Meet the VW County Junior Fair coronation candidates

Willshire woman gets long sentence

VW independent staff

WAPAKONETA — A Willshire woman has received a longer than expected prison sentence for her involvement with drugs.

During a hearing held in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, Nicole Cooper, 43,  was sentenced to 10 years in prison plus five years of post-release control on one count of possession of drugs with specifications, a first degree felony. She is not eligible for judicial release, meaning she’ll serve the full sentence.

Prosecutors sought a seven year sentence, while defense attorney Nick Catania wanted a five year sentence. Based on the results of a pre-sentence investigation, which included previous convictions for similar crimes and multiple OVIs, Judge Fredrick Pepple imposed a longer than expected sentence. It was noted that her most recent conviction occurred while she was on community control.

Cooper was arrested in late April after a traffic stop along Interstate 75 near Wapakoneta. According to a press release issued by the Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office, a K-9 was requested to conduct a sniff of the vehicle and gave a positive indication. Deputies then searched the vehicle and found 1.5 pounds of suspected meth along with just over $800 in cash. She was incarcerated at the Auglaize County Jail since her arrest. In late May, she entered a guilty plea to one of two charges, with the second one being dismissed by prosecutors.

The vehicle she was in, a GMC Envoy and the $800 were ordered forfeited and handed over to Auglaize County.

S. Walnut St. projects gets new grant

VW independent staff

The City of Van Wert has been awarded a $741,000 grant for the planned S. Walnut St. reconstruction project. The money will come through the state’s Transportation Alternatives Program.

The project, which is scheduled for 2030, will cover S. Walnut St. from E. Ervin Road to Hospital Drive. It will support active transportation by adding sidewalks and improving pedestrian and bicycle access.

The planned project was previously approved for a $2 million state grant for full depth reconstruction of S. Walnut St., including include new sidewalks, stormwater system replacement, upgraded utilities, new curbs and gutters, and enhanced pavement markings and signage.

That funding will come from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Small City Program.

Trustees encourage public participation

VW independent staff/submitted information

The Pleasant Township Trustees have written an open letter to township residents and property owners, urging them to submit public comments regarding the proposed Butterfly Meadows Solar Project, which would span approximately 4,000 acres in Pleasant, Hoaglin and Union townships, along with approximately 38 acres in Van Wert.

Here is the letter, which was submitted to the VW independent.

Dear Pleasant Township Residents and Property Owners:

The Pleasant Township Board of Trustees wants to ensure that our residents and property owners are aware of the opportunity to provide public comments regarding the proposed Butterfly Meadows Solar Project.

Because a project of this size may have long-term effects on Pleasant Township and the surrounding area, we believe it is important that the people who live, work, farm, own property, and operate businesses in our community have the opportunity to make their individual voices heard.

We encourage you to participate.

Whether you support the project, oppose the project, or simply have comments or concerns, we encourage you to communicate directly with the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB).

Your comments may address issues important to you, including agriculture and farmland, drainage, roads and infrastructure, emergency services, neighboring properties, economic development, tax revenue, future land use, decommissioning, and the rural character of our community.

Most importantly, please express your own opinion and explain why the project matters to you and how you believe it may affect you, your property, farm, family, business, or community.

How to submit your comments:

Email: contactOPSB@puco.ohio.gov.

Mail: Ohio Power Siting Board 180 East Broad Street Columbus, Ohio, 43215

Please include: Butterfly Meadows Solar Project — Case No. 26-670-EL-BGN

The Pleasant Township Board of Trustees encourages open and respectful public participation. This notice is intended to make our constituents aware of their opportunity to participate and to encourage each individual to express their own position regarding the proposed project.

Your community, your opinion, your voice.

Respectfully, Pleasant Township Board of Trustees, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Historic sign re-dedicated in Van Wert

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Members of the Isaac Van Wart Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered Tuesday morning to re-dedicate the historic city limit sign along U.S. 127 on the south side of town.

The state-sponsored sign, which has been in place since the early 1950s, reads “Van Wert named for a captor of Major Andre British spy” but it makes no mention of city/county namesake Isaac Van Wart. A new local DAR sign that was unveiled during a brief ceremony recognizing Van Wart as a Revolutionary War hero.

Debra Hardeman, Regent, and Isaac Van Wart DAR member Sheila Baltzell-Linn delivered brief remarks during Tuesday’s ceremony. Van Wert Mayor Ken Markward also shared brief remarks and along with Van Wert County Commissioner Thad Lichtensteiger, helped unveil the new sign.

Van Wart John Paulding and David Williams were part of a citizen army or militia comprised of farmers, tradesmen and labors during the American Revolutionary War.

On September 23, 1780, the three young militia men captured the British spy Major John Andre near Tarrytown, New York. Andre had just left West Point New York Colony, where he had conspired with American General Benedict Arnold to commit treason and hand over Fort West Point to the British. Andre was forced to travel by land in civilian clothes rather than his uniform and carried incriminating documents hidden in his boots.

Van Wart, Paulding and Williams made Andre strip down and found, in his boot, the papers documenting West Point’s defenses. Andre tried to bribe the three with gold and other rewards but was unsuccessful.

Township Trustees reschedule meeting

Submitted information

The regularly scheduled meeting of Union Township Trustees at 8 p.m. Thursday, August 27, has been rescheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, August 29, at the township building at 9977 Dixon Cavett Rd., Van Wert.

Will Ohio’s largest solar project get OK?

