U.S. 224 to close for two big projects

VW independent staff Construction of Van Wert’s second roundabout, along with another nearby project will begin soon, leading to a notable road closure. Friday, July 31, is when the intersection of U.S. 224 and Lincoln Highway in Van Wert will close for the construction of a roundabout. The closure is expected to last approximately 60 […]

Van Wert case highlighted after 29 years

Submitted information Wearing a Marilyn Manson band T-shirt to class in August of 1997, Van Wert High School senior Nicholas Boroff could reasonably have expected it to cause a stir. What he never could have predicted was that it would lead to a landmark federal ruling concerning schools’ rights to limit the free expression of […]

Van Wert County’s jobless rate rises

VW independent staff Mercer, Auglaize and Putnam counties fared well in terms of jobs during the month of June. Mercer County had the state’s second lowest unmeployment rate last month, 2.7 percent, while Auglaize had the third lowest rate, 2.9 percent. At 3.0 percent, Putnam County had Ohio’s eighth lowest jobless rate. Numbers provided by […]

Video: rare albino robin…

This rare albino robin was spotted on David St. in Van Wert for four consecutive days by Vern Boggs, who saw it at around 7:30 a.m. each day. Just how rare are albino robins? Only one in about 30,000 robins are all-white. According to Boggs, a mate — a regular robin — has always been […]

Report shows how much renters need

By Megan Henry/Ohio Capital Journal A full-time Ohio worker needs to make at least $23.82 an hour to be able to afford a “modest” two-bedroom apartment, according to a new report released this week.  This is slightly more than a five percent increase from last year — which was $22.51, according to National Low Income Housing Coalition and […]

VWCO Sheriff’s activity log 7/23/2026

Thursday, July 23, 2026 7:19 a.m. – Deputies responded to an area of Myers Road in Willshire Township for a complaint of harassment. 7:54 a.m. – Dispatched Wren EMS and Ohio City EMS to a residence on Walcott Street in the Village of Willshire for a subject with chest pain. 9:01 a.m. – Dispatched Convoy […]

Friday Flashback: VW wins nail-biter

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 February of 2014, when the Van Wert boys basketball team won a nail-biter over visiting Coldwater. Below is the story as it appeared on […]

BOE handles personnel matters, gets update

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor CONVOY — During a very brief meeting of the Crestview Local Schools Board of Education on Thursday, Superintendent Matt Dube gave an update on the district’s massive athletic facilities upgrade project. Dube informed the board that much of the outdoor portion of project is ahead of schedule. “People who move dirt like […]

Robbery under investigation…

The Van Wert Police Department is investigating an early Thursday morning robbery at Winners Skilled Games on Fox Rd. Because of the ongoing investigation, few details have been released but Chief Doug Weigle said the suspect/suspects broke in and forced open a safe. The break-in and theft was reported late Thursday morning. As of Thursday […]

Review: new VWCT musical a fun show

By DAVE MOSIER/for the VW independent A music-hating nebbish who gets trapped in musical hell is “the guy” in The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals — the AYA (Adolescent-Young Adult) Theatre production that opened Thursday at Van Wert Civic Theatre. In this horror-comedy-musical written by Nick and Matt Lang, with music and lyrics by Jeff […]