Raynie M. Rayer-Wilson

Raynie M. Rayer-Wilson, 15, of rural Ohio City, died Saturday evening. She was born August 16, 2002, in DuPont Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the daughter of Vickie M. (Cochensparger) Rayer and Jeffrey S. Wilson, who both preceded her in death. She is survived by her grandparents, Michael J. and Edna (Muter) Semer of rural Ohio […]

Donna Kathryn Liljegren

Donna Kathryn Liljegren, 83, of Van Wert, died at 9:40 a.m. Monday, April 16, 2018, at the Van Wert Area Inpatient Hospice Center. She was born April 1, 1935, in Van Wert, the daughter of Garnet E. and F. Margaret (Spayd) Hallam, who both preceded her in death. On October 12, 1957, she married Frank […]

Annabelle R. Vandemark

Annabelle R. Vandemark, 96, of Elida, passed away on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, at Vancrest Healthcare Center of Delphos. She was born August 12, 1921, the daughter of Sherman and Lillis (McKelvey) Ross, who both preceded her in death. On February 22, 1941, she married Wilbur Vandemark, who died January 16, 2005. Survivors include her […]

Caleb J. Onnen Gossard

Caleb J. Onnen Gossard, 20, of Delphos, died Saturday, April 14, 2018. He was born March 5, 1998. Survivors include his mother, Bethany (Rhoades/Dasher) One of Delphos; his father, Donald L. Gossard II of Lima; two sisters, Abigail (David) Temple of Virginia and Maggie Onnen of Michigan; a nephew, Jaxon Gilley of Virginia; his girlfriend, […]

Strawberry talks about drugs at NPAC

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor All-Star baseball player Darryl Strawberry volunteered to lead a discussion of substance abuse in the Van Wert community over the weekend, as part of the Epidemic of Hope anti-drug initiative that includes the Rev. Jerry O’Brien’s Harvest Recovery Ministry, as well as the Ohio Attorney-General’s Office drug abuse initiatives. On Sunday, Strawberry […]

Rotary competition

Shown is one of 24 high school students that competed in Rotary District 6600’s annual Four-Way Test competition at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio. The contest featured local winners from the district’s Rotary Clubs, who competed for cash prizes. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

Review: ‘Beautiful, Crazy’ all that & more

JOHN VINING/special to the independent Have you ever thought that the patients are running the asylum? Well, if you come to see Off Stage Productions’ presentation of Beautiful, Crazy at the Vantage Career Center, you might be “righter than ya thought.” Coffee-server and social climber Jim wishes to date beautiful starlet Alicia. There is just one problem: Alicia barely […]

Book sale

Local residents look for bargains on books and other materials during Brumback Library’s Spring Book Sale, held this past Saturday in the library’s main reading room. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

Local gasoline prices still show wide gap

VW independent/submitted information Van Wert gasoline prices range from a low of $2.38 — 21 cents lower than the state average — to the state average of $2.59 this week. As usual, the low gasoline price of $2.38 is at Murphy USA in the Towne Center shopping center. The two Pak-A-Sak Marathon stations on South […]

L’view game at Fifth Third Field rained out

Weather conditions put a damper (literally) on Sunday’s Lincolnview-New Knoxville baseball game at Fifth Third Field in Dayton. The two teams and fans were at the stadium, but the game was officially postponed at approximately 5 p.m. A makeup date could be announced as soon as today. Photo courtesy of Ken Myers.