Regional news

Social media made the Bluffton Icon aware of river otters being sighted by local photographers. A call from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed that in recent years the otter population has spread into northwest Ohio.

ODNR Wildlife research technician Sara Zaleski noted that otters seek clean, high quality water and that their presence is a good reflection on area water conditions.

The first 27 days of December 2021 weather include a high of 63 degrees and low of 17. 

The Icon's report comes from Guy Verhoff, Pandora weather observer.

Kenneth Zimmerman submitted an announcement to the Icon on behalf of the Bluffton Sportsmen Club: there will be no Annual Meeting and Fish Fry Diner. The club is still planning to hold the Fishing Derby on the first Sunday of May 2022.

New 2022 Memberships for fishing in Buckeye Quarry and Cobb Lake (The National Quarry) are available from the following merchants: The Dough Hook, Kibbee's Carry Out (Bluffton), and Ted's Market (Pandora), TNT Firearms LLC (Findlay). Memberships are $30/year 14 and up, $10/yr 13 and under.

The Allen County OSU Extension is providing county fair rule changes on https://www.facebook.com/allencountyextension/.

The posts note: "we did not write out each rule in its entirety but highlighted the changes to existing rules and the addition/removal of rules. If you have any questions we encourage to reach out to the Extension Office staff."

The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce has awarded eight prizes in the 2021 Residential Lights contest. New this year: the competition had two geographic divisions with Main Street providing the dividing line between Northwest and Southeast.

Judging criteria were 

  • First impression
  • Decorating difficulty
  • Decorating creativity
  • Balance of lights and decorations
  • Amount of lights and decorations

You'll find the winners at the addresses below and in the attached photos.

 

Northwest

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1 is seeking public comments regarding:

U.S. 30 resurfacing – ODOT is proposing to resurface the roadway on U.S. 30 in Hancock County from the State Route 235 interchange (approximately three miles north of the village of Ada) to the railroad bridge just east of the U.S. 68 interchange (approximately 0.25 miles south of the community of Williamstown).

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