Smoke from Canadian wildfires was quite evident in downtown Van Wert late this morning. The hazy smoke shrouded other parts of the city and the county as well. An air quality alert remains in effect through tonight (Friday). Scott Truxell/Van Wert independent
POSTED: 07/17/26 at 1:55 pm. FILED UNDER: News
Joyce Marie Linn (née Ayers), 92, of Ohio City, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, surrounded by family. She was born on October 16, 1933, in Rockford, to Beatrice Carol “Carol” (née Manley) Ayers, and Ford Edwin Ayers. She had two brothers and one sister. Joyce was a graduate of Ohio City-Liberty High […]
POSTED: 07/17/26 at 9:49 am. FILED UNDER: Obituaries
Thursday, July 16, 2026 1:39 a.m. – Deputies responded to an area of U.S. 127 in Liberty Township for a report of reckless driving. 1:41 a.m. – Dispatched Ohio City EMS to a residence on West Jefferson Street in the Village of Ohio City for a subject having a seizure. 5:27 a.m. – Deputies responded […]
POSTED: 07/17/26 at 8:09 am. FILED UNDER: Law Enforcement
Submitted information The annual Van Wert Hamfest will be held this Sunday morning, July 19, at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds Administration Building Annex. The event, sponsored by the Van Wert Amateur Radio Club, will begin at 8 a.m. and will feature indoor and outdoor vendors displaying radio, computer, and electronic flea market items. Admission […]
POSTED: 07/17/26 at 6:46 am. FILED UNDER: News
Editor’s note: The Friday Flashback has returned for the summer season and will continue until the start of the 2026 fall sports season. This week’s Friday Flashback takes us back to December of 2013, when Van Wert traveled to Allen County and came back with a WBL victory over Shawnee. Below is the story as […]
POSTED: 07/17/26 at 12:01 am. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor The month of July is proving to be a busy one for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 office, with planned projects underway in Van Wert County and more slated to start in the very near future. According to ODOT District 1’s weekly traffic impact report, John Brown Rd., west of […]
POSTED: 07/16/26 at 8:28 pm. FILED UNDER: News
VW independent staff This week’s special meeting of the Vantage Career Center Board of Education centered around personnel matters. Tuesday afternoon’s meeting lasted less than five minutes and began with a public hearing regarding the retire-rehire of career technology instructor Kevin Van Oss. No one opposed it. The board approved one-year contractors for Emily Heck, […]
POSTED: 07/16/26 at 8:27 pm. FILED UNDER: News
By Megan Henry/Ohio Capital Journal Despite Ohio ranking 12th in education overall, 68 percent of Ohio fourth graders were not proficient in reading and 68 percent of Ohio eighth graders were not proficient in math, according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. The study shows the percentage of Ohio students not proficient in reading […]
POSTED: 07/16/26 at 8:27 pm. FILED UNDER: News
VW independent staff/submitted information PAULDING — The Paulding Putnam Board of Trustees has announced that Nick Eltzroth, the cooperative’s current Chief Operating Officer, will become the cooperative’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. Eltzroth will succeed current President and CEO Randy Price, who will retire on January 4, 2027, after leading the cooperative through three years of growth […]
VW independent staff/submitted information First United Methodist Church Preschool, serving children ages 3 to 5, is will host its annual open house and registration for the 2026-2027 school year on Monday, August 3, with two convenient sessions: 10-11:30 a.m. or 5-6:30 p.m. at 113 W. Central Ave. in Van Wert. It’s an opportunity to tour […]