Richard Sylvester Barna

Richard Sylvester Barna, 75, of Celina and formerly of Rockford, died at 11:31 a.m. Friday, November 25, 2011. He was born August 6, 1936, in Hamtramck, Mich., the son of the late Sylvester and Julia Evelyn (Kaschak) Barna. He was formerly married to Sandra Jackson. Survivors include two sons, Richard S. (Bonnie) Barna of Norwalk […]

Teresa Cottrell

Teresa Cottrell, 56, of Paulding, died Tuesday, November 22, 2011, while under hospice care in Hot Springs, Ark. She was born May 27, 1955, in Paulding County, the daughter of Violet (Guingrich) Riggenbach, who survives in Paulding, and the late Vern Riggenbach. Other survivors include four children, Janel (Todd) Deaver of West Chester, Pa., Zachary […]

Thanksgiving: Time for positive thoughts

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer Times are tough. Unemployment is high. Families are faced with foreclosures. Many residents of this county are just happy to put food on their tables. Despite the dreary economy, the Penn State scandal, the war on terror, and the headlines that make us cringe every day, local families are looking at […]

Black Friday: Time to shop ’til you drop

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer Up all night. Shop all day. That’s the mindset of millions of consumers who will soon hit the streets for Black Friday, a dream for retailers and nightmare for shoppers who battle hours-long checkout lines and bumper-to-bumper traffic, all in an attempt to get the biggest bang for their shopping buck. […]

Woman pleads guilty to aiding robbery

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor A Lima woman accused of helping commit a robbery at the Pak-A-Sak convenience store on North Washington Street changed her plea to guilty to the charge against her during a hearing Wednesday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court. Ashley N. Woten, 24, entered a guilty plea to a charge of complicity […]

Lead dancers named for ‘The Nutcracker’

Van Wert independent/NPAC information Tchaikovsky’s timeless holiday classic, The Nutcracker, comes alive on the stage December 3 at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio for two shows. Dancing the lead characters for The Nutcracker are Sarah Hairston and Zack Grubbs from the Cincinnati Ballet and Evan Pitts and Lauren Tenney from the Lexington […]

Santa to visit Van Wert on Friday morning

Santa Claus will arrive in Van Wert at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 25, atop a fire truck as part of his annual post-Thanksgiving visit to the city. Santa will then visit with the children in the lobby of The Hotel Marsh. Santa’s visit is sponsored by the Van Wert Lions Club and Dale Davies, […]

Power outage planned for Delphos area

This message from AEP Ohio is to inform Delphos area residents of a power outage that will affect the area. On Tuesday, November 29, some customers on Kiggins, Lehman and Ridge roads and surrounding area will experience a power interruption, beginning around 9:30 a.m. and lasting approximately 15 minutes, weather permitting. The outage is necessary […]

Rufus Hiller Duprey

Rufus Hiller Duprey, 97, of rural Van Wert, died Tuesday, November 22, 2011, at his residence. He was born at the State Road family residence to the late Ellsworth and Margaret (Hiller) Duprey on October 17, 1914, where he lived all his life with the exception of the four years he spent serving in the […]

Franklin School celebrates Thanksgiving

Students at Franklin Elementary School celebrated Thanksgiving on November 22. Parent volunteers served a turkey feast and everyone enjoyed the delicious turkey, potatoes and gravy, corn, roll, and a pumpkin square. Mrs. Pelton’s second grade class visited other classes and performed a Reader’s Theater play called “The Night Before Thanksgiving.”  In the afternoon, Kindergarteners in Mrs. Hoods’ and Mrs. Chiles’ classes […]