Wren updates village weed/grass measure

Village of Wren information WREN — Wren village officials recently approved an updated Ordinance (No. 2014-01, and residents and property owners in the village limits need to familiarize themselves with the changes. The new ordinance, which regulates weeds and grass in the village, has been approved by the village solicitor and is available for viewing […]

A-G’s office now has 3D laser scanner

Ohio Attorney General’s information COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced that crime scene agents with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) have a new tool to assist in documenting complex crime scenes. Agents are now using a 3D laser scanner, which sits on a tripod and rotates 360 degrees, to take millions of precise laser measurements […]

Sign-up soon for Wren Wiffleball tourney

Wren Homecoming information WREN — Sign-up for the 23rd annual Wrenway Park Wiffleball Warehouse tournament will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, August 1, at the Wren Restaurant. The only question is, when will the line start? The first 15 paid entrants will have a shot at the 2014 Wiffleball Warehouse crown. The tournament is held […]

Linda Anne Youtzy

Linda Anne Youtzy, 68, of Convoy, died at 9:46 a.m. Saturday, July 19, 2014, at Lutheran Hospital of Indiana in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was born December 17, 1945, in Russell, Massachusetts, the daughter of the late Beatrice (Blake) Russillo. On July 14, 1984, she married Jerry Lee Youtzy, who survives. Other survivors include a […]

Ohio Supreme Court justice speaks in VW

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy was in Van Wert Friday morning to address a group of local business and community leaders at the invitation of Central Insurance President/CEO F.W. Purmort. Justice Kennedy, who was first elected in 2012 over incumbent Yvette McGee Brown, an appointee of then-Governor Ted Strickland to fill […]

Ohio jobless rate remains stable in June

ODJFS unemployment information Ohio’s unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in June 2014, unchanged from May 2014. Ohio’s nonfarm wage and salary employment increased 12,700 over the month, from a revised 5,292,700 in May to 5,305,400 in June. The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in June was 316,000, down 1,000 from 317,000 in May. The […]

Weather vane replaced

Van Wert County workers replaced the refurbished weather vane on the top of the cupola of the Van Wert County Courthouse on Thursday. The weather vane had been removed so that it could be cleaned and re-gilded as part an exterior improvement project for the front of the courthouse. (click here for more photos of […]

ED advisory group meets at Camp Clay

VW independent/submitted information On Friday morning the Van Wert Economic Advisory Group monthly meeting was hosted by the YMCA’s Camp Clay. Clint Myers, who manages the facility, spoke of team building initiatives provided at Camp Clay and the importance of community pride and support. “Camp Clay is just one more of the many ‘hidden jewels’ […]

Mansfield named Central regional VP

Central Insurance information DALLAS, Texas — The Central Insurance Companies has announced the promotion of Steven Mansfield to regional vice president of the companies’ Southwest Regional Office in Dallas, Texas, effective July 14. Mansfield will replace Tim Rauch, who has been promoted to vice president of marketing in the Home Office in Van Wert. A […]

Alma Ellen Bolenbaugh

Alma Ellen Bolenbaugh, 97, of Van Wert, died at 12:28 a.m. Friday, July 18, 2014, at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima. She was born January 19, 1917, in Mercer County, the daughter of the late Philip and Rebecca (Williams) Swander. On March 30, 1937, she married John Vernon Bolenbaugh, who preceded her in death […]