North
Robinson Fire Causes No Injuries
A house fire in North Robinson Tuesday, June 25, caused no injuries
and was contained to attic.
According to the Crawford County
Sheriff's Office, they received a call around 6:30 pm from a neighbor
saying there was smoke coming from a residence on Western Avenue in
North Robinson. According to Anchor Broadcasting, Whetstone Township
fire department was paged. Later Bucyrus, Dallas, Holmes, and Liberty
Township Fire Departments were also paged. Med-Corp Ambulance Service
was also dispatched to the scene.
According to Mike Motter of the
Whetstone Township fire department, the fire started in the attic and
was electrical in nature. The fire, however, was contained to the
attic. The house sustained moderate damage, estimated at about $20
thousand. The Red Cross was called to assist the five residents of the
house.
Hardin
Memorial Hospital Gives Up Needed $10
Million
Just last summer, hospital officials were asking taxpayers for $10
million to replace aging equipment and keep Hardin Memorial from
failing. Now,
saying they can't accept Hardin County commissioners' demands to
control the flow of funds, hospital trustees have decided to find the
money elsewhere.
A story in the Columbus Dispatch says,
the hospital board, in a special vote Wednesday, asked the
commissioners and the county auditor to cancel a 4.7-mill levy
approved by voters in August and to return any money already
collected.
"We weren't going to go to the
commissioners on our hands and knees, so we decided to make a go of
this on our own,'' said Ron Osborn, board president.
The ongoing
debate has divided the community and started to erode hospital morale
and care, Osborn said.
The impasse began last month when
commissioners -- who put the five-year levy on the ballot because the
privately owned hospital could not ask for the money itself -- asked
the hospital board to submit bills for renovations that would be paid
with tax money. In addition, all equipment purchased would have become
property of the county. Click
here to read more of this story from the Columbus Dispatch.
Lightening
Strike Sends Whirlpool Workers  Home
Early
Tuesday evening's little thunderstorm caused a major disruption at the
Whirlpool plant in Marion.
Cathy Gerber, manager of communications
at Whirlpool, stated that at approximately 7 pm on June 24, lightning
struck the main substation of the plant. According to Anchor
Broadcasting, power was completely lost to the entire plant. Because
of the power loss second shift employees were sent home around 8 pm.
When the damage was assessed, it was determined
that power would probably not be restored until 1 or 2 am. So
management decided to cancel third shift production. Power was
restored around midnight and there was no major damage. Production
then resumed as normal Wednesday morning.
State
Releases $75 Million For First Time
Homebuyers
State Development Director Bruce Johnson recently announced that $75
million in state funding for mortgage financing is available to
qualified first-time homebuyers. The funds are
being offered through the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) Ohio
Housing Finance Agency’s (OHFA) Single Family First-Time Homebuyer
Program. Homebuyers can choose a mortgage rate starting at 6.15
percent, or select a mortgage rate starting at 6.45 percent with the
Downpayment Assistance Program. This mortgage funding is available
from more than 50 lenders representing 400 loan origination offices
throughout the state.
To qualify for the program, applicants
must be first-time homebuyers, persons not owning their principal
residences in the last three years or persons buying in target areas,
as designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Applicants must also meet federal income and sales price guidelines.
To receive information about the
program and participating lenders in particular areas, potential
homebuyers can contact the Ohio Housing Finance Agency toll-free, 24
hours a day at 1-888-643-2636. In order to expedite the delivery of
information packets, the Agency has implemented an automated phone
system that will take callers’ information via a voice messaging
system.
Wyandot County
Unemployment Rate Dropped
 In
May
Ohio's unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in May, unchanged from 5.8
percent in April, while Wyandot County's rate fell from 4.6 to 4.2.
The U.S. unemployment rate stood at 5.8 percent in May, down 0.2
percent point from the April rate of 6.0 percent.
"Overall, Ohio's labor market held
steady over the month, with little change in the workforce," said
ODJFS Director Tom Hayes. "While a slight increase in
manufacturing employment was encouraging, the question still remains
as to when employers will increase hiring."
