On the morning of March 5, 2025, Allen County EMA will be conducting its annual exercise. Due to the exercise, there will be an increased amount of vehicles, to include some first responder vehicles at the Allen County EMA facility. The exercise is expected to last the majority of the morning.
Clifford Edwin Marsh, 70, of Lakeview, Ohio passed away peacefully on February 19, 2025. He was born on August 5, 1954 in Toledo, Ohio to the late Kenneth Sr. and Kathleen (Hulett) Marsh.
Cliff was a beloved father, pappy, brother and friend. Cliff was known for his laughter, love of music and loyalty to those he loved, including the Cleveland Browns and his best companion and Labrador, Doge. Cliff worked at Marathon Electric in Lima, Ohio until it’s closing, and retired from Honda in Russell’s Point.
Midweek Lent services begin at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 301 North Main Street, Jenera, on Ash Wednesday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m.
Pastor Matt Nowak's sermon theme is "Realizing Our Need for Repentance." The theme is "Reflections on Repentance" from King David's great penitential Psalm 51.
The Ash Wednesday Service readings are from 2 Samuel 12, 2 Corinthians 5 & 6, Luke 18:9-14 and the sermon is based on Psalm 51:1-2. The hymns are: "In Hopelessness and Near Despair, From Depths of Woe, Salvation unto Us Has Come, and I Lay My Sins on Jesus."
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By Paula Pyzik Scott
My path regularly crosses with that of Apollo Career Center Superintendent Keith Horner when we attend Ada and Bluffton school board meetings. His invitation to visit the facility was a welcome opportunity to see what draws students from 11 different districts who chose an alternative to traditional high school for their junior and senior years.
As a nod to the Icon reader base, I was given the opportunity to meet Lauren Bowers, a welding student from Bluffton, and Ashley Hevlin, a sports exercise science (SES) student from Ada.
Wednesday, March 12 - Senior Citizens Breakfast, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
- High School Band performance
Friday, March 21 - Music Boosters Chicken BBQ and Concert, 4:00-10:00 p.m. Tickets
- Every ensemble from 4th-grade strings through high school bands and choirs will perform
Monday, March 24 - NO SCHOOL. Teacher inservice day.
Presented by Bluffton resident Mitch Kingsley at February 24 Bluffton Council Meeting
“Any ‘lesson’ runs the risk of being a scolding. When I wrote this up I did not have any bad actors in mind and had no intention of scolding anyone. As mentioned in the text, when the proposal was brought to council it seemed good to go.
Bluffton University was informed that the University of Findlay Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, not to proceed with the joint application to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) for merger approval and to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding signed on March 19, 2024. This decision comes after nearly a year of collaboration and preparation for the proposed merger.
The university issued this statement:
The merger work has resulted in an invaluable reflective process for both campuses as we have examined our strengths, areas for growth and capacity to change. The due diligence of the past year will help each university move forward in important ways.
ELIDA – The Bluffton High School boys basketball team lost 70-56 to rival Lima Central Catholic in the Div. VI district semifinals at the Elida Fieldhouse Wednesday night, February 26 to end their season.
Bluffton inched within 28-27 late in the first half, but LCC freshman guard Jeff Williams canned a big trifecta at the buzzer to put the Thunderbirds on top 31-27 at intermission.
The Thunderbirds took control of the game with a crucial 24-15 third quarter to break away from the tight halftime score.
Bluffton University announced on February 26 that Dr. Jane Wood has resigned from her position as president, and that Dr. J. Alexander Sider has been appointed as Acting President effective immediately.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to express our gratitude to Dr. Wood for her service to Bluffton University. Her leadership has been integral to the university’s growth and development,” said Cheryl Hacker, Bluffton University Board of Trustees Chairperson. “We are confident that Dr. Sider’s deep commitment to our mission ‘to prepare students for life as well as vocation…and ultimately for the purposes of God’s universal kingdom,’ combined with his extensive experience at Bluffton, will ensure a smooth and successful transition as we continue to build a bright future for the university."
