November 2024

Blanchard Valley Health System is pleased to announce it has received Level 7 achievement for the Acute survey selection in Digital Health Most Wired Survey results from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

November 21 McDonald’s Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament

  • 6:00 Arlington vs Allen East
  • 7:15 Bluffton vs Cory-Rawson

Presale tickets at https://www.blufftonschools.org/athletics/athletics-tickets

Cash ticket sales will be available at the gate.

SLIDESHOW Photos from the September 28 Bluffton Fall Festival at Schumacher Homestead, a Swiss Community Historical Society event. CLICK A PHOTO to view the slideshow at your own pace.

The Schumacher Homestead at 8350 Bixel Rd will be open for its annual Christmas Open House on December 7 and 8 from 2:00-6:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.SwissHistorical.org.

“My one journey is over…my new one begins.”  Fairy I. Parkins, 91 passed away November 20, 2024 at Bluffton Hospital.  

Born during the Depression Era on December 22, 1932 in Findlay to the late Ira and Louisa (Schaaff) Roth, Fairy saw many changes. She saw horse drawn equipment change to tractors, oil lamps to electric, radio to TV and party lines to cell phones. Fairy experienced the atomic age, a man on the moon, sixteen presidents and the growth of the computer age. Growing up on the farm, she was always her Dad’s helper. She carried lanterns to the barn, drove horses to make hay and in 1949, a John Deere Tractor.  

Graduating seventy-five years ago, in 1950, from the first combined class of Cory-Rawson High School, Fairy always let people know that and that the Cory-Rawson colors were green and gold.  She got her first job in 1951 at Woolworth’s Dime Store then became a bookkeeper at Daisy Maid Bread when Edward Parkins was discharged from the Korean Conflict and was hired as a new driver. A love match sparked and on April 22, 1954, she married Edward Parkins who preceded her in death on May 4, 1986 from a battle with cancer. ▶︎

By Paula Pyzik Scott

At the November 19 special meeting of the Village of Bluffton Ordinance Committee, council members and residents discussed best case and worst case scenarios for the expansion of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the Village.

Seven residents attended the meeting led by council and committee members Mitch Kingsley and Joe Sehlhorst. 

The committee has taken a year to draft legislation that would spell out how residential property owners in Bluffton may build attached and detached ADUS for rental and non-rental purposes. 

The expressed goal of the legislation is to ease housing shortages and allow for a wider range of housing options. ADUs exist in and can be built in Bluffton, but specific guidelines are not provided for the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.

The residents in attendance expressed concerns about changing the character of neighborhoods and creating more rentals with absentee owners. ▶︎

Kids, teens, and families are invited to an Open Craft and Game Space on Tues., Nov. 26.  Enjoy the day, get creative, and play together! The library will provide all the materials.

Thanksgiving Holiday closure
Library will close at 5:30 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 27 and remain closed Nov. 28-30. Regular hours resume on Mon., Dec. 2 at 9:30 a.m. 

Women in Business, a casual networking get together for Bluffton area business owners and managers, will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 21 at Town Hall. Marlena Ballinger of the Dough Hook Meat Market will be presenting how to use the Canva online design platform.

Rodan + Fields representative Cindy Luginbuhl is providing catering.

Women in Business meets on the third Thursday of the month.

COLUMBUS – With snow in the forecast for Thursday, Ohio Department of Transportation crews are making sure trucks, drivers, and equipment are ready to safely roll across the state.

A warmer start to the week means pavement temperatures in Ohio remain high enough to melt most of the snow on contact. However, drivers should be extra alert on bridges and overpasses as conditions there will change more rapidly as temperatures fall. Crews will be out monitoring and treating roadways, as needed.

CEO of First National Bank of Pandora honored in Under $500 Million in Assets category

COLUMBUS __ The Ohio Bankers League (OBL) has named Todd Mason, CEO of First National Bank of Pandora, as the 2024 Banker of the Year. The award celebrates an exceptional banking professional who has set a high standard for leadership, mentorship, and community service, making a profound impact within the financial industry and beyond.

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