Shortage of officials, bad fan behavior spurs updates
COLUMBUS__The Ohio High School Athletic Association launched the Respect the Game program in 2004, and the phrase and logo have become synonymous with interscholastic athletics in Ohio from public address announcers, publications, social media and public service announcements. This fall, the OHSAA has been working on new resources and collecting ideas from member schools to announce an expanded Respect the Game program as the 2023-24 winter sports season is about to get underway.
This c. 1911 laundry washing machine, the Woman's Friend, was manufactured right here in Bluffton. It has been donated to the Bluffton Ohio Historical Society as the organization's first official accession. The display at 101 N. Main describes the Bluffton Manufacturing Company and has information about the society, which meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at Bluffton Town Hall.
The annual Bluffton residential holiday lighting competition is now accepting registrations through December. Sponsored by the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce, $1000 in Chamber Bucks will be awarded for Best Overall, Best Lights, Best Decorations, Mayor’s Choice, and the Chamber Choice.
Clarabeth Bixel, 87, passed away November 18, 2023 at Willow Ridge - Frieda House, Bluffton. Clarabeth was born January 29, 1936 in Pandora to the late Archie and Velma (Miller) Diller. On April 2, 1955 she married Dwight Bixel who preceded her in death on October 24, 2017.
LIMA__First National Bank is pleased to announce the addition of Brent A. Dawson, a highly skilled and experienced commercial lender, to our team. Dawson is responsible for establishing and building customer relationships for First National Bank in Lima and its surrounding areas. Brent is excited to work alongside local small businesses to help them achieve their goals.
The 19th amendment guaranteed all American women the right to vote on Aug. 1920.
Despite that date, a brief notation in my grandmother’s diary reads: “I went to vote and Margaret and Florence went with me. Margaret is one year old, Nov. 2, 1915.”
The note with the 1915 date confused me. I knew that women did not receive their constitutional right to vote until the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
Blanchard Valley Health System is successfully encouraging traveling nurses to sign on as associates for the long term.
The ranks of traveling nurses nationwide increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, with more nurses wanting to take these temporary roles for financial and scheduling reasons.
A special Thanksgiving Day service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 301 North Main Street, Jenera, at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 23.
Pastor Matt Nowak will lead the service based on Psalm 129. Readings for Thanksgiving are 2 Samuel 7, Philippians 4:4-9, and Luke 7:36-50. The Choir will sing “Sing to the Lord of Harvest.” Other hymns will be “How Great Thou Art, Now Thank We All Our God,, Great is Thy Faithfulness and For the Beauty of the Earth.”
The church will be decorated with harvest items and is handicapped accessible. More information is at www.tlcjenera.org or 419-326-4685.
After the rematch, both teams boast 12-2 records; the two Pirate losses coming to Grove by seven points apiece.
By Cort Reynolds
FINDLAY__The Bluffton High School football team rallied furiously in the second half, but a last-ditch drive stalled in Columbus Grove territory to end their season with a 17-10 loss to the rival Bulldogs in the Division VI, Region 22 final thriller on a wet and cool Friday night at Donnell Stadium in Findlay.
BHS Financial Literacy classes visit local non-profit shop
When it comes to Christmas presents, it may seem like kids these days are only interested in electronics. Not so with the students in Michaeline Lovell’s financial literacy classes at Bluffton High School, who picked out some hypothetical gifts for themselves on a field trip to Ten Thousand Villages store, on Main Street, Bluffton. These high school seniors enjoyed selecting coffee, tea, chocolate, jewelry and other gifts that are considered Fair Trade.
Although Ten Thousand Villages looks like a regular gift shop, it is a non-profit with a mission: to eradicate poverty and preserve the environment. Fair Trade is a movement that changes the way international trade works through better payment, decent working conditions, ecological preservation and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in developing countries. Believe it or not, the first Fair Trade store in the United States was created right here in Bluffton fifty years ago.
