The cost dying will increase in Bluffton on Feb. 1. Bluffton council voted to increase the cost of preparing graves at Maple Grove Cemetery.

The current cost of $350 to open and close a grave with a casket will move to $450. The current cost of $200 to open a close a cremation burial will move to $250. According to Bernie Ludwig, Maple Grove sexton, the village currently pays more than it charges to open and close graves.

Income tax forms, bills and other financial documents can build up quickly. How can one know what to keep and what to throw away?

Bluffton Public Library will be hosting a financial paperwork seminar presented by Julie Bankert, of J. Bankert Bookkeeping, on Thursday, Feb. 24, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The seminar will share tips and tricks to help individuals organize their financial paperwork.

This seminar is free of charge so don't get overwhelmed, get organized.

You were born in California and have lived in Arizona and probably some other very warm places. How did you end up in Northwest Ohio?

That's where Bluffton University happens to be. I came here for the opportunity to work on the campus, not for the weather or the scenery. If only I could convince the trustees to relocate it to the Southwest...

Where does the nickname "Tig" come from? Does anyone call you Stephen?

Smart Hearts, a heart health education and support group at Blanchard Valley Hospital, Findlay, has set their spring meeting schedule. Meeting dates, topics and presenters are:
Feb. 7 - "If you can't stand up, stand out!" - Video by Mike Schlappi
March 7 - Congestive heart failure - Linda McCoy, RN
April 4 - Implantable cardiac defibrillators & pacemakers - Kristi Kohli, RN
May 2 - Heart care 2011 - Dr. Jerome Beekman

The Bluffton High School Junior Class is selling Bluffton Pirate t-shirts with an exciting new logo on them as a Post-Prom fundraiser.

The shirts come in red or black. Samples of the t-shirts are on display in the high school cafeteria.

Order forms can be picked up and orders placed in the high school office or at Sports Warehouse. The order deadline is March 1, 2011.

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Here's a photo appropriate for a cold winter day. It shows Bluffton youth on inner tubing on the Buckeye. Paul Diller took this color slide photo. Can anyone identify the swimmers or the era of the photo? (Jim Diller collection)

Anyone who dismissed the power of small change look at this figure: $2,886.51.

That's the amount of money collected at the Bluffton Elementary School from Dec. 1 to Jan. 14 for the Pennies for Peace Program, service learning project. Click here to read earlier story on this event.

According to Beth Raeburn, teacher in charge of the project, donations came in the following amounts:

Two new postage stamps are available in Bluffton this week.

On Jan. 22, the U.S. Postal Service issueed the fourth of 12 stamps in its Celebrating Lunar New Year series, which began in 2008 with the Year of the Rat. The Year of the Rabbit begins on Feb. 3, 2011, and ends on Jan. 22, 2012.

On Jan. 27 a stamp recognizing the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood will be issued.