May 2023

Hancock County Taps – Honoring Those Who Served, a new local program with the goal of ensuring a live rendition of Taps at Hancock County military funerals, is actively seeking local musicians to help honor local veterans. The program represents a collaboration between the Hancock Leadership Class of ’23, the Hancock County Veteran Services Office, and Hancock County Taps founder Carl Hayslett.

On May 2, Bluffton High School senior Brianna (Bri) Taber signed a letter of intent to join the Ashland University Track and Field team in Pole Vault. The signing took place in the Bluffton High School gym.

Last season, Bri finished second in Ohio's Northwest Conferece, 2nd at regionals, and 8th in the Pole Vault at the State meet.

She is currently the Bluffton High School school record holder with a jump of 11’6.” During the 2023-2024 academic year at Ashland she plans to major in Biology/Pre-Med.

The Bluffton Cattle Club recently met for their annual organizational meeting and elected officers. Here  are the election results: 

PRESIDENT: Brittany Goodman (re-elected) 

VICE PRESIDENT: Hudson Phillips 

SECRETARY: Katherine Gratz 

TRESURER: Klaira Hohenbrink 

NEWS REPORTER: Lydia Gratz 

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Riley Herriman 

POPTABS: Carter Hohenbrink 

HEALTH OFFICERS: Branson Hilty & KJ Hohenbrink 

SAFETY OFFICER: Autumn Wischmeyer 

By Cort Reynolds

The Bluffton softball team was seeded fifth in the 11-team Div. III sectional/Lima district drawing Sunday.

The Pirate girls (8-9) will host local rival Allen East (6-9), who was seeded sixth, in the sectional semifinals May 9.

KIEFFERVILLE, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's golf team battled rainy conditions during round one of the 2023 Heartland Conference Championships on Friday, April 28, 2023. Bluffton was up and down on its way to finishing day one firmly in 5th place with an 18-hole score of 362 on Friday.

Field reports from Ohio Division of Wildlife officers 

Northwest Ohio – Wildlife District Two 
In February, State Wildlife Officer Nathan Kaufmann, assigned to Richland County, and K-9 Officer May attended a Junior Naturalist Program event at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary. A group of 12- to 18-year-old students with an interest in the outdoors attended. Officer Kaufmann spoke about his background and his experience with natural resources jobs. He also talked about other career options within the Ohio Division of Wildlife and gave an overview of the K-9 programs. After the talk, K-9 Officer May demonstrated her ability to assist in poaching cases by locating hidden ginseng.  

Review by Robert McCool

Words can be weapons; whether written or spoken, or the more dangerous implied threat by authority.

Poetry has to be words too; a light illuminating the darkness in some human souls.

Such is the premise in the new masterwork by Celeste Ng, titled Our Missing Hearts ($34.00, Random House ISBN978-0-593-63267-3).

The story begins after the collapse of the United States economic system (which is blamed on the Chinese, of course). This is the time of PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions), a totalitarian authority that controls the whole country. PACT has the power to suppress any activity that is considered UN-American or seditious. PACT has the power to read all mail, wiretap any phone, or impose an ongoing curfew, which the breaking of brings down the law. Big time.

They also have the right to remove any child from its family if the parents do not follow PACT constraints faithfully to protect American values. These PACT laws were passed unilaterally by the House and Senate in an effort to bring America out of the Crises.

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"Blooming flowers, graduations, fishing derbies, Memorial Day weekend. There is a lot to like about May. May this month bring you warm sunshine and happiness," opens the May 2023 Golden Age News, published monthly by the Bluffton Senior Citizens Center.

The newsletter is a monthly reminder of the activities and resources available at 132 N. Main St. Among special opportunities this month:

The Bluffton American Legion Post 382 and Bluffton Lions Club have selected Bluffton High School students Gage Van Atta and Riley Greer to attend the Ohio American Legion Buckeye Boys State Class of 2023 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from June 11-18.

The two young men have made a commitment to further their education on how the U.S. government works during the eight-day intensive education program.

Founded in 1936, Buckeye Boys State is the largest Boys State program in the nation with an attendance of over 1,200 young men annually, representing nearly 600 Ohio High Schools, several online high schools, and the home-schooled community.

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