Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued March 22 at 9:27PM EDT until March 22 at 10:15PM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

SVRILN
The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Shelby County in west central Ohio... Northwestern Champaign County in west central Ohio... Western Logan County in west central Ohio... Darke County in west central Ohio... Southern Auglaize County in west central Ohio... Southeastern Mercer County in west central Ohio... Miami County in west central Ohio...
* Until 1015 PM EDT.
* At 927 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near New Bremen to near Fountain City, moving east at 55 mph.
HAZARD...Quarter size hail.
SOURCE...Law enforcement.
IMPACT...Minor damage to vehicles is possible.
* Locations impacted include... Troy, Sidney, Piqua, Bellefontaine, Greenville, Tipp City, West Milton, New Bremen, Minster, Versailles, Covington, Arcanum, Newport, Bradford, Anna, Fort Loramie, Jackson Center, Russells Point, De Graff, and Pleasant Hill.
This includes I-75 in Ohio between mile markers 67 and 106.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued March 22 at 5:43PM EDT until March 23 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 73 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO RIPLEY SWITZERLAND
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 3 COUNTIES
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE CAMPBELL KENTON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AURORA, BATESVILLE, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, CAMDEN, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MIDDLETOWN, MILAN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OSGOOD, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TROY, URBANA, VERSAILLES, VEVAY, WAPAKONETA, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008

Facelift of downtown St. Marys begins

By Janie Southard

Photo by Janie Southard/The Daily Standard

Lock 13 of the Miami & Erie Canal in downtown St. Marys is getting a facelift and will be the centerpiece of the new community green space between Spring and High streets. Completion of several projects in the multi-faceted undertaking is expected this year.

ST. MARYS - The restoration of Miami & Erie Canal lock 13 in downtown St. Marys is well underway and includes the possibility of a new restaurant and the loss of the Cotton Mill building.

The work is one of the first components of a multi-faceted improvement project in the city.

"We'll be tying up a few million dollars in various projects, which will stretch from Memorial Park to the canal towpath trail head and incorporate many other downtown areas," St. Marys Mayor Greg Freewalt told The Daily Standard last week, adding that one option under consideration is demolishing the Cotton Mill and putting up a brand new building. Should that happen, Freewalt is hopeful the new building would include a restaurant.

He said there also are a "couple ideas stirring" to improve the old grain mill (beside St. Marys Hardware).

In the meantime much renovation is being accomplished, such as the elevated parking platform beside the city's tax/utility office, which will be completed this spring.

As to the old lock, the plan is for new wooded gates with water actually flowing through.

To begin at the beginning, the mayor said the old lock was hidden for more than 60 years under the Cotton Mill buildings. City officials were pleasantly surprised to find the old lock was still in good shape.

"Our project really started when the old Glass Block building burned. That was an eyesore for a long time. Finally (the city) got ownership and we cleaned it up. We figured even a big hole was better than the burned-out building in the middle of town," Freewalt said.

Then First Financial Bank officials said they'd like to build a new building on the Glass Block lot. Final papers are expected to be signed in early February, according to the mayor. Freewalt has conducted behind the scenes arrangements with the state to clear up land titles in preparation of the new projects along the canal.

"This year we plan to complete the (concrete) walking path from Memorial Park, under both the Spring and High streets' bridges, along the canal to the trail head ... Eventually we'll have the entire pathway from K.C. Geiger Park to 40-acre pond ready for our folks to enjoy.

"Overall, what we're doing is taking an ugly duckling and turning it into a beautiful swan," he said.

Money for the projects is being funded through the city 0.5 percent income tax.

Archive of January 22nd, 2008

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Additional online story on this date

Written boundaries sought for old Butler Township cemetery

COLDWATER - Local genealogical society members and Butler Township trustees hope to negotiate an agreement on boundaries of the old Burntwood Cemetery with the owner of the land that surrounds it. [More]

Subscriber and paid stories on this date

Celina officials expect revenue shortfall in 2008

Celina City Council members may be asking city department heads to reduce their funding requests for this year, as a lack of estimated revenue and a weakening national economy could prevent such appropriations.

Brand leading Ohio Northern to the top in the OAC

Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry

Ohio Northern's women's basketball team remains one of the hottest teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

The 13-