February 2023

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The January student of the month at Bluffton High School is Jacob Szabo, the son of Jeremy and Julia Szabo of Bluffton. Jacob is a senior with a 3.883 GPA. 

Jacob was a member of the Bluffton High School band his freshman year including marching, concert, pep and jazz bands. He has also been a member of the varsity baseball team. 

He attends and is a member of Redeemer Covenant Church in Arlington. He also attends a Bible study group hosted by freshman classmate Liliana Liberato.

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Sandra J.  Garmatter, 83, passed away February 7, 2023 at the Bridge Hospice Care Center, Bluffton. Sandy was born July 17, 1939 in Bowling Green to the late Loren and Margaret (McGuire) Bassitt. On October 31, 1959 she married Leland Garmatter who preceded her in death on August 21, 2015. 

Sandy was a graduate of Beaverdam High School. She retired from Bluffton Schools where she was a secretary.  Sandy was a member of Emmanuel United Church of Christ, Bluffton.  She enjoyed playing cards and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  

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Bluffton University students who recently participated in semester-long cross-cultural experiences will speak during Forum at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14, in Yoder Recital Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Students will share about their semesters in Greece, Guatemala and Washington, D.C.

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The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly breakfast meeting on on Friday, February 10. Greenhorn will be providing breafast and Ohio Means Jobs Allen County is the Breakfast Sponsor.

Breakfast will be served at 7:00 a.m. and the program begins at 7:30 a.m. The meeting takes place on the third floor of the Bluffton Town Hall.

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The Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy is hosting a Pharmacy Camp from June 11-16, 2023. This camp is open to high school students who will be entering their Junior or Senior year.

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COLUMBUS--The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has an opportunity for Ohio school districts or their partners to apply for funding to develop and implement projects that enable and encourage children to safely walk or bike to school.

ODOT’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is funded at $5 million annually, a one million dollar increase from last year. It provides funding for infrastructure improvements such as pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, new or improved sidewalks, and bike racks.  It also helps fund non-infrastructure activities such as walk to school days, bike rodeos, public awareness campaigns, and educational programs.

“Ensuring that Ohio children get to school safely by walking and biking is just as important as ensuring safe travels in a school bus or car,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “The additional funding provided to this program will allow more communities and schools to make routes between home and school safe, convenient, and accessible.”

Eligible applicants include local governments, school districts, health districts, park districts, or key non-profit partners involved in advancing safe routes to school in your community. Please note, infrastructure projects can only be awarded to a city, village, county or township.

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Downtown merchants are hosting the 2023 Chocolate Walk from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 16. Twelve Bluffton merchants are participating in the event, which provides chocolate treats to ticket holders.

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Meet the BlufftonIcon.com and AdaIcon.com advertisers of the week: Bluffton Auto Repair Center and Basinger Plumbing & Heating.

Thanks to our advertisers, the Icons are free with no login and no story limit!

Call 567-400-4266 for advertising rates.

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By Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant

The Bluffton University men's basketball dropped to 4-17 overall and 2-12 in the Heartland Conference as they hosted the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers on February 4, 2023. Rose improved to 12-9 with a 9-5 mark in the HCAC. Saturday marked the final Alumni Day with Head Coach Guy Neal manning the sidelines and he was honored for his 34 years at the helm following the game.

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PANDORA--First National Bank of Pandora has announced the opening of its newest full-service community bank at 2580 Eastown Road, Lima, OH. First National Bank is located between Lock 16 Steakhouse and Menards.

This is the sixth First National Bank branch and offers an ATM, night drop, and drive thru. The Lima team is staffed with 6 banking professionals who are committed to providing excellent customer service including Branch Manager, Martrice Smith; Mortgage Lending Manager, Andrew Rager; Chief Lending Officer, Brendon Matthews; and 3 Customer Service Representatives who are excited to serve our customers. The Lima branch is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Contact First National Bank in Lima at 419-222-0015. A ribbon cutting and community open house will be held in the future.

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