>

Just before 9 am, Wapakoneta troopers were called to U.S. 127 near Shindeldekcer Road in Mercer County for a three-vehicle crash. 38-year-old Joseph and 39-year-old Amber McCavitt of Elkhart Indiana were heading south when their vehicle went left of center hitting a semi-trailer and then ano… More >>

A Mercer County man was killed after running into a semi Monday morning. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers from the Wapakoneta post, the crash happened on state route 127 near state route 117.  78-year-old Ned Hileman of Rockford was heading northbound when his vehicle went lef… More >>

    Ohio lawmakers are still hammering out the details to legalize sports betting in the state.    In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that individual states can set up their own rules for sports betting, and since then all the states surrounding Ohio have done so. The Ohio House and Senat… More >>

The director of the Ohio Department of Health says the state could be experiencing the start of a second wave of the delta variant. In the last 21 days, hospitalizations have increased by 23% and ICU admissions by 15%. That is why he and other doctors are urging those who are unvaccinated to… More >>

State Auditor Keith Faber says with the Cares Act dollars and the ARP money, 85% of Ohio cities and counties are coming out of COVID with more money than they had prior to the pandemic. He credits that to good management and that tax receipts didn’t go down. When the guidelines become more c… More >>

It is certainly time to be thinking about how you should prepare yourself for the winter season, and one of the first places is inside your vehicle. An emergency supply kit is essential in the event you are stranded for an extended period. Items in that kit should include flashlights, blanke… More >>

Different efforts are underway to legalize adult use of marijuana in Ohio. Two Democratic state representatives have proposed a bill that would legalize marijuana for recreational use and two Republican lawmakers are looking to introduce a bill to yet this year. Colorado voters made recreati… More >>

Senator Sherrod Brown is urging the White House to use legislation he has introduced to improve authorization for the Medicare Advantage Plans.  Brown led a bipartisan group of Senators requesting an update on the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid services efforts to streamline prior aut… More >>

Here is the unofficial election results for Mercer County for the November 2021 election.  Click on the PDF to see all of the results. More >>

It stems from labor issues during the pandemic, when some factories were forced to shut down because of COVID, and the fact that consumer demand for some items switched over the past year and a half. Since the supply chains are so connected, it caused a ripple effect all over the world, when… More >>

39-year-old Sarah Reis was arrested on felony drug possession charge on Thursday. According to the Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey, The Grand Lake Task Force and his deputies asked for a search warrant for Reis’s home after drugs were found during a traffic stop. During the search of the hom… More >>

The policy would provide the federal government with access to information on bank accounts and financial transactions. The letter states that banks across the country will have to transform the way they conduct business in order to comply with the proposed reporting requirements, including … More >>

73-year-old Toney Kidwell was found guilty on four counts of sexual battery, and one count of attempted sexual battery. A Mercer County Grand Jury indicted him on a total of 33 counts including rape, sexual battery, and gross sexual imposition. The other charges were dropped as part of the p… More >>

Several local agencies will be participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this weekend. More >>

Sarah Buzzard had a pretrial hearing Thursday afternoon with her newly appointed attorneys to represent her in a death penalty case. The attorneys discussed making sure everyone had the same evidence moving forward in the case. Buzzard is facing 18 charges, including murder, felonious assaul… More >>

The oceans play a major role in weather as nearly three-fourths of our planet is covered with water. Long-range forecasts in the winter are strongly influenced by the state of ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. Warmer than normal ocean temperatures represent an El Niño… More >>

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 >>