Editor’s note: while the Van Wert County Commissioners and trustees from Pleasant, Hoaglin and Union townships await a decision from the Ohio Power Siting Board on the proposed 4,000 acre Butterfly Meadows solar project, a final decision is expected on another controversial project in central Ohio.

By Kathiann Kowalski/Canary Media

Following a key legal deadline last Friday, the stage is now set for the Ohio Power Siting Board to make a final decision about whether the state’s largest solar and energy storage project to date can move ahead.

The OPSB initially approved the Oak Run Solar Project in March of 2024, but the case has since been bogged down by an appeal filed by Madison County and three of its townships.

Oak Run Solar would bring 800 megawatts of solar and 300 MW of energy storage to a state that has become increasingly hostile to clean energy, even as mounting electricity demand increases power prices and threatens grid reliability.

Though the county and townships filed their appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court in October 2024, it was not until this past May that the court weighed in. A majority of the seven justices rejected all objections to the project except one.

To deal with that issue, the court sent the case back to the board with instructions for regulators to ​“more thoroughly address the Oak Run project’s visual impacts,” specifically by reviewing photo simulations or artist’s sketches of how the project’s proposed substations would look from public vantage points.

On July 28, Ohio regulators heard testimony on this narrow issue. Briefing wrapped up last Friday.

Once the full board reviews the transcript, briefs, and other filings, it will issue a decision. The OPSB’s staff has already weighed in: Its August 7 brief asks the full board to confirm Oak Run’s permit.

The board is under no obligation to vote according to its staff’s recommendation, and there is no specific deadline for it to act. Any additional appeal could also eat up more time.

“The project represents a significant opportunity for long-term economic investment in Madison County while supporting Ohio’s growing energy needs,” Samantha Sawmiller, senior development manager for the Oak Run Solar Project, told Canary Media. ​“We respectfully await the Ohio Power Siting Board’s decision.”

Oak Run’s saga demonstrates the difficulty of developing clean energy in Ohio. In recent years, the state has blocked 5.3 gigawatts of wind and solar projects and garnered a reputation as the place ​“where wind and solar projects go to die.”

Class of 1966…

The Crestview High School Class of 1966 held its 60th class reunion at Willow Bend County Club in Van Wert on July 18. There were 15 classmates attending, some from as far away as Florida, Tennessee, Indiana and the surrounding Van Wert area. A nice dinner was enjoyed by everyone. Class members talked about the good old days and how fast time flew by, and they agreed they had one of the greatest classes ever. Photo submitted

Crestview gym renovations behind schedule

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

CONVOY — Crestview’s massive athletic facilities upgrades project continues, but inside work is running behind schedule.

Superintendent Matt Dube informed the school board Monday night that work in the high school gymnasium was originally scheduled to be complete by September 1, but the new target date is now September 28, thanks to some unexpected issues involving the old gym floor.

“When they took that floor up, what you saw was basically the gym floor from the ‘50s and then the ’80s construction – they just didn’t match up well and the new floor system wouldn’t go on there,” Dube explained. “They also had some issues with their willingness to extend a warranty if they did put the floor on that so with that kind of investment, it made sense to make sure the floor was perfect.

“It was actually interesting to see when we were in there, the time capsule that was in there,” he continued. “We pulled a ton of old things out of that floor. We found an old 1967 student pass in there and things like that but it did hurt the schedule.”

Curt South, an architect at Garmann Miller was at the meeting and said three-fourths of the new floor has been installed and the majority of painting is complete. He also said new bleachers are scheduled to arrive in early September.

School will begin on Wednesday and Dube said there is a plan in place for gym classes and for students at lunchtime while the gym is unavailable.

Gas prices skyrocket then come down

VW independent staff/submitted information

The projection was indeed accurate.

Last week, GasBuddy predicted a sizable jump in gas prices and it occurred later in the week, as average gasoline prices in Ohio rose by an average of 32.8 cents per gallon to an average of $4.22 per gallon on Monday, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 5,345 stations in Ohio. Prices in Ohio are 31.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.17 per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 14.3 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $5.418 per gallon.

Locally pump prices seemed to peak at $4.29 per gallon on Thursday before steadily declining throughout the weekend.
 
According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Ohio was priced at $3.41 per gallon on Sunday while the most expensive was $5.29 per gallon, a difference of $1.88 per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has risen 7.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.02 per gallon on Monday. The national average is up 3.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 93.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

“Average gasoline prices climbed back above $4 per gallon over the last week, with prices rising in slightly more states than they fell, as rebounding oil prices driven by the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries kept upward pressure on the market,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Diesel felt the pressure even more acutely, rising in all but a few states, as Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refining infrastructure continue to impact refined product prices more than crude oil itself. While the seasonal transition to cheaper winter-blend gasoline in the coming month could bring some relief, the two dominant challenges facing motorists – the closed Strait and the ongoing refinery strikes – show no signs of resolving anytime soon. Until they do, the path for gas and diesel prices remains tilted to the upside.”

Family picnic a success…

United for Sobriety, a partnership between Westwood Behavioral Health Center and Trinity Global Methodist Church thanked Huggy Bear Campground for their community focused generosity Over 100 moms, dads and kids had fun together at a family picnic and Huggy Bear Campground helped make it for free – swimming, fishing, mini-golfing, splashing and eating. Shown above are Betsy Niese from Huggy Bear Campground and Jane Schmid with United for Sobriety. Photo submitted