Among the state's 88 counties, the May
2002 unemployment rates ranged from a low of 2.9 percent in Holmes
County to a high of 14.4 percent in Morgan County. Rates decreased in
about three-fifths of the counties. The comparable rate for Ohio for
May was 5.4 percent. Click
here to view rates from throughout Ohio.
State
Is Withholding Payments To Schools To Balance Budget
The state is withholding at least $100 million from schools and local
governments, including some in Wyandot County, so it can end the
fiscal year with a balanced budget.
The Akron Beacon Journal reported on Tuesday, June 25, the Office
of Budget and Management's move could violate the Ohio Constitution if
public school districts are forced to borrow money to balance their
own budgets, several school officials told the newspaper. A story in
the AP says, there were no numbers available to show the total dollars
being withheld from schools.
Tim Keen, Governor Bob Taft's assistant budget director, said OBM
is reviewing every payment above $2,500 and has the right to withhold
payments for up to 30 days. The state's fiscal year ends June 30. Keen
would not say when the state would make its payments.
Treasurers around the state have determined that at least seven
counties are affected: Cuyahoga, Tuscarawas, Mercer, Union, Stark,
Washington and Wyandot. There are at least 61 city, village, local and
vocational school districts in those counties. Click
here to read more of this story from the AP.
Lima Technical College Renamed To
Honor Former Governor
Lima Technical College is now James A. Rhodes State College. The 31-year-old
technical college, with almost 3,000 full-time students, honored Ohio's
longest-serving governor yesterday by adopting his name.
A story in the Columbus Dispatch says,
during a 90-minute ceremony keynoted by former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of
Kansas, Rhodes was credited with establishing a strong community and
technical college network in Ohio during his four terms as governor
(1963-71 and 1975-83).
College President Earl Keese said Rhodes
advocated a "paycheck education'' for all Ohioans -- an education
that would enable them to support themselves and their families
regardless of their station in life.
Dole said his own father "wore
overalls for 40 years and was proud of it.'' He said Rhodes, who died in
March 2001 at age 91, believed, "You get somebody an education and
a job, and they're on their way.''
College officials said they changed the
name to reflect the diversity of programs it offers and its coverage of
a 10-county area in northwestern Ohio, and to honor Rhodes as the
governor responsible for the expansion of two-year colleges from two
when he became governor to the current 24 community and technical
colleges. Click
here to read more of this story from the Columbus Dispatch.
Second
Half Property Tax Bills Are In The Mail
Bills for second half property taxes have been sent to Wyandot County
residents. The final day to pay these taxes is July 12.
If you own real estate within Wyandot County and
have not received your tax statement, contact the Wyandot County
Treasurer at 419-294-2131. Failure to pay the taxes due can result in
fines and other penalties.
Several area banks will accept tax payments,
including; First Citizens National Bank in Carey, Nevada, and Wharton;
First National Bank in Sycamore and McCutchenville; Commercial Savings
Bank in Carey and Harpster; Sky Bank in Carey.
Wyandot
County Red Cross Preparing Packages For
Local Troops
 The
Wyandot County American Red Cross is joining other Red Cross Chapters
throughout the nation to send care packages to active military
personnel deployed in "Operation Enduring Freedom" and other
hostile areas throughout the world. According to the Red Cross,
sending these care packages is a way the community can let the troops
know that the people back home are thinking of them and care about
them.
Anyone who knows of a Wyandot County
resident who has been activated and deployed out of the U.S. to serve
during this time should contact the Wyandot County Red Cross or Sharon
Gill with the name and address so they can receive a personal care
package. Businesses and
organizations are encouraged to hold their own collection drives.
Packing day for the shipment will be July 9 at the Red Cross office.
Volunteers are welcome to help, contact the Red Cross at 419-294-1935
or Sharon Gill at 419-396-6581. Click
here to read more about how you can help, including a list of
needed items.
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