MANSFIELD -- Leta Keller clutched the pyrography pen like a pencil, carving the dotted pattern of a feather with cautious deliberation. Her three older siblings sat beside her, each with their own woodburning tool in hand. 

MANSFIELD – The 2021 Mid-Ohio ESC County Spelling Bees took place a little differently this year, including transitioning the format to a virtual setting in order to abide by social distancing protocols.

Yesterday, my 7 year old daughter asked me what it’s like to be a mom. This girl is wildly empathetic and has asked similar questions before, trying to understand what it’s like to walk in my shoes. She asked me if it was overwhelming, always having someone who needs you. I told her that, su…

Condrea Webber, a longtime staple of Mansfield’s music scene, has shared her singing talent at many venues over the years, from weddings to Renaissance Theatre productions. She was formerly the lead vocalist for Alter Ego, a rhythm and blues and funk band.

BELLVILLE -- David Taylor was the fiscal officer of Jefferson Township for 10 years. Now he's back as the township board's newest trustee.

SHELBY -- Jan and Dick Shellhouse of Shelby approached Laura Ringler, Agricultural Educator at Plymouth High School, looking to have their tractor restored.

MANSFIELD – At the beginning of every year, people want to start fresh with new goals and a healthy mindset. Setting new fitness goals can be a good way to start, but it’s important to set realistic ones. 

For most of my adult life, I’ve never felt like I fit squarely into the American church. My stance on political issues is always too liberal to fit neatly with that crowd. I struggle mightily with evangelism, legalism and the American church’s definition of patriotism. Plus, I cuss like a tr…

Editor's Note: This is a monthly educational series about racism. Contributors include Donna Hight, Beth Castle, Margaret Lin, Deanna West-Torrence, Renda Cline, Tiffany Mitchell, Crystal Davis Weese, Brigitte Coles and Amy Hiner.

SHELBY -- In December the Shelby Future Farmers of America did it’s annual fruit sale, receiving $3,050 worth of donations.

At the start of every year we are most likely deciding what our New Year’s resolutions will be. Amid the pocketful of them is most likely “eat healthier.” While salads come to mind in the healthier eating category, not all salads can be considered healthy, mostly because of the dressing we choose. 

The first baby of the new year, Jadon Scott Glover was born to Faith and Brian Glover of Mansfield.

There are two ways to look at the start of a new year. You can see it as a fresh start, an opportunity for a new outlook, to retire habits and mindsets that no longer serve you, a chance to get it right. Or you can see the new year as just another day, week or month, not discernibly differen…

This story is part of an ongoing series about LGBTQ people and their allies in local religious communities.

SHELBY – Since 1985, Shelby resident Doc Stumbo, 83, has put his all into fundraising and giving back. His work over the past 35 years has helped Richland County residents receive, as well as give back. 

What a year it has been. In the spring, when the initial stay-at-home orders were issued, once the initial shock of it lifted, I used some of the newfound free time to interview my 90-year-old grandmother (I wrote about that here). As we talked about her life, she reflected on the country’s …

Nancy Wasen recently collected items for a local family's Christmas and volunteered with the local Catholic Charities' Safe Boxes for Seniors Program. 

For Kayla Heimann, it began with a childhood rock collection, dinosaurs on her bedroom walls and a father who helped instill an interest for science into his daughter.

MANSFIELD -- The Earth Stewardship Celebration, in its 24th year, invited businesses, organizations, churches, schools and residents in Mansfield/Richland County to conduct a litter clean up and/or beautification project, community gardens, recycling drives and/or energy efficiency projects.

BUTLER – Since last December, Clear Fork Christian Preschool & Learning Center has been raising funds for a new playground. With over 90 children using their equipment daily, their current wooden play structure has worn out and needs to be replaced by next year for safety.

I don’t usually bake many Christmas cookies. My mother-in-law makes an amazing assortment that she shares with us for Christmas each year, which frees me up to just make cut-outs with my kids. However, in the shadow of the pandemic, our holiday plans won’t be quite as normal this year, which…

ONTARIO -- The city of Ontario has announced its Christmas lighting contest winners. 

MANSFIELD — After 26 years of caring for the spiritual and mental well-being of patients and their families, Pastoral Care Manager of OhioHealth Mansfield and Shelby Hospitals Faith Proietti will retire at the end of the year. 

