Playing in Ada, the Bluffton girls basketball team locked down the Lady Bulldog offense for over 18 minutes and cruised to a 42-22 Northwest Conference win Thursday night, December 16.
Ada tallied the game's first basket, then did not score another field goal against the tight Pirate defense until less than five minutes remained in the third period.
By that time, Bluffton led comfortably by a 27-5 margin.
The Lady Pirates improved to 5-3 and 1-1 in the NWC with the lopsided victory. The Ada girls fell to 2-7 and 0-3 in NWC action with the defeat.
A New York Times reporter in August of 2020 coined the term twindemic to describe the concern for an increase in both flu (influenza) and COVID-19 during the winter months of 2020. The good news is that a twindemic never occurred in 2020 but the word stuck. Twindemic is a portmanteau word. A portmanteau is when words are blended together to form a new meaning. The words are not combined together like starfish but rather are a mash of words. The word smog is a portmanteau mash up of smoke and fog that has become part of our vernacular.
Bluffton University has named Matthew Nardo as its next head football coach.
"Bluffton University is an institution with tremendous leadership and vision," said Nardo. "My family and I are honored to join this community and are excited about the future of Bluffton Football!"
In a tri-meet between Bluffton, Upper Sandusky, and Willard high school swim teams on December 15, the Bluffton girls finished 2nd behind Upper Sandusky and the Bluffton boys finished 2nd behind Upper Sandusky.
Bluffton winners were:
Women's 200 Medley Relay: Rory Youngpeter, Allison Diller, Izzy Stechschulte, and Ella Armstrong
As the newest chamber member, Blended Roots manager Katelyn Gainok introduced herself and the art and craft consignment store she manages to Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) members at the December 10 meeting.
Gainok said the store’s purpose is to provide a fun shopping experience and to “bring out creativeness in the community.”
At the December 13 Bluffton council meeting, Assistant Village Administrator Bryan Lloyd explained why some Bluffton residents noticed discolored water beginning on Friday, December 10.
Lloyd detailed that the main 16" plastic water pipe from Ottawa had been hit by a utility crew on Road M around 11 a.m. that day. Following EPA guidelines and under the agency's supervision, the break was immediately isolated with shutoff valves and a repair was made. The line was reopened after flushing. Village crews flushed at numerous other locations as well.
Dawn Rene Atkinson, 71, of Findlay and formerly of Pandora passed away December 14, 2021 at Wood County Hospital, Bowling Green. Dawn was born June 9, 1950 in Bluffton to the late Harry and Juanita (Weber) Schumacher.
Dawn was a graduate of Pandora-Gilboa High School. She worked as a laborer at Nissin Brake Company, Findlay and previously at Triplett Corporation, Bluffton and P & A Industries in Findlay. Dawn had attended Pandora Missionary Church and enjoyed playing music, singing and shopping but above all she enjoyed spending time with her family.
The December 13 meeting of the Bluffton village council was the first since acoustic panels were installed in their third floor chamber. Echoes were noticeably muted and made following the discussion much easier. As always, Mayor Richard Johnson led the proceedings.
Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) board member Derek Dukes has served the 501(c)(6) organization for the past eight years, a term he wrapped up by hosting a chamber breakfast at Southgate Lanes, 9700 N. Dixie Hwy. on December 10.
The bowling alley co-owner talked about his vision for Bluffton area shops and restaurants, where all work together to promote each other’s businesses. He also reviewed the past five years of fundraising events he has co-hosted with Brandon Falk to benefit the community. Events include: Mission Possible benefit for students in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Battle of the Businesses bowling tournament, Food Pantry fundraisers, cancer victim fundraisers and multiple years of the Barley Memorial/Southgate Open golf tournament. A total of $35,000 has been raised for the Bluffton area community at Southgate Lanes events during this period.