Amy Andes, an OSU Food Science PhD student, is releasing a brand new product for people with peanut allergies.

MANSFIELD – Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Jesse T. Hoffer has been selected as the 2020 Trooper of the Year at the Mansfield Post. The selection of Trooper Hoffer is in recognition of outstanding service during 2020 at the Mansfield Post.

MANSFIELD -- Hospice of North Central Ohio has presented the fifth annual Sandra J. Rule Dauch Volunteer-of-the-year award to Gert Meyers.

ONTARIO -- The Ontario Recreation Department and the Ontario Lions Club hosted a virtual coloring contest for Ontario students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

ONTARIO -- The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc. annual meeting was held virtually on Thursday, December 3, 2020 on the Area Agency on Aging Facebook page. A special thank you to the exclusive 2020 Platinum Sponsor, Mechanics Bank.

MANSFIELD – By a unanimous vote, the Mansfield Gay Pride Association board has named former Vice President Kelli Quail as their new president effective immediately. 

This morning, I lost my temper. I spend most Sunday afternoons writing and catching up on work, and this week presented a few extra time-consuming projects that I needed to squeeze into the afternoon. Meanwhile, Christmas presents are piling up in our basement, I need to coordinate childcare…

ASHLAND – Over the last few years, a movement promoting self-love has blazed across social media. While “self-love” is a phrase most people have heard by now, the idea may still sound perplexing, uncomfortable or daunting. What does it really mean, and where does a person even begin?

BUCYRUS - Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Michael D. Smith has been selected as the 2020 Bucyrus Post Trooper of the Year.

LEXINGTON -- Western Elementary Kindergarten teacher Trisha Kist saw a a social media post recently and it sparked an idea.

CRESTLINE -- Like so many standing traditions, The Community Foundation for Crawford County had to cancel its annual “Evening of Philanthropy” event this year, an evening normally set aside to show appreciation for their donors.

BELLVILLE – Don and Judy Perman are a reserved couple, and like most people, they don’t like to talk about themselves that much. But despite their casual front, the love they’ve shared for over 60 years can be heard through their laughs.

Many of us are finding creative ways to make a stay-at-home holiday season fun for the whole family.

Mapleton Middle School's social studies department raised $1,530 to send six veterans to Washington D.C. on the Ashland County Honor Bus for Veterans Day.

Like silent sentries, the four identical brick homes in what was known as Hancock Heights keep a watchful eye on the nearby former Ohio State Reformatory.

Lily Clark, a freshman at Shelby High School, has been awarded an Ohio State Beekeepers Association scholarship.

As a college senior, one of the final barriers I had to graduate was to complete student teaching in an elementary school and a high school.

Every small town has someone who keeps it running – who does the dirty, often thankless work that allows residents to go about their lives unbothered. In Fredericktown, for the last 21 years, that person was Irl Ruhl.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is Part II of an ongoing series about LGBTQ people and their allies in local religious communities. The first story in the series featured Episcopalian priests from Mansfield and Ashland offering an inclusive message to LGBTQ people who have been hurt by religious r…

BELLVILLE – Standing outside Stoodt’s Market, President of the Salvation Army Clear Fork Unit Mike Bing takes his post beside a red kettle. He’s mentally prepared for whatever kind of weather the valley is in the mood for that day and waits outside the store for shoppers to come up to him, o…

The goal of Operation Blue Letters is to mail Christmas cards created by children to police departments across the country.

As a new parent, you’re given one piece of advice more than any other: don’t blink. Don’t miss it. It’ll go faster than you think. The days are long, the years are short. It’s hard not to resonate with that wisdom, because there’s truth in it: the passage of time is a constant that none of u…

Santa's Mailbox has returned to Ashland's Corner Park for the second consecutive year.

ONTARIO -- You don’t have to look far these days to find creative ways to support deserving families. Take the Jenkins family in Ontario for instance.

This morning was a mess. My husband and I both woke up with bad attitudes that quickly turned to pointless bickering. Upon retreating to our room to decompress, I inadvertently knocked one of the lattes I had just made off my nightstand, exploding the mug and spraying coffee all over our bed…

GALION -- The Galion City Schools is excited to announce that the Galion Intermediate School has received the Bronze Award for its success with Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for the second year in a